Matt 8:11-12 “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matt 22:13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast [him] into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Matt 25:30 ‘And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Those who are unworthy for the kingdom of God will be thrust out into outer darkness. This is where some have suggested that hell is about absence of God.

The first death is about our physical death and our soul going to Hades but the second death is about the end of death itself. Christ has the keys to Death and Hades who can redeem anyone He wants. Bible does not say He will redeem everyone neither does it say He will not.

2Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning [His] promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

However, the Bible does say, God does not want any to perish but come to repentance.

Matt 24:51 “and will cut him in two and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth is often referred to torments in hell. However, the above Bible reference mentions the same for a person cut into two which supports annihilation.

• Sheol or Hades is grave where the dead have no work or device or knowledge or wisdom.
• There is no reference in Old Testament that suggests eternal torment in Hades.
• Hell is a symbolic reference to the torment suffered by the children of ancient Israel in the valley of (the son of) Hinnom who made them pass through fire.
• Hell is synonymous to Outer Darkness.
• The beast who will be tormented day and night in the lake of fire and brimstone forever and ever, is a nation.
• There is a worse punishment for the betrayer of Son of Man. It is better he had never been born, which supports the view of a punishment rather than annihilation.
• Christ gave graphic details of the flames of torment in Hades after death in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
• God has the power to destroy soul in hell which supports annihilation. Christ can destroy the Spirit of an unclean demon.
• Everlasting punishment does not necessarily mean everlasting torment.
• Christ’s reference to the place of unquenchable fire where worms do not die is to burn the corpse of those who transgressed against God. It is not a reference to eternal torment.
• Just as there is not maimed person in heaven, entering with one eye is only a reference to enter kingdom of God. The same is true for being cast into unquenchable fire. The verse does not explain if the maimed will be cured in heaven or the wicked will suffer forever.
• John uses lake of fire and brimstone to describe hell.
• Death and Hades will be cast into lake of fire which is called second death.
• The evil servant cut into two and thrown in a place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Being cut into two, it supports annihilation.

Jesus Christ on Hades/Sheol

Let us focus on what Jesus said especially about Hades (or after death) by revisiting some of the verses.

Matt 22:31-32 “But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

When Jesus said, God is not the God of the dead but the living, He is referring with context to resurrection of the dead. He is not necessarily referring to Abraham being alive but sleeping and will one day resurrected from the dead.

Luke 20:34-36 Jesus answered and said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Further, only those who are worthy will attain the age to come, which suggests, the rest will be annihilated.

Luke 8:52-53 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping. And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 

John 11:11-14 These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up. Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well. However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

Luke 16:23-24 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus Christ gave a glimpse of torments in Hades. Now here are the important questions:

• If Sheol/Hades is a place for the dead who have no knowledge or wisdom, how can the rich man in the parable suffer and have a conversation with Abraham?
• If Abraham was sleeping, just like the Lazarus and the little girl who were also dead, how can Abraham have a conversation with the rich man until the resurrection of the dead?

Matt 27:52-53 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Torment in Hades & Final Annihilation

Luke 11:24-26 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds [it] swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with [him] seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first.”

Clearly, the dry places referred here is in the spirit realm and it seems the spirit requires a host/body to have rest. Without this rest, the spirit will be going through dry places and the torments of it is similar to the flames of this world and the rest is compared to cooling the tongue.

Just as the great gulf, the spirit of the wicked cannot go near the spirit of the righteous. This gulf is no more because when Christ died, He entered Hades to defeat death itself, for He is life. Now, He has the keys to Hades and victorious over it.

1Pet 3:18-20 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while [the] ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.

The above is a fulfillment of the below prophecy.

Zech 9:11 “As for you also, Because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.

Waterless pit, dry land, cooling of the tongue – all points to some kind of torment in spiritual realm for the spirits of sinners in Hades, but the righteous seems to have rest and referred as sleeping until the day of resurrection.

After the resurrection of Christ, the righteous are freed from the prison of Hades and are with Christ, but the wicked are left in Hades until the second resurrection.

Rev 21:8,10 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” … The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet [are.] And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Rev 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

Rev 20:14-15 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. … And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

All the sinners whose name is not found in the Book of Life will have their part in second death. The devil, beast and the false prophet were cast into the lake of fire and tormented day and night forever and ever. However, the next verse is the Great White Throne Judgment where heaven and earth fled away. In other words, the day/night will cease to exist suggesting that the torment will be until the Great White Throne Judgment and after which all the sinners will be annihilated.

Rev 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

Rev 21:4-5 “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

Isa 66:22-24 “For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD, “So shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass [That] from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.” 

We see this final annihilation when the new heavens and the new earth are created where the righteous shall go forth and look upon the corpse of the men who transgressed against God.

We still have some differences from prophet Daniel, who mentions both righteous and wicked will sleep (Dan 12:2). By comparing what Jesus spoke about death, He may simply be referring to the sleep in flesh in the dust of the earth but the not the spirit or soul as we see in the parable of Jesus (Luke 16:23-24). Jesus knew Hades is a place of torment and He doesn’t want anyone to go.

Luke 8:30-33 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.

We see here, Christ is merciful even to demons and listened to their plea and did not cast them to the abyss (or Sheol). What is more important to understand is that, even demons doesn’t want to go into abyss.

Hades is a place of torment for the wicked but a rest for the righteous whose death is often referred as sleep. While the torment is not literal flames, several clues from the Bible reveals something similar to waterless, dry, restless wandering in the spirit realm, which is compared to flames of torment and unquenchable thirst. But when Christ was resurrected, the righteous were freed and are with Christ. But the wicked are still in torments until their second resurrection where they will be judged and annihilated in the lake of fire. Why would anyone want to go through this torment? Repent!