Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” – Luke 23:42-43
What happens immediately after death? The transition to our eternal place happens the very moment we die. For in the true-life story of the rich (ungodly) man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), we are told by the Lord Jesus that when the rich man died, he was buried and immediately found himself in the torment of Hades (Hell). On the other hand, Lazarus died and was carried straight to Abraham’s bosom (i.e. Paradise). Furthermore, Jesus assured the ‘repentant and believing’ thief at the cross that he will join Him in Paradise on that same day, i.e. immediately after their death. Do not be deceived. There is no partying in Hell. There is no fun in Hell. Hell is a literal place, where the goodness of God is totally absent. It is a place full of darkness, sorrow, regret, torment, pain and hopelessness (Hebrews 9:27, Luke 23:39-43, Matthew 13:36-43).
Hell is a real place of eternal torment. Don’t you ever doubt it! Many are on their pathway to hell because they have committed the highest form of treason by rejecting the Most High as their personal King. That is ultimately the unpardonable sin that has no remedy after death. You cannot pray for the soul of someone who has died. They had a whole lifetime to choose God (Jesus Christ) as their personal Lord. Whatever choice they made up till the point of death stays with them for all eternity (Hebrews 9:27).
Life is probation. Your performance in life determines your eternal status. There are different degrees of glory and honour in Heaven. This corresponds to how faithful a believer is, in their obedience to God’s Word, for God rewards those that diligently seek Him. In like manner, there are different degrees of suffering and torment in Hell (1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Matthew 11:21-24, Luke 10:12-15).
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. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and BOOKS WERE OPENED. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their WORKS, by the things which were written in the BOOKS. – Revelation 20:11-12
After the final sentencing of Satan and his cohorts, all the dead unbelievers from all generations of men over the 7,000 years of man’s history will be resurrected to face the great white throne of the Most High. All will be judged according to their works. The purpose of this judgement is for final sentencing, for their eternal destiny was already sealed from the moment they died without faith in the Most High (Jesus Christ). The good works of unbelievers cannot save them for they are still guilty of Sin, the greatest of which is their rejection of the Most High (Jesus Christ) as their personal Lord and King. Their sentence will be according to how rebellious they lived while on earth. There are different degrees of suffering and torment in Hell. This corresponds to how rebellious an unbeliever is, in their disobedience to God’s Word, for God will repay everyone according to how they lived (Matthew 11:20-24).
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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. – Revelation 20:14-15
Death and Hades are the names of fallen angels who superintend the domains of Death (physical death) and Hades (spiritual death). Hades (also known as Hell) is a place of imprisonment under the earth for unredeemed souls who have died. It is a place of torment and regret for sinners! Death and Hades superintend over other evil spirits working alongside with them to fulfil their mission of eternal damnation of human ‘spirits and souls’.[1]
Death and Hades are the last evil spirits to be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. They will go into this eternal prison to reunite with Satan, all fallen angels and all demons in eternal torment forever and ever. This fulfils what was written in 1 Corinthians 15:26 that says: ‘the last enemy that will be destroyed is death’. The casting of a spirit into eternal ‘imprisonment and torment’ in the lake of fire and brimstone is the second death which has no end.[2]
So far, no human ‘spirit and soul’ has been imprisoned in the lake of fire and brimstone. However, once the unrighteous dead have been judged according to their works and found wanting according to the Book of the Covenant (the 10 commandments) and according to the Book of Life (living faith in the Lord Jesus Christ), they will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone to join the devil and his angels in everlasting punishment. The degree of their punishment in the Lake of Fire will be according to their works. Those who have rebelled more will suffer more torment while those who have rebelled less will suffer less torment. However, they will all suffer because they rebelled against absolute loyalty to the Most High God (YHVH).[3]
Eternal death (also known as eternal destruction) is to be separated from the life, light and love of God forever. It is eternal separation from the goodness of God. All that remains is darkness, pain, sorrow, torment and regret. They will be burning but never burn out. They will be decaying but never decay out. They will be dying but never die out. Their worm does not die and the fire never goes out. This is the final judgement for wilful rebellion against God.[4]
[1] Revelation 1:18, 6:7-8, Hebrews 2:14, Acts 2:27-31, Isaiah 14:9, Luke 16:19-31
[2] Hosea 13:14, Isaiah 25:8, 1 Cor. 15:24-26,54-57, Revelation 2:11, 20:6, 21:4,8
[3] Matthew 3:12, 25:41,46, 11:20-24, 2 Thess. 1:9, Mark 9:44-48, Luke 10:13-15
[4] John 1:4-5, 3:16-21, 10:10, 1 John 1:5, James 1:17, Matthew 13:42, Mark 9:44-48