14:9-11 What do we learn from what the angel says here?

What the angel pronounces here emphasizes the absolute reality of hell, which sadly, many professing Christians believe is merely symbolic, not literal. Yet throughout scripture hell is depicted as a literal place of eternal punishment for the ungodly (cp Deut 32:22; Psa 9:17; 55:15; Pr 15:11, 24; 23:13-14; Isa 5:14; 14:12-15; 66:24; Dan 7:9-11).

Jesus Himself teaches that hell is a literal place of eternal punishment; a place of unquenchable fire where the ungodly are tormented day and night for ever (cp Mt 5:22, 29-30; 7:19; 13:36-42, 47-50; 25:31-46; Mk 9:43-48; Lk 12:4-5; 16:19-31; Jn 15:5-6).

We see in all these scriptures that hell is both a judgment of punishment upon sinners, and a place in which the punishment occurs (cp Mt 8:12; 10:28; 18:8-9; 23:33; 25:24-30; Mk 3:29; Lk 10:15, 12:5; Ro 2:4-5; Php 3:18-19; 2Th 1:7-9; He 10:39; Jas 3:6; 2Pe 2:17; Jude 6-13, 21-23; Rev 2:11).

In the Old Testament hell is sheol, which means the world of the dead; the unseen world of departed spirits. Its corresponding word in the New Testament is hades, which means the region of the departed spirits of the lost. In the New Testament hell is also derived from the Greek word geenna - transliterated in English as gehenna - which means a place or state of the lost and condemned; the final destiny of the wicked.

Clearly these all define hell as a literal place; a place of eternal punishment and torments; a place of unquenchable fire, expressing divine judgment. And the fact that the fire is unquenchable teaches that the punishment is unending, eternal. This clearly refutes the doctrine of complete annihilation of the unbelievers; that they do not undergo a permanent and changed state of being involving punishment and pain, as some teach.

The state of human beings after death in sheol / hades, or hell is irreversible, although none of these places constitute the eternal state of sinners. Hades and hell are cast into the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment. The lake of fire is the final place of torment into which Satan and all the fallen angels, Antichrist and the false prophet, and everyone who ever lived whose names are not found written in the book of life, will be cast.

This is called the second death (cp Rev 19:20; 20:4-6, 10-15; 21:7-8 with Isa 66:24). The first death is physical death at the end of one's earthly life.

Scriptures also refute the teaching that hell and the grave are one, as some believe. They are two distinct places as proved by scripture. The grave only holds the body, whereas hell holds both the soul and the spirit (cp Eze 31:14-17; 32:22-32). Here we see that hell and graves are clearly distinguishable. (See also comments on Rev 20:11-15).

Revelation:-