Revelation 20:14 does not describe people being tortured eternally; it describes Death and Hades themselves being destroyed. The 'second death' is spiritual separation from God that began in Eden, not physical mortality. The lake of fire is the symbolic fire of final destruction into which Death and Hades are cast so they no longer exist — meaning the waiting realm of separation is gone forever.
The Argument
- The Greek text of Revelation 20:14 reads 'This — Death — is the second death' (ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος), strongly connecting 'death' and 'second' as a single idea before mentioning the lake of fire — ...
- The 'second death' traces to Eden: Adam and Eve died spiritually (separation from God) the day they ate, before physical death occurred; thus the second death is spiritual exile, and its abolition ...
- Revelation 21:4's promise of 'no more death' refers to the end of the second death (spiritual separation), not the end of all physical death — physical death remains part of the created cycle of renewal (cf.
Key Scriptures
- Revelation 20:14
- Revelation 2:11
- Revelation 20:6
- Revelation 21:8
- Genesis 2:17
- Romans 6:23
Over to You
If Death and Hades are what get thrown into the lake of fire — not people — what happens to the theology of eternal torment?
From Dismantling Religion by Chris Drake — Chapter 7: The Two Resurrections and the Death of Death