Sorry, this is a re-post. Original had some errors in the title that I just needed to fix because it was killing me. Apologies to any who may have been writing. Here’s the original post:
As in, when it says something along the lines of “the gates of hell will never against the Church prevail,” doesn’t it actually mean “the gates of death” or “the Church shall never truly die.”? I’m almost certain that the Bible never mentions an eternal fiery torment for “sinful” humans. I DO know, however, that there is one mentioned for the Devil, and that it mentions an eternal death for people who don’t repent.
So where did this idea of a red dude with horns and a pitchfork poking a bunch of screaming souls in a flaming hole come from, at least in Christianity/Catholicism? Couldn’t have been from the Bible, right?
Some Bible translations use the word “hell” for the Hebrew word “Sheol” and the matching Greek word “Hades,” both of which refer to the common grave of mankind. (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27)
So your correct. The book of revelation refers to a 'lake of fire'. The five Bible verses that mention “the lake of fire” show it to be a symbol rather than a literal lake. (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8) The following are cast into the lake of fire:
The Devil. (Revelation 20:10) As a spirit creature, the Devil cannot be harmed by literal fire.—Exodus 3:2;Judges 13:20.
Death. (Revelation 20:14) This is not a literal entity but represents a state of inactivity, the absence of life. (Ecclesiastes 9:10) Death cannot literally be burned.
“The wild beast” and “the false prophet.” (Revelation 19:20) Since these are symbols, doesn’t it seem reasonable to conclude that the lake they are thrown into is also a symbol?—Revelation 13:11, 12;16:13.
The context of the Bible indicates that the torment of the Devil is everlasting restraint or destruction.
The word used for “torment” in the Bible can also mean “a condition of restraint.” For example, the Greek word for “tormentors” used at Matthew 18:34is rendered as “jailers” in many translations, showing the connection between the words “torment” and “restraint.” Likewise, the parallel accounts at Matthew 8:29 and Luke 8:30, 31 equate “torment” with “the abyss,” a figurative place of complete inactivity or death. (Romans 10:7;Revelation 20:1, 3) In fact, several times the book of Revelation uses the word “torment” in a symbolic sense.—Revelation 9:5; 11:10; 18:7, 10