[22] And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. [23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24] By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:22–25
When I've asked those who believe in the impossibility of a person escaping hell once they find themselves there where they find biblical support for this way of thinking, one of the most common passages offered in response is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16.
[22] The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, [23] and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. [24] And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’
Luke 16:22–26
Upon dying, the poor man in this narrative goes to Abraham's side, representing what we traditionally understand as Heaven. And the rich man, upon dying, finds himself in torment in Hades, representing what we traditionally understand as Hell. And, most importantly, to address the point in question, verse 26 states clearly that there is a fixed chasm that prevents one from moving between Hades and Abraham's side or, we might say, between Hell and Heaven.
I readily affirm the clarity of what this passage shows. The rich man is experiencing unbearable torment. And he cannot go from Hades to Abraham's. He cannot escape this torment. I don't for one moment deny this.
But there are some very important things to keep in mind:
- When we use the word "hell", what exact location do we mean? The New Testament refers to four different places as an experience of judgment: Hades (Luke 16:23), Gehenna (Matthew 5:22), Tartarus (2 Peter 2:4), and the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). There is actually no single Greek word that is consistently translated into English as "hell". Rather, our traditional understanding of "hell" is a conflation of all of these distinct terms into a single concept of judgment. This should give us pause. We need to be more precise in understanding the terms the New Testament uses in its original context rather than letting our more modern theological concepts determine the way we read the New Testament.
- The Bible is written as a narrative of progressive revelation. This means that as God gives more revelation over time, it often sheds greater light on previous revelation. This idea alone points us in the direction that what we read about judgment as described by Jesus before He died and rose again is not the final word on the topic of judgment as there is still so much more God had to reveal in the aftermath of Jesus offering this teaching narrative.
- Related to the former point, but with greater specificity, this narrative takes place historically before the death and resurrection of Jesus. The death and resurrection of Jesus had cosmos-altering effects. For instance, we read how "the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many" (Matthew 27:51-53). I think John points us toward one of these cosmos-altering affects toward the beginning of Revelation: "I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades" (Revelation 1:18). Jesus here states that He holds the keys of Death and Hades by virtue of His death and resurrection. The function of keys is elaborated on in Revelation 3:7 where, speaking of Jesus, the angel of the church in Philadelphia describes Him as the one "who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens." What do keys do in the context of Revelation? They give one the authority to open what would otherwise be shut or to shut what would otherwise be open.
Stroke 1: The new Jerusalem has gates that never close
[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband...[22] And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. [23] And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. [24] By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:1–2, 22-25
As John develops this final vision to conclude the New Testament, at the center of it is the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. John has many things to say about new Jerusalem but I want to point to one thing in particular in verse 25: its gates will never shut as long as it is day time. And one more thing: there's no night there. I love this poetic way that John chooses to communicate that the gates of new Jerusalem never shut. They will only shut at night time. But there is no night time in new Jerusalem. So the gates will never shut.
And an important point to mention is that when John speaks of gates that never shut, this word shut is the exact same Greek term used in Revelation 3:7 mentioned earlier to speak of how the function of keys is to open what no one will be able to shut and to shut what no one will be able to open. So these gates are almost certainly open by someone's authority. Almost certainly the authority of the One who has the keys of Death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) as well as the key of David (Revelation 3:7)—namely, the crucified and risen Lamb. And as long as He wants these gates to be open (forever!), absolutely no one will be able to shut them. Hallelujah!
Stroke 2: Outside of new Jerusalem is the lake of fire full of everyone who continues to rebel against God
If we pay close attention to the vision John is narrating in Revelation 21-22, there is a clear inside and outside.
You can think of it as though in Revelation 21:1-8, John gives us a high-level overview of his vision. And then he goes on in what follows to drill down on the details.
[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” [5] And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” [6] And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. [7] The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. [8] But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:1–8
In verses 1-7, John describes the reality inside new Jerusalem. But then in verse 8, he makes it clear that this won't be the experience of everyone because there is an outside: the lake of fire. And he tells us who will be outside in the lake of fire.
So his vision is comprised of an inside and an outside. Inside is new Jerusalem for the people of God and outside is the lake of fire for the rebellious.
We see the explicit mention of outside toward the end of the vision in chapter 22:
[14] Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter [inside] the city by the gates. [15] Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Revelation 22:14–15, emphasis added
Stroke 3: The Spirit and the Bride invite those outside (in the lake of fire) to come inside (new Jerusalem)
[17] The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
Revelation 22:17
Think about the fact that there is an inside and an outside and who is on the inside and the outside. On the inside are the people of God, otherwise known as the Bride (in Revelation, the city of new Jerusalem is itself referred to as the Bride as the people of God are so identified with the city that there is no way to separate the two, Revelation 21:2, 9). They are those who, having entered new Jerusalem, have drunk of the water of life (Revelation 22:1). On the outside are the rebellious. They are those who, having entered the lake of fire, are not only burning in torment but are parched beyond words.
So when the Spirit and the Bride say "Come", who can they be talking to? They can't possibly be talking to the people of God because (a) the people of God are already identified with the Bride so can't be talking to themselves and (b) they are already on the inside! They have already had their thirst satisfied. What makes the most logical sense is that the Spirit and the Bride are appealing to those outside who are still in the lake of fire. They are essentially saying: "You don't have to remain in your state of unbearable pain and thirst. You can come to have your thirst satisfied by drinking from the river of the water of life" (Revelation 22:1). And the implication is that they can come to have their burns healed by having them soothed by the leaves of the tree of life which are for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).
There is only one condition:
[14] Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
Revelation 22:14
The only people who can enter new Jerusalem are those who wash their robes, which can only be washed by the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14). They enter new Jerusalem no differently from those who enter new Jerusalem without having to experience the lake of fire. It isn't by their own merits but by being washed in the life-giving blood of Jesus, which is inseparable from a heart of repentance that finally lays down the arms of rebellion and instead submits to the Lordship of King Jesus.
It's important to note who is walking through the open gates of new Jerusalem when John first speaks of the open gates:
[24] By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, [25] and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:24–25
When John first describes the open gates of new Jerusalem, he specifically tells us that the "kings of the earth" are entering new Jerusalem by these gates, bringing their glory into it. Why is this important? Because throughout Revelation, the "kings of the earth" are portrayed as rebels against the Lamb:
[15] Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, [16] calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, [17] for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”
Revelation 6:15–17
[13] And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. [14] For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
Revelation 16:13–14
[1] Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, [2] with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.”
Revelation 17:1–2
[3] For all nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and the kings of the earth have committed immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living.”
Revelation 18:3
[9] And the kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning.
Revelation 18:9
[19] And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army.
Revelation 19:19
Conclusion
[13] And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. [14] Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. [15] And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:13–15
Notice that in verse 13, Hades gives up the dead who were in them. Among others, that must at the very least include the rich man of Luke 16. By His authority as crucified and risen King, Jesus sends the rich man from a state where there was a fixed chasm between himself and the relief he longed for—in Hades—to a state where there are not only open gates between himself and the relief he longs for but an open invitation to come and to freely have his thirst quenched—in the lake of fire.
And so, the risen Lamb who ripped open the bars of Sheol in the resurrection also tears down that great chasm that stood in Hades so that one day it would be possible for the rich man—if he would truly repent and in so doing wash his robes in the blood of the Lamb—to have the right to crossover and drink to finally cool his tongue in a way he previously longed to but couldn't while in Hades.
[31] For the Lord will not cast off forever, [32] for, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; [33] for he does not afflict from his heart or grieve the children of men.
Lamentations 3:31–33
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