ARE THERE FLAMES OF FIRE IN HELL?
The Bible uses various metaphors to describe the state of destruction in hell. The fire of hell does not need to be physical to be destructively real. The Bible uses various burning fire metaphors to describe hell such as the “lake of burning sulfur” (Revelation 20:10 NIV) and the ”lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14 NIV). Jesus’ bother James, also described the human tongue as being set on fire by hell. “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:6 NIV). James used the language of a physical tongue and physical fire as metaphors for the destructive power of words and the state of hell.
The Bible uses other metaphors to describe hell: “darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:12 NIV), “blackest darkness” (2 Peter 2:17; Jude 13 NIV), and “gloomy pits of darkness” (2 Peter 2:4 NLT). These metaphors all describe the horror of the eternal separation from God. Therefore, hell may be a spiritual form of suffering, not physical. Hank Hanegraaff, After Life: What You Need to Know About Heaven, the Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013), 58-61; Kenneth D. Boa and Robert Bowman Jr., Sense and Nonsense about Heaven and Hell (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), chapter 12.