Revelation 20:14
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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It's easy to read this as just the final destination for the wicked, but notice that Death and Hades themselves are thrown into the lake of fire. This isn't just where people go; it's the final destruction of the very concepts of death and the grave, meaning they will no longer hold any power, even for the lost.
This moment marks the ultimate defeat of all God's enemies after the final judgment. Following the resurrection of all people and the casting of Satan into the lake of fire, Death and Hades themselves are finally abolished, swallowed up in the fiery judgment. This signifies the complete eradication of physical death and the realm of the dead, as there will be no more dying, and all will face either eternal life or the second, eternal death.
We often think of the 'lake of fire' as a place of eternal suffering for souls. But what happens to Death and Hades themselves in this scene?
Revelation 20:14 presents a dramatic scene where 'Death and Hades' are cast into the lake of fire. This isn't about annihilating these concepts, but rather their complete and final defeat.
The End of an Era
Victory Declared
The verse calls the lake of fire 'the second death.' What makes it distinct from the 'first death' we all experience?
The Bible distinguishes between two kinds of death. The 'first death' is the physical death – the separation of the soul from the body that all humanity experiences. The 'second death,' described here as the lake of fire, is something far more final and terrible.
Separation from God
Understand the original words
limnē tou pyros · Greek Noun Phrase
The symbol of ultimate, eternal separation from God’s presence, representing the final punishment for sin and rebellion against the Creator. It is described as the place of the 'second death.'
deuteros thanatos · Greek Noun Phrase
The final and irreversible state of spiritual separation from God, which occurs after physical death for those who remain in their sin and outside of God's saving grace.
This passage directly states that 'the last enemy to be destroyed is death,' which strongly parallels Revelation 20:14's depiction of death being cast into the lake of fire, signifying its ultimate destruction.
Hebrews 2:14This verse explains that Jesus came to 'destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,' highlighting Christ's victory over death, which is consummated when death itself is finally overcome in the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:4This verse provides the direct counterpart to Revelation 20:14, stating 'death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.' It shows the positive outcome of death and Hades being cast out.
Luke 16:23The parable of the rich man and Lazarus describes Hades as a place of torment, illustrating the concept of a place of suffering from which there is no escape, which the lake of fire ultimately represents in a final, eternal sense.
2 Thessalonians 1:9This verse speaks of the wicked receiving 'punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord,' which is the ultimate reality described by the second death in the lake of fire.
ellicottRevelation 20:14: "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
(14, 15) And death and hell were cast . . . —Better, And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. The latter part of the verse contains, according to the best MS. authority, the additional words “the lake of fire.” We then read, not “This is the second death”—as though the reference were to what went before—but, This is the second death, the lake of fire. The last verse then follows, And if…
clarkeRevelation 20:14: "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
And death and hell were cast into the lake - Death himself is now abolished, and the place for separate spirits no longer needful. All dead bodies and separated souls being rejoined, and no more separation of bodies and souls by death to take place, consequently the existence of these things is no farther necessary. This is the second death - The first death consisted in the separation of the soul…
It's easy to read this as just the final destination for the wicked, but notice that Death and Hades themselves are thrown into the lake of fire. This isn't just where people go; it's the final destruction of the very concepts of death and the grave, meaning they will no longer hold any power, even for the lost.
This moment marks the ultimate defeat of all God's enemies after the final judgment. Following the resurrection of all people and the casting of Satan into the lake of fire, Death and Hades themselves are finally abolished, swallowed up in the fiery judgment. This signifies the complete eradication of physical death and the realm of the dead, as there will be no more dying, and all will face either eternal life or the second, eternal death.
This moment marks the ultimate defeat of all God's enemies after the final judgment. Following the resurrection of all people and the casting of Satan into the lake of fire, Death and Hades themselves are finally abolished, swallowed up in the fiery judgment. This signifies the complete eradication of physical death and the realm of the dead, as there will be no more dying, and all will face either eternal life or the second, eternal death.
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A Permanent State
"Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." — It's easy to read this as just the final destination for the wicked, but notice that Death and Hades themselves are thrown into the lake of fire. This isn't just where people go; it's the final d…
