There was never hell fire. God would never let his Creation burn in hell. Please do not believe that. You may say " Then why does God allow us to suffer in this world?" Well God is not causing the suffering, Satan the Devil is. He is ruling this world, that's why it is evil!! God will soon put him out of rule and bring all the ones in the truth to a new paradise earth. Finding the truth is the tough part, but there is a certain religion that has all the answers straight from the Bible..... find that out for yourself. (JW)
Answer:After.
The "
hell fire" Jesus mentions in the KJV Bible [Matt.5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:47] is properly translated "
Gehenna fire." He was [and is] talking about the "
Gehenna Valley" that lay outside of Jerusalem, where they would dump and burn trash... as well as where they would cast the carcases of an occasional incorrigibly wicked person.
This kind of "hell fire" [Gehenna fire] coined by Jesus Christ, obviously didn't exist before the valley came into existence... or given its name ["...
the Valley of the son of Hinnom [Hinnom; Gehenna] unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before
the Valley of Hinnom westward..." (Joshua 15:8).
Jesus' mention of it is also a "prophecy" of the coming "Judgment Day"... in which Jesus also coined the name "
Lake of Fire"... where those judged "evil" and "wicked" [those who shall remain unrepentant and unwilling to bow to God's Authority and Sovereign rule] will be cast.
In using the "Gehenna Valley" in His description of the judgment and subsequent punishment of the unjust... it's evident that Jesus intends to light the Gehenna Valley ablaze when He returns -- whereupon, the valley shall become a "
Lake of Fire." His mention of Gehenna Valley gives us its location.
"...the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet... These both were cast alive into a
Lake of Fire [hell fire; Gehenna fire] burning with brimstone [sulphur]." (Rev.19:20)
"And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the
Lake of Fire." (Rev.20:15)
Although there are many who can't imagine Jesus doing such a thing... the Bible says He shall. Most people don't truly know, inasmuch as He is ever-ready to forgive -- He is also ever-ready to remove every scrap of sin from the earth. And that shall include everyone who absolutely refuses to worship Him, their Creator, and King of kings, when their trial comes up in the Judgment:
"But those Mine enemies,
WHICH WOULD NOT THAT I SHOULD REIGN OVER THEM, bring hither, and
SLAY THEM BEFORE ME." (Luke 19:27)
He has already explained elsewhere in scripture the nature of that "slaying." It's the "Lake of Fire" -- "Gehenna [hell] fire."
Hell [Gehenna]
fire came about AFTER creation. Jesus gave it its name. It shall spread across the valley of Hinnom and become an "infernal lake" when Jesus returns.
And it shall consume and last throughout His thousand year rule... and as long as there is material to feed upon in the Judgment -- until the fire burns out from lack of fuel, sin is defeated, purged and becomes no more, and the New Heaven and New Earth are created.
"...for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away..." (Rev.21:1).
Additional Comments: Consider that at the Creation, Mankind had not sinned yet so there was no need for a judgement. After their sin and continuous sinning, God judged the world and destroyed all mankind except a family of 8 people. God promised never to destroy the world by water again.
Peter was inspired to tell us that the world awaits its judgement reserved for fire. The gehenna fire or Lake of Fire is where the unjust, incorrigible who refuse to repent will be cast into and this is called the 2nd death.
The Lake of Fire will continue to grow to consume all the former things as the parable of Lazarus in Abraham's bosom and the rich man pictures. Once again Peter tells us of this universal enlarging of the Lake of Fire:
New King James Version (NKJV)
The Day of the Lord
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
[a]
There is a real hell fire. Christ Himself said so. Christ said there is a real hell fire waiting "for the devil and his angels":-
Matt 25 (v.41) Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Rev 14:9-11 (KJV)
Rev 14 (v.9) And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, Rev 14 (v.10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Rev 14 (v.11) And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 19:20 (KJV)
Rev 19 (v.20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Rev 20:1-3, 7, 10, 14-15 (KJV)
Rev 20 (v.1) And I saw an angel come down from heaven,... Rev 20 (v.2) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, Rev 20 (v.3) ....and after that he must be loosed a little season. ..... Rev 20 (v.7) And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, ... Rev 20 (v.10) And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. ..... (v.14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Rev 20 (v.15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.