Hell is a dimension where the love and light of God does not touch. You are thrown "body and soul" into this location, so the physical realm is still part of this domain. There is physical pain involved.
Well, those that are in bondage to the Watchtower Organization are held in the shackles of mistranslation. So if the Jehovah Witnesses believe one thing, there is a very good chance that the opposite is true. So let's look at this "mistranslation" of the word "hell". Because like all JW doctrine, they are partly right, but mostly wrong.
There are several words to consider. The Hebrew for "the grave" is Sheol. The Greek is "Hades". So to get the proper translation for "hell" in say the KJV, you need to use the Strong's Concordance.
There is another Greek word "gehenna" which is taken from the Valley of Henna where they burned the refuse of Jerusalem outside the Dung Gate. It burned continually, day and night, seven days a week. When the word "hell" is used, and the original Greek uses "gehenna", then that is the eternal torment seen with the Lake of Fire in Revelation that burns forever and ever.
Now, with that established, we can ask "Is hell temporary or forever?" Let's start in the prophets...
The Angel prophesying to Daniel said it was a real place...
Daniel 12:2 - And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
God revealed it to Isaiah that is a real place.
Isa 66:24 - “And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Jesus confirmed God's prophetic word to Isaiah three times...
Mr 9:44 “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’
Mr 9:46 “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’
Mr 9:48 “where ‘Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.’
Jude spoke of it...
Jude 7 - suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
And John in Revelation also described heaven in detail.
Re 20:10&15 - And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire...and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
John made it very clear, with no room for debate, that anyone NOT found written in the Book of Life will be tormented day and night "forever and ever".
Most importantly, God does NOT want you to go there...
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance.
Ezekiel 18:32
"For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord GOD. “Therefore turn and live!”
Now, for those who disagree based on original language, let us look at the Hebrew.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. - Daniel 12:2
Is heaven everlasting, or just temporary? The angel that spoke to Daniel proclaimed that both are "everlasting" and are the same word "owlam" in the Hebrew. In Genesis 21:33, the same word is used in "everlasting God". If Hell is not infinite, than neither is your god.
Jude 7 - ...suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
The Greek for eternal is "aionios" which is also used earlier in the same book in Jude 1:21 for "eternal life". So is heaven temporary, or are both forever and ever? Again, you cannot have one translation for one usage of the word, and another translation for the same word elsewhere.
Eternal means just that--forever and ever without end. Best to deal with truth as truth and not try and sugar coat it because it makes you or your congregation uncomfortable.
