Hell is an Unquenching Fire and Where You Can Never Cease to Exist

Jesus said, "43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 44 Other ancient authorities insert verse 44, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 46 Other ancient authorities insert verse 46, [where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. 49 For every one will be salted with fire [and every sacrifice salted with salt]. 50 Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its saltness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another" (Mark 9.38-50).

Three times Jesus said the worn never dies to show the person who goes to Hell will remain there forever, conscious of their wrong choice. The fiery judgment never goes out.

"And they shall go forth and look on the dead bodies of the men that have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh" (Is. 66.24).

"29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell" (Matt. 5.29,30).

In Hell the figurative salt loses its flavor permanently. There is no way to get it back and to get out of Hell once there.

The Dead Sea provided rock salt to much of Palestine, but it was often inferior quality, being mixed with other minerals, particularly gypsum. When the salt leeched out of the mixture, the result was a weak product (The Greek historian Pliny [Nat. History. 3, 31, 34] attests to this feature of the Dead Sea salt.)

"And the priest shall burn as its memorial portion part of the crushed grain and of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is an offering by fire to the LORD" (Lev. 2.16). "You shall present them before the LORD, and the priests shall sprinkle salt upon them and offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD" (Ez. 43.24). The burnt offering typifies our co-death on the cross with Christ. Once you lose access to the atonement of Jesus you lose out forever. There is no way to recover the saltiness of the salt.

Jesus' saying was hyperbolic, showing the uselessness and lack of positive witness among His followers if they were not totally committed to Him.