Note: This article examines the Divine Presence model of hell from a conservative biblical Christian perspective that affirms the possibility of postmortem salvation. It draws primarily from the works of R. Zachary Manis and Sharon Baker, along with supporting biblical scholarship. For centuries, Christians have wrestled with understanding the nature of hell and how it relates to God’s love and justice. The traditional view has often portrayed hell as a place of separation from God where the wicked suffer eternal torment as punishment for their sins. However, a growing number of biblical scholars and theologians are rediscovering an ancient understanding that offers a profoundly different perspective: the Divine Presence model of hell. This model, deeply rooted in Scripture and early church tradition, suggests that hell is not separation from God, but rather the experience of God’s very presence by those who have rejected Him. The same divine fire that brings joy and life to the redeemed becomes torment to those who remain in rebellion. This understanding opens up profound questions about the nature of final judgment, the possibility of postmortem salvation, and the ultimate fate of those who die without Christ. As conservative biblical Christians who believe in God’s endless mercy and the power of Christ’s redemptive work even beyond death, we approach this topic with reverence for Scripture and hope in God’s desire that none should perish. This report will explore the biblical foundations of the Divine Presence model, examine how it addresses traditional concerns about hell, and consider its implications for understanding salvation and final judgment. The biblical revelation consistently presents God as fire, not merely using fire as an instrument, but being fire in His very nature. This truth appears from the earliest books of Scripture through the final apocalyptic visions of Revelation. Understanding this foundational biblical theme is essential to grasping the Divine Presence model of hell.
“For our God is a consuming fire.” – Hebrews 12:29 (NKJV)
This New Testament declaration echoes Deuteronomy 4:24, establishing a consistent biblical testimony spanning both covenants. The writer of Hebrews doesn’t say God uses fire or sends fire, but that He is a consuming fire. This distinction is crucial for understanding how the Divine Presence model differs from traditional views of hell. Throughout the Old Testament, encounters with God are consistently described using the imagery of fire. When Moses first encounters the Lord at Mount Horeb, God appears in a burning bush that burns but is not consumed (Exodus 3:2-3). This paradoxical image—fire that burns without destroying—introduces a theme that will resonate throughout Scripture: divine fire can have different effects depending on what it encounters. During the Exodus, God’s presence among the Israelites manifests as a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). Significantly, this same pillar that provides light and guidance to Israel becomes darkness and confusion to the pursuing Egyptian army (Exodus 14:20). Here we see an early indication that God’s presence itself—unchanged in its nature—can be experienced as either salvation or judgment depending on one’s relationship with Him. The prophet Ezekiel’s visions provide some of the most dramatic descriptions of God as fire. In his inaugural vision, Ezekiel describes the divine presence:
“I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.” – Ezekiel 1:27 (NKJV)
Daniel’s apocalyptic vision presents the Ancient of Days with a throne “flaming with fire” and “a river of fire flowing, coming out from before him” (Daniel 7:9-10). This river of fire proceeding from God’s throne becomes a crucial image for understanding the lake of fire in Revelation—not as a separate place of torment, but as the very presence of God experienced by those unprepared for it. The New Testament continues and intensifies this imagery. John the Baptist announces Christ’s ministry by declaring that He will “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). The same baptism that brings life through the Spirit is simultaneously described as fire—suggesting that the Spirit and fire are not two different things, but two ways of experiencing the same divine reality. Jesus Himself declares, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49). This is not primarily a reference to judgment in the traditional sense, but to the transformative presence of God that Christ brings into the world—a presence that will ultimately fill all creation at His return. The Book of Revelation presents the most developed imagery of Christ as fire. John’s vision of the glorified Christ describes Him with “eyes like blazing fire” and feet “like bronze glowing in a furnace” (Revelation 1:14-15). His face shines “like the sun shining in all its brilliance” (Revelation 1:16). These are not metaphorical additions to Christ’s appearance but revelations of His divine nature as the light and fire of God incarnate. The traditional understanding of the lake of fire as a place separate from God where the wicked are sent for punishment faces a significant biblical problem: How can anything exist apart from God’s sustaining presence? The doctrine of divine conservation teaches that God must actively sustain everything in existence moment by moment. Nothing can exist independently of God’s power. The Divine Presence model resolves this contradiction by recognizing that the lake of fire is not a place separate from God, but rather is the very presence of God experienced by those who are not prepared for it. Revelation 14:10 makes this explicit when it describes the torment of the wicked: “They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb” (emphasis added). This torment doesn’t occur in separation from Christ but in His very presence. A remarkable parallel emerges when we compare the visions in Daniel and Revelation. Daniel sees a river of fire flowing from God’s throne (Daniel 7:10). Revelation describes both a lake of fire (Revelation 20:14-15) and a river of the water of life flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb (Revelation 22:1). Orthodox Christian tradition, particularly in its iconography, has long recognized these as the same reality—the divine presence flowing from the throne, experienced as either fire or living water depending on one’s spiritual state. This understanding is supported by Jesus’ own teaching about the Holy Spirit, whom He describes as both fire (Luke 12:49) and living water (John 7:38-39). The same Spirit who brings life to those who receive Him becomes a consuming fire to those who blaspheme against Him—the one unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:31-32). The Greek word for “brimstone” (theion) mentioned in descriptions of the lake of fire is particularly significant. It derives from the same root as the word for “divine” (theios). In the ancient world, sulfur was used for purification and cleansing, particularly in religious contexts. The Greeks used it to purify temples and dedicate them to the gods. This suggests that the “lake of fire and brimstone” should be understood not merely as an instrument of torment, but as divine purification—the holy presence of God that either purifies or consumes, depending on what it encounters. Scripture repeatedly affirms God’s desire for the salvation of all people. This divine will doesn’t cease at physical death but continues into the age to come. Consider these foundational texts:
“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.” – 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NKJV)
If God truly desires all to be saved, and if God’s will is ultimately sovereign, then we must seriously consider whether opportunities for salvation extend beyond physical death. The Divine Presence model, particularly as developed by Sharon Baker, suggests that the encounter with God’s fiery presence at the final judgment itself becomes an opportunity for repentance and transformation. The apostolic testimony about Christ’s descent to Hades provides strong biblical support for postmortem evangelization. Peter writes:
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah.” – 1 Peter 3:18-20 (NKJV)
This passage indicates that Christ preached to souls who had died in disobedience, offering them the gospel after death. If this was possible for those who died before Christ, why would it not be possible for those who die after Him? The early church universally believed that Christ’s descent to Hades resulted in the liberation of righteous souls who had died before His incarnation. This establishes the principle that death is not an absolute barrier to God’s saving work. The biblical teaching about resurrection and judgment suggests purposes beyond simple ratification of decisions made in earthly life. If eternal destinies were sealed at death, why would God resurrect the wicked at all? Why not simply leave them in the state of death? The resurrection of both righteous and wicked (John 5:28-29, Daniel 12:2) indicates that something significant happens at the final judgment that couldn’t happen without it. The Divine Presence model suggests that the resurrection brings all people into the unveiled presence of God. This encounter with ultimate reality—with Truth himself—becomes the context for final decision. In the full light of God’s presence, all illusions and self-deceptions fall away. Each person sees clearly both who God is and who they themselves are. In this moment of absolute clarity, the final choice is made: to embrace the divine fire as purification and transformation, or to experience it as torment. Throughout Scripture, fire is associated not only with judgment but with purification and refinement. Malachi prophesies about the day of the Lord:
“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” – Malachi 3:2-3 (NKJV)
This imagery suggests that the divine fire doesn’t simply destroy but refines and purifies. Paul uses similar language when he describes how each person’s work will be tested by fire at the judgment, and some will be “saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). This indicates that the fire of judgment can have a salvific, purifying effect even for those whose works don’t survive the testing. Sharon Baker, in her groundbreaking work on hell, presents a narrative approach to understanding final judgment through the story of Otto, a fictional character representing the worst of humanity. Baker uses this narrative to explore what happens when an unrepentant sinner encounters the fiery presence of God at the final judgment. In Baker’s telling, Otto approaches God’s throne expecting hatred and condemnation. Instead, he encounters divine love and forgiveness. The fire he experiences is not an external punishment imposed by God, but the very presence of divine love experienced by a soul unprepared for it. Baker writes that this fire “burns away whatever is evil, wicked, or sinful” while it “cleanses and purifies what remains.” This presents us with three possible outcomes for someone like Otto: Baker’s model maintains a strong emphasis on human freedom, distinguishing it from universalism. She writes: “The fire does not eliminate the gift of human freedom. Those who say no to God’s yes, however, end up in the ‘lake of fire,’ which annihilates them.” This preserves the biblical teaching that God does not force salvation upon anyone while also maintaining that God never closes the door to grace. The crucial insight here is that immortality itself may be conditional—not an inherent quality of human nature but a gift given to those who are united with God, the source of all life. Those who ultimately and finally reject God reject life itself, and having cut themselves off from the source of existence, they cease to exist. Several biblical passages support the concept of conditional immortality:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
This verse presents eternal life as a gift, not an inherent quality. Death—understood as cessation of existence rather than eternal conscious torment—is presented as the natural consequence of sin.
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” – Matthew 10:28 (NKJV)
Jesus speaks here of the destruction of both soul and body, using the Greek word “apollymi,” which means to destroy utterly or to cause to perish. This suggests annihilation rather than eternal preservation in a state of torment. The imagery of chaff being burned up (Matthew 3:12), branches being thrown into the fire and burned (John 15:6), and the wicked perishing (John 3:16) all suggest complete destruction rather than eternal conscious existence in torment. R. Zachary Manis presents a different version of the Divine Presence model that maintains the traditional belief in the eternal conscious existence of the damned. Rather than being annihilated, those who reject God continue to exist eternally in His presence, experiencing that presence as torment. Manis argues that immortality is an essential aspect of human nature because humans are created for eternal communion with God. To be capable of such communion requires the capacity for immortality. Even those who reject this communion retain their immortal nature, but experience it as curse rather than blessing. A crucial element in Manis’s model is what he calls the “metaphysical size gap” between Creator and creature. God is infinite, unlimited, all-powerful; humans are finite, limited, and dependent. In our current existence, God graciously veils His full presence to accommodate our limitations. At the final judgment, this veil is removed. For those who have been transformed by grace and made capable of bearing the divine presence, this unveiling is the ultimate fulfillment of their desire for God. But for those who remain in rebellion, the infinite weight of God’s unveiled presence is unbearable. They experience what the saints experience as love and light as an crushing, inescapable torment. Manis develops a sophisticated psychological and spiritual account of how people become fixed in their rejection of God. Through repeated choices to sin and persistent self-deception about the nature of their actions, people develop what he calls “spiritual momentum” away from God. This momentum becomes increasingly difficult to reverse. By the time of final judgment, some souls have become so entrenched in their self-deception and rebellion that even the unveiled presence of God cannot break through their hardened hearts. They experience God’s love as hatred, His light as burning fire, His truth as condemnation. One of Manis’s most important contributions is his interpretation of the “destruction of death and Hades” described in Revelation 20:14. He argues that when death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire (the divine presence), they are destroyed not in the sense of annihilation but in the sense that their separating function ceases. Death, understood as separation from God, becomes impossible when God’s presence fills all things. Hades, the intermediate state where souls experience partial separation from God, is destroyed when that separation ends. The “second death” is thus not annihilation but the death of death itself—the end of any possibility of separation from God’s presence. This means that the damned cannot escape God’s presence through annihilation. They must eternally exist in the presence of the One they have rejected, experiencing His love as torment because they have made themselves incapable of receiving it as love. The following table examines crucial biblical passages through the lens of the Divine Presence model, showing how this interpretation illuminates Scripture’s teaching about judgment, hell, and the possibility of postmortem salvation. Divine Presence Explanation: This passage explicitly states that torment occurs “in the presence of the Lamb,” not separated from Him. The fire and brimstone represent the divine presence itself, experienced as torment by those who have aligned themselves with evil. The “smoke of their torment” ascending forever indicates the lasting consequences of rejecting God, though it may also suggest ongoing purification.
Divine Presence Explanation: The same baptism involves both Holy Spirit and fire—they are not two different things but two experiences of the same divine reality. The wheat and chaff represent not necessarily different people but different aspects within each person. The fire consumes what is worthless (chaff) while preserving what is valuable (wheat).
Divine Presence Explanation: The fire that tests everyone’s work is the divine presence at the Day of Judgment. This fire reveals the true nature of what each person has built in their life. Significantly, even those whose works are entirely consumed can still be “saved, yet so as through fire”—indicating salvation through the purifying experience of divine judgment.
Divine Presence Explanation: This simple declaration, quoting Deuteronomy 4:24, establishes that God’s very nature is fire. God doesn’t merely use fire as an instrument; He IS consuming fire. This means that to encounter God is to encounter fire. The effect of this encounter depends on what is brought into contact with the divine fire.
Divine Presence Explanation: God’s appearance is compared to refiner’s fire—fire that doesn’t destroy but purifies. The purpose is not punishment but transformation, enabling people to “offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.” This suggests the divine presence works to purify rather than simply to punish.
Divine Presence Explanation: Christ preached to spirits who had died in disobedience, demonstrating that death doesn’t prevent the proclamation of the gospel. The divine presence, through Christ, reached even into the realm of the dead to offer salvation.
Divine Presence Explanation: The earth and heaven flee from God’s face, indicating the overwhelming power of the divine presence. Death and Hades being thrown into the lake of fire represents the end of separation from God—death itself dies. The lake of fire is the unveiled presence of God, into which all must enter. The “second death” is the death of death, the end of separation from God.
Divine Presence Explanation: Christ is revealed “in flaming fire,” confirming His nature as divine fire. The phrase “destruction from the presence of the Lord” can be translated “destruction that comes from the presence of the Lord”—the presence itself is what destroys. This destruction comes from encountering the glory of His power unprepared.
Divine Presence Explanation: The prophet asks who can dwell with “devouring fire” and “everlasting burnings”—clear references to God’s presence. The answer isn’t that the righteous escape the fire, but that they can dwell within it. Those who are righteous can live in the very fire that terrifies sinners.
Divine Presence Explanation: God’s throne is depicted as fire, with a river of fire flowing from it. This river of fire is the divine presence flowing out to all creation. When the books are opened for judgment, all stand in this river of fire—the very presence of God that flows from His throne.
Divine Presence Explanation: Jesus declares His mission is to bring fire to earth—not primarily destructive fire, but the fire of God’s presence. His incarnation begins this process, but it will be completed at His return when the divine fire fills all creation.
Divine Presence Explanation: God brings people “through the fire” for refinement, not destruction. The purpose is relational—so they will call on God’s name and He will claim them as His people. The fire establishes relationship rather than destroying it.
Divine Presence Explanation: God desires ALL to be saved and come to knowledge of truth. Christ’s ransom was for ALL. The phrase “in due time” suggests God’s timing may extend beyond our expectations. If God truly desires all to be saved, the divine presence at judgment must somehow serve this salvific purpose.
Divine Presence Explanation: EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess Christ’s Lordship—including those “under the earth” (the dead). This universal acknowledgment occurs when all are brought into Christ’s presence. The confession glorifies God, suggesting it may be genuine rather than forced.
Divine Presence Explanation: This reinforces the universal nature of submission to God. The phrase “As I live” emphasizes that this occurs in the context of encountering the living God—His vital, active presence that fills all things.
Divine Presence Explanation: Christ promises to draw ALL people to Himself when lifted up (on the cross and in resurrection/ascension). This drawing power extends to everyone without exception. In His glorified presence at judgment, this drawing reaches its culmination.
Divine Presence Explanation: The river from God’s throne, previously described as fire (Daniel 7:10), is here revealed as the water of life. The same divine presence is both fire and water—purifying and life-giving. The tree’s leaves heal the nations, suggesting ongoing restoration.
Divine Presence Explanation: God’s pleasure is to reconcile ALL things through Christ. The blood of the cross makes peace between God and ALL creation. This comprehensive reconciliation must somehow include even those who seem irreconcilably opposed to God.
Divine Presence Explanation: The distinction between this age and the age to come implies that some forgiveness IS available in the age to come. Only blasphemy against the Spirit—persistent rejection of God’s convicting presence—cannot be forgiven. This suggests the Spirit continues to work for repentance even after death.
The Divine Presence model is not a modern innovation but has deep roots in Christian tradition, particularly in Eastern Orthodox theology. The Orthodox Church has long maintained that heaven and hell are not different places but different experiences of the same reality—God’s presence. In Orthodox theology, “All souls partake in the same mystical fire (which, according to St. Isaac of Syria, is God’s Love), but experience it differently depending on their spiritual state: bliss for those who are in communion with him; purification for those in the process.” St. Isaac the Syrian, one of the most revered mystic theologians of the Eastern Church, taught explicitly that “Gehenna is the love of God.” This paradoxical statement captures the essence of the Divine Presence model: God’s love itself becomes torment to those who have made themselves incapable of receiving it as love. According to contemporary Orthodox teaching: “Heaven and Hell are experiences of God’s grace, because the reward of Heaven and the punishment of Hell are identical. The afterlife is essentially an experience of God’s energy which only differs based on one’s spiritual state.” This understanding emphasizes that God does not create a separate place of torment but rather that torment arises from the soul’s inability to receive God’s love. Orthodox Christians understand that “The Fathers of the Church hold that heaven and hell are the same reality—the presence and love of God for His creation. As Psalm 139:8 states, ‘If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.’ God is everywhere present and fills all things; there is no divine absence anywhere in creation.” The possibility of salvation after death has been affirmed by numerous theologians throughout church history. Even among the Church Fathers who generally assumed “there can be no repentance after death,” there were notable exceptions. “The Emperor Trajan knew of Christianity. He authorized the execution of Christians for being Christians in his letter to Pliny. And yet through the prayers of the Church his soul was redeemed back to God.” This tradition continues in various forms. Orthodox sources report cases where “certain sinners whose lives were not totally evil may be pardoned of their sins and freed from their punishment, and can either at the time of the Last Judgment avoid Gehenna, or from now on depart from the ‘places of torment’ and enter into the dwellings of the just.” The significance of Christ’s descent to Hades extends beyond a one-time historical event: “In making ‘for all flesh a path to the resurrection from the dead,’ Christ, on this reading, makes the Gospel available to all regardless of the date of their death in a way that is simply unknown to us.” This suggests that Christ’s saving work transcends temporal boundaries and continues to offer salvation to all souls. Modern Orthodox theologians continue to explore these themes. St. Mark of Ephesus at the Council of Ferrara taught that “the souls of people who die with unforgiven minor sins will experience spiritual sufferings in the afterlife, which, however, are not divine punishments but self-inflicted consequences of these sins.” This understanding opens the door for postmortem purification and transformation. The concept of prayers for the dead, universally practiced in Orthodox, Catholic, and many Protestant traditions, implicitly affirms that some form of spiritual development continues after death. If the fate of the dead were absolutely sealed, such prayers would be meaningless. While both Sharon Baker and R. Zachary Manis affirm the Divine Presence model’s core insight—that hell is the experience of God’s presence by the unprepared—they diverge significantly on the question of final outcomes. This difference has profound implications for our understanding of God’s justice, human freedom, and the ultimate fate of the lost. Baker’s position offers what might be called a “merciful annihilationism.” In her view, those who persistently reject God even after experiencing His purifying fire ultimately cease to exist. She sees this as respecting both human freedom and divine love. God does not force eternal existence upon those who reject Him, nor does He sustain them in eternal torment. The biblical support for Baker’s position includes: Baker’s view resolves the moral difficulty of eternal conscious torment while maintaining human freedom. It also aligns with the biblical emphasis on life being found only in relationship with God—apart from Him, existence itself becomes impossible. Manis argues for the traditional view that all humans are inherently immortal and will exist eternally, either in communion with God or in rejection of Him. His position is grounded in philosophical arguments about human nature and careful exegesis of biblical texts. Key supports for Manis’s position include: Manis’s view maintains continuity with the dominant Christian tradition while reinterpreting hell as torment in God’s presence rather than separation from Him. This preserves the seriousness of rejecting God while locating the source of torment in the sinner’s own spiritual state rather than in divine retribution. Perhaps these two views need not be seen as mutually exclusive. It’s possible that both outcomes exist as possibilities: This synthesis would suggest that God, in His wisdom and justice, allows each soul to reach its natural end—whether that be transformation, eternal resistance, or cessation of existence. The divine fire reveals and accomplishes what is truest about each person. Regardless of which position one takes on final outcomes, both versions of the Divine Presence model offer important pastoral insights: This concern assumes that fear of hell is the primary motivation for evangelism. However, the Divine Presence model actually enhances evangelistic urgency by emphasizing that our present choices shape our capacity to experience God as love. Every moment spent in rebellion against God hardens the heart and makes eventual transformation more difficult. Moreover, salvation is not merely about avoiding future punishment but about entering into abundant life now. The gospel offers present transformation, not just future fire insurance. Actually, Scripture teaches the opposite. The clearest passages about the fate of the wicked place them explicitly “in the presence of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:10). The biblical language of being “cast out” refers to exclusion from the kingdom’s blessings, not from God’s presence itself. As the Psalmist declares, there is nowhere one can flee from God’s presence (Psalm 139:7-8). The Divine Presence model takes these passages seriously rather than explaining them away. Jesus consistently used the imagery of fire when discussing judgment—imagery perfectly consistent with the Divine Presence model. His warnings about Gehenna (the valley where trash was burned) emphasize destruction and purification by fire. His parable of the rich man and Lazarus, often cited as evidence of eternal conscious torment, actually depicts an intermediate state before the final judgment and includes dialogue between the compartments—hardly a picture of absolute separation. The Bible explicitly describes Christ preaching to spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19), suggesting evangelistic activity after death. Paul speaks of being “baptized for the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:29), indicating some kind of spiritual benefit for the deceased. Jesus distinguishes between sins forgivable “in this age” and “in the age to come” (Matthew 12:32), implying postmortem forgiveness. The practice of praying for the dead, found throughout Christian history, assumes their state can be affected after death. Far from minimizing sin, the Divine Presence model reveals sin’s true horror—it makes us incapable of experiencing God’s love as love. Sin doesn’t merely break rules; it corrupts our very capacity for relationship with God. The torment of hell is precisely the natural consequence of sin: being unable to receive as blessing what is meant for our ultimate good. This view takes sin more seriously than models that treat hell as an arbitrary punishment. We see this principle operating even in earthly relationships. The presence of someone we love brings joy; the presence of someone we’ve wronged brings discomfort. The same sun that brings life to healthy plants scorches and withers diseased ones. The same water that refreshes the thirsty can drown those who cannot swim. Similarly, God’s infinite love and holiness are experienced according to our spiritual condition—as either the fulfillment of our deepest longing or as unbearable exposure of our corruption. Understanding hell as the unprepared experience of God’s presence radically reframes the Christian life. Spiritual disciplines are not arbitrary religious duties but training for eternity. Prayer, worship, Scripture reading, and communion prepare us to bear the weight of God’s unveiled presence. Every moment we spend in God’s presence now increases our capacity to experience Him as joy rather than torment. The Eastern Orthodox concept of theosis—becoming by grace what God is by nature—takes on new urgency. We are not merely trying to avoid punishment but actively developing our capacity for divine communion. Sin is dangerous not because God will arbitrarily punish it but because it corrupts our ability to receive love. In this model, present sufferings can be understood as preparatory experiences of divine fire. When we accept suffering as purification rather than punishment, it transforms us. This doesn’t mean God sends suffering, but that suffering encountered with faith can burn away what is false in us and strengthen what is true. This perspective transforms how we understand difficult passages like Hebrews 12:5-11, which speaks of God’s discipline. The “consuming fire” of God’s presence works even now to refine us, if we will receive it as such. Our trials become opportunities for the dross to be burned away, leaving pure gold. The gospel proclamation shifts from “turn or burn” to “come and live.” We invite people not primarily to escape future punishment but to enter into the life for which they were created. The urgency remains—every day apart from God is a day of spiritual malformation that makes eventual transformation more difficult—but the motivation is love rather than fear. We can honestly tell people that God loves them absolutely and desires their salvation. The fire they may fear is actually the love they seek, if only they will allow it to transform them. Hell is not God’s vindictive punishment but the tragedy of experiencing as torment what was meant as blessing. While we cannot be universalists—Scripture clearly warns that some may be lost—we can be hopeful for all. We can pray for the dead with genuine expectation that God’s mercy extends beyond the grave. We can trust that the Judge of all the earth will do right, and that His justice will ultimately be recognized as mercy. This hope doesn’t diminish the importance of present decision but rather emphasizes God’s relentless pursuit of the lost. The Hound of Heaven doesn’t stop at death’s door. The Good Shepherd continues seeking the lost sheep. The Father watches for the prodigal’s return even beyond the grave. The Divine Presence model situates individual salvation within God’s cosmic redemptive purpose. Romans 8:19-22 speaks of all creation groaning for redemption. The divine fire that will fill all things at Christ’s return affects not just human souls but the entire cosmos. Eastern Orthodox theology emphasizes this cosmic dimension: “Eastern Orthodoxy looks forward to a cosmic redemption in which the whole of material creation will be transfigured.” This cosmic scope means that hell cannot be understood as an eternal pocket of unredeemed creation. Either evil will be transformed, contained, or eliminated, but it cannot persist as an eternal opposition to God’s purposes. The divine fire will ultimately fill all things, leaving no corner of creation untouched by God’s presence. Revelation 21-22 depicts a new creation where God’s presence fills everything. There is no temple because God Himself is the temple. There is no sun because God Himself is the light. The leaves of the tree of life are for “the healing of the nations”—suggesting ongoing healing and transformation even in the eschaton. If the new creation is filled with God’s presence, and if that presence is experienced as torment by the unredeemed, how can they exist within it? Baker’s annihilationism offers one answer: they don’t. Manis’s model suggests they exist in torment within God’s presence. A third possibility is ongoing transformation—the healing leaves suggesting continued redemptive activity. However we understand the final outcome, the Divine Presence model assures us that God’s love will ultimately triumph. Whether through transformation, annihilation, or eternal containment, evil will not have the last word. The universe will not remain forever divided between heaven and hell, with God’s purposes partially frustrated. 1 Corinthians 15:28 envisions a time when God will be “all in all.” This comprehensive divine presence leaves no room for a realm outside God’s direct rule. The Divine Presence model takes this seriously—in the end, God’s presence fills everything. How different beings experience that presence depends on what they have become, but none can escape it. The Divine Presence model of hell offers a profound reinterpretation of one of Christianity’s most difficult doctrines. By understanding hell not as separation from God but as the experience of God’s presence by those unprepared for it, we resolve numerous theological and philosophical problems while remaining faithful to Scripture and tradition. This model affirms God’s absolute love—He doesn’t create a torture chamber for His enemies but allows them to experience His presence according to their spiritual state. It affirms human freedom—we can choose to reject God, though that rejection brings its own torment. It affirms divine justice—everyone receives exactly what they have chosen, experiencing God according to what they have become. Most importantly for our purposes, this model opens the door to hope beyond death. If hell is the experience of God’s presence, and if that presence is inherently transformative, then the possibility of postmortem salvation remains. The divine fire that torments can also purify. The light that blinds can also illuminate. The truth that condemns can also liberate. As conservative biblical Christians, we need not abandon hope for those who die without explicit faith in Christ. While affirming the uniqueness of Christ and the necessity of salvation through Him, we can trust that the same Christ who preached to spirits in prison continues His redemptive work beyond the grave. The God who desires all to be saved does not abandon that desire at death. Whether one accepts Baker’s conditional immortality or Manis’s eternal conscious existence, the core insight remains: hell is not God’s vindictive punishment but the tragic result of rejecting infinite love. And where love is present, hope remains. The divine fire burns, but it burns to purify, not simply to destroy. In the end, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord—and perhaps, by God’s grace, some of those confessions will be genuine conversions rather than forced admissions. The lake of fire is the same as the river of life—it all depends on how we enter it. May we prepare ourselves now to receive God’s presence as blessing rather than burden, as life rather than death, as the fulfillment of our deepest longing rather than our greatest fear. And may we never cease to hope and pray for those who have not yet learned to swim in the river of God’s fiery love.
Introduction: Understanding Hell Through God’s Presence
Part I: The Biblical Foundation of God as Consuming Fire
God’s Nature as Fire Throughout Scripture
Old Testament Foundations
New Testament Revelation
Part II: The Lake of Fire as Divine Presence
Reinterpreting Traditional Images
The River and Lake Imagery
Brimstone and Divine Purification
Part III: Biblical Evidence for Postmortem Salvation
God’s Universal Salvific Will
Christ’s Descent to Hades
The Purpose of Resurrection and Judgment
Biblical Imagery of Purification
Part IV: Sharon Baker’s View of Conditional Immortality
The Story of Otto: A Narrative Theology
The Respect for Human Freedom
Biblical Support for Conditional Immortality
Part V: Manis’s Pure Divine Presence Model
Eternal Conscious Experience
The Metaphysical Size Gap
Self-Deception and Spiritual Momentum
The Destruction of Hades
Part VI: Key Biblical Passages Supporting the Divine Presence Model
Reference
NKJV Text & Divine Presence Explanation
Postmortem Opportunity View
Revelation 14:9-11
“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.'”
Postmortem View: The torment in God’s presence could be purgatorial rather than purely retributive. Those who “worship the beast” may, when confronted with the reality of Christ’s presence, recognize their error and repent. The endless ascension of smoke might represent the continuous process of purification until all evil is consumed. The lack of “rest” indicates the difficult work of transformation that must occur for those who built their identity on falsehood.
Matthew 3:11-12
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Postmortem View: At the final judgment, Christ’s baptism of fire/Spirit will thoroughly purify all people. The “unquenchable fire” of God’s presence will burn away all that is evil and false in each person. Those who have cultivated wheat (goodness, truth) will survive this purification; those who are entirely chaff may be consumed completely (conditional immortality), or the process may continue until transformation occurs.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15
“Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
Postmortem View: This passage strongly supports postmortem salvation. Even those whose earthly works prove worthless when tested by divine fire can still be saved through that very fire. The fire that destroys false works can simultaneously purify the person, making them fit for eternal life. This suggests that the judgment fire itself can be a means of salvation, not merely condemnation.
Hebrews 12:29
“For our God is a consuming fire.”
Postmortem View: Since God IS consuming fire, everyone who comes into His presence at judgment experiences this fire. For those prepared by grace, the fire is warmth, light, and love. For the unprepared, it is initially experienced as torment. However, this same fire that torments can also purify and transform if the person allows it, opening the possibility for postmortem conversion through the very experience of judgment.
Malachi 3:2-3
“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.”
Postmortem View: The refining fire of God’s presence at His coming suggests a process of purification that enables righteousness. Those who couldn’t achieve righteousness in life may undergo this refining at judgment. The image of God sitting as a refiner implies patience and careful attention to the process, continuing until the purification is complete.
1 Peter 3:18-20
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”
Postmortem View: This passage provides biblical precedent for evangelization after death. If Christ preached to those who died in the flood, offering them salvation they had rejected in life, this establishes the principle that God’s salvific will extends beyond physical death. What Christ did for the antediluvian generation, He may do for all who die without accepting the gospel.
Revelation 20:11-15
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Postmortem View: When Death and Hades are destroyed in the divine fire, the barriers that separate souls from God are removed. Standing before the throne, each person faces the ultimate reality of God’s presence. This encounter with absolute Truth may break through deceptions and enable repentance. Being “thrown into” the lake of fire could mean being immersed in God’s purifying presence, which either transforms or, if nothing redeemable remains, annihilates.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
“and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
Postmortem View: Those who “do not know God” may include many who never had genuine opportunity to know Him. When they encounter Christ revealed in flaming fire, they finally see who God truly is. This revelation may lead to immediate repentance and faith. The “everlasting destruction” may refer to the permanent destruction of their false selves and sinful nature, not necessarily their annihilation as persons.
Isaiah 33:14-15
“The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: ‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed, and shuts his eyes from seeing evil.”
Postmortem View: This passage suggests that the same divine fire is experienced differently based on one’s spiritual state. The transformation from sinner to righteous person would change one’s experience of God’s presence from terror to joy. If such transformation is possible after death through God’s grace, then the devouring fire could become a dwelling place rather than a torment.
Daniel 7:9-10
“I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.”
Postmortem View: The river of fire proceeding from God’s throne will eventually reach everyone at judgment. This same river appears in Revelation 22 as the river of life. Standing in this river/presence, with the books of conscience opened, provides the ultimate opportunity for repentance. The fire that flows from God is both judgment and potential transformation.
Luke 12:49
“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”
Postmortem View: Christ’s desire to kindle this fire everywhere suggests God’s intention to purify and transform all creation. This divine fire, fully kindled at the eschaton, will provide universal opportunity for purification and transformation. Christ’s eager desire for this suggests it serves a redemptive, not merely punitive, purpose.
Zechariah 13:9
“I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.'”
Postmortem View: Being brought “through the fire” suggests a process with a positive outcome. If some must go through this refining fire after death, the goal remains the same: to produce people who call on God’s name and whom God claims as His own. The fire is a means to relationship, not eternal separation.
1 Timothy 2:3-6
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Postmortem View: God’s desire for universal salvation doesn’t cease at death. The testimony of Christ’s ransom “in due time” may include postmortem proclamation. When all stand in God’s presence at judgment, they finally “come to the knowledge of the truth” in an undeniable way. This knowledge, combined with God’s desire for their salvation, suggests continued opportunity for redemption.
Philippians 2:10-11
“that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Postmortem View: This universal confession includes the dead (“under the earth”), indicating postmortem acknowledgment of Christ. If this confession can glorify God, it may represent genuine conversion rather than mere forced admission. The divine presence that compels this confession may also enable sincere repentance and faith.
Romans 14:11
“For it is written: ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.'”
Postmortem View: The confession to God happens because of encounter with the living God. This living presence may quicken dead souls, enabling them to respond. If God’s life-giving presence elicits this confession, it may also enable repentance and transformation.
John 12:32
“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.”
Postmortem View: Christ’s promise to draw “all peoples” doesn’t specify a time limit. At the final judgment, when Christ is fully revealed in glory, His drawing power may be irresistible. Those who resisted in life due to ignorance, deception, or hardness of heart may finally yield to this ultimate drawing.
Revelation 22:1-2
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
Postmortem View: The healing leaves of the tree of life suggest continued healing and restoration in the age to come. If nations need healing in the new creation, this implies process and development rather than static finality. The river of life/fire flowing from the throne may continue its purifying and vivifying work.
Colossians 1:19-20
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Postmortem View: The scope of reconciliation is “all things”—nothing is excluded. If this is God’s pleasure and Christ’s accomplishment, then postmortem reconciliation must be possible. The divine presence that judges is the same presence that reconciles through the blood of the cross.
Matthew 12:31-32
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
Postmortem View: Jesus’ words imply that forgiveness is possible “in the age to come” for all sins except blasphemy against the Spirit. This indicates postmortem forgiveness is available. Even at final judgment, only those who continue to blaspheme the Spirit—rejecting the truth He reveals—remain unforgiven.
Part VII: The Eastern Orthodox Tradition
Ancient Roots of the Divine Presence Model
Contemporary Orthodox Understanding
Part VIII: Supporting Voices for Postmortem Salvation
Historical Precedents
Christ’s Descent and Universal Opportunity
Contemporary Theological Development
Part IX: Comparing Baker and Manis – The Question of Final Outcomes
The Crucial Difference
Baker’s Conditional Immortality
Manis’s Eternal Conscious Existence
A Possible Synthesis
Pastoral and Practical Implications
Part X: Responding to Common Objections
Objection 1: “Doesn’t This Diminish the Urgency of Evangelism?”
Objection 2: “Doesn’t Scripture Clearly Teach Eternal Separation from God?”
Objection 3: “Doesn’t This Contradict Jesus’ Teaching About Hell?”
Objection 4: “Isn’t Postmortem Salvation Unbiblical?”
Objection 5: “Doesn’t This Make Light of Sin?”
Objection 6: “How Can the Same Presence Be Both Heaven and Hell?”
Part XI: Living in Light of the Divine Fire
Spiritual Formation as Preparation
The Transformative Power of Suffering
Evangelism as Invitation to Life
Hope for All
Part XII: The Cosmic Scope of Redemption
All Creation Groaning
The New Heaven and New Earth
The Final Victory of Love
Conclusion: The Hope of Divine Fire
Bibliography and Further Reading
Primary Sources
Supporting Orthodox Sources
Additional Theological Works
Online Resources
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