Will unbelievers who are cast into the lake of fire suffer actual torment?
Yes, my dear friend, I do believe that there will be torment in the Lake of Fire for unrepentant sinners. In the Scriptural account of Lazarus and the rich man, we read: “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame,” (Luke 16:23-24). Now, as you are probably aware, there are many terms and phrases used to depict “hell” in the Old and New Testaments. Despite the term “hades” which I believe is used here and which refers generally to the place of departed spirits, I do believe that this account tells us clearly what the everlasting punishment in the “Lake of Fire” will be like. So, are you wondering if the phrase “Lake of Fire” found in Revelation 19:20 and 20:15 refers to the same torment we read about in Luke 16? The term Gehenna is generally used to refer to the everlasting punishment of the devil and his angels, but as we read in Revelation 20:15, the devil and his angels and also the sinners whose names are not written in the book of life will be cast into the Lake of Fire.
For a bit more clarity on what the Lake of Fire represents, I’ll refer to the Morrish Bible Dictionary, where we read some of the various Bible definitions for “hell”: “γέεννα, Gehenna, the Greek equivalent for two Hebrew words, signifying ‘valley of Hinnom.’ It was the place near Jerusalem where the Jews made their children pass through fire to heathen gods, and which was afterwards defiled. (2 Kings 23:10). A continual fire made it a fit emblem of the place of eternal punishment. (Matthew. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; James 3:6). The above-named place of defilement and fire is also called in the Old Testament, TOPHET or TOPHETH. (2 Kings 23:10; Isa. 30:33; Jer. 19:13. ταρταρόω, ‘to cast into Tartarus,’ a term used by heathen writers for the ‘deepest abyss of the infernal regions,’ a place of extreme darkness. (2 Peter 2:4: cf. 2 Peter 2:17 and Jude 13).
Whatever figurative meaning there may be in the use of any of the above words, it is plain and certain from scripture that there is a place of everlasting punishment. It is awfully described as the LAKE OF FIRE, ‘the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.’ (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 15; 21: 8). It was prepared for the devil and his angels, but into it the wicked also will be cast. (Matthew 13:40, 42; 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6, etc).”
My dear friend, and anyone else who may read my words, given the dreadfulness of the consequences of refusal of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in His amazing salvation which He freely offers us through faith in His sacrifice for us at Calvary (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9), I want to announce the way of salvation from wrath. The Lord Jesus said in John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (SF) (636.1)