Revelation 14:9-11 is considered by many to be the quintessential proof-text for the traditional view of eternal conscious torment. In fact, traditionalists turn to it more readily than any other verse in Scripture. The context has John seeing three angels who fly overhead declaring God’s judgments with a loud voice. The third angel is heard declaring:
If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name. (ESV)
One common view among traditionalists today, including among some of the biggest names in evangelical Christianity, is that hell is a place of eternal conscious punishment, but not a place of literal fire. Such a view was represented by William Crockett in Four Views on Hell, where it was referred to as the “metaphorical view.” We will be using the description “the metaphorical view” throughout this article.
Dr. Robin Parry joins Rethinking Hell contributor Chris Date to discuss universalism and his book (written under the pseudonym Gregory MacDonald), The Evangelical Universalist.
Jim Wood, co-producer of 
Dr. Max Sotak joins Rethinking Hell contributor Chris Date to discuss the assumptions read by traditionalists into the text of Scripture, as he details in his book, 
