1:9 destruction. This “everlasting destruction” is not annihilation of being, but of well-being. It means “everlasting ruin” or “everlasting punishment” (compare Matthew 25:41; Revelation 14:11).

1:9 presence of the Lord. The very essence of eternal hell is that it involves everlasting separation from God and all manifestation of His glorious power. Hell cannot be located on the new earth (see on Revelation 19:20; 20:10), since the lake of fire is in existence both before and after the disintegration of this present earth. Since God’s power pervades His entire universe, it seems that the lake of fire must be as far away from the presence of God on the new earth as possible. To be forever separated from all that God is—love, power, righteousness, beauty, intelligence, etc.—is essentially what men who reject Him have chosen, and this is what hell will be like.