Benjamin described with vividness the awfulness of hell after death, the place where the wicked suffer guilt, pain, and anguish (see Alma 40:13-14; D&C 19:17-18).
“Which is Like an Unquenchable Fire”
The fires of hell are but a metaphor for the feelings of anguish to be suffered by the wicked in the spirit world as they await the day of judgment. “The torment of disappointment in the mind of man,” said Joseph Smith, “is as exquisite as a lake burning with fire and brimstone” (Teachings, p. 357).