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I heard some of the Orthodox believe that those who are in hell can be saved by prayers. How do Orthodox define hell and what are the differences in the meaning of hell in the Orthodox faith than from the Catholic and Protestants? Also, is Paradise not heaven already?

The belief that someone's eternal life can change after death is the erroneous doctrine of purgatory perpetuated by the Catholic Church. The Coptic Orthodox Church believes that each person will receive according to his or her own deeds. What deeds can be done in Hades or Hell? The Holy Scriptures testifies that purgatory is untrue: "For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth" (Isaiah 38:18); and "The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence" (Psalm 115:17).

In the parable by the Lord Jesus Christ about Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31), Abraham speaks with the rich man who was in Hades while Abraham was in Paradise: "Then 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.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'" (Luke 16:24-28). This is a definition of hell, where God's grace is no longer attainable: "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out" (Luke 13:28).

Paradise is the waiting place for the righteous and Hades is the waiting place for the wicked. Heaven and hell are the final places for eternity. The Lord assured the repentant thief on the right when he asked Him to remember him in His kingdom:

"Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise'" (Luke 23:42-43). The martyrs that are in Paradise asked the Lord, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed" (Revelation 6:10-11).

Heaven is indescribable. St. John the Beloved earnestly attempted to describe the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation, but could not do so adequately, so often he likened it to precious stones and colors known in our limited experiences:

"The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light" (Revelation 21:23).