COG7 Tulsa -Hell CAM LIVE

Lake of fire- JUDGEMENT DAY
Some people think because God is "Love" (which He is) that He would never punish the wicked and certainly not by burning them. If people live basically good lives God will "let them in". Some will say "I've always got away with it--won't be any different when I die." Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we think. It matters what God says He will do. He cannot lie.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 21:7, 8

Note: This is not at death, but a specific time in the future. Is your name written in the "book of life?" back to the top

The Bible definition of death - SLEEP
Most people today place you in either "heaven" or "hell" when you die. We can still think and feel and respond much like we do before death. Uncle Joe is able to look down and enjoy the old family just like he was there. The Bible actually gives a very different picture. In John, Chapter 11 we have the story of Lazarus. Lazarus is sick and dies. Jesus tells His disciples "Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go to wake him." The disciples think if he sleeps he will get better. Jesus then makes it very clear to them "Lazarus is dead." In the Bible, death and sleep go together like a hand in a glove.

In the ancient Bible book of Job this concept is very clear.
"But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again ? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." Job 10:10-14 Makind dies and won't arise from their sleep until their appointed time.

David understood the sleep/death analogy:
"Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death". Psalm 13:3

Daniel was given a clear future message "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:2 And Daniel was given his final instruction (note: not just for his death): "But go thou thy way till the end be : for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." Daniel 12:13

What are some characteristics of this death "sleep"?
Psalm 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun."

Psalm 115:17 "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence."

Psalm 6:5 "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?"

So to summarize someone who is sleeping in death has no thoughts, doesn't know anything, doesn't have love or hate. They can't praise the Lord or even remember God! They stay in the grave until the end of the days (one of the two resurrections). This makes good sense but doesn't fit at all with the normal heaven/hell view. back to top

Immortality-who has this and who will get it?
If you are immortal there is some logic behind the concept that if you "die" part of you must live on in either heaven or hell. But it appears that immortality belongs only to God (and His Son who came from Him and returned to Him).
1 Timothy 6:15, 16 "Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen"

Those that belong to God will be seeking immortality (you don't seek something you have.)
Romans 2:5b-7 "...the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life"

Jesus will return to give us our reward. Isn't eternal life or immortality the main reward?
Revelation 22:12 "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

1 Corinthans 15:52-54 "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the [righteous] dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

That was pretty clear. "This mortal must put on immortality". Immortality is a reward for the righteous in Christ Jesus. We get it not when we die but when Jesus returns. back to the top

Hell-what is it?
We carry a lot of baggage with us in our modern world. With all of our technology we don't stop to check out what something really means. We will forward e-mail hoaxes on to all of our "friends" because it takes a little work to stop and check it out first and see if it is true. Such is the case with a word like "hell". There are multiple words that have different meanings that are all translated "hell" in the King James Version. Without an understanding of the meaning behind the words and the setting in which they are used we will have incorrect information-- everything jumbled into one pot.

Sheol Hebrew word translated "hell"
"Simply the place of the dead, without reference to happiness or the reverse." Cruden
Lets look at just a few verses where this word is used and see some obvious problems with the modern interpretation.

Psalm 16:10 "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Psalm 86:13 "For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell."

Psalm 139:7, 8 "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."

Jonah 2:1, 2 "Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice."

David was a "man after God's own heart". So did he go to a firey hell (you would think the lowest is the worst!) and then escape to heaven? Does God reside in this place of torture? Or is the literal hell really just a big fish's belly? If Sheol represents death, the grave or even deep depression then these and the other Old Testament verses will make sense.

Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus are the three Greek words translated "hell" in the New Testament. Hades has the same basic meaning as Sheol.

Lets look at just one verse using hades.
Matthew 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
Death or the grave will not prevail against the church.

If you look up Gehenna in a good Bible dictionary or lexicon you will find that it was a name applied to a valley near Jerusalem. At one time children were sacrificed and made to run through fire there. Afterwards, when Jerusalem became a large city, this valley was used as a place to burn refuge. Bodies of animals, toegther with other waste and even the bodies of criminals were often burned there where the fire was not allowed to be extinquished or "quenched" and where worms devoured the parts of carcases which were not completely burned. This background was clearly understood by people in the day of Jesus. So we can understand a verse like Matthew 10:28 "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna)." Jesus was teaching that the wicked will be destroyed in the fire that consumes them. This will be at the Judgement, not at death.

Tartarus is only used once, in 2 Peter 2:4, "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement..." the thought is completed in verse 9 "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished". This passage specifically states that these angels are reserved unto judgement. We may conclude that they are not in a place of punishment, but rather their punishment will follow the judgement; neither does this scripture give any confirmation to the idea that the wicked go to their punishment at death. back to the top

Two Resurrections and their timing
The Bible facts surrounding the two resurrections are important for us to sort out the garbage theology that is so prevalent today.

Step 1. Death. Everyone from the days of Adam to today and beyond, up to the return of Jesus, will die at some point. We have established in other sections that everyone sleeps at death. They are in an unconscious state. After we die there are no second chances, no reincarnation, no pleading mercy at the Judgement, no opportunity for someone else to pray for us or "pay money" for our sins. Death--end of story!

A review of the message Daniel was given for the future: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Daniel 12:2 No time frame is indicated here but a clear separation of some getting everlasting life (immortality) and some to shame and contempt (bitter scorn or disdain).

Step 2. 1st resurrection-Christ's return "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." Hebrews 9:27, 28 Christ comes back the second time "to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" one translation states. We don't know when this event will occur, but it won't be in secret!

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Step 3. Another waiting period for those dead not "in Christ"
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Revelation 20:4-6 Those that didn't make the right choice sleep for another 1000 years. They have no more chances and have no knowledge of time.

Step 4. Second resurrection-Judgement (don't be there)
"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works" Revelation 20:11-13 Our works, if we have to stand on them, will leave us short of God's standards.

Step 5. Second death
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Revelation 22:15
Both resurrections will happen. No second chances. back to the top

Eternal Punishment
Yes, people will end up in a lake of fire, a "hell", of sorts, as we usually think of it. But will they burn in torment forever?

God' nature is not compatible with eternal torment
Would such torment be consistent with God's nature? Psalm 86:15 "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." Would a God that is identified with such characteristics and summarized in 1 John 4:8 with "...God is love" plan to torment human beings (or at least allow it) for eternity? The answer is an obvious no. Note the condition of mankind preceding the flood (Genesis 6:5): "And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Part of God's nature is judgement and wrath. He said he would destroy mankind from the face of the earth. Through His grace he spared Noah and his family and thus allowed mankind to continue but everyone else living on the earth died an awful death in judgement. God cannot lie. If He proclaims judgement it will come to pass. To plan the perpetual suffering of others is not love. To will endless suffering when it achieves no redemptive purpose is not mercy. To condemn any person to infinite "punishment" for finite sins is not justice.

The end of the unrighteous- death
It is God's will that no one perish but have everlasting life.   Remember John 3:16.
The majority of texts dealing with the fate of the wicked speak with a clear note of finality. The end is death, destruction and annihilation. Allow the key words in just a few of a multitude of verses to speak to you regarding the final judgement---

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.   Ezekiel 18:4

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Psalm 1:4

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this , saith the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:1-3

As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more: but the righteous is an everlasting foundation. Proverbs 10:25

For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26, 27

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off. Psalm 37:38

But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away. Psalm 37:20

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 This a cornerstone verse in the Bible. These two roads are eternal roads, one ending in death that is 100% permanent and life that will go on beyond time.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:8.   Doesn't a second death sound about as final as you can get?

The "forever and ever" and "everlasting fire" passages
Yes, there are passages of scripture that contain language that some use to press the idea of never-ending suffering for the wicked. Such a literal view is not consistent with the scriptures we have already looked into and many others. Since the scriptures are ALL true, one view must be figurative or symbolic. Which view makes the most sense to be symbolic? Could it be that the traditional scenerio most of us have been taught deals more with consequences than actual time?

In a description of the separation of good and evil Jesus says "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels...", Matthew 25:41. And in verse 46 "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." To help understand such a passage look at what is stated in Jude 7 "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." So the fire which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha was called eternal fire, but no one would claim the fires which destroyed them are still burning. They burned these cities to the ground and left nothing but ashes and ruins. This destruction is compared with that of the wicked for an example to us. The punishment is everlasting. Again, there is no second chance. There is no reincarnation. There is no get burned a little and cry "I'm sorry, I repent."

In Revelation 14:9-11 we see a very symbolic description of the judgement: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." This symbolic language is used in Isaiah 34: 9, 10: "And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever." This passage refers to an event that occurred hundreds of years before Christ in a specific place. Still burning?

Hopefully, enough scripture has been provided to challenge you to continue to study out what the Bible has to say from cover to cover regarding death, the two resurrections and the end of the wicked and the immortality or everlasting life granted to the saints. God has spelled it out and it will come to pass as He has said.                                                back to the top