What the Bible says about Hellfire
(From Forerunner Commentary)
These verses take on additional weight when seen in the larger context. Matthew 5:23 begins with "therefore," meaning it is directly tied to what is written before it:
You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment." But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, "Raca!" shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, "You fool!" shall be in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:21-22)
Jesus teaches that murder is a matter of the heart, even if it does not break out in destruction of physical life. Unrighteous anger puts us in danger of judgment. Regarding a brother with contempt—as being an empty, worthless fellow with shallow brains ("Raca")—is likewise a transgression of the spirit of the law. The word translated "fool" does not refer to one simply devoid of wisdom but rather to a rebel against God—an apostate from all good! To condemn someone in such a way is to murder him in our hearts, putting us in danger of the Lake of Fire (Matthew 7:2; Galatians 5:21; Revelation 21:8).
If we know that someone is angry with us, it can be difficult not to respond in kind and begin finding reasons to be angry with him. Reconciling helps us to guard our hearts against the spirit of murder. The instruction to reconcile with a brother before making an offering is actually a means of safeguarding the sixth commandment.
This has another aspect: Reconciling also helps our brother not break the sixth commandment! Whether he actually transgresses in the letter or the spirit is ultimately up to him, but it is an act of love—of sacrifice—to do what we can to keep him from stumbling on our account. Sure, we could brush off anger toward us as "his problem"—and in the end it is—but if we can reconcile, we may play a part in stopping a "murder" in its genesis. It is a way of truly being our "brother's keeper": by sacrificing our pride and self-image for the sake of peace toward us in his heart.
Human nature being what it is, the question sometimes arises as to who one's "brother" is, similar to the lawyer asking, "Who is my neighbor?" to justify himself (Luke 10:25-37). While the scope of one's brethren is much smaller than that of one's neighbors, Jesus defines our spiritual brethren fairly broadly: "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:50; emphasis ours throughout). Thus, if the overall trajectory of a man's life is "do[ing] the will of [the] Father"—albeit imperfectly, as every brother will—we are on dangerous ground if we arbitrarily judge him as not being a brother, especially if we do it to avoid having to humble ourselves. Writing someone off may enable us to stay comfortable, but such a hasty judgment carries an outstanding risk.
Christ instructs us to attempt reconciliation before making an offering because our part of reconciliation requires taking on the same attitude and intent toward our brother that God requires of us when making an offering to Him. Notice the attributes that God values:
» For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; you do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:16-17)
» With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8)
God is most interested in the heart behind the offering or gift, and what is in the heart will be seen in what we are willing to do for the sake of a brother.
David C. Grabbe
An Acceptable Gift
In the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, the latter, a heartless person, speaks to Lazarus while being "tormented in this flame." This alludes to the wicked being cremated when God burns up the earth, turning it into the final Gehenna, called elsewhere "the Lake of Fire." The rich man is raised out of his grave at the end of God's plan for humanity on earth. Because the dead know nothing, he does not realize the passage of time, but he certainly realizes that he has failed to receive salvation. He sees "a great gulf fixed" between him and those who are with Abraham in the Kingdom of God. At this point, it is impossible for anyone to change his fate.
Martin G. Collins
Basic Doctrines: The Third ResurrectionRelated Topics: Death | Death and Hades | Death as Permanent Cessation of Life | Death as Wages of Sin | Death Penalty | Death, Second | Eternal Death | Eternal Torment | Fate of the Wicked | Gehenna | Hell | Hell, Eternally Burning | Hellfire | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone | Lazarus and the Rich Man | Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man | Resurrection, Third | Wicked, Fate of the
In Luke 16:19-31 appears the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man, which Jesus spoke to those who would not repent. Jesus uses it to help them understand His earlier words: "Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity. 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 13:27-28). In the parable, the rich man—representing all workers of iniquity, all sinners—illustrates what is to befall the unrepentant.
The wicked will be raised to physical life in their resurrection, and then, immediately knowing that they are doomed, they will be cast into the Lake of Fire designed by God to consume them. The Lake of Fire will burn them up completely and finally. Jesus pictures the rich man crying out for help because of his mental and physical anguish at this time, but he is not burning eternally in hell fire. He is soon consumed while Lazarus the beggar dwells safely in immortality.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Part One)Related Topics: Fate of the Wicked | Gehenna | Hell | Hell, Eternally Burning | Hellfire | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone | Lazarus | Lazarus and the Rich Man | Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man | Resurrection of Christ | Resurrection to Immortal Life | Resurrection, Second | Resurrection, Third | Reward of the Saved | Reward of the Wicked | Unquenchable Fire | Unrepentant | Wicked, Fate of the
In the Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31), Jesus illustrates death—total unconsciousness—as being followed by a resurrection from the dead and a restoration to consciousness. Secondly, Jesus describes the second death, eternal death, in the Lake of Fire that will totally destroy the wicked. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), not endless torment.
Jesus shows that the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear the voice of God and come forth—those who have lived righteously to the resurrection of life, and those who have lived wickedly (including the rich man) to the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28-29). We need to understand how vital it is to hear and submit to God's voice now.
Martin G. Collins
Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man (Part Two)Related Topics: Death | Death as Permanent Cessation of Life | Death as Wages of Sin | Death Penalty | Death, Second | Eternal Death | Eternal Torment | Fate of the Wicked | Gehenna | Hell | Hell, Eternally Burning | Hellfire | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone | Parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man | Resurrection | Resurrection, Third | Second Death | Wages of Sin | Wicked, Fate of the
This third resurrection will comprise those who are unwilling to live by God's laws and refuse to repent. These incorrigible people will be cast into the Lake of Fire and completely burned up. They can never be resurrected again, having rejected God's wonderful offer of salvation and eternal life.
Staff
Basic Doctrines: Eternal JudgmentRelated Topics: Death, Second | Eternal Death | Eternal Judgment | Fate of the Wicked | Gehenna | Hades | Hell | Hell, Eternally Burning | Hellfire | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone | Resurrection, Third | Second Death | Third Resurrection
The Bible describes the "hellfire" into which the wicked will be cast as a lake of burning fire and brimstone. Some have pictured this Lake of Fire to be like an active volcano spewing out molten rock. Into such a fiery liquid the incorrigible will be thrown. After having died once and been resurrected to judgment (Hebrews 9:27), they will die the "second death" by being burned up in the Lake of Fire.
Earl L. Henn
Basic Doctrines: The Fate of the WickedRelated Topics: Death | Death and Hades | Death as Permanent Cessation of Life | Death Penalty | Death, Second | Eternal Death | Eternal Judgment | Fate of the Wicked | Hell | Hellfire | Lake of Fire | Second Death | Wicked, Fate of the | Wicked, Incorrigibly