What the Bible says about Lake of Fire and Brimstone
(From Forerunner Commentary)
The ultimate fate of the wicked will be total annihilation. Body, mind, and spirit will be utterly destroyed. They will cease to exist.
Earl L. Henn
Basic Doctrines: The Fate of the WickedRelated Topics: Death | Death as Permanent Cessation of Life | Death Penalty | Fate of the Wicked | Gehenna | Hell | Hell, Eternally Burning | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone
It is not unreasonable that we should fear God. Jesus Christ Himself says that we are to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Why? He is the only One who can revoke the judgment of Gehenna fire. The wages of sin is death in Gehenna fire. If we want to escape this punishment, we can see that it is closely connected to whether or not we actually fear God.
Why? What does the fear of God have to do with escaping a judgment that would otherwise take us into the Lake of Fire?
This series of verses in Matthew 10 contains some encouragement, indicating that, if one really fears God, then there is no need to be fearful of others. Proverbs 29:25 plainly tells us, "The fear of man is a snare." This is an attitude in which we do not want to be entrapped. It is obvious, in the context of Matthew 10:27, that He is talking about fear in the sense of "dread." We are not to fear men because the worst that they can do does not even begin to match the worst that God can do! The basis for this is what God is: omnipotent and omniscient, and in Him are the issues of life and death!
The Christian life is our calling; this is our only chance for salvation. We have been personally chosen by God. The elect are an insignificant number, and we are even more insignificant personally. Yet, He has given us this calling. The world population is somewhere in the vicinity of six billion people, and out of this huge number are a minuscule few who are truly converted and have been given the Spirit of God. This is not something that we want to pass up! The fear of God is crucial to our salvation!
John W. Ritenbaugh
The Fear of GodRelated Topics: Dread | Dread of Punishment | Fear | Fear of God | Fear of Man | Fearing God | Gehenna | God's Judgment | God's Justice | God's Omnipotence | God's Omnipresence | God's Omniscience | Judgment | Judgment, God's | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone | Omnipotence of God | Omnipresence of God | Salvation | Terror | Wages of Sin
Here Jesus plainly states that the unrighteous will be punished by being put into "hell," which He describes as a fire that will not be quenched (see also Jeremiah 17:27). In this scripture, the word "hell" is translated from the Greek Gehenna. This word means "Valley of Hinnom," a valley on the south side of Jerusalem where refuse was continually burned. Jesus used this area as a type of the place where the wicked will receive their final punishment.
Earl L. Henn
Basic Doctrines: The Fate of the WickedRelated Topics: Fate of the Wicked | Gehenna | Hell | Hinnom, Valley of | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone | Reward of the Wicked | Valley of Hinnom
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
What effect does fire have upon a spirit? It does not say exactly here, but does this mean that God, who created these spirit beings, also knows a way to destroy them utterly? Perhaps.
In the Bible, fire is pictured as the final curse. It is used in the sense of being the symbol of complete purging, so that when something passes through fire, it is then clean. It is interesting to think about the possible ramifications of this verse.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Image and Likeness of God (Part Three)Related Topics: Fire | Fire as Analogy | Fire as Metaphor | Fire as Symbol | Fire Imagery | Fire, Cleansing Properties of | Gehenna | Lake of Fire | Lake of Fire and Brimstone
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