Thursday, May 25, 2017

The Lake of Fire


Revelation 20:12-15 “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books,  according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

I read an enlightening and interesting article on the places called Heaven and Hell. Some people may not believe in hell, but God makes it clear that all “the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, drug abusers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” in Revelation 21:8. Actually, Jesus Christ said more about hell than anyone else in the Bible. To the unsaved, He will say: “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” in Matthew 25:41.

The lake of fire is not here on the earth. The beast and the false prophet are to be cast into the lake of fire before the binding of Satan for a thousand years; then the present earth itself is to be removed, and finally Satan will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever” in Revelation 20:10. Thus the lake of fire is in existence both before and after the removal of the present earth, and will continue to exist forever.

Many argue that the lake of fire is symbolic and should not be taken literally. If so, the reality must be so indescribable that it can only be symbolized by an eternal lake of fire. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 states that those “who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” are to be “punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord”. Rather than questioning the reality of hell, which is the just destiny of all who reject or ignore the free gift of salvation provided by the infinite love and sacrificial suffering of God Himself in Christ on their behalf, men and women should come to Christ in faith and “be saved from wrath through him” - Romans 5:9.

John 3:35-36 “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem marked the public declaration of Christ’s status the promised Messiah, but it soon became clear that His kingdom would not come through ordinary, earthly means. His entrance into Jerusalem ultimately led to the cross, where He atoned for the sins of His people. His kingdom came through His death and resurrection. Either Jesus Christ pays for our sins or we do, and that determined our eternal destination. It’s our choice and it’s a life or death decision. Worth thinking about because it's great to know what we have been saved from, so that we can rejoice knowing what we have been saved to.




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