........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. Rev. 20:13-15

For centuries churches have thought the concept that after the Great White Throne Judgment all sinners go to a burning Hell and remain there for eternity, experiencing the torments of burning fire. But is this what the Scriptures actually teach concerning the end of, not just the dyed-in-the-wool sinners, but the religious unbelievers in the whole Word of God and form of godliness church goers, etc.?

Let's take another journey through the Scriptures to get a better understanding of "Hell" versus the "Lake of Fire". When the Bible speaks of "Hell" and the "Lake of Fire" is it speaking of one and the same place? I can assure you that the Bible is clear in this matter. It's not a "riddle" but a Spiritual "revelation", clearly taught in the Bible.

We will be challenged to accept the Word of God or the word of denominational and/or non-denominational churches which teach the doctrine of an "eternal" burning "hell" in which humans experience the torment of a fire that does not consume them.

To understand what the Bible teaches regarding the end of those judged unworthy to enter into the glories of heaven, Bible teachers and preachers are duty bound to "study the Scriptures" and be honest in what it teaches - staying with the WORD of God and not the Church. To stay with the Church teaching when we know that it is false then we become "two-fold more the child of Hell".

While waiting for us to finish an in-depth study  of Hell, consider these thoughts:

Revelation 2:11,
"He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."

This message is to comfort us today even as it has comforted our brethren all down through the ages. But in this Age when the Mystery of God is being finished we have a greater understanding of Hell and the "Second Death". Here in this Scripture He tells us that the second death will not hurt us.

We all know that the second death is the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14 says: "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Revelation 20:15 tells us that "...whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Let's think on these things for a few minutes. To many who have been taught to believe that "Hell is Eternal", what I say will seem like strange doctrine - but what I say will be absolutely Scriptural.

But on the authority of the Word of God I can deny the doctrine that the unbeliever goes to an eternal hell and burns there eternally. In the first place, hell, or the lake of fire, or whatever you want to call it is not eternal. Eternal is something which had NO BEGINNING and NO END; therefore how can Hell be Eternal since it had a BEGINNING?

In Matthew 25:41, it says that "everlasting fire was prepared for the devil and his angels." Now if it was prepared, then it wasn't without a beginning. If it had a beginning then it can't be eternal. Of course you might stumble over the idea of the word 'everlasting.' But that word means "from the ages to the ages" and has different meanings attached to it. In I Samuel 3:13-14, God told Samuel that He was going to judge the house of Eli forever, and that they would offer no more sacrifices "forever" as His priests. And in II Kings 2:27, Solomon thrust out the last descendants of Eli from the priesthood. That was four generations or so later. Now you can see that "everlasting" does not compare with what is "eternal", or that which had no beginning or end. Here in this case the word everlasting means "to the vanishing point." That is what happened. They vanished.

Look at the word, "destruction" over in II Thessalonians 1:9,
"Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction."
In the Greek, "destruction" positively means annihilation. And the word, "destruction", does NOT mean destroying. Now "destroying" means something going on and on in decay. So what can everlasting annihilation mean? It doesn't mean to keep on annihilating, or that would make the word "destroying", instead of "destruction". It means to destroy to the ending point. End it.

You might wonder now, when you can use that word, "eternal", and not use it the way we have been taught. That is easy. When it applies to God it means to be without beginning or end, and ever enduring and never ceasing. And when you talk of eternal life you have that in mind which is the life of God. "This is the record, that God has given us eternal life, and that life is in the Son. He that hath the Son hath life." Now then, only sons of God have life eternal, the kind that never had a beginning, but always was. That is right. You have something in you right now that is eternal--without beginning or end. It is the Spirit of God. It is a part of God Himself. It is the life of God.

Now if a sinner is going to go to hell and then suffer the same as you are going to heaven and enjoy heaven, then he has the same kind of life you have already.

Well, then there might be those who say eternal life signifies the welfare of the children of God. It is their welfare and enjoyment that is at stake. On the other hand the sinner goes to his punishment, so that we can reduce the second death to a matter of punishment and place. Eternal life means heaven, and eternal punishment means hell. You would be surprised at the men who have been exalted as theologians that believed that. But do you know what that does? It makes eternal life a matter of geography instead of a Person. Eternal life is God,--the Lord Jesus Christ. How anyone could believe such a thing, that eternal life is a matter of place, is more than I know. It makes me stagger to think of it.

No sir. There is only one kind of eternal life. God has it. If we have God, we have eternal life in and through Him.

So you see, that word eternal, or everlasting, can be applied in various ways, but when it applies to God, He being what He is, it has one meaning. It is the duration of God. You can't apply it like that to any other thing. God alone is eternal, and because He lives, we live with Him.

Now don't let anyone say that I don't believe in a lake of fire and in punishment. I do. I don't know how long it will last, but it will eventually be removed. In Revelation 21:8, it says that those sinners mentioned will have their part in the lake of fire. But the true interpretation of the word is not 'part' but it is 'time.' See, there you have it.

So the wicked shall be cast into hell (Hades or the grave) and hell into the lake of fire. Separated from God. What a terrible thing that will be.

But with the righteous it shall not be so. They don't have to fear. They have been redeemed by God. They are in His bosom. They are the overcomers. And who is he that overcometh? He that believeth that Jesus is the Christ.

Why will this overcomer, this believer escape, and go into realms of eternal life and bliss? Because Jesus paid a price to ransom us from sin. He filled the gap of separation, and we who were afar off are now made nigh by the blood.

And they will never come into condemnation. They will never be in that lake of fire. They can never be lost for He will lose none of them. Not one of the redeemed will be anywhere except where Jesus is.

Within the next few days we will continue our study to it's conclusion and without any doubt we will know what Hell is and is not.......be in prayer that the Lord will help us finish this study shortly. 

 In Matthew 23:33 the Bible says.....

[Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? PSALMS 9:17 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God. GREEK.LEXICON -- STRONG'S.NUMBER.1067 1067 geenna {gheh'-en-nah} of Hebrew origin [1516 and 2011]; TDNT -- 1:657,113; n f AV -- hell (9) -- hell fire + 3588 + 4442 (3) [12] 1) Hell is the place of the future punishment call "Gehenna" or "Gehenna of fire". This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction. *********************************************************************** LUKE 16:23 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. LUKE 16:24 GREEK.LEXICON -- STRONG'S.NUMBER.86 86 hades {hah'-dace} from 1 (as negative particle) and 1492; TDNT -- 1:146,22; n pr loc AV -- hell (10) -- grave (1) [11] 1) name Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions 2) Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead 3) later use of this word: the grave, death ****************************************************************** II PETER 2:4 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 judgment; GREEK.LEXICON -- STRONG'S.NUMBER.5020 5020 tartaroo {tar-tar-o'-o} from Tartaros (the deepest abyss of Hades); TDNT -- omitted,omitted; vb AV -- cast down to hell (1) 1) the name of the subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds; it answers to Gehenna of the Jews; to thrust down to Tartarus, to hold captive in Tartarus This Page Is Under Construction

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