Important Notice:
Always check out what you read and hear for yourself, using the Bible, asking our HEAVENLY FATHER for wisdom, guidance, and understanding. Never take anyone's word alone, including this website, without first doing your own homework. As Christians, we should be listening to GOD's WORD, not what someone else has to say if it can't be documented. As it's written in 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Please note, the yellow text within our studies is Scripture, whereas the white text is our commentary.
What Is Hell?
Have you ever questioned what is often said about hell? Is it really a place of eternal torture where GOD sentences people to feel unending pain that never ends as many people say it is? If so, you're not the only one. One of the most asked questions by people is "how could a loving GOD sentence people to a place of eternal torture, where they feel un-ending pain for all eternity?" Well that's just it, HE doesn't, and Scripture very well documents this fact as you will see below, if you're capable of reading it with understanding and allow it to speak for itself, rather than hold on to man-made traditions. Below, let's begin in John 3:16.
John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." This word "perish" is apóllymi in the Greek and it means "to destroy fully"; i.e. die, wipe out of existence. Notice this verse says "whosoever believeth in him should not perish", not "whosoever believeth in him should not burn in flames forever". Romans 6:23 also says "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."; here we see another example. Notice this verse does not say "For the wages of sin is eternal life in fire" but instead it says "For the wages of sin is death...". If a soul receives death, it no longer lives anywhere because it's lifeless and remember the only source of eternal life after the death of the flesh is in Heaven, and Heaven is wherever CHRIST is, as HE is the only way and source of everlasting life (John 14:6). 1 John 5:11-12 even says "11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Again, if a person/soul is not living, they're lifeless, as the only source of life is through JESUS CHRIST. Now based on the common ideology of what is said about hell (eternal punishment in fire), do those people who are supposedly cooking in flames right now have JESUS CHRIST? Of course not. So therefore how could they be alive in some fiery pit? That's just it, they're not, which is why the common ideology of what is often said about hell cannot be true because again it simply goes against what Scripture states. Also, judgment day doesn't occur until the end of the Millennium (the LORD's day), at the return of CHRIST, so nobody at this time has been sentenced to the lake of fire, which as you will see, will be more clarified below as to what that really is. Now many might say "but what about Luke 16?" and below we will go there, but before we do, as you will come to see, hell has four different meanings in Scripture and not just one as many assume.
Old Testament (Hebrew)
The first mentioning/meaning of hell in Scripture is Sheol (shᵉʼôwl) and it means "grave" and refers to the temporary holding place of the dead (i.e. the ones who didn't overcome because they didn't have CHRIST). Notice this says absolutely nothing about a firepit. If you have a Strong's Concordance, you can see that defined in H7585.
New Testament (Greek)
The second mentioning/meaning of hell in Scripture is Gehenna (géenna) and that refers to the valley of Hinnom where people offered burnt human sacrifices unto Molech and where the garbage pit of dead animals was. CHRIST used it as an analogy to describe the final destination of evil souls which is the lake of fire, and what would happen to them ultimately in the end, which is perish; just like the dead carcasses in the valley of Hinnom. If you have a Strong's Concordance, you can see that defined in G1067.
The third mentioning/meaning of hell is Hades (háidēs), which has the same meaning as the Hebrew word Sheol, which again refers to the place of departed souls (i.e. the ones who didn't overcome this flesh life because they didn't have CHRIST), and again refers to the temporary holding place of them, who await judgment, as you can see in G86 of your Strong's Concordance.
The fourth mentioning/meaning of hell is Tartaros (tartaróō) and that refers to the deepest abyss in hades, and pertains to the fallen angels (the nephilim) in Genesis 6 and Jude, who are now locked away until the tribulation begins. They were the ones who came to earth in the days of Noah and will also be present with satan (the antichrist/son of perdition) himself in these end times, appearing to be men and women, establishing satan's one world beast system. It is them who cannot receive salvation and will be sentenced to death and the lake of fire with satan himself in the end, along with all others who reject CHRIST. So again, we see this is in reference to Hades/Sheol, pertaining to satan and his fallen angels. See G5020 in your Strong's Concordance.
The third mentioning/meaning of hell is Hades (háidēs), which has the same meaning as the Hebrew word Sheol, which again refers to the place of departed souls (i.e. the ones who didn't overcome this flesh life because they didn't have CHRIST), and again refers to the temporary holding place of them, who await judgment, as you can see in G86 of your Strong's Concordance.
The fourth mentioning/meaning of hell is Tartaros (tartaróō) and that refers to the deepest abyss in hades, and pertains to the fallen angels (the nephilim) in Genesis 6 and Jude, who are now locked away until the tribulation begins. They were the ones who came to earth in the days of Noah and will also be present with satan (the antichrist/son of perdition) himself in these end times, appearing to be men and women, establishing satan's one world beast system. It is them who cannot receive salvation and will be sentenced to death and the lake of fire with satan himself in the end, along with all others who reject CHRIST. So again, we see this is in reference to Hades/Sheol, pertaining to satan and his fallen angels. See G5020 in your Strong's Concordance.
As we can see from above, the only time hell is mentioned as a place of fiery torment and punishment that pertains to the wicked/non-followers of CHRIST, is when it is referring to Gehenna. The first mentioning of this was by CHRIST HIMself in Matthew 5:22, "but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool (= mōros), shall be in danger of hell (= Gehenna) fire." Now as you will see below, the rich man of Luke 16, was not in Gehenna, he was in Hades, which is a totally different place. Hell fire or Gehenna will not occur until after the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), whereas Hades as you will come to see, is the lower place in the vicinity of Paradise/Heaven right now, where the wicked who rejected CHRIST are being held. Though some might be surprised to hear that, as you will see below in this 16th chapter of Luke, there is a gulf that divides those who overcame (CHRISTians) from those who didn't overcome (non-Christians). The reason no one has been sentenced to hell fire (Gehenna) at this time is because again, hell fire (a.k.a. the lake of fire) doesn't come until after judgment day, and judgment day doesn't occur until the end of the Millennium, and there are some fairly decent people in Hades right now who never heard of CHRIST when they were alive in their flesh bodies, who never had the chance we do today, and they will have their opportunity to overcome and move to Paradise/Heaven during the Millennium if they receive JESUS CHRIST as their personal Savior. Remember as Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." And so it is. All souls who have died in this flesh age have gone back to GOD as HE is the owner of each soul, and Heaven is wherever GOD is. Again, the only thing is some are placed on one side of the gulf (Hades/Sheol) whereas the others (i.e. CHRISTians) are placed on the other side (Paradise/Heaven) with CHRIST. Nobody is laying out there in some hole in the ground, in a cemetery as some "reverends" might try to have you believe. Hades/Sheol which is the bad or low side of the gulf, is also likely where JESUS went during HIS three days in the tomb, whereby HE could preach to the people all the way back to Noah's day and even before Noah, so they would have the same opportunity at Salvation as we do today (see 1 Peter 3:18-21, Ephesians 4:9-10). Now moving along with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man of Luke 16, who were and are real people, it reads...
Luke 16:19-31
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
Note that there's nothing wrong with being rich if you've been blessed with GOD's blessings, and have received them righteously, as Abraham became rich, Joseph, along with David and Solomon, as well as others in Scripture, but when your riches become paramount to you in life, and/or you've received them by robbing others and doing other people wrong, then it becomes hazardous to your soul. 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." And so it is, this is what happens to most [not all] people who are rich, they become so blinded by materialism and wasting money on things that aren't necessary in life and beneficial to their Christian walk, their pride begins to rise and their care for others dissipates, while their care for the things of this world increases. For this reason, it is written in 1 John 2:15-17 "15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." This is why it's important to include GOD in all our financial situations and to pray for HIM to direct our moves, and to always align them accordingly to HIS WORD. JESUS gives us another example in Luke 12:15-21, which says, "15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Now getting back to this rich man in this chapter, he had everything his mind could think of and desire to have concerning materialism, and never gave any concern to others such as Lazarus. A lot like how some people are today when they see homeless or other poor people.
20 and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Lazarus was very poor and he was treated very badly by the rich man. As you can see, the dogs had more compassion for Lazarus than this rich man did.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
In other words, he was probably given a nice, fancy, funeral service, and you can imagine the speaker of the service saying "he's in a better place now." which obviously isn't true for everyone who dies. In fact most people won't even be in Heaven/Paradise, as JESUS said in Matthew 7:13-14, "13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
23 and in hell (= hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Again, háidēs (hades) refers to the bad side of the gulf in the vicinity of Heaven, where the wicked/non-believers await until judgment day. It doesn't have anything to do with a fire filled room where people feel unending physical pain. After all, in order to feel physical pain, you would have to be in a flesh body anyways as a spiritual body doesn't have nerve endings. So why is it the rich man was in torments? Because he realized he had lost everything he had. He no longer had any riches at all. There he could see Lazarus on the other side, in Paradise with Abraham, in a good place, filled with comfort, while he, himself, was on the other side with nothing left.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
This is simply a figure of speech, to express the humiliation of the situation he was now in. If this rich man was literally burning in fire, do you really believe he would be able to see anything past the flames or even be able to talk? And do you really believe a drop of water would put out the flames? Of course not. Notice he asked for a drop of water to cool his tongue, not his whole body, which should indicate that this is not referring to a firepit room. Think of a time when you were really embarrassed amongst others. What happened? First your face started blushing and then you began to feel your body temperature extensively rise and then most likely your tongue tightened up too. It's an awful feeling of pure shame. So now put yourself in this rich man's position and think of how humiliating it would be for you, to know you blew your entire life away for materialism and the things of this world. Again, hades is the holding place of the wicked/non-Christians, and as defined above earlier, it has nothing to do with actual fire because it is not the same place as Gehenna which will occur in the near future. So just because Hades and Gehenna were both translated into English as "hell", does not make them the same thing. Also, spiritually speaking, who is our LIVING WATER? It is GOD/CHRIST (see Jeremiah 2:3, John 4:14), and remember only CHRIST can bring true peace and comfort, and unfortunately this rich man didn't have HIM nor the FATHER which is why he was in torments (i.e. the lowest place he could be).
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Again, this rich man had nothing left but pure guilt and shame for the life he had just lived because he knew he had every opportunity to get things right with his life and follow GOD but he chose not to and now it's too late. He now realizes that he blew it all away for the sake of temporary pleasure. That is why JESUS said in Mark 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?". As you can see, it doesn't profit a person nothing but humiliation and regret. Proverbs 28:6 also says "Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich."
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
And so it is, again, Hades/Sheol is on one side, holding the wicked/non-Christians, whereas Paradise/Heaven is on the other side filled with CHRISTians and the love of GOD.
27 Then he said, I pray (i.e. ask) thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
And so it is, doubters are going to be doubters because they don't know JESUS and they do not have faith in HIM. That's why it's so important that you always walk close to JESUS because the closer you draw to HIM, the closer HE draws to you (James 4:8) and the more you can experience HIS awesome presence working and manifesting in your life. Don't be a doubter because complaining about a silent GOD while your Bible is closed is like complaining about not getting text messages because your phone is turned off. After all, as James 1:6-7 says "6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." And so it is, don't expect to feel GOD's presence if you ignore and doubt HIM. GOD's WORD is alive and in the process of being fulfilled. Hopefully you've read it and are living accordingly to it.
So now that we understand that Hades/Sheol is not the same as Gehenna/the lake of fire, which is to come later on in these end times, after judgment day, let's see what the lake of fire really is but before we go there, did you know our HEAVENLY FATHER (GOD ALMIGHTY) is described as a consuming fire? Exodus 24:17 says, "And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." and Hebrews 12:29 says "for our God is a consuming fire." As a believer and follower of JESUS CHRIST, that should bring comfort to you and make you feel warm and wonderful on the inside, but to the non-believer/wicked, how do you think it makes them feel? Not so good and not so comforting because they know the wrath of GOD awaits for them. CHRISTians are to revere GOD, whereas non-Christians will fear GOD. It's important to know that when you truly love GOD, you keep HIS commandments (John 14:15), and when you do, it shows that you're truly one of HIS, fully committed to following HIM and striving to be a blessing in every aspect of your life to HIM. And when you do, HE's going to take care of you because HE knows you love HIM and HE loves you, and HE always takes care of HIS own. So you have absolutely nothing to fear or worry about as far as your relationship goes with HIM because again HE loves you. If you remember back in Exodus 3, GOD appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush and the bush burned but was not consumed. Why? Because GOD preserved it, as naturally HE is the source of life and the tree of life. Again, GOD always takes care of HIS own. Think also about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. What happened? They were not singed and their clothes and body did not even smell like smoke. King Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the fiery furnace and even heated it up seven times hotter than he normally would and what did he see? Not just the three of them but also a fourth individual which was GOD HIMself walking with them. If GOD is for you it doesn't matter who is against you because in HIM you have the ultimate victory and the eternal victory, and an everlasting reward (GOD HIMself).
Note that there's nothing wrong with being rich if you've been blessed with GOD's blessings, and have received them righteously, as Abraham became rich, Joseph, along with David and Solomon, as well as others in Scripture, but when your riches become paramount to you in life, and/or you've received them by robbing others and doing other people wrong, then it becomes hazardous to your soul. 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us, "For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." And so it is, this is what happens to most [not all] people who are rich, they become so blinded by materialism and wasting money on things that aren't necessary in life and beneficial to their Christian walk, their pride begins to rise and their care for others dissipates, while their care for the things of this world increases. For this reason, it is written in 1 John 2:15-17 "15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." This is why it's important to include GOD in all our financial situations and to pray for HIM to direct our moves, and to always align them accordingly to HIS WORD. JESUS gives us another example in Luke 12:15-21, which says, "15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
Now getting back to this rich man in this chapter, he had everything his mind could think of and desire to have concerning materialism, and never gave any concern to others such as Lazarus. A lot like how some people are today when they see homeless or other poor people.
20 and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
Lazarus was very poor and he was treated very badly by the rich man. As you can see, the dogs had more compassion for Lazarus than this rich man did.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
In other words, he was probably given a nice, fancy, funeral service, and you can imagine the speaker of the service saying "he's in a better place now." which obviously isn't true for everyone who dies. In fact most people won't even be in Heaven/Paradise, as JESUS said in Matthew 7:13-14, "13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."
23 and in hell (= hades) he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Again, háidēs (hades) refers to the bad side of the gulf in the vicinity of Heaven, where the wicked/non-believers await until judgment day. It doesn't have anything to do with a fire filled room where people feel unending physical pain. After all, in order to feel physical pain, you would have to be in a flesh body anyways as a spiritual body doesn't have nerve endings. So why is it the rich man was in torments? Because he realized he had lost everything he had. He no longer had any riches at all. There he could see Lazarus on the other side, in Paradise with Abraham, in a good place, filled with comfort, while he, himself, was on the other side with nothing left.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
This is simply a figure of speech, to express the humiliation of the situation he was now in. If this rich man was literally burning in fire, do you really believe he would be able to see anything past the flames or even be able to talk? And do you really believe a drop of water would put out the flames? Of course not. Notice he asked for a drop of water to cool his tongue, not his whole body, which should indicate that this is not referring to a firepit room. Think of a time when you were really embarrassed amongst others. What happened? First your face started blushing and then you began to feel your body temperature extensively rise and then most likely your tongue tightened up too. It's an awful feeling of pure shame. So now put yourself in this rich man's position and think of how humiliating it would be for you, to know you blew your entire life away for materialism and the things of this world. Again, hades is the holding place of the wicked/non-Christians, and as defined above earlier, it has nothing to do with actual fire because it is not the same place as Gehenna which will occur in the near future. So just because Hades and Gehenna were both translated into English as "hell", does not make them the same thing. Also, spiritually speaking, who is our LIVING WATER? It is GOD/CHRIST (see Jeremiah 2:3, John 4:14), and remember only CHRIST can bring true peace and comfort, and unfortunately this rich man didn't have HIM nor the FATHER which is why he was in torments (i.e. the lowest place he could be).
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
Again, this rich man had nothing left but pure guilt and shame for the life he had just lived because he knew he had every opportunity to get things right with his life and follow GOD but he chose not to and now it's too late. He now realizes that he blew it all away for the sake of temporary pleasure. That is why JESUS said in Mark 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?". As you can see, it doesn't profit a person nothing but humiliation and regret. Proverbs 28:6 also says "Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich."
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
And so it is, again, Hades/Sheol is on one side, holding the wicked/non-Christians, whereas Paradise/Heaven is on the other side filled with CHRISTians and the love of GOD.
27 Then he said, I pray (i.e. ask) thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
And so it is, doubters are going to be doubters because they don't know JESUS and they do not have faith in HIM. That's why it's so important that you always walk close to JESUS because the closer you draw to HIM, the closer HE draws to you (James 4:8) and the more you can experience HIS awesome presence working and manifesting in your life. Don't be a doubter because complaining about a silent GOD while your Bible is closed is like complaining about not getting text messages because your phone is turned off. After all, as James 1:6-7 says "6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." And so it is, don't expect to feel GOD's presence if you ignore and doubt HIM. GOD's WORD is alive and in the process of being fulfilled. Hopefully you've read it and are living accordingly to it.
So now that we understand that Hades/Sheol is not the same as Gehenna/the lake of fire, which is to come later on in these end times, after judgment day, let's see what the lake of fire really is but before we go there, did you know our HEAVENLY FATHER (GOD ALMIGHTY) is described as a consuming fire? Exodus 24:17 says, "And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." and Hebrews 12:29 says "for our God is a consuming fire." As a believer and follower of JESUS CHRIST, that should bring comfort to you and make you feel warm and wonderful on the inside, but to the non-believer/wicked, how do you think it makes them feel? Not so good and not so comforting because they know the wrath of GOD awaits for them. CHRISTians are to revere GOD, whereas non-Christians will fear GOD. It's important to know that when you truly love GOD, you keep HIS commandments (John 14:15), and when you do, it shows that you're truly one of HIS, fully committed to following HIM and striving to be a blessing in every aspect of your life to HIM. And when you do, HE's going to take care of you because HE knows you love HIM and HE loves you, and HE always takes care of HIS own. So you have absolutely nothing to fear or worry about as far as your relationship goes with HIM because again HE loves you. If you remember back in Exodus 3, GOD appeared unto Moses in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush and the bush burned but was not consumed. Why? Because GOD preserved it, as naturally HE is the source of life and the tree of life. Again, GOD always takes care of HIS own. Think also about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. What happened? They were not singed and their clothes and body did not even smell like smoke. King Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the fiery furnace and even heated it up seven times hotter than he normally would and what did he see? Not just the three of them but also a fourth individual which was GOD HIMself walking with them. If GOD is for you it doesn't matter who is against you because in HIM you have the ultimate victory and the eternal victory, and an everlasting reward (GOD HIMself).
Understanding What The Lake of Fire Is:
Revelation 14:9-11
9 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,
This concerns the wicked and all those who receive satan's mark in their foreheads (i.e. brain/mindset) and in their right hand, which is an idiom in the Greek (cheír), meaning those people who have it, are the ones who will carry out satan and his one-world beast system's works (i.e. working for his system). We pretty much see a preview of this right now if you take a look around you today with many deceived by fear, unfaithful of CHRIST's protection from a virus with over a 99% survival rating, willing to pump unknown substances into their DNA, five going on six times, and their subservient attitude to believe and do anything the world's tyrannical, godless, baby-murdering, government tells them to do.
10 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:
If you want to be well-pleasing to GOD, then you better remain faithful, true, and chaste (spiritually speaking [compare 2 Corinthians 11]) because you cannot serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). You either live for CHRIST and serve him (the one who died for you) or you live for satan and serve him and his beast system (the ones who seeks to kill you, who believe the world is overpopulated) but you cannot do both. Again, take a look at your surroundings today, know the order of events for these end times and pay attention to just how tyrannical our world's godless, governments have become and people's religious, subservient attitude and obedience to it; betraying family and friends who aren't even sick.
11 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.
Here we see another figure of speech just like the ones we saw above. What happens when something burns and it turns into smoke? The smoke rises into the air, ascending up, forever and ever, and never is to be seen again. The reason these wicked and un-faithful people will have no rest is because TRUE rest can only be found in JESUS CHRIST alone (see Matthew 11:28); you can seek all you want for pleasure, peace of mind, and gratification elsewhere but you won't be able to find it. Again, as we read earlier, "our GOD is a consuming fire". To those who remain faithful and chaste (spiritually speaking) to HIM, HE brings peace, joy, and a comforting and warming sensation, whereas those who stand against HIM feel nothing but discomfort, embarrassment, shame, and an uncomfortable rise in body temperature; ultimately it is those people on judgment day, when they stand before the very Creator of their souls, to know they turned out to be a failure before GOD, that will turn into ashes and smoke from within, due to their fear-stricken regret and shame, of how they rejected to live for CHRIST, and will forever live no more. So in other words, those people will be blotted out of existence as it's written in Psalm 69:28 and Revelation 3:5. As we can see, the lake of fire is not an eternal life of burning in flames but instead a one time burning from within, with an eternal result that cannot be un-done. Psalm 37:18-20 says "18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 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.". Notice GOD's people will not be ashamed in the evil time because they love HIM, know HIM, and understand that HE will take care of them, whereas the wicked on the other hand will be ashamed when they stand before the very Maker of their souls and will be as the fat of a lamb when dripped into the fire. What happens? It drips, is burned up, turns into smoke, and is never seen again afterwards. Notice that twentieth verse says "they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away". That very word consume in the Hebrew is "kâlâh" and it means to destroy fully and in other words, perish; the same meaning as we saw earlier in John 3:16 with the Greek word for "perish" (apóllymi). So again, those who go into the lake of fire, standing before ALMIGHTY GOD in guilt and shame, will be turned into smoke and ashes from within and will never live or be thought of again. It's a one time burning from within that has eternal results. It all comes down to whether or not you want LIFE (CHRIST) or death (satan). Don't blow your eternity for the sake of temporary, sinful, pleasure. So what happens after the wicked are fully destroyed you may ask? The eternity begins and as Revelation 21:4 says, referring to us as believers, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.". And so it is. What type of Heaven would it be for you if you saw a particular family member or friend that didn't make it, standing across from you burning and screaming in fire for all eternity? Do you really believe your eyes would stay dry and that you would feel comforted and not feel sorrow? Of course not and our HEAVENLY FATHER feels the same way and below we will document that.
Another example just to clear up any confusion that may be left concerning this subject and the words "for ever". Think about Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude verse 7 says "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." Obviously if you look around today, Sodom and Gomorrah is not still on fire but instead it was burned up with fire which resulted in an eternal consequence. Just because you see the words "for ever" used in certain parts of Scripture as we did above in Revelation 14:11, does not always mean "without end" but instead it can refer to a period of time of something that has already taken place (see Jonah 2:6, Exodus 21:6) or will take place which has an everlasting and permanent result that cannot be un-done.
Now some might say "well if that's the case, then how can you be so sure that we will spend for ever in Heaven"? It's because we as CHRISTians at the time of CHRIST's return and the end of the Millennium will have then put on immortality, which means "not subject to death". Therefore when Scripture uses the words "for ever" to refer to our eternity in Heaven, it can only mean "without an end", whereas the wicked aren't immortal and on judgment day they will be blotted out of existence, which results in an eternal effect because their "for ever" is only as long as their mortal nature can survive during their time of fire-consumption from within. Ezekiel 28:18-19 even says, when concerning what will happen to satan himself in the end, "18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick;
therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth
in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee:
thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." And so it is, again, satan and all his followers at that time will cease to exist. The first death for people is the death of the flesh, whereas the second death which applies only to the wicked, is the death of the soul. Surely you don't want to end up in that situation like satan and the rest of his followers will. As 2 Peter 3:9 says "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish (i.e. eternally die), but that all should come to repentance." Again, JESUS said in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." And so it is, get right with CHRIST while you still can, and be so busy killing sin or sin will be killing you, as true CHRISTians strive to be free from sin, not strive to sin freely; for if there is no repentance, there is no forgiveness (see Luke 13:3). JESUS died for us, so the least we can do is live for HIM.
This concerns the wicked and all those who receive satan's mark in their foreheads (i.e. brain/mindset) and in their right hand, which is an idiom in the Greek (cheír), meaning those people who have it, are the ones who will carry out satan and his one-world beast system's works (i.e. working for his system). We pretty much see a preview of this right now if you take a look around you today with many deceived by fear, unfaithful of CHRIST's protection from a virus with over a 99% survival rating, willing to pump unknown substances into their DNA, five going on six times, and their subservient attitude to believe and do anything the world's tyrannical, godless, baby-murdering, government tells them to do.
10 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:
If you want to be well-pleasing to GOD, then you better remain faithful, true, and chaste (spiritually speaking [compare 2 Corinthians 11]) because you cannot serve two masters (see Matthew 6:24). You either live for CHRIST and serve him (the one who died for you) or you live for satan and serve him and his beast system (the ones who seeks to kill you, who believe the world is overpopulated) but you cannot do both. Again, take a look at your surroundings today, know the order of events for these end times and pay attention to just how tyrannical our world's godless, governments have become and people's religious, subservient attitude and obedience to it; betraying family and friends who aren't even sick.
11 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.
Here we see another figure of speech just like the ones we saw above. What happens when something burns and it turns into smoke? The smoke rises into the air, ascending up, forever and ever, and never is to be seen again. The reason these wicked and un-faithful people will have no rest is because TRUE rest can only be found in JESUS CHRIST alone (see Matthew 11:28); you can seek all you want for pleasure, peace of mind, and gratification elsewhere but you won't be able to find it. Again, as we read earlier, "our GOD is a consuming fire". To those who remain faithful and chaste (spiritually speaking) to HIM, HE brings peace, joy, and a comforting and warming sensation, whereas those who stand against HIM feel nothing but discomfort, embarrassment, shame, and an uncomfortable rise in body temperature; ultimately it is those people on judgment day, when they stand before the very Creator of their souls, to know they turned out to be a failure before GOD, that will turn into ashes and smoke from within, due to their fear-stricken regret and shame, of how they rejected to live for CHRIST, and will forever live no more. So in other words, those people will be blotted out of existence as it's written in Psalm 69:28 and Revelation 3:5. As we can see, the lake of fire is not an eternal life of burning in flames but instead a one time burning from within, with an eternal result that cannot be un-done. Psalm 37:18-20 says "18 The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. 19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 20 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.". Notice GOD's people will not be ashamed in the evil time because they love HIM, know HIM, and understand that HE will take care of them, whereas the wicked on the other hand will be ashamed when they stand before the very Maker of their souls and will be as the fat of a lamb when dripped into the fire. What happens? It drips, is burned up, turns into smoke, and is never seen again afterwards. Notice that twentieth verse says "they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away". That very word consume in the Hebrew is "kâlâh" and it means to destroy fully and in other words, perish; the same meaning as we saw earlier in John 3:16 with the Greek word for "perish" (apóllymi). So again, those who go into the lake of fire, standing before ALMIGHTY GOD in guilt and shame, will be turned into smoke and ashes from within and will never live or be thought of again. It's a one time burning from within that has eternal results. It all comes down to whether or not you want LIFE (CHRIST) or death (satan). Don't blow your eternity for the sake of temporary, sinful, pleasure. So what happens after the wicked are fully destroyed you may ask? The eternity begins and as Revelation 21:4 says, referring to us as believers, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.". And so it is. What type of Heaven would it be for you if you saw a particular family member or friend that didn't make it, standing across from you burning and screaming in fire for all eternity? Do you really believe your eyes would stay dry and that you would feel comforted and not feel sorrow? Of course not and our HEAVENLY FATHER feels the same way and below we will document that.
Another example just to clear up any confusion that may be left concerning this subject and the words "for ever". Think about Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude verse 7 says "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." Obviously if you look around today, Sodom and Gomorrah is not still on fire but instead it was burned up with fire which resulted in an eternal consequence. Just because you see the words "for ever" used in certain parts of Scripture as we did above in Revelation 14:11, does not always mean "without end" but instead it can refer to a period of time of something that has already taken place (see Jonah 2:6, Exodus 21:6) or will take place which has an everlasting and permanent result that cannot be un-done.
Now some might say "well if that's the case, then how can you be so sure that we will spend for ever in Heaven"? It's because we as CHRISTians at the time of CHRIST's return and the end of the Millennium will have then put on immortality, which means "not subject to death". Therefore when Scripture uses the words "for ever" to refer to our eternity in Heaven, it can only mean "without an end", whereas the wicked aren't immortal and on judgment day they will be blotted out of existence, which results in an eternal effect because their "for ever" is only as long as their mortal nature can survive during their time of fire-consumption from within. Ezekiel 28:18-19 even says, when concerning what will happen to satan himself in the end, "18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick;
therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth
in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee:
thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." And so it is, again, satan and all his followers at that time will cease to exist. The first death for people is the death of the flesh, whereas the second death which applies only to the wicked, is the death of the soul. Surely you don't want to end up in that situation like satan and the rest of his followers will. As 2 Peter 3:9 says "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish (i.e. eternally die), but that all should come to repentance." Again, JESUS said in John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." And so it is, get right with CHRIST while you still can, and be so busy killing sin or sin will be killing you, as true CHRISTians strive to be free from sin, not strive to sin freely; for if there is no repentance, there is no forgiveness (see Luke 13:3). JESUS died for us, so the least we can do is live for HIM.