I needed to prepare a sermon as am back on the schedule, and it struck me that the major part of Christianity doesnt know what 'Hell' is or where and even some Adventist are left bewildered to say the least, so I chose to do one on 'Hell' which clearly is the Lake of Fire. It actually has too many verses so will have to work on it, but here are what I have so far...
We see many passages in scripture on the Lake of Fire and who is going to be cast there. Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
So what is this lake of fire that the Bible speaks of, is it what Christian call 'Hell'? Well Christ gives us some clues when He said 'As in the Days of Lot', we find it in Luke 17:28. Luke 17:28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
It was just another day, and was starting as usual, and folks were waking up and eating their morning meal and having their morning beverage and doing everything they did every other morning, it looked like another great day and then suddenly everything changed. We see it in the next part of the text: Luke 17:29-30 29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. 30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
So what did Jesus mean by this. Well lets look what was happening 'in the days of Lot'. 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13 But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.
Lot had picked out a place to settle in and it looks like a good choice with good sources of refreshing water and nice vegetation all around, but there was a problem. The people there it says 'were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.' and as a result of that, after years of patience God sent two angels to Sodom and we know how they were treated by the people of Sodom. The angels went to Lot?s home. Abraham meanwhile, was certainly praying for Lot who was his nephew because God had clued him in that Sodom was doomed. And the angels told Lot to basically, get out of town, and escape for your life, and dont look behind you, escape to the mountains lest you be,? what? The angels say to get out lest you be 'consumed', lest you be burnt up. We see it in Genisis
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: 13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it. 14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law. 15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
You see Lot went to his family, his daughters and sons in law and said, God?s told me this place is doomed get out of town now. But they mocked him like he was a religious fanatic. Can that happen again? Well finally the angels said, we can?t wait any longer, escape for your life, lest you be 'consumed in the iniquity of the city.' And the Bible says he got out of town and the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. It rained down and it destroyed the city in basically a lake of fire, not the one that will be at the end, but Christ was giving a very true picture of what will happen at the end.
So what does the Bible teach about this lake of fire, which is what the bible calls, 'Hell' for sinners and those not in the book of Life. Is the devil in charge of hell? The Bible gives us solemn warnings about a day of destruction coming. Jesus speaks also of Noah's day with the same warning He gives about Lot and his family in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Matthew 24:36-39 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
There is a reward of the wicked, the punishment, that will eternally destroy them and all evil. The wages of sin is not eternal torment, but death in the lake of fire, which is the final place for the wicked and sinners before the Lord, which is the hell we are shown by scripture.
Now the Bible show us those who are the wicked, and gives us the answer to what is sin.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
And we can see what happens to those with sin and what the Bible says will happen to the Wicked...
Job 21:30 King James Version (KJV) "30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath."
Psalm 37:10 King James Version (KJV) "10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be."
Psalm 37:20 King James Version (KJV) "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."
Psalm 37:28 King James Version (KJV) "28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off."
Psalm 37:38 King James Version (KJV) "38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off."
Psalm 73:17-18 King James Version (KJV) "17 Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction."
Psalm 92:7 King James Version (KJV) "7 When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:"
Psalm 104:35 King James Version (KJV) "35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord."
Psalm 145:20 King James Version (KJV) "20 The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy."
Proverbs 2:22 King James Version (KJV) "22 But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it."
Nahum 1:9-10 King James Version (KJV) "9 What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."
Malachi 4:1King James Version (KJV) "4 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."
2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 King James Version (KJV) "8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;"
2 Peter 2:6 King James Version (KJV) "6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;"
2 Peter 2:9-12 King James Version (KJV) 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
2 Peter 3:7 King James Version (KJV) "7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."
2 Peter 3:9-10 King James Version (KJV) "9 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, but that all should come to repentance.10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. "
Revelation 20:9 King James Version (KJV) "9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
Revelation 21:8 King James Version (KJV) "8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
I am so thankful the good Lord has impressed statements like these on me, to daily seek the Lord to know my defects and surrender them to Him. It's terrifying where I could be if I didn't do that!
Ellen White "As Christians we are less thorough in self-examination than in anything else; it is no wonder, then, that we make such slow advancement in understanding self." (5Testimonies p.332-333)
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Teresaq. It's been a long time! Welcome back! Thanks for those very important quotes. Yes, it is high time for each of us to seriously surrender all our sins to our Savior, Who alone can forgive, cleanse, sustain, and fit us for His kingdom.
If we are clinging to our Savior and making Him Lord of our lives, we need not fear.
Thank you, Dedication. It is certainly a matter of perspective. As I said,
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I am so thankful the good Lord has impressed statements like these on me, to daily seek the Lord to know my defects and surrender them to Him. It's terrifying where I could be if I didn't do that!
Ellen White "As Christians we are less thorough in self-examination than in anything else; it is no wonder, then, that we make such slow advancement in understanding self." (5Testimonies p.332-333)
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Utter dependence on my Savior as sanctification is the work of a lifetime. I am so thankful God sent us Ellen White. Another set of her quotes I have taken to heart for so many decades! It has saved me from so many pits!
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I am pained to see the little value placed upon men whom the Lord has used and whom He will use. God forbid that every man's mind shall follow in the channel of another man's mind. One man's mind may be, by some, exalted as being in every degree superior, but every mind has its peculiar weakness and its peculiar strength. One man's mind will supply another man's deficiency. But if all work in the one harness and are given encouragement to look, not to men to know their duty, but to God, they will develop under the Holy Spirit's guidance, and will work in unity with their brethren. One will supply another's lack.?Letter 50, 1897. 2MCP 427.2
Not to Shape Other Minds?God has given to every man an individual responsibility. ?Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.? Man is not to work out any other man's salvation. He is not to become the transcript of any man's mind. He is required to act in his capacity according to the ability God has given him. No man, whatever his experience, whatever his position, is to feel that he accomplishes a wonderful work when he fashions and shapes the mind of any human being after his own mind and teaches him to voice the sentiments he may express. This has been done again and again to the detriment of human beings.?Manuscript 116, 1898. 2MCP 427.3
Not to Be a Shadow of Others [See chapter 29, ?Dependence and Independence.?]?Oh, how much the workers need the spirit of Jesus to change and fashion them as clay is molded in the hands of the potter! When they have this spirit, there will be no spirit of variance among them; no one will be so narrow as to want everything done his way, according to his ideas; there will be no inharmonious feeling between him and his brother laborers who do not come up to his standard. The Lord does not want any of His children to be shadows of others; but He would have each one be his own simple self, refined, sanctified, ennobled by imitating the life and character of the great Pattern. The narrow, shut-in, exclusive spirit which keeps everything within the compass of one's self has been a curse to the cause of God and always will be wherever allowed to exist.?The Review and Herald, April 13, 1886. 2MCP 428.1
No One to Submerge His Mind?God permits every human being to exercise his individuality. He desires no one to submerge his mind in the mind of a fellow mortal. Those who desire to be transformed in mind and character are not to look to men, but to the divine Example. God gives the invitation, ?Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.? By conversion and transformation men are to receive the mind of Christ. Every one is to stand before God with an individual faith, an individual experience, knowing for himself that Christ is formed within, the hope of glory. For us to imitate the example of any man?even one whom we might regard as nearly perfect in character?would be to put our trust in a defective human being, one who is unable to impart a jot or tittle of perfection.?The Signs of the Times, September 3, 1902. 2MCP 428.2
Rules for Strong Minds?It is well for Brother and Sister _____ and Brother and Sister _____ to have strong minds. Each is to maintain his individuality. Each is to preserve an individuality that will not be submerged in the individuality of another. No human being is to be the shadow of another human being. God's servants are to labor together in a unity that blends mind with mind.?Letter 44, 1903. 2MCP 429.1
Individual Measurement?No man can grow up to the full stature of a man for another. Each must reach his own individual measurement for himself. Each is to grow up under God's supervision.?Manuscript 116, 1898. 2MCP 429.2
No Other Human Being Fully Shares Inner Life?Viewed from its human side, life is to all an untried path. It is a path in which, as regards our deeper experiences, we each walk alone. Into our inner life no other human being can fully enter. As the little child sets forth on that journey in which sooner or later he must choose his own course, himself deciding life's issues for eternity, how earnest should be the effort to direct his trust to the sure Guide and Helper!?Education, 255 (1903). 2MCP 429.3
Character Is Personal?Character is personal. We each have a work to do for time and for eternity. God abhors indifference in regard to the formation of character.?Letter 223, 1903. 2MCP 429.4
Recognizing Man's Rights?One of the very highest applications of these principles [recognition of personal responsibilities] is found in the recognition of man's right to himself, to the control of his own mind, to the stewardship of his talents, the right to receive and to impart the fruit of his own labor. Strength and power will be in our institutions only as in all their connection with their fellowmen they recognize these principles?only as in their dealing they give heed to the instruction of the Word of God.?Testimonies for the Church 7:180 (1902). 2MCP 429.5
Dependent Upon Christ?Each soul has an individuality. Each soul must live in hourly communion with Christ; for He says, ?Without Me ye can do nothing? (John 15:5). His principles are to be our principles; for these principles are the everlasting truth, proclaimed in righteousness, goodness, mercy, and love.?Letter 21, 1901. 2MCP 430.1
Individuality in Christian Experience to Be Preserved?Teach every soul to lean heavily on the arm of infinite power. There is an individuality in Christian experience that must be preserved in every human agent, and the responsibility cannot be removed from any soul. Each one has his own battles to fight, his own Christian experience to gain, independent in some respects from any other soul; and God has lessons for each to gain for himself that no other can gain for him.?Manuscript 6, 1889. 2MCP 430.2
I am to come to my own conclusions and understanding based on dependence on God and not the understanding of anyone else.
The above opening posts are a good study on the final destruction of the wicked. It shows that the common thought in Christian circles as to the meaning of "hell" is false. The end will be destruction by fire of all evil.
But I'd be a little cautious about using the word "hell" ..
The KJV Bible's use of the word hell is not always the fiery meaning. Sometimes it is the same but other times it is not.
In the Old Testament there is the Hebrew word S'ol, which is translated as "hell" 31 times.
H7585 S'ol Is translated in the KJV --grave (31x), hell (31x), pit (3x). And even a lot of the times it is translated as "hell" it still sounds more like the place of the dead.
Some examples:
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Psalms 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave H7585 who shall give thee thanks? Psalms 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; H7585 neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalms 49"15 But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: H7585 for he shall receive me. Ps. 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave. H7585 Ps. 139:8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, H7585 behold, thou art there. Pr 15:11 Hell H7585 and destruction are before the LORD:
In the New Testament we find the word Greek word Geenna translated as "hell".
G1067 Geenna Is translated in the KJV -- hell (9x), hell fire (with G4442) (3x).
Examples
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Matt. 5:29 &30 it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. G1067 Matt. 5:22 Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell G1067 fire. Luke 12:5 Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; G1067 yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
Conclusion -- While the Greek word "Geenna" for hell, does co-relate to the lake of fire and final destruction by fire, The more numerous Hebrew word "S'ol" for hell, tends to mean grave, more than the lake of fire.
Didnt think about it, but yes they will live streamed on Youtube, we also have Conrad Vine coming. That will be interesting to say the least...
When are you scheduled to preach this message?
It is definitely a nice contrast between the biblical lake of fire and the common perception of an eternally burning hell somewhere burning people yet not consuming them!
