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Hell Fire Two
Index for Page Two
Link to Hell Fire – Page Three
The previous page grouped the various forms of death mentioned into two main groups: the first death, and the second death. For this discussion, Tartarus may be ignored since it is discussed separately and is only used in regards to angels.
Reiterating:
First death consist of Sheol, Hades, and Death and is usually referred to as the grave, the common grave or in the KJV as hell. The sea (Rev chp 20) may be considered a first death.
Second death consists of itself, the Lake of Fire, and Gehenna.
Resurrection Teachings
Jesus himself clearly showed that both the first and second resurrection would take place no earlier than in the last day. In John 3:13 and 6:44, John teaches us that no one at all had gone to heaven save Jesus Christ and that the resurrection shall occur on the Last Day., and Paul severely did so in 2 Tim 2:18 when he chastised those that claimed the resurrection had occurred by telling them that they overturned the faith of their brothers. ( Darby)
In ca 96CE, John said, (John 3:13) " And no one has gone up into heaven, save he who came down out of heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven."
6:44 No one can come to me except the Father who has sent me draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day.
II Timothy 2:18 men who as to the truth have gone astray,saying that the resurrection has taken place already; and overthrow the faith of some.
If some say, what about the soul? The Bible answers, (Ezekiel 18:4) ". . . the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Are we all sinners? Yes, but of course. That is why we need the ransom and the resurrection. Even Jesus had to be resurrected by God.
Acts 2:24, Whom God has raised up, having loosed the pains of death, inasmuch as it was not possible that he should be held by its power;
If someone says, what about the spirit? I say, read the previous information prepared on this homepage. Read these pages: Man's Spirit, Immortal Soul & Animal, Soul - What?, the condition of the dead [one, two]. It is not necessary to rehash all things when this is already available.
What the resurrection teaches is this: everybody is still in their graves awaiting their judgment bringing with it either damnation of eternal death or their gift of resurrection, awaiting at least until the Last Day, which for some Saints begin when Christ's presence commences (whenever that is, different subject). Please also confer with the Resurrections – First & Second page if desired.
The dead that shall be judged on judgment day all are in the common grave of mankind, specifically this may said to be Hades and Sheol. However, since Revelation mentions the sea, this common death of all mankind then finds four words used in the scriptures: Hades, Sheol, death, and the Sea. All dead found in these will be given up for judgment. Those damned will be have their records amended to Gehenna or the Lake of Fire.
This will be further explained if you read on. The subject about the account of Abraham and the Rich man who found himself in torment in Hades - is mentioned on this page:
The key to understanding it is in the study here about Hades and Sheol.
All of God's judgments hinges on what is recorded or perhaps rather who gets recorded in this book since only the ones that receive a resurrection is recorded in the book of Life. It appears in the scriptures as shown: (Darby) Exodus 32:33 Jehovah said to Moses, Whoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Psalm 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written with the righteous. (Darby)
Malachi 3:16 a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared Jehovah, and that thought upon his name.
Philippians 4:3 my other fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life.
Revelation 3: 5 He that overcomes, *he* shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, and will confess his (my opinion: his refers to Jesus?!) name before my Father and before his angels.
Revelation 13:; 8and all that dwell on the earth shall do it homage, every one whose name had not been written from the founding of the world in the book of life of the slain Lamb.
Revelation 17:8 . . . whose names are not written from the founding of the world in the book of life, shall wonder, seeing the beast, that it was, and is not, and shall be present.
Revelation 20:12-15 . 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is that of life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books according to their works. 13And 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 each according to their works: 14and death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. 15And if any one was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
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Revelation 21: 27, And nothing common, nor that maketh an abomination and a lie, shall at all enter into it; but those only who are written in the book of life of the Lamb.
There are two kinds of books of life. The lamb's book of life in which is recorded all the Saints' names who enter new heavenly Jerusalem. (Rev 21:9-27) This concerns not the subject being studied here.
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The book of life, as the scripture quoted from Rev 20:12-15 demonstrates, contains all the names of those who shall be resurrected. Thus it must also contain the names of the unrighteous who receive the resurrection of Judgment, those called evil in John 5:28 (Darby). Those whose names are not found in this book are thrown into the Lake of Fire. As Exodus shows, the record is updated as a person lives. At the end of an individual's life, the book either contains that person's name or not.
That a dead one is in this virtual place, does not guarantee a resurrection. Everybody, is written into these 'books.' Being written into these 'books' does not guarantee that one's name is in the book of life.
Again, Rev 20:12-15 demonstrates that their names are taken out of these books and checked against the book of life. Those whose names are in the book of life get resurrected while those whose names do no occur in the book of life get the Lake of Fire. The fact that there are other books shows us that a person's eternal judgment is not treated lightly, but is given due consideration. In the end when Rev 20:12-15 has concluded and all names have been emptied out of these 'books' – the books themselves are thrown into the Lake of Fire; that is, except for the book Life.
Thus being written into this group simply means that one's record is on file, and that final judgment by Christ and the Saints is deterred until its time. Having one's name in the 'books' of Hades or Death gives no automatic resurrection! Many of the names in these 'books' will receive the judgment of Gehenna the scriptures in this link prove. Please refer to the Sheol and Judgment page.
Under this heading, an attempt at proving the condition of the dead in the Lake of Fire, Gehenna, or the Second Death will be undertaken.
This subject actually is where everyones' heart is tested. Many fail.
Answer these questions in your own heart:
- Are Christians told to be reasonable, to show common sense?
- Are we told to love our God of our whole heart, mind, and soul?
- Are we told to love our neighbor as ourselves?
- Then, is God THE GOD of Love?
- Is he a God of mercy?
- Is he a God of undeserved kindness?
- Is he a God of retribution, paying all back without partiality?
- Is he an avenger of our notorious deeds?
All of the above questions have a simple answer. Did you answer correctly? Nonetheless, this subject shall cause trouble.
Let's examine what has been said, including Jesus' statements. (Rotherham Bible used unless otherwise stated)
Matthew 5:22, But, I, say unto you, that, every one who is angry with his brother, shall be, liable, to judgment,—and, whosoever shall say to his brother, Worthless one!, shall be, liable, to the high council; and, whosoever shall say, Rebel!, shall be, liable, unto the fiery Gehenna
Matthew 18:9, And, if, thine eye, causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: It is, seemly, for thee, one-eyed, into life, to enter, rather than, having two eyes, to be cast into the fiery gehenna.
Mark 9:47, And, if thine eye be causing thee to stumble, thrust it out,—it is, seemly, for thee, one-eye, to enter into the kingdom of God, rather than having, two eyes, to be cast into gehenna, 48 Where, their worm, dieth not, and, the fire, is not quenched.
James 3:6, And, the tongue, is a fire,— as , the world of unrighteousness, the tongue, becometh fixed among our members, that which defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the wheel of our natural life, and is set on fire, by gehenna!
Revelation 2:11, He that hath an ear, let him hear what, the Spirit, is saying unto the assemblies. He that overcometh, shall in nowise be injured by reason of the second death.
Revelation 20:6, Happy and holy, is he that hath part in the first resurrection: upon these, the second death, hath no authority; but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ, and shall reign with him for the thousand years.
Revelation 20:14, And, death and hades, were cast into the lake of fire. This, is, the second death—the lake of fire. 15And, if anyone was not found, in the book of life, written, he was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:8, But, as for the timid, and disbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all the false, their part, is in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone,—which is the second death.
Revelation 20:9-10, And they came up over the breadth of the land, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. And there came down fire out of heaven, and devoured them; 10and, the Adversary that had been deceiving them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where were both the wild-beast and the false-prophet; and they shall be tormented, day and night, unto the ages of ages.
What does it mean?
From the above scriptures most would conclude that torment is assured. Let's verify this:
In the last scripture, and also in Rev 20:14 something interesting is said. Remember that Revelation is highly symbolic – No, I am not trying to weasel out of the logic. But in 20:14 'books,' records, or virtual places are thrown into the lake of fire. These are non biologic, non physical concepts. Such can not be tormented!
Also, the wild beast is neither an animal, nor a human; it is a complex consisting of political entities arising from human society which Revelation employs as a metaphor. It uses this single many-headed symbolic animal as a metaphor for those numerous political systems. The seven heads and ten horns indicates that. Thus it cannot be tormented as Revelation says it shall be! What about the false prophet? It too is a complex composed of church groups, denominations, and thus has no individual existence. Again, the false prophet can therefore not be directly tormented.
Clearly and truly, some serious symbolism is at work here where the torment refers to eternal destruction! The ones destroyed for ever shall never be forgotten – theirs is a legal precedent to be used if ever in the future other rebels stand up. In that sense, they shall forever be remembered with abhorrence; their foul smelling smoke is their obscene memory that God, Christ, and the surviving Christians forever must remember with disgust.
One other point to include for all to ponder is from Jude 7:
Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
The point we must not overlook here is simple. Jude tells us that Sodom and Gomorrah are suffering "the punishment of eternal fire" now. When we look at the remains of these cities we see the result of the fire being eternal but that the fire is no longer ! Also, the people are well and good gone, destroyed.
This is a clear definition of what "eternal fire" means in the scripture. Please keep this in mind.
Link to Hell Fire – Page Three
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