The Lake Of Fire
There are some harsh realities revealed in the word of God. It is never easy to face eternal truths when they are so vividly portrayed by the Finger of God, the Holy Spirit. Human nature revolts at the notion of the severity of God’s wrath, suggesting the character of God’s love prohibits the exhibition of such dark language to punish man. Sadly, the realities are not governed by the whims of human emotion, and what God says is truth will not change. God is a God of love, mercy, and grace. He is also a God of wrath on a level that humanity struggles to grasp its full meaning.
Understanding the wrath of God accomplishes several things. It shows the truth of God’s word is not swayed by the wisdom of man. The thoughts of God are so much higher than the wisdom of man that there is nothing to compare. God sees all and knows all and has seen and known everything since Adam was first formed of the dust of the ground. As Creator, He is the potter that fashions the clay. The clay has no power but what is given to it by its potter. Knowing the wrath of God instills fear in the belief that disobedience to the will of the Father will be punished and punished severely.
The Holy Spirit used language to describe the wrath of God that is demonstrative, intense, clear, undeniable, and powerful beyond description. When describing the eternal punishment of those who refuse to do the will of the Father, God calls it a lake of fire burning with brimstone. It is not an oven or flame; it is a lake. The lake described by God is a lake of fire where eternal torment is experienced. It is difficult to understand the concept of an everlasting torment. In human terms, if a man falls into a lava flow, he dies instantly. The lake of fire is a place where no one dies. The rich man said he was in torment, desiring only a finger of water to cool his tongue.
Anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Jesus said that will be the majority of people who die. Everyone will be cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Brimstone is very flammable and, when burning, emits a peculiar suffocating odor. It is found in great abundance near volcanoes. God uses familiar language to help man understand the terrible nature of eternal punishment. The lake of fire is a place where there will be torment without end. God’s mercy ends at the lake of fire. It is a lake of fire and brimstone.
The lake of fire was not prepared for humanity. Jesus said Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. The tragedy of the human story is that God has made a way for all men to be saved from His wrath through Jesus Christ. With all the love, grace, and mercy of God given to man, few are willing to accept it. Those who deny God will suffer the lake of fire. All who do not follow His word will be in eternal torment. Religious people who refuse to obey God’s word will be lost in the darkness of the lake of fire. The ungodly and immoral are condemned to the lake of fire. Satan and his angels will be there.
The lake of fire is real and prepared for that day when the world ends, and judgment is brought before all men. It will be a place of incredible horror, but it does not have to be. That choice is left up to you. It does not matter what your parents believe or what your loved ones think or what the popular thought of the day is. You decide. Are you willing to find yourself in a lake of fire?
The Heaton File 