Scripture References: Revelation 20:15
This “book of life” evidently contains the names of all the people that were saved on this earth, and all the other names of the many millions and billions of people that were not saved and found written in the book were cast into the lake of fire. Now the greatest majority of people believes that this lake of fire will torment all its inhabitants throughout all eternity without end. Now the apostle Paul does tell us about a certain punishment that people will suffer for their rejection of knowing God and not obeying the gospel. In 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 we find these words saying, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” What is this “everlasting destruction” that is spoken of here? Its the word “destruction” that we need to define first before we can understand how this destruction will be everlasting. The word “destruction” means the same as something being destroyed or to destroy something. This word can be used in saying that a house was destroyed by fire, but was the house actually destroyed completely with no substance of it left whatsoever? No, because a house made of wood will burn up, but the residue left will be known as ashes. So the substance of the house will not be completely destroyed, but it will no longer be a building that one can live in.
I would say that man has not the ability to completely destroy or annihilate any kind of substance as well as a literal fire cannot annihilate any kind of substance. Now if you will notice Paul tells us that Christ will take “vengeance” on all those who do not know God and did not obey the gospel. What does this word “vengeance” mean in this scripture written by the apostle Paul? But first let us look at what Paul tells us in what he stated in Romans 12:19 that says, “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” The word “vengeance” means to repay an injury for an injury or to retaliate against someone for doing something wrong to you. We are told in Gods word that to sin against God means to disobey God.
To disobey God means we do what he tells us not to do, which in every case is down right rebellion against God. Since we have all sinned against God many times this does not mean that God is going to take vengeance on us for all our sins we committed against him. Listen to what John tells us in John 3:17 that says, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” No, God did not send Christ to this world to condemn us of our sins, but rather Christ came to this world so that the world through him might or could be saved, which means to be saved from sin that causes us to sin or rebel against God. Christ did not come to this world to save the world, but rather he provided or revealed a way that the whole world could be saved. And this very way is revealed in the contents of all his teachings of his gospel and that’s why Paul said these words in Romans 1:16 that says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Looking closely at this scripture it reveals that the gospel is the power of God unto this eternal salvation unto all them that believe and obeys it; not to them that do not believe and does not obey it. Now what did Paul tell us about those who fails or does not obey the gospel of Christ? Let me quote again what Paul tells us about this as stated in II Thessalonians 1:7-9 that says, “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” Does this sound like Christ is going to save the entire world including all the millions and billions of people that refused to obey the gospel like a certain man named L Ray Smith teaches ( and very possibly many others) in his many teachings found on his web sight at www.bibletruths.com? If Christ is going to save all those who rebelled against him and obeyed not his gospel, then please inform me of what this “vengeance” is all about in what Paul tells us in II Thessalonians 1:7-9. The people who failed to know God did so by their own choice by refusing to obey Gods word revealed in the gospel of Christ. So do you honestly think that God is going to excuse all those who refused to obey Christ and be saved anyway?
No, they will not be excused, but rather they will suffer the consequences of the second death in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone as his very word says. Will this fire in time burn them up or will this fire torment them for eternity? Let what Malachi 4:1-3 reveals answer this question that says, “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. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.” To burn a body of flesh will eventually burn it up until it becomes the dust of ashes from which it came from in the first place. If God had not created Adam from the dust of the earth he would not have existed and so if the flesh goes back to the dust of the earth, then its as if it never existed as well. The first death is death of the body and the body will in a process of time rot back to dust. But to be put into a lake of fire it will in a process of time burn up the body leaving nothing but its ashes of dust. Do you know what happens when a body is cremated at a funeral home? It is put into a very hot oven of some kind where it will easily evaporate all the fluids out of it and leave the ashes from the bones and the flesh that will resolve back to the dust of the earth that it was created from. So what about the teaching we hear in the realm of the Christian world that teaches the bodies of the sinners will be tormented throughout all eternal ages; is this what will happen? Since Gods word tells us that the flesh will go back to the dust from where it came from, does this mean that every person ever to be born on this earth will suffer this final outcome? No, it does not, because those that will be saved will not see this corruption. Paul tells us these words stated in I Corinthians 15:51-55 saying, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” Now what about all the people that dies in their sins having rejected the gospel and failed to obey God? They will face the judgment of God to be cast into the lake of fire where eventually their total being will be destroyed and therefore resolve back to the dust of the earth from where it came from. And then guess what will happen? Does not Peter tell us in 2 Peter 3:10-14 these words saying, “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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” Since the flesh goes back to the earth from where it was created from, then what will happen to the dust of the flesh when the earth itself shall be burned up?
This burning of all things will completely annihilate all things along with the dust that man was created from having gone back to it, but those who died in Christ will be resurrected from the dead along with all those who are in Christ at his coming to meet the Lord in the air and eventually inherit the new earth wherein dwells righteousness throughout all eternity. So the second death is exactly what it says it is. It is eternal death not eternal life in a lake of fire. And did not Paul tell us in II Thessalonians 2:9 saying, “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” Since Paul tells us that many will be punished with everlasting destruction “from the presence of the Lord” and not forever be in the presence of the Lord because he saved them even if they did not obeyed his gospel. But this is exactly what L Ray Smith teaches on his web sight located at www.bibletruths.com and no doubt many other teachers and preachers teach the same thing about what the lake of fire and Gods judgment is. The lake of fire is not Gods second judgment on sinners saving them from their sin that had rejected him before as they lived on this earth. This is just another form of a purgatory like the Catholics teach, but there is no purgatory to go to in order to be saved at a later date even if you die in your sins. Yes God will definitely take harsh vengeance on them that does not come to know him and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ simply because its obedience to the gospel that will save us from sin and rebellion against God, but if we reject it then listen to what Hebrews 2:3 states saying, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him.” I am here to tell you that you will not escape the damnation of hell as Jesus said in Matthew 23:33 that says, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?” Damnation is pronounced on them that refuse to know God and obey not the gospel now in this present life; not saying and teaching that God will save these sinners that rejected him before they died and will eventually save everybody ever born into this world, but this is being taught in the land today. “He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” amen