The Lake of Fire (The Eternal State Part 1)

The Eternal State and the Final Judgment

Today we come to the final section of the Morris Corner Church Doctrinal statement and we're going to be discussing the eternal state. So if you would please turn to the book of Revelation chapter 20 and we're not going to be talking about the details of Heaven and hell or the new heaven and the new earth and the lake of fire.

It's not so much the details that we're focusing on as much as the condition of the soul. So I'm going to work backwards actually from the Doctrinal statement because I want to end on a positive note.

In the Bible it ends on a positive note, so that's what I want to do. So we're gonna begin with The final judgment and then in the second half of the class We'll look at the new heaven and the new earth, but just to read from the statement of faith.

It says we believe that the souls of unbelievers remain after death in conscious misery until the second resurrection when the soul and body reunite. They shall appear at the great white throne judgment and shall be cast into the lake of fire.

Not to be annihilated but to suffer Everlasting punishment. And these are the verses listed that will go through so you're in Revelation 20 look at verses 11 through 15. The scripture says then I saw a great white throne in him who sat on it from whose the From whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them.

And I saw the dead small and great standing before God and the books were open and another book was open which is the book of life and the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books and The sea gave up the dead who were in it and death and Hades Delivered up the dead who were in them and they were judged each one according to his works.

Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death and anyone not found written in the book of life Was cast into the lake of fire now. Notice this that it says that Hades is cast into the lake of fire.

In the King James version at least Hades is translated as hell. Right. So this might be a new idea for somebody that hell is actually cast into the lake of fire. And people might be confused about that because most people would say well I thought hell the lake of fire is hell.

I thought hell is the lake you're saying hell itself is cast Into the lake of fire. What is happening is the lake of fire just that's the new location for hell or Hades. So what happens when a person dies rejecting the grace of God their body goes into the ground.

Their soul goes to a place the New Testament calls Hades or the place of the dead and there they await the final judgment at the end of time. Where they will be resurrected body and soul Reunited to stand before God and they are judged based on their work.

So the lost are judged based on their works and they and and really everything that is not part of God's kingdom. It's all cast Into the lake of fire and you notice that the statement of faith is careful to point out that the purpose is not to Annihilate everything.

Rather it says not to be annihilated. Now. What does annihilate mean or this idea of annihilation? Okay, Carolyn. Yeah. To exist right that is. Those who are lost they are not cast into the lake of fire to be burnt up to where they cease to exist.

They continue to exist as it says in conscious Misery now there are some groups. And I fear that this kind of thinking is starting to kind of creep into some evangelical churches. I could give examples.

I won't do that. But there are the the cult groups that teach annihilation. So any group that teaches you've heard of soul sleep. This is the Seventh-day Adventists the Jehovah's Witnesses. They teach annihilation.

Adventist churches in general typically teach annihilation. They're cast into the lake of fire and they're they're just yeah wiped out. They no longer Exist we would consider that a denial of hell. I mean really that that's what it is.

There's another false view out there. That's called universalism. We've talked about this a little bit. This is the idea that everybody is saved no matter what. Nobody goes to hell. That's another thing that's starting to creep into evangelical Churches, but the doctrinal statement says that they are cast into the lake of fire and There's passages about their torment.

Ascends up the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever now admittedly. This isn't a real pleasant subject is it? People don't like that at the point. That's the point. You're not supposed to like it that it should lead people to Repent and place their faith in Jesus because that's the way to avoid all of this.

But a lot of people these days they just want to deny it completely. CS Lewis once said that hell is the greatest monument to human freedom. Because here's the thing if a person ends up in hell. That is their choice.

They have chosen to reject the grace of God. Even if there's somebody living in a remote place in the world and they've never heard of Jesus never heard of the gospel. They know something. They know right and wrong.

They know that there is a creator if they Seek that creator if they're open. I believe God is going to give them more light more revelation. So ultimately if anyone ends up in hell, it's not because God wants to.

God is just waiting to throw people there. Ultimately, it is man's choice. Any questions or comments about that? Right, no, it's true it is got at the judgment they are cast but that it's based on their decision.

This is not what God wants. God takes no delight in the death of the wicked. God wants the scripture says God wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. So God has provided a way for all people to escape this and that's obviously what the church is all about.

This is the whole purpose that we're here on earth. God could save us and take us to be with him in heaven tomorrow. He leaves us here so we can proclaim the gospel to to save people that that's our whole mission.

I saw a hand Mark. Right, yeah, I don't do they really believe that I don't know. Sure. Yeah, that's what people say, yeah now. Just to get into some of the details here. Hell is described the imagery that you think of when you think of hell or the lake.

Well, it's it's called the lake of what? Fire, so that's the imagery you get fire, but also Jesus describes it as Outer darkness. So this is one of the things you have to think about. How can it be fire and Outer darkness.

Well theologians have debated the literal nature of hell for centuries whether or not there's actual fire for example Billy Graham once said in a sermon that there is no literal fire in hell. He said that it is symbolic for a lack of fulfillment where fire really pictures man thirsting after God that was Billy Graham's Viewpoint people who are more in the fundamentalist camp say hey it says fire.

It's fire period. Then RC Sproul who's a very well respected theologian of the last century. He took more of a middle-ground approach. He said that it says fire it very well could be fire. But if the fire is symbolic, you know, the symbol is always less intense than the reality.

So if the fire is symbolic for something whatever it's symbolic for is even worse. So I would tend to kind of lean in that direction. It says fine. I'm not gonna say it's not fire, but these things have been debated Over over the centuries.

So my approach is hey, this is what the Bible says. I'm not claiming to have all the answers. What is hell or the lake of fire actually going to be like? You know what? I don't want to know. And neither do you and that's why we preach the gospel.

So the gospel is salvation from what? Sin and its penalty. Now if the penalty of sin is simply physical death. Oh, wait a minute. Everybody dies physically you remove Hell the doctrine of hell all of a sudden.

It doesn't really make a whole lot of sense anymore because everybody dies. What are you actually being saved from? Well, these are some of the questions that come that come up. Right even believers. Well, okay, well, you know, that's an interesting thing that you say that Some people don't believe in hell.

Well, that's true. No question about that. Why because they don't like it. This is I Mean you would be inclined to not want to believe this but because we believe the Bible. You do believe it because that's what The Bible teaches and we've all heard this how Jesus taught more about hell than he did about heaven.

I think From what I gather that is probably an accurate statement, but you said even believers don't believe in hell. Right and I've talked about this with other pastors if somebody denies that hell exists.

Is that heresy does that actually put you outside of the Christian faith. I Think it does. I think it does now if you teach annihilation and recognize that there is a judgment. There are some evangelical pastors who would maybe crack the door open to annihilation and I'm not willing to go there.

But you will you will find that so I think that that's what you're you're saying. But we have to avoid the temptation. Because my job and it's my job as a pastor to teach the Bible and as Christians you believe the Bible.

We have to resist the temptation to just believe the parts that we like. Right, you know, my job is to teach what the Bible says not what I want it to say. So we need to be careful about that because it is such a Hot issue, you know, no pun intended.

Well, I guess there was a little pun intended but and it's not it's not a funny issue. So I don't mean to make light of it. But some of because it's that kind of a topic I feel like I do have to do a little apologetic work not that I'm apologizing for it.

But I have to address some of the common objections. So what you will hear people say is if this is the big one if God is a God of love. How could he ever send a person to hell you've heard people ask that?

You you might have thought it. I don't know. But does anyone want to say what's your response when somebody asked you that? Stacy. Yeah.

Yeah God doesn't send you there. He gives you choice. Yeah anybody else Jim.

God is a holy and just God. And he hates it. You're really through the Old Testament. You'll see where he dealt with sin in a very dramatic way. The Canaanites for instance, there were a group of people when we discussed this last Wednesday.

But if he's a just God He's also a loving God, but his justice need he if he if he just said oh, you know, okay. Maybe you didn't have such a good life and you know, you you know, if you were really a not a bad person at all I'll let you win.

Then what about his justice? Okay, and from a penal. From a penal point. Okay, and one more. Mike you had something. Yeah, I was like.

I'm the same line as Jim is God is holy. Yeah for him to have you with him in his heaven.

Right, yeah, God is not gonna. Right God is not going to force people To love and and worship him and serve him and there are people who don't want to be with God. So that's where the CS Lewis quote came in.

That's what you want. Fine. You don't have to be with me in heaven for all eternity. So however difficult it is or how different it might be to wrap your mind around it. The answer has to be if someone ends up in this state that is ultimately what they chose.

It's not what God wanted. There's a verse in Ezekiel 33 verse 11 that I think gives us God's attitude. Towards these things about those who reject him because he's not sitting up in heaven. Just waiting to to curse people.

Ezekiel 33 verse 11 the Lord says as I live says the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live turn turn He says from your evil ways. Why should you die?

Oh house of Israel, so that's ultimately God's Desire. Okay, let's turn to Matthew chapter 25. And I heard about this church where the pastor got up behind the pulpit on Sunday morning and he declared to the congregation that there is no hell and the people were so, you know, they applauded and they're just so Pleased to hear him say that and I just think Doesn't matter what he says the existence of heaven and hell it it matters whether these things are true.

We're real. It doesn't matter what a man says about them. What matters is what does Jesus say? What does God say? What is God's Word say? But that's what people want to hear today. Jesus said in Matthew 24 because we're Christians after all so ultimately we have to base our view on these things based on what Jesus Taught right?

Well, this is what Jesus said. Matthew 24 41 said depart from me. You cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Why because he says I was hungry and you gave me no food. I was thirsty and you gave me no drink.

I was a stranger and you did not take me in naked and you did not clothe me sick and in prison and you did not visit me. Then they also will answer him saying Lord When did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not?

Minister to you. Then he will answer them saying assuredly I say to you in as much as you did not do it. To one of the these the least of my brethren you did not do it to me. He says these will go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life.