The Lake of Fire (The Eternal State Part 1)

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 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, 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 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 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