What is the “Lake of Fire”?

In , the Bible tells us about the “Lake of Fire”:

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 1

Jesus describes the “Lake of Fire” in different terms in :

42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ 49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

In the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, hell is described in the following way:

“A summary of all Scripture that speaks of hell indicates that there is the loss and absence of all good, and the misery and torment of an evil conscience. The most terrifying aspect is the complete and deserved separation from God and from all that is pure, holy, and beautiful. In addition there is the awareness of being under the wrath of God and of enduring the curse of a righteous sentence because of one’s sins that were consciously and voluntarily committed.”2

Many churches today are made up of individuals who believe in a theology of “do-gooders”. They practice “friendship fellowship”. They do not believe in evangelism which mentions God’s eternal punishment in hell, which might offend, but instead practice “friendship fellowship”. They believe in relationship evangelism. They preach God is love, instead of God is a just God. Bill Bird, Crusade Crusade for Christ founder, stated only 2% of believers share their faith. The following illustrates this point:

“The watchman who keeps silent when he sees a fire is guilty of gross neglect. The doctor who tells us we are getting well when we are dying is a false friend, and the minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man” (J. C. Ryle).3

Jesus spoke often of hell in the Gospels. According to Morris, Jesus spoke more of hell than of heaven: “It is not always realized that Jesus spoke more often of hell than of heaven. For Him the consequences of unforgiven sin were terrible to contemplate.”4

“It is not always realized that Jesus spoke more often of hell than of heaven. For Him the consequences of unforgiven sin were terrible to contemplate.”

Stott, J. (2018). The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott. (M. Meynell, Ed.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

God does not want anyone to go to Hell. He loves us. He wants us to live for eternity with Him in Heaven. However, because of our sinful nature, we must first receive His free gift of salvation. Jesus tells us in : “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” He wants us to be laborers. He wants us to “Prepare our Feet” to share the gospel to the unsaved.(). In Jesus proclaims His Great Commission for us: “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.He commands us in In

Final thought:

No one has to go to hell. Be a laborer for God. Put on the full armor of God each day and share the Gospel with those you meet so the Holy Spirit can show the unsaved their bad thoughts and deed, so they may desire to be saved.

God gives us the gift of salvation. In order to spend an eternity in fellowship with God, we are required to accept this gift of salvation. We can receive this gift through faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. If we do not accept this free gift from God, on Judgement Day, we will receive God’s punishment for our transgressions, eternity in Hell.

The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott J. A. T. Robinson’s Doubts about Hell

J. A. T. Robinson’s Doubts about Hell

• “And so we end with the familiar picture of heaven and hell as two objective realities finally and everlastingly co-existent side by side in God’s universe.…

(superscript 5 for the above)

The following illustrates this point

o Practice friendship fellowship

Works Cited

1. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (All scriptural verses in the article), Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

2. Powell, R. E. (1988). Hell. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, p. 953). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

3. Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (p. 185). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

4. Leon Morris, Glory in the Cross (Hodder and Stoughton, 1966), 32.

5. Stott, J. (2018). The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott. (M. Meynell, Ed.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Stott, J. (2018). The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott. (M. Meynell, Ed.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.