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Bible prophesy is wonderful to know, but it saves no one. Fulfilled Bible prophesy can build
faith. Faith can lead to repentance and obedience to God. After proving God exists, you must
move on to the remaining teachings of the Bible to get an overall perspective of the purpose for
human existence. One such understanding must be about the term HELL in the Bible!
I heard one of the most frightening sermons of my life as a freshman in college delivered by a
professor of Theology or religion. He went into graphic detail of an unsaved person dying in an
automobile accident. This person had not accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, nor had been
baptized for the remission of sins. According to this minister, the DEAD man went to hell. He
graphically described him being roasted from one side to the other, jumping from one hot rock
to another. They would be in constant pain and suffering for millions and millions of years. This
was only like a second in eternity to suffer. Many people were terrified for a week or two, then
reverted back to living the same as they always had. This is the teaching of nearly EVERY church
in the world! Is this teaching true? Where did this teaching originate? Is it from the Bible or
another source?
The Bible states that God IS love! The word "is" is like an equal mark in a sentence. What is on
one side must balance what is on the other side. Example: 2 + 2 = 4. In the Biblical sentence:
God = love. Not one person had a choice whether to be born or not. God made all of us from
the dust of the ground. He made us with nerve endings that allow us to feel good sensations as
well as pain. WHY WOULD GOD CREATE THE HUMAN RACE, LEAVE SATAN HERE TO DECEIVE
THE WHOLE WORLD (Rev. 12:9), THEN PROCEED TO SEND THEM INTO A FIRE THAT TORTURES
THEM FOREVER? This is a good question! Would God create the human race with this
background to draw upon, then say, Im torturing you because I am love? This does not even
make sense.
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God Is Love!
To find out what the Bible REALLY says about hell we need to discover a central character trait
of God. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the
world TO CONDEMN the world; but that the world through him might be SAVED (John 3:16‐17).
These verses relate that God loves the WORLD ‐ meaning every inhabitant. It does not say that
He loves ten in Mexico, thirteen in Canada, and forty in China. It says He loves the WHOLE
world. His intent is that no one should perish. If a literal Satan has DECEIVED the whole world
(Rev. 12:9), then it is Gods responsibility to remove him and make the truth known to the world
(Rev. 20:1‐6; Ezek. 37:1‐14). This is known as judgment. Gods Spirit will be poured out upon ALL
flesh, then a decision will be made as to who is obeying and believes, or who does not.
Jesus Spoke of a Hell Fire
Jesus did indeed speak of a hell fire! Does it have any meaning for us in the 21st Century? Did it
have meaning in His day? And if so, WHAT DID IT MEAN? Jesus said: And if thy hand offend
thee, cut it off [spiritually speaking, not literally]: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed,
than having two hands to go into hell, into the FIRE that never shall be quenched: (Mark 9:43).
If you listen to most ministers explanations of this verse without dissecting it, you might believe
God will send people to a fire that never goes out, with the unceasing pain forever! Jesus even
repeated the thought using the foot as the analogy in verse 45: than having two feet to be cast
into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: This verse seems to enforce the worlds
concept of a hell fire that burns forever, but does it really say that? One FACT is for sure ‐ there
will be a fire that men CANNOT quench! But there is a third verse with a different example.
Verse 47: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two
eyes to be cast into hell fire.
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The English Word Hell
Unfortunately, the King James translators translated three different Greek words as the one
English word hell The actual Greek word translated hell in the above three verses is Gehenna. It
is derived from the Valley of Hinnom. Hinnom was a depository of the dead bodies of animals
and Gentiles (strangers) that died within the borders of Israel. These bodies, both animal and
human, were cast into this fire to be burned up. This Valley of Hinnom had a perpetual fire
burning because of the dead bodies and was used as a refuse dump. The fire burning these
bodies was NEVER quenched ‐ or extinguished by man. The fire was never put out, rather was
refueled every time a new body or trash was dumped into it. Today, we would call it a garbage
dump only with fire. If no new bodies or refuse was dumped into the fire, it would naturally die
out because of the lack of combustible materials. God is scientific. He created every law that
exists. Man has just discovered their use. Everyone who has studied physics and chemistry
knows fire will go out when there is no more combustible materials to burn. The people of the
community surrounding Hinnom never extinguished the fire. That is why it was never
quenched! Light a fireplace and see how long it burns ‐ UNTIL the wood is consumed!
Jesus stated: But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed
hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him (Luke 12:5). Once again the English
word hell is from the Greek word Gehenna. He was referring to that perpetual fire burning
outside of Jerusalem in the Valley of Hinnom that men did not extinguish. If someone’s body
was cast into this fire, it would burn until there was no more combustible material left to burn.
Jesus is referencing the possibility of being burned up and NEVER returning, or remaining dead
for all time.
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Hell As the Grave!
The English word hell was translated from yet another Greek word. Did you know that Jesus
went to hell? He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his SOUL was not
left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption (Acts 2:31). The English word hell was translated
from the Greek word hades. It is the GRAVE, where all are buried except those cremated by
fire. The Irish potato farmers used to say they put their potatoes in hell, or the grave. They dug
holes, put the potatoes in them, then covered them with dirt. It was called the grave or hell.
Jesus Christ was NOT to be left in the grave, but was to be resurrected with a new glorified
spirit composed body. It is because He was resurrected out of the grave [hell] that we also can
look forward to the resurrection from the grave [hell].
Hell As a Place of Restraint
The English word hell, is also translated from the Greek word tartaros. This makes three
different Greek words translated as hell, in English. For if God spared not the angels that
sinned, but cast them down to hell [tartaros], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be
RESERVED unto judgement; (2 Pet. 2:4). One‐third of the angels followed Lucifer in his rebellion
against God (Rev. 12:3‐4). God cast many of the most vicious angels into a spiritual prison called
tartaros, or hell. There is a prevalent teaching that people who sin go to hell, when they die,
meaning a fire, but they never burn up. These angels sinned! Are they in such a place? No, it
said they are being restrained now, while waiting for judgement. They are being RESERVED
unto judgement. Tartaros, rendered hell, by the King James translators, is a place of restraint.
The angels, before the flood of Noah’s day, that invaded earth to establish a false, kingdom of
God were placed in tartaros. They taught man every principle of witchcraft known today (Gen.
6 and the Book of Jasher mentioned twice in the Old Testament).
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Satan Obscures the Truth
Satan is the deceiver of the whole world (Rev. 12:9). Therefore, he has had various ministers
promulgate the doctrine that the Old Testament was nailed to the cross, thus done away. This
teaching obscures all knowledge of God’s law that determines sin, what man is, and what
happens to man upon death. But thankfully, Jesus’ life was done away,on the cross to cancel
our death penalty. He even stated in Matthew 5:17‐19 that His law which determines sin, was
never nor ever will be done away. We can learn the make up of man from the Old Testament. If
you fall for Satan’s lie, you will never read the Older Writings to learn the truth. Does man burn
forever as is taught or not?
When man dies, does he go directly to an ever burning hell‐fire, if he was evil? For that which
befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one [animal]
dieth, so dieth the other [man]; yea, they have all one breath [oxygen]; so that a man hath no
preeminence above a beast; for all is vanity [temporary]. All go unto one place; ALL are of the
dust, and all turn to dust again,(Eccl. 3:19‐20). That statement is very scientific. When we quit
breathing, we die and begin to decompose. Man was taken from the dust of the ground and
upon death returns to the ground ‐ NOT an ever burning hellfire!
Notice again: All things come alike to all: there is ONE event to the righteous, and to the
wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean. This is an evil among all things that
are done under the sun, that there is ONE event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men
is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the
DEAD,(Eccl. 9:2‐3). It does not matter what your status in life is ‐ king, president, factory
worker, etc. ‐we all will die and return to the dust. There is a spirit in man,(1 Cor. 2:7‐16) that
gives us intellect and sets us above the animal world. God uses this in combination with His
Holy Spirit to resurrect us as individuals from the dead.
Because of Adam and Eve’s sins, they were driven from the Garden of Eden. God instructed
them: In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground [not an
ever burning hell‐fire]; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return,(Gen. 3:19). This is as clear of a statement as you can get! We turn back to dust awaiting
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the resurrection FROM the dead. This is verified in Psalms 146:4: His breath goeth forth, he
returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. The very instant your breath leaves
your body your brain ceases all activity. This is far different from the teaching you continue to
live in hell in torment and torture, feeling the pain that never stops. As is often spoken, death is
the separation from God ‐ meaning you don’t really die. You just live somewhere else in pain
forever. Nothing could be farther from the truth! The Bible says, when you die, you are dead,
your thoughts cease. You are not alive somewhere else. Upon death, you have no more
dreams, no thoughts, no more goals of buying a new home. You become clinically dead.
God inspired this to be written: For in death there is NO remembrance of thee: in the grave
who shall give thee thanks?,(Ps. 6:5). How does the modern teaching of going to heaven when
we die, fit this scripture? It says you will not remember, nor give thanks when you are in the
grave! The GOOD NEWS from one end of the Bible to the other is that God has provided a way
to come out of the grave and praise Him. It is called the resurrection! If there is NO
resurrection, then no one will ever come out of the grave and enter the kingdom of God or be
cast into the Lake of Fire. If there is NO resurrection, whether you have been righteous or
unrighteous, you will not be able to pray, sing, or hear God’s word spoken any more. If there is
NO resurrection, you will never have opportunity to The Truth About Hell be changed to a
glorified spirit composed body. In the grave we no longer experience happiness or sadness. We
have no concept of whether our children are succeeding or failing in life.
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Something Everyone Knows
Everyone can watch a child as they grow into early childhood as they learn to talk. Then to
elementary school age with the loss of teeth, to middle school adolescence, to the glorious high
school years, followed by college in many cases. The next step is reality in an adult world. As we
grow, we watch ourselves change and mature. Then we finally enter the middle‐age of our life!
It suddenly strikes us between the eyes; WE ARE GROWING OLDER JUST LIKE OUR PARENTS
BEFORE US! In horror, we recognize the FACT that we will eventually DIE!
For the LIVING KNOW that they shall die:,(Eccl. 9:5a). This writer has pictures from long ago to
demonstrate the aging process. People who were once fine athletes can hardly get out of bed
every morning. We KNOW that we are aging and eventually death will stalk our body. This is the
process God set in motion. Notice the next part of this verse: but the dead know not anything,
neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten,(Eccl. 9:5b). The
dead no longer have a thought process capability. You will not communicate with your mother
and father. You will have no opportunity to bounce your grand‐baby on your knees. Everything
you once were ceases to exist as far as you are concerned.
It is because of this understanding concerning death and the present state of the dead that the
following verse becomes so important! Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy
might; [WHY?] for there is NO work, NOR device, NOR knowledge, NOR wisdom, in the grave,
whither thou goest,(Eccl. 9:10). That verse is as CLEAR as you can get. The best job a person
could imagine or all the riches to consume today will NOT be available in the grave. If anyone
breaks God’s immutable law, the penalty of death will inexorably march on until it exacts itself
upon you. Everything you’ve ever hoped for, dreamed of, or worked for will not be
remembered by you anymore UNTIL the resurrection. There is an old saying that will become a
truism: You can’t take it with you. The Egyptians have found this to be true. Excavations have
unearthed treasures the Pharoahs had thought would go with them into an after‐life. It didn’t,
and their mummified bodies were still in their tombs. The Pharaohs knew they would die. They
just had a misunderstanding of what happens at death, like our modern society does.
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From the Oldest Book in the Bible
If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption,
Thou art my father: to the worm [that feeds on decaying matter], Thou art my mother, and my
sister. And WHERE IS NOW MY HOPE? as for my hope, who shall see it? They shall go down to
the bars of the pit, WHEN our rest together is in the dust,(Job 17:13‐16). Job knew his body
would be buried in the ground and return to dust or decay. Old grave sites have been
unearthed by mistake and skeletal systems were found. The flesh had decayed just as the Bible
has said in scripture after scripture. Because they did not bury bodies in caskets as we do today,
Job knew the worms would feast on his remains. Job knew death would come and be a rest
from his labors ‐ no more worries, house payments, car payments, credit card payments, no
more debt, sickness, etc. Just REST in the grave UNTIL the resurrection from the grave. Even the
New Testament [newer writings] tells us basically the same, but in a shorter version. And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but AFTER this the judgement” (Heb. 9:27). For as in Adam
[made of flesh] ALL die, even so in Christ [now composed of spirit] shall all be made alive,(1 Cor.
15:22). God created the fleshly man FIRST, then spiritual. We had no choice whether we would
be born or not. God pre‐ordained it. All of us are the descendants of Adam and Eve. We are
genetic kinsmen. They passed on chromosomes and DNA patterns that determine our stature,
looks, etc. Just as Adam sinned, we all have eventually sinned because of the nature God has
built into us. King David said he was born under sin ‐ that is, the capacity to sin was built into
him from birth. At a certain
point in his life, he became weak in the flesh and sinned. The death penalty passes upon
everyone that sins. …for by the LAW is the knowledge of sin. For ALL HAVE SINNED [broken
God’s law], and come short of the glory of God,(Rom. 3:20,23).
Every person who has ever drawn breath has walked down the same path as Adam ‐ they have
sinned! Every human being is hopeless unless there is a way to PARDON the death penalty.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid the price of DEATH for you if you accept the pardon on HIS
terms. He will redeem you, or buy back your sentence of death with His own. Therefore, you
must now surrender your life to His perfect way of life found in the Bible. You cannot live as you
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please and be redeemed. Yes, God the Father will forgive you for lying, stealing,
coveting/lusting, breaking the Sabbath, using His name improperly, placing other physical
objects or desires before Him, etc., but you must now start obeying Him to remain justified.
Don’t be a law‐breaker anymore. Jesus’ shed blood has paid
the penalty FOR you, if you truly repent. We can then come out of the grave at the Seventh
Trump ALIVE! All the saints from righteous Abel down to our day will come out of the grave
with a new, glorified, spirit composed body. The resurrection is our hope.
Lamb of God
The human race was made for God’s own purpose. He has favored us with forgiveness of sins.
Notice how! In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. The same was in the beginning WITH God. All things were made by him; and without him
was not any thing made that was made.,And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth,(John 1:1‐3,14). Jesus was God and with the Father before the world was created. He
came into human flesh to die for our sins. The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and
saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,(John 1:29). Jesus came
into human flesh to become the sacrificial Lamb to cover our sins. Jesus has accomplished His
task. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [Jesus] also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through DEATH he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the DEVIL;,(Heb. 2:14). Satan has been given permission to perform his work of
DECEPTION. God has basically had a hands off policy on planet earth, except to call the elect to
train to become kings and priests in His kingdom (Rev. 5:10; Rev. 20:4,6; Dan. 7:18,22).
Otherwise, Satan and his fallen angels have deceived the WHOLE world (Rev. 12:9). They will
eventually die for their sins (Matt. 25:41). Those of us who have accepted the shed blood of
Jesus will be delivered from the power of death. Satan is the instigater of sin and death. Satan’s
day is coming. He will be put into the abyss before the thousand year reign of Jesus begins (Rev.
20:1‐3). He will no longer deceive, so the message of salvation can saturate the entire earth.
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After he is loosed for a little season,when the thousand years are finished, he and his angels will
be destroyed.
Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, has defeated Satan. When Jesus died, He paid the death penalty
for all who accept Him. He came out of the grave by a resurrection and defeated Satan’s grip on
us. We can be FREE from that penalty. King David will come out of the grave; Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and all of those who have ever lived WITH God’s Spirit will come forth. Satan CANNOT
prevent this resurrection from the dead!
Jacob [Israel] Understood
Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, was declared a prince,or prevailer with God when his name
was changed to Israel. After hearing of the potential death of Joseph, he grieved severely. He
wouldn’t be comforted. Notice his statement of understanding where he would go at death.
…For I will go down into the grave…,(Gen. 37:35). He knew what death was. He knew you
went into the grave to wait for the resurrection just as Job understood.
Jacob did not have the same concept as modern religionists ‐ that you could go to a place called
hell to roast for trillions of years and never burn up‐with pain, anguish, and suffering with no
end in sight! This would be a foreign concept to all of God’s people from old. Jacob will be
resurrected at the last trump (1 Cor. 15:50‐57). Notice when this last trump will sound: And the
seventh angel sounded [his trumpet]; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and He shall
reign forever and ever,(Rev. 11:15). When the LAST trump sounds, it will herald the kingdom of
God being established on earth ‐ and Christ’s intervention in world affairs. See the events
happening at this time: And the nations were angry, and Thy [God’s] wrath is come, and the
time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy
servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth,(Rev. 11:18). The true saints of God will receive
their reward after all the disasters of the Horses and Trumpets of Revelation, yet just before the
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seven last plagues are poured out upon the final Beast social system (Rev. 19:11‐21). If all
mankind goes straight to heaven, or hell, upon death, what would be the need for a
resurrection? So what is this thing called hell? We will find out as we continue.
Resurrection to Judgement
There is coming a resurrection TO JUDGEMENT! This resurrection CANNOT be for true saints of
God. Why? Judgement is upon EVERY true saint as we live. By the time we die, God has already
made His judicial decision of whether we will be resurrected at the last trump to a spirit
composed glorified body or wait in the grave to later be resurrected to be thrown into the Lake
of Fire. The Bible cannot be changed. For the time is come [present tense, while we are alive]
that judgement must begin at the house of God: and if it begin at us, what shall the end be of
them that obey not the gospel of God?,(1 Peter 4:17). True saints are being judged today AS
THEY LIVE and make decisions whether to obey God or not. The remainder of the world is
blinded (Rom. 11:7‐28; Rev. 12:9; Isa. 6:9‐12; Isa. 28:9‐13). They will not be judged UNTIL the
deceiver is removed. God’s people, from righteous Abel until Christ’s return, are seeking a
better resurrection for obeying while Satan’s influence is still here to deceive them (Heb.
11:35b).
Marvel not at this [the resurrection]: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the
graves shall hear his voice,(John 5:28). Christ revealed a resurrection from the dead to life or
the Lake of Fire. All in professing Christianity understand that the Jews who reject Jesus will not
be in the resurrection at the seventh trumpet, when true saints of God will be born into the
kingdom of God. But look what Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit! For if the
casting away [blinded, v. 7] of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of
them be, but LIFE FROM THE DEAD?,(Rom. 11:15). Paul refers to this blindness of Israel UNTIL
Christ comes And so ALL Israel shall be saved: as it is written, THERE SHALL COME OUT OF ZION
THE DELIVERER, AND SHALL TURN AWAY UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB: FOR THIS IS MY
COVENANT UNTO THEM, WHEN I SHALL TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS,(Rom. 11:26‐27).
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Notice HOW God will perform this great event of salvation. God gave a vision to Ezekiel. He saw
a valley of old dry bones. Ezekiel was asked can these bones live?,The answer was …I will
cause breath to enter into you, and ye SHALL live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring
up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye SHALL LIVE; and ye
shall KNOW [be taught] that I am the Lord,(Ezek. 37:5‐6). The scripture goes on to say they
LIVED, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding GREAT army [yes, ALL Israel],(v. 10‐11). God
assured Israel that He would open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves,
and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall KNOW [for the first time] that I am the Lord,
WHEN I have opened your graves, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my
spirit IN you, and ye shall live,…then shall ye KNOW that I the Lord have spoken it, and
performed it, saith the Lord,(Ezekiel 37:12‐14).
After the human race has been resurrected to their former physical bodies, except the ones
who received their glorified body at the seventh trump, God will pour out His Holy Spirit upon
them. For the first time in their lives, they will be able to accept spiritual information. Satan will
have been jailed in the abyss to stop deception. God will begin the salvation process for all the
masses of humanity who have never had a REAL opportunity for salvation. All those from the
very beginning who migrated to Asia, Oceania, Australia, Europe, Africa, South, Central, and
North America will be resurrected and offered an understanding of God and His plan without
Satan’s deception. Did all these people who never KNEW Jesus go straight to hell to burn
forever? God says NO!!! They will be in a resurrection from the dead to BE TAUGHT THE TRUTH
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!
God will bring them out of the grave to put His Spirit in them. They will then begin to develop
the fruit of the Spirit,just as is expected of us today (Gal. 5:22‐23). These character traits are
God’s character. God IS love. If you love someone, do you want them to be tortured without
end? What is hell? Would a loving God create someone without their approval and throw
him/her into an ever burning fire without a REAL opportunity to know the truth? Romans 1 says
we can know about God by the things He made. Would you, if you are a parent, want your child
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to be placed in a state of suffering that would NEVER stop? (Neither does God!) Satan would
rejoice to torture and cause pain forever, not God!
God did not give a REAL time sequence in John 5:28‐29 when He spoke of the resurrection to
life and the resurrection to condemnation. The resurrection to life is at the seventh trump (1
Cor. 15:50‐57) while the resurrection to condemnation does not occur UNTIL after the 1,000
year reign of Christ when all will be offered salvation (Rev. 20:11‐15). God will resurrect all to
their physical bodies who will not be in the first resurrection (Rev. 20:4‐6) to teach them His
truth and purpose for being born. Death is captivity according to the Bible. God will bring Israel,
Sodom, Samaria, and all other nationalities back FROM captivity of death to teach them truth,
so they can avoid the second death from which there will be NO return. Those that fail to
repent AFTER being brought back from the captivity of the first death will have their part in the
lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which IS the second death,(Rev. 21:8).
Unjust Reserved to Be Punished
God created every animal, fowl, creeping things, fish, and man. He made man differently than
all others in that we can communicate. God also created every law that upholds the universe
with its orbiting earths and moons around the various stars. Is it a hard thing for God to be able
to reserve ungodly people for final punishment? The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out
of temptations, and to RESERVE the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished,(2 Pet.
2:9). It states that God knows HOW to reserve those that will not repent to be punished. It does
not say He was going to cast them into a continuing fire that will never go out. It says they will
be reserved to be punished ‐ not punishing! It will be a one time event that will destroy by fire,
not a continuing process that never ends.
Nothing is too hard for God. Because God left Satan on earth to deceive, He is ultimately
responsible for Satan’s activities. Whatever Satan does, God has the ability to undo it. Notice:
The Lord killeth, and maketh ALIVE: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up [from the
grave],(1 Sam. 2:6). God does not actually kill. Satan has caused all to be deceived into sin and
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the penalty of death is the result. God will resurrect and make alive because He was responsible
for man being exposed to sin. God predetermined this before the foundation of the world. God
will not let anyone have eternal life until he has learned the lessons of sin. Sin destroys
happiness. Sin destroyed Lucifer’s character through lust. His name was changed to fit his new
personality ‐ Satan, meaning the adversary.
Satan has deceived mankind into murder and rape of innocent children and adults ‐ that scars
for life; scheming to defraud fellow human beings and military dictatorships that do evil to
retain their power. Every sin imaginable he has inspired with the help of his fallen angels. THE
HUMAN RACE WAS A VICTIM OF SATAN’S DECEPTION!!! When Jesus came out of that grave
alive, Satan was as good as finished. Satan has no power to prevent even one thought of God
from coming about as planned. His penalty for sin is death! Satan is currently causing as much
havoc in the lives of individuals and nations until Christ comes to stop him. His fate is the Lake
of Fire. Notice the power of God. And the sea gave up the DEAD which were in it; and death and
hell [hades ‐ the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every
man according to their works,(Rev. 20:13).
After Jesus’ thousand year reign is over, all who did not accept the opportunity for salvation will
be cast into the lake of fire. And death and hell [the grave] were cast into the lake of fire. This is
the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire,(Rev. 20:1415). All rebels will be cast into this fire to be burned up (Isa. 66:22‐24).
Jesus spoke of this fire and for WHOM it is primarily prepared. Then shall he say also unto them
on the left hand [human beings], Depart from me, ye cursed [by the death penalty], into
everlasting [age‐lasting] fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,(Matt. 25:41). The Lake of
Fire will primarily be for the destruction of the rebellious angelic host. Only those human beings
who deliberately REBEL against God after receiving a knowledge of the truth, will be destroyed
along with Satan and his angels in the Lake of Fire.
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What Happens to Those Who Know the Truth and Refuse It?
Many people are religious. They are very sincere and dedicated to their beliefs. Does that alone
make them a Christian? Does being polite and courteous make you a Christian? …Now if ANY
man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his,(Rom. 8:9). Without the Holy Spirit of God
inside of your mind as a begettal to sonship, you are NOT a Christian ‐ so says Paul under
inspiration. If you do have God’s Holy Spirit that makes you a true Christian, notice: For if we sin
WILFULLY after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth NO more
sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries,(Heb. 10:26‐27).
If individuals are truly converted, walks God’s way of obedience, then determines in their minds
to go the other way and reject God’s way, they have forfeited the very sacrifice that once
cleansed them from all their sins. They are counted as sinners again without hope UNLESS they
repent. If they continue in this mind‐set of rebellion, their only destiny is to be destroyed
[devoured] in the Lake of Fire. This says clearly the rebel will be devoured ‐not burn forever, yet
never burn up. Physical human beings made from the dust of the ground will return to dust.
The penalty for sin is death. For the wages [payment we earn] of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,(Romans 6:23).
The curse, or penalty, for breaking God’s law is DEATH from which there is no return. If anyone
that receives the Holy Spirit of God continues to live a lifestyle of sin after baptism and
forgiveness, the only payment earned is death! It is inexorable. We cannot stop the death
penalty from being exacted. Death will come to anyone that tramples on the shed blood of
Jesus Christ and does not have the penalty removed. We have seen that the Lake of Fire will
absolutely devour God’s adversaries. However, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ if we remain in a justified condition. These are the two OPPOSITES offered to us
‐LIFE or DEATH! We did not have opportunity to choose whether to be born or not. When our
time comes to have the death penalty removed, we must act. Those that are being called today
must make their calling and election sure.
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Jesus gave warning: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits [actions in life]…Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire,(Matt. 7:15‐19).
THERE IS A FIRE!!!
How Long Will this Fire Last?
A literary work inspired by demons was adopted during the Middle Ages by the ruling church of
that day to keep its members in fear. It has been handed down to us today. The work was
Dante’s Inferno that goes into gory details of a fire that never dies out. People who did not live
the way this church taught them were told they would go there to be tormented FOREVER with
no end in sight. Is this ever taught in the Bible? Jesus will say: And then will I profess unto them
[false prophets], I NEVER knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity [lawlessness] (Matt.
7:23). These were men or women who claimed to be prophets of God who said they were
casting out demons, performing miracles, and even feeding the poor in Jesus name! Jesus said
they were workers of iniquity, therefore rejected to be burned. What is iniquity? The word
iniquity is assigned the number 458 in the Strong’s Concordance of the Greek language. It
literally means LAWLESSNESS! They were violating the Ten Commandments of God and the
Everlasting Covenant for which Jesus shed His blood (Heb. 13:20‐21). Many will profess Jesus
but not be obedient to Him. That creates a problem, because inspired scripture says: And we
[Apostles] are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost [Spirit], whom [the
Holy Spirit] God hath given to them that OBEY him (Acts 5:32). Obedience is required! That is
what repentance is all about. Obedience is NOT an attempt to earn salvation. No one can earn
it. It’s a gift. Obedience prevents us from being sinners all over again with the attending death
penalty. Note Jesus conversation: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise PERISH (Luke 13:3).
Since sin IS [=] the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4), we are required to QUIT breaking the
Ten Commandments, which is God’s spiritual law. Breaking it brings the death penalty. If we
don’t repent, Jesus said we would perish. The English word perish was translated from the
Greek language. It is #622 in the Greek Strong’s Concordance. It means to destroy FULLY! Now I
submit to you that Dante’s Inferno, a fire that burns forever with no one burning up, would
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violate everything Jesus said. Jesus said they would PERISH [be destroyed FULLY]!!! The Bible
says God is not even tempted with sin. Lying to us about hell and its purpose would constitute
sin. Men say we burn forever without end! God says we will be destroyed FULLY!!! Which one
do you believe? Hell Fire will destroy fully ‐ not just torment for an unending length of time. It
will literally burn them up so they will not exist anymore. They will not be in torment, torture,
or unhappy anymore. They will not constantly complain about the extreme heat. They will just
cease to exist. Notice Jesus words: Let both [sinner and righteous] grow together until the
harvest: and in the time of the
harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares [unrepentant sinners], and
bind them in bundles to burn them (Matt. 13:30). There will be people who are burned. Jesus
said so, and that settles it! What happens when something burns? This flesh and blood body IS
a soul that can die (Ezek. 18:4, 20). Everyone really does know what happens when something
burns. That object turns to ashes and inert gases that go back into the atmosphere. Society
today has been taught by ministers that came out of a great religious organization which ruled
for 1260 years in Europe. They suppressed the truth and called for a burning of the Bible in
1279 AD. They substituted doctrines of demons in place of the Bible (1 Tim. 4:1‐4). One of those
doctrines was an ever burning hell‐fire that never burned out with immortal soul in the fire with
no hope of stopping the pain.
The Bible says clearly the wicked will burn up.
What happens when you are burned up? The Biblical definition follows. If you want to know
what God thinks, go to His Book ‐ the Bible! If you want to know what a demonically inspired
Dante thought, go to his book ‐ the Inferno! Don’t mix the two. One was inspired by God, the
other by the devil. This is what God’s word says:
But the wicked shall perish into smoke shall they consume away (Psalm 37:20). This is so clear.
God’s word says a body in rebellion to God is burned and turns to smoke [inert gases] and is
blown away in the wind. When you check the Hebrew word translated perish in English, it is #6
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in Strong’s Concordance. It means to destroy. When you destroy something, nothing remains to
keep burning. It is totally consumed, thoroughly destroyed. The Bible said they would consume
away into smoke. Consume is #3615 in the Hebrew Strong’s Concordance. It means to end, to
cease, be finished, perish. It is so clear! Your Bible reveals to us that people living in rebellion to
God, when every opportunity for repentance is exhausted, will be burned up until they cease,
are finished, perish, don’t exist anymore. They turn back to smoke.
Notice the rest of the story! 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 (Mal. 4:1). Once
again, it can’t get clearer. The very root system of evil and wickedness will be burned up
completely!!! When this final fire strikes, there will be NO wickedness left to contend with
righteousness. Nothing will be left of those who ultimately refuse salvation. It will be as if they
had never been born or existed. God is scientific. He said the results of this burning would be
smoke and ASHES! 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 (Mal. 4:3). Now we see the
final picture of burning ‐ inert gases blowing away in the wind and a pile of ashes. Anyone with
a fireplace can testify to this fact of smoke and ashes.
Those who will suffer the loss of their life will not be in some sort of immortal spirit form that is
blistered forever and ever with no relief in sight. They will be burned up completely. Nothing
will be left of them. God is a God of love. He will lovingly and conveniently put them out of their
misery. God will take out of His potential Kingdom all that would offend and live with Satan’s
world view of rebellion.
Jesus Message to the Scribes
Jesus was constantly brought into conflict with the religious types of His day. They wanted to be
preeminent in the eyes of the average person. Anyone who disagreed with them they declared
to be a cult. Nothing has changed today. Even when they are wrong, they will not change to
obey God. Anyone who opens God’s word and obeys it automatically becomes targeted by
organized churches that came out of Rome as cults. Jesus used strong language to the religious
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leaders of His day. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how shall ye escape the damnation of
hell (Matt. 23:33). Damnation is #2920 in the Greek Strong’s Concordance. It means justice of
divine law against them. If they don’t repent of feeding God’s people misinformation, they will
be burned up in this Lake of Fire called Hell [Gehenna]. We have already learned that Gehenna
was a name used for the Valley of Hinnom where dead bodies of animals and non‐Israelites and
rubbish was burned. It was a valley used as a trash dump outside the city of Jerusalem. It
perpetually burned with various kinds of refuse. The word hell in Matt. 23:33 is #1067 in the
Strong’s Concordance of the Greek language. It is Gehenna or Valley of Hinnom where these
dead bodies, etc. were burned. The use of this word hell simply means destruction by fire. Let’s
go back to the first scriptures of this article ‐ Mark 9:43‐45. And if thy hand offend thee, cut it
off [symbolically]; it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go
into hell [or the destruction by fire where you will become smoke and ashes], into the FIRE that
never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is NOT QUENCHED, The
Bible will verify itself and not leave you confused. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall
have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which IS the second DEATH
[not life] (Rev. 21:8). This nowhere says a second life to burn forever and ever and be tortured
with no end in sight! It says the second death! The word death means the cessation of life,
cessation of all vital principles. Your blood stops circulating. WHY? It is burned up. It no longer
exists. You stop breathing. WHY? Your lungs are burned up. Oxygen cannot be brought into the
body without lungs, blood to pick it up and circulate it, or without veins, capillaries, and
arteries. This is the SECOND death.
Fire and brimstone are mentioned other places in the Bible. I’ll mention this as we close the
article. Notice: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death [absence of life] and
hell [hades ‐ the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every
man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the
second death [not the second life]. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:13‐15). God is making an enrollment of those who have
repented and are living God’s way of life. Those who rebel against God’s commandments, the
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Everlasting Covenant [Heb. 13:20‐21], will mercifully die in the Lake of Fire. This is the same
covenant Adam and Eve broke in the Garden of Eden. Notice: In reference to Israel, LIKE Adam,
they [Israel] have broken the covenant ‐ they were unfaithful to me there (Hosea 6:7, NIV).
Adam, Israel and EVERYONE has violated His covenant (Rom. 3:23). Jesus came to die to forgive
us for breaking His Covenant. We are to live it today. When the last opportunity for salvation
has been offered, those not obeying the Covenant will die. 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 (2 Peter 3:10). God will eventually restore everything to its original state (Acts 3:18‐
21).
Revelation 19:20
And the beast [of Rev. 13] was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles
before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them
that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone
(Rev. 19:20). Something will have been so horrible that it will cause a lake to be on fire. This will
be burning AT THE COMING OF CHRIST and will destroy them along with a part of His army
(Rev. 19:11‐21; Joel 2:1‐11). This lake burning with fire is fueled with brimstone. The word
translated brimstone is #2303 in the Greek Strong’s Concordance. It means sulfur. Why is the
Dead Sea given such a name? Underneath the Dead Sea in the Middle East are deposits of
sulfur and asphalt. It is perpetually burning. On occasions, a small earthquake will cause a
fissure in the earth down deep allowing burning sulfur and asphalt to emit to the surface. Many
people have written their eyewitness accounts of these eruptions of fire IN the Dead Sea. When
Christ returns, there will be a giant earthquake in the environs of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1‐6). The
Dead Sea is the lowest spot on earth. Asphalt and sulfur beds ablaze with fire will break loose
and surface creating a Lake of Fire into which the beast and false prophet will be thrown. Now
notice what will occur over a thousand years later. And the devil that deceived them was cast
into the
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lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [were, not are], and shall be
tormented day and night forever and ever (Rev. 20:10). Some Bibles put words that did not
appear in the text but were added by the translators in italics. The word “are” is such a word in
verse 10. The beast and false prophet are not still there a thousand years later. They were there
until they burned up, therefore were dead.
Satan will finally be cast into this Lake of Fire after the thousand years and after his deceptive
activities. The phrase forever and ever is #165 in the Strong’s Greek Concordance. It means
perpetual. The torment ‐ not tormenting ‐will be perpetual. Satan will die, which is a
permanent torment. This fire cannot be extinguished by human beings. It cannot be quenched
by human endeavors. Conclusion: With this background in mind, Jesus words make sense. And
if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with
one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire
is not quenched? (Mark 9:47‐48). They never tried to quench the fire because its design was to
burn everything cast into it. The Bible interprets itself when it is necessary. God identifies the
meaning of the phrase IS NOT QUENCHED. In reference to Judahs obedience to God concerning
keeping the Sabbath Day holy: But if ye will NOT hearken (listen) unto me to hallow the sabbath
day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day;
then [because of disobedience] will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the
palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall NOT be quenched (Jer. 17:27). This fire could not be put out
by human standard operational procedures. Question: Is Jerusalem still burning today? NO!!! It
was simply too hot to put out. It burned everything that was combustible before going out
naturally. Jesus likens the Lake of Fire to this. God is love and wants everyone to be saved.
There probably will be some who will not want God, the Father, and Jesus to rule over them.
They will be burned up, no branch nor root left. This is the second death!!!