The Truth about Hell
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LESSON 14: THE TRUTH ABOUT HELL
Abraham didn’t have to be a genius to figure out
his nephew Lot was making a big mistake when decided to move to Sodom.
The cities down the downstream area of Jordan – Sodom being one of them –
might be very lush, but are also extremely corrupted.
“But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before YHWH exceedingly.” [01] Genesis 13:13.
Eventually, the Lord decided that these cities had to be destroyed for their abominable crimes.
But first, He sent two angels to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family.
Before entering Sodom, these angelic beings clothed themselves with the appearance of men,
and Lot could easily spot these two handsome sojourners at the city gate.
Knowing full well how dangerous the streets of this wicked city are during the night,
he persistently begged them to go to his house to stay there until they had to concur,
but the wicked men of Sodom had seen everything.
That night, all the men of that perverted city assembled outside the house of Lot,
demanding that he give them the strangers inside so they could rape them.
Lot tried to persuade the demented mob, but in vain.
Their madness only increased, and pretty soon, they began to threaten even Lot:
“This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge:
now will we deal worse with thee, than with them!” [01] Genesis 19:9.
At this point, the two angels could no longer hide themselves.
They pulled Lot inside the house, and basically rolled up their sleeves,
came out and just like that, beat them all up.
They were angels. Duh.
Of course this mob was never even a threat to them.
Once the angels had brought Lot and his family out of that doomed city,
they turned to speak to them: “Escape for thy life;
look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain;
escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed!” [01] Genesis 19:17.
And then just at day break,
“YHWH rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from YHWH out of heaven;
and he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.” [01] Genesis 19:24, 25.
Only Lot and his two unmarried daughters escaped.
Even his wife, looking back at Sodom with mourning for what she had to leave behind, was turned into a pillar of salt.
The Word of God reveals to us: in the last days of this world,
its morality would be just as corrupt as Sodom
– and its punishment will be just like that of the wicked city.
1. Unto whom were Sodom and Gomorrah judged as an example?
[22] II Peter 2:4-6 God… turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes
condemned them with an overthrow,
making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.
What happened to those two cities is an example
of what would happen to those who persistently refuse to repent of their sins
to receive pardon from the God of Justice,
and eventually had to face their just punishment,
which they forced Him to execute upon them.
2. When will that punishment be executed upon the lost?
[04] John 12:48 The word that I have spoken,
the same shall judge him in the last day.
[01] Matthew 13:40-42 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire;
so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels,
and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend,
and them which do iniquity;
and shall cast them into a furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
There is a terrible misunderstanding
that is currently widespread all over the world
and even in the very community of Christians:
that the lost will be thrown into Hell right after they die.
This notion is completely unbiblical.
We can see clearly through the above passages of Scriptures,
the day that the wicked will be thrown into Hell is “the last day”
– which is the day of Judgment, or the end of the world.
Which means, for now, there is no one in Hell yet.
Each person will not receive his reward before the day when the Lord shall come again ([27] Revelation 22:12).
3. If the wicked are not yet in Hell, where are they now?
[04] John 5:28, 29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming,
in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, And shall come forth;
they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
The Bible asserts very clearly that all the wicked dead are kept “in the graves” (or wherever their bodies are)
until the day when they shall be resurrected for judgment.
They will hear the voice of JESUS calling and will arise from their graves, not from Hell.
4. What is the wages of sin?
[06] Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ JESUS our Lord.
The wages of sin is not eternal life in Hell, but the opposite: death.
Most of us will have to die the first death ([19] Hebrews 9:27),
which is basically just a sleep.
But only the wicked will have to die the second death in Hell ([27] Revelation 21:8).
From the first death, all will be resurrected to receive punishment or reward;
but there will be no resurrection from the second death.
The second death is permanent, forever.
Many suppose that the punishment for sin is everlasting torture in Hell,
but if that’s true, JESUS obviously had not paid off the punishment of our sins.
Notions like Limbo or Purgatory, of course, are nowhere found in the Bible.
All of us have but two choices: everlasting life, or everlasting death.
5. What would happen to the lost souls in Hell?
Can they exist forever in there?
[39] Malachi 4:1, 3 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 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 YHWH of hosts.
[01] Matthew 10:28 Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The wicked will be consumed by the fires of Hell like stubble, until they are ashes.
Contrary to what many suppose, the Bible has declared very plainly:
the souls of the lost will not be able to live on forever in that terrifying inferno.
God had twice emphasized: “the soul that sinneth, it shall DIE.” [26] Ezekiel 18:4, 20.
The lost will not linger on forever in an eternal torture dungeon,
but will be quickly destroyed and reduced to ashes.
6. Where will Hell be?
[27] Revelation 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth,
and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city:
and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
[22] II Peter 3:10 The elements shall melt with fervent heat,
the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Hell will be right on the face of this planet.
In other words, it will be planet Earth burning in fire.
The flames of Hell will burn this planet to the ground,
and then burn the ground beneath it.
Thus all traces of sins will be wiped out forever.
7. Is the devil the one in charge of Hell?
[27] Revelation 20:10 The devil that deceived them
was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.
[26] Ezekiel 28:18-19 I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth
in the sight of all them that behold thee…
and never shalt thou be any more.
Not at all.
Instead of being in charge of Hell, Satan himself will be thrown in there.
That lake of fire will eventually turn him into “ashes upon the earth”,
as God had decreed about the fate of Satan.
8. Will the fires of Hell ever go out?
Didn’t the Bible call it “unquenchable fire” in [01] Matthew 3:12?
[24] Jeremiah 17:27 Then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof,
and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem,
and it shall not be quenched.
[14] II Chronicles 36:19, 21 And they burnt the house of God,
and brake down the wall of Jerusalem,
and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire,
and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof…
to fulfill the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah.
“Unquenchable” simply means that it cannot be quenched by anyone or anything.
It doesn’t mean that it won’t go out by itself
after it has consumed everything there is to be burned, does it?
The fire that the Lord threatened to set on Jerusalem
should His people keep on refusing to repent,
was also described as “shall not be quenched”.
Eventually this prophecy of Jeremiah was reported to have been fulfilled in [14] II Chronicles 36:19, 21.
And we can see clearly: the “unquenchable” fire
that burned down Jerusalem back then
didn’t keep on burning until today, did it?
Thus the correct understanding of the term “unquenchable” has to be:
it cannot be quenched until it burns down everything,
only then will it go out by itself.
9. What about the term “eternal fire” or “everlasting fire” in [01] Matthew 25:41?
[26] Jude 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner…
are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Sodom and Gomorrah themselves have been destroyed by this fearsome fire.
But obviously, they are not still burning today, aren’t they?
They have been burned to ashes ([22] II Peter 2:6),
and the fires, after devouring them, had gone out by themselves for a long time.
Indeed: where Sodom and Gomorrah were
lies only their ruins in ashes,
with stones of sulfur on the ground here and there,
bearing witness to the fitting punishment for their sins long ago.
God’s plan is to isolate and destroy all sins
so that He can re-establish a new, clean world with the highest number of people saved,
not to perpetuate the existence of sins.
An eternal hell that tortures the lost sinners forever
would mean that sins will not be finished off.
By the way, please note that the term “forever” or “ever” in the New Testament
is translated from the Greek word “aion”,
which simply means a very long time not yet known to be how long.
This term is used many times in the Bible,
not just in the New Testament, but also in the Old,
to denote events that have long since ended.
For example in [09] I Samuel 1:22, 28,
it is used to describe the “lifelong” period of time that Samuel will be serving the Lord.
Why then, is this fire called “everlasting fire” or “eternal fire”?
Some theologians suggest that it is because the destructive effect of this fire is permanent, lasting forever.
But I myself believe there might be a much simpler reason:
it probably is the ever-burning fire before the Lord, spoken of in [26] Ezekiel 28:14,
which He will eventually pour down upon the lost.
When we get to see Him, we can confirm whether this understanding is correct.
10. Primarily for whom were the fires of Hell prepared?
[01] Matthew 25:41 Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
The purpose of this fire is to destroy Satan, his demons, and sin.
If we do not let go of our sins, they will drag us down into that fire.
Sin – or evil – must be vanquished,
so that it will never again rise up to harm the citizens of the universe like it did mankind.
11. What does the Bible say about God having to destroy the wicked?
Does He enjoy it even in the slightest?
[23] Isaiah 28:21 YHWH shall rise up… that he may do His work, His strange work;
and bring to pass His act, His strange act.
[26] Ezekiel 33:11 As I live, saith the Lord YHWH,
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked;
but that the wicked turn from his way and live:
turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?
God obviously does not enjoy even in the slightest the destruction of those whom He created and loved,
whom His own Son risked His life to save, even when they are wicked.
His act of executing them is so contrary to His loving nature,
that the Bible called the fires of Hell His “strange work” and “strange act”.
The event of the cross will ever be the irrefutable and eternal evidence of His love for mankind,
that He truly had done everything He could to save them.
Before their destruction, even the wicked will bow down
and acknowledge that He was more than fair, kind and good to them ([06] Romans 14:11).
12. After sins and sinners are destroyed,
what will the Lord do for His people?
[22] II Peter 3:13 We, according to His promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
[27] Revelation 21:3-4 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away.
[27] Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
On the ashes of the old earth that would just have been cleansed by fire,
God will create a new earth,
where He and His redeemed children will get to be together
in everlasting joy, peace and happiness, forever and ever.
13. Will sin ever manage to rise up again?
[34] Na-hum 1:9 Affliction shall not rise up the second time.
[23] Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth:
and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
The destruction of sin and sinners – sinful angels and sinful humans alike – will be permanent,
and the nightmare of sin will finally come to a permanent end:
it will never rise again a second time.
All those who survive would have learned their lesson,
and never will anyone ever DARE to tamper with sin ever again.
The painful and heartbreaking memories that it caused the saints of God
will also be left behind forever, no longer haunting and tormenting them.
{Ellen G. White, Early Writings, 151.1 – 151.2}
‘With a holy sadness Jesus comforted and cheered the angels
and informed them that hereafter those whom He should redeem would be with Him,
and that by His death He should ransom many and destroy him who had the power of death.
And His Father would give Him the kingdom and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
and He would possess it forever and ever.
Satan and sinners would be destroyed, nevermore to disturb heaven or the purified new earth.
Jesus bade the heavenly host be reconciled to the plan that His Father had accepted
and rejoice that through His death fallen man could again be exalted
to obtain favor with God and enjoy heaven.
Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven.
And the heavenly host sang a song of praise and adoration.
They touched their harps and sang a note higher than they had done before,
for the great mercy and condescension of God
in yielding up His dearly Beloved to die for a race of rebels.
Praise and adoration were poured forth for the self-denial and sacrifice of Jesus;
that He would consent to leave the bosom of His Father,
and choose a life of suffering and anguish,
and die an ignominious death to give life to others.’
14. God doesn’t torture people forever in Hell?!
That is simply a lying heresy made up by the devil
to slander Him with Satan’s own attributes of cruelty, ruthlessness and tyranny,
who delights in the sufferings of others.
Meanwhile, God gave us His own Son,
so that we can be saved through JESUS, to inherit everlasting life.
It is true that if you would still choose sin and perdition,
there wouldn’t be an everlasting inferno waiting for you.
God will only punish you with the time and heat according to your sins, and no more.
But even so, don’t you think that you should give you and the Lord a chance still?
Appendix
I. The rich man and Lazarus
Many people used the parable of the rich man and Lazarus
to try to prove that right after someone dies,
that person will go immediately to Heaven or to Hell.
That was never the point JESUS was trying to make in this story.
The word that JESUS used was “Hades”,
the place of torment for the dead in Greek mythology.
All the Jews who were presented to listen understood
that the Lord was simply using a well-known myth to illustrate His point.
If we take a close look at [03] Luke 16:19-31,
we’ll see that this parable is full of illustrations
that JESUS simply could not have meant for us to take literally.
For example:
Can those in Heaven and those in Hell still talk with one another? NO.
Can a drop of water cool the tongue of someone who is burning in Hell? NO.
Is Abraham the one who decides whether or not someone gets saved? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Just like that, this PARABLE cannot be used to teach people
that those who die before the day of Judgment at the end of the world will go right to Heaven or Hell.
JESUS had plainly declared in [04] John 12:48:
“The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
What does this parable mean then?
The rich man in the story symbolizes the Jewish people,
especially the religious leaders, having the Bible to feast on freely,
while the beggar outside the gate – the gentiles and the poor –
were starving for the Word of God.
JESUS has summarized the story with the conclusion:
“If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” [03] Luke 16:31.
Indeed, JESUS later on really did resurrect a Lazarus back to life,
but most of the Jewish leaders still persisted in their unbelief.
They even thought about killing Lazarus off also. ([04] John 12:9-11).
II. Ron Wyatt’s archeological discoveries.
This video is made by a non-SDA source,
a well-rounded compilation
of the archeological discoveries of Ron Wyatt,
the “Indiana Jones” of the SDA church.
The man whom God used to find
the ashen remains of the city of Gomorrah,
the Red Sea Crossing which Moses and the Israelites went through,
the true mount Sinai where God descended and gave the Ten Commandments,
Noah’s ark,
the Ark of the Covenant,
and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ upon its mercy seat.
There are some incorrect personal opinions of the video maker and the characters
which do not represent our faith, of course.
But the facts that they themselves had to acknowledge regarding the validity of these discoveries
should give us something to think about.
Note that one of the angels guarding the Ark of the Covenant has told Ron Wyatt,
that when the Mark of the Beast shall be enforced,
the Ark, with the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, shall be revealed to all the world.
This will give tremendous force to our proclaimation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment in the unchanging law of God.
Also, this ties together with our understanding as Seventh-day Adventists
about [27] Daniel 11:45 “And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”
In the book Daniel & Revelation 1897 by Uriah Smith, one of our Pioneers,
The king of the north is understood as the power that hold the region of Syria, which in modern day is Turkey of the Muslim, a faith that is ever in hostility with the Jews.
‘Where will he then plant the tabernacles of his palace? In Jerusalem? That certainly is the most probable point.
Newton on the Prophecies, p. 318, says: “Between the seas in the glorious holy mountain must denote, as we have shown, some part of the Holy Land.
There the Turk shall encamp with all his powers; yet he ‘shall come to his end, and none shall help him,’ – shall help him effectually, or deliver him.”‘
{Uriah Smith, Daniel & Revelation 1897, 318.1}
Immediately after this event, is the close of probation, as Michael the commander of the angels shall stand up, and the end of the world.
Now, as the truth about Hell has been laid bare,
In the next lesson, we shall take a look at the truth about Death,
regarding Satan’s first lie against mankind “thou shalt not SURELY die”,
and uncover one of the most sinister ways by which he has been deceiving and destroying numerous people upon the earth.
Click “next” to find out the Truth about Death.
