The Lake of Fire
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An Answer to Universalism



There is a growing debate amongst christians, many are falling for this heresy, that everyone will be saved. Some universalists even claim satan and the demons will be saved. The Bible tells us that false doctrine will be taught in the last days. 

1 Tim 4:
1: Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2: Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

This scripture could be used alone to show that the Universalists are wrong. The verse says the latter times will have new demonic doctrines. Since it is historic that the church believes in eternal judgment for over a millennia, then their doctrine is new and fits the verse above. For it is new doctrines which that verse claims is demonic.

2 Tim 4:
3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4: And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

It is interesting this scripture says "fables". For many Universalists claim Luke 16 is a parable, a fable. Let's look at it:

Luke 16:
19: There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21: And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22: And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23: And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24: And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25: But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26: And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27: Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
28: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29: Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30: And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31: And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.


This verse disputes any notion that death brings unconsciousness. They would claim this is a parable. But Jesus never used names in parables. He also tells us when He is speaking in a parable:

Mt:13:3: And he spake many things unto them in parables...
Mt:21:33: Hear another parable...
Mt:22:1: And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mk:3:23: And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables...
Mk:4:2: And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
Mk:12:1: And he began to speak unto them by parables...
Lk:5:36: And he spake also a parable unto them...
Lk:6:39: And he spake a parable unto them...
Lk:8:4: ... he spake by a parable:
Lk:12:16: And he spake a parable unto them, saying...
Lk:13:6: He spake also this parable...
Lk:14:7: And he put forth a parable...
Lk:15:3: And he spake this parable unto them, saying,
Lk:18:1: And he spake a parable...
Lk:19:11: ... he added and spake a parable...
Lk:20:9: Then began he to speak to the people this parable...
Lk:21:29: And he spake to them a parable...
Jn:10:6: This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
 

So, as you can see, many Universalists have indeed turned to fables for their doctrines, by making this Luke 16 passage a parable.  

There are several important things about interpreting/understanding scripture. One is that we must take scripture literally and this is the case here. There are times when we do not, and most (if not all) of these times, the Bible tells us it is not literal, by declaring it symbolic or a parable, or by some other method.

I discuss in more detail how to understand and interpret scripture here:

 Interpreting Scripture  

Here is a favorite quote:

"About the time of the end, a body of men will be raised up who will turn their attention to the Prophecies, and insist upon their literal interpretation, in the midst of much clamor and opposition."  Sir Isaac Newton 1642-1727

I have found a website that deals with this scripture (Luke 16) in great detail and with many technical reasons for this being literal. This website is not mine. There are several good pages on this site. However, the site also has pages on other topics which I disagree on, some which are not Biblical. Therefore be careful when checking links from the following site, I also wish to warn you that this site sometimes gives a prideful or bad attitude. They also do not have the revelation of what the Lake of Fire is, as I share further down this page:

 http://www.bible.ca/su-hades-luke16.htm - Rich man and Lazarus: Luke 16:19-31

Here are some other pages that do a great job discussing why there is an ETERNAL Judgment:

 http://www.bible.ca/su-extinction-refuted.htm - 10 Extinction proof texts refuted!

 http://www.bible.ca/su-conscious-life-after-death.htm - Conscious life after death proven from the Bible!

 http://www.bible.ca/su-annihilation-refuted.htm - Eternal torment or annihilation?

The following link, is by a doctor. (I cannot vouch for the authenticity of his testimony, but am impressed by it.) For many years he was an atheist. Then one day a patient of his kept dying and he would resuscitate him back to life. This patient would die and go to hell, come screaming back asking for help. Begging for life or escape from hell. This heart surgeon, being an atheist, made up a prayer for the patient to repeat. This prayer worked for the patient and the doctor himself later became a believer in Christ. He now has collected real stories of people who have died and gone to hell. The following link has free internet movies of these stories:

 Testimonies Of People Who Have Been TO HELL AND BACK!

When a person dies, they go to heaven with Jesus, if they are saved, or if not saved they go to hell. This is a part of the basic principle in the Bible, called as the Eternal Judgment. This is one of the 6 Foundational Principles of Christ.  

Here is my page on these basic principles:

 Foundational Principles of Christ - Part 1

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Eternal Judgment is a Foundational Principle. I discuss another aspect of Eternal Judgment here:

 Does the Bible teach a purgatory for believers?

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One problem in the church is the extreme folks will go to when they refute Universalism. Universalism found some valid holes in christian theology. They discovered that all creation will be brought to God. However, their conclusions of this truth are wrong. Of which I will show shortly, down further. Let's look at the verses that the Universalists like to preach on:

Rom 5:
18: Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19: For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Universalists claim Jesus died for all. Just as humanity died in Adam. This is absolutely true. But this gift must be received. In truth, those who go to hell or the Lake of Fire, don't go for sinning, but for their refusal to accept the gift of salvation by Jesus, because the price of their sin has been paid. Since they have rejected Christ, but they are still paid for, the Father takes them. 
 
1 Cor 15:
22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
27: For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28: And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Yes, Jesus will subdue all things. But this doesn't mean willingly. Some will be forced into submission, into God's wrath. Which I will discuss further down the page.

Col 1:
19: For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20: And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Yes, God will reconcile all things. As I said above, some will be unwilling participants.

1 Tim 2:
4: Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
5: For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

Yes, God wants all to be saved, but He also gives them free will to say no.

1 Tim 4:
10: For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.

The secret to this verse, is the word "specially". All will be brought to God, but the special ones, will be going to heaven, the others in His wrath.

Eph 1:
10: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

It is through Christ's work all things will come back to God. Some forcibly against their will into the wrath of God.

Phil 2:
9: Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

One can see a demonstration of this happening unwillingly in the christian movie, "The Omega Code 2: Megiddo".

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The christian church for years has preached the fate of the unbelievers will be eternal absence from the presence of God and the Universalists see correctly this is wrong. But the Universalists incorrectly believe that all will turn to God or be made righteous. Both are untrue. I will now show how all creation, specifically the unbelievers and demons, will come into God. This is done, because the Lake of Fire is God. It is His wrath in full measure. I discuss the judgment of the unfaithful or carnal believers into His partial wrath here:

 Eternal Judgment: of the Believer

Let's look at some scriptures showing God is fire, and specifically part of God is the Lake of Fire:
 

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.  

Deuteronomy 5:24 And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire...

Deuteronomy 9:3 Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them...

Psalms 68:2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.  

Ezekiel 22:31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath...

2 Thess 1:  
7: And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,  
8: In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:  
9: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;  

Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.  

Revelation 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
 

What is concluded from these scriptures:

1. God is fire (at least in part)
2. He can speak from His fire
3. The wicked will be punished in the presence of God and in His Fire, which thus are the same thing
4. This Fire of God is also part of His Glory
5. This Fire is His Wrath, and the Lake of Fire is His Full wrath

We can easily see that God's presence is fire. And we see that the Lake of Fire is God's wrath. God's wrath is God's presence. But those who are judged unto eternal torment will enter this, while those saved will enter His love. Both are equally God: Love and Fire.  

I know many christians don't want to believe the Lake of Fire is part of God, but if it is not, then won't there be a place in existence that has not been put inside of God? Then do not the Universalists have a valid point in the verses I shared above? The Bible is clear ALL creation and all things will be put in God. It's just that some folks think it means all will be in heaven, heaven is not the only place in God, so is His eternal judgment of wrath:

2 Thess 1:
Darby:
  9: who shall pay the penalty
[of] everlasting destruction from [the] presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his might,

LITV:
9 who will pay the penalty: everlasting destruction from the face of the Lord, "and from the glory of His strength,"

And the clearest version of this verse yet:

Jubilee
9  who shall be punished with eternal destruction by the presence of the Lord and by the glory of his power,

I just discovered this Jubilee version, while making this page. I believed it to be "by" His presence before I ever saw that version. It is His presence and His glory that will perform the eternal destruction. Destruction is eternal, thus they will never be undone (completely destroyed).

The Lake of Fire is God.  

Right now, the unrighteous are in Hell. Hell is a prison, it is not God. At judgment day they will be taken out and judged. Then they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Rev 20:
10: And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
11: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14: And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

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As for God being omnipresent, I discuss in greater depth, if God is really omnipresent here:

Omnipresence 

Here are some scriptures showing life after death:

Isa 14:
9: Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.  
10: All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we?  art thou become like unto us?  

Rev 6:
9: And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11: And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

2Cor:5:8: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Lk 20:
37: Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
38: For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

Here are some scriptures that show judgment is forever:

Rev 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Rev 14:10-11 he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

Math 25:46 "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Jude 13: Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

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Here are some great links (not mine) on the subject of the judgment (listed by order of quality-1st best):

 THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST--PART I by Thomas W. Finley
 THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST--PART II by Thomas W. Finley
 The Judgment Seat of Christ by WhatSaithTheScripture.com
 Judgment Seat of Christ by Dr. Douglas D. Stauffer
 

Page's of mine related to this subject:

 Foundational Principles of Christ - Part 1

 
Foundational Principles of Christ - Part 2 The Doctrine of Baptisms

 
The Rapture

 Are You Prepared for the 2nd Coming?

 The 2 & a Half Tribes that didn't Cross Over

 Prophecy

 
The Gospel of The Kingdom - part one

 Eternal Judgment: of the Believer 
  
 Omnipresence 


I also go into some detail about the ecumenical movement in preparation for the Whore of Babylon and the Anti-christ, here:

 The Anti-christ, Whore of Babylon, & more


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