Continuing the thread Unquenchable Fire

reddogs

Contributor
Site Supporter
Dec 29, 2006
9,106
465
✟425,061.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
Here is where we were in the members only thread....

The millennium is one of the most misunderstood Christian beliefs but Revelation 20 goes over the 1,000 years and makes it clearer.

Here is a good explanation:"Beginning of the Millennium....Revelation 19:11-21 describes Christ riding out of heaven on a white horse, and He is followed by the armies of heaven, who are also riding white horses (verses 11, 14). Their purpose is to make war with the kings of the earth and their armies (verses 11, 19). Chapter 19 concludes with the enemies of Christ being defeated (verses 20, 21). This symbolic description of the second coming of Christ is immediately followed by the millennium in chapter 20. From this it's evident that Christ's second coming will occur at the beginning of the millennium.

Resurrection of the Righteous

Paul said that "the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:16; see also 1 Corinthians 15:51-54). Thus, one of the events to occur at the beginning of the millennium will be the resurrection of the righteous.

Paul then added that "we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them [the resurrected saints] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:17). This suggests that God's people will be taken to heaven at Christ's second coming, and a statement that Jesus made while He was still on the earth confirms this conclusion. He promised His disciples that "I am going there [heaven] to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back [His second coming] and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" (John 14:2, 3). Jesus is now in heaven (Acts 2:32, 33; Hebrews 9:25), and He promised that at His second coming He would take His people to be with Him, where He is.

Destruction of the Wicked

In 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Paul said that at Christ's second coming the wicked "will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord." And in the symbolic description of Christ going to war against the kings of the earth and their armies, Revelation 19:18 says that the birds of the air will "eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, . . . and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small." From this it's evident that the wicked will be all be slain at Christ's second coming.

Satan will also be bound during the millennium. Revelation 20:2, 3 says that an angel from heaven "seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended."

The word "abyss" (sometimes translated "bottomless pit") is from the Greek "abussos." In the Greek version of Genesis 1:2, the word abussos, translated "the deep," is used to describe the pre-Creation condition of the earth—"formless and empty." Revelation simply means that during the millennium Satan will be confined to this desolate earth with no one to tempt....Some Christians claim that Christ will reign on the earth during the millennium and that the righteous and the wicked will live side-by-side during that time. Adventists disagree with this view for two reasons. First, there isn't the slightest evidence in the New Testament that the righteous and the wicked will live together after Christ's second coming. To the contrary, in His parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus said that at His second coming the righteous and the wicked will be separated from each other "as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" (Matthew 25:32; see also Matthew 13:40-43).

During the Millennium

From what we've already learned, we can draw several conclusions about what will happen during the millennium. Satan will be confined to this earth, where he can spend the time contemplating the terrible mess he's made of things. The bodies of the wicked will be strewn all over the earth.

The righteous, on the other hand, will be in heaven, and Revelation 20 says that they will be "given authority to judge. . . . They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years" (verses 4, 6).

Other verses in the New Testament give us some idea of the nature of this judgment. Paul said that "the saints will judge the world" and "we will judge angels" (1 Corinthians 6:2, 3). Also, Jesus said that "when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28). In this verse, Jesus combined both the idea of reigning with Him and judging that John spoke about in Revelation 20:4.

After the Millennium

At the end of the millennium, all of the wicked will be resurrected. Revelation 20:5 says, "The rest of the dead [the wicked] did not come to life [were not resurrected] until the thousand years were ended. Verse 7 says that "when the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison." What does this mean? Verse 3 said that Satan was locked in the abyss "to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended." The reason why Satan cannot tempt anyone during the millennium is that, with the righteous in heaven and the wicked dead, there will be no one to tempt. At the close of the millennium, when the wicked are resurrected, there will once again be people to join him in his rebellion against God. This is what we understand Satan's release from prison to mean.

In Revelation 21:2, John says that he saw "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God." In Revelation 20:9, John says that he saw the wicked surrounding "the camp of God's people, the city he loves." This city is the New Jerusalem, so the descent of the New Jerusalem to earth will occur simultaneously as the wicked are resurrected and Satan is released from his prison.

In Revelation 20:8, Satan gathers the wicked for battle, and they try to attack the New Jerusalem. At this point, Satan still has not abandoned the purpose he has pursued through out the millennia of earth's history; his purpose is to defeat God and make his rulership of the world permanent.

However, God will interrupt Satan's strategy. John says, "I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.... And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and the books were opened. ... The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books" (Revelation 20:11, 12). This scene also reveals the reason why the wicked are raised to life after the millennium—so they can be judged for their evil deeds and condemned once and for all.

Following the judgment of the wicked, they will be destroyed in a lake of fire. However, Peter also describes this lake of fire, and he says that the earth itself will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10-12). Thus, hell is not off in some distant part of the universe, it is not in the center of the earth and it is not happening now. Hell will be the destruction of the entire planet by fire at the end of the millennium."...Making Sense of the Millennium
 
Upvote 0

reddogs

Contributor
Site Supporter
Dec 29, 2006
9,106
465
✟425,061.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
One of the most hardest subjects in the Bible is that of hell and theologically has been distorted in many ways. What is the fate of the wicked and do they live throughout eternity in a state of torment or do they perish.

These are questions which deserve sound Bible answers, and its important the truth of the matter be understood. Jesus taught that every soul will be either saved or lost as there is no middle ground.
Lets look at Matthew 13:41-43:

"41 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;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." Matthew 13:41-43

Christ says some will be cast into the fire, and some will shine forth in the kingdom. Notwithstanding what some try to say, Christ never says that some disembodied soul separates from the body at the time of death or that the wicked suffer an eternal torment after they die in some place underground.

Lets see what Christ says in Mark 9:43:

"43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: 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.

This words of Christ show that it is the body which goes into the fire, and not some mystical soul. Lets read further what Christ says on this issue in Matthew 5:30:

"30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell."Matthew 5:30.

Here Christ speaks of the "whole body" being cast into hell. That means hands, feet, eyes, and all the other members of the physical body. Scripture clearly shows that those who perish in the lake of fire will go there with hands, feet, eyes, and all the physical features of the body. They will not go in some ethereal state of formless spirit or soul. So lets go over where they will be there in a eternal torment of unquenchable fire.
 
Upvote 0

reddogs

Contributor
Site Supporter
Dec 29, 2006
9,106
465
✟425,061.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
At the thousand-year period of Revelation 20 speaks, the Millennium, Satan's power will be restricted and bound so he cannot deceive anyone. At the same time Christ will reign with His saints in heaven (Rev. 20:1-4) as Revelation 19 and 20 belong together; there is no break between these chapters. They describe Christ's coming (Rev. 19:11-21) and immediately continue with the Millennium which shows it begins at the Second Coming when the saints at taken to heaven.

At this time the beast and the false prophet are destroyed (Rev. 19:19, 20) and Revelation 20 deals with the fate of Satan or the dragon. He is taken captive and cast into the bottomless pit, where he remains for 1000 years.

Revelation 20:
"1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."

At the Second Coming the resurrection of the saints who are in the graves occurs and they along with the living saints are taken up to heaven, this is the first resurrection. Jesus calls it the resurrection of the just
and of life:

"14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:14.

"29 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." John 5:29

Christ does not establish His kingdom of glory on the earth at this time. He does that at the end of the millennium. He fulfills the promise made in
John 14:

"1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:1-3.

Now lets continue with Revelation 20:
"4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

So Christ takes the saints to heaven and they look over the books of judgment, and at the end of the thousand-year period of Revelation 20, He resurrects the wicked for their final end. The resurrection of the wicked at the end of the thousand years releases Satan from his captivity "for a little while" (Rev. 20:3).

Continuing with Revelation 20:
"7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
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.
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."

We see that the beloved city, the New Jerusalem has down out of heaven and Satan "will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth" (Rev. 20:8). Since the wicked are raised, Satan leads them against the New Jerusalem. When they have surrounded the city and are ready to attack it, God will carry out the last phase of judgment. God pronounces the sentence of doom. Immediately upon their sentencing, Satan, his angels, and his human followers receive their punishment. They are to die an eternal death. "Fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured" all the wicked, this is the Lake of Fire.
 
Upvote 0

reddogs

Contributor
Site Supporter
Dec 29, 2006
9,106
465
✟425,061.00
Faith
SDA
Marital Status
Married
Politics
US-Others
So lets go over this fire in which the wicked perish. As we went over before, the fact is that eternal fire does not mean a fire that will never go out as we find same expression is used in Jude concerning the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha. "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Jude 7.

In this use for the fire of "eternal" "everlasting" many are applying modern definitions without reference to their ancient contextual usage and violates one of the most fundamental rules of interpretation.

Sodom and Gomorrha are not still burning today, yet they burned with "eternal fire," and we are told that it was an example of something. So what example is it of?

"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly." 2 Peter 2:6.

The eternal fire which brought Sodom to ashes is an example of what will finally happen to the wicked. So the fire that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrha will also burn the wicked in the lake of fire. This is a eternal fire as like Sodom and Gomorrha they will be no more as it will burn the wicked to ashes.
 
Upvote 0