THE LAKE OF FIRE

A lot of fantasies have circulated about the Lake of Fire, about "Hell."

The first is that the devil is in charge of it... W-R-O-N-G !!!

The Lake of Fire is made for only one purpose, to destroy Satan and His angels [MAT 25:41], and those who reject Christ's gift of grace. Not torment forever, but to destroy forever -- a really l-o-n-g time.

The wicked and fallen angels gather around the Holy City and fire from heaven rains down upon them. Now, do people eternally suffer in "eternal hellfire?" No. This has been one of the most successful lies perpetrated by Satan for centuries!

No one is "burning in hell" before this point in time. All mankind has been "asleep in the grave." Now, when it says, "they are tormented for ever and ever" (which actually translates to "unto the ages of ages"), we cannot overlook the other numerous Bible texts about the fate of the damned. The Bible says, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die," not live eternally burning in hell. [EZE 18:4, 20] "Fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." [MAT 10:28] "The wages of sin is death," not eternal life in hell." [ROM 6:23] Death, the complete non-existance of life. So when Revelation 20:10 says, "tormented for ever and ever," what does it mean?

"Forever" in the Bible is a period of time, limited or unlimited, depending on what is being described. The word forever means as long as man lives. In the case of Samuel, "forever" meant "as long as he liveth." [1 SAM 1:22, 28] In Psalm 28:14 "forever" means until death. So, burning forever in the lake of fire means man burns until he dies. (According to his works.)

God would never keep the fires of hell burning eternally, no one in heaven could ever be "happy" knowing their lost loved ones were eternally suffering. No, the fires come down and destroy the wicked, [ 2 THE 1:2, "everlasting destruction" / LUK 16:19-31 is a parable, not literal! ] then clean and purify the earth. Then the fire goes out.

The effect of this fire is "eternal," not the fire itself.

God's great heart will suffer beyond our meager comprehension when He's forced to destroy those he dearly loves. This is refered to as His "strange work," His "strange act." [ISA 28:18]

Yes, Satan burns the longest time, but eventually he is destroyed, gone.