The Reality of Hell, Part 2 of "Heaven and Hell"预览

Hell is a consuming fire

“If we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:26-27)

Thousands of years ago, in the time of Abraham, God pronounced His judgment on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their sin was very grave, we read in Genesis 18:20. Therefore, God wanted to destroy these cities. Beforehand, the small group of people who did not participate in this sin were warned and evacuated. Then it started raining sulfur and fire. The whole area was destroyed. It has remained so to this day; the Dead Sea is located on this very spot.

Also elsewhere in the Bible, fire is often used to describe God's wrath. The Lord Jesus speaks of the end of the world in these terms. He compares God to a farmer bringing in his harvest of grain. The weeds that also grew in the field are gathered and burned. This is how God will “bring in” His children into His Kingdom, but those who commit injustice will be thrown into “the fiery furnace.”

In another parable, Jesus speaks of “unquenchable fire.” Revelation 21:8 mentions “the lake burning with fire and sulfur.” All these descriptions use fire as an image of pain and destruction.

What do these images evoke in you?