A.The lake of fire is a figure used in the book of Revelation to describe the second death.
1.The book of revelation is written in figures and signs that represent real persons, places, events, and things.The first verse of the book says that Christ "communicated” or "signified” these things to the apostle John through His angel.
2.With this in mind, let us read all of the passages where the figure of the lake of fire is found – Revelation 19:20; 20:10-15; 21:8.
3.In Revelation 20:14 and 21:8, the lake of fire is identified as the second death.
a.The first death is the separation of the body and the soul, but the second death is the eternal punishment for everyone who opposes God.
i.Hebrews 9:27 says that "it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.”All men are subject to the first death, but the judgment of God will determine who will suffer the second death and who will be spared (Rom. 2:5-10).
ii.Those who oppose God will be separated from Him and "tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).
b.The second death is also mentioned in Revelation 2:11 and 20:6, where the Scripture speaks of those who will escape the second death through Christ.(More on this below.)
B.Notice a few other passages where similar descriptions are given for the second death.These will help in understanding the figure of the lake of fire.
1.In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus described how that He will separate the blessed righteous from the accursed ones.The accursed ones, who failed to practice compassion toward Christ’s brothers (i.e., Christians, vv. 40, 45), will go away "into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41).
2.In Mark 9:43-49, Jesus showed that those who stumble (sin against God) will "go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (vv. 43-44).
a."Hell” in this verse is actually "Gehenna,” which was a valley near Jerusalem where Israel had committed some of their most atrocious acts of idolatry (2Chron. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 7:31; 32:35).By the first century, it was the place to dispose of all of the dead carcasses and filth of the city.Jesus used this place as a figure of the place of punishment.
b.Verses 44, 46, and 48 are quoted from the last verse in the book of Isaiah (66:24).
3.In 2Thessalonians 1:8-9, the apostle Paul described the destiny of "those who do not know God” and "do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” as "the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
II.WHO WILL BE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE?
A.First, notice that the entities represented by the figures of the beast and the false prophet have a place in the lake of fire.
1."And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.” (Rev. 19:20)
2.Interpretations of Revelation vary, but it is likely that the beast represents the Roman Empire (the beast of the sea – Rev. 13:1-10) and the false prophet represents false religion (the beast of the earth – Rev. 13:11-18).These are cast into the lake of fire.
B.Next, notice that the devil, death, and Hades also have a place in the lake of fire.
1."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. 20:10)
a.The devil is not a figure here, but he literally is the devil (his figure in this book is the dragon, see Rev. 12:9).He also will be cast into the lake of fire.
b.Compare this to "the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” from Matthew 25:41.
2."Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:14)
a.Death (i.e., first death, or separation of the body and soul) will be destroyed.Death is the power of Satan, and it will be taken away from him forever (1Cor. 15:54-56; Heb. 2:14).
b.Hades, which is the grave or the dwelling place of departed souls, will also be destroyed.The resurrection will render Hades obsolete (John 5:28-29).
C.Finally, notice that certain persons, men and women, will have a place in the lake of fire.
1."And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:15)
2."But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21:8)
III.CONCLUSION – HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE THE LAKE OF FIRE?
A.To escape from the lake of fire, our names must be written in the Lamb’s book of life.
1.The book of life is the Lord’s record of righteous persons (Ps. 69:28; Rev. 13:8).
2.The scene recorded in Revelation 20:11-15 reveals how Christ will judge all of the dead.
a.All will be raised to stand before Christ’s throne in judgment (2Cor. 5:10).
b.Books will be opened, which symbolizes the records of every man’s deeds.The dead will judged according to these.
c.The book of life will also be opened, and those whose names are not found in it will be thrown into the lake of fire with the beast, the false prophet, the devil, death, and Hades.
3.Those whose names are written in the book of life are protected, and the second death has no power over them (Rev. 2:11; 20:6).
4.Moreover, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will have a place in the New Jerusalem, which is a symbol of the eternal dwelling place of Christ and His people (Rev. 21:27).
B.In order for our names to be written in the book of life, we must obtain righteousness through Jesus Christ.
1.Christ is the keeper of the book of life, and He confesses the names of those written in His book before the Father (Rev. 3:5).
a.Notice that He also erases names from the book (see also Ps. 69:28).
b.Compare this to what Jesus said in Matthew 10:32 – "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.”
2.In the passages we have noticed in this lesson, we know that to have our names recorded in the Lamb’s book of life, we must:
a.Confess Christ before men (Matt. 10:32);
b.Know God and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ (2Thess. 1:8-9);
c.Overcome the trials of the world (Rev. 2:11; 3:5)
d.Do good deeds (Rom. 2:5-10; compare to Phil. 4:3);
e.Not be such persons as are described in Revelation 21:8.
3.Notice that whether we will have our names written in the book of life is now a matter of our deeds.Christ has made it possible for us to become righteous by His gracious sacrifice, and He will keep the names of those who practice good works of faith and righteousness according to His gospel.
C.Therefore, there are only two options for all of us: to have our names written in Christ’s book of life, or to be destined for the lake of fire.Which option will you choose?
