101-4. WHY is there a Lake of Fire? DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. 101-4. WHY is There a Lake of Fire? Chapter 4. Why did God PREPARE the everlasting fire FOR the Devil and his angels and NOT cast them in that lake of fire BEFORE He created man upon the earth? In other words, God prepared a lake of fire over 6,000 years ago to devour and destroy His ENEMIES, but something happened and God did NOT destroy Satan and the fallen angels. To say this another way, BEFORE God created MAN upon the earth, something happened that DELAYED or caused God to WAIT before carrying out His decision to CONSUME His enemies with fire and turn them to ashes. Before we get into answering the question of what happened that caused God to NOT destroy His enemies some 6,000 years ago, let us first take a look at a few Scriptures that teach us about the lake of fire that God prepared FOR Satan and the fallen angels. Please read Matthew 25:41. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, PREPARED FOR the devil and his angels:” So then, a little over 6,000 years ago, God prepared the lake of fire ONLY for Satan and the fallen angels. For you see, according to Psalm 8:1-6, Deuteronomy 4:32, and other passages of Scripture, God had not yet created MAN upon the earth. Remember in chapter 2 we learned from the two passages of Scripture above that the REASON God created MAN in the first place was to STILL His ENEMIES. So at FIRST, the lake of fire was ONLY intended for Satan and the fallen angels who waged a WAR against God. But then, Hell ENLARGED herself, according to Isaiah 5:11-14. In other words, God did not INTEND for Adam or MAN to fall short of the GLORY of God that He had prepared for MAN before He created man, according to Romans 9:23. But all of mankind has fallen short of the GLORY of God that He afore prepared for all men, because all men have sinned at one time or another in their life, according to Romans 3:23. But God knew His ENEMY and that Satan would interfere with God’s test by TEMPTING Adam and Eve to disobey God’s one commandment to not eat of the tree. So God made a PLAN of salvation in His mind BEFORE the foundation of the world. And God kept His plan of salvation a SECRET from His enemies. Please understand that the sound Biblical meaning of the phrase “the foundation of the world” does NOT mean at the beginning of creation in the eternity past. But rather, it means ANOTHER beginning that was needed BECAUSE OF God’s ENEMIES, according to Psalm 8:1-6 and Deuteronomy 4:32, which we covered in chapter 2. Now, for all of the Scriptures that teach us about the beginning in Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 are NOT the original beginning in the eternity past, please read the study called Q-5. What is the Foundation of the World? But for now, let us stay focused on the question “Why is there a lake of fire?” In Matthew 5:41 which we just read, the King James Version of the Bible says “everlasting fire”. So while it is true that the fire was prepared for an everlasting punishment that will not be QUENCHED, it is NOT true that the lake of fire will burn for all eternity future as some Christians claim. For you see, OTHER passages of Scripture teach us that the lake of fire is a DEVOURING fire that will CONSUME, destroy and turn the wicked into ASHES. And thus, the meaning of “everlasting” fire that will not be quenched simply means that God will NOT change His mind and the fire will last as long as it takes to destroy and devour all of His enemies. In other words, another way to “TRANSLATE” the Greek words that are translated as “forever and ever” is from an AGE to an AGE or from the end of one AGE to the beginning of the next AGE. Please read Revelation 14:9-11. “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If ANY man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10. The SAME (Speaking of ANY person whether they are a Christian, children of the DAY, or whether they are non-Christians, children of the NIGHT, who worship the beast or they are in the number of those in the name of the beast, they all) shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; (Or the punishment of Satan shall be poured out FIRST) and he (Or moreover, the beast himself, called Satan) shall be tormented with FIRE and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11. And the SMOKE of their torment (Speaking of ALL of the wicked) ascends up for ever and ever (Or more correctly, the smoke of their torment shall ascend up from an AGE to an AGE. In other words, from the END of the Millennial AGE of the reign of Jesus to the BEGINNING of the AGE of the new heavens and the new earth) and they have no rest, day nor night, (Or THEY, ANY person whether DAY, the children of the DAY or NIGHT, the children of the NIGHT) who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name.” Now, this interpretation of Satan being cast into the lake of fire FIRST agrees with Revelation 20:10 when it is translated correctly. For you see, according to the LITERAL translation, the last part of this verse beginning with the word “where” is a QUESTION. Let us read it from the KJV first and then I will explain what I mean. Revelation 20:10 from the KJV Bible. “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.” Now let us read the CONTEXT with the last half of verse 10 as a QUESTION asking WHERE are the others?
Revelation 20:10-15 when correctly translated. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. But WHERE are the beast and the false prophet are, and those who shall be tormented, they OF the DAY and they OF the NIGHT from AGE to AGE? 11. And I SAW (And then I PERCEIVED) 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 (And then I PERCEIVED) the dead, small and great, (Or those made a little LOWER that the angels and the high ones or the great ones, speaking of the fallen angels) STAND before God; (And then I understood WHERE all of the others are and why I only saw Satan cast into the lake of fire when heaven and earth passed away with a great noise and melted with fervent heat, according to 2 Peter 3:7-13. John perceived that they shall be RESURRECTED and snatched from the earth THROUGH the FIRE and they STAND before the JUDGMENT seat of Yahweh) and the books were opened: and ANOTHER book was opened, which is the book of life: (Speaking of a different book of life. For you see, the Lamb’s book of life was opened at the beginning of the 1000 year reign of Jesus at the FIRST resurrection of ONLY the dead in Jesus Christ at his coming. This is the resurrection of the REST of the dead) 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; (The sea can mean the literal sea and the oceans but it is also prophetic language for the WICKED) and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: (Keep in mind that there are good people in the grave who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. And thus, they could not go to be PRESENT with the Lord when they died) and they were judged, every man according to their works. 14. And death and hell (Symbolically speaking of the reason FOR death, namely all of the fallen angels and evil spirits of the demons from the previous age of the earth and the flood of Noah and after the flood of Noah. But it also means that there will be no more death in the new heaven and the new earth) 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.”
So now you know that the REASON for the lake of fire is to DESTROY Satan, the fallen angels, the souls of demons from the previous age of the earth, the souls of the giants, both before the flood of Noah and after the flood of Noah, and the REST of the UNWORTHY dead from Adam to that final WAR after the Millennial reign of Jesus. In other words, the ONLY reason for any human being to be cast into the lake of fire to be destroyed is that God has judged them to be UNWORTHY to receive eternal life because of the WICKED works. I have other more in-depth studies on why the lake of fire is NOT a so-called refining fire to save and purify Satan, the fallen angels and evil evil person that has ever lived as some Christians CLAIM. In other words, SOME Christians WRONGLY believe that EVERYONE including Satan and the fallen angel will be PURIFIED in the lake of fire as opposed to being DESTROYED and turned to ashes as the Bible ITSELF clearly teaches us. For those studies please see the subject heading >>>Bb-0. Will Everyone be Saved?<<< But for now, have you wondered WHY no books were opened to JUDGE Satan? We will cover that question in the next chapter called 101-5 HOW will God JUDGE Satan? And to find the links to all of the chapters of this book called G101-0 HOW to CORRECLY Study the Bible! Scroll down past the introduction and then click on the title of the chapter you want to read. Thanks for reading, and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the TRUTH of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. And to me, the truth concerning who Jesus TRULY is, according to the Bible ITSELF, is the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus. So, for ALL of the studies on the Biblical Unitarian view of Jesus, please click on the subject heading >>>D-0. THE BIBLICAL UNITARIAN VIEW of JESUS!<<< And for the SUBJECT on the true foundation of the church, please click on the subject heading >>>C-0. THE TRUE FOUNDATION OF THE CHURCH!<<< This way you can just send ONE link to those who you want to share the TRUE sound Biblical FOUNDATIONAL teachings of the church that Jesus and his Apostles taught in the first century church.
Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
To learn more TRUTH, then please return to
VERSES USED TO TEACH THAT JESUS PREEXISTED!
To me, the best way to know the ONE true God in ONE person is to know who Jesus TRULY is according to the WHOLE word of Almighty God. So please read ALL of the studies under the heading >>>N-0. WHO is JESUS ACCORDING to the BIBLE?<<< and you will see that the Bible itself teaches us that Jesus was CREATED by his God and Father. And if you have any questions related to the correct meaning of certain verses of Scripture on this subject of who Jesus is please read all the studies under the two headings >>>U-0. VERSES used for THE TRINITY!<<< and >>>V-0. VERSES used to TEACH that Jesus PRE-EXISTED!<<< These two headings have ALL of the studies that I have on who Jesus truly is according to what the Bible itself teaches us in simplicity. I compiled these three headings to make it easy for my readers to send just one, two, or three links to those you desire to help understand what the Bible itself teaches concerning who Jesus is in the LIGHT of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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