by Michael G. Mickey
(5-21-09)

The following is an excerpt from an e-mail I received yesterday from someone looking to help me along with my understanding of God's Word and what God's judgment of those who reject Him is going to consist of (emphasis added mine):

Don’t let Satan fool you. Do a search on the internet for either lake of fire or second death and look at other peoples’ opinions on it and you will see that the Philosophy of hell is not popular any more.

Wisdom is to know that you do not know anything at all. Therefore, you will be open to other peoples’ ideas and consider them. When you think you know then you are far from the truth.

Leave it to me, of all people, to speak of something unpopular by today's standards - something that has to do with God's judgment no less! That's a first, right? Well, no. Not so much.

Before I get into the meat of this issue, the reality of hell and the eternal suffering of those who are going to end up in the lake of fire as foretold in the Bible, I want to remind everyone of Ron Graham's recent commentary in which he discussed how critical of Bible-believing Christians other Christians can be and how there is a growing tide of hatred coming from within our own ranks directed at those of us trying to hold onto doctrinal truths that have only recently come under attack, hell being a prime example.

The individual who wrote to me said "wisdom is to know that you do not know anything at all." How do you counter an argument like that? I responded like this:

Maybe you are far from the truth, ______. In fact, you are. Not only that, I wouldn't give two nickels for what is popular concerning God's Word. What isn't popular with me is heresy. There's a lot of that going around these days, you know!

This brought me what is now considered by me to be a typical response: I wasn't humble enough in my response to this sister's initial e-mail.

Concerning my perceived harsh rebuke, what could I say to the sister but what I did after her second e-mail to me?

If you don't like the heat, stay out of the kitchen I always say. The same applies to hell which you would know if you spent more time reading your BIBLE instead of what is popular.

For those of you who don't know me well, I can be a bit stern at times, especially when I'm dealing with Christians trying to feed me a diet of the garbage being spued from the pulpits of many churches here in these end times - the ones that 10,000 people go to on Sunday mornings to get their ears tickled while the God-fearing Bible-preaching pastor down the street who is actually trying to feed his flock some truth (and save some souls from landing in the eternal lake of fire) can barely fill his pews on Sunday morning because he isn't preaching what is popular! Unless my memory is failing me, Jesus Christ's teachings weren't very popular in His day nor were John the Baptist's, the Apostles' or anyone else who has held the line on God's Word throughout the ages!

Illogical Logic

Wisdom is to know that you do not know anything at all.

Pretty much, if we applied this standard to everything we read in the Bible, absolutely nothing we could learn from studying scripture would have any lasting value. Why? Because the only way to be wise is to be 100% clueless and, therefore, wide open to receiving as truth anything being taught about God's Word that is "popular."

Reinforcing the notion that the only way to know anything about God one has to be an empty sponge, the author of the e-mail wrote in the same paragraph: "When you think you know, then you are far from the truth." In other words, once again, don't think you actually know something or anything about God. Why? Because, when you do, you are are wrong! When we seek to understand God's Word, we need to do a search on the internet and see what others are saying about God that is popular and, subsequently, wrap ourselves around those ideas because they're the best path to truth, right? Illogical logic! Amen?

Christians, pick up your Bibles!

Christians, if you want to know something about God? Instead of doing a search on the internet to see what is popular and basing your doctrinal beliefs based on those findings, how about picking up your bible and doing a search of it? If you want to read some commentaries on a given topic written by people you trust, there's nothing wrong with that, but the foundation of your beliefs had better be grounded in God's Word!

2nd Timothy 2:15: Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

About Hell, Eternal Damnation

In fairness to the sister who wrote to me encouraging me to consider that hell is not eternal in nature but a literal execution unto eternal death by fire, she isn't the first person I know, some of whom I generally agree with on everything doctrinally, to put that theory forth to me. No matter how many times I hear it nor from whom, I can't buy it. Why? Because of Scripture!

Luke 16:19-31:

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence.

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:

For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

What the passage above shows us is that those who have died lost in their sins are in hell today, consciously aware of their surroundings, how they arrived there, suffering immensely and even wishing that someone would reach those they love and warn them to avoid their horrific fate!

The argument some make, as did the e-mail author yesterday, is that hell (Hades) is going to be cast into the lake of fire, as recorded in Revelation 20:14, and this will be the end of any long-term suffering on the part of those damned by their rebellion against God. But does the lake of fire promise its inhabitants a quick but painful death or something far more ominous? That is the question and scripture gives us what I believe to be a clear, bulletproof answer.

Immediately after the visible, physical, bodily return of Jesus Christ at Armageddon, the lake of fire will receive its first two inhabitants, the Antichrist (referred to as the beast) and False Prophet.

Revelation 19:20: And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

In they go and shortly after 1,000 years later? Satan becomes the third permanent guest in the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:10: 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.

Note that the beast (Antichrist) and False Prophet are there when Satan joins them. They're there in the present tense and all three of them shall be tormented forever and ever and ever and ever! Eternally! This passage is corroborative of 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,

The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

Here we see that those who accept the Antichrist's mark of the beast are going into the lake of fire to be tormented. How long are these rebellious souls going to be tormented? Again, the answer is forever and ever! All eternity! They will not be given so much as a coffee break according to Revelation 14:11. They will have no rest day nor night! The smoke rising from the lake of fire will be tainted with their torment, the flames of hell having literally licked their undying souls!

Lastly, after appearing at the Great White Throne Judgment, all those who have chosen to live their lives wickedly, in rebellion to God, are going to be cast into the lake of fire as well.

Revelation 20:15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Bottom line? Hell is open for business right now and if you leave this world without Jesus Christ? You're going directly there with nothing better to look forward to in the future. The lake of fire hasn't started receiving its guests yet but soon will, in my humble opinion. Thus the need to take the issue of one's salvation seriously in this present time, right here and now!

That's still not popular, Mike!

Guess what? This has never been about winning a popularity contest for me. Because I believe God's Word exactly as it is written and I am seeing evidence that time is running out for unrepentant mankind to come to faith in Christ this side of the rapture of the Church, I'd rather be truthful, even to the point of scaring people somewhat, than to be popular in the eyes of anyone!

If one soul - just one solitary soul - absorbs what I'm saying here and becomes convicted enough to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and that effort saves someone - anyone - the Lord loves from hell, it will glorify Christ and He is the One I'd most enjoy being popular in the eyes of. Being popular with anyone else? I can take it or leave it, quite frankly.

NO APOLOGIES

I would say I'm sorry if this commentary has offended anyone, but I'm not. That's the mentality that keeps me from being popular with the world, apostates, heretics, etc., but it's what is necessary today to reach people whose only knowledge of the Bible is something popular they read which, ironically, is popular because it is a departure from the truth - an easy way out if you will.

The desires of the flesh are powerful - so powerful that many, even so-called Christians, probably wouldn't mind being cast into the lake of fire if the process went something like this:

1. Intense heat.
2. Scream.
3. POOF!
4. Up in smoke!
5. Dead forever.

That's not how it's going to go, people! Who says that? God says that! Deal with it already, will you?

Scared?

If you're reading this and you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you're probably feeling a little spooked right now. If so, rejoice in that as a fearful respect of the Almighty is a God-given gift!

Psalm 111:10: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Don't be afraid of hell. It is 100% avoidable through faith in Jesus Christ and the benefits of a relationship with Him? Let's just say they are SWEET!

1st Corinthians 2:9: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Choose Jesus Christ today; sleep better tonight!