31-Questions on the Destruction of the Wicked - NIV

1. Is Hell a Hot Spot Burning in the Center of the Earth? The Wicked Are Reserved Unto to Judgment.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy _dungeons_ to be held for _judgment_;

2. Our God Is a Consuming Fire to Sin, Wherever It Is Found.
Hebrews 12:29 For our "_God_ is a consuming _fire_."

3. The Fires of Hell Originate From Heaven at the End of Time. Not As Some Hot Spot in the Earth.
Revelation 20:9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and _surrounded_ the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and _devoured_ them.

4. The Wicked Will Be Totally Consumed. They Shall Be Cut Off From the Earth.
Proverbs 10:25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the _righteous_ stand firm _forever_.

Psalms 37:10-11 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; _though_ you look for them, they will not be found. [11] But the meek will _inherit_ the land and enjoy great peace.

Psalms 37:20 But the wicked will perish: The LORD's _enemies_ will be like the beauty of the _fields_, they will vanish--vanish like smoke.

Psalms 37:34 Wait for the LORD and keep his way. He will exalt you to _inherit_ the land; when the _wicked_ are cut off, you will see it.

5. The Wicked Will Be Consumed to Ashes.
Malachi 4:1 "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the _arrogant_ and every _evildoer_ will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire," says the LORD _Almighty_. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

Malachi 4:3 Then you will _trample_ down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the LORD _Almighty_.

6. This Final Destruction of the Wicked Will Occur After the Thousand Year Millennium.
Revelation 20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the _thousand_ years were ended.) This is the first _resurrection_.

7. This Final Destruction of the Wicked Will Occur After the Resurrection of Damnation.
John 5:28-29 "Do not be amazed at this, for a time is _coming_ when all who are in their _graves_ will hear his voice [29] and come out--those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be _condemned_.

8. Doesn't the Bible Say That the Wicked Will Burn Forever?
Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who _deceived_ them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be _tormented_ day and night for ever and ever.

9. The Old Age of Sin and Death Ends. God Ushers in a New Age.
Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. [2] I saw the Holy City, the new _Jerusalem_, coming down out of heaven from God, _prepared_ as a bride beautifully _dressed_ for her _husband_. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the _dwelling_ of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God _himself_ will be with them and be their God. [4] He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or _mourning_ or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

10. Let's Take a Look at How the Bible Has Treated the Concept of Forever. In the Old Testament, a Slave Was to Serve His Master Forever.
Exodus 21:6 Then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the _doorpost_ and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his _servant_ for life.

Forever in the Bible can be literally translated "until the end of the age" or as long as he shall live.

 11. Hannah Brought Her Son Samuel to the Temple Forever.
1 Samuel 1:22 Hannah did not go. She said to her _husband_, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and _present_ him before the LORD, and he will live there always."

1 Samuel 1:28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he _worshiped_ the LORD _there_.

In both of these instances the time period was as long as they lived. 1 Samuel 1:28 clearly states, "as long as he lives he shall be lent to the Lord. ".

 12. Jonah Even Uses the Expression "Forever" to Describe His Experience in the Belly of the Fish.
Jonah 2:6 To the roots of the _mountains_ I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you _brought_ my life up from the pit, O LORD my God.

"Forever" was a limited time and not an unending time. It was for as long as the Lord decreed, until the end of the age or as long as Jonah could live in that environment.

 13. The Punishment of the Wicked Will Be Everlasting.
Matthew 25:46 "Then they will go away to eternal _punishment_, but the _righteous_ to eternal life."

They will be consumed. Burned to ashes, they will be gone forever. It is not everlasting "punishing" or a continued state of torment. The idea of an eternally burning hell would make God a cosmic monster delighting in destroying His creatures.

A loving God must blot sin out of the universe lest it destroy our earth. Like a cancer surgeon, He must cut out the disease, however painful. Then it will be removed-gone forever.

 14. What About the Expression "Eternal Fire?".
Jude 1:7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the _surrounding_ towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the _punishment_ of eternal fire.

2 Peter 2:6 If he _condemned_ the cities of Sodom and _Gomorrah_ by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;

Sodem and Gomorrah, two ancient cities, filled with sin were consumed with fire from heaven. The Bible states that they were burned with eternal fire, which means the fire burned until there was nothing more to burn. It did not go out until it had finished its work.

They are not burning today. These two cities are in ruins under the Dead Sea.

 15. Doesn't the Bible Speak About the Fire Which Cannot Be Quenched?
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is _better_ for you to enter life _maimed_ than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.

Mark 9:48 Where " 'their worm does not die, and the _fire_ is not _quenched_.'

Jeremiah 17:27 But if you do not obey me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not _carrying_ any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an _unquenchable_ fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her _fortresses_.' "

The fire which cannot be quenched is one which no human hand can put out. It utterly, totally consumes. As a result of the Jews disobedience, Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 568 BC The city was burned with unquenchable fire. You may read the prophecy of the destruction.

And yet, Jerusalem is not burning today. The fire did a complete work.

Next Bible Study: 32-The Mark of the Beast

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