31-Questions on the Destruction of the Wicked - NKJ

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 the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and _delivered_ them into chains of darkness, to be reserved 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 went up on the breadth of the earth and _surrounded_ the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and _devoured_ them.

4. The Wicked Will Be Totally Consumed. They Shall Be Cut Off From the Earth.
Proverbs 10:25 When the whirlwind passes by, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an _everlasting_ _foundation_.

Psalms 37:10-11 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more. [11] But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall _delight_ themselves in the _abundance_ of peace.

Psalms 37:20 But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the Lord, Like the _splendor_ of the _meadows_, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away.

Psalms 37:34 Wait on the Lord, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to _inherit_ the land; When the _wicked_ are cut off, you shall see it.

5. The Wicked Will Be Consumed to Ashes.
Malachi 4:1 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do _wickedly_ will be _stubble_. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the Lord of hosts, "That will leave them _neither_ root nor branch.

Malachi 4:3 You shall _trample_ the _wicked_, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the Lord of hosts.

6. This Final Destruction of the Wicked Will Occur After the Thousand Year Millennium.
Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were _finished_. 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 marvel at this; for the hour is _coming_ in which all who are in the _graves_ will hear His voice [29] and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of _condemnation_.

8. Doesn't the Bible Say That the Wicked Will Burn Forever?
Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and _brimstone_ where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be _tormented_ day and night forever and ever.

9. The Old Age of Sin and Death Ends. God Ushers in a New Age.
Revelation 21:1-4 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. [2] Then I, John, saw the holy city, New _Jerusalem_, coming down out of heaven from God, _prepared_ as a bride adorned for her _husband_. [3] And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the _tabernacle_ of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God _Himself_ will be with them and be their God. [4] And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the _former_ _things_ have 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 shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the _doorpost_, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him _forever_.

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 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her _husband_, Not until the child is weaned; then I will take him, that he may appear before the LORD and remain there _forever_.

1 Samuel 1:28 Therefore I also have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives he _shall_ be lent to the LORD. So they _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 I went down to the _moorings_ of the _mountains_; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life 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 And these will go away into _everlasting_ _punishment_, but the righteous into 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 As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given _themselves_ over to sexual _immorality_ and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

2 Peter 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to _destruction_, making them an example to those who _afterward_ would live 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 into life maimed, _rather_ than _having_ two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched--

Mark 9:48 Where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not _quenched_.'

Jeremiah 17:27 But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not _carrying_ a burden when _entering_ the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be _quenched_." ' "

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

c:\a-\bibsty\_redo_st\updatefi\k_31_nk.htm