23. Execution and the Fire

LONNIE: Welcome to Exploring the Word.

JEANNIE: We’re glad you’ve joined us for a deeper look at the riches of the Bible. I promise you’re in for a fascinating study today.

LONNIE: It’s a topic that has perplexed people for thousands of years.

JEANNIE: We start off with a question that comes actually from a friend of ours, a woman named Marilyn. This is something that bothered her for a long time. “All my life I’ve been taught that the wicked are going to burn forever in hell. It always seemed incredible that God would be capable of doing something like that. I just tried not to think about it. Does the Bible really teach something like eternal torment?”

LONNIE: Hmm. What does the Bible say about hell?

JEANNIE: I know of people who just can’t get past this idea of human beings tortured forever and ever. They can’t bring themselves to believe in a God who would do that.

LONNIE: And yet there are texts in the Bible that seem to picture eternal punishment.

JEANNIE: So a lot of Christians just say, “Well I don’t understand it, but I’ll just have to trust God.”

LONNIE: If ever there was a controversial subject, it’s this one. So I think it would be good if we look a little more carefully at what God actually said on the subject. Maybe we can get a clearer picture. And I hope some of the texts you read—from last week’s homework assignment—have started you thinking about the bigger picture. Also, for additional information on this important subject, look at our Discover Bible Guide number 23, “What and Where Is Hell?”

Let’s first think about this. Have you ever considered the idea of hell in the light of the death penalty?

That’s another controversial subject. What should we do about the worst criminals among us? Some people view the electric chair as a horrible pagan ritual. Others see it as simple justice. But you know, in all the debate about people on death row, no one ever suggests that the condemned be tortured. Even the most vocal supporters of the death penalty don’t insist that those on death row die in agony.

They didn’t insist on that fate for Gary Gilmore. He was the first man scheduled to be executed in 1976—after the death penalty had been suspended for almost a decade. Gilmore had murdered two people in Utah in cold blood. Many Americans believed this was one man who deserved to die. But much of the discussion was about the most humane way to execute criminals. Was death by lethal injection the quickest method? Or was a firing squad actually more painless?

Even those who believed passionately that Gilmore had to be executed, didn’t campaign for some form of torture. No one suggested that the worst of criminals be slowly burned, certainly not burned forever.

However, many people do assume that God will do exactly that. The wicked, they say, must be tortured in order to pay for their sins. And furthermore, God's execution ground is pictured as a place of endless torment, a place where the agonies of the damned go on forever.

People affirm this not because they’re heartless, but because they believe that’s what the Bible teaches. Eternal torment, they've been told, is one of the basic doctrines of the Bible.

Well, let’s take a careful look at the evidence. Open your Bible. Turn to the book of Revelation. And get ready for some surprises.

The book of Revelation pictures scenes in the end times for us. And so that’s where we begin our look at what Scripture has to say about hell. And, to be honest, we do find texts that seem to support the idea of eternal torment.

The picture these texts paint in Revelation seems inescapable. Revelation 20:10 shows us eternal punishment.

And then Revelation 14:11 with its smoke of torment rising forever.

So naturally, many have concluded that this is Scripture's final word on the subject.

Take a look at something in the book of Jude. That’s a short letter right before Revelation. This is what we find in Jude verse seven. Jude refers to two cities. What are they? Sodom and Gomorrah. These were very wicked, immoral places. And so what happened to them? Look at the end of the verse. “Suffering the vengeance of eternal fire,” or the “punishment of eternal fire.”
They serve as examples of that everlasting fire. Look at verse six. The subject is the judgment, everlasting chains.

OK, the problem is this: Sodom and Gomorrah are not still burning. Those fires went out a long time ago. The cities were consumed. So in what sense is this “eternal fire?” It’s eternal fire in the sense that the results are permanent; the results are forever. Eternal fire burns everything up; it consumes; nothing’s left.

You know, the book of Hebrews speaks of "eternal redemption" and "eternal judgment." Now we know that the act of redemption takes place at one specific time. And we know that the judgment takes place at one specific time; it won't go on forever. These two things are not in themselves eternal. But the results of redemption and judgment will be everlasting.

In the same way, punishment that results in death, the "second death," can be called eternal. Its consequences are eternal.

So, here in Jude 7 we see a clear example that something called “eternal fire” actually consumes. Burns up completely.

Now what about that smoke of torment rising forever? The idea seems horrible. But many people, to be loyal to the Bible, conclude they have to accept it.

Well, yes, let’s be loyal to the Bible. Let’s be loyal by looking at more of the evidence.

The word destruction or perdition in Philippians 3:19 is a translation of the Greek world apoleia. And it doesn’t mean just being lost. It means literal destruction. Apoleia is in fact the strongest word that could be used to mean utter loss of existence.

Let me show you another verse where this same Greek word is used. The Apostle Peter gives us this striking picture in 2 Peter 3:7:

“But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”

So here we have a clear picture of the fire in the day of judgment as something that leads to destruction.

Jesus Himself used the same word in describing the fate of the wicked. Look at Matthew 7:13:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction . . .”

What’s the fate of the wicked? Destruction. Apoleia. That’s the testimony of the Bible. I believe it’s the dominant picture of the destiny of the wicked in Scripture: death. Prophets and apostles unite in making the picture forceful. The wicked, they all affirm, will die, perish, be burnt up, utterly consumed, become ashes, become as if they had never existed.

But, how do we reconcile this idea with those texts in Revelation? What about that smoke of torment rising up forever and ever? Isn’t there going to be “weeping and gnashing of teeth?” .

God does not need to torture the wicked eternally in order to punish them adequately. They’re going to miss out—forever and ever.

Missing out on the wonder of eternal life. That's the great tragedy. That's the agony of hell.

Now let me say this. I believe that hell is going to be very real. It's not just some psychological state. The Bible describes very real flames at the end of the world. But it also describes a very real death of the wicked. I believe that’s what we must conclude when we put all the Scripture texts together.

And here’s a very important reason why. There is a difference between literal texts and symbolic texts.

Let’s think about the texts we’ve studied. Where do the pictures of eternal fire and torment come from? The book of Revelation. Now Revelation uses quite a bit of symbolic language. Revelation has many symbolic images.

It’s a beast and a dragon and a false prophet who suffer in the lake of fire. No Bible scholars take those literally. Nobody believes that a real beast or a real dragon is going to be attacking God’s people in the end times. These are obviously symbols of evil people or evil forces.

Now look at the other texts on the other side. The texts that talk about destruction and death as the fate of the wicked. They are found in the letters or gospels of the New Testament. What’s that? Straightforward teaching. This is literal language.

When Jesus says, “Love one another,” he means “Love one another.” He’s not talking about something else.

So, there is one very basic rule of biblical interpretation: literal passages tell you what symbolic passages mean. You always use the literal to interpret the symbolic. Never the other way around. In other words, you establish doctrine on straightforward statements, not on symbols.

But, when it comes to hell, people have reversed the process. They use the pictures of eternal torment in Revelation, a book that uses many symbols, to interpret these literal statements. And they say destruction doesn’t really mean destruction, death doesn’t really mean death. What it actually refers to is eternal existence in hell.

That just doesn’t make sense. It’s not sound biblical interpretation. If you’re being fair with Scripture then you take literal statements---the wicked die, perish, are destroyed—and you use them to tell you what the lake of fire is all about.

That’s why we can conclude that the lake of fire ends in death. That’s why we can say that the weeping and gnashing of teeth are very real---but they don’t go on forever. The results of the fire are eternal. That smoke of torment goes up forever and ever in the sense that the result of the eternal fire, the second death, goes on forever and ever. The wicked are never coming back. There are no more chances.

The flames that consume the wicked are designed to remove evil from the universe, not preserve it forever. We will see an end to all suffering. Every tear will be wiped away. That’s the purpose of our Father who is in Heaven. That’s consistent with His character.

JEANNIE: Lonnie, it sure has helped me to know what the Bible teaches about the fate of the wicked. It makes so much more sense than some of the popular ideas about hell out there.

LONNIE: And it’s a lot more consistent with what the Bible emphasizes about God’s character: His justice, His compassion.

JEANNIE: But still, that lake of fire is a pretty sobering idea. And it is about eternal destiny. Eternal death vs. everlasting life with Jesus. So even if we do believe that the wicked are going to perish in hell, it’s a huge issue for all of us.

LONNIE: It is a huge issue which no one can afford to take lightly. The Bible paints a very fearful picture of this unquenchable fire precisely because the sense of loss will be incredibly intense. It’s a warning of a great tragedy, the greatest tragedy imaginable: missing out on eternal life with God.

Gary Gilmore endured several nightmares during the sleepless nights before his execution. He reported being haunted by demons "whispering vile things." "They bite and claw, scratch and screech," he said. When asked about death and the afterlife, this tormented man replied with these chilling words: "I don't want to come back."

I don't want to come back. The tragedy of a life that missed out. The tragedy of a man who could no longer bear the dark, and who couldn't turn toward any light.

Friends, please don't become a part of that tragedy. Please don't miss out. Eternal life with God is waiting. Life in its original abundance is waiting. Joys that we haven't even imagined wait for us.

Don't get caught out in the dark, out there where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. How terribly tragic to find, at the end, that we've missed it all, that eternal life has passed us by. I can imagine no greater pain than that.

But it need not be. No, not for anyone. Each of us is invited inside, inside that wedding banquet, that wonderful celebration. All we have to do is place our faith in Christ as Savior and entrust our lives into His hands. Jesus has promised to keep us on the inside, in the light. In a relationship with Him, we need never fear that terrible dark on the outside.

Let's pray.

Dear Father, thank You for telling us about the eternal life at the end of the world. Sometimes it's hard for us to really see what we're missing. But You've made the pain of losing eternal life very graphic, very clear in Scripture. So we want to keep our lives in the palm of Your hand. We want to follow Your lead in all things. We trust You to keep us safe. And we rejoice in the wonderful hope of spending eternity with You. In the name of Jesus, amen.

JEANNIE: Next week Lonnie will be sharing a wonderful message of comfort—especially for those who have lost loved ones. What can we know about life beyond the grave? And to get you ready, we have a little assignment.

LONNIE: We’d like you to read the story of Lazarus found in John chapter 11. It’s the story about what Jesus did when a dear friend died. And I’d like you to see if you can find any clues about the state of an individual after death, from this story.

JEANNIE: So remember, John chapter 11 for our next program.

LONNIE: Until then, God bless you and yours. Never stop exploring the Word. And remember, God really does love you.