Thoughts on the Lake of Fire

Here is something to think about: "Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:14-15).

These verses tell us at least two important facts. The first fact is that death and the grave will be abolished. The second fact is that those who do not trust in Christ for salvation will be thrown into the lake of fire.

The first fact should bring us some relief. The destruction of death occurred nearly 2000 years ago when Christ yielded up his life as an atonement for sin and rose from the dead three days later. This fact doesn't seem to be the reality, because we are living in the time of the already/not yet. Death is already defeated, but we have not yet seen the end of death. Likewise, Jesus is already King of kings and Lord of lords, although we have not seen him come in glory to usher in the kingdom.

The second fact should make us anxious. It should drive us to heed the apostolic warnings to make our calling and election sure. That is, it should make us examine our lives to see if there is fruit of repentance and faithful obedience. We can have confidence that our names are in the Lamb's book of life, if we see the qualities and characteristics of the Lamb in our life (see Gal. 5:22-23). The fact that the second death is waiting for those who do not know Jesus should prompt us to share the gospel with everyone we meet. We as individuals cannot evangelize the world, but if we were all sharing the gospel at every opportunity it is likely we would see more people responding in repentance and faith.

We should be careful not to numb ourselves to the reality of the fiery lake. The second death is not described as annihilation, but as everlasting destruction. The lake of fire is presented as a place of eternal suffering, shame, and torment. It is a place where billions will spend eternity. We should rest until we have at least tried to reach as many people as God has providentially guided our way. We should pray for boldness, clarity, and opportunity in sharing the gospel. We should pray that the Lord would prepare the hearts of those around us, that he would permit us to plant the seeds of gospel, that he would allow others to water, and ultimately, that he would bring the increase. Then after we have prayed, we need to go out and compel them to turn from sin to the living God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.