The Bible book of Revelation often mentions a "lake of fire." We read, for example, of a symbolic "beast" and a "false prophet": "During their lives they were both cast into the lake of fire burning with sulfur." (Revelation 19:20) The next chapter adds to the thought of torment and says: “And the devil. . . he was thrown into the lake by fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet were already; and they will be tormented day and night forever. "Revelation 20:10.
Many believe that this refers to true conscious torment forever in true fire. However, the book of Revelation contains many "signs" or symbols. Is the lake of fire and its torments symbolic? There is enough information in the Bible to draw the right conclusions. I like? 'Or what?
The book of Revelation defines the lake of fire and says: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. It means the second death, the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14; compare 21: 8). In what sense is death called a "second"?
Scripture says, "It is for man to die once for all, but after this judgment." This death "once for all" is due to sin inherited from Adam. The second death, however, is different. In what direction
According to the Bible, the Atonement of Jesus Christ allows for the "resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous." (Acts 24:15). The Bible foretells that those returning from the dead during Christ's millennial reign will experience a period of "judgment" that will enable them to have eternal life. and stay away from your old bad habits.
What about those who do not repent of their sins against God and who do not want to live up to God's righteous standards? Revelation 20:15 says that "those who were not found in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire," which is the "second death." What does it mean?
Obviously, it means death forever without hope of resurrection. Because it lasts forever, this death is different from the one that Adam brought to all his descendants. It is a second type of death, properly called "second death."
Those who suffer a second death may not be aware of any literal torment in the real fire. The Bible assures us that the dead are "at rest," "know nothing." (Job 3:13; Ecclesiastes 9: 5; John 11: 11-14). So how are we to understand the biblical references to eternal torment?
The word of God first mentions fire and brimstone in connection with the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah. Interestingly, the biblical writer Judas explains: “Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them. . . they are presented to us as an example of warning before the court of punishment for eternal fire. But what really happened to these cities? Jesus himself said, "On the day Lot came from Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all." For the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, fire and brimstone meant death. The true literal fire stopped burning thousands of years ago. But the destruction and devastation of cities continues today.
In the same language, the prophet Isaiah announced the fall of Edom: “His rivers must be turned into pitch and his dust into sulfur; and your earth becomes hot tar. He does not go out day or night; Its smoke will continue to rise indefinitely. It will dry up from generation to generation; No one will ever cross it forever. (Isaiah 34: 5, 9, 10) However, according to the same prophecy, the wild creatures of the desert would take their place in the ruined land. Indeed, the fire, the smoke of which continues to rise indefinitely, cannot be literal. Instead, it represents the total and permanent destruction of prosperous Edom.
When it comes to agony, it should not be taken literally as a conscious experience of suffering. In the Greek version of the Septuagint of the Hebrew Scriptures, the word torment (basanos) is used repeatedly to denote death. We read, for example: "And if the righteous depart from his righteousness and commit injustice, and I bring retribution [basanos, literally 'torment'] before him, he shall die." God later said to Ezekiel, “All who fell by the sword are dead. . . He received his sentence [Basanos] "and that the people" who come down kill Hades. . . he received his sentence [basanos]. Bagster's translation of the Septuagint in English adds a footnote to Ezekiel 3:20 and says, "Based on the Old Testament, this appears to involve punishment." And the punishment or torment mentioned in the Scriptures that Ezekiel quotes here is clearly death.
Other references to the biblical meaning of torment are the statements in Revelation about the symbolism of “Babylon the Great”. We read: "And I heard another voice from heaven". . . While she [Babylon the Great] gloried and lived in shameless luxury, you grant her the degree of agony and pain. . . . And the kings of the earth. . . They will cry and cry as they watch the smoke burn as they stand a distance away in fear of their torment. '”(Revelation 17: 1-5; 18: 4, 7, 9, 10) What is the significance of Babylon's great torment of fire? An angel declares: "With quick liberation Babylon the great city will be overthrown and never found." Again, the fiery plague relates to destruction and death and in the case of Babylon lasts forever.
What does our research show on the lake of fire? We have learned that in the case of Sodom, Gomorrah and Edom, the “eternal fire” was a symbol, that is, the total destruction of these cities. "Torment" is also found in the Bible in connection with destruction and death. Since the Bible states that the lake of fire "means the second death" and the dead "know absolutely nothing", it is clear that being tormented forever in the lake of fire must be symbolic. It means complete and eternal destruction for all repentant adversaries of God who are “cast” upon.
