Memory verse: “…Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41

     1. Does the Bible tell us, we can have eternal life? Matthew 19:16 “And, behold, one came and said unto Him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have __________ ____________?” Does it say anything about eternal torment? No, the word eternal torment is not found in The Bible.

     Let’s look at some text that speaks of eternal fire. Jude 7. “Even as _________ and _________, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of _______ __________.” The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire from God. Destroyed eternally never to be rebuilt. God said they would be no more. Genesis 19:24; 2 Peter 2:6. The wicked will be destroyed eternally never to be again. We read the wages of sin is eternal death, not eternal life anywhere.

2. What did the prophet Jeremiah say about Jerusalem, if they did not obey and keep The Sabbath? Jeremiah 17:27 “But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow The Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall _____________ the places of  Jerusalem, and it shall ________ be _________.” We know this happened in 70 A.D. Is Jerusalem still burning today? No, it was burned with a fire that could not be quenched; it devoured the city and then went out. But it was a fire that could not be put out until all was burned. This was an unquenchable fire, but it is not burning today. Read more about Jerusalem destruction in 2 Chronicles 36:19-21.

3. What is the wages of sin? Romans 6:23 “For the wages of _________ is ___________; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” If we sin The Bible says we will see death. We can not be dead and living somewhere at the same time. We can not be dead and alive in Hell at the same time. Eternal death comes to all sinners which do not repent. This is called the second death.

4. But we can have eternal life, how? 1 John 5:11, 12 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us __________ __________, and this _______ is in His ____________.” Our life comes from knowing The Son of God (Jesus). Only in Christ is there eternal life.

5. What happens to the wicked at the end of this world? Revelation 20:9, 10. “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: And __________ ___________ ________ from ___________ out of heaven, and _____________ ____________. And The Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be ____________ ____________ and ______________ for ___________ and ____________.” We see in verse 9 they will be devoured. What does the word devour mean? Devour = To destroy, consume, or waste: Flames devoured the structure in minutes. [From Latin devorare: De- + Vorare, To swallow.] Quick shelf dictionary

When something is gone what is left. If you had a cake and ate the whole thing, crumbs and all, you have devoured it. Nothing is left. So with the wicked there will be only ashes left. We will come back to verse 10 later.

6. What does Malachi says is left of the wicked? Malachi 4:1, 3 “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall ___________ as an ___________; and all the proud, yea, and all that do ___________, shall be ____________: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall _______ them neither __________ nor __________. Verse 3, “And ye shall ___________ ___________ the _________; for they shall be _____________ under the soles of _________ _________ in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.”

7. Now lets get back to Revelation 20:10 “And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Where it says they were tormented for ever and ever. What does that mean? We must look at how the word forever is used in the Bible. We will look at some examples.

      A. 1 Samuel 1:22, 28 (Read these texts) Hanna took her child to work in the temple for the Lord. In verse 22 how long was Samuel to abide there? F________________. Is Samuel still there today? No, the temple is not there today. But Verse 28 says she lent him to the Lord as long s he liveth, which could only mean his lifetime.

      B. Let’s look at Jonah 2:6. “I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was _________ _________ ________ ___________: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God.” Here it means only three days. The usage of the word “Forever” relates to indefinite period of time limited or unlimited. To Jonah it was as if it was forever in the belly of the fish.

      C. Exodus 21:6 “Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall ___________ him __________ ___________.” This was talking about how long a servant was to serve his master, if he didn’t want go free. This would then be as long as he lived.

D. Psalms 48:14 “For this God is our God __________ ________and________________: he will be our guide _____________ unto ___________.” He is our guide unto death. So the wicked will burn in the fire as long as they live, or until death. This time is longer for some than others according to their sins. We serve a God of mercy not a God of torment. He is a just and good God. To teach that he torments people from now on is a slander against our Heavenly Father. .

8. Does the story of the rich man and Lazarus teach eternal hell? This is simply a parable used to make a point. Parables are not to be taken literally no more than we can believe that trees can talk. Read Judges 9:8-15 Lets look at the facts that make it clear it is a parable. When we go to heaven what does it say is forgotten? Isaiah 65:16,17 “That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former __________ are _____________, and because they are hid from mine eyes. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the _________ shall _________ be not _________________, nor come into mind.”  If Lazarus was in heaven he would not be in trough with the rich man and his troubles.

Verse 17 “For, Behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”

Heaven will be a happy place, not bothered with problems of wicked, they will be dead. Heaven is not Abraham’s bosom – for Abraham looked to a city that was built by God. Abraham’s bosom is not heaven. Read Hebrews 11:10, 16. We know from the Bible the dead are in their graves. Read Job 17:13 and John 5:28, 29. The body remains in the grave until the resurrection. Men receive their reward at Christ second coming, not at death. Revelation 22:11, 12 verse 12 “And, behold, I come quickly; and my __________ __________ __________ _________, to _________ every man ____________ as his __________ shall be.” We know the lost are destroyed at the end of the world. Lazarus is waiting for his second resurrection from death. Read the story of Lazarus in John 11:1-45 He is sleeping waiting for Jesus to return and call him to life again. Hebrews 11:13, 16. These all _______ in ______, _____ having _________ the __________, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.” He died believing this promise but not yet received it.

We like Abraham are looking for that city, we are pilgrims on this earth. Isaiah 26:19. “Thy dead men shall live, together with my ___________ ________ shall they ____________. ____________ and _________, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall _______ ________ the  ______.”

     The parable of the rich man and Lazarus shows how the two classes represented by these men are estimated in the unseen world. There is no sin in being rich if riches are not acquired by injustice. A rich man is not condemned for having riches, but condemnation rests upon him if the means entrusted to him is spent in selfishness. Far better might he lay up his money beside the throne of God, by using it to do good. Death cannot make any man poor who thus devotes himself to seeking eternal riches. But the man who hoards his treasure for self can not take any of it to heaven. He has proved himself to be an unfaithful steward. During his lifetime he had his good things, but he was forgetful of his obligation to God. He failed of securing the heavenly treasure. 

     The rich man who had so many privileges is represented to us as one who should have cultivated his gifts, so that his works should reach to the great beyond, carrying with them improved spiritual advantages. It is the purpose of redemption, not only to blot out sin, but to give back to man those spiritual gifts lost because of sin's dwarfing power. Money cannot be carried into the next life; it is not needed there; but the good deeds done in winning souls to Christ are carried to the heavenly courts. But those who selfishly spend the Lord's gifts on themselves, leaving their needy fellow creatures without aid and doing nothing to advance God's work in the world, dishonor their Maker. Robbery of God is written opposite their names in the books of heaven. Christ Object Lessons 266

9. What does God call the destruction of the wicked? Isaiah 28:21. “For The Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, His _________ work; and bring to pass His act, His __________ __________.”

10. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Ezekiel 18:23, 32. “Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? Saith The Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? For ____ _________ __________ _________ in the __________ of ________ that _________, saith The Lord God: wherefore _________ yourselves, and _________ ye.” God wants all to turn for there wicked way. So all can live for Christ, he will force no man to serve him.

11. Just how final will be the destruction of the wicked: Psalms 37:20 “But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of The Lord shall be as the _______ of lambs: they shall ________; into smoke shall they consume _______________.” Psalms 37:10 “For yet a _________ _________, and the _____________  shall _______ _________: yea thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” A little while and they will be gone, as if they never were.

12. What happened to Satan and his evil angels? Ezekiel 28:18 “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring __________ a __________ from the midst of thee, it shall ____________ thee, and I will bring ___________ to ___________ upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.” Ashes are what remain after the fire purifies and consumes all that was on this earth.

Ash is “The grayish-white to black powdery residue left when something is burned. Webster’s Dictionary

Revelation 20:10 “And the __________ that deceived them was ___________ into the __________ of __________ and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night __________ _________ and _____________.” Even the devil and his angels will be brought to ashes. There will be no more sin after that. We look for the new city to dwell in whose builder and maker is God.