Before entering Sodom, these angels took on the appearance of two wayfaring men. Lot saw the two handsome strangers when they first entered the gates, and knowing that the streets of that wicked city were far from safe at night, he urged them to find refuge in his home. But wicked men were watching, and that evening they gathered about Lot’s door and insisted that he bring out his guests so they might abuse them. Lot tried in vain to reason with the perverse mob gathered at his door. Their demonic obsession only intensified, and soon the crowd began to threaten Lot as well! At this point, the angels could no longer conceal their true identity. They pulled Lot inside the house to safety and struck the maddened mob at the door with blindness.

Early the next morning, the angels told Lot and his family, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you … Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Genesis 19:17. “Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.” Genesis 19:24. Only Lot and his two unmarried daughters were spared, for his wife looked back to Sodom with longing and was turned into a pillar of salt. God’s Word tells us that in the last days, world conditions will resemble that of Sodom—and so will the punishment!

THE STUDY

Fill in the blanks after reading each Bible text.

1. What two cities are given as an example for the destruction of the wicked?

2 Peter 2:6 And turning the cities of___ and____ into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly

NOTE: God destroyed those two cities with eternal fire—the same kind of fire that will destroy the wicked in hell.

2. When will the wicked be destroyed in hellfire?

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knows how to … reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of___.

John 12:48 The word that I have spoken will judge him in the___ ___.

Matthew 13:40-42 So it will be at the___ of this___. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather … those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.

NOTE: In the above texts, the Bible clearly states that the wicked will be cast into the fire in the day of judgment at the end of the world—not when they die. This obviously means that no one is in hell now. It is only fair that no one should be punished until his case has been decided in the judgment. People are rewarded or punished at the Second Coming, and not before (Revelation 22:12).

3. If the wicked who have died are not in hell yet, where are they?

John 5:28, 29 The hour is coming in the which all who are___ the ____will hear his voice, and come forth; ... those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Job 21:30, 32 The wicked are reserved for the day of doom; … Yet he shall be brought to the           , and a vigil kept over the___.

NOTE: The Bible assures us that the wicked who have died are reserved in the grave until the resurrection at the end of the world. They will hear Jesus’ voice calling them and will come forth from the grave, not from hellfire.

4. What is the reward, or punishment, of sin?

Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is___, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

NOTE: The punishment for sin is not everlasting life in hellfire, but the exact opposite—death. We all die the first death (Hebrews 9:27), but the Bible says that the death the wicked will die in hell is the second death (Revelation 21:8). From the first death, all are raised for punishment or reward; but there is no resurrection from the second death. It is final. In addition, if the punishment for sin is everlasting torment in hellfire, then Jesus did not pay the penalty.

5. What are the only two choices for all men?

John 3:16 That whoever believes in Him should not___ but have___ ___ .

NOTE: The concepts of limbo and purgatory are not found in Scripture. The Bible teaches only two choices—eternal life or eternal death (Deuteronomy 30:15).

6. What will happen to the wicked in hellfire?

Psalm 37:10, 20 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; … But the wicked shall___; … Into smoke they shall___ away.

Malachi 4:1, 3 The day is coming, burning like an oven, … all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall___ ___ them , … You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.

NOTE: The wicked in hell will go up in smoke. Only ashes will remain.

7. Where will hellfire be located?

Revelation 20:9 They went up on the breadth of the___ and surrounded the camp of the saints … And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

2 Peter 3:10 The elements will melt with fervent heat; both the___ and the works that are in it will be burned up.

NOTE: Hellfire will be here on earth, because it will be the earth on fire.

8. Will the devil be in charge of hellfire?

Revelation 20:10 The devil, who deceived them,___ ____ into the lake of fire and brimstone.

NOTE: No! Far from being in charge of hellfire, the devil will be cast into the fire. It will finally turn him to “ashes upon the earth,” and God says of Satan, “Shall be no more forever.” Ezekiel 28:18, 19.

9. Will the fires of hell ever go out?

Isaiah 47:14 It shall___ be a____ to be warmed by, nor a fire to sit before!

NOTE: After sin, sinners, and everything on earth is destroyed, the fire will go out. It will not burn throughout the ages. An eternal hell of torment would make it impossible to ever get rid of sin. God’s plan is to isolate sin and destroy it, not perpetuate it.

Revelation 21:5 says, “Behold, I make all things new.”

10. Are both soul and body destroyed in hell?

Matthew 10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both___ and ___ in hell.

NOTE: Many believe that the soul never dies, but twice God says, “The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4, 20. So according to Scripture, the wicked will be destroyed in hellfire—both soul and body.

11. For whom will hellfire be kindled?

Matthew 25:41 Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the___ and his angels.

NOTE: The purpose of the fire is to destroy Satan, his evil angels, and sin. If I refuse to turn loose of the plague of sin, I will have to be destroyed with it, because if sin is not destroyed, it would again contaminate the universe.

12. How does the Bible refer to God’s destruction of the wicked?

Isaiah 28:21 For the Lord … will be angry … That He may do His work, His awesome work, And bring to pass His act, His___ ___.

NOTE: God can’t stand the thought of destroying those He loves. “The Lord is not ... willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. He is constantly saying to them, “Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die?” Ezekiel 33:11. Destroying people is so foreign to God’s ways that hellfire is called His “unusual act.” God leaves nothing out in His desire to save people. Before they are destroyed, every wicked person will admit that God has been fair (Romans 14:11).

13. Doesn’t the Bible phrase “unquenchable fire” indicate that the fire never goes out?

Matthew 3:12 He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will___ ___ the chaff with unquenchable fire.

NOTE: No! Unquenchable fire cannot be put out. However, when it has burned everything up, it goes out. For example, Jeremiah 17:27 warns that if God’s people were not faithful, He would kindle a fire in Jerusalem that “shall not be quenched.” And the Scriptures declare that this prophecy has already been fulfilled. “They burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire. to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.” 2 Chronicles 36:19, 21. That fire could not be put out until it had consumed everything; then it went out. It is not burning today, even though the Bible calls it “unquenchable.”

14. Doesn’t the phrase “everlasting fire” mean “unending”?

Jude 7 As Sodom and Gomorrah, … are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of____ ____ .

NOTE: We must let the Bible explain itself. We can see in this verse that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with everlasting fire as an example of hell, but those cities are not still burning. They were turned into ashes (2 Peter 2:6), which is what eternal fire does. It is eternal in its consequences. (See supplement entitled “The Rich Man and Lazarus.”)

15. When Revelation 20:10 states that the wicked will be tormented “for ever and ever,” doesn’t that indicate endless time?

Jonah 2:6 The earth with its bars closed behind me___ .

NOTE: No. Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17), yet he said “forever.” I’m sure that it felt like forever! The Greek word translated “forever” in Revelation 20:10 is “aion,” from which we get our word “eon.” It often represents an unspecified period of time, limited or unlimited. The words “forever” are used 56 times in the Bible referring to something already ended. In one instance, “forever” describes the life of a faithful slave (Exodus 21:6), and in another place “forever” means 10 generations (Deuteronomy 23:3). With man, “forever” often means “as long as he lives” (1 Samuel 1:22, 28).

16. After sin and sinners are destroyed, what will Jesus do for His people?

2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a___ ___ in which righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be___ more___ , for the former things have passed away.

NOTE: On the ashes of this purified world, God will create new heavens and a new earth. He promises joy, peace, and indescribable happiness for all living creatures throughout eternity.

17. Will the sin problem ever rise again?

Nahum 1:9 Affliction will not___ up a second time.

NOTE: No! The promise is specific. Sin will never rise again.

Isaiah 65:17 For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

18. What penetrating question does Job ask?

Job 4:17 Can a mortal be more____ than God?

YOUR RESPONSE

More than anything, Jesus wants you to dwell in His glorious new kingdom. He longs for you to occupy the mansion He has prepared for you. Will you decide now to accept His offer?

ANSWER:_______

SUPPLEMENT

This section provides additional information for further study.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Many have used the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to try to prove that people go right to heaven or to hell at death. This was never Jesus’ intention in employing this story. The word Jesus used for “hell” was “Hades,” a place of torment in Greek mythology. All of the Jews listening to this discourse would have understood that Jesus was using a well-known myth to illustrate a point. If we take a closer look at Luke 16:19-31, we will quickly see that this parable is filled with symbols that Jesus never intended for us to take literally.

• For example, do all the saved go to Abraham’s bosom? No.

• Will the people in heaven and in hell talk to each other? No.

• Would a drop of water cool the tongue of a person burning in hell? No.

• Does Abraham decide who is saved and who is lost? No.

In the same way, this parable cannot be used to teach that people who die before the last judgment day at the end of the world will go right to heaven or to hell when they die. John 12:48 declares, “The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

So what does this parable mean? The rich man was a symbol of the Jewish nation, feasting on the Scriptures, while the beggar at the gate—the Gentiles—were starving for the Word. Jesus concluded the parable with the observation that “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.” Luke 16:31. Indeed, Jesus did later raise a man named Lazarus from the dead, and most of the Jewish leaders still did not believe (John 12:9-11).