I am a believer in Christ Jesus as Lord, Savior, the Way, the Truth and the Life and I believe the contents of the KJV Bible contain the true Words of God. Yes, many verses of the Bible may be “viewed” or interpreted many different ways but ultimately, there is only one true understanding which originates in the heart – not mind – while reading the bible.

My humble understanding of the Bible concerning life-after-death is such:

- When a believer (Old and New Testament) dies and his/her soul goes to Heaven,
- When a non-believer (Old and New Testament) dies and his/her soul goes to Hell / Hades,
- At the very moment of the Tribulaton, the bodies of Old Testament Jew believers will rise from the grave first and be joined with their souls then,
- Directly following will be the bodies of Old and New Testament Gentile believers joined with their souls ,
- At the very moment of the Tribulaton, the bodies and souls of living New Testament believers will rise directly.
- After the seven years of the Tribulation and the 1000 years of peace, ALL those bodies and souls (including Satan himself) against God will be judged and tossed into the lake of fire for all eternity.

So much analysis is done on the Bible.

True believers should know their way.

For skeptics, non-believers, and those who claim to be believers but try to state God’s Word differently, and take a “cafeteria” approach to the Word, will sadly know the Truth at a time when is too late.

Even though almost everyone believes there is a life after death, and that “everybody” has their own interpretation of the after life, it amazes me that the most simple, true way to get to Heaven is 1) believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, 2) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and 3) “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Why must people fight these simple truths?

To recap
Into this (symbolic) lake are thrown:
• The Beast (not literal? – represents Godless government)
• The False Prophet (not literal? – represents apostate Religion)
• Death (not literal? – represents mortality)
• Hell (not literal? – represents the grave)
•
If the lake is not real it follows that those rejected cannot be literally thrown into it.
If we ask the question ‘What does the lake represent’ the answer is given to us twice – in v.8 and again in v.14
‘the lake… is (represents) the second death.
From this I understand that those raised from the dead for judgment who are rejected will die for a second time.
What happens when we die?
Psalms 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very dayhis thoughts perish.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
There is no conscious existence in death.
By dying for the second time they are excluded from the presence of God and his Glory forever. Paul calls this ‘everlasting destruction’.
2 Thessalonians 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
I notice that he also says that this is what they are punished with.
Paul is here surely speaking literally not symbolically.
Using Strong’s Concordance the word destruction is translated ‘die’ (in context meaning to be destroyed) in Acts 25:
Acts 25:16 To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die , before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.
The same word is translated ‘waste’ in Matthew 26 in the sense that the ointment, having been used, was gone forever.
Matthew 26:8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste ?
We can understand then that the lake of fire is a symbol for utter destruction.
To recap again
Into this (symbolic) lake are thrown:
• The beast (Godless government?) – destroyed forever
• The False Prophet (False Religion?) – destroyed forever
• Death – destroyed forever
• Hell (Graves will no longer be necessary) – destroyed forever
• The Devil and his angels – destroyed forever
• All those rejected at the Judgment seat (die for the second time) – destroyed forever
The plain language used elsewhere is that the wicked shall perish (be destroyed).
Psalms 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.
Jesus came to save us from perishing.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish , but have everlasting life.
The choice is be saved or be destroyed.
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy : who art thou that judgest another?
Using Strong’s, the meaning of the word translated perish or destroy seems clear in other places.
Mark 3:6 And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.
Luke 6:9 Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
The terms ‘destroyed’ and ‘eternally tormented’ would seem to me to be mutually exclusive.
I am forced to the conclusion that the fate of the unjust is literally to die again and be destroyed forever.
I am not trying to be divisive I am trying to understand. I need to make sense of and be consistent with the rest of scripture.

Your response to the above will be most appreciated.

Blessings
Brian

The other descriptions are of real things that exist in this world like” death”(physical death/spiritual seperation or death) And the “grave” or place of burial for the physically dead.

Scripture is saying that every vestige of this fallen world(sin,evil,and it’s consequences; death and the grave will be placed in a literal place that God has prepared and will not be experienced again in a newly created heaven and earth that God will provide!(Rev.21:1-8).It also says that those angels(Satan and his demons) and every person who rebells against Him and rejects His free offer of forgiveness and right standing with Him through Jesus Christ will pay for their offenses against Him forever in the lake of fire(see Rev. 20:11-15)

The bible does not give a precise location for this place.But declares God has prepared it(Matt.26:41).

While the doctrine of hell is frightening and revulsive to us it is biblical. Jesus said “And do not fear those who can kill the body but not the soul.But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”(Matt.10:28)

Let’s chat again Brian…Peter

Thank you…it is such an awesome privilege to show and share the gospel of grace.It shines forth most brightly against the reality of God’s holiness!

Serving Him with you…Peter