British-Israel's Bible Study Course

Lesson Twelve

Take your Choice-God's Kingdom or Gahenna (Hell) Fire

Scripture Reading Revelation 20, 21

Full Study Booklet Here

1. WHAT IS HELL?

1. For whom was hell prepared? Matthew 25:41 (NT 27 [20] )________________________________________________________________


Someone has said that any human being who gets into hell is an usurper, for God did not make hell for humans, but for evil angels. Because God does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9, NT 207 [1631 ), He has left no stone unturned to warn us. No opportunity has been passed by to draw us to Him. No appeal has been withheld for all to turn from evil and live. What more can God do if, after all this, we turn Him down?


2. When will the wicked be punished? 2 Peter 2:9 (NT 206 [163] ) ______________________________________________________________


If the wicked are "reserved" for a specific time of punishment, are they burning now?


3. Describe the punishment of the wicked. Revelation 20:7-9 (NT 224 [177] )

(verse 7) When is it? _____________________________________
(verse 9) What does it consist of? __________________________________________________________________________________________
(verse 9; also Proverbs 11:31, OT 529 [410] ) Where is it? ______________________________________________________________________


4. What is this punishment called? Revelation 20:14; 15:8 ______________________________________________________________________


The contrast is between eternal death and eternal life, not eternal life in hell versus eternal life in heaven. Fire is simply the means by which God will make an end of sinners (2 Peter 3:7, NT 207 [163] ); the punishment (wages) is death (Romans 6:23, NT 139 [109] )-eternal separation from God, the source of life.


5. Who is exempt from the second death? Revelation 20:6,14,15 _________________________________________________________________

6. How completely will sinners be destroyed?
Matthew 10:28 (NT 11171 ) It will destroy both ______________________________________________________________
Malachi 4:1, 3 (OT 745,746 [5821)_________________________________________________________________________

2. HOW LONG IS FOREVER?


We have learned that the fire of hell will be literal. It will be hot. But when it has accomplished its purpose, it will go out, leaving nothing but ashes. But, you say, haven't I read that the wicked will burn forever, and suffer eternal torment?  Turn back to Question 1 and reread Matthew 25:41: "Depart from me ... into everlasting fire." Verse 46 calls it "everlasting punishment." It's the punishment (death) that is everlasting-not the punishing! That makes a lot of difference, doesn't it?


1. How is "forever" used in other scriptures?


1 Samuel 1:22, 28 (OT 244, 245 [1861) Samuel was lent to the Lord "forever," or
"that is, as long as he lived; for her vow was that he should be a Nazarite all the days of his life, and be separated to the service of God as long as he had a being in the world." (Gill's Commentary, emphasis added). Samuel life was in God's hands permanently til he died.
 

Jude 7 (NT 211 [1671) Sodom and Gomorrha suffered the "vengeance of _____________________________. " 2 Peter 2:6 (NT 206 [1631) says they were turned into
_______________________. God specifically states that these two cities demonstrate what eternal fire is like.

The word  eternal is aionios, not because the process of destruction continues forever, but because the results are permanent. In the same way, the ‘eternal punishment’ of Matthew 25:46 is eternal because its results are permanent. Its a punishment that results in their eternal destruction or annihilation .


Thus "forever" can and does mean permanent result,  its results are permanent, or completion, not continuing for an endless amount of time.

As for the Devil being tormented "for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10, NT 224 [1771 ), in this case, since the Devil is a spirit being and cannot be consumed like the physical man, his torment will last "for ever and ever." But this is Stan's fate, not ours. Satan wants you to believe we share the same fate as him.


How beautifully this definition also fits the righteous, whose reward is "everlasting life." Because they will be given immortality when Jesus comes, their life will never end. Permanent life. Not like today, our lives are temporal. We will die, this is for certain. But when we receive immortality, our lives will be eternal, permanent life. Only sin brings death, and thank God, sin will never rise again (Nahum 1:9, OT 729 [5691 ).


Why not leave it the way God says? Nothing in the sacred book indicates that God takes sadistic pleasure in tormenting the wicked throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Only to preserve the universe in peace and beauty and holiness does He perform "His strange act," and then we may be certain that tears will be streaming down His cheeks.


 4. HOME OF THE SAVED

Millions know hardly anything about heaven except that it is up, and that St. Peter stands as its gate keeper. But is that what God promised? Heaven? Or Something much better.

1. What will the meek inherit? Psalm 37:9, 29; Matthew 5:5_________________________________________________

Thought Question? Where does it say in the Bible that Heaven is the reward of the Saved?

Of course, this will not be the earth in its present deformed, sinful condition, but a new one "wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Peter 3:10-13, NT 207 [163, 1641).
But, you say, didn't Paul say that the saints will be "caught up ... to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17, NT 181 [143] )? And didn't Christ promise to come again and take us to the mansions He is preparing for us (John 14:1-3, NT 97 [761)? Yes, Jesus said "I will come again" This is when we receive the inheritance at his second coming. The kingdom established on this earth. We meet him in the air because we are resurrected, then come down to this earth and establish God's rule. The holy city, which will become the capital of the new earth that God will create for their permanent home (Revelation 21:1-3, NT 225 [178] )For full details on this subject, read our booklet You shall surely Die.

2. How real will be this new heaven and new earth? What activities will we carry out? Isaiah 65:21-23 (OT 594 [462] )________________________
How about that! An endless variety of satisfying labor, none of it in vain!

3. What about its beauty? Isaiah 35:1 (OT 573 [446] )_______________________________________________________________________

4. Describe the city. Revelation 21:12,18,19, 21 (NT 225 [178] )


The walls are made of _________________________-; each of its 12 gates is a .__________________________________The foundations of the walls are______________________________ ; its streets _______________________________________.

5. What special food and drink is there? Revelation 22:1, 2 (NT 225 [178] )____________________________________________________________

Can you imagine a city 375 miles square! What a landing strip it will need!
Have you ever noticed that much of what the Bible says about heaven tells us what will not be there. Why this negative emphasis? Could it be that God faces serious limitations in describing the kingdom in human terms? How would you describe a tropical island to an Eskimo? You might start with a palm tree, but what would your description mean to a man whose world consists mostly of frozen waters? You'd soon find yourself saying something like this: "There are no polar bears, no freezing temperatures, no ice or snow, no need to trap animals for clothing or food." His lack of understanding about tropical things would force you to use negatives. No wonder when it comes to describing heaven God can only say, "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9, NT 148 [116] )! Let us consider some of these negatives, for they are very revealing.


6. What will not exist in the Kingdom? Revelation 21:1 (NT 225 [1781) _____________________________________________________________


Exiled on the barren Patmos. no doubt John often watched the restless waves that separated him from his loved ones. Perhaps that's why the first thing he noticed about heaven was the absence of the sea! Nothing that separates!


Revelation 21:4 (NT 225 [178] ) "There shall be no more___________________ , neither ________________________nor_______________ , neither shall there be any more ______________________________"


Revelation 7:16,17 (NT 217 (1711) "They shall _______________________________neither ______________________any more; neither shall the sun____________________nor any___________________ .... And God shall _______________________from their eyes."


Isaiah 65:23-25 (OT 594 [462]) "They shall not  ________________________nor bring forth for_________________________ .. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock:... They shall not_____________________________ in all my holy mountain."


Isaiah 33:24 (OT 573 [445]) "And the inhabitant shall not say, ____________________________________________-"


Isaiah 40:31 (OT 578 [449]) "They shall run, and ______________________________and they shall walk, and _________________________"

The blind shall see; the deaf shall hear; the lame shall walk; and the tongue of the dumb shall sing (Isaiah 35:5, 6, OT 574 [446]). Yes, all defects will be left behind! Gone, too, is anything which robs life of its joy and beauty! Any difficulty accepting that? All these may be negatives, but how they make us long for that day!

7. Will we recognize each other in the Kingdom?


Matthew 8:11 (NT 9 [5]) We will sit down with ______________________________


1 Corinthians 13:12 (NT 155 [122]) "Then shall I ______________________even as also I am _____________________________"

 

8. Who will the redeemed be like? 1 John 3:2 (NT 208 [165] ) ____________________________________________________________________


Philippians 3:21 (NT 176 [138]) Our bodies will be like_____________________________________________"


After the resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples. "Behold my hands and my feet," He said (Luke 24:39, NT 81 [631). We will be as real as Christ was after He was resurrected .

9. Best of all, who will be with us in the Kingdom? Revelation 21:3 (NT 225 [178] )_____________________________________________________

10. What will the hope of the second coming and of the kingdom inspire us to do? Psalm 24:3, 4 (OT 473 [366] ) ____________________________

________________________________________________________________


1 John 3:3 (NT 208 [165] ) _________________________________________________________________________________________________


2 Peter 3:11, 14 (NT 207 [164] ) _____________________________________________________________________________________________

 

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