It often is true that Christians do not distinguish between Divine wrath, which is destructive of our personality, and Divinely appointed tribulation, which trains and improves our personality. Because of this lack of understanding, the above passage is employed to prove the unscriptural doctrine of the "pre-tribulation rapture" of the believers.

The statement is made that the above verse proves God will catch us up in a "rapture" so we will not experience the coming wrath, that is, the great tribulation according to the current error.

But that wrath and tribulation are not the same Divine work can be seen in the following:

Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. (Acts 14:22)

The Bible does not say we must through much wrath enter the Kingdom of God, but much "tribulation." These are not the same at all, and so I Thessalonians 1:10 cannot possibly be used as a proof God will catch up the believers before they experience tribulation. Tribulation and wrath are altogether different in purpose and result.

Sinners experience wrath. The believers experience tribulation. The purpose of the great tribulation is to separate and purify the people of the Lord before the arrival of the Day of Wrath. If the Christian churches were caught up in their present silly, sloppy state, Paradise would be ruined. Fire will be required in order to prepare the heads of wheat for harvesting.

As far as we can tell from the Scriptures, those who are thrown into the Lake of Fire shall be there for eternity. The Lake of Fire actually was prepared for Satan and his angels. But the Bible says some people will experience this most dreadful of fates. They have loved Satan while they were living on the earth and they will have the pleasure of being with him forever. God opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing.

The next passages speak of endless torment, but whether this is the Lake of Fire or not is difficult to determine.

Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. (Daniel 12:2,3—NIV)

"Shame and everlasting contempt" indicates that the suffering of those who experience this sentence will arise at least in part from the attitude of other people.

A parallel passage follows:

And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind. (Isaiah 66:24—NIV)

"Everlasting contempt" and "their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched" suggest eternal destruction of the personality.

It is apparent that one of the three kinds of Divinely appointed suffering is perpetual destruction in a place of torment.

To be continued.