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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Lake of Fire
He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Revelation 21:7,8—NIV)
The word "but" in the preceding passage links the two verses together. The idea is that the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, and so forth, are those who did not overcome these behaviors.
Either we overcome cowardice, unbelief, vileness, murder, and inherit the new world of righteousness, or else we end up in the Lake of Fire.
Christian people need to understand that God has given the Lake of Fire authority over these eight behaviors. When we receive the Lord Jesus Christ His atoning blood shields us so that the Lake of Fire cannot claim us. Then the Lord sets about to deliver us from these sins.
Now we have a choice. Either we cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He enables us to confess and renounce our sins, or else we do not.
The Bible tells us that in the last days the messengers of God will come and remove all sources of sin, and finally all who practice evil from the Kingdom of God. Although we are a Christian we are not exempt from the necessity for such deliverance and cleansing.
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Matthew 13:41—NIV)
I think this purification is taking place now. As the Spirit points out our sinful behaviors we are to confess and renounce them, drawing near to God and resisting the devil. When we do this God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If, however, we are not faithful and diligent in confessing and renouncing our sins, then the Lake of Fire has authority over us and can hurt us.
The following verse is addressed to Christians.
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Revelation 2:11—NIV)
If we do not overcome, through Christ, the behaviors over which the Lake of Fire maintains authority, then the Lake will claim us as its own.
The Lake of Fire is an actual lake emitting the blue flames and the smell of burning sulfur. Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet will be confined there. The "goats" (of Matthew, Chapter Twenty-five) who did not assist Christ's brothers will be confined there. The individual whose name is not found written in the Book of Life will be confined there.
This is the second death. The first death is the spiritual death which is experienced by the human who does not have Christ. His or her physical death is only an expression of that which always has been true of him. Coming to Jesus Christ in faith can remove this death.
The second death is eternal separation from God. Nothing can remove this death. The individual never again will see God or experience His blessing. He never again will hear anyone say, "I love you." His companions forever will be the devil and the wicked of the earth.
Let us through Jesus Christ set out to conquer these behaviors, for none of them will ever be permitted in the Kingdom of God.