With our continuation into the Lake of Fire That God Built, I believe it would be beneficial to examine our reasons for believing what death, hell, and the lake of fire are. Bible scholar, E.W. Bullinger had this to say about it. He wrote in his Introductory to How to Enjoy the Bible:

"When we come to ask ourselves, and say, 'Where did I learn this?' 'How did I get this?' 'Who taught this to me?' it is astonishing to find out how much we have imbibed from man, and from tradition; and not directly from the Word of God.

"All that we have learned from our youth up must be tested and proved by the Word of God. Where we find it is from man and tradition, we must learn it over again, from God. And where it will not stand the test of His Word we must be not only be content, but be thankful to give it up and receive Divine revelation in the place of man's imagination."

There is a plethora of imaginations that have overtaken the churches around the world, and they are assumed to be grounded in firm scripture, but they are not. The subject of hell and the lake of fire is the quintessential example of doctrine built upon by a wide range of imaginations.

One of the imaginations of the lake of fire is said to be a literal lake that burns with the intensity of molten brimstone (sulfur), which would be slightly less than 444.6°C or 832.28°F, the temperature at which sulfur changes from a liquid to a gas. This speculation comes from Revelations 21:8: "But the fearful and unbelieving... shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." A lake of molten brimstone means that its temperature must be at or below the boiling point, which is 832.28°F. Above that point, it would be a vapor, not a lake. It is not uncommon for some preachers, teachers, and writers to discard reason by increasing the temperature of their imaginary lake by thousands of degrees, and I suppose this is an attempt to scare the hell out them, as if hell could be sacred out of anyone. Just another strange way to "save" people.

Regardless of what they believe the temperature will be, there have been various calculations as to how many lost souls will be cast into this lake of fire that man built, and one of them, a nineteenth century mathematician, has provided some groundwork for us. Using his figures, we conclude that up to the year 2000 the total number of the damned would have been at least 29,422,641,251,519,917,000 souls (that is 29 + quintillion). Yet the area of the valley of Hinnom, or Gehenna, is only 4,350 square miles, and the damned would have to be stacked like cordwood to fit in the confines of the valley. However, that might not work either; for how high would they be stacked to contain everyone?

It is amazing how much time and effort has been spent over the centuries by brilliant minds to unlock the mysteries of God, and all the while, using faulty data as the foundation, which is contrary to every rule of research. One would think to have applied E.W. Bullinger's recommendation of questioning their beliefs prior to embarking upon such fruitless adventures. But they evidently did not take the time to do so, for it is clear that if they ask themselves, "Where did I learn this? How did I get this? Who taught me this?" they would have possibly seen just how much their beliefs came from man's faulty tradition, and not from what the scriptures plainly say.

Let us, therefore, see what the anointed writer's of the Bible had to say about this fire into which incalculable billions will be cast. In doing so, we will take the advice of Sherlock Holmes and Martin Luther (rf. #193.06, Part 12); namely, with the master detective having only heard a few specifics about a case, and when Dr. Watson asked why he had not yet given much thought to it, Holmes responded, "No data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment." And Martin Luther said to his interrogator who accused him of believing he knew more than the church authorities: "Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God."

When people fail to take note of the overwhelming evidence, and refuse the basic facts of the scriptures, they will be biased and incapable of seeing any possibilities beyond what they have learned from men and tradition. But by the grace of God and a pure heart to know the truth, we will gather some data about this fire as the Spirit of our Lord quickens and establishes it deep within.

Fire is either synonymous or in direct relationship to several things in the scriptures, such as light and glory. There can be no light without fire, and light, of course, speaks of glory. In essence, glory is a manifestation of God. Fire brings light, warmth, and sometimes pain, depending on the person and the manifestation of the fire. The light of fire reveals things, manifests them, exposes them, judges them, and also shows the way for one to walk.

In the scriptures the primary usage for fire relates to God in some way or the other. For example, below is a list that has to do with fire and God, or those like Him. I generally do not compile a list of scriptures in our studies; but today I want to show you some evidence, some clear-cut data, some solid proof of what fire really is in Bible.

Evidence of fire:

1. And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face  was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. Revelation 10:1

2. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night. Exodus 13:21

3. And the light of Israel shall be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame: and it shall burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day. Isaiah 10:17

4. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. Exodus 24:17

5. For I, saith the LORD, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Zechariah 2:5

6. Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of hosts, send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire. Isaiah 10:16

7. And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. Acts 7:30

8. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. Hebrews 1:7

9. John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Luke 3:16

10. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Acts 2:2-3.

11. For our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:29

12. I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? Luke 12:49.

13. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire. Revelation 1:14

14. And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. Revelation 10:1.

15. The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. Revelation 14:10

16. Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them. Jeremiah 5:14

17. Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

18. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Jeremiah 20:9

19. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. Revelation 19:12

20. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Revelation 20:14

21 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15.

We now have twenty-one (21) pieces of solid evidence, not one or two obscure scriptures, but twenty-one scriptures that clearly tell us what fire is, or something of its nature, and there is no way it can be natural fire that burns wood and coal. In a court of law only one or two pieces of evidence, sometimes circumstantial evidence, are sufficient to either convict or acquit a person, but we have presented twenty-one, and there are more than what this list contains.

If church leaders were prosecuting attorneys, and they presented a case with their lack of or fabricated evidence, the judge would throw it out before in first hour expired. The case would never go to jury, and those prosecutors would certainly not hold their jobs for very long. But the persecuting preachers continue their traditional ruse and keep getting re-elected year after year while boldly stoking their imaginary lake of fire without any real evidence at all.

To sum it up, our evidence tells us that: 1) God's word is fire, 2) God's angels (His messengers) are fire, 3) God's ministers are flames of fire, and 4) God is fire. This is the Lake of Fire into which death and hell and everyone who is not found written in the book of life is cast.

I have said this many times before, as well as having written it in various studies over the past 25 years; but I believe it bears repeating, namely:

When a son of God is manifested, the flaming light of God's glory radiates from his presence. This is because he is a blazing firebrand. He is a minister of fire, dealing out his inmost nature, his power, his authority, and his compassion. He is the glory of God in manifestation. He is not only the ferocious Lion but the gentle Lamb as well. And when two or three of like fashion are gathered in manifestation, the illuminating light and fierce heat of God's love and anger intensifies. But this is not the end of the matter! When the Body of Christ is assembled in glory, when all of His members are brought together in one spirit and in the express image of God their Father, the holy fire of God builds. It is no longer a single candle or two shining, burning, and devouring sin, but their numbers are incalculable. And when the untold millions of God's sons are revealed to the world, and each one of them is drawn together in one Spirit, one mind, and in one accord as a flaming fire, what do you suppose we will have? A LAKE OF FIRE, of course! The world will be aflame with the fire of God's glory, His righteous indignation, the revelation of who He is, and His endless love.

Can it not be seen that if there were five or six flames drawn together, God would have five or six droplets of fire; fifty to a hundred, perhaps a bowl; a thousand or two a good sized pool; but the multitude thousands that cover the earth as the waters cover the seas -- A LAKE OF FIRE! And whosoever is not found written in the book of life will find their place in the midst of the flaming Body of Christ -- The Lake of Fire That GOD Built.

The overcomers will be conformed to the image and likeness of Christ Jesus, and they will be unveiled for all the world to see. With the entire earth covered with the glory of God, unregenerated men and women will have no place to go for escape. They will most assuredly be cast into the Lake of those who are like God, who is a consuming fire!

Is it becoming somewhat clear, and hopefully crystal clear, what the Lake of Fire truly entails; primarily, that it is not a horrendous sulfuric expanse of molten lava; but rather, it is the very essence and presence of God the Redeemer on every level? I pray that this can be seen! And if it can, we can then gain some understanding on what hell might be that is cast into it.

1.  9. (Grandville Sharp Rule Holy Spirit, even fire.)

2.  10. (sat: from Grk. hedraios firm, steadfast, immovable, Thayer's)

3.  12. And it had been kindled. His presence and words were as flames of fire in a cold, dark world.