ELEMENTARIES OF "HELL" IN SCRIPTURE

    For years many of the saints have asked the question: Is there a hell? Is hell eternal? What is the fire of hell? Who goes to hell and why? Many wonderful books have been written on the subject and it seems that there are no two books alike.

    Yet with all the new revelations coming forth today by the enlightenment of scripture of truth by the Spirit of Truth, we are still in need of the Spirit to reveal the most important, yet most neglected question of all: Who in the hell are you? In other words, what is the role of Spirit filled Christian has in regard to hell? What is his place there?

    Most writers about hell speak of the sinner, the wicked, the unbelievers or the heathen. When they think of hell (or give hell), they relate it to some horrible place especially prepared to torture the wicked after their demise from this earth-existence.

    Most say it is a literal place with literal fire that shall last forever. The sincere believer, to them, could not be in hell, even for a moment, let alone eternity. It seems that most people who talk about hell are the ones who don't want to go there and most of the poor ones consigned to the inferno by these Christians usually don't even think of the place!

    It seems that there is more hell on the lips of Christians than the so-called sinners. Two exceptions perhaps are those unfortunate and misled Christians who have been subjected to the most cruel torture of their own consciences who ignorantly are convinced that they have committed the unpardonable sin, whatever that may be, and on the other hand, those emotionally hurt persons who through darkness have made a bargain with the devil, so to speak, and worship Satan literally. So today to ask the question just "what is hell?" is not enough. The question to the believer should be, "Who in the hell are you?"

    "Our God is a consuming fire!" (Heb. 12:29) Since God is Spirit, the fire of God is Spirit. Speaking of Jesus, John Baptist said, "He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and power." Luke 2:16. This fire is to "Thoroughly purge his floor (threshing floor), gathering the wheat, (sons), while burning the chaff (carnality) with fire unquenchable. (Luke 3:17) The thoroughly purging fire is the same for wheat or chaff. Since all flesh shall see the salvation of God (Luke 3:6), and some are saved by fire. (1 Cor. 3:15)  Those who don’t bring forth good fruit are hewn down and cast into the fire. (Luke 3:9)  This is the means of their deliverance, even by fire! If one reads the text, the baptism of fire is for believer and saint.

    After John spoke of the unfruitful being given over to the fire, they asked him, "What shall we do then?" He answered and said to them, “he that has two coats, let him impart to him that has none; the same with meat or food.” (Luke 3:10, 11) If one is given to the fire because of the lack of good fruit we are to reach out in compassion, clothing that one with the righteousness of Christ, feeding them with "the meat that perishes not." Such compassion with an exhortation to "do no violence to any man, neither accuse any falsely" ( Luke 3:14), does not sound in my ears like the attitude I see in many believers when they judge, consign and condemn to the unquenchable fire all who do not believe their way.

    This Holy Spirit and fire is to do a work of purging and gathering, and although it is a separating of wheat and chaff, wheat and tares (Matt. 13:40), the ultimate end is the salvation of all.

    "For Tophet (altar) is ordained of old: yea, for the king (the kingship or sons of God) it is prepared. He has made the pile thereof deep and large, fire and much wood. The breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone does kindle it." (Isaiah 30:33) The fire is Spirit, the wood is humanity, and the breath of the Lord is the Holy Spirit. Remember Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, "Receive ye the Holy Spirit,” John 20:22, and when the day of Pentecost was fully come there came a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind. – Acts 2:2

    This breath of the Lord is none other than the Holy Spirit. And yet it is like a stream of brimstone! The New Testament speaks of fire and brimstone. This word brimstone is "theion" in the Greek, akin to "Theos" God, and "Theon" divine. Brimstone was always associated with Deity. This is a godly fire ("pur" in Greek, where we get "purge," "pure," Purify" etc) of purging sulphur (soul-fire) consuming the sacrifice on the altar (Tophet means altar).

    It is not a place to “burn sons and daughters in the fire which the Lord commanded not, neither came it into his heart!" No! A thousand times no! (Jer. 7:31) It is the purging place for the King, the altar which consumes the sacrifice that it may receive grace. Yes, there is hell-fire and brimstone but there is also an altar, a King, and triumphant grace.

    The very fire of Yahweh that purges the Christian will purge the sinner. The same fire that slays the sinner purifies the saint! – All with one stroke of the Father's fire mingled with Grace. He is the "consuming fire." The purifying fire prepares the believer for reigning with Christ.

    We are counted as “sheep for the slaughter,” that our humanity be done away, as our “inner man” is renewed day by day. That is why the axe is laid to the root of the trees, and they are cast into the fire. (Luke 3:9)  "Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you die, says the Lord God of hosts." (Isa.22:14) "Wherefore glorify the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel." (Isa. 24: 15)   Through God's fiery processes rivers and streams of waters shall flow in the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall. – Isa. 30:25

    This is that day of slaughter and the old towers of human ideas and carnal ideas and ways are indeed falling by the glorious voice of the name of the-whose tongue is a devouring fire! (Isa. 30:27)  So – the grace of the Father through His fire will purge and cleanse, and the only thing that is destroyed "in hell" is the slaughtered carnal human thinking, and Christ's mind remains.

    Jeremiah spoke of the days when it would no longer be called Tophet (an altar) nor the valley of the son of Hinnom (multiplied Grace), but instead the valley of slaughter. (Jer. 7:32)  It is not just a place to find grace, but a plane to totally decease to all the claims of the flesh, a complete slaughter.  Father's voice decrees this is now – it is presently taking place, and shall continue to the consummation. "And the whole valley of the dead bodies (Hinnom Valley, according to the Thompson Reference Bible) and of the ashes...shall be holy unto the Lord: It shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down any more forever." – Jer. 31:40

    Holy hell? Yes! It is the fire (pur) that purges, the brimstone of divine breath that consumes the sacrifice at the Altar of Tophet in the valley of the sons of Grace, and it is Holy! The slaughter decimates the old humanity, the ashes only are left, and then Father gives "beauty for ashes." Isaiah 62: 3.

    None of this is literal: it is spiritual, mystical, and allegorical. Why allegorical? Jerusalem from above is free, and is the “mother of us all” Gal. 4:26, as opposed to the Jerusalem which now is, and “is in bondage with all her children.” Yet these are an allegory! Yet it is this allegorical Jerusalem from above that the book of Hebrews speaks about that is the city of the living God. "Now you are come unto Mt. Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem in whom is God the judge of all and to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant." – Heb. 12:22, 23

    So what does an allegorical Jerusalem have to do with an allegorical hell? Simply this: The Father's fire is in Zion and His furnace in Jerusalem. (Isa. 30:9)  “The name of Yahweh burns and his tongue is a devouring fire.” Isa. 30:27, 30. All of this fire and brimstone is in Zion and is the furnace of Jerusalem. – Isa. 31:9

    None of it is literal in the geographic sense, but all of it is real and spiritually true even if given in allegorical terms. “He will thoroughly purge his floor.” What floor? It is His threshing floor. Jerusalem is the place where the Jebusites were. The name of Jerusalem was Jebus, the threshing. He will thoroughly purge his floor. Who in the hell are you? You are the very lake of fire and brimstone. You are the ones purged by the fire. You are the Zion of Father God whose furnace and threshing floor are redemptive. You are the sons of God who are the lake of fire. All who overcome will not be hurt of the "second death." you are the second death to slaughter all the carnal mind of the first death. The lake of fire and brimstone is the second death to get rid of the first death. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." – Rom. 8: 6

    The fire and slaughter is to get rid of the condition of the carnal mind. This is the death that operated in Adam, in which all died. We all were dead in trespasses and sin. Now we are dead to sin. We are dead to the things of the first death, and as the lake of fire, the means of purging all from that first death, through our abiding in The First Begotten Son of God.

    Even Yahweh says, "I will ransom them from the power of the grave (Sheol, Hell). O death, I will be your plagues, O grave (Sheol, Hell), I will be your destruction, repentance shall be hid from mine eyes." (Hosea 13:14) The Lore Yahweh says He will be the plagues and the destruction of both hell and death. O death (carnal mind), O graves (white washed sepulchers). I will be your plagues and your destruction or undoing. After all, He is the resurrection and the life, resurrecting all from their graves and condition of the carnal mind.

    So we who no longer live, but “Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20) are baptized in the fire and become a part of the fire, a part of the plague, if you please, to swallow up death in victory – 1 Cor. 15:54 (Which is now ours – verse 57).  Yes, we are the fire-baptized body or lake of fire and brimstone that is the second death, the means to end death, for He lives in us, even "Our God (who) is a consuming fire." (Heb. 12:29)  "Death and hell (Hades, grave) are cast into the lake of fire." This is the end of death by means of death.

– Rev. 20:14.

    Who in the hell are you? You are those whose natures have been purified by the process. You are those who are following the Lamb whither so ever He goes, (Rev. 14:4) – who have come unto Mt. Zion where the Lamb is, – Rev. 14:1. Those however who submit not shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb. (Rev. 14:10) Indeed the fire and brimstone is where the Lamb of God is, even the One who is taking away the sin of the world! – John 1: 29

    Think of it! The fire and brimstone for those who follow the Lamb is same fire and brimstone for those who are tormented by the Lamb's presence. Natural fire has a different name than Divine fire. In the Greek, Divine fire is always Pur. In Mark 14:54 and Luke 22:56, "Peter warmed himself at the fire" (phos) – Strong’s Concordance # 5457.

    This is the Hell the Bible speaks about The question then remains to answer, Are we the overcomers who are not hurt of the second death Rev. 2:11, or are you those tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages?  The same fire that destroys the sinner is the same fire that purifies the saint. Father's consuming fire destroyed the sinner in us, purifying us into saints of the Most High. "He says: Who makes his...ministers a flame of fire." (Heb. 1:7)  How one can answer this determines just who in hell are you?

    "Our God is a consuming fire," we – "His ministries (the Body of Christ) – are “a flaming fire.” United in one, what a "lake of fire" we are to extinguish all the offenses of hell death and the grave. The sea, death, and hell will continue to "give up the dead" to that Life that is in Christ. (Rev. 20:13) I remember when I was immersed in "the sea, death and hell," and when I heard the "Voice of the Son of God" I came forth in the "first resurrection" out of that death. (John 5:25)  "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."

Scott Paris