2 Thessalonians 1:1-7a

[Hidden In Him]

Faith In The Lake Of Fire, And The Patience Of The Saints

     One of Satan's many strategies is to cause believers to despair that the wicked will never get what's coming to them. Day after day they go on abusing, mocking, ridiculing, and in worst case scenarios even attacking and killing the faithful, yet nothing ever seems to happen to them. It can be enough to make one wonder if God even sees what is going on, or cares.
     The doubts and fears Satan injects into the minds and hearts of believers in such instances are well depicted in Psalm 73:

     I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression. They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth...  Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.... But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I discerned their end. (Psalm 73:3-9, 12, 16-17 ESV)

     Notice how the psalmist said that it was only after he went into the sanctuary that he finally found peace. While praying to the Lord, he began to discern their end. The New Testament apostles likewise walked in a mindset that the wicked were not long from receiving their end, and that it would be a just thing with God to return everlasting affliction to them for having attacked and afflicted His people during this life.
     The apostle Paul began his second epistle to the believers in Thessalonica with a typical greeting, and then immediately began encouraging them regarding their faith and endurance in the midst of the persecution and afflictions they were suffering through. To bolster their faith, he reminded them that God would soon be rewarding the just and repaying the evil:

    Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be unto you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
     Brothers, we ought to always thank God concerning you, as this is fitting, seeing as how your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of all of you towards one another is increasing, so that we ourselves boast amongst the churches of God over your endurance and faith in the midst of all the persecutions and afflictions which you are bearing, a proof that God’s judgment is just that you be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which you are also suffering, since it is a just thing with God to repay affliction to those who are afflicting you, and to you who are being afflicted, rest together with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven. (2 Thessalonians 1:1-7a)

     Paul goes on to say "these will pay the penalty of everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His strength, when He comes to be glorified among His saints" (v.9). As will be shown in this study, Paul was saying that the everlasting affliction the wicked would suffer would be in the Lake of Fire, where they would be tormented forever.
     Some accuse God of being too severe for sending people to Hell and then eventually into the Lake of Fire. Some even accuse Him of being sadistic and cruel. But the apostle Paul here stated that it would be a just thing for God to recompense affliction to those who subjected the innocent to affliction during their lifetimes, and that the patient endurance of the saints would become a proof that they were worthy to receive rest and reward when the Lord finally returned in judgment.
     So how do you feel about such a punishment? Will casting such people into the Lake of Fire be too severe, or do you believe it to be a just reward? As we shall see, the belief that justice would one day be done against the evil was an encouragement that helped the saints endure affliction and persecution during New Testament times, and it will be once again when the time draws near for the Antichrist to arise and many are tortured, abused, and persecuted for their faith.


"Where Their Fire Shall Not Be Quenched"

     Incredibly enough, it appears the apostles even knew precisely where this place of torment would be located; a massive area located in the land of Israel, which was famous for being the site of God's judgments in the past, and which still occasionally belched smoke and fire; a place they believed was destined to become the Lake of Fire promised in the scriptures. This location is a body of water known to us today as the Dead Sea.

                                                 

      To the faithless, such a claim is hard to believe. Yet for those who trust in the authority of the scriptures, a proof of this can actually be demonstrated quite easily from a close study of several passages in the word of God. In the Book of Matthew, Christ made the following statement to His disciples regarding the Lake of Fire, which He referred to symbolically as being a "furnace."
   
      "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 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. They will throw them into a furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears let him hear." (Matthew 13:40-43, NIV)

     If this figurative "furnace" Jesus spoke about was to be a literal place, are there any verses which suggest where it would be located? Our passage in Second Thessalonians gives some details, for Paul stated that the wicked would suffer this affliction in being "shut out from the presence of the Lord, and the majesty of His power." Quoting the passage again:

     It is a just thing with God to repay affliction to those afflicting you, and to you who are being afflicted rest together with us at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from Heaven together with the angels of His power, who in flaming fire will inflict vengeance upon those who do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These will pay the penalty, everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His strength, when He comes to be glorified among His saints, and admired amongst all those who have believed, in that our testimony unto you was believed in that Day. (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10a)
 
     However, if the wicked will be shut our from His presence when He comes to be glorified amongst His saints, it begs the question: Exactly where will the Lord's presence be found once He makes His triumphant return to earth? The answer is simple. It will be the same place where He will manifest "the majesty of His power," and where He establishes His rule over this planet for a thousand years after His return: The city of Jerusalem.
     Isaiah prophesied the following concerning the Lake of Fire during the millennium:

     "For as the new Heaven and the new Earth which I make remain before Me, says the Lord, ... they shall go forth, and see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle unto all flesh." (Isaiah 66:22, 24 LXX)

     Yet the words just a few verses earlier make it clear exactly where they will be going forth from:

     "[the Gentiles] will bring all your brothers from all the nations to my holy mountain in Jerusalem... and they shall go forth, and see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me: for their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be a spectacle unto all flesh." (v.10, 20).

     Notice that it says they will go out from Jerusalem and be able to see those who are burning in the Lake of Fire. A look at an above sea level elevation map shows how it is not that far a distance from Jerusalem going East until you would be overlooking the panorama of the entire Dead Sea region. This, then, appears to be how this prophecy in Isaiah will be fulfilled during the millennium.

                                               

     All this means that quite literally people will one day be able to walk out from the city of Jerusalem and see the carcasses of the wicked burning in a Lake of Fire close nearby. It should also be pointed out that Hell (that is, everyone in Hell) is prophesied to be cast into the Lake of Fire after the judgment, and the consistent testimony of those who've been taken to Hell by the Lord is that the damned do indeed take the appearance of carcasses; worms crawl in and out of what little flesh they have left, and they exist largely in skeleton form, burning in flames. This, then, is the affliction they will have to endure in return for the afflictions they put the body of Christ through while alive.
     As for the promise that many shall "go forth, and see the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched. And they shall be a spectacle unto all flesh," these words will be fulfilled at the END of the age. Many have tried to argue that these words describe Gehenna, a valley just outside Jerusalem where all sorts of refuse and even carcasses were burned during Old Testament times. But this is NOT what is being referred to here. As stated in Matthew, "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 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. They will throw them into a furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Christ's kingdom will become the entire earth at this point, when He returns in Power. Thus, those who will be cast into this furnace of fire will number in the billions. Surely all the dead who die at Christ's hands when He returns in power will not fit inside the valley of Gehenna.


The "Everlasting Fires" Of Sodom And Gomorrah

     Possibly one of the clearest clues as to the future location of the Lake of Fire is found in the Book of Jude. In verse 7 of his letter, Jude stressed to his readers the importance of staying faithful to God by reminding them of the following:

     "... Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities round about them... are set forth as an example, [still presently] undergoing the judgment of everlasting fire." (Jude 1:7)

     It is important to understand here that when Jude declared that Sodom and Gomorrah were "undergoing the judgment of everlasting fire," he was using the present tense of the verb. This means he was outright stating that despite the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah having taken place 1,600 years earlier, the region was still undergoing this judgment, and was still set forth as an example of eternal torment.
     Had there not been some sort of physical evidence to back up such a statement made by Jude, his letter would most likely not have been retained as authoritative. It would have been dismissed, possibly even along with Jude himself for spouting such nonsense. But the fact is that numerous authors, both Pagan and Jewish, made reference to active geological phenomenon taking place in and around the Dead Sea region during the time of Jesus. In fact, it appears to have been common knowledge amongst people throughout the ancient world at this time.
     For instance, Strabo, a first century Greek geographer and historian, recorded these statements concerning what was happening in and around the Dead Sea during the same time Jude was writing his letter: "The lake was formed by earthquakes and boiling outbursts of fire, and hot water impregnated with bitumen and brimstone... In the midst of the lake is the source of the fire, and also there are great quantities of asphalt in the middle. The eruption is uncertain, because the movements of fire have no order known to us..." (Strabo, Book XVI, 764, italics mine).
     Diodorus Siculus, writing at about the same time, stated "The fire which burns (present tense) beneath the ground, and the stench, render the inhabitants of the neighboring country sickly and very short lived." (Diodorus Siculus, Book II, 48, italics mine)
     Numerous Jewish sources also commented on the "everlasting" fires erupting from the lake. As the Jewish philospher Philo wrote (again during roughly the exact same time period), "The fire is most difficult to extinguish, and creeps on pervading everything and smoldering. And a most evident proof of this is to be found in what is seen to this day: the smoke which is still emitted, and the brimstone (i.e. a substance created out of burning sulfur) that men dig up there." (On Abraham XXVII, italics mine). Likewise, another ancient Jewish text from this time entitled the Wisdom of Solomon states, "Wisdom saved a man [named Lot] from the destruction of the godless, and he escaped the fire that came upon the Five Cities, cities whose wickedness is still attested by a smoking waste." (Wisdom of Solomon, 10:7, italics mine)

     Strabo's analysis is indeed accurate. The Dead Sea was both formed and continued to be active with outbursts of fire as a result of earthquakes. The Dead Sea sits atop what is called the Jordon Rift, which is the longest and deepest fault line on earth. Moreover, the surface of the Dead Sea itself is roughly 1,300 feet below sea level to begin with, making it that much closer to the fault line itself, or what Diodorus Siculus referred to as "the fire which burns beneath the ground."

                                           

     But the Dead Sea region is now largely dormant compared to how active it was during New Testament times. So is there any scientific evidence remaining to suggest that Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction actually did take place just as the Biblical account says it did? Firstly, it is recorded that "The Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the Heavens." (Genesis 19:24, NIV). Given what we now know about geological phenomenon, a possibility exists that this is only how things appeared to be to onlookers at the time, and that the brimstone "falling from heaven" originally came from the earth, i.e. from a huge seismic upheavals that resulted from a massive earthquake. Great fissures in the Jordan Valley Rift would have hurtled millions of tons of molten, burning sulfur and salt dozens of miles into the air above the entire surrounding region. All this material would have eventually begun falling back to the earth at some later time, very similar to what takes place when a volcanic eruption occurs.

                                         

     Far from being far fetched, seismic fissures indeed still take place in this same region today, only on much a smaller scale. The most recent took place in Saudi Arabia in 2009:

     The most violent upsurge of magma in recent years happened in an unexpected place. In May 2009, a subterranean volcano erupted in Saudi Arabia. A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 accompanied by tens of thousands of milder tremors forced 30,000 to seek shelter. Magma spewed out of the ground in an area about the size of Berlin and Hamburg combined, Sigurjon Jonsson from the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology reported at the AGU meeting. (Global Rumblings, Violent Seismic Activity Tearing Africa In Two)

     Is it plausible, then, that a massive seismic event might have been what actually caused the utter destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? At least one writer from an older version of the Encyclopedia Britannica thought so:

     "That in this bituminous region a violent earth tremor - to which, indeed, the Ghor and its borders are particularly liable - should have brought into play eruptive forces whose catastrophic effects are indicated in the Bible narrative, is more than probable." (Encyclopedia Britannica, V.7, P.100, 1958, emphasis mine)
     
     The plausibility of this theory increases dramatically when one takes into account the details of the Biblical narrative. Those living around active volcanoes have only a short period of time after an eruption to get completely out of the area, lest they be buried alive in masses of molten rock and volcanic ash falling from the sky. This would very well explain why Lot and his family were warned by the angels, "Do not look behind you, nor stay anywhere in the surrounding country. Flee to the mountains, lest perhaps you be overtaken ..." (Genesis 19:17, LXX). Lot's wife failed to heed this warning and turned back to watch the destruction of Sodom taking place, assuming she was out of harm's way. But volcanic ash takes upwards of an hour to start falling back to earth, depending upon how violent the eruption was. Lot's wife probably died as a result of being covered over with volcanic ash, possibly consisting of both sulphur and salt, since salt is also a substance that is extremely abundant in the area. Massive, upright pillars of salt can still be seen in the Dead Sea region to this day, one of which is now commonly referred to as "Lot's wife."

                                                 

     Interestingly enough, there is also a Jewish tradition which states that the Lord warned Sodom and Gomorrah for years in advance that He would bring judgment against them, by sending earthquakes throughout the region: "The overthrow of Sodom did not occur suddenly without previous warning. Twenty-five years prior to its annihilation, Hashem caused earthquakes to send tremors throughout that region in order to awaken its inhabitants to do teshuva (penance), but they took no notice of these Divine warnings." (Midrash Says, V.1, P.169-170)
     The use of the word "overthrow" is also interesting here, as it is the same word God used to describe what happened when earthquakes took place in Israel, and then paralleled this to what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. As the Lord Himself told them, ""I overthrew some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you became like a firebrand snatched from the fire. Yet not even then did you return to Me," says the Lord. (Amos 4:10-11 LXX). Note: For more on these earthquakes that occurred during Amos' time, see Jude, Study #12.
     But maybe the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah just passed them off as natural events taking place. Scripture however makes it clear that their judgment did not come about by natural causes. God specifically sent His angels there to execute judgment against them, and releasing massive amounts of "fire and brimstone" from the earth through a great earthquake was simply the means by which they brought it to pass.

     The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city... The two men [i.e. angels] then said to Lot, "Do you have anyone else here - sons-in-law, sons or daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of here, because we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the Lord against its people is so great that He has sent us to destroy it." (Genesis 19:1a,12-13 NIV).

     Jude clearly stated that Sodom and Gomorrah were undergoing this judgment "as an example." An example of what? They were serving as an example of the eternal judgement that would befall the wicked some day, when Death and Hell would finally be cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14).
     It should be noted here also that the Dead Sea region is rich in sulphur from one end to the other, the primary element contained in brimstone. Is it merely a coincidence that the Lake of Fire is described in the Book of Revelations - not once, but several times - literally as "the fiery lake of burning sulphur"? 

     "But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet ... [and] the two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the Rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves upon their flesh." (Revelations 19:20a-21, NIV)

     "And the Devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelations 20:10, NIV)

     To repeat, although geological activity in and around the Dead Sea region has now become dormant compared to New Testament times, there are other prophecies in Revelation which strongly suggest it will not continue to remain dormant much longer.


End-Time Prophecies Relating To The Lake Of Fire

      Is it a credible thing to openly assert that earthquakes could occur which would be so great they would someday literally turn the Dead Sea into a Lake of Fire? To this question I would point out that several verses in Revelation clearly state that more intense earthquake activity is prophesied to occur during the end-times than at any time in human history. One will be so great that it will cause many entire cities across the planet to collapse. Whole mountains will be made to disappear:

     "Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occured since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed ... [and] every island fled away, and the mountains could not be found." (Revelation 16:18-20)
 
     Such phenomenon as islands "fleeing away" (i.e. moving to completely new latitutes and longitudes) and entire mountains collapsing could only occur if the earth's tectonic plates shifted very severely. In such a scenario, it would most certainly not be incredible for the Dead Sea to become quite literally a "Lake of Fire," especially given the fact that the Jordon Rift (i.e. the fault line running beneath the Dead Sea), is not only the longest fault line on earth, but also the deepest. It is also interesting to note that in Revelations this massive earthquake takes place just as the armies of the Antichrist are being gathering together for the Battle of Armageddon, which means just prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to execute judgment against the wicked (Revelation 16:16). 
     All things considered, there is ample reason to believe that the Dead Sea eventually will be transformed into "a fiery lake of burning sulphur" as prophesied in both the Gospels and Revelation. If so, the site of the future Lake of Fire now stares the wicked in the face every day, a silent warning to them that their place of judgment is already reserved. Why is all this important for Christians to know? I have seen many so-called believers refute the doctrine of eternal torment. I even debated one person who called it a "blasphemous teaching." But faith in the Lake of Fire was the very thing that Revelation says helps Christians not take retribution out on those who sin against them. "Vengeance is Mine," says the Lord, and being able to trust that He will execute wrath on the wicked is what enables us to leave matters in His hands. It is what gave the saints patience in the midst of their sufferings: They believed in the coming judgment of those who were afflicting them, and as stated in Revelation, they were even commanded by the Lord to believe in it, for this is what would enable them to remain faithful in the midst of their trials.

     "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he too will drink of the wine of God's fury... He will be tormented with burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever ...  Here [then] is the patience of the saints; here are those who obey God's commandments, and remain faithful to Jesus." (Revelation 14:9-10, 12)

     Moreover, great persecutions are prophesied to return to the body of Christ, persecutions which will in fact be greater than at any time in human history. Seeing that millions have already died for their faith, how long will it be before the following prophecy is fulfilled in Heaven?

     When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been. (Revelation 6:9-11 NIV)

     Thus, it is of utmost importance for those who will be alive during this time to believe just as the apostles did. If they hope to remain faithful to God in the midst of the sufferings and injustices that are coming, they will need to know beyond doubt that Christ Jesus is going to return affliction to those who afflict them, when He returns to be glorified amongst His saints.






Extras:
An article from 2010 on the increase in seismic upheavals in the Red Sea (and Dead Sea) regions:

Swarm of 30,000 Earthquakes Reveals Volcanic Potential

By Charles Q. Choi, September 26, 2010 07:26am ET

     A swarm of thousands of earthquakes that struck the corner of Saudi Arabia nearest to Egypt in 2009 helped reveal that the area is unexpectedly volcanically active, scientists now report… Scientists had largely thought northwest Saudi Arabia was quiet, geologically speaking. Few earthquakes and few volcanic eruptions have been recorded there in the past millennium. However, between April and June 2009, more than 30,000 earthquakes struck an ancient lava field there named Harrat Lunayyir, with 19 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or greater striking at the swarm's peak on May 19, including a magnitude 5.4 quake that fractured walls in the town of Al Ays. Sensors even suggested that a volcanic eruption was possible. Alarmed, the Saudi Arabian government then evacuated 40,000 people from the region.

Part of Red Sea Parting

     The lava field of Harrat Lunayyir is part of a "lava province" roughly 70,000 square miles (180,000 square kilometers) in size … [It] was previously considered inactive because of its location on the margins of the continental rift, nearly 120 miles (200 kilometers) away from the active center of spreading beneath the Red Sea.
     Still, "the Red Sea rift is a very active place to start with, with a chain of volcanoes down the middle of it that we're rarely aware of because they are underwater," said researcher John Pallister, a volcanologist and chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's volcano disaster assistance program. "When continents are being pulled apart as you have there, you'll often see intrusions of magma on the shoulders of the rift."
     The researchers discovered a roughly 2-mile-long (3-km-long) rupture had opened up in the area and widened to 5 miles (8 km) long during the most powerful quake. Satellite radar images suggested the most likely cause of this fault was magma intruding upward over a 6-mile-long (10-km-long) stretch.
     Based on these findings, on June 19, 2009, the researchers forecast a moderate chance of a volcanic eruption and a low probability of magnitude 5 or greater earthquakes in the two months following. A decline of seismic activity by August 2009 led the scientists to conclude the crisis had ended, allowing evacuees to return to their homes and daily lives.

Magma rises

     Still, now that magma has risen to shallow levels roughly a mile (2 kilometers) below the surface of the Earth, eruptions remain possible, and the authorities have to remain vigilant, the researchers said. "It is more likely that we'll get additional intrusions of magma and potentially even an eruption in this area — the pathway is prepared," Pallister told Our Amazing Planet... The scientists detailed their findings online Sept. 26 in the journal Nature Geoscience.