No. 184 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

April 2004 THE LAKE OF FIRE by Henry M. Morris* The subject of hell is seldom taught or into it after that destruction (Revelation preached these days, even in fundamen- 19:20; 20:10), the fiery lake must be lo- talist churches. Most people believe that cated away from the earth. One sugges- hell is only for monsters of wickedness tion is that it could be somewhere on a such as Adolph Hitler, not for themselves. star (after all, stars are actually vast lakes A recent authoritative poll found that: of fire) far, far away from the earth. “Majorities of about two-thirds of all More important than its location will adults believe in hell and the devil, but be its occupants. The “devil and his an- hardly anybody expects that they will go gels” will be there, Jesus said, but also to hell themselves.”1 all those men and women whose names But they are wrong! Most people will are “not found written in the book of life” go to hell. Jesus Christ said so! (Revelation 20:15). I don’t like to say such a thing, and And who are these? “But the fearful, would not dare to except for the fact that and unbelieving, and the abominable, Jesus Christ said it, and people desper- and murderers, and whoremongers, and ately need to know how not to go to hell. sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, After all, it was He who said that a place shall have their part in the lake which of “everlasting fire, prepared for the burneth with fire and brimstone: which devil and his angels” would also be the is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). place of the “everlasting punishment” of Probably most “good people” would multitudes of people (Matthew 25:41,46) agree that “murderers, and whore-mon- in an age to come. gers” deserve hell,—but “the fearful, and This place of everlasting fire is also unbelieving, . . . and all liars”? Would called “the lake of fire.” Wherever and that not include just about everyone? whatever it is, hell will not be located on In the antediluvian world, we are told (or in) the earth. This present earth is to that “all flesh had corrupted his way be destroyed by fire (II Peter 3:10) and upon the earth” (Genesis 6:12). During to have “fled away” (Revelation 20:11) the period of God’s greatest blessings in before God creates the new heavens and Israel, that wisest of men, Solomon, had the new earth. Since the “beast” and the to acknowledge that “there is not a just “false prophet” are said to be cast into man upon earth, that doeth good, and the lake of fire before this earth’s destruc- sinneth not” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). The tion, whereas Satan is said to be thrown apostle Paul agreed that “there is none *Dr. Henry Morris is Founder and President Emeritus of ICR. a that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans headed for hell, because Jesus said: “if 3:12). And even Christ Himself said that ye believe not that I am He, [that is, God], “there is none good but one, that is, God” ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). (Mark 10:18). “For whosoever shall keep “The fool hath said in his heart, There is the whole law, and yet offend in one point, no God” (Psalm 14:1, 53:1; also note Ro- he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). God is mans 1:22). “of purer eyes than to behold evil” (2) Then, there are the billions of (Habakkuk 1:13), and so cannot allow people who believe in false religions. even one unforgiven sin into heaven. It Many are “good” people. Nevertheless begins to look as if the lake of fire will they are all lost and bound for hell. They have many, many occupants after all! all reject Christ and “there is none other There is a way to escape hell, of name under heaven given among men, course, but not many people are willing whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). to go that way. None other than the Lord Remember that Jesus Himself said: “I am Jesus Christ Himself said that “narrow the way, . . . no man cometh unto the Fa- is the way, which leadeth unto life, and ther, but by me” (John 14:6). Most of few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14). them know His claims and have either At the same time, He said also that rejected or ignored them. Those who fol- “broad is the way, that leadeth to destruc- low the Koran, for example, know that, tion, and many there be which go in even though Mohammed accepted Christ thereat” (Matthew 7:13). as a prophet, he denied repeatedly that Please note that the man who said these He was the unique Son of God, that He things was not only the God who created died for our sins, and that He rose from all of us, but also the one who has pro- the dead. Jesus said: “. . . he that believeth vided the way out of escape from hell, and not is condemned already, because he who will be our final Judge—and He has hath not believed in the name of the only said that most people will stay on the broad begotten Son of God” (John 3:18). road leading to the lake of fire! Most of Mohammed therefore is a lost sinner, and these undoubtedly will be men and so are all those who believe him rather women who assume they are “good” and than God in Christ. are not expecting to go to hell when they (3) There are also many who profess die. But consider several specific catego- to be Christians but will eventually be ries of people who are in such danger. sent to the lake of fire. “And if any man (1) First there are those who don’t shall take away from the words of the believe in hell, or any religion at all? book of this prophecy [that is, not only “According to recent surveys, 39 per- from the final book of the Bible, but in cent of Americans—111 million of us— context, the words of Scripture as a belong to no church, synagogue, mosque, whole], God shall take away his part out or other religious institution . . . an un- of the book of life . . .” (Revelation 22:19). precedented 14 percent of Americans tell In addition to these sober words of warn- pollsters that they are atheists, agnostics, ing to those who would tamper with the secular humanists, or simply disinter- inspired words of the Bible, it was also ested in religion. That’s about 40 million Jesus who said: “Many will say to me in Americans. . . .”2 that day, Lord, Lord, have we not proph- That’s in America! In Europe, the per- esied in thy name? . . . and in thy name centages of those who don’t believe done many wonderful works? And then would be greater. These people are all will I profess unto them, I never knew b you: depart from me, ye that work iniq- Only Jesus Christ, of all men who ever uity” (Matthew 7:22–23). lived, has shown that He has the power to We might well ask as did the disciples defeat our greatest enemy, death. There- when Jesus said that it was “easier for a fore, He is God, and we will do well to camel to go through the eye of a needle, believe both His warnings and His prom- than for a rich man to enter into the king- ises. Would anyone dare call Him a liar dom of God. . . . Who then can be saved?” by insisting on some other way? There (Matthew 19:24–25). The fact is, however, could be no greater sin, and those who as Jesus said: “With God all things are commit this sin will undoubtedly remem- possible” (Matthew 19:26). ber it forever there in their fiery prison. God has made our salvation possible But what about those who have never and easily available through the incarna- heard about the Savior and His great gift tion, substitutionary sacrifice for our sins, of love? The fact is everyone knows and glorious victory over death in the enough to be saved, if he will act on the bodily resurrection, of His only begotten light he has. Jesus Christ, the Creator is Son, Jesus Christ. What we could never “the true Light, which lighteth every man earn by good works, He has provided as that cometh into the world” For those a free gift! “For all have sinned, and who will act on whatever light they come short of the glory of God; Being have—whether in the evidence of cre- justified freely by His grace through the ation or the witness of conscience or redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Ro- whatever remnants of truth may have mans 3:23–24). been preserved in their particular reli- “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and gion—then God will presumably send thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Paul whatever additional light is needed to calls this magnificent offer “the glorious enable belief unto salvation. The Scrip- gospel of the blessed God” (I Timothy tures provide the experience of Cornelius 1:11), so how could anyone refuse such as a case in point (Acts 10). Most men, a gift of divine love? however, fail to act on whatever light they But aren’t there other ways to be may have, and God says they are “with- saved? What about Buddhism and Islam out excuse” (Romans 1:20). and other philosophical systems that No doubt some receive more light than seem to make good sense? No: “There is others and the Bible teaches that there will a way which seemeth right unto a man, be degrees of reward in heaven and de- but the end thereof are the ways of death” grees of punishment in hell (note, for ex- (Proverbs 14:12). ample, Luke 12:42–48), but the one great As Paul pointed out long ago to the divide between heaven and hell is one’s intellectuals at Athens, all such ques- response to Christ’s great sacrifice and gift tions should have been settled by the of love. “He that believeth on the Son hath bodily resurrection of Christ. “God . . . everlasting life: and he that believeth not now commandeth all men every where the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of to repent: Because He hath appointed a God abideth on him” (John 3:36). day, in the which He will judge the world Endnotes in righteousness by that man whom He 1. “Harris Poll,” The Religious and Other hath ordained; whereof He hath given Beliefs of Americans 2003, Skeptical assurance unto all men, in that He hath Inquirer (vol. 27. July/August 2003), p. 5. raised Him from the dead” (Acts 17:30– 2. Promotional Brochure for the Council 31). for Secular Humanism. c DO THE DOCTRINES OF CREATION AND RESURRECTION REINFORCE EACH OTHER? by John D. Morris, Ph.D. Without a doubt the two greatest “mir- We rightly acknowledge God as Cre- acles” of all time are the Creation of all ator of all, but it behooves us to remem- things in six days and the Resurrection ber that while all three persons of the of Jesus Christ from the dead. Godhead were involved, it was Jesus That creation occurred by the hand of Christ, God’s “dear Son: In whom we the Creator is so “clearly seen,” the Bible have redemption through His blood” tells us, one is “without excuse” if he re- (Colossians 1:13–14) actually doing the jects it (Romans 1:20). Meanwhile, tes- work, for “all things were created by Him, timony to the resurrection was given by and for Him” (v. 16). a multitude of witnesses and “many in- On the cross, Jesus Christ willingly fallible proofs” (Acts 1:3). Presentation dismissed His spirit once His work was of the evidence for both, forms the back- “finished” (John 19:30). Furthermore, bone of any apologetic effort. It stands after three days in the grave, He chose to to reason that they would be interrelated, take His life back again. As He told His attributed to the same source, and require disciples, “I have power to lay [my life] the same great power. down, and I have power to take it again” Consider, first of all, the creation of (John 10:18)—an empty claim from the life—plant, animal, and man. Life pos- lips of any but the Creator. As the Cre- sesses unfathomable complexity, on ev- ator and giver of life, He has the author- ery scale, at every level. This design ex- ity to do as He chooses. tends to every part and the combination Some think it of no value to give evi- of parts into the whole. Furthermore, the dences for either creation or the resurrec- origin of every process that life performs tion, claiming evidence would do away exceeds the reach of purely natural with the need for faith. But Christ taught sources. Nowhere is this more obvious otherwise. After He had returned from the than in the process of reproduction, dead, He appeared to His disciples. Tho- where a new living entity emerges. mas, who was not present said, “Except Surely a living, supernatural Creator I shall see in His hands the print of the stands behind them all. nails [i.e., the evidence] . . . I will not The apex of God’s creation was believe” (John 20:25). Eight days later reached when “God created man in His Jesus again appeared to them, including own image” (Genesis 1:27). Initially, “the Thomas, to whom He said, “Reach hither Lord God formed man of the dust of the thy finger, and behold my hands [i.e., ground,” of the same chemicals from ‘come see the evidence’] . . . be not faith- which He had made the plants and ani- less, but believing” (v. 27). mals, but then He “breathed into his nos- Evidence for creation and the resur- trils the breath of life; and man became a rection is persuasive and real. It is not a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). Animals also substitute for faith, but rather shows the possess breath, but, man’s “breath” and doubter the reasonableness of faith, and “soul” came directly from his Creator as becomes an impetus for the believer to life was imparted. grow ever stronger in his faith. © 2004 by ICR • All Rights Reserved Single copies 10¢ • Order from: INSTITUTE FOR CREATION RESEARCH P.O. Box 2667, El Cajon, CA 92021 • Available for download on our website (www.icr.org). d