Lesson 26

Having been resurrected into their second life at the Great White Throne Judgment, failed Christians are thrown into the lake of fire and will die for the second and final time. Only those who follow Jesus will receive eternal life, those who reject Jesus don’t gain eternal life, they die. Rebuffing the opportunity to follow Jesus, those who die a second death will not have another opportunity to receive eternal life. Not having eternal life, those who die their second death will never be resurrected back to life again and will remain dead. Believing God permanently kills humans has been given the descriptive term annihilationism by Christian scholars. Those scholars believe mankind possesses an immortal soul. Scratching the surface of their seemingly benevolent idea that humans possess an immortal soul that lives on after the physical body dies, exposes a darker, sinister side for those who reject Jesus, or never learn about him. It’s believed they will be tormented in the bowels of hell for all eternity. I have never found a term affixed to that belief. In light of the sinner’s fate, perhaps the immortal soul belief should be known as Sadistic Psychopathy as that name adequately describes the lack of empathy needed to carry out those sentences of torment. After all of humanity has followed their choice to either follow Jesus into eternal life or fight against Jesus and die, death and the grave are thrown into the lake of fire. Both are destroyed as they will never be needed again as there will be no humans left to go through them. Mankind will either be dead or enjoying eternal life in the Kingdom of God. When do you think people will be living in God’s kingdom? What process do you think God will use to bring believers to himself? What happens to those who are not found in the book of life? How does the Bible define death? If a person lives and dies, then lives and dies again, how many times will have they lived and died in total?

John 3:16 Good News Translation
16 For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

Revelation 2:11 Amplified Bible
11 He who has an ear, let him hear and heed what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes [the world through believing that Jesus is the Son of God] will not be hurt by the second death (the lake of fire).’

Revelation 20:13-15 New Testament for Everyone
13 The sea gave back the dead that were in it; Death and Hades gave back the dead that were in them; and each was judged in accordance with what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, they were thrown into the lake of fire.