#358.23

BRIMSTONE

With his first bite from the forbidden tree, the first death; namely, Adam, died. This fateful act not only took his life, but destroyed the entirety of the first life for ages to come along with him. But, praise God, we saw in our previous study, #357.23, "CONSUMING FIRE," all death and hell will find their assigned places in God's all consuming Lake of Fire. It is not known by many; but God and all who are one with Him is that consuming fire of holiness. And it is certainly not the lake, or "hell," created in the minds of religious leaders and embraced by their unsuspected students.

       We learned that by the in-workings of this sacred Lake, He will destroy the grave (the imperceptible realm) along with all death therein. We likewise saw that it is by and in this Lake He will destroy all sin, sorrow, and tears—not men— but sin, sorrow, and tears. God does not destroy men in the lake of fire, only that which is contrary to God, Love and His Life. This, of course, will leave the universe void of all suffering and every form of death.

Some might ask, "Well, Brother Roach, what about the scriptures that say evil men will be destroyed?" Such as, "But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall be consumed. Into smoke shall they consume away." Psalm 37:20. And "He has turned their own wickedness back upon them, and will destroy them by means of their own evil..." Psalm 94.23.

Notwithstanding, before continuing, it will be very beneficial to read from our late friend Larry Hodges:

"You may question whether the Bible really does use the word, destroy, in a sense altogether different from of the common English usage. I refer you to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words:

"1. Apollumi -- a strengthened form of ollumi, signifies 'to destroy utterly;' in middle voice, 'to perish.' The idea is not extinction but ruin, loss, not of being, but of well-being. This is clear from its use, as, e.g., of the marring of wineskins, Luke 5:37; of lost sheep, i.e., lost to the shepherd, a metaphorical of spiritual destitution, etc.'

"2. Katargeo – see ABOLISH. lit., 'to reduce to inactivity. In this and similar words, not loss of being is implied, but loss of well-being. God has chosen things that are not 'to bring to naught things that are,' i.e., to render them useless for practical purposes, 1 Cor. 1:28; the princes of this world are 'brought to naught,' i.e., their wisdom becomes ineffective, 2:6; the use for which the human stomach exists ceases with man's death, 6:13; (and much more, please read under abolish).

"3. Kathaireo -- 'to cast down, pull down by force, etc.,' is translated 'to destroy'.

"4. Luo -- 'to loose, dissolve, sever, break, demolish (tear down)'.

"5. Kataluo -- 'destroy', of the person's spiritual well-being.

"6. Olothreuo -- 'to destroy' especially in the sense of slaying.

"7. Exolothreuo -- 'out of' to destroy out of.

"8. Pletheiro -- (see Corrupt) to bring to a worse state by corrupting as by evil company.

"9. Diaphtheiro -- (see Corrupt). Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary gives several meanings to the word, destroy. The one I was referring to in my article was the meaning -- 'to put out of existence.' This particular meaning is the only one which has some connotation of eternal judgment and it is not remedial. But let me say, a man can lose his soul as the Scriptures clearly state. We are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. https://www.godfire.net/allencompassing.html 

Volumes could be written concerning this; but today we will only briefly touch upon the thought. Someone once said that the best way to destroy your enemy, is to make him your friend. The man, of course, is not destroyed, but the enemy portion of him will be; such as, the carnal mind being replaced by the Spiritual mind, the physical body being overcome by to the power of his Spiritual body. This is his house transformed home that is eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 6:1). To destroy the evil in him by ministering the Love and Life of Jesus Christ, which can come in the form of fire, does not destroy the man, but in many cases actually saves him, delivers him from all adamic corruption. The influence of that dark spirit, and its deadly fruit, is consumed away by the fire of God's Spirit and Word; but the man lives, and he lives life more abundantly. This is only one of the merciful things that God's Brimstone does in people's lives.

Incidentally, the Greek word for God in the New Testament is Theos (divinity), and Theon, is the Greek for Brimstone, that is, Sulphur or God Fire. Molten Sulphur was considered to be a Divine Fire which was use to consume burnt offerings to God.

After the Second Death, the Lake of Divine Fire worked its purpose, John heard the promising voice expressly declaring that there shall be NO MORE DEATH! Revelation 21:4. That declaration, my friends and fellow sojourners, is some of the best Gospel (Grk. euaggelizo – Good News) by which any human heart could be joyfully pierced.

Even with this being so clear, some cannot see it, while continue to say that God will punish the unsaved with agonizing torment forever. This torment is described as a never ending death and separation from Him for most of His human creation, which to me and my household can only see that such "news" is "the worst news" that has ever disgraced the earth and whole world therein. Such a judgment would certainly be classified as a form of death, but we should know that it is not possible for anyone to be separated from God forever. Everything, ALL (to be accurate), that was created and came out of God will go back into Him. So let me ask, "How can you abolish death by bringing men under the bondage of eternal death, from which there is no escape?" It cannot be done!

The purpose of Jesus has never been to destroy people or have them separated from Him, His Father, the Body of Christ, and all their family in torment forever. Rest, be at peace; such will never happen. Not by any means! The letter of the word makes this clear, while the Spirit of the Word confirms and assures us.

All that came out of Him will go through Him and return from where they came, back into Him as noted in Romans 11:36. Let us also take a moment to quote from Colssians 1:15-20 in the Amplified Bible:

"He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation. For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him. And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.] [Pro 8:22-31]

"He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything. [1Co 15:20]

"For it pleased the Father for all the fullness [of deity--the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes] to dwell [permanently] in Him (the Son), and through [the intervention of] the Son to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace [with believers] through the blood of His cross; through Him, [I say,] whether things on earth or things in heaven." – End quote.

It doesn't take one with a PHD in theology to understand that Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15), and how could it be missed, He was sent to make an end of sin (Daniel 9:24). However, most theological PHD recipients are either willingly ignorant, they are spiritually blind and fail to see, or they stand in the face of Truth and refuse to declare that Jesus saves sinners while destroying sin, death, and hell. Terrible conditions which they maintain will last throughout eternity. If it was not such a serious issue, it would be laughable.

To prove my point about the error of those with religious PHDs verses children, I would love to present this study to a 3^rd or 4^th grade class and see what their view would end up being at the end of the class. There's no doubt in my mind that they would put many professors to shame. If the opportunity were to be given to me, I can hear in my spirit them quoting from Isaiah 26:9 – "For when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world WILL learn righteousness." Now, how many of our readers believe that the prophet did not hear by the Spirit of revelation and was lying or merely speaking from what he believed to be true?

To be reminded, the root of death, SIN, is destroyed; the abode of the dead, HELL/HADES/SHEOL, is destroyed; and along with them, the fruit of sin, DEATH ITSELF, is destroyed. And we refer to another verse:

"...The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." In case some may have missed what Paul said so clearly that any grade level or rank of intelligence should understand, I will say it again: "...THE LAST ENEMY that shall be DESTROYED is DEATH." 1 Corinthians 15:26. (By the way, "to be carnal minded" is part of that death. Romans 8:6)

It is truly nonsense to proclaim that HELL is some sort of miraculous PERPETUAL, ETERNAL, TORMENTING DEATH IN A LAKE OF MOLTEN BRIMSTONE with the temperature of 392 degrees Fahrenheit (200 Celsius). It is truly the most egregious miscarriage of God's nature, His character, and His justice to teach that there is no escape for all who pass over those foreboding borders. Some doctrines and ministers digress farther down that proverbial tube of no hope and say that even the unbaptized babies will be among those tormented in their nefarious belief in everlasting damnation. Of course, not to mention names, Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758) claimed that " The road to hell is paved with the skulls of unbaptized babies."

(Sounds more like something those crazed Hamas butchers. would say.)

Edwards (October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758) was a Yale graduate, an American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and Congregationalist theologian. A leading figure of "the American Enlightenment" (really?). John Calvin embrace the same view, explaining that God knew which babies would become believers and which ones would not if they lived to the (unscriptural) age of accountability.

With such an image, how can anyone maintain the alarming conviction that it is a sacred teaching of a literal place of no return? This teaching of "perpetual, unending, screaming torment while boiling blood courses through their veins" may rank among the most sensational, spine-tingling fantasies of all time, but this scenario has not always been with the Church. It has been in Christendom only since the inception of the Roman Catholic Church. It was introduced by the prelates of Rome's State church in the early fourth century and later endorsed by the Reformers. You see, unbeknown to some, Peter, James, and John did not read the King James version of the Bible, nor the Catholic Douay Reimes Bible, Moreover, known by less, they did not teach the damnable doctrine of eternal damnation, even though the KJV, and some other translations, say they did. But religion, like politics, teaches whatever maintains their positions of authority.

There are several contributing factors of such a skewed doctrine, but one of the honest ones was the lack of Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Also the translators relied on the abundance of Bibles with ill-translated words or scriptures. As we know, most other religions of the world have had their own presumptions of hell (the abode for the unsaved dead and the everlasting power of their evil fire-gods), but it was the Christian churches that have been very influential in popularizing the concept of it being a place of torment that never ends.

Truly, governing men of religious orders created a god similar to themselves, after their own corrupt nature, imagination, and likeness. That which they attribute to Him is exactly what they would do if they were God, else they would not wish such on any human being.

Nevertheless, we still wonder, how could the plain words of the apostle Paul have gone unnoticed for such a long time? Such as with this impeccable verse:

"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY. O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING? O GRAVE, WHERE IS THY VICTORY?" 1 Corinthians 15:54-55.

Some may contend that the apostle was referring only to the Christians. He, indeed, was writing to the Christians in Corinth, and we know that only in Christ is the victory of salvation and eternal life is gained; for Paul went on to say in verse 57: "But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." In another place it is written, "...Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" Acts 4:12. AMEN!

 Truly, it is only by His matchless name that a man is saved, and only those in Christ Jesus can gain this victory—but there is more. It is not limited to just a few. THIS VICTORIOUS  SALVATION IS  FOR ALL HE DIED FOR! This promising message is clearly trumpeted not only in the various verses we have already covered, it is in many others sown throughout the scriptures. We have compiled a list over the past fifty plus years of 112 verses that speaks of God’s love and resolve that will save all, and it is in Jesus that this will be accomplished.

In the light of simple truth, how can responsible people continue embracing the idea of "torment of fierce burning of brimstone throughout eternity?" What a mocking charade! I believe the traduced church has been dancing to a fatal tune. So stop the music, folks! Pack up your kitbag, and send the band home! Vain imaginations are no truer today than they were when time began! And the truth stands undaunted. In Christ's great Church, the plan of salvation through fear has not worked, and there is no place found for such prevaricated traditions whether intentional or otherwise.

More than a few are reluctant to teach concerning "The Great White Throne Judgment" and "The Lake of Fire." Some flatly refuse to teach out of the book of Revelation at all. One retired minister of one the largest denominations in the world, and with his PHD in theology, told me that the book of Revelation should have never been canonized as a part of the Bible. He said that he did not have time to waste on a man (the apostle John) who had a nightmare, wrote it down, and then had the gall to send it all over the country claiming it was from God.

Another one said he would never teach from the book of Revelation, because every time a preacher did so, it split the church wide open. And then there are some who do teach from it; but too often their approach of end-time events and judgment come from the tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. It only lends to perpetuate confusion and off-handed imaginations. With such views and lack of understanding, we can see why so little is understood today when it comes to the judgments of God.

In reference to this short paragraph, or this entire article, for that matter, let me say this:

My ministry credentials are not from below. They are not from a Bible college certificate or university degree of any sort. They come from above, something I did not choose or ever before desire. My entire life that was filled with darkness could never have been destroyed and made new in Christ without it having been divine intervention and birthing from above from where my source came and still does.

Moreover, in the natural, I have studied the Hebrew and Greek scriptures for more than 50 years and read and heard thousands of books and messages from notable and trustworthy authors as many years from all over the world and as far back as writing began and/or when it was put in type. These vanguards of the Word and Life of the Kingdom included more names than can listed in this short article; but most of you would recognize them if they were named. I also fed and gleaned from volumes of Hebrew and Greek dictionaries as well countless lexicons and other research materials, not to mention dining and gleaning from some of the ancient mystics and age-old scholars who heard from God's throne. I mention this so you know that I am not knit-picking at a few doctrine(s) of which are disagreeable to me. I am certain that the word I minister is credible, else, it would never be spoken or written by me.

So now, painful as it may be to some, aren't we glad, He has, and still is in the process of consuming us by His cleansing, transforming fire of the Last Adam that fuses every fiber of our being together with His? We have learned what a good thing fire is in our own lives, whether it is for light, for warmth, for forming or for purging. What then, causes people to believe the Lake of Fire will not be a great day for the rest of the world? Painful, surely, but bringing forth great results to every soul. It is strange how people can see the good of God's fire in their own lives during this age of preparation, but they sometimes fail to see it in other's taking place in the age(s) to come.

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the HOLY GHOST, and WITH FIRE." Matthew 3:11. It is just as accurately translated, "He shall baptize you with the HOLY SPIRIT, even FIRE," indicating that the Holy Spirit, Fire, and Brimstone are one and the same, God, Jesus, and the Sons.

Concerning this, we will borrow a portion from the scholarly work of Charles Pridgeon (6/7/1853 - 7/21/1932) on the subject of BRIMSTONE:

"The Lake of Fire and Brimstone signifies a fire burning with brimstone; the 'brimstone' or sulphur defines the character of the fire. The Greek word THEION translated 'brimstone' is exactly the same word, THEION, which means 'divine.' Sulphur was sacred to the deity among the ancient Greeks; and was used to fumigate, to purify, and to cleanse and consecrate to the deity; for this purpose they burned it in their incense. In Homer's Iliad (16:228), one is spoken of as purifying a goblet with fire and brimstone. The verb derived from THEION is THEIOO, which means to hallow, to make divine, or to dedicate to a god (See Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon, 1897 Edition).

Those who have the mark of the beast, that is, everyone who has the mark of man (666) rather than the mark (777), the name, the nature, and Spirit of the Father in their foreheads (their minds), will find themselves in this Lake of Godfire. Wood, hay, and stubble shall certainly be tormented, not forever, but temporarily in the presence of God, who is fire. They shall be tormented in the presence of the Lamb, who is fire. they shall be tormented in the presence of the holy messengers and ministers of God, who are fire. And they shall be tormented in the presence of the word of God, which is fire. Again, and simply put, the Lake of Fire is GODFIRE. Its entire composition is GOD in one form or another!

A lake by definition is a body of water. The lake of burning brimstone is a body of DIVINE GODFIRE that is made up of many members. He makes His angels spirits and His ministers flames of fire (Psalm 104:4). The Body of Christ is a many-membered body consisting of those who have been baptized into that Body, not water, but His many membered body of flaming fire.

The spirit of each member is a candle of the Lord (Proverbs 20:27), and when they all burn with the flaming brightness of God's Spirit, you have GODFIRE, and when they cover the earth as the waters cover the seas, you have THE LAKE OF BRIMSTONE, THE LAKE OF GODFIRE—THE SECOND DEATH. This is the death to death, death to the first Adam as well as all his wares – sin, sorrow, tears, hell, hades, sheol, the grave, etc.!

It matters not if it was yesterday, today, tomorrow, or in the ages to come, Jesus will baptize every soul with the Spirit of His Holy Godfire. Every soul shall be thoroughly salted with fire. He will purge the floor of His earth, the earth that "...is the Lord's, the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein!" Psalm 24:1. Oh, children of this age, what a baptism, what a purging! And in the end, each and every soul will joyfully say: "Praise God! I needed that!"

Fire was given to us in the natural so we can grasp in a measure what God is, as well as His ministers, and also to know what His word is. It is the same with practically everything, before we can understand anything about God. When we have learned about sowing wheat and barley, we begin to understand the death of Jesus; and the reaping of the firstfruits of barley is no longer a mystery. It finally dawns more readily upon us what the resurrection is about; and once we have loved and lived in the wonderful thing called marriage, we can know more about our union with Christ. That which is natural is first, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Romans, and then that which is spiritual and so it is with fire.

Like all symbols, it is a useful tool and very necessary for teaching, for getting a message across; but after the reality arrives of what the symbol points to, symbols are put aside. Once the fire of Christ came, and that age ended (at the siege of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.) the fire in the temple ceased to burn, as did the flames in the Valley of Hinnom. Those natural flames that were very useful for a time, died, to never be kindled again; for the fire of the Holy Spirit of God came, fulfilling the shadowy symbol in flaming reality.

This, dear saints of God, we can count on the fire of God to consume and transform us now or later. It will bring each of us to the cross. Like the natural, although spiritual fire is painfully hot to carnal minded people, it will work a change, and the change will be unto righteousness. It may take long ages of God's fiery judgment to work on some; but it will work and then it comes to an end. His great Godfire will only last until it has melted all arrogance into humility, and all that is of self has died in the bloody sweat and all-conquering cross of Jesus Christ.

Never believe the fire will not bring every soul to the cross, nor think it will last forever. Once God's fire is kindled, the passion of His love will never be quenched until its redeeming power finishes what it is sent to do. And for sure, once the unquenchable fire has consumed everything flammable, and has worked its marvelous work, beauty shall rise from those ashes, and life shall bloom from the earthen tomb of death. They all, every soul, shall hear the voice of the Son of God and will live thereby!

It cannot be said too often, the HOLY SPIRIT of God is the HOLY FIRE of God; and whatsoever the HOLY FIRE OF GOD touches, it either burns it up/upward or refines it. His fire either destroys or changes, usually both, by destroying sin and changing the sinner. Whenever the Spirit is activated, fire proceeds from the throne! A sermon ministered by the Spirit is a WORD OF FIRE— IT IS GODFIRE! A song that is sung in the Spirit is a SONG THAT IS ABLAZE WITH FIRE. An act of love (not carnal) is a PASSION OF FIRE. His ministers are FIREBRANDS IN THE EARTH. There can be nothing said, sung, or done in the Spirit that does not change or destroy something inwardly and outwardly. The SPIRIT IS HEAVENLY FIRE, and everything fire touches is effected one way or the other. It consumes the wood, the hay, and the stubble while refining the precious silver and gold of the Lord in man.

THE LAKE OF FIRE, or let us say "THE LAKE OF GOD and HIS MINISTERS WHO ARE FLAMES OF FIRE," is ablaze with HOLY FIRE. It burns fervently with the Word, it rises in anthem's celestial flames as THE SONG OF THE LORD, and in swells of glory the fire roars with wave after wave of His fiery Word, while His ministers of surmounting flames move across the land by the guiding breath of God's Spirit of determined passion.

How can we malign or caricature such a blazing glory? How can we demean such wonders of the Lord? And how can we undermine His ability to save to the utmost? How can we mock such holy wonders of His doing? Hopefully, all who reads these pages will never do so again, and this is as GOD'S CONSUMING BRIMSTONE ignites the tender kindling in every dry and weary soul, which makes ALL THINGS NEW!

Isn't it great to know that not only ALL will be made NEW, rather than Him making all NEW THINGS? If it is to be all new things, He might discard us and a make someone else in our place.

We rejoice and are extremely glad that God is not in a discarding business, but making the old new by way of fiery transformations?

Elwin R. Roach