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BOOK EXCERPT:
SALVATION FROM THE LAKE OF FIRE
INTRODUCTION-THE START OF A JOURNEY
AN OVERVIEW
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This book is written with the faith and trust that God’s Holy Word is true, does not contradict itself, is inspired by God, stands forever, and is the unchanging living Word of God (NASB: 2 Timothy 3:16–17; Isaiah 40:8; Hebrews 4:12; 13:8; John 1:1–5).
Our God is an unchanging God, and scripture assures us of this fact.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17 ESV)
IS YOUR NAME WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE
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There is nothing more important than our salvation—Nothing! Therefore, we should be extremely careful about what we spiritually believe in because our souls’ eternal destination depends on it. Whether we have a relationship with Jesus Christ or not when we take our last breath will determine our souls’ eternal destination.
The above statement is essential and inclusive to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to redeem the world; therefore, nothing is more important than everyone’s salvation.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MYSELF
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I wrote this book from a layperson’s theological perspective, with the intent to reach out to people with God’s message of love and redemption. However, I am a theologian at heart, and I want to share what I have learned in a simplified format and using well-supported biblical references.
I do not hold a degree in theology, so I had to remind myself that the first few disciples Jesus chose were ordinary fishermen. Jesus asked them to be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17). I also felt led by the Holy Spirit to share my journey to discovering the truth of God’s Word with others to equip them in their mission of pursuing godly lives.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)
U-TURNS
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I humbly confess that I have not always lived my life as a Christian should; I have had a journey of my own. God has taken me through many painful learning lessons throughout my life because of some decisions and choices I made. I had slowly moved from the narrow path to the broad road of destruction (Matthew 7:13–14). It was not until later in life; I moved back to the narrow path. I am a living testimony that God does allow U-Turns in your life—just do not let them pass you up. While you are alive, you have the opportunity to jump over to the narrow path to heaven’s gate. God also showed me the silver lining in those stormy clouds of adversities. Some of you may be experiencing turbulent waters, such as battling health issues or perhaps in an abusive relationship, whether personal or work-related. Just remember, nothing is too complicated for our Lord (Jeremiah 32:17).
Scripture offers us hope. Psalms 107:27–29 talks about a storm on the sea that some men were being tossed around. When they cried out to the Lord, “He brought them out of their distresses. He caused the storm to be still” (vv. 28–29 NASB). God does not always answer our prayers the way we think He should. And there are times we feel God does not answer our prayers because it is not the outcome we desire.
Sometimes, God says “no,” but we do not see a definite current answer, so we feel He does not answer our prayers. Sometimes God is silent, and we think He is not there. If God is silent, it does not mean He is not there; He may be asking us to be patient and wait upon the Lord. The difference is that God sees the future; we do not. Sometimes things happen for the best, even though we do not see it in the present. Further along those lines, sometimes God allows adverse events to happen to get our attention. Therefore, we need to fix our eyes on the Lord—in the good and bad times.
Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
(Isaiah 40:31 NASB)
INTRODUCTION TO THE THREE VIEWS
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After reading various online articles regarding hell over four years ago (mid-2017), I started researching conditionalism, universalism, and traditionalism. I was curious because, until then, I had not heard of those exact terms. I had always thought all evangelical Christians believed that the lake of fire was eternal for unbelievers, so it was a learning curve for me during that time.
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From my research, I have discovered some interesting data regarding the three views. Some Christians believe that all these views are evangelical and scriptural; I’m afraid I disagree with that, and I will debate the concept in Chapter 1. This book is not a comprehensive, comparative study about these three views; however, I have dedicated Chapter 1 to describing and summarizing them. Two of these views—conditionalism and traditionalism—have been detailed in Two Views of Hell by Edward William Fudge and Robert A. Peterson (2000).
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Briefly stated, the three central beliefs regarding the fate of unbelievers in the lake of fire are these.
Traditionalism: eternal punishment in the eternal fire.
Conditionalism: complete annihilation; body and soul cease to exist.
Universalism: temporary; eventually, everyone will be saved.
Intellectually we all know the Bible cannot teach three views of hell, or the Bible would be a work of fiction. So instead, the Bible teaches one view of the lake of fire: making two views unscriptural. We will review this theory in Chapter 1.
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As an encouragement, the Bible tells us, “If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him” (John 12:26 NASB).
It is vital for those who profess to be Christians to remember that we are evangelists by spreading the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, to an unbelieving world.
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Let us now travel together to study and review what those three views are all about.