DEATH, THE INTERMEDIATE STATE, THE RESURRECTION AND THE FINAL DESTINY — page 18

angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who commit iniquity; and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”(Matt. 13:41-42). He also said: “So it will be at the consummation of the ages: the angels will come, and will separate the wicked from among the righteous. And will cast them into the furnace of fire: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”(Matt. 13:49-50). Matthew 24:40-41 adds: “Then, two being in the field, one will be taken, and the other left. Two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken, and the other left.”

The first of this initial group to be cast into “hell” (the lake of fire) are the beast and the false prophet (the antichrist – Rev. 19:20).

Those who will be dealt with at that moment are the most guilty people on the face of the Earth. They heard the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:24) and either professed to be believers and were not, or rejected it entirely. They enjoyed, to a certain extent, the benefits and privileges that Christianity brought to this world, but never received Christ as their personal Savior. They will not appear before the “great white throne” (Rev. 20:11-15) at the end of the ages to be judged because there is no need for it. They stood face to face, so to speak, with the Judge Himself, and were caught in the act at His Appearing. He will send them, from there, directly to hell. This judgment is referred to as the judgment of the “living” (2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:5), because it is a judgment of living people. These people will not die; they will be cast alive into the lake of fire!

The second group of people who will be cast into “hell” (the lake of fire) are the dead – those who are in “prison” in the intermediate state. As mentioned earlier, all who died in their sins throughout the entire period of time will be resurrected at the end of the thousand years of Christ's reign (the Millennium). This is the second resurrection. They will stand before the Lord at the “great white throne” to be sentenced to their eternal punishment (Rev. 20:11-15; 21:8). When resurrected, they will remain alive and will be cast alive into the “lake of fire”. Indeed, every person who is cast into hell will go there alive. Their body will be constituted to last through the eternal ages and will exist in the “second death” forever. What a solemn thing!