I Want to See This: Revelation 20

The Lake of Fire is presented. Anyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life is thrown into it. Satan, and the Beast, and the False Prophet, are tossed into it. And Death and Hell are tossed into it.

The first thing I want to see, is the Lake of Fire itself. I can only imagine what this must look like!

Fire breaks down anything into its basic, elemental form. As I understand it, any life form from earth, when burned up, turns into carbon dust. A jar filled with the ashes of a cremated person has only dust, made of carbon, in it. If this blog was regularly read by even a half dozen people, I'm sure this question would be settled.

I have not addressed Satan, much, in my ten-year biblical journey. Yet to me Satan is a concept, the embodiment of opposition to God, in any form. Humans that oppose God are called "Satan." So if Satan is tossed into the fire, it simply means that the idea of evil, or of opposing God, is destroyed.

The Beast represented governments that sought supremacy over the earth, against the will of God. These are most often represented as individuals, whose identities change over time. The idea of worldly governments, opposed to God, is destroyed.

The False Prophet is any human setting himself up as God. Or it could refer to false religions that point people away from Christ. The idea that Christ is not the Way, or that there are other paths to eternal life, is destroyed.

The three basic sources of opposition to God - will be gone. So what does it mean to say they will be tortured for ever and ever? I think it just means the job will go one, until it's complete, even if it has to burn forever. How do you torture a concept? Well, there will be people in the Lake of Fire, and a lot of these figureheads of the concepts will certainly not receive any pleasure from the burning. It burns them up. It's effect is forever. But even if it did mean "through eternity, without literally ending," then, don't we all have a lot to learn about eternity? We really don't know what we're talking about!

Then Death and Hades were hurled into the Lake of Fire.

These, too, are concepts. Death is killed. And then Hell - the place of the dead - is destroyed. The last enemies to be destroyed are Death and Hell. No more Death. No more place for the Dead. Earth, or the ground, will never again be used for burial. How wonderful is that?

I can't imagine what this will look like. But I want to see it!