In each blog, I often reference many different topics that I've already covered, and maybe you've missed. Please review my blogs to read more...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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In The Lake of Fire we find a most unusual thing often associated with it in Scripture - brimstone.
BRIMSTONE?!?! OH NO! NOT BRIMSTONE!
Isn’t this lake of fire going to be painful enough without adding "brimstone"?
First we learn (from parts of Christendom) that the non-believers and wicked will be tortured for all eternity in literal white-hot fire, and now we read in the Scriptures that there is going to be BRIMSTONE in this lake of fire?!
Whose idea is it to add brimstone to this fire? Is this a cruel curse from Satan?
That doesn’t seem plausible seeing that this is GOD’S WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT... it does not belong to Satan. Satan will have his part, but he is not the designer.
But why then would God be putting this brimstone stuff into His fire?
Maybe the brimstone isn’t a cruel curse from God afterall, but rather a marvelous blessing.
Is that possible?
With God all things are possible!
(Sarcasm above is not my own... I copied and slightly edited that intro from my notes (another author)... It just read so well, and kinda cracked me up... no harm meant!)
__________________________________
BRIMSTONE in The Lake of Fire
What is brimstone anyway?
Most everything in the book of Revelation is "signified" (symbolized). The book is written mostly in symbols / signs. So what is written on paper, in symbols, has a SPIRITUAL meaning and application that means something to us.
Rev 1:1 ...and he sent and signified [to make known by signs (any symbol that represents an idea) or words] it by his angel unto his servant John:
We know that there is literal fire and there is spiritual fire; and there is literal brimstone, but...
Is there also Spiritual brimstone?
Ask any friend why there is brimstone in the lake of fire, and he will probably tell you that he has no clue, or that it is there to make the fire hotter and more painful for those nasty, unrepentant sinners.
Really?
Is there something about brimstone that is caustic to the skin that would cause great pain?
Does brimstone somehow cause the fire to burn hotter and hotter?
Does brimstone make the flesh hotter?
Is it corrosive material that eats away at the skin and flesh causing even more intense, insane pain?
______________________
The very sound of the word brimstone has come to represent something Satanic in some circles.
Nothing could be further or diametrically opposite from reality.
For those of you who have never learned the meaning and derivation of the word "brimstone", you are in for a real shock. I know I was...
Look up the word "brimstone" in any dictionary and you will find it defined as "sulfur".
Brimstone is sulfur.
What then are the properties and uses of sulfur?
Go ahead, Google "properties of sulfur", or even better "ancient uses of sulfur" or any similar search.
SOME PROPERTIES OF SULFUR (Encyclopedia Britannica)
SULFUR: "It is often called brimstone (burning stone) and ignited sulfur is mentioned in the earlier records of many countries as having been used for religious ceremonies, for PURIFYING (fumigating) buildings and for bleaching cloth" (Encyclopedia Britannica, page 536d).
I wonder if Spiritual brimstone, as found in the Revelation, might be used by God (after all, He designed it into this Lake of Fire) to PURIFY and FUMIGATE people and BLEACH their darkened, hardened, stubborn, unrepentant hearts to a bright white?
Why would God want to do that with unrepentant, stubborn-hearted sinners?
Could it possibly have anything to do with every knee SHALL BEND and every tongue SHALL CONFESS?
Under the caption: "Methods of Production—Ancient producers described their method of obtaining sulfur from its ore as PURIFICATION BY FIRE" (Page 537a).
"Purification by fire"?!
Am I the only one that hears a bell ringing - a light bulb going off?
That sounds very Biblical.
So now, you might be asking, yeah, but - "Does God purify anything by "fire?"
Yes, He does:
The WORDS of the Lord are pure words: as silver [silver? Aren't the silver qualities of our character also tried in fire?]
Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
The very "words" of God are not burned in a literal fire. But "AS silver" is tried in literal fire, so SPIRITUALLY, God’s words are tried in Spiritual fire.
What about us?
1 Cor 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, [Godly traits of Spiritual character] wood, hay, stubble [carnal traits of no value]; EVERY man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try EVERY man's work of what sort it is. If ANY man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned [wood, hay and stubble], he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
If any man's works are burned up... "he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire".
But surely, according to what we have been told by some Theologians of eternal torment, sulfur must cause great torturing pain when brought into contact with human skin, and wouldn’t the smell alone be enough to suffocate all in its presence?
Continuing: "Physical Properties - Pure Sulfur is TASTELESS and ODORLESS. IT HAS NO ACTION ON THE SKIN" (Page 537d)
So maybe it’s just the heat that is intensified by the use of sulfur, and that is its purpose in the lake of fire - to increase the intensity of the fire’s heat to cause more insane pain?
Continuing: "Physical Properties—Sulfur is A POOR CONDUCTOR OF BOTH HEAT and electricity…" (Page 538a)
Imagine that—a POOR CONDUCTOR OF HEAT!
Theoretically, if God were to put enough brimstone into the lake of fire it would protect those in the fire like an asbestos suit!
Is anyone beginning to see this lake of fire and brimstone coming together?
Brimstone is not the demon of hell fire that it has been portrayed. Sulfur rather has hundreds and hundreds of beneficial uses (my Dictionary says "innumerable uses") not the least of which are purification and medicines meant for HEALING.
Are you still asking, "Why do we find sulfur in the lake of fire?"
"Will there be Spiritually sick people found at the Great White Throne Judgment?"
"Will there be people that need to be purified, fumigated, and bleached as white as snow?"
If it serves no detrimental purpose, is it possible that in His Wisdom He knew the symbol of brimstone would demonstrate a beneficial purpose?!
We're not done yet, but let me tease you with this... Why is God called a "consuming fire"?
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Every thought, every word, and every deed that proceeds out of the heart and mind of man is his "WORKS."
Every thought, every word, and every deed of man will come into the judgment of Almighty God’s "CONSUMING FIRE."
Notice that it is both our things of great value: "gold, silver, precious stones," and our things of no value: "wood, hay, stubble" that are tried in the fire, God’s Consuming Fire.
Every person possesses knowledge, therefore, every person is a combination of both good and evil (for knowledge can only be a combination of both good and evil knowledge).
Have you ever seen this verse?
Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my Spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world WILL LEARN righteousness.
_______________________
Have to take a break... there's much more to come. Wait until you see the origin of the word "brimstone"...
__________________________
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
_____________________________
In The Lake of Fire we find a most unusual thing often associated with it in Scripture - brimstone.
BRIMSTONE?!?! OH NO! NOT BRIMSTONE!
Isn’t this lake of fire going to be painful enough without adding "brimstone"?
First we learn (from parts of Christendom) that the non-believers and wicked will be tortured for all eternity in literal white-hot fire, and now we read in the Scriptures that there is going to be BRIMSTONE in this lake of fire?!
Whose idea is it to add brimstone to this fire? Is this a cruel curse from Satan?
That doesn’t seem plausible seeing that this is GOD’S WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT... it does not belong to Satan. Satan will have his part, but he is not the designer.
But why then would God be putting this brimstone stuff into His fire?
Maybe the brimstone isn’t a cruel curse from God afterall, but rather a marvelous blessing.
Is that possible?
With God all things are possible!
(Sarcasm above is not my own... I copied and slightly edited that intro from my notes (another author)... It just read so well, and kinda cracked me up... no harm meant!)
__________________________________
BRIMSTONE in The Lake of Fire
What is brimstone anyway?
Most everything in the book of Revelation is "signified" (symbolized). The book is written mostly in symbols / signs. So what is written on paper, in symbols, has a SPIRITUAL meaning and application that means something to us.
Rev 1:1 ...and he sent and signified [to make known by signs (any symbol that represents an idea) or words] it by his angel unto his servant John:
We know that there is literal fire and there is spiritual fire; and there is literal brimstone, but...
Is there also Spiritual brimstone?
Ask any friend why there is brimstone in the lake of fire, and he will probably tell you that he has no clue, or that it is there to make the fire hotter and more painful for those nasty, unrepentant sinners.
Really?
Is there something about brimstone that is caustic to the skin that would cause great pain?
Does brimstone somehow cause the fire to burn hotter and hotter?
Does brimstone make the flesh hotter?
Is it corrosive material that eats away at the skin and flesh causing even more intense, insane pain?
______________________
The very sound of the word brimstone has come to represent something Satanic in some circles.
Nothing could be further or diametrically opposite from reality.
For those of you who have never learned the meaning and derivation of the word "brimstone", you are in for a real shock. I know I was...
Look up the word "brimstone" in any dictionary and you will find it defined as "sulfur".
Brimstone is sulfur.
What then are the properties and uses of sulfur?
Go ahead, Google "properties of sulfur", or even better "ancient uses of sulfur" or any similar search.
SOME PROPERTIES OF SULFUR (Encyclopedia Britannica)
SULFUR: "It is often called brimstone (burning stone) and ignited sulfur is mentioned in the earlier records of many countries as having been used for religious ceremonies, for PURIFYING (fumigating) buildings and for bleaching cloth" (Encyclopedia Britannica, page 536d).
I wonder if Spiritual brimstone, as found in the Revelation, might be used by God (after all, He designed it into this Lake of Fire) to PURIFY and FUMIGATE people and BLEACH their darkened, hardened, stubborn, unrepentant hearts to a bright white?
Why would God want to do that with unrepentant, stubborn-hearted sinners?
Could it possibly have anything to do with every knee SHALL BEND and every tongue SHALL CONFESS?
Under the caption: "Methods of Production—Ancient producers described their method of obtaining sulfur from its ore as PURIFICATION BY FIRE" (Page 537a).
"Purification by fire"?!
Am I the only one that hears a bell ringing - a light bulb going off?
That sounds very Biblical.
So now, you might be asking, yeah, but - "Does God purify anything by "fire?"
Yes, He does:
The WORDS of the Lord are pure words: as silver [silver? Aren't the silver qualities of our character also tried in fire?]
Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
The very "words" of God are not burned in a literal fire. But "AS silver" is tried in literal fire, so SPIRITUALLY, God’s words are tried in Spiritual fire.
What about us?
1 Cor 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, [Godly traits of Spiritual character] wood, hay, stubble [carnal traits of no value]; EVERY man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try EVERY man's work of what sort it is. If ANY man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned [wood, hay and stubble], he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
If any man's works are burned up... "he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire".
But surely, according to what we have been told by some Theologians of eternal torment, sulfur must cause great torturing pain when brought into contact with human skin, and wouldn’t the smell alone be enough to suffocate all in its presence?
Continuing: "Physical Properties - Pure Sulfur is TASTELESS and ODORLESS. IT HAS NO ACTION ON THE SKIN" (Page 537d)
So maybe it’s just the heat that is intensified by the use of sulfur, and that is its purpose in the lake of fire - to increase the intensity of the fire’s heat to cause more insane pain?
Continuing: "Physical Properties—Sulfur is A POOR CONDUCTOR OF BOTH HEAT and electricity…" (Page 538a)
Imagine that—a POOR CONDUCTOR OF HEAT!
Theoretically, if God were to put enough brimstone into the lake of fire it would protect those in the fire like an asbestos suit!
Is anyone beginning to see this lake of fire and brimstone coming together?
Brimstone is not the demon of hell fire that it has been portrayed. Sulfur rather has hundreds and hundreds of beneficial uses (my Dictionary says "innumerable uses") not the least of which are purification and medicines meant for HEALING.
Are you still asking, "Why do we find sulfur in the lake of fire?"
"Will there be Spiritually sick people found at the Great White Throne Judgment?"
"Will there be people that need to be purified, fumigated, and bleached as white as snow?"
If it serves no detrimental purpose, is it possible that in His Wisdom He knew the symbol of brimstone would demonstrate a beneficial purpose?!
We're not done yet, but let me tease you with this... Why is God called a "consuming fire"?
Heb 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Every thought, every word, and every deed that proceeds out of the heart and mind of man is his "WORKS."
Every thought, every word, and every deed of man will come into the judgment of Almighty God’s "CONSUMING FIRE."
Notice that it is both our things of great value: "gold, silver, precious stones," and our things of no value: "wood, hay, stubble" that are tried in the fire, God’s Consuming Fire.
Every person possesses knowledge, therefore, every person is a combination of both good and evil (for knowledge can only be a combination of both good and evil knowledge).
Have you ever seen this verse?
Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my Spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world WILL LEARN righteousness.
_______________________
Have to take a break... there's much more to come. Wait until you see the origin of the word "brimstone"...
__________________________
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
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