Who will be in the lake of fire? Revelation 21:8b (NKJV) says, “the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.”
Did you catch that? All liars. Have you ever told a lie? We all have—not to mention the other sins listed in that verse. That leaves all of us burning in hell, and there is only one way out of this predicament. That is Jesus Christ. He died in our place for our sins so we wouldn’t have to go there.
Listen to the dying words of some well-known individuals. They are documented as follows:
“Until this moment I thought there was neither a God nor hell. Now I know and feel that there are both, and I am doomed to perdition by the just judgment of Almighty God.” — Sir Thomas Scott, chancellor of England, 1594.
“For the first time in 50 years I find myself in the slough of despond. All about me is darkness. I am praying for light.” —Gandhi, 1948.
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“I am in flames.” —David Hume, atheist philosopher, 1776.
“You need not tell me there is no hell. I feel myself already slipping. Wretches, cease your idle talk about there being hope for me. I know I am lost forever. Oh, that fire! Oh, the insufferable pains of hell.” — Sir Francis Newport, head of an English atheist club, 1620.
It’s a very sad predicament for those ignored the warnings all their life, and then found themselves destined for this place of destruction. Their rejection of Jesus Christ sent them to hell.
The Bible tells us that first occupants of the lake of fire will be the beast and the false prophet (Rev. 19:20). These two are the most wicked and evil people ever to live, and they will have killed billions during the Tribulation period. The Antichrist will be the ruler and dictator of the whole world, and Satan will possess him. They will be thrown into the lake of fire at the end of the seven-year Tribulation period.
After the seven years, the thousand-year reign of Christ begins on the earth. At the end of the thousand years, the beast and the false prophet still exist in that lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). Jesus said in Matthew 25:41b (KJV), “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” He told us that the men who reject Him as Lord and Savior will be in the same lake of fire, forever and ever.
Jesus also said in Matthew 25:46 (NKJV), “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” The word for “everlasting” and “eternal” are the same word, aionios in the Greek. The same word is used to describe the length of time in heaven and hell. Both are eternal. It is also the same word to describe the everlasting God in Romans 16:26. The point is that the word “everlasting” does not mean “temporal,” as some might teach.
At the Judgment Day, Revelation 20:13b-15 says, “Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” Those people at the great white throne judgment are judged by their actions, their thoughts and even their motives.
Even a foolish thought would exclude a person from heaven. That’s a very high standard, and that leaves all of us out of heaven. The requirement for entrance into heaven is that we to turn from our sins and turn to God. This means turn away from a lifestyle of sin. We must receive Jesus Christ into our hearts and agree to follow Him. We all are given a free will to follow God or not.
Don’t be the fool thinking your good works, your philosophy, your opinion, your connections or your intellect will spare you from the fires of hell. Are you certain that your name is written in God’s Book of Life?
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Bill Wiese is the author of the New York Times bestselling book “23 Minutes in Hell,” the story of his life-changing visit to hell in 1998. Bill has since authored six additional book titles and continues to share his experience around the world. He and his wife, Annette, founded Soul Choice Ministries in late 2006 and have dedicated their lives to reaching the unsaved. For more information about Bill Wiese and Soul Choice Ministries, please visit us at: https://soulchoiceministries.org/
You can find more of Bill’s teachings at: https://www.youtube.com/user/BillWieseTV
Alan DiDio 
Michael L. Brown 
Michael Snyder