Burn Forever?
Isaiah 34:9-10 ... the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever...
Matthew 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels:
Jude 1:7 ... suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
Revelation 14:10-11 ... he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone ... and the smoke of their torment goeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day and night...
Revelation 19:3 And a second time they say, Hallelujah. And her smoke goeth up for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:9-10 ... fire came down out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Does the fire and smoke ever end?!
Let's look at Isaiah 34:10 with more context =>
Isaiah 34:10-13 "It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever; from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. 11 But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven shall dwell therein: and he will stretch over it the line of confusion, and the plummet of emptiness. ... 13 And thorns shall come up in its palaces, nettles and thistles in the fortresses thereof; and it shall be a habitation of jackals, a court for ostriches."
What we see here is that the land will be uninhabited by humans forever, but animals, birds, and weeds will live in this place. So, at some time the fire and smoke from the burning pitch must have stopped, just like fires always stop when they run out of fuel.
Can we apply this same principle for the eternal fires of the end time? Perhaps...
What about the end-time eternal fires? Do they ever end? Yes. How so?!
Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
Jude spoke of Sodom and Gomorrah suffering "eternal fire", but they are not burning today. From this, we know that the word "eternal" sometimes has an ending time. In this case, it seems obvious to me that this fire went out when all the fuel was burned up. Jude looked at the punishment of Sodom & Gomorrah as an example of what could happen to other who "in their dreamings defile the flesh"( Jude1:7 ).
Regarding all of end-time prophesies in Revelation, please consider these texts =>
-
- Revelation 20:14-15 And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. 15 And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
- 2 Peter 3:7-10 but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. ... 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
- Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more.
Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah ( Deut8:3; Matt4:4 )
-Sid Nash: 03/15/2025. Latest version: http://sidnash.org/docs/BurnForever.html