Mike, I have read your article on the lake of fire, and I understand that we are the fire and all those things, but it is still not clear “HOW” the lake of fire is to be administered. Is the lake of fire the righteous telling those in the second death “wash my car, paint my house, make ‘bricks without straw’, build 100 story building with no machinery” while whips are being laid on their backs? PLEASE give me  simple literal examples of what the lake of fire looks like (or is) to you PLEASE FIRST tell me in just plain English THEN most assuredly use scriptures.  I want to see the scripture, I  just sometimes  need to see the person’s thoughts to see what they are trying to say.
Thanks,
M____

Hi M____,
Thank you for your question about “How the lake of fire is administered” and your request for “simple literal examples of what the lake of fire looks like or is… in plain English”
In “plain English” the fire of the lake of fire is the exact same fire which God’s elect must be the first to endure:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

Both John the baptist and Christ foretold this “fiery trial” for all of God’s elect:

Mat 3:11  I [ John] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Christ confirms John’s prophecy:

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

“He shall baptize you with… fire… I am come to send fire on earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?” So what exactly is this “fiery baptism?” Here is exactly what that baptism is:

Mat 20:22  But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask [ to sit on Christ right hand and on His left]. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able.
Mat 20:23  And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with : but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [ it shall be given to them] for whom it is prepared of my Father.

“You shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with” is a promise that is made to all of Christ’s elect. This is not some separate baptism. We experience ‘baptism’ every day if we are in Christ. But all the ‘baptisms’ we endure are all “one baptism:”

Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

This “one baptism” is the “baptism that I [ Christ] am baptized with,” and it is the “baptism with… fire” referred to by John the baptist. It is “one baptism,” and it is the exact same thing as “the cup that I drink of.” It is “God’s wrath poured out on all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,” represented by the flesh of our sinless Savior. (read How Was Christ “Made Sin?”)  So ‘baptism’ is one and the same thing as judgment. We are not baptized with water by Christ, except as the ‘water’ is understood to be His cleansing, purging, fiery Word”

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

It was Christ as the Word of God that made Him our spotless Savior. And it is His Word in us that also burns out of us all of the ‘wood, hay and stubble which defiles each of us:

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  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.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire ” are not words directed only to those who come up in the second death, lake of fire. It is through “suffering loss” that we are all saved:

Mat 16:25  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

The depth of the Truth of these words of our Lord, are slowly but surely being ‘burned’ into our consciousness:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

When all is said and done, when the aions have worked their work and have come to their consummation, then every man and woman who has ever been born will have “lived by every word which proceeded out of the mouth of God.” There is no way to the “Tree of Life” but through that “fiery sword which keeps the way of the tree of life.”

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

The ‘flaming sword’ and the ‘tree of life’ are one and the same thing. They are the Word of God, Christ. It is “Christ in you” that burns out all the wood, hay and stubble within each of God’s elect. It will be no different in the lake of fire. That ‘lake’ is the “few chosen” in whom dwells the Word of God while yet in these vessels of clay. But there will be no “flesh and blood in the lake of fire because the lake of fire has nothing in it but resurrected bodies:

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

But, as Satan himself demonstrates, there are plenty of spiritual bodies which are in need of spiritual cleansing. And that is the very function of the lake of fire. The way this lake of fire is administered is demonstrated in scripture in the book of Genesis. It is the story of Joseph’s brothers  who had wanted him dead but had sold him into Egypt. By being sold into Egypt, Joseph went through his fiery experience ahead of his ten brothers:

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Joseph’s time in Egypt typifies the time Christ, and we in Christ, spend in these vessels of clay. He had already been baptized in the pit his brothers had put him in at Dothan. It is Joseph’s loss of His life, as a slave in Egypt, at the hands of his own brothers which qualifies him to be taken out of that pit called the dungeons of Egypt and placed upon the throne of all Egypt.

Gen 40:15  For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.
Gen 41:38  And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find [ such a one] as this [ is], a man in whom the Spirit of God [ is]?
Gen 41:39  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, [ there is] none so discreet and wise as thou [ art]:
Gen 41:40  Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.
Gen 41:41  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.

Joseph, typifying Christ our spotless savior, did nothing worthy of being put into the dungeon. But we, in Him, have done much to be deserving of our deaths:

Joh 15:2  Every branch in me that beareth not frui t he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit

The ‘lake of fire’ and being “tormented in the presence of the Lamb” are revealed and explained in the book of Genesis. As a matter of fact, the book of Genesis explains very much about prophecies and the symbolism of the book of Revelation.
Before we get into this subject of what the ‘great white throne judgment’ and the ‘lake of fire’ are, we must first understand just what ‘judgment’ is. Here is what ‘judgment’ is:

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

The judgment “that is now on the house of God” (1Pe 4:17) is God’s “chastening grace:”

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [ Greek- paideuo- chastens] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

This gives an entirely different flavor to the scripture which declares that grace will always ‘out grace’ sin:

Rom 5:20 (b) … Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:

That is right, there is no charge for this ‘chastening grace:’

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

You really cannot ‘out sin’ grace. The problem with “historical orthodox Christianity,” is that they do not know that ‘grace is a powerful and very active purging, burning, judging verb. They all think that ‘grace’ is an impotent noun that simply forgives undeserving sinners with no more thought given to the need for justice and cleansing and purification of the recipient. But not withstanding all of the false doctrines of “historical orthodox Christianity,” Biblical “grace chastens us to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts.” The more you sin, the harder God’s chastening becomes. Who do you suppose is the more determined and able to get what His heart desires?

1Ti 2:4  Who [ God in His ‘grace] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

That is right, God’s ability to chasten His creation is unquestionably far superior to our ability to hate and rebel against His loving, fatherly, chastening grace. ” Where sin abounds, God’s chastening grace will “much more abound”
Joseph’s experience with his own brothers is a type of Christ being rejected and slain by His own people. It also typifies how Christ’s elect are to be “hated of all men,” including their closest friends. Joseph’s experience is “a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying.” Joseph’s experience typifies the “many called but few chosen.” Joseph’s fiery experience of being rejected of his own brothers typifies the fiery trial and “judgment that is now on the house of God.”

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment [ Giving up the flesh and dying daily] must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

“Those that obey not the gospel of God” are typified by Joseph’s brothers. The answer to Peter’s question, “what will the end be of them that obey not the gospel,” is that they will come up in the great white throne judgment to be chastened and purified at that later date. This later fiery trial is typified by the torment that Joseph inflicted upon his brothers when they came down into Egypt. It was in these fiery conditions that they bowed themselves to the ground before him. At that moment they were being “tormented in the presence of the Lamb.” All of this is  ‘Joseph and his brothers.’
This story begins with Joseph exposing those who claimed to be God’s chosen people [ son’s of Israel] for what they really were:

Gen 37:2  (b) Joseph  being seventeen years old, was feeding t he flock with his brethren; and the lad  was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives: and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report.

Joseph and his brothers represent God’s church, both the “many called” and the “few chosen”. They represent what is called “the kingdom of heaven” in so many of Christ’s parables:

Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat , and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

So “the kingdom of heaven” is a field with some wheat [ Joseph] in it, but it is also full of tares. Joseph’s brothers are those ‘tares.’ Those ‘tares’ in the ‘kingdom of heaven’ are the “many called” who are not the “few chosen”. And those many called but not chosen always have and always will be those who make God’s elect “hated of all men.” The reason God’s elect are “hated of all men” is because God’s elect “bring to their Father the evil report of their brothers. I ask you to read chapters 2 and 3 of Ezekiel. After you read those two chapters, then read chapters 10 and 11 of the book of Revelation. God’s elect are to “bring to their Father the evil report of their brothers” who to this very day are taking advantage of their Father’s flocks.
If we are willing to please our Father more than we fear the reproaches of our brothers, then, and only under those circumstances, will we be given “a coat of many colors.” Look now at the very next verse. Right after telling us that Joseph “brought to his father the evil report of his brothers” while keeping their father’s flocks we are told this:

Gen 37:3  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

And what is always the result of the “many called” being forced to recognize that there are indeed a “few chosen… and elect of God?”:

Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men [ your ‘many called but not chosen,” brothers in Christ- Joseph’s brothers] for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.[‘All men,’ refers to fellow Christians in particular]

The only other place in all of scripture, where ‘many colors’ are alluded to, is in relation to the rainbow and to the robes worn by the daughters of King David. While the ‘rainbow’ is indeed the token of God’s promise to never again destroy the earth with water, it is more often mentioned in relation to rulership, both King David’s and God’s ruling throne.

2Sa 13:18  And [ she had] a garment of divers colours upon her: for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.
Rev 4:2  And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3  And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

Joseph’s ‘coat of many colors’ was a portent of his dreams of rulership, of which we are told in the very next verse:

Gen 37:5  (a) And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren:

The dreams Joseph dreamed were that all of his brothers would be made to worship before him. It is the same vision promised to God’s elect today:

Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan [ the “many called,” but not chosen], which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them [ Joseph’s brothers] to come and worship before thy feet, and t o know that I have loved thee[“more than your brothers”].

And where will the revelation of this truth place us in the eyes of our “many called” Christian brothers? Here is exactly where it will place God’s elect:

Gen 37:5 (b) And they hated him yet the more.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

At this point, it is a temptation that is impossible for the flesh to resist, to take off that ‘coat of many colors,’ and to deny that there is any difference between the called and the chosen. All of our brothers in Christ deny and detest the very idea that there is a many called versus a few elect. It takes Christ Himself being in His elect to resist this urge to hang up that coat and hide it in the closet and just go along with our brothers, fleecing our Father’s flocks. But if we succumb to this temptation, we will never receive the understanding of the few chosen being made to rule over their brothers.

Mat 13:20  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; [ The “multitudes who come to hear Christ but do not understand His words]
Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word [ that God’s elect are to rule their brothers], by and by he is offended.

Joseph’s brothers were offended “because of the word” that God had given to Joseph:

Gen 37:6  And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
Gen 37:7  For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
Gen 37:8  And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
Gen 37:9  And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.
Gen 37:10  And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his fathe r rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?

Jacob loved Joseph just as our heavenly father loved His Son. Nevertheless he sends his only beloved son to see exactly what and how his hate- filled brothers are doing. When His own brothers see Joseph coming afar off, unabashedly wearing his ‘coat of many colors,’ they conspire to kill him and to take the inheritance which they knew would surely be given to Joseph by his father:

Gen 37:13  And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
Gen 37:14  And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks; and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
 
Gen 37:18  And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
Gen 37:19  And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
Gen 37:20  Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.

Compare this story with one of Christ’s parables:

Mat 21:33  Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen [ todays ministers], and went into a far country:
Mat 21:34  And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.
Mat 21:35  And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Mat 21:36  Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.
Mat 21:37  But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
Mat 21:38  But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kil l him, and let us seize on his inheritance.
Mat 21:39  And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.
Mat 21:40  When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen [ Joseph’s very own ‘fellow Christian,’ ‘seed of Abraham,’ brothers]?
Mat 21:41  They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen [ God’s ‘few chosen… elect”], which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

To this day anyone who is faithful to the words of Christ and who insists that “Love thine enemies” means what it says, that man is indeed “hated of all men.”
So God brings a famine upon Canaan. It is the result of this famine, that forces Joseph’s brothers to come down into Egypt, to buy grain from Joseph. But they do not know it is Joseph. Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they have never really known him. And that is especially true at this time. Here, in effect is what Joseph says to his own brothers whom he recognizes:

Mat 25:41  (a) Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

“Everlasting” is of course ‘aionian,’ and never means everlasting. Rather it means, ‘for the age.’ That is, for as long as is needed to burn out the ‘wood, hay and stubble’ of all of the ‘idols of the heart’ that are still in the hearts and minds of all of Satan’s messengers. Christ said specifically that the ‘aionian fire’ is “prepared for the devil and his angels,” his messengers. Satan’s messengers are typified by Joseph’s brothers who wanted to kill him and were persuaded to sell him into Egypt.
Now, by the chastening grace of God, they are “drug” down into Egypt, and are forced to give an accounting for their evil deeds against God’s elect. Joseph is God’s instrument for the salvation of both Egypt first, but also for the salvation of all those who have rejected God’s elect:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

But God will not let men like Hitler into heaven with a ‘get out of jail free’ pass. The sins committed in this flesh are paid for already  by the death of Christ on the cross. But now we must all “fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ.”

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

What is “behind of the afflictions of Christ is the “Judgment that is now on the house of God.” That Judgment is a “fiery trial” which burns out the wood, hay and stubble of our perverted hearts and minds. These ‘wood, hay and stubble perversions are the direct result of all the idols of our hearts planted within us by the harlot who has been ruling the beast within us for so much of our lives in this flesh.

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  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.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

What we are being told in Col. 1:24 and 1Pe 4:17 and 1Co 3:13 is that everything we have learned about out brothers in Babylon must first be lived in us, and be burned out of us. All of Christ’s parables were given for the express purpose of keeping the multitudes from understanding “the mysteries of the kingdom of God.”

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

Where are these “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven?” They are first “within you.”

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you .
 Luk 22:29  And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

We receive this kingdom within, in down payment form only, here and now:

Heb 12:28  Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

“Judgment must begin at the house of God.” That is the “fiery trial” that is endured by all who dare to wear a coat of many colors and testify against the lie being foisted off on mankind by the “historical orthodox Christian” world. That lie is what is called the sinner’s prayer.  The fact is that “historical orthodox Christianity” teaches that all that is needed to be in that blessed and holy first resurrection is to mouth the words of the sinner’s prayer. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are saved by grace through faith. But the vital Truth missing in the false doctrine of the sinner’s prayer is that “Grace chastens us to forsake ungodliness.”

Tit 2:11  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12  Teaching [ Greek- chastening] us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Unless God’s elect “live by every word of God first, ahead of their brothers, who will all also “live by every word of God” later, they are not God’s elect:

Rev 15:1  And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God .

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

“No man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” Those words have “proceeded out of the mouth of God.” “Man shall… live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” On whom is God’s wrath poured out?

Col 3:5  Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7  In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

Is this the same ‘wrath’ mentioned in Rev 15? Is this the seven plagues that others endure in the lake of fire?

Eph 2:2  Wherein i n time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others .

Yes, God’s elect  have all been “children of disobedience…” “We all… were by nature children of wrath, even as others” who receive of God’s wrath “last.”
“No man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.” So there are “seven plagues which “no man” can avoid, and there are those who receive these seven plagues “last.” Hence the phrase “the seven last plagues.” Neither Joseph’s brothers, bowing to the ground before him, not the billions who have fallen for the lie of the sinner’s prayer, have ever yet been “chastened to forsake ungodliness and worldly lusts.” While those in the lake of fire are not in bodies of flesh, they still must be “chastened to forsake ungodliness,” along with “the devil and his angels.” They must yet fulfill of the plagues of the seven angels. These will do so “last:”

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

This is the ‘fire” of the ‘lake of fire.” It is a ‘lake’ instead of an ocean or a sea, simply because the “few chosen” are nowhere near the volume of the “many called” represented in scripture as “the sea.”

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns

It is important to notice that our election is at the expense of the many called. Nevertheless, it will be “through the mercy… [ of these]  few chosen,” that the many called will be brought to God. But that mercy is to be tempered with graceful judgment. Here are the scriptures:

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.

Reuben and his brothers were ‘broken off’ so that Joseph could be grafted in as God’s “firstborn son.” Now he is to be used as a fiery channel of chastening grace to judge and refine his brothers who have always rejected him:

Isa 33:14  The sinners in Zion [ Joseph’s brothers- “historical orthodox Christianity,” inquisitions and all] are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Gen 42:21  And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress [ torment] come upon us.
Gen 42:22  And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
Gen 42:23  And they knew not that Joseph understood [ them]; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

The question is posed twice in Isa 33 who is this fire? Who is it that is at home in “our God is a consuming fire?” And notice again, this is an “olawm” (Hebrew translation for Greek ‘aionian’) fire. It is a fire that is as “unquenchable” as the fires that Nebuchadnezzar kindled to burn Jerusalem.

Jer 17:27  (b) Then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

So Nebuchadnezzar burned Jerusalem [ Joseph’s brothers] with fire that “shall not be quenched.”

Jer 52:12  Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which [ was] the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem,
Jer 52:13  And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire:
Jer 52:14  And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about.

These scriptures tell us plainly that ‘unquenchable fire’ is fire that burns as long as there is any ‘wood, hay or stubble’ left to fuel the fire. So in the lake of fire, when everything that can be burned up is burned up, then the fire burns out. It has accomplished its preordained purpose of purifying with fire all the dross that needed to be burned out of God’s creation.
Getting back now to the question posed in Isa. 33: ‘Who’ is this fire? Who is it that “dwells in everlasting [ aionian] burnings?” Is it the devil and His angels as “historical orthodox Christianity” teaches? Christ said that this “everlasting [ aionian] fire is prepared for the devil and His angels.” But what IS this ‘everlasting burnings?’ Will we believe the doctrines of “historical orthodox Christianity,” or will we believe the scriptures. The two certainly do not agree as to who this fire is. Here, according to the scriptures, is who it is who will “dwell in everlasting burnings:”

Isa 33:15  He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

That, according to God’s word, is who dwells in everlasting, that is aionian, burnings. This accords with the fact that “when we see Him, we shall be as he is:”

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God [ in earnest, in down payment form], and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

So God’s elect will be “like Christ, when He shall appear.” And what is Christ?  There are several scriptures that tell us that Christ is “like the sun in his full strength…” etc.

Rev 1:16  And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

So when it is all seen for what the scriptures reveal about the fires of the lake of fire we find that that fire is Joseph himself, typifying Christ and those who are in Christ. These are those who are used of God to purge the dross, the “two hundred thousand thousand” false doctrines, from the hearts and minds of God’s called but not chosen “sons of the bondwoman” (Gal 4: 22-31).

Rev 9:16  And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
Rev 9:17  And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.
Rev 9:18  By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.
Rev 9:19  For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

“Their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents…” And what does “the tail” represent in God’s word?

Isa 9:15  The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail

But of God’s elect we are told, “We will be like Him…” and what is He?

Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

And so are all those who are “in Christ.” The very words of scripture proceeding from their mouths devours their enemies:

Jer 5:14  Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, [ hay and stubble] and it shall devour them.

And the Revelation of Jesus Christ affirms that those who speak God’s word are that “fire:”

Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

So here we have Joseph’s brothers bowing themselves down to the earth before him. Their judgment is about to begin. God Himself has drug them down to Egypt. They must now be judged as they judged Joseph:

 Mat 7:2  With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again

What now, will Joseph do to his brothers? If he were to act as those who teach the doctrine of ‘substitutionary atonement,’ Joseph would simply reveal himself to this brothers at the very first moment they come before him to buy grain for their families. But Joseph is not deluded by such a doctrine. Joseph knows the Truths of the Words of Christ, even though Christ had not yet spoken them. Christ gives to us the rule under which all judgment is given. It is especially true of the great white throne judgment and the lake of fire:

Principle # One:

“Those Who Know God’s Will And Do It Not Will Be Beaten With Many Stripes. But Those Who Knew Not And Did Commit Things Worthy Of Stripes Shall Be Beaten With Few Stripes”

Luk 12:42  And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?
Luk 12:43  Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Luk 12:44  Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.
Luk 12:45  But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken;
Luk 12:46  The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him,  and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
Luk 12:47  And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
Luk 12:48  But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

And how does Christ summarize this rule of judgment? Here are His Own Words:

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? [“Beginning at the house of God”]

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

So Joseph begins his judgment of his brothers. What are we told is done to those who preferred the ‘mark of the beast’ and being willing to go along with their brothers? What is the sentence passed upon those who believe that all of their brothers could not possibly be rejected of God even as they themselves condemn and abuse their Father’s flocks? What becomes of the masses of orthodox Christianity who are simply unwilling to wear a ‘coat of many colors’ because they know what that ‘coat’ will do to the relation that they have with their brothers in Christ?

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

And again:

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

So those who do not “overcome… the mark of the beast” are “cast into a lake of fire… and are tormented in the presence of the lamb… for the aions of the aions.” As we learned above, we are judged as we judge others.
No, God truly is no respecter of persons and there is  no one whose unrighteousness will not be burned up in God’s fiery wrath. That wrath will be fulfilled either in this life or in the lake of fire. Look at how Joseph judged his brothers about thirteen years after they had sold him as a slave into Egypt:

Gen 42:5  And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Gen 42:6  And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
Gen 42:7  And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them , and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
Gen 42:8  And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
Gen 42:9  And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

The rest of this chapter and the next two (chapters 42-44) relate the virtual ‘lake of fire’ into which Joseph cast his brothers. For many months His brothers were “tormented in the presence of the Lamb,” while “those who said they were Jews but were not, came and worshiped at the feet of God’s overcomer elect, whom He loved “more than his brothers.”

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; a nd he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

We are all born as beasts:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

We all worship the beast within, while the wrath of God is being poured out on our ungodly ways:

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Just as we must lose our lives to find them, we must endure God’s wrath now if we want to avoid it later.

Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

“Every man” will be judged by God’s “wrath against all unrighteousness and ungodliness…” The only question is will we “judge ourselves now… first”, or will we be “condemned with the world… last” and suffer the plagues of the seven angels, “last.”
Joseph’s brothers were “tormented day and night for the aion,” that is, as long as was needed to bring them to see that they were nothing more than mere beasts, nothing more than a “marred vessel of clay in the Potter’s hand.” A vessel that the Potter marred intentionally for the purpose of “making it again [“conforming it to the image of His Son” -Rom 8:29] as seemed fit to the Potter” (Jer. 18:4).

Rom 8:29  For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

Joseph’s brothers had no rest day or night for the next 17 years, all because of the “idol of their heart,” which equates to today’s eternal torment crowd. You see, Joseph’s brothers are the type of today’s “historical orthodox Christianity” with its false doctrines of  a beastly fabled “free will,” and the monstrous and blasphemous  doctrine of  eternal torment in neverending fire. The “idol of their hearts,” in the case of Joseph’s brothers, was that Joseph was just like they were. That is the same notion that possessed the “wicked and slothful servant,” who thought that His master was a “hard man reaping where he had not sown, and gathering where he had not strawed.” This “wicked and slothful servant was no doubt just such a person himself. At any rate he certainly did not intend to allow his masters ‘sowing’ to produce any fruit from his efforts. In this parable Christ is teaching us what the lake of fire is all about. The lake of fire is not about serving self. That is what is being burned out of the beast. So what is it we are taught?

Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Is God really this way? The other two servants certainly did not think so:

Mat 25:19  After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
Mat 25:20  And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord,  thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
Mat 25:21  His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Mat 25:22  He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
Mat 25:23  His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Their Lord had sown with them and now they were partaking of His reaping. God has sown with Jesus, represented for us in Genesis by Joseph, who is given total control over all of Egypt, representing the total control that Christ is given over the entire earth “for the eons.” Just as with Joseph, this total control does not include the throne of God Himself:

1Co 15:25  For he [ Christ] must reign, till he [ The Father] hath put all enemies under his [ Christ’s] feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27  For he [ The Father] hath put all things under his [ Christ’s] feet. But when he [ The Father] saith all things are put under him [ Christ], it is manifest that he [ The Father] is excepted, which did put all things under him [ Christ].
1Co 15:28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him [ Christ], then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him [ The Father] that put all things under him [ Christ], that God may be all in all.

Exactly as the Pharaoh, representing God the Father, gave His entire rulership over to Joseph.

 Gen 41:40  Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou.

It was given to Joseph to judge his own brothers.

Gen 41:43  And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Gen 41:44  And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt. 

This was especially true for Joseph’s brothers when they were ‘cast into the lake of fire.’ Joseph’s brothers were being forced by God to come and to bow before Joseph and to be tormented unmercifully by Joseph. The principles governing the lake of fire were being put into effect. By what principles will he judge them? Here are those principles:
Principle #  2:
 “With The Merciful You Are Merciful, And With The Froward You Are Froward”
 

Mat 25:26  Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

Psa 18:25  With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
Psa 18:26  With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

Joseph’s brothers certainly had not shown him any mercy. They never repented of taking advantage of their father’s flocks. There was nothing upright or pure about them. They were in deed froward, and just as ‘the Master” with the “wicked and slothful servant,” Joseph “shows himself froward” with his very froward and yet unrepentant brothers. How exactly does Joseph “show Himself froward?”

Gen 42:7  And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

This is exactly what God’s elect will do to the leaders and followers of “historical orthodox Christianity” when God forces them to bow before us and to ask for grain. It is God’s elect who have the provisions to make it through the famine that is even now in the land:

Amo 8:11  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Nothing could be truer of this time we live in. And it has been true since the day Christ was received up into the clouds.  But the famine that forces Joseph’s brothers to come to him for grain will also be experienced in the lake of fire, the period that comes after the millennium. Nowhere in the unveiling of Jesus Christ are we ever told of a time when Joseph’s brothers are brought to worship at his feet until the ‘lake of fire’ “after the thousand years are expired.” At that time all of Babylon are “drug” before Joseph (Christ) by their famished need for grain. Babylon the great is indeed destroyed at the end of this dispensation. But the beast and the false prophet, who are typified by Joseph’s brothers are simply restrained during the millennial kingdom dispensation. During the millennium they are neither in prison nor are they yet in the lake of fire. There is no lake of fire to be cast into until after the millennium. What is purifying God’s elect, as we pointed out above, is not called “the lake of fire; it is rather called a “fiery trial.”

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

But it is that exact same ‘fire’ which is administered under another name, that name being “the lake of fire” “when the thousand years are expired:”

Rev 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8  And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. [ All mankind alive on earth at that time]
Rev 20:9  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The ‘sea’ is Biblical language for all of mankind. Death and hell is all that is left to be cast into the lake of fire after the “fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours ‘Gog and Magog.’ At this point there is no flesh left alive on earth. It is the destruction of all flesh which makes the destruction of all death possible. Death cannot be destroyed while flesh is still being regenerated. All of mankind of all times is now resurrected and is now standing before God in spiritual bodies to be judged. Satan, the beast and the false prophet; those three, include all men of all time except for the elect who will be doing the judging of Satan and his angels and the risen dead:

1Co 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1Co 6:3  Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Psa 18, quoted above in conjunction with Ezekiel 14 tell us more about this subject of judgment. These scriptures reveal that God shows Himself to us in judgment, just as we have pictured Him and taught others of Him while in this flesh. Notice these verses of scripture. They are very revealing as to exactly what will take place at the great white throne judgment and how God will judge those who are “cast into the lake of fire:”

Psa 18:25  With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
Psa 18:26  With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

Here is Ezekiel 14 saying the exact same thing, but in other words:

Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

Here is a New Testament example of that verse in Ezekiel. Here is Christ answering a man “according to the idols of his own heart:”

Mat 25:24  Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
Mat 25:25  And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
Mat 25:26  His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
Mat 25:27  Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Mat 25:30  And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God judges this “wicked and slothful servant” according to the “idols of His heart.”  This particular servant supposedly ” knew” that God was a “hard man…” The others, to whom much more was committed, had no such concept of their master. They acknowledged from whence their ‘talents’ had come. This “wicked and slothful servant” denies that his master had sown anything. But God answered this “wicked and slothful servant” “after the idols of his own heart.” To a froward man, He shows himself froward. This man “was judged as he had judged others.” He was judged as he had judged his own Master.

Luk 19:22  And he saith unto him, Out of t hine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

But this ‘out of thine own mouth’ principle is true only inasmuch as it tends to be used of God to chasten us. If, on the other hand, we think of God as a Father who sees no need to “chasten and scourge every son whom He receives,” He most assuredly will not allow us to escape His judgment, just because we failed to see the need of His chastening grace. Here is what God has in store for all who think that they can somehow escape “the wrath of God against their unrighteousness:”

Jer 49:12  For thus saith the LORD; Behold, they whose judgment was not to drink of the cup have assuredly drunken; and art thou he that shall altogether go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it.

There is simply no denying that we must all “live by every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God” as He “reveals his wrath from heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness:

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Principle # 3

 “I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;“

Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

The ‘idol of the heart’ with which Joseph’s brother’s were struggling was the same false doctrine believed by those they typify in the church today. Joseph’s brothers believed that they had ‘free will.’ Joseph’s brothers thought that selling Joseph into slavery was their idea. Joseph told them otherwise, but they did not yet believe him. This truth is revealed to us by the fact that 17 years after Joseph told them that their idea of selling him into Egypt was really God’s work and not the work of His brothers at all, they were still living in fear for their lives. They still thought that it was their idea, and they still thought that Joseph thought so, too. This “idol of their heart” caused them years of torment:

Gen 45:6  For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.
Gen 45:7  And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
Gen 45:8  So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Then we are told that after another 17 years Joseph’s brothers are still living in the torment that their own ‘idol of the heart’ produces:

Gen 50:15  And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

Just as the “wicked and slothful servant” assumed that His master was a “hard man,” Joseph’s brothers thought that Joseph was just like they were. They still thought that he was “a hard man…” just waiting for an opportunity to get his revenge. Joseph never went out of his way to make sure his brothers’ heart’s idols did not torment them. His brothers were “reaping what they had sown. Joseph’s brothers, just like all of us, had to live by every word which proceeded out of the mouth of God. Those words include these words:

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Contrary to the lies of Babylon, the story of Joseph and the parables of Christ show us that forgiveness of sins in no way disannuls the need for justice and judgment. What we sow is what we will reap is especially true of those who will be placed in a position of judging this world and judging angels.
This ‘torment’ endured for so many years by Joseph’s brothers, was all because of their own heart’s idol. Joseph had assured them 17 years earlier that he was their salvation. But their hearts’ idols still held their hearts and minds captive. This “idol of the heart” must yet be ‘burned’ out of them. And that ‘burning’ out of all of our false doctrines is the torment of the lake of fire. This time of burning out of all our many false doctrines requires many tormented years. In this story of Joseph,  17 years were required  before the “old man” dies. Then, and not until then, were Joseph’s brothers finally able to see the Truth. As long as the ‘old man,’ was alive Truth was incapable of being seen or believed. What does this all amount to, in principle?
Principle # 4
With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again

Mat 7:1  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

This is a principle that applies to us all. It applies to God’s elect here and now, and it will also apply to those who are cast into the lake of fire.

Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds: [ And his doctrines]
Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing [ Greek- good works] seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil,

Do we seriously think that this is not true for the lake of fire? What the elect experience now, in their ‘judgment [ which] must begin at the house of God’ judgment, are the same “plagues”  which are yet to be poured out on those who will be the last to experience God’s wrath poured out on all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men…”

Rom 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

Do we dare to say that this verse of God’s Word is not for us? Do we dare to say that we are not to live “every word of God?” All of Romans one and all of God’s Word is first to be experienced by God’s elect. it is all later to be experienced last by those who are “cast into the lake of fire.” Those in the lake of fire have all, in their own appointed time just as did Joseph’s brothers, heard and rejected the Truth.
The unrepentant who “obey not the Truth and are storing up indignation and wrath for themselves” will find that all of that “indignation and wrath” will come from “thine own mouth.” That is right; that is what Christ Himself tells us. Is your God a hard man who will torment billions of humans in physical fire for all eternity, with no redemptive purpose in view? Is that your God? Is your God a God who plagues his creation simply to harden their hearts but with no redemptive purpose in mind? If that is your God, then that is how God will show Himself to you in the white throne judgment.

Luk 19:22  And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:

See how God shows Himself to this “wicked and slothful servant?” He is “austere,” He “shows Himself froward.” Do you believe in eternal torment? O. K. live for 17 years believing that you will die and then be tormented for all eternity. Perhaps an aion of such torment will bring you to see the hideousness of your insane, demented and blasphemous doctrine. Do you believe in eternal death? Then that is what you will fear until the appointed time.
All of these invisible things are understood by “the things that are made:”

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

It is a subject for another entire paper, but this verse reveals that every thing experience in this physical sphere is a reflection of the spiritual sphere. Spiritual food and nourishment, spiritual work, spiritual rest, spiritual pain, spiritual joy, spiritual ecstasy and spiritual torment and anguish. It is all “understood by the things that are made” so that we can see how spirits are just as deceived and deluded and tormented by that deceit as are those in this physical, natural realm.

Summary

“Those who patiently continue in good works, seeking glory and honor and immortality,” as well as “those that are contentious, and do not obey the Truth, but obey unrighteousness” will both be judged. The end of both of those judgments is life. But the former are being “judged now” (I Pet. 4:17). Judgment for the latter is being postponed until the great white throne ‘judgment.’ The former receive what the scriptures refer to as ‘ life aionios.’   The latter receive what the scriptures refer to as both ‘death’ and “indignation and wrath.” Paul tells all with ears to hear:

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. [ Life aionios – read What Is Life Aionios?]

That is the contrast between: “the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God…[ and] the end of them that obey not the gospel.”

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

So this present judgment is under the exact same ‘fire’ as the ‘fire’ that is in the ‘lake of fire.’ Here are Christ’s own word’s concerning this present judgment on the house of God:

Luk 12:49  I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

Have you always wondered what judgment day would be like? If you are God’s elect, wonder no more. The trials and tests of God’s elect in this life are that “judgment [ which] must begin at the house of God.”

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Those who are not God’s elect will be judged in the lake of fire. What will that judgment be like? What that will be like will depend on the amount of one’s debt to his heavenly Father. What determines the amount of our debt to our heavenly Father? According to the scriptures that amount is largely determined by how forgiving we are to those who are in our debt. In other words, God’s mercy is given in direct proportion to the mercy we show our fellow man. Do you condemn your fellow man to eternal torment in an unending and unfruitful fiery hell? Is this your idea of a loving Father? Here is some good advice for anyone with any such doctrine:

Rom 2:1  Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Rom 2:2  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Rom 2:3  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

The ministers of “historical orthodox Christianity” “despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering.” The very thought that all men will be brought to God “each in his own order” is literally despised by the “historical orthodox Christian” leaders. What will judgment be on such men? Again:

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds: [ And “out of their own mouth]

Those who patiently continue to be faithful to God’s Word will find glory, honor, immortality and aionian life. But those who contend against the goodness, forbearance and longsuffering of God, those who see God’s wrath only as a means of hardening hearts without the goal of redemption in view, will receive for themselves “indignation and wrath” and a “hardened heart” in the lake of fire, white throne judgment.
Peter asks Christ how often we who are in Christ should forgive a brother who begs our forgiveness. listen closely to Christ’s answer. It bears directly upon what will be done to those who are to be cast into this lake of fire:

Mat 18:21  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23  Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
[ a minimum of 15 million dollars]
Mat 18:25  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

The benefit of forgiveness cannot be overestimated. Many of us claim God’s forgiveness for our sins, but we deny this same forgiveness to  our brothers. Instead we condemn our brothers not only insisting that they are in our debt, but we also insist that they will never be allowed to pay that debt. This in spite of the fact that our own debt was beyond ever being able to be paid in this lifetime. The fact that Christ has paid the debt for the sins of the whole world is of no significance to these “contentious men who do not obey the Truth but obey unrighteousness.” The Lord of this extremely wicked servant who, after being forgiven 15 million dollars would not forgive a 50 dollar debt, demanded that he “be delivered to the tormentors till he should pay all that was due Him.” But these men, by their words and their actions, teach no forgiveness. What they teach is unending torment in literal fire for no reason but to harden the hearts of their victims and make their victims to suffer, simply for the sake of hardening and suffering. What a blasphemous and contentious doctrine.

 Luk 19:22 (a) Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant.

Conclusion
I hope this has answered your question about exactly what is threatened by our Lord against those who are cast into the lake of fire. God will give them the desires of their own heart. What they desired against others will torment them and “their own mouth will judge them.” The very thing that they have always taught would be done to their enemies they must now be brought to believe is what they must shortly endure. Of course God will not torment them for all eternity, but just like Joseph, God will cause these monsters to believe that their own lies will be brought upon them. He will cause them to believe their own false doctrine until the fear of it all will have brought about justice, “

Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

    At that point God, by His own counsel, will destroy the old man, typified by the death of Jacob, who had also rebuked Joseph for his dreams. Then, and only after that “old man” has died, will the glorious Truth be revealed to these heinous criminals:

Gen 50:20  But as for you [ false prophets], ye thought evil against me [ God’s elect]; but God meant it [ the very lies you told] unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people[“all in Adam”] alive.
1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Mike>