Jude 7-The Citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities Around Are Experiencing Eternal Condemnation (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Sunday August 21, 2022

Jude Series: Jude 7-The Citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities Around Them Are Experiencing Eternal Condemnation

Lesson # 13

Jude 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire. (NIV)

The Scriptures teach that these unregenerate citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the cities of Admah and Zeboiim are presently experiencing eternal condemnation in Torments.

However, eventually they will experience eternal condemnation in the lake of fire.

As we noted in our study of Jude 6, the fallen angels of the antediluvian period who possessed the bodies of unregenerate men and had sex with unregenerate women in order to procreate with them so as to prevent the incarnation of the Son of God are imprisoned in “Tartarus.”

It is one of the four compartments of Hades, which is located underneath the earth.

Another one of these compartments is called “Torments,” which is the place in which every unrepentant, unregenerate sinner in the human race-past, present and future, goes after they die physically.

These four compartments of Hades include:

(1) Paradise: the place where departed souls of believers who died before the Resurrection of Christ were kept (Lk 23:39-43; Eph 4:8-9), until they were transferred to heaven after the Resurrection of Christ (Eph 4:10),

(2) Torments: the temporary fire for the souls of unbelievers from all dispensations (Lk 16:19-31),

(3) Tartarus: the abode of the fallen angels of Genesis 6 who had sex with woman in order to corrupt the human race and prevent the incarnation of the Son of God (1 Pt 3:18-19; 2 Pt 2:4; Jude 6), and

(4) The Abyss: the place of imprisonment for the demons who violated certain rules for angelic creation, scheduled for release during the tribulation period (Lk 8:30-31; Rom 10:7; Rv 20:1-3).

The contents of Jude 7 refute “annihilationism,” which is the belief that all the unsaved will be judged by God and thrown into the lake of fire where they will cease to exist.

This is indicated by the fact that this verse asserts that the unrepentant, unregenerate citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the cities of Admah and Zeboiim are presently suffering eternal fire, i.e., eternal condemnation because of their unrepentant pursuit of homosexual relations.

This verse is also teaching that they are set forth publicly by the Lord as an example for members of the human race not to follow because they are presently experiencing a righteous punishment, which is experiencing eternal fire, or in other words, eternal condemnation.

If annihilationism was the truth, this verse would not have used the word “eternal.”

The fact that Jude 7 makes clear that the righteous punishment of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as the citizens of Admah and Zeboiim goes on for all of eternity refutes this false doctrine.

Annihilationism is also called “conditional immortality” which is the belief that the human soul’s eternal existence is dependent on God’s gracious act of sustaining it.

Those who adhere to this view suggest that the human soul is given eternal life only as a gift and that those who do not receive the gift of eternal life (the unsaved) will cease to exist sometime after death, either immediately or at the final judgment.

Some annihilationists suggest that this will occur instantaneously, while others believe that the unrighteous may experience a brief period of awareness.

However, all annihilationists agree that no individual, however wicked, will suffer eternally a conscious existence in hell.

There are many passages of Scripture which refute annihilationism and the first we will note is Daniel 12:2.

Daniel 12:2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (NIV)

Daniel 12:2 contains three prophetic statements.

The third prophetic statement in Daniel 12:2 “others to shame and everlasting contempt” is a reference to the resurrection of unregenerate Israelites who lived during the Old Testament dispensations.

The purpose of raising the unsaved dead is for the purpose of experiencing eternal condemnation.

If the unsaved were simply put out of existence at their death, then why are they said to be raised?

If they were simply put of existence at the moment of physical death, then they could not be raised from the dead.

However, the text does say that they were raised from the dead and for the purpose of experiencing everlasting contempt!

In Matthew 25:46, the Lord says that when He judges the Gentiles subsequent to His Second Advent, the saved will go to eternal life while the unsaved go away into “eternal” punishment.

Thus, the existence of the unsaved is eternal in the lake of fire.

Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (NIV)

If annihilationism was the truth, then the Lord would not have used the word “eternal” to describe the punishment of the unsaved.

In John 3:36, the writer says that those who believe in the Son will have eternal life whereas as those who do not obey the Son will not see life but the wrath of God abides on them.

John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them. (NIV)

The present tense of the verb μένω, “abides” expresses the idea of a continuous exist or state indicating that the unsaved will experience God’s wrath continually.

If annihilationism was the truth, John would not have used this verb.

In Revelation 14:10-11, John writes that those people who worship the Antichrist during the last three and a half years of the seventieth week will drink of the wine of the wrath of God.

He says that they will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb and He says that this torment goes up forever and ever.

Revelation 14:9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” (NIV)

If the unsaved are simply put out of existence, then why does John say that the unsaved during the tribulation are tormented forever?

Furthermore, notice in Revelation 14:10 that the unsaved have no rest day and night.

If the unsaved are simply put out of existence, then why does the Scripture say this?

If they are not having any rest day and night clearly implies that they have a conscious existence in the eternal lake of fire.

If one compares Revelation 19:20 with Revelation 20:10, we can see that annihilationism is false and that the fate of the unsaved is eternal condemnation.

Revelation 19:20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (NIV)

In Revelation 19:20, the apostle John reveals that the Antichrist and the false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (NIV)

Then, in Revelation 20:10, John says that after the millennium and Satan’s release from prison after the millennium, Satan will start a final rebellion against God which will be overthrown and he will then be thrown into the lake of fire.

John then says that the Antichrist and the false prophet are still there in the lake of fire when Satan is thrown into the lake of fire.

Therefore, these two human beings had been suffering in eternal condemnation throughout the millennium and Satan’s final rebellion.