[Word Count: 826]
Sulfur
Pure sulfur is a tasteless, odorless, brittle solid that is pale yellow in color, a poor conductor of electricity, and insoluble in water. It reacts with all metals except gold and platinum, forming sulfides; it also forms compounds with several nonmetallic elements.
In the Bible brimstone is the old word for sulfur.
Sulfur oxides are a group of molecules made of sulfur and oxygen atoms, such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and sulfur trioxide (SO3). Some sulfur oxides are gases, and some are liquids or solid particles. Sulfur oxides pollute the air. They are harmful to your lungs and make it difficult to breathe. Sulfur oxides also combine with water droplets in the air to make sulfuric acid, which is toxic and caustic to living tissue.
Sulfur dioxide is the most dangerous of the sulfur oxides. It is a colorless gas that smells like burnt matches. Sulfur dioxide is given off by lightning strikes. Sulfur dioxide forms sulfur particles, which, if inhaled regularly, can cause asthma and bronchitis.
Sulfur trioxide vapors are caustic if inhaled and cause burns to the skin and organs. Sulfur trioxide is often a colorless or white solid that creates white fumes in the air.
If you have the misfortune of participating in the Second Resurrection, your entire life will be evaluated in the Presence of GOD, the holy angels and the saints: those humans who were redeemed from the Earth and given places in GOD'S family.
You will finally come face to Face with the only Deities Who have ever existed, and I tell you now that you will not pass Their Scrutiny. All your most embarrassing secrets will become a matter of public record. Your name will then be checked against the Book of Life and will not be found There...
...you will then be condemned and physically thrown into the "Lake" (according to the Greek) that burns with both the Fire of GOD'S Wrath and several forms of the element Sulfur described above and you will be tormented in agony for ever.
Resurrection
What is a Resurrection?
The man GOD created in the Earth's beginning from the dust of the ground was a statue of Himself. The Divine Likeness was the greatest Gift GOD ever bestowed on us; and when GOD breathed into Adam's nostrils the Breath of Life, Adam stopped being a thing that only looked like GOD and became a living soul (Hebrew nephesh) that could think, feel and exercise his will just like GOD does...only on a much smaller scale. Adam was enough like GOD to fellowship with Him and love Him (and, of course, be loved by Him).
Please stay with me...I haven't forgotten the question...
...the Hebrew word nephesh is translated "soul" but does not mean soul in the Greek (psuche) sense of a sentient entity that exists inside of or apart from the body. To the Hebrew, nephesh identifies a human's entire being: spirit, soul (intellect, emotions and will) and body; thus, nephesh is better translated "being."
So when we use the word "resurrection" we are always addressing the Divine Act of bringing back a human person's entire being from death to life.
This is absolutely and critically important!!! When Jesus arose from the dead all of Jesus came back from the dead in pristine condition (except for the scars on His Hands and Feet and the hole in His Side from the Roman spear...He chose to retain these as a reminder to us of His Unconditional Love).
Likewise, those who participate in the Second Resurrection will come forth completely intact: spirit, soul and body with no parts or organs missing.
The Secret of the Lake of Fire
There is a reason the word "resurrection" must be defined this way...
Look carefully at the Twentieth Chapter of Revelation. After all of the Damned are resurrected Death and Hades (the place of disembodied souls) are themselves cast into the Lake of Fire and Sulfur! The implication is horrifyingly obvious: if Death no longer exists, then no matter what damage is done to you by the Fire and Sulfur, you can never die! There is no relief and there is no reprieve.
(Taking a breath.)
The Lake of Fire and Sulfur is the rule, not the exception. Everyone one of us--myself included--is going to Hell by default. The only possible exception is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. JESUS IS THE NARROW WAY...not all the things you feel, think, say and do...these are worthless to your cause.
I know this is rough going and entirely unpopular in the American church; but it is the Word of GOD and Jesus had more to say about it than any other figure in the Bible.
In Part Twenty-Eight we will finally get to the good stuff: the First Resurrection of the Righteous, and we will appreciate it even more because it is so much more than we deserve!