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What is "Second Death"?

 

 

What is "Second Death"?

 

The term "second death" was first mentioned in the Book of Revelation, and was defined in the following two verses.

 

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ~ Revelation 20:14

 

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death. ~ Revelation 21:8

 

In both of the above verses, "second death" refers to "the lake of fire". So, why is the "lake of fire" called the "second death"? To understand this, we must first take a look at how God created Man in the Book of Genesis.

 

 

Man is a Soul Made Up of a Body and a Spirit

 

In Genesis 2:7, we learnt that Man is a Soul made up of a Body (dust) and a Spirit (the breath of God). So in order for a Soul to cease to exist, it must first be separated from both the Body and the Spirit.

 

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. ~ Genesis 2:7

 

When a person dies on the earth, it is the "first death" where the Soul separates from the Body. However, the Bible tells us that the Soul does not cease to exist after its physical death as in the story of "the rich man and Lazarus" (Luke 16:19-31). 

 

The "second death" then, would logically mean the separation of the Soul from the Spirit. I believe this is what happens when someone is cast into the lake of fire. They will be eternally separated from God, and that is why it is called the "second death".

 

 

What Happens After the Second Death?

 

    Angels

 

In Matthew 25:41, we learnt that the "everlasting fire" is prepared for the devil and his angels" (not mankind). So why is that so? I believe it is because since angels are spirits, they cannot "die", or cease to exist. When angels rebel against God, the Bible tells us that some have been bound, and some have been cast out of Heaven. However, it has never been mentioned that an angel would "die", like what the Lord told Adam when he sinned.

 

When an angel has become so corrupted that it is impossible for him to return, it appears that the only appropriate judgement would be to separate them eternally from God and His Creations. The "lake of fire", apparently is where this eternal separation happens.

 

Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. ~ Matthew 25:41

 

    Mankind

 

Mankind, on the other hand, is a Soul made up of a Body and a Spirit. Therefore, he theoretically can "cease to exist" when he has been separated from both the Body and the Spirit. In fact, God also told Adam that he would "die" if He eats from the tree of knowledge in Genesis 2:17. However, God never said that an angel would die, and it has never been recorded in the Bible that "death" has been used as a penalty against rebellious angels.

 

Will a man really cease to exist after he has been cast into the lake of fire? This question has not been answered in the Bible, but I surely hope so because it would be much better to cease to exist than to endure eternal punishment. In fact, it is mentioned in Revelation 9:6 that there will be a time when men shall seek death but could not find it.

 

And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. ~ Revelation 9:6

 

    Other Beings

 

Besides Angels and Man, there are also other beings mentioned in the Bible like the giants (Genesis 6:1-4) and those who were not found written in the Book of Life (Revelation 20:15).

 

The Bible tells us that "giants" are hybrids from angels and mankind, but who are those people who do not have their names written in the Book of Life? Of course there would be some sinners who have their names blotted out as mentioned in the Bible, but I believe this group could also include those people who have NOT been born in a natural way as God has intended. This could include clones, robots, human-animal hybrids like centaurs and mermaids, or "human machines" built into "immortals" through various modern technologies.

 

To those privileged class who have access to these "immortal" technologies. this may also be something to seriously consider. If one lives right with God, he already has eternal life and does not need any human technologies. However, if one does not live right with God, immortality could mean eternal suffering!

 

 

Warnings From Lord Jesus

 

As many people have noticed, we are truly in the End Times. It is probably time for us to take heed to the warnings that our Lord Jesus Christ has given to us:

 

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ~ Matthew 10:28

 

It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. ~ Hebrews 10:31