Sodom and Gomorrah is a miniature of the world’s ending.
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 1:7
Sodom and Gomorrah are an example of what will happen to the ones that sin. And it is literal, in my opinion.
This is the best answer.
In Jude 1:7, God gives an EXAMPLE, a ILLISTRATION, of what exactly is GODS WRATH.
We know that Gods wrath is an eternal fire, so we have this example,
And was Sodom and Gomorrha burning with Gods wrath for ever and ever, no it burned for a day or two at the most, the fire died, and nothing was left. In other words, Gods eternal fire is a fire that totally erases you.
This is how we are to understand death and hell.
hell, is simply death. all of the examples in the bible, when speaking of the word hell, whether it be sheol, hades, gehanna, hell, pit, or grave, it all signifies death. and dying unsaved, under the wrath of God, is an eternal fire.
but we are taught that the eternal fire is unquenchable and forever, well it is, however not in the literal pain understanding,
which is why so many people are confused about hell,
which is why Jude 1:7 is given as an EXAMPLE.
because the eternal fire of God, which is the punishment for sin, which many like to believe is the bowls of hell and eternal pain, can be comfortated by the fact that the example given, of Sodom and Gomorrah, simply burned for a day or two, then ceased to exist.
Is the fire still raging, did it burn for ten years, for a century. No it burned completely up in a matter of hours, a few days at the most. that is the nature of fire, it destroys.
Thus we can be comforted in the fact that hell, is simply death. That if your not saved and go to heaven, if you die, you go to hell, which is just death, and the loss of any sort of future in heaven or a second life or anything, because the eternal fire of God vanquisehed your soul, it is gone, no suffering, no eternal fire in hell, but a complete and total annihalation.
We can test this by the verses speaking of the lake of fire.
Rev 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
1Cor 15:26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
Rev 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Rev 21:8 "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
Hell, which is simply death, will be DESTROYED,
Death, and hades, (the same word) will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, and will be DESTROYED.
The bible teaches that hell, death, sin and satan will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, and will be DESTROYED.
So you can gather from this, by comparing scripture to scripture, that there will come a time when even the death of those who are unsaved will be complete, meaning, all sin will be erased, it is destoyed, which points to the fact that you dont spend eternity writhing in pain and torment suffering in a place called hell.
that is called parabolic language, metaphorical language to express the reality of the spiritual truth.
our example is Jude 1:7 and Sodom and Gommorah. it only burned for a maximum of a few days, then it was gone. This is exactly what happens to those who are unsaved, who die in sin, and previously thought they spend eternity in hell, but no, they have no conscience thought or anykind, they are gone dead, dust, dissapeared, never to come back.
