The following is an extract from a Spurgeon sermon . I literally have just this from a single page that I had copied years ago . I had wanted to see the endings of his messages , and this was one . Of course I did not ignore the rest of the messages . Nevertheless , this quote is about the subject heading .
Oh , that lake ! Have you ever read the words , " Shall be cast into the lake of fire , which is the second death " ? The lake of fire ! and souls cast into it ! The imagery is dreadful . " Ah , " says one , " that is a metaphor. " Yes , I know it is , and a metaphor is but a shadow of the reality . Then , if the shadow be a lake of fire , what must the reality be ? If we can hardly bear to think of a " worm that never dieth , " and a " fire that never shall be quenched , " and of a lake whose seething waves of fire that dash o'er undying and hopeless souls , what must hell be in very deed ? The descriptions of Scriptures are , after all , but condescensions to our ignorance , partial revealings of fathomless mysteries ; but if these are so dreadful , what must the full reality be ?
Oh , that lake ! Have you ever read the words , " Shall be cast into the lake of fire , which is the second death " ? The lake of fire ! and souls cast into it ! The imagery is dreadful . " Ah , " says one , " that is a metaphor. " Yes , I know it is , and a metaphor is but a shadow of the reality . Then , if the shadow be a lake of fire , what must the reality be ? If we can hardly bear to think of a " worm that never dieth , " and a " fire that never shall be quenched , " and of a lake whose seething waves of fire that dash o'er undying and hopeless souls , what must hell be in very deed ? The descriptions of Scriptures are , after all , but condescensions to our ignorance , partial revealings of fathomless mysteries ; but if these are so dreadful , what must the full reality be ?