Isaiah 30:33

Rev. 20:10

Isaiah 34:9

Rev. 21:8

Ezekiel 38:22

The New Testament references are limited (1) To the destruction of

Sodom in the past, and (2) to the judgments of the Day of the Lord,

culminating with the lake of fire, which is the second death.  Theion means

divine, but as this word was in common use by the idolatrous Greeks long

before the LXX or the New Testament was written, we must refrain from

building any doctrine upon the association of Deity with brimstone.  It was

used, particularly for ceremonial purifications, as Juvenal writes:

'Had they the implements, as bay branch dipped in holy water with torch

and sulphur, they would be lustrated (purified)'.

Purification is by blood, oil or water in the Scriptures, and any who

were subjected to the ordeal of 'fire and brimstone' perished, a fate which

is consistent with its effect in common use.  An infected room may be

'purified' by fire and brimstone, but we must remember the infecting cause,

be it germ or insect pest must be utterly and irrevocably destroyed in the

process.  It is vain to talk of the purifying effect of such a judgment, as

it pertains to those subjected to it.  No more final medium could have been

selected to show that there can be no emergence from the second death.  (See

articles on Death, p. 150; and Hell, p. 277).

Buried.  The Greek word thapto refers to the rites accompanying the disposal

of the dead, but was not primarily limited to interment: it was used also for

the burning of the body too.  Biblical usage is limited to interment, leaving

the burning of the body to pagans.  We must remember, however, that the

Hebrew word translated 'dust', aphar (Gen. 3:19) is also translated 'ashes'

twice (Num. 19:17; 2 Kings 23:4).  Whether the process of dissolution be

rapid by burning, or slow by burial, it comes to the same thing in the end,

but for other reasons burial not burning is the method sanctioned by

Scripture.  It is a definite item of the Christian faith, that Christ not

only died and rose again, but that He was 'buried' (1 Cor. 15:4).  There is

something terribly final about the words 'dead and buried'.  Unless God be

the God of resurrection, it is only too clear that any who are both dead and

buried, will remain so for ever.

Not only is the actual burial of the Saviour an integral part of our

faith, in two passages of great doctrinal importance, we have the word

sunthapto, 'bury together' (Rom. 6:4; Col. 2:12).  This is one of a series of

associations made by the Scriptures of the believer with the work of the

Lord.  He is by imputation or reckoning (see Reckoning7) looked upon as

having been crucified with Christ, having died with Christ and having been

buried with Him, and in this marvellous association he is manifested with Him

in glory.  The statements of Romans 6:3 -5 are statements of fact, not merely

of experience.  When Christ died we died with Him, when He was buried we were

buried with Him, when He rose from the dead, never again to submit to its

dominion we rose with Him.  All this is fact.  The believer is 'in Christ'

and this union is by baptism, not indeed the baptism of water (see Baptism1),

but the true and effectual baptism of the Spirit, which unites the believer

once and for ever to Christ, and identifies him with all that He, as a

Saviour and Head, accomplished.  Romans 6 is not dealing with our sins but

with our Sin, 'the old man', the 'dominion' of sin, and the release of the