The Wicked To Be Destroyed

Seventh-day Adventists believe that the wicked will be utterly destroyed in a literal lake of fire and brimstone; that this fire will be here on this earth, and that it will not only burn up the wicked, but will also cleanse and purify the earth, removing all the works of man and the blemishes made by sin; and that afterward the earth will be made new and become the eternal home of the saved.DOF 242.3

“Behold, the day comes, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.DOF 242.4

“But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And you shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, says the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 4:1-3.DOF 242.5

“Upon the wicked He shall rain snares [“quick burning coals,” margin], fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” Psalm 11:6.DOF 242.6

“God is jealous, and the Lord revenges; the Lord revenges, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies.” “Who can stand before His indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him. The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows them that trust in Him. But with an overrunning flood He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue His enemies. What do you imagine against the Lord? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. For while they be held together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.” Nahum 1:2, 6-10.DOF 242.7

“The wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” Psalm 37:20.DOF 243.1

“I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.” Verses 35, 36.DOF 243.2

“The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.DOF 243.3

That this destruction will take place here on the earth is clearly stated by the revelator as he portrays the fate of the wicked:DOF 243.4

“They went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.... And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:9-15.DOF 243.5

And to this agree the words of Peter’s prophecy:DOF 243.6

“The heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.... But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and basting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:7-13.DOF 244.1