Is The Second Death Of Our Human Body Figurative Or Literal

Death!

Minus the resurrection it's something we all must face.

The question is, is the second death of our human body figurative or literal.

Second death, you ask?

Isn't one death good enough? After all, that is what the Scriptures say.

Hebrews 9:27
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment

It does seem reasonable until you read verses like...

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Revelation 2:11
He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.

And…

Revelation 20:6
Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

And…

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Which all contain information about the "second death".

Fortunately, these verses are all found in Revelation, which is a very symbolic or figurative book that is closed and incapable of being understood by mankind today. Right?

Perhaps, but only if you are willing to throw out the tri-fold blessing that the book begins with.

Revelation 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Personally speaking these are blessings I personally would not want to miss, how about you? Thus we are brought full circle back to the very beginning once again, wanting to know what this second death that the righteous miss but the unrighteous receive is.

Is it being cast into an eternal lake of fire where people burn and burn forevermore? If so, how do you explain well-known verses like…

John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Clearly God loves the world. That means He loves you and I even if we choose not to return that love to him in humble obedience.

Therefore, God is left with 1 of 3 options.

1. Since He loves the world He could allow everyone to enter into Heaven no matter what they chose to do here on earth. However, sin does have consequences. Besides, if a person chooses to reject Christ all their life wouldn't it be hell to spend all eternity with the very one they elected to deny?

2. God could send them to an everlasting eternal place where they burn without end forever more. After all, don't they deserve it? It was their choice to deny Him. However, logically speaking would that be the act of a loving Father or a vengeful God? My way or "burn baby burn"?

Given that the above to options don't make much sense for a loving God there really is only one option left.

3. In a tremendous act of mercy and love God could simply allow these people to be burned up to ashes within the lake of fire so that they are no more. There are some I've talked to that become really upset with this thought process. After all, they made their choice and now they can suffer. Wouldn't it be tragedy enough to miss eternity where no sin exists ever again?

Thus we can conclude that the only way God can love those who choose to reject His free gift of grace and remain unloved is to cause them to cease to exist. If we make this conclusion then answering the question…

"Is the second death of our human body figurative or literal?"

Becomes quite easy.