Hi John,
It is true that the phrase Lake of Fire is referring to the end time judgment. However, Ray has taught that Fire is symbolic of God. We all will go through a judgment by Fire (God) whether it is now or in the Lake of Fire judgment. "Our God is a consuming Fire." Also, "God is no respecter of persons".
All will be judged by Fire (God), whether now or later. "Judgment is now on the House of God", and it is a judgment by Fire. Fire is not a bad thing because it symbolically refers to God. God (Fire) is spiritually burning out all that is evil or wrong in His people, and is thereby forming His jewels.
I would explain this in my own words, but you know how I love to post excerpts of Ray's
http://bible-truths.com/rapture.htm ----------------------------
"For God did not appoint us to INDIGNATION ..." (I Thes. 5:9).
It nowhere says that God has not appointed us to trials, troubles, pain, suffering, heartache, disappointment, disease, death, or hurricanes! In fact, Paul himself, tells us that we enter the Kingdom of God by going through a whole lot of these things (Acts 14:22).
I personally, presently, am going through trials, troubles, pain, suffering, heartache, disappointment, disease, and two very near death experiences in the past few years, not to mention hurricane Andrew. But, nonetheless, it is a great comfort to me to know that God has not appointed me to His indignation. Believers are chastised by a wise Father out of LOVE, the nations will be punished by an angry God out of VENGEANCE. Can we not see the difference? (Actually God’s "anger and vengeance" is also out of love, but the nations will certainly not initially perceive it as such).
When we look at all the ways that "indignation" is used in the Greek Scriptures, it becomes overwhelmingly clear that "indignation" is used of God to punish the wicked and stubborn. Indignation is not a direct form of chastisement. No matter how many, how much, how often, how severe your sufferings and tribulations may be, if you love God you can be absolutely guaranteed that not one iota of it is coming upon you in the form of God’s indignation. Here then is how, on whom, and when God pours out His indignation:
"Progeny of vipers! Who intimates to you to be fleeing from the impending indignation?" (Matt. 3:7).
"For God’s indignation is being revealed from heaven on all the irreverence and injustice of men ..." (Rom. 1:18).
"Yet, in accord with your hardness and unrepentant heart you are hoarding for yourself indignation in the day of indignation and revelation of the just judgment of God ..." (Rom. 2:5).
"Much rather, then, being now justified in His blood, we shall be saved from indignation, through Him" (Rom. 5:9).
"Now if God, wanting to display His indignation and to make His powerful doings known, carries, with much patience, the vessels of indignation ..." (Rom. 9:22).
"Being at peace with all mankind, you are not avenging yourselves, beloved, but be giving place to His indignation, for it is written, "Mine is vengeance! I will repay! The Lord is saying" (Rom. 12:19).
"Let no one be seducing you with empty words, for because of these things the indignation of God is coming on the sons of stubbornness" (Eph. 5:6).
"Deaden, then, your members that are on the earth: prostitution, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and greed, which is idolatry, because of which the indignation of God is coming on the sons of stubbornness ..." (Col. 3:5-6).
"Wherefore, ‘I am disgusted with this generation, and said, Ever are they straying in heart; Yet they know not My ways,’ As I swear in My indignation, If they shall be entering into My rest ...!" (Heb. 3:10-11).
"Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who is sitting on the throne, and from the indignation of the Lambkin, for the great day of Their indignation came, and who is able to stand? (Rev. 6:17).
"And the nations are angered, and Thy indignation came, and the era for the dead to be judged, and to give their wages to Thy slaves, the prophets, and to the saints and to those fearing Thy name, the small and the great, and to blight those who are blighting the earth" (Rev. 11:18-19).
"If anyone is worshiping the wild beast and its image, and is getting an emblem on his forehead or on his hand, he, also, is drinking of the wine of the fury of God, blended undiluted in the cup of His indignation, and he shall be tormented in fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy messengers and in the sight of the Lambkin" (Rev. 14:10).
"And Babylon the great is brought to remembrance in the sight of God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fury of His indignation" (Rev. 16:19).
"And He is treading the wine trough of the fury of the indignation of God, the Almighty" (Rev. 19:16).
There are the Greek Scriptures on indignation. Notice that it always comes from God. It is poured out in vengeance upon the unrepentant, the stubborn, the unjust and irreverent, those who worship the beast, etc. Never is God’s indignation poured out on His SAINTS! Not the Gentile saints and not the Jewish saints. The saints of Israel have not "been appointed to indignation", they are not "of the night," they will not "be overtaken as a thief," they are a part of "all the saints," I Thes. 2:14 and 3:13.
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Further, as you know, there is no free will. We do not decide which resurrection we are in. God has already decided, before He created the world, who was going to be in the 1st Resurrection. It is a total futile exercise to wish to be in the 1st Resurrection. You either will be, or you will not be. The Potter has already decided.
This is true, BUT we do not know what God has decided.
It sounds like you are saying I might as well just sit back and wait on God, because God has already decide and nothing I do will make a difference. Since I don't know what God has decided (regardless of which one I will actually be in), but since I
don't know which one it will be, I am going to shot for the first. I know it's not by my own effort, but where do you think I get the will and determination from? I would think it's a lackadaisical attitude that is of more concern. Anyway that's what I'm thinking on this.
mercy, peace and love
Kat