Those Given Life at the End That Were Not the Bride, Came from the Dead. Where They in Burning Hell While Dead?
1) Direct answer
No. Those who are given life at the end were not in the burning lake of fire while they were dead. They were in death, awaiting the general resurrection and the White Throne judgment.
2) Scriptural explanation
- Now notice, the Bible says, “The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5). They were dead—awaiting the time to be raised.
- Then, “the dead, small and great, stood before God… and the dead were judged… and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them” (Revelation 20:12-13). That shows they were held in death and the unseen realm until judgment.
- Only after the judgment do the condemned go into “the lake of fire,” which the Scripture calls “the second death” (Revelation 20:14-15). So the burning lake of fire comes after the books are opened, not before.
- Jesus also spoke of some being set on His right hand and given life in that judgment scene (Matthew 25:31-34, 46). That proves there will be people at that time who were not the Bride, yet are granted life.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- If they were already in burning hell, there would be no need to raise them and judge them to determine life or condemnation. Judgment comes before final sentencing.
- The Bride has part in the first resurrection and is not touched by the second death (Revelation 20:6). The rest come up later. Among those, some are found in the Book of Life and are given life; the rest go to the lake of fire after judgment.
- Therefore, those who are given life at the end were not in burning hell while dead; they were held in death, and the ones who belong on the mercy side were at rest, not in flames (see Revelation 6:9-11 for souls at rest under the altar).
4) Reinforcing statement
The Bible’s order is clear: death first, resurrection and judgment next, and only then the lake of fire for the lost. Those granted life at the end were not burning in hell while dead.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
CAB 7:E-100
We have the same right today in the church. Names are going to be blotted out of the Book of Life. No names will be blotted out of the Book of Eternal Life for that is another record though contained in the Book of Life. THIS IS THE RECORD: GOD HATH GIVEN US ETERNAL LIFE, AND THIS LIFE IS IN HIS SON. HE THAT HATH THE SON HATH LIFE (ETERNAL) AND HE THAT HATH NOT THE SON HATH NOT LIFE (ETERNAL). And those who have that life were in HIM before the foundation of the world. THEY WERE CHOSEN IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION...
Questions and Answers
59-1223 §25
And the devil wants to take us over to operate under him. So when he gets the mild form, he starts in sin. If he can hold them just in a righteous man, a good man, just let him go ahead and try to be good like that; if he can hold him like that until he's dead, that's just what he wants to do. He's got him, because no matter how righteous you are, how good you are, how moral you are, how clean you are, how honest you are, you'll never get to heaven until you're born again. Jesus said so. So there's no... You've got...
Church Ages, part 9: The ten virgins, and the 144,000
60-1211M §111
But this class will never be with that class. That's the bride. And notice, the bride is with Him in the temple. The others labor, and bring their glory into the kingdom. But the bride is with the bridegroom continually. The others will never be 'lotted. Like these down here, they'll serve; they'll not be cast away because He separated them, the sheep from goats. But the goat had no understanding of it. He didn't care about it. He was a goat, and satisfied as a goat. And so he just died as a goat, and that was the...
When their eyes were opened, they knew Him
64-0312 §8
And those ... no matter what they are, they're eternally dead. They were dead from the beginning. The Bible said, "The woman that lives in pleasure is dead while she is alive." That's right. See, she's always been dead. She's dead in sin and trespasses. And now, if you were in the quickening at his beginning, that's what He come to redeem. And your name was put on the Lamb's book of life in his thinking at the beginning. And He come to redeem all names that's in that book---no more, not one more, just what was in t...
Questions and Answers
54-0515 §130
I said, "Mr. Bohannon, the only thing that you got, you got three different things mixed up, calling it the bride. You're calling the hundred and forty-four thousand who stood with the Lamb on Mount Sinai, the bride. They were not. You're calling the ones... Spurted the water out of his mouth to make war with the remnant of the woman's seed which was not the bride; that was what was left. The bride was in Heaven; the hundred and forty-four thousand there; and the nominal Christian going here to the persecution. Tha...