The heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. This fire constitutes the judgment of incorrigible sinners in the Lake of Fire, identified as the second death, where the unrepentant undergo complete burning up in an unquenchable fire likened to a baptism with fire. The effects of this fire extend to the heavens passing away with a great noise, the elements melting with fervent heat, and both the earth and the works in it being burned up. An unquenchable fire burns until it has consumed all combustible material and then dies out. The Flood of Noah's day serves as a type of this future worldwide cleansing by fire, after which the earth continues to exist just as it did following the Flood. According to His promise, new heavens and a new earth are anticipated in which righteousness dwells, with the account of the Lake of Fire immediately preceding the mention of a new heaven and a new earth. The earth itself endures, while the surface and everything physical on it, including the incorrigibly wicked, undergo destruction by this all-consuming fire. God then renews the earth's surface to create a pure, glorious habitation for Himself and the rest of the God Kingdom.

By refusing to repent of their apostasy from God's way of life, the Israelites could only expect the coming of God's fearsome punishment. In the second vision recorded in Amos 7, a divine fire represents a purging and purifying punishment against sin. The Lord, described as a consuming fire and a jealous God, decrees this fire upon Israel, possibly as a divinely inspired war, to save and turn the people back to morality and obedience. Though God relents in this vision, giving the nation another chance to repent, the persistent lack of repentance ensures that destruction looms near. When the time comes, God will not pass by them anymore; He will pass through with judgment, bringing total destruction as a consequence of their disobedience and sin.