Is punishment in the lake of fire based on works or unbelief?
The lake of fire is entered because of unbelief; that is the one reason a person is there. The determination of punishment is according to works, but works are not the cause of being there—unbelief is the cause. That distinction is the key.
Les teaches that every individual who ends up in the lake of fire will be there for one reason: unbelief. He distinguishes that from the determination of their punishment, which will be according to the works they have done, while the cause of their being there is still unbelief. He also applies this same principle to Israel’s failure to enter the land and to a nation turning away from the Word, repeatedly emphasizing the horror of unbelief.