Strong’s Greek 2303 refers to the yellow mineral traditionally rendered “brimstone,” a substance that, when ignited, burns with intense heat and suffocating fumes. Scripture harnesses this tangible image to convey the terrible certainty, purity, and permanence of divine judgment. Fire consumes; brimstone lingers, clings, and penetrates—together they portray the totality of God’s wrath against unrepentant sin.

Occurrences and Immediate Contexts

• Luke 17:29 – Jesus cites the destruction of Sodom: “On the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” The historical judgment becomes a prophetic template for the final Day of the Lord.
• Revelation 9:17-18 – One-third of mankind is slain as fire, smoke, and sulfur pour from demonic cavalry, forewarning of deeper plagues still to come.
• Revelation 14:10 – The worshiper of the beast “will drink the wine of God’s wrath … tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” Judgment is personal, deliberate, and witnessed by heaven.
• Revelation 19:20 – The beast and false prophet are “thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur,” establishing the lake as an existing reality prior to the last resurrection.
• Revelation 20:10 – After the millennium, the devil joins them “in the lake of fire and sulfur … day and night forever and ever,” confirming eternal conscious punishment.
• Revelation 21:8 – All whose lives are marked by unbelief and rebellion “will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.” Final exclusion from the New Jerusalem stands in stark contrast to the blessings of the redeemed.

Old Testament Foundations

Genesis 19 establishes brimstone as God’s chosen agent to judge a city whose sin had “reached up” to Him. Deuteronomy 29:23, Psalm 11:6, Isaiah 30:33, and Ezekiel 38:22 sustain the motif, coupling sulfur with burning wind, hailstones, and torrents. These passages anchor the New Testament usage: brimstone is never random; it is covenantal retribution.

Theological Themes

Judgment that Preserves Holiness

Brimstone images the absolute incompatibility between divine holiness and persistent sin. Because the Lord is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), judgment upholds His moral order even while it warns the living.

Judgment that Warns and Invites Repentance

Luke 17:29 is spoken in the same discourse that urges readiness for Christ’s return. The historical destruction of Sodom becomes a mercy to later generations: a visible monument calling for repentance.

Eschatological Certainty

Revelation presents brimstone not as metaphor only but as an eschatological locale—the lake of fire. The repetition (14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8) forms a crescendo: individual worshipers of evil, global deceivers, and Satan himself receive the same fate. No force opposes God successfully; judgment is inevitable, just, and final.

Continuity of Divine Justice

From Sodom to the final lake of fire, Scripture maintains a continuous thread. The God who judged cities in history is the same God who will judge all creation at the end. The imagery of sulfur therefore bridges epochs, proving the consistency of God’s character.

Christological Implications

Revelation 14:10 places judgment “in the presence … of the Lamb.” The crucified and risen Christ stands not only as Savior but also as Judge. His presence vindicates the redeemed and condemns the unrepentant. The very One who bore wrath on the cross oversees the administration of that wrath on those who reject His atonement.

Implications for Evangelism and Discipleship

1. Urgency. A real lake of fire confronts every soul with a decisive choice. Evangelism must retain the note of coming wrath to magnify the mercy offered in Christ.
2. Holiness. The church’s pursuit of purity mirrors the future kingdom free from all impurity and “abominable” practice (Revelation 21:8).
3. Perseverance. Believers suffering under evil regimes (original readers of Revelation) are assured that ultimate justice lies ahead, encouraging steadfast faith.

Historical Reception

Early Jewish writings (e.g., Wisdom of Solomon 16:16) and intertestamental apocalyptic literature employ sulfur imagery to describe end-time punishment, a backdrop the New Testament assumes. Church fathers such as Tertullian and Augustine cited brimstone passages to defend the doctrine of eternal punishment, countering views that minimized divine wrath.

Pastoral and Liturgical Use

• Preaching. Linking Genesis 19, Luke 17, and Revelation texts provides a redemptive-historical panorama: judgment past, present call to repentance, judgment future.
• Counseling. The reality of final judgment underscores the seriousness of sin while also highlighting the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement—offering hope to the repentant.
• Worship. Hymns and prayers that celebrate salvation “from wrath” honor the grandeur of grace against the backdrop of deserved brimstone.

Conclusion

Strong’s 2303, though referring to a simple chemical element, carries a freight of theological significance. Brimstone symbolizes God’s inflexible justice, the finality of eschatological punishment, and the urgent call for repentance through Christ. For the believer it is a sober reminder of what has been escaped; for the unbeliever it is a solemn warning of what surely awaits apart from the saving work of the Lamb.