Wednesday Bible Study Fellowship, January 14 & 21, 2009
The Eternal State
Introduction: I noticed the other day a church sign which read “Life has many choices, eternity only has two”. That is a very truthful statement. Tonight I wanted to talk to you about what happens when an individual dies. For the Christian this provides comfort. For the lost it should bring fear. The Titanic, at the end, had only two lists: saved and lost. There were no first class and second class passengers. There were those who were saved and there were those who were lost. This is the way it is for all humanity!
I. When the Christian dies where do they go?
A. The Bible teaches that for a Christian to be absent from the body they are present with the Lord (II Cor.5:8; Phil.1:21, 23).
B. If Jesus is in heaven, then that is where a believer must go when they die (John 14:1, 2).
C. Quite possibly an angel delivers you and me to heaven (Luke 16:22).
II. When the non-Christian dies where do they go?
A. The first two people to enter the eternal lake of fire are the false prophet and the antichrist (Rev.19:20).
1. fire (pyr) = fire
2. burning (kaio) = set on fire
3. brimstone (theion) = flashing, sulphur
B. The third person to enter the eternal lake of fire will be Satan (Rev.20:10).
C. Remember the eternal lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. Those who go there by their choice not God’s design (Matt.25:41).
D. The non-Christian goes to a place called “Hades” (Luke 16:19-31).
1. The beggar died and was carried to Abraham’s side.
2. The rich man died and was sent to a place of torment. He was tormented in the flame (phlox) = flash, blaze, flame
3. The place of torment (23) is literally Hades.
4. Both the saved and the lost go to the same place – but it is divided into two parts:
a. Torment Hades
b. Paradise Hades
E. At Calvary Jesus was crucified with two criminals (Luke 23:39-43).
1. Jesus told one of the criminals, who had become a believer: “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”.
2. Jesus died and went to Paradise Hades.
3. Peter spoke in Acts 2:31 “Seeing what was ahead he (David) spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to the grave, nor did His body see decay”.
a. The word for grave is “Hades”.
b. Christ was not abandoned in Paradise Hades.
c. Peter was actually quoting Psalm 16:10. In Hebrew the word for grave is “sheol”.
4. What did Jesus do in Paradise?
a. He preached (I Peter 3:18-20).
b. The word “preached” is the Greek kerusso meaning “to publish, proclaim, preach.” Jesus did not evangelize! He is not giving a second chance! The reference is “…to the act of Christ after His resurrection in proclaiming victory, not giving a second chance” (Word Pictures, A. T. Robertson)
F. Paul calls heaven “paradise” (II Cor.12:1-4)
G. When did “Paradise” move from “Hades” to heaven?
1. Resurrection day
2. On resurrection day Jesus emptied the paradise side of Hades and took the OT saints to heaven.
3. Believers who died before the time of Christ were described as being in “captivity”. They were in captivity in “Paradise Hades”.
4. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:8-10 that Jesus “took captive” those who were captive! He took them from “Paradise Hades” to Heaven!
a. “He led captivity captive, which refers, I believe, to the redeemed of the OT who went to Paradise when they died. These Christ took with Him out of Paradise into the very presence of God when He ascended” (Ephesians, J. Vernon McGee, pg.116)
b. “The early church fathers saw in it the work of Christ in bringing the OT saints out of paradise up to the throne of God” (McGee).
c. “I believe this passage teaches that while Jesus was physically dead on the cross, His spirit descended into the place of the righteous dead, Paradise, and took them all into heaven. This left sheol/ Hades with only one compartment. So, since the resurrection of Christ, Hades has been inhabited only by the unrighteous dead.” (MacArthur, Study Notes “2nd Coming”, pg.191)
d. Just think, Jesus ascends to heaven and “…He also passes through the territory of Satan and his demons in the air (Ephesians, MacArthur, pg.140).
e. “And having disarmed the powers and authorities [principalities- KJV], He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Col.2:15).
f. Max Lucado wrote “He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you” (The Final Week, pg.94).
H. Why wouldn’t OT saints go directly to heaven?
1. Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sins (Heb.9:22).
2. The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Heb.10:4).
3. Christ had to die for our sins (Heb.9:27, 28).
4. Since heaven is a perfect place, and God is perfect and His standard is perfection, until I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ I am not fit for heaven (Matt.5:48).
I. When does Torment Hades deliver up its inhabitants? At the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev.20:11-15)
III. Other eternal thoughts:
A. “Until the time of the rapture, the departed believer exists in a spiritual or disembodied state. Scripture likens it to being “naked” or unclothed” (II Cor.5:1-5) [Hitchcock, pg.229]. At the rapture we get our new glorified bodies (I Thess.4:14-16).
B. “The spirits of OT believers will be reunited with their bodies at the end of the tribulation (Dan.12:1-3)” [Hitchcock, pg.229].
C. Facts about Hell:
1. It is literal. Jesus spoke about Hell more than any other person in the Bible.
2. Hell is divided into four parts
a. The Abyss or Bottomless Pit – Satan will be bound here during the millennium (Rev.20:1-3). Some demons are there now who will be release for 5 months to afflict the lost during the tribulation (Rev.9:1-5).
b. Tartarus (II Peter 2:4; Jude 6 &7) – This is the place that fallen angels who sinned in Genesis 6:1-4 are now being confined.
c. Hades – the place where lost souls are now who await the final judgment (Luke 16:23; Rev.1:18, 20:13-14).
d. Ghenna – the most commonly used term for hell in the NT. It is found 12 times. It is “the lake of fire and brimstone” (Rev.20:10). It is also “the lake of fire” (Rev.20:14), and the “second death” (Rev.20:6, 14). It is the final place for Satan, demons and the lost (Rev.20:10; 14-15).
3. There is memory in hell (Luke 16:9-31).
4. There is torment in hell (Luke 16:24, 28).
5. There is unquenchable fire in hell (Matt.13:41-42; Mark 9:47-49; Luke 16:24).
6. There is separation from God in hell (II Thess.1:9).
7. There is great misery in hell (Matt.13:42).
8. There is unquenchable thirst in hell (Luke 16:24).
9. There is no escape from hell (Luke 16:26).
The above was taken from 101 Answers, Hitchcock, pg.231-234).
One final thought: There does seem to be teaching in Scripture that there will be degrees of punishment in Hell. I would refer you to: Matthew 10:15, 11:20-24 and Luke 12:46-48. Even if that is the case the best place in hell will still have the same horrible existence which is stated above. Let’s ask God to give us a vision of hell like He did Gen. William Booth and become a stronger evangelistic church since Jesus has given us the keys to the kingdom!