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January 8, 2018 |
| After Death | ||
In this study, we'll begin with quick summaries of the Traditional Church and CoG7 views of what happens at death and afterward. More than anything, this study will present a very large selection of Bible verses that talk about many aspects of the afterlife. Then we'll see another view that fits better with all of the verses.
The purposes of this study are to:
There are many other views about what happens after death. So the question must be asked - why are there so many. The Bible is clear enough, though the references are spread all over the Bible, like pieces of a puzzle. Therefore all of these pieces need to be collected and assembled.
That's where the multiple views come from. In some cases not all of the "puzzle" pieces were used. More commonly though it seems puzzle pieces were ignored, bent or forced to fit in the wrong place. This results from other beliefs or world-views being used to determine what the puzzle should look like before it is assembled.
The purpose of this study is not to answer the question, at least not directly. Instead the goal is to provide the reader with all the puzzle pieces so the question can be answered.
The traditional churches believe that the spirits of the dead go immediately to Heaven or Hell upon death and stay there forever.
Nothing about this is supportable from scripture except that there is a Heaven. No verses say our spirits go to Heaven - ever. No verses describe a place like Hell, where only the unbelievers go. This idea raises serious theological questions, like why did Jesus die, and why did he go to Hell.
There are some people within the traditional churches who recognize the problems this view causes with the many Bible verses about Moses' death, Jesus' death, the resurrection, who is on Earth during the Millennium and judgment day. These views are still focused on going to Heaven so they always include - your spirit goes immediately to Heaven or Hell upon death - but the view is different in other ways. There are too many of these variations to go through them all.
We'll look at one view that tries to solve the problems caused by:
This is one of the fixes for these problems. It should be said that people in the church are completely comfortable with dreaming up these ideas themselves and presenting them as though there was some Bible backing for them.
For believers, when Jesus returns, they will be pulled out of Heaven, given new bodies, and then go back to Heaven. For unbelievers, at the Great White Throne Judgment, they are pulled out of Hell, judged, and thrown in the Lake of Fire.
This view is still focused on going to Heaven, which isn't Biblical. The way it incorporates the resurrection doesn't make sense. The Resurrection becomes nothing. If you were perfectly happy in Heaven then you are resurrected into a new body and go back to Heaven, where you are again perfectly happy again, then the new body is worth nothing. Life is no different with it than without it.
There are other views that have the Heaven / Hell focus in common. For example the Catholic view adds a place called Purgatory.
There is another view that adds Sheol. This is done by claiming that Jesus cut a tunnel from Sheol to Heaven while he was there. Having done that, he took all the believers from Sheol to Heaven. Now all believers go to Sheol and then immediately go up to Heaven. Nothing about that is Biblical.
Not everyone in the traditional Christian churches agrees with any of these views. Some of the people who have received a formal Bible education understand they are not correct. These views are so ingrained in the laity of the church, however, that there would be no way to change them. In fact those who try are seen as taking the promise of Heaven away from the people.
There is a critical theological problem with the idea of going to Heaven upon death.
We are imperfect at death. There is no possibility that we are perfect when we die. When we are alive, God (the Father) considers us perfect through Jesus. It's as though God looks at us through a window called Jesus. We look perfect because Jesus is actively cleaning us. But we as individuals are not perfect.
Death does not make us perfect. There is nothing about the act of dying that makes us perfect. The same is true for unbelievers obviously.
We cannot be in the presence of God and be imperfect. Even if we were cleaned up and immediately brought into the presence of God, the first time we did anything, we would become imperfect. Imperfection cannot be in his presence. We would immediately go into non-existence in the same way a shadow vanishes when the light is turned on.
Actually, there is no chance that would happen. There is no one who would bring us into that situation … for our own safety.
We are made perfect in the resurrection when Jesus returns.
I in them and you in me, so that they shall be perfected as one (John 17:23)
Because God provided for our benefit that they would not be made perfect without us. (Hebrews 11:40)
So how did this idea get into the church?
We know it happened very early in Christianity, in the Roman Church. But we don't know the details. Perhaps the idea came from the Zoroastrian religion, which was popular at the time. It may have come from the philosophy of Greek Dualism. Perhaps for some it was one and for the rest it was the other. Whatever, the elders of the church tried to fight it. One of them was Justin Martyr.
For if you have fallen in with some who are called Christians, but who do not admit this [truth], and venture to blaspheme the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; who say there is no resurrection of the dead, and that their souls, when they die, are taken to heaven; do not imagine that they are Christians" (Dialogue. Chapter 80 - Justin Martyr - 110 AD - 165 AD)
The fight was unsuccessful. Now most Christians don't even know the fight happened.
"While the notion of an immortal human soul is popular, we do not believe that Scripture supports it. Nor can we accept the explanation that eternal death is equivalent to eternal torment and conscious separation from God. […] We affirm that unregenerate human beings […] are destined to die a physical death followed by final judgment, eternal death and destruction in the lake of fire" — This We Believe
"We believe that the immaterial part of the human person returns to God at death and is preserved by God until resurrection. We believe this is more than simply a memory of the person." — Israel Steinmetz
We believe that when people die, they remain unconscious in their graves. — http://www.churchofgod-7thday.org/FAQs.html
The dead shall be raised from their sleep in the grave. — https://cog7.org/about-us
"The CoG7 view of Revelation's Lake of Fire (the Second Death) is that it is annihilation. The representations of its ongoing nature are only saying that the annihilation goes on." — Israel Steinmetz
We'll cover the idea of annihilation in detail later. For now we only need to understand that it sees eternal punishment as the eternal consequences of instantaneous punishment. That is, the spirit ceases to exist and that non-existence lasts eternally. In contrast the majority of Christians see eternal punishment literally, as the Bible says, eternal torment.
Despite the above, "Although the Adventist churches hold much in common, their theologies differ on whether the intermediate state of the dead is unconscious sleep or consciousness, whether the ultimate punishment of the wicked is annihilation or eternal torment, the nature of immortality, whether the wicked are resurrected after the millennium, and whether the sanctuary of Daniel 8 refers to the one in heaven or one on earth." — Wikipedia Adventism
The position of the CoG7 is not clearly defined anywhere. Also, the information that is available does not support its statements from the Bible. In fact, one page has a link that says "Click here for a more in-depth study on the state of the dead." That takes you to a page that says "Coming soon" and has for 2 years at least. Also, there seems to be some conflict in the information that is available from CoG7 sources. That may indicate the CoG7 view is still evolving.
While the steps in the flow are correct, the locations are not. This view contains unconsciousness in the Intermediate State and annihilation as the judgment. This is in common with the liberal view of God, that God is too nice to make anyone suffer. CoG7 does not accept it but more liberal views often adopt "Universalism", the idea that eventually everyone will be saved.
There is nothing in the Bible that indicates animals have a spirit or an after-life. Movies like "All Dogs go to Heaven" not withstanding, there are valid reasons derived from the Bible that show this can't be true.
Also, no one could think that T-Rex's lurking around the after-life could be a good thing. Similarly, mice, snakes, and mosquitoes would turn Heaven into Hell.
When Isaiah talks about the wolf laying down with the lamb, we believe he is making a point about the serenity, rather than providing a literal description.
The period of time that begins at death has a name. It is called the Intermediate State. This period ends with either the resurrection at the Second Coming or Judgment Day. This section covers that period and the following section covers Judgment Day and what follows.
We refer to the intermediate state as a period of time. It's important to understand that time or at least perception of time may be very different from ours.
In the Old Testament there is a place where the spirits of the dead go. It is called Sheol. It isn't clear from the Old Testament what happens there or after that. It is clear from some Old Testament books like Job that some people had a good understanding of Sheol and the afterlife, but that couldn't have come from earlier books of the Bible.
Some people say that the word Sheol only refers to the grave or to a symbolism of death. That isn't correct though. Here is a sampling of verses that make it clear the authors believed it was a real place.
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven. (Isaiah 7:11)
Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. (Isaiah 14:9)
For a fire is kindled in My anger, and burns to the lowest part of Sheol (Deuteronomy 32:22)
Nevertheless you [Satan] will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. (Isaiah 14:15)
But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. (Psalm 49:15) (later we'll see Paul saying almost the same thing)
Notice that Sheol has a pit, recess, or "lowest part". We'll see that referred to in New Testament verses as well.
Strong's Concordance, the standard reference for Bible word meanings, also views Sheol as a real place.
Sheol: underworld (place to which people descend at death)
The Greek translation of the Old Testament (LXX) doesn't use the word Sheol. Instead it uses the word Hades, which is the place of the dead from Greek mythology. Hades also became the name of the god who ruled over it. Hades, if it existed, would be very different from Sheol though. About the only thing they have in common is that all the dead go there.
The Greek New Testament also uses "Hades" instead of "Sheol." In addition to that, it uses descriptive names like Abyss (deep (bottomless) pit) and Chasm (deep crack or groove) to refer to the chasm in Sheol. The English translations use lots of other descriptive names.
The New Testament also shows Sheol / Hades to be a place and not a concept.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds (Revelation 20:13)
The dead are, very plainly, in Sheol / Hades and taken from there for judgment.
Also, I was stunned by a recent article published by Zondervan, a major Bible publisher. The article, "The Intermediate State: What the Bible Tells Us", says "The words Sheol and Hades refer to the abode of the dead."
This is stunning because a major Bible publisher is risking its future sales by directly contradicting what the vast majority of Christians believe - that they go to Heaven or Hell immediately at death.
Paul speaks about where he expects to be at the time of the resurrection.
[…] in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:11 - NASB)
In the verse above, notice that Paul expects to be among the dead at the time of the resurrection. In that translation it isn't as clear as it could be. Other English translations do say "from among the dead" or "from the place of the dead." Neither God nor the grave can be considered the place where the dead are.
When looking at the Greek, it is clear this is a reference to a place, and some English translations translate it that way. There are 4 occurrences of this phrase, Romans 6:9, Philippians 3:11 (used above), 2 Timothy 2:8, Hebrews 13:20. In each of these, the direct translation is "out from Nekron." where Nekron is the Greek word for dead. The Greek word translated as "out from" always refers to something being taken outside of something it was in. Therefore, here it means there is a place where the dead are inside.
Because most Christians don't know of an intermediate place, some translators, though they can see that this "out from" shows there is a place of the dead, reject that idea. Instead they choose to translate it only as "the dead" as NASB does above. Some paraphrases go so far as to say "in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life."
Most traditional Christians cannot correctly answer the question, "where did Jesus' spirit go when he died?". The reason for this is that they expect to go to Heaven, so they assume that Jesus spirit must have gone there as well. Also, their understanding of Hell makes it inconceivable that he went there.
When Jesus died his spirit went to Sheol / Hades.
Because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. […] 29 Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. (Acts 2:27-31)
The first reference in those verses to Hades is a quote from King David's Old Testament prophecy (Psalms 16:10), where it says "Sheol". In the next reference to Hades he explains the meaning of that prophecy.
Not only did Jesus go to Sheol, he wasn't alone.
Because the Messiah died […], and he died in body and lived in his Spirit. 19 And he preached to those souls who were held in Sheol, 20 these who from the first were not convinced in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:18-20)
Most translations use the word prison here instead of Sheol or Hades. That pictures Sheol as a place that holds spirits and allows no escape.
We see here that Jesus was in Sheol / Hades and that it is a real place with other spirits there.
The CoG7 view is that the spirit becomes unconscious after death. We see here, though, that Jesus is preaching to some of them. If they were not conscious how was it possible for Jesus to preach to them?
This is more evidence that the word Sheol does not refer to the grave.
Paul talks about an intermediate state between death and the resurrection. He refers to that state symbolically as "naked" where people were previously clothed with mortal bodies and later will be clothed with immortal bodies but currently have no body.
For concerning this also we are made to groan, and we long to wear our house that is from Heaven, 3 if also whenever we are clothed we shall not be found naked. 4 For as we are now in this house, we are made to groan by its weight, and we do not want to strip it off, but to put on over it, that its mortality may be swallowed up by life. (2 Corinthians 5:2-4)
He says he doesn't want to be "found naked" and hints at the shame of being found naked in this life. He would rather go directly from one body to the next, at the resurrection, he says. If he was unconscious in the intermediate (naked) state, it wouldn't make any difference. Who could be ashamed while unconscious? So he must expect to be conscious in the intermediate state.
One of the most detailed descriptions of Sheol comes from Jesus but most people reject it or twist it because it doesn't match what they want to believe.
But that poor man died and Angels brought him to the Bosom of Abraham. And the rich man also died and he was buried. 23 And suffering in Sheol, he lifted up his eyes from afar off and he saw Abraham, and Lazar in his bosom (Luke 16:22-23)
This verse explicitly says this is happening in Sheol, Hades, or Hell depending on the translation. We also see common characteristics of Sheol that we've heard before. All the dead go there, a pit or a chasm, different experiences (good or bad).
Where it says the Rich man "lifted up his eyes" it probably means that he looked away from his condition for a moment to see Abraham and Lazarus.
Some people say there is nothing more to the 13 verses (v19-31) of this story than the prophecy "when Jesus is raised from the dead, the Jews still will not believe him." It is beyond reason to believe that this story, with all its length and detail, has no more to say than that. If that is all there is to it, Jesus could have shortened it to this, "Oh you of little faith, even if a man will arise from the dead you will not believe him."
This story makes many other points and presents various challenges:
Also believing that the dead do not go to Sheol is believing that this story by Jesus was full of false or misleading information.
It should also be noted that this story is not a parable. A parable uses one thing to represent another thing to hide the meaning of the parable. This story does not. This story also uses a person's name. No parable does that. This story is either an example or a description of a literal event.
In the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus, the Rich man knows that he needs "water", doesn't have "water", but Lazarus does have this "water." Without this water he suffers in torment. Lazarus does not suffer. What is this water?
The Bible doesn't clearly say what this water is but it does say where it comes from and how a person gets it.
Yeshua answered and said to her, "If only you knew what the gift of God is, and who this is who says to you, 'Give me to drink', you would have asked for what he has, and he would have given you living waters." (John 4:10)
And he said to me, "They are done. I am Aleph and I am Tau, the source and the fulfillment. I shall give to the thirsty one from the fountain of the water of life without charge." (Revelation 21:6)
Everyone who trusts in me, just as the scriptures have said, rivers of living water shall flow from within him. (John 7:38)
Notice what John said there, "just as the scriptures have said". He is referring to the Old Testament. This water isn't something new in the New Covenant. It was always available.
For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13)
God is the source of that water we will need. We get it by faith in God.
The New Testament only refers to Paradise as a place twice. Both are shown in the sections below. It isn't clear from those two, though, where Paradise fits in with Sheol, Heaven, and Earth.
We've already discussed that the Bible never says we will go to Heaven. We also know from Paul that Paradise is not Heaven, because he describes them as separate places. Therefore most people think that Paradise is another name for the part of Sheol where the angels carried Lazarus, a place of comfort and plenty.
Jesus said to the thief on the cross, I will be with you in Paradise, meaning they will see or know each other is there.
But Yeshua said to him, "Amen, I say to you that today you shall be with me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43)
For them to know each other is there, they must both be conscious. Jesus is probably saying "Paradise" instead of "Sheol" to make it clear that they will both be on the good side of Sheol as a result of the thief's confession. Jesus would not have said the same to the other thief, who was going to be on the bad side.
Some people try to explain that Jesus doesn't mean he will see him "today" but that he will see him in Paradise, on the New Earth after the judgment. Even if that is the case, we know Jesus would see him before judgment day, at the Resurrection. So this cannot be a reference to the New Earth. Also, Paradise cannot be in Heaven, and it isn't on Earth during the millennial reign. Thus there is no other place than Sheol for it.
Also, we have already seen that Jesus' spirit went to Sheol when he died and that the thief's spirit would have gone there as well. So they would have been with each other there.
The Corinthian Church has become arrogant about their spiritual gifts and Paul, reluctantly, must boast about his gifts, to put the Corinthians back in their place. In the process, he teaches us.
It is necessary to boast, but it is not beneficial, for I myself come to visions and revelations of Our Lord. 2 I knew a man in the Messiah more than 14 years ago, whether in the body or without the body, I do not know, God himself knows, who was snatched up unto the third Heaven. 3And I knew this man, if in a body or if without the body, I do not know, God himself knows, 4 who was snatched up to Paradise and heard words that are unspeakable, because it is not authorized for a man to speak them. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)
Who among us could confidently say that we would never reveal those words? That there would never be a time when we would use them to impress someone?
God trusts those who are trustworthy and he knows who they are.
Traditional Christians argue that the Luke 16 account of the Rich Man and Lazarus uses the word Paradise as a synonym for Heaven. These verses show that to be wrong.
In context, Paul is trying to show all the revelations he has been given. Therefore he wants a big list to make his point. If Paradise means the same thing as Third Heaven, he is trying to deceive his listeners by listing the same event twice to get more credibility. He wouldn't do that. Therefore, he is describing two separate events.
They are also separate places. One time Paul goes to the Third Heaven, where God is, and the other time he goes to Paradise.
While Jesus is casting out a demon, the demon reveals his knowledge of Sheol.
But Yeshua asked him, "What is your name?" But he said to him, "Legion", because many demons had entered him. 31 And they were begging him that he would not command them to enter the abyss. (Luke 8:30-31)
The apostle Peter refers to a time when the torment we now go through in this life will become the fate of the unbelievers after death.
Also he delivered righteous Lot who suffered the indignity and the abominable way of life of those who were lawless, 8 For while seeing and hearing, the righteous man dwelling among them from day to day, his righteous soul was tormented by lawless deeds, 9 The lord Yahweh knows to deliver from suffering those who reverence him, but he keeps the evil for the day of judgment while they are being tormented (2 Peter 2:7-9)
Peter's audience would have understood torment in a way that we don't. They would have understood the torment we experience as our bodies try to deceive us, and we receive the occasional comment, disrespect, or unfair treatment. They also lived with the knowledge that they could be beaten, imprisoned, and executed.
This verse says that the evil dead are being tormented while they wait for judgment day. This agrees with the after-death existence of the Rich Man above.
It's important to understand that God is not actively punishing them - effectively torturing them. In fact the torment they experience is self-torment, regrets about their actions and the consequences of these actions.
For example, as a child your mother told you not to touch the stove but you did, you were burned, and will suffer the consequences. In addition to that you are tormented by the thought that you should have listened to mom and how stupid you look to everyone else. No one is torturing you, but you are tormented.
The phrase "the dead know nothing" from the verses below is often used to show that the dead are unconscious during the intermediate state.
4 Anyone who is among the living has hope - even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;
they have no further reward,
and even their name is forgotten.
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 9:4-6)
First, Ecclesiastes is a poor book to use for doctrine without very careful thought. Without that care it would lead us to "eat, drink, and be merry" all our lives.
This seems to be a contradiction in the Bible. The earlier verses indicate Jesus preached to them, and expected to see the thief on the cross. There were other indications of consciousness in Sheol. The contradiction can be resolved by looking at the context of the local verses and all of the book.
That phrase, "the dead know nothing", is an odd way of saying "the dead are unconscious" or "the dead are sleeping." For example, if the police come to question you, you might say "I know nothing." That doesn't mean you know nothing about anything. It means you know nothing about the topic in question.
The central phrase in Ecclesiastes is seen over and over - "under the sun." By this it means, in the land of the living. That's what Ecclesiastes is about. That's the topic of the book - the futility of life in the land of the living.
In the context of the verses above it seems more likely the author is saying that the dead are unaware of anything that is going on with the living. This is made clear in these verses when they also say the dead have no further reward and their name is forgotten. Obviously that is only in the land of the living.
Ecclesiastes isn't about the dead but when it refers to them, the dead are described in terms of the living. Perhaps most importantly the verses above close with the line, "never again will they have a part in anything that happens under the sun"
This is what we have learned about Sheol - the intermediate place.
The Bible consistently depicts the realms (for lack of a better word) as a stack with an up and a down. At the top is the Third Heaven, a spirit realm. Then the realms that are physical (again we lack the words to describe some of these things). Those are the parts of the universe we see. Then comes Sheol, which is another spirit realm, not physically in the earth.
What makes this a little odd is that the earth is round. So, for someone on the other side of the earth, their up is our down. Yet God considers the realms in this up-and-down way.
The traditional Christian views do not include an intermediate state at all. They believe the spirits go straight to their final destiny, which they consider to be Heaven or Hell.
The CoG7 view that the spirit returns to God at death doesn't appear to match what we've seen above. Is God the "place of the dead"? This place of the dead doesn't sound like that.
In this section we will see what the Bible says about the eternal punishment that results on Judgment Day.
Before moving forward it's important to understand that the torment the Rich Man experienced in Sheol is not a punishment from God. That would mean that he had been judged before Judgment Day. In truth, Christians often think that God's intent is to make them suffer for their sins. That isn't correct.
The Rich Man's suffering is a consequence of the life he lived. In life he had access to the "water" he needs, through his body. Now it is gone and he has no other source. Lazarus, on the other hand, has an alternative source - the word of God.
The Bible does say what the punishment will be on Judgment Day. It isn't "being thrown into the Lake of Fire" or being "cast into outer darkness." Those are the implementations of the punishment - how it is carried out. They seem bad but the punishment is worse, though it may not seem that way at first. It is called the Second Death, which is eternal separation from God.
The spirits of the dead believers are pulled out of Sheol when Jesus comes. They receive new bodies. Living believers also receive new bodies. Then they rule the earth with Jesus as king. This lasts a thousand years. Then comes Judgment Day, also called the Great White Throne (GWT) judgment.
And I saw a Great White Throne and him sitting at the top of it, from whose face Earth and Heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, who stood before the throne, and scrolls were opened, and another scroll was opened, which is of the Judgment, and the dead were judged from those things that were written in the scrolls, according to their works. (Revelation 20:11-12)
And the Sea yielded the dead which were in it, and Death and Sheol yielded the dead which were with them, and they were judged, one by one, according to their works. (Revelation 20:13)
The spirits of the dead unbelievers are pulled out of Sheol to be judged. Sheol is now empty and will be destroyed along with death.
The living unbelievers are also assembled to be judged. Likely the bodies of the living die in the process.
The Bible never says that the dead who experience the GWT judgment will first be given bodies.
The GWT judgment is more of a come-as-you-are affair. There is no need to give them bodies and, what bodies would they be given anyway. They certainly wouldn't be given the bodies we will receive at the Second Coming and human bodies couldn't exist in the presence of God.
All those who are not found in the Book of Life receive an eternal punishment.
As Jesus is casting out the demons from two men, they reveal to him that they know a judgment is coming for them.
And they cried out, saying, "What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29)
Their words to him are an effort to convince Jesus that he shouldn't be casting them out. This is a "best defense is a good offense" approach. They are implying he would be doing wrong, because the time for their torment has not come.
It's a deceit of course. The torment they will experience later does not exclude them from the torment they will experience from being cast out by Jesus.
The book of Revelation is the only one that describes the place of judgment as the Lake of Fire. That reference is used 1 time in chapter 19 and 3 times in chapter 20.
The first time describes the Battle of Armageddon. The forces of evil assemble at Har Megiddo in preparation for the return of Jesus, described here as "him who sat upon the horse".
And I saw the Beast and its armies and the Kings of Earth and their Soldiers who gathered to make war with him who sat upon the horse, and with his soldiers. 20 And the Beast was captured and the False Prophet with it, who did signs before it by which he seduced those who received the mark of the Beast, and those who worshiped its image; and both went down and were cast into the Lake of Fire that burns also with brimstone. 21 But the rest were killed with the sword of him who sat upon the horse, by that which proceeded from his mouth, and all the birds of prey were filled with their flesh (Revelation 19:19-21)
Here we see the Beast and the False Prophet are judged immediately and thrown in the Lake of Fire. The forces with them are killed.
After the Second Coming and the Battle of Armageddon there is the Millennial Rule period when Satan and his angels are chained up. The next reference to the Lake of Fire comes when Satan is released and assembles the people of Earth to fight against God's people.
And they went to war upon an open place of Earth and surrounded the city of the camp of the Holy People and of the Beloved City, and fire descended from Heaven from God and consumed them. 10 And their seducer, the Devil, was cast into the Lake of Fire and brimstone where the Beast and the False Prophet are, and they shall be tormented day and night for the eternity of eternities. (Revelation 20:9-10)
There are some important points to see here:
There are now at least 3 spirits in the Lake of Fire. There may be more. The names "Beast" and "False Prophet" are symbolic and each can represent an organization or a single person, the leader of the organization.
After Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire then comes the Great White Throne Judgment. The last two references to the Lake of Fire come as the result of that judgment.
And the Sea yielded the dead which were in it, and Death and Sheol yielded the dead which were with them, and they were judged, one by one, according to their works. 14 And Death and Sheol were cast into the Lake of Fire - this which is the Second Death. 15 And whoever was not found inscribed in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:13-15)
The point worth noting here is that being cast into the Lake of Fire is declared to be the Second Death.
Only the Gospel of Mark uses a worm to describe eternal punishment but he has Jesus speaking it 3 times in quick succession.
Where their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:44,46,48)
This is likely a reference to Isaiah 66:24. The verses from Mark are using the phrase the same way as in Isaiah - a reference to physical bodies as an example of spiritual punishment. The meaning with physical bodies is that the worm that eats the dead bodies would never run out of food and die because there were so many bodies. For spiritual punishment, the meaning is that the thing that eats at them will eat at them forever. He also says the fire that burns them will never be extinguished.
Both the worm and the fire are acting on something forever. The thing that eats at them is "their" worm and "their" fire - profound, when understood. This is plainly not annihilation.
Matthew is the only book that describes the place of eternal punishment as outer darkness, but he refers to that final destination of unbelievers 3 times.
But I say to you, that many will come from the East and from the West and will recline with Abraham and Isaaq and Jaqob in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12 But the children of the Kingdom will be cast out to outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 8:11-12)
And he said to him, "My friend, how did you enter here when you did not have a wedding garment?" 13 Then the King said to the attendants, "Bind his hands and his feet and cast him out into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 22:12-13)
Take therefore the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 For to the one who has it, it shall be given, and it will be increased to him. But whoever does not have it, that which he has will be taken from him. 30 And they cast the worthless servant into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing teeth. (Matthew 25:28-30)
When the verse says "outer", it means outside of something. Since the universe is full of light, this has to mean, at least, outside of the universe … whatever that means.
It sounds like we have a conflict. In one case it says they are cast into the Lake of Fire and in the other it says they are cast into outer darkness. We'll tie the two together later.
Jesus refers to this place without using the words "outer darkness" in the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew.
Many will say to me in that day, "My Lord, my Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name have cast out demons, and have done many mighty works in your name?" 23 And then I will confess to them, "I have never known you, remove yourselves far from me, you workers of evil." (Matthew 7:22-23)
By "that day" he means Judgment Day, and then he says "remove yourselves far from me." How far? Really far.
We have three descriptions of the judgment, as a Lake of Fire, as Outer Darkness, and as a Worm That Does Not Die. We can merge those I think. Each one appears to be describing a different characteristic. The lake of fire appears to describe the experience of torment. The Rich Man speaks of suffering in flames. A lake would be a place where all such people would be together, like fish in a lake.
The outer darkness seems to be more of a description of the place than the experience. It is a place that is separate, "outside of" the rest of the universe. The word "darkness" could refer to an absence of God, i.e. God is light. That is true as well but already explained as the Second Death. Outer darkness seems to be a description of the place. So, "darkness" is more likely a reference to creation, where the first step was "let there be light." Since then our universe has had light. Being a place of darkness would indicate that creation never happened there. Therefore there is nothing.
The worm seems to indicate the continuous nature of the place. What eats at them will eat at them forever.
Most people would immediately dismiss the idea that forgiveness is possible after death. It sounds like the return of Purgatory. The Bible teaches that nothing done by you or by anyone, after your death, can change your destiny. That isn't entirely true.
Because the Messiah died […], and he died in body and lived in his Spirit. 19 And he preached to those souls who were held in Sheol, 20 these who from the first were not convinced in the days of Noah (1 Peter 3:18-20)
We looked at this verse before to show that there were people in Sheol with Jesus. Here we look to see why he was preaching to the pre-Flood people. The point of preaching is to present an opportunity for conversion. Therefore, conversion must be possible. If conversion was not possible, the preaching would be lying - indicating the presence of an opportunity, where none actually exists.
But why does that opportunity exist and why only for the pre-Flood people? The reason comes from the conscience, which was the only guide those people had to right and wrong. But the conscience has a major flaw. It can become what the Bible calls dull or hardened. We can become used to doing wrong, or even seeing wrong done, and our conscience ceases to warn us of that.
The conscience was never intended to be used by naturally sinful people. It was intended for use by naturally good people, like Adam and Eve were before they sinned. In that role, it only needed to give them a bump when they started going in the wrong direction and they would willingly go in the right direction.
Because the conscience could become hard and not function, there was never anything that would call the people to return to God. This is why God began giving his people a law. The law would tell them what was right and serve to restore their defective consciences.
The only law that the pre-Flood people had was "You shall not eat from that tree." That was useless to them. They couldn't even get near the tree. But the law they needed would not begin to be given until after the flood, when God gave Moses what we call the Noahide Laws.
Therefore, they never had a chance to return to God and Jesus was there to present them with that opportunity. The Bible doesn't say how many, if any, grabbed that opportunity. Those who did would have been moved from the torment side of Sheol to the comfort side.
So there was that one special case where forgiveness was possible after death. There is another but it is different. We've seen this special group had an opportunity to change their destiny. This time we'll see a special group has an opportunity to improve their existence in Sheol.
There is a verse in Leviticus that says something curious. Like the other verses in Leviticus, most people snooze right past it … if they read Leviticus at all. After many chapters about what is clean and unclean and what to do if you become unclean, we see this verse.
Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them. (Leviticus 15:31)
It's interesting because it looks at uncleanness as though it was a pile of dirty laundry they had taken off. They had been "separated from their uncleanness." That isn't a bad way of viewing it because the memory of the uncleanness remains, even after it has been taken off.
But this verse is curious for a different reason. It discusses the relationship between uncleanness and death. A topic that is not discussed anywhere else in the Bible. Here is the argument it is making.
In our time many Jews are not concerned about uncleanness. They still don't eat pork or touch dead bodies but it is more of a tradition now. The uncleanness is less of a concern. This also depends on how serious the person is about God. Two expressions bring this into focus.
Those expressions aren't what the verse is about though. It's about dying in an unclean state. So the real question is, if a Jew dies in an unclean state, what happens after death?
An unclean person is not aware of the uncleanness and can happily live life. God, however, sees it and it makes us ugly to him - Walking Dead ugly. It is a spiritual ugliness that plainly continues after death. The verse is telling us that dying this way is not good, but how not good? No place in the OT (that I know of) deals with this.
Jumping to the New Testament, Jesus makes a short reference to the idea that some things can be forgiven after death.
Everyone who will say a word against the son of man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever will speak against the Spirit of Holiness, it will not be forgiven to him, not in this world, neither in the world that is to come. (Matthew 12:32)
This implies:
When is the "world to come" going to come? I think the idea is that it begins with Jesus' return. That leaves a period of time between death and the resurrection when we would be dragging around some things that need to be forgiven.
The Book of Revelation hints at this.
And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been murdered for the word of God and for the testimony of Yeshua which they had. 10 And they cried with a great voice, and they were saying, "How long, Lord Yahweh, holy and true, do you not judge and avenge our blood upon the inhabitants of Earth?" 11 And to each and every one of them was given a white robe, and it was said that they should rest for a little season of time until their companions and their brothers were also perfected, who were going to be killed, even as they had been. (Revelation 6:9-11)
We see here that believers are unhappy in the way that a child on a long trip is unhappy and asks "Are we there? Are we there?" They have both become tired of their current existence. We see part of the solution for the dead is a white robe, a covering of purity over impurity. Despite having the water of life and all they need, they are still aware of their impurities and they are tired of that and long for the resurrection when those will be removed.
What kinds of things could be forgiven after death? The Bible talks about intentional and unintentional sin and that unintentional sin is immediately forgiven for the Christian, while intentional sin requires starting over. Without repentance, such a person is destined for the Lake of Fire.
Consistent with this understanding of sin, forgiveness after death could only be forgiveness for unintentional sins by believers. In fact, it probably includes only the unintentional sins that we are also unaware of. This would include uncleanness that you have no way to make clean.
The Bible makes it clear in many places that there are greater and lesser punishments on Judgment Day.
Yeshua said to him, "You have no power at all over me unless it has been given to you from above; therefore, whoever has delivered me to you has greater sin than yours." (John 19:11).
Then Yeshua began to reproach those cities in which his many mighty works had occurred, and they did not repent. 21 And he said, "Woe to you Chorazin, woe to you Bythsaida, for if those powerful works which have occurred in you had occurred in Tsur and Tsidon, they doubtless would have repented in sackcloth and in ashes. 22 Yet I say to you, that for Tsur and for Tsidon it will be tranquil in the day of judgment compared to you. 23 And you Kapernahum, which have been exalted unto Heaven, you will descend unto Sheol, for if the mighty works had been done in Sadom, which have been done in you, it would have remained until today. 24 But I say to you, it will be tranquil for the land of Sadom in the Day of Judgment compared to you." (Matthew 11:20-24).
For if when they have fled the abominations of the world by the teaching of Our Lord and our Savior, Yeshua the Messiah, they are again entangled in these things, they are overcome again, and their end is worse than the beginning. 21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than that when they knew, they would turn away afterward from the holy decree that was delivered to them. (2 Peter 2:20-21)
How much more do you think he will receive capital punishment, he who has trampled upon the son of God and esteemed the blood of his covenant to be like that of every person, who also was made holy by it, and he has despised the spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29)
The CoG7 belief in annihilation, however, creates a one-size-fits-all punishment for everyone.
The scriptural basis for the annihilation view comes from the idea that, when the Bible says "destruction", that means "complete annihilation - nothing left." The Bible does use "destruction" many times to describe the end of the wicked or of other things.
Enter the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is spacious which leads to destruction, and many are those who are going in it. (Matthew 7:13)
And you shall not be afraid of those who kill the body that are not able to kill the soul; rather be afraid of him who can destroy soul and body in Gehenna. (Matthew 10:28)
And in their synagogue there was a man who had a vile spirit in him. 24 And he said, "What business do we have with you, Yeshua the Nazarene? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, The Holy One of God." (Mark 1:23-24)
The dictionary defines "destruction" of something as "it no longer exists or cannot be repaired." To exclusively choose "no longer exists" (annihilation) as the meaning for the Biblical use of "destruction" requires justification but I know of none. Here are some verses that use "destruction" but obviously do not mean annihilation.
But whenever you will see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, know then that its destruction has come near to it. (Luke 21:20)
Notice that Jerusalem didn't cease to exist in the AD 70 type fulfillment of that prophecy. It was ruined though.
Then God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth." (Genesis 6:13)
The earth was not annihilated. Here we are on it now. It was destroyed though. The flood churned the earth's surface and shattered the original continent into many continents. The earth that had been was gone.
But God raised him and he destroyed the destructions of Sheol because it was not possible for him to be held captive in Sheol. (Acts 2:24)
Because you did not leave my soul in Sheol and you did not give your pure one to see destruction. (Acts 2:27)
We also see an important difference in the Matthew 10:28 verse above. It refers to mankind being able to kill the body but not able to kill the soul. Then it talks about what God can do … and the word changes. It becomes the one who can "destroy soul and body in Gehenna." Plainly "destroy" does not mean the same thing as "kill."
Also, that verse talks about destruction in Gehenna, the place where bodies were burned. The word "destroy" is applied to both body and soul. Thus it indicates a similar end for both. In Jesus' time, when people had been killed their bodies were then burned. An ordinary fire cannot instantly burn away all of a body. The burning took time. Even then the bones remained. Therefore Gehenna was thought of the place of eternal burning - making it an appropriate analogy for the soul as well.
Even in the intense heat of our modern crematoriums the bones and other parts of the body remain after cremation and must be pulverized in a Cremulator. This mix of bones and ash are returned to the family in a container. The body still has not been annihilated.
In addition to the above uses of "destruction", the Bible uses the word in ways that are not covered by the dictionary definition.
For they will be paid in judgment: eternal destruction from the face of our Lord and from the glory of his power, […] (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
For I have been praying that I myself might be destroyed from the Messiah, for the sake of my brethren and my kinsman, who are in the flesh, […] (Romans 9:3)
You have been destroyed from the Messiah, those of you who are justified by that in the Law (Torah), and you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4)
In the two verses above, "destroyed" is used as "destroyed from" where it means something more like "separated." Also notice that the third verse especially applies to living people, not dead. Paul's desire is that they repent and return from this "destruction", therefore it is not necessarily a permanent thing.
In summary then I see no reason to treat the use of "destruction" in the Bible as meaning annihilation. Destruction means something more like ruination. In fact, the Hebrew word means "to go to ruination."
In Psalm 90 David speaks prophetically for Moses who is praying to God about the Golden Calf incident. He reminds God of the difference between our view and God's. He says our lives are short and therefore precious to us and we are horrified when you (God) slaughter us in great numbers. Conversely sin doesn't seem like a big deal to us and it is quickly forgotten, but for you (God) it is always before you.
I think this is the root of annihilationism, the idea that the judged spirits completely cease to exist. It is an attempt by humans to paint God in a way that he would never offend our human sensibilities and better match our view of sin.
Of course proponents of annihilationism will insist that they are correctly interpreting scripture but we've seen so many Bible verses that need to be twisted to keep them from contradicting the idea. It is much more likely the genesis of the idea comes from human sensibilities.
Annihilationists base the doctrine [partly on] the concept of God as too loving to torment his creations forever. — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annihilationism
We need to understand God's view of sin. To God, mortal sin is an idolatry where mankind have made ourselves into god, which makes us an enemy of God. It is absolutely just and fair that God's enemies would be in torment for eternity, even if it may shock our human sensibilities.
Some people say "God's mercy exceeds His justice." This is not true. Justice is justice; it simply is. Mercy cannot exceed justice any more than the color of an apple can exceed the taste of an apple. Mercy is not the opposite of justice. Mercy doesn't oppose justice nor run it over. Justice must be maintained. God didn't say, "I'll have mercy on them and forget the debt they owe." He said, "I'll have mercy on them and send Jesus to die to pay their debt." In that way justice was maintained and mercy was shown
Annihilationism seeks to give God the sensibilities of humans. To us it makes sense that God would give them a quick death rather than allowing them to suffer in torment for eternity. By thinking this way we reject the justice of God. We also demand that God kill the spirit. God will not do that. Just as he has said to us, we must not kill the body, God will not kill the spirit. The consequence is eternal torment (punishment).
And these will go into eternal torment, and the righteous into eternal life. (Matthew 25:46)
In Strong's Concordance, the Greek word used for torment in this verse has the meaning, "chastisement, punishment, torment, perhaps with the idea of deprivation." It depicts an ongoing correction. It does not depict execution.
The structure of this verse is clearly playing the two opposite eternal paths against each other. The conclusion to draw is that the opposite of life is torment, not death or annihilation.
Annihilationism also rejects the gnashing of teeth in outer darkness. In that thinking the judged barely have time for one good gnash before they are annihilated.
With unbelievers in the Lake of Fire, we have to ask how any loving caring person could be happy to see that going on, or even know that is going on. Can we accept the commonly heard but cold hearted answer, "they made their choices and this is the consequence"?
We can come up with a reasonable answer by putting together these concepts we've already seen
In the New Heavens and New Earth there will be no evil. Everything evil and even all evidence of past evil must be destroyed so it doesn't take root again. Peter and others speak of that event as something like a fire that destroys the heavens and the earth and everything in it.
But the day of the lord Yahweh comes as a thief in which the Heavens suddenly pass away, but the elements being set on fire shall be destroyed and the Earth and the works that are in it shall be discovered. (2 Peter 3;10)
This will be similar to Noah's flood that destroyed the earth, leaving no evidence of what it had been. The single continent was shattered into many continents. The surface of the earth was lifted up by water action and scattered around. Mountains were destroyed and new ones were created.
We expect the destruction by fire to be at least as complete as the flood. But that leaves two areas that must be addressed - all memory of evil must be destroyed and all the spirits of evil people must be destroyed.
We saw references saying those spirits are cast into outer darkness. That describes a place that is outside and dark. Outside of what? Likely outside of the universe. Scientists talk about multiple-universes perhaps being possible. Maybe it is something like that - a place outside the universe where there is no light. In any case they will be gone from anywhere we could find them.
That answers the question of seeing them in torment but how could we forget. The reason none of us will cry for our brothers and sisters who are in the Lake of Fire / Outer Darkness is that all memory of their existence will be removed from the universe, including from us. No one except God will know they ever existed and there would be no point in him telling anyone.
The "separate universe" will have nothing in it but the separated spirits and all the memories. There would be nothing physical, like planets, houses, or bodies. God's creation had never happened there.
Wherever they are separated to, we will not remember them, never miss them or feel sorry for them and never have a reason to go looking. We will never find them.
This is what we've seen from the verses we've studied
The verses we have seen suggest a view of what happens after death that is different in places from the CoG7 view.
Some say the Breath of Life that God gives us is the same thing as the spirit within us.
If that is true then the animals also have a spirit that lives on after death. We know this because, when God talks about destroying the earth, he says:
Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. (Genesis 6:17)
As we mentioned at the start of this study, we do not believe that animals have spirits that continue on after death (and into the after-life). Therefore if mankind and animals have the breath of life, then the breath of life is not the same as the spirit, at least in this verse.
At least part of the confusion between spirit and breath-of-life comes from the Hebrew word that is used, Ruach. This word is used in many ways in the Bible and can mean breath, wind, or spirit. In the Genesis passage above, it says Ruach Chaim, spirit / breath of life. When the Bible refers to the Holy Spirit, it uses Ruach HaKodesh, spirit / breath of holiness. Demons (foul spirits) are also Ruach. Jesus says something to his disciples:
Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is ready, but the body is weak. (Matthew 26:41)
Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit is willing and ready, but the body is weak. (Mark 14:38)
It wouldn't make much sense here to use "breath." The verse would become "The breath is willing and ready, but the body is weak."
And that Spirit testifies to our spirit that we are sons of God; (Romans 8:16)
This verse says we have a spirit that the Holy Spirit speaks to. From all of these verses it seems clear that we have the breath of life in our bodies and we are a spirit.
Some people think of existence and life as being the same thing and similarly with non-existence and being dead. They also view life and death as opposites. I think that view comes from the world and not the Bible. Plenty of times the Bible says "eternal life" but it never says "eternal deadness" to mean the opposite. Instead it says "eternal fire" or "eternal destruction."
It also doesn't say "eternal death" because the Bible does not view life and death as opposites. Life is a state of being; death is an event. For this reason, the book of Revelation says both Sheol / Hades and death will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. The meaning is that there will no longer be death and, therefore, no longer need to be a place of the dead.
And Death and Sheol were cast into the Lake of Fire - this which is the second death. (Revelation 20:14)
The word death is used in the Bible to mean separation. In the first death it is separation of body from spirit; in the second it is separation of spirit from God.
It will seem odd but it is possible to exist and not have life. That would be a sad existence.
For it is by him that we have life and we move and exist; […] (Acts 17:28)
Life and Existence are different things.
Mankind were created to have bodies, live in a universe, and be with God. Therefore being separated from those have consequences - suffering.
Without their bodies to deceive them, they will become aware of all the evil they have done, the effects it had on others, and they will see it as God sees it … and sees them. Each memory will torment them like a lick of flame and then they will go on to another memory that will also lick at them.
Without God they will have nothing else but those memories. That existence will last forever - a hellish situation.
The Lake of Fire is almost certainly a dimensionless and timeless place, not so different from where God lives before creation. There is a certain justice in that - those who wanted to be gods of their own lives will exist in a place that is like where God exists.
In that place there will be no place to move to and no body with which to move. Though many will be there, they will have no way to encounter one another. We already know there will be no light which is not that important because they will have no eyes with which to see.
There are questions that must be answered by those who hold to other views. They highlight contradictions within those beliefs. There appears to be no interest in answering these questions.
Where will your spirit go when you die?
Most Christians will quickly answer this question with "Heaven." There is a problem though. Nowhere in the Bible, Old Testament or New, does it say this.
Where did Jesus' spirit go when he died?
Most Christians will quickly also answer this question with "Heaven." There is a problem though - it isn't true. According to the Bible translation you are using, Acts 2 says twice that his soul went to Hell, Hades, or "the place of the dead." Many other verses back that up and some of those will be quoted in this lesson.
Why would Jesus go to Hell? He lived a perfect and faultless life, didn't he? Some people have tried to explain it by saying that Jesus' spirit went to Hell because he had taken on the sins of the world. In this lesson we will explain why that isn't why he went to Hell.
Where did Moses' spirit go when he died?
Most Christians will quickly also answer this question with "Heaven." There is a problem though - that can't be true.
For God loved the world in this way: so much that he would give up his son, the only one, so that everyone who trusts in him shall not be lost, but he shall have eternal life. (John 3:16)
But a thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have whatever is abundant. (John 10:10)
How would it be possible for Moses, or any of the Old Testament saints, to have eternal life in Heaven before Jesus came? If that was possible then there would be no point in Jesus coming, for people were already enjoying eternal life.
Conversely though it might seem harsh that they should go to Hell.
Paul says we should console believers by saying we will see dead believers again in "???"
Most Christians will quickly also answer this question with "Heaven." There is a problem though - that isn't what the Bible says. Paul specifically says we will see them again at the resurrection.
Throughout the New Testament the hope of the apostles, and the churches they started, was on the resurrection. In our time the focus has turned to Heaven.
Paul says the dead believers will be raised first when the Messiah returns. How can that be?
If you believe that dead believers come along with Jesus when he returns, then who are those who are resurrected from the dead?
This lesson can be found at http://ourhope.site/2018-01-08%20CoG7Death/CoG7D.html. If you are setup to scan QR codes, this code will take you there.