THE
DAY OF JUDGMENT
Lesson 11
Part llReview
From Daniel, we learned
that the judgment of the human race began in
1844. The great courtroom scene began with
the Ancient of Days taking His seat. The
books of record were opened and a review of each
person who had died commenced.
The importance of 1844
will develop even further as we continue our
study in Revelation. However, the
fundamental issue of what happens to a person
when he dies must be addressed because death,
judgment and reward are connected. The
truth on this subject is very important, for it
is directly connected to the climactic story of
Revelation.
A number of the Eastern
Mystic religions believe in the transmigration of
the soul. This concept teaches that the
soul was once a lower form of life before
entering the human being, and at death, life
moves to a higher or lower form depending on how
on lived in this life. Many Christians have
a theology that parallels this concept. The
basic difference between Christians and those
believing in the transmigration of the soul is
that Christians believes life begins with
conception in the womb. On the other hand,
many Christians and Eastern Mystic religions
believe the soul is immortal and thus not subject
to death. Both ideas are plainly contrary
to the scriptures. The soul can die!
God says,
The soul who sins is the
one who will die. Ezekiel 18:4 If the
soul is immortal, when is immortality bestowed
upon it?
When does life begin?
The Bible tells us,
And the Lord God formed man from the dust
of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and man became a living
being. Genesis 2:7
A living being is a
combination of two elements: the body and
the breath (power) of life. Separate
these two elements, and you dont have a
living being! Life may be thought of as a
light. Connect a light bulb with
electricity and there is light. Separate
the electricity from the bulb and there is no
light.
Some people believe that
when a person dies, the spirit (the soul) returns
to God. Solomon said, Remember him
(our Creator) before the silver cord is
severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the
pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel
broken at the well, and the dust returns to the
ground it came from, and the spirit returns to
God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:6,7
From this scripture, it is clear that the spirit
returns to God who gave it. This is true of
both the righteous and wicked! The word
translated spirit in Ecclesiastes 12:6,7 is the
identical word used for breath in Job 27:3 Notice
what Job said,
as long as I have life
within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my
lips will not speak wickedness
Job
27:3,4 In other words what returns to God is the
power to live.
God grants breath to all
that live. This is true of animals and
man. Of Noahs flood it is said,
Every living thing that moved on the earth
perished birds, livestock, wild animals,
and all creatures that swarm over the earth, and
all mankind. Everything on dry land that
had the breath of life in its nostrils
died. Genesis 7:21,22
The Greek and Hebrew
words for spirit mean wind or breath. The
Hebrew word rauch and the Greek word,
pneuma does not refer to some
intelligent entity free of the body.
Rather, these words simply apply to the breath of
life. The word for breath is often
translated spirit and vice versa. The point
is a soul does not exist when the spirit or
breath is separated from the body! When
breath and a body are brought together, the
result is a soul. Our example of the light
bulb demonstrated this. When power is
applied to the bulb we have light. When
power is disconnected, there is no light.
In the same way, when the breath of life is
connected to a body, we have an intelligent soul
whether animal or man. When the
breath of life is taken from the body, there is
no soul.
The Hebrew word for soul
is nephesh and the Greek word is
psuche. Both of these words
mean to imply that a living being is a
soul! Solomon wrote, Mans
fate is like that of the animals; the same fate
awaits them both; as one dies, so dies the
other. All have the same breath (spirit),
man has no advantage over the animal
Ecclesiastes 3:19
Other Bible writers agree
Adam and Eve were
expressly driven from their Eden home so that
they could not eat from the tree of life and live
forever! After Adam and Eve sinned, Jesus
said,
the man has now become like one
of us, knowing good from evil. He must not
be allowed to reach out his hand and take also
from the tree of life and eat, and live
forever. Genesis 3:22 The point here
is that Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden
of Eden for the express purpose of death. As long
as they could eat of the tree of life, they would
live. So they had to be removed from the garden.
The Bible says that the
ability to exist forever comes only through
Jesus. John says, He who has the
Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God
does not have life.
1 John 5:12
In Pauls day, many
of the early Christians sorrowed thinking there
was no resurrection no life hereafter.
To set the matter straight, Paul said,
According to the Lords own word, we
tell you that we who are still alive, who are
left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly
not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
the dead in Christ will rise first. After
that, we who are still alive and are left will be
caught up with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air
Therefore encourage each
other with these words. 1
Thessalonians 4:15-18 Paul did not comfort those
grieving for their deceased friends with the
notion their friends were in heaven.
No. He pointed them forward to the
resurrection.
The devil started it
The one who brought
confusion to this point in the very beginning was
the devil. Satan told Eve she wouldnt
die if she disobeyed God. Today, Satan has
twisted the meaning of death 180 degrees so that
many people believe that death means life!
King David knew the dead werent in heaven
praising the Lord for he said, It is not
the dead who praise the Lord, those who go down
to silence; it is we who extol the
Lord
Psalm 115:17
The apostle Peter also
knew the dead werent in heaven praising the
Lord. In his famous sermon on the Day of
Pentecost he quoted a number of references from
the Old Testament where King David had prophesied
about the coming Messiah. Then Peter
concluded by saying that David was not in
heaven. He said, Brothers, I can tell
you confidently that the patriarch David died and
was buried, and his tomb is here to this
day
For David did not ascend to heaven, and
yet he said, The Lord said to my
Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make
your enemies a footstool for your feet.
Acts 2:29,34
King David knew the dead
were not in heaven playing a harp and singing
praises to God. He wrote, No one
remembers you (God) when he is dead Who
praises you from the grave? Psalm 6:5
Solomon understood death just like his father,
David. He wrote, Whatever your hands
finds to do, do it with all your might, for in
the grave, where you are going, there is neither
working nor planning nor knowledge nor
wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10
Daniel saw the great
resurrection at the end of time. He clearly
states that some of the dead will awake to
everlasting life and others will awake to shame
and everlasting contempt. Multitudes
who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:
some to everlasting life, others to shame and
everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2
There is consistent
harmony throughout the Bible on the nature of
death. Man is mortal and death is like a
sleep. Man is unconscious of anything that
goes on. The dead are dead! The dead
simply remain in a state of
unconsciousness. They rest from their
labors until the resurrection morning.
(The author once visited
with a man that claimed to have died on the
operating table for 5 minutes. He reported
that he had an out-of-body experience in bright
lights. Does a hallucinogenic experience
validate or invalidate the scriptures?)
What about mediums?
Jesus clearly told the
Jews to have nothing to do with mediums or
spiritists. These are people who practice
and promote communication with the dead.
Jesus said, Do not turn to mediums or seek
out spiritists, for you will be defiled by
them
a man or woman who is a medium or
spiritist among you must be put to death.
You are to stone them; their blood will be on
their own heads. Leviticus 19:31,
20:27
King Saul finds an
unhappy medium
A special story is
preserved in the Bible to demonstrate 3 important
things. Its conclusion is found in 1 Samuel
28. In brief, King Saul, the first king of
Israel, had repeatedly failed to obey the
Lord. He was disobedient and
rebellious. One day Samuel was sent to Saul
telling him the kingdom would be taken from him
and given to another. That promised
other was a young Shepard boy named
David. Saul remembered these words from
time to time. Time passed, and Samuel died.
One day the Philistines
assembled at Shunem to fight the Israelites. When
Saul saw the size of their army, he became afraid
and terror filled his heart. The Bible
tells the rest of the story, He inquired of
the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by
dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said
to his attendants, Find me a woman who is a
medium, so I may go and inquire of
her. There is one in
Endor, they said. So Saul disguised
himself, putting on other clothes, and at night
he and two men went to the woman.
Consult a spirit
for me, he said and bring up for me
the one I name. But the woman said to
him, Surely you know that Saul has
done. He has cut off the mediums and
spiritists from the land. Why have you set
a trap for my life to bring about my death?
Saul swore to her by the
Lord, As surely as the Lord lives, you will
not be punished for this. Then the
woman asked, Whom shall I bring up for
you? Bring up Samuel, he
said. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried
out at the top of her voice to Saul and said,
Why have you deceived me? You are
Saul!
The king said to her,
dont be afraid. What do you
see? The woman said, I see a
spirit coming up out of the ground.
What does he look like? he asked.
An old man wearing a robe is coming
up, she said. Then Saul knew it was
Samuel, he bowed down and prostrated himself with
his face to the ground.
Samuel said to Saul
Why have you disturbed me by bringing me
up? I am in great distress Saul
said. The Philistines are fighting
against me and God has turned away from me.
He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by
dreams. So I have called on you to tell me
what to do.
Samuel said Why do
you consult me, now that the Lord has turned away
from you and become your enemy? The Lord
has done what he predicted through me. The
Lord has torn your kingdom out of your hands and
given it to one of your neighbors
David. Because you did not obey the Lord or
carry out his fierce wrath against the
Amalekites, the Lord will hand you over both
Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow
you and your sons will be with me. The Lord
will also hand over the army of Israel to the
Philistines.
Immediately, Saul fell
full length on the ground, filled with fear
because of Samuelss words
1
Samuel 28:6-20
Three important points
are made:
- The
Lord had turned his back on Saul and
refused to answer him by prophets or
dreams. Neither did the Lord answer
Saul through the medium of Endor.
In his desperation, Saul sought out the
devil. What he saw and heard was a
demon in the form of Samuel the deceased
prophet.
- Notice
that Satans remarks were quite
accurate about Sauls
conclusion. Even though Satan
doesnt precisely know the future
(he is not omniscient), he is very
smart. He had carefully studied
Saul and in the mediums house he
succeeded in destroying whatever courage
the abandoned king may have had.
- Satan
clearly gave Saul the idea that Samuel
was in the grave (not in heaven or in
hell) and that he would soon join Samuel
in death.
The doctrine that
deceased people are in heaven or hell opens the
door to communication with spirits. The
Bible is absolutely clear that such communication
is not with angelic beings but with demons.
Jesus now alive
forever and ever
In Revelation, Jesus told
John,Do not be afraid. I am the First
and the Last. I am the Living One; I was
dead, and behold I am alive forever and
ever! And I hold the keys of death and
Hades (the grave), Revelation
1:17,18 Jesus clearly holds the keys
to death and the grave. He has the power of
life within Himself! Jesus will use the
keys of death and open the graves of the
righteous at the resurrection during the second
coming. Paul said, For the Lord
Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with
the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first. After that, we who are
still alive and are left will be caught up with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we will be with the Lord
forever. I Thessalonians 4:16,17
Problem texts
There are two texts in
the Bible that can be particularly confusing on
the matter of death. Well look at
these briefly:
For Christ died for
sins once for all, the righteous for the
unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was
put to death in the body but made alive by the
Spirit through whom also he went and preached to
the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when
God waited patiently in the days of Noah while
the ark was being built
I Peter 3:
18-20
Some people interpret
this text to mean that Jesus, during the time He
was dead, went to prison where evil people had
been held since the flood and there preached
forgiveness to them.
Such a view opens up
insurmountable questions. For example,
after a person is once consigned to hell, can he
be set free? The Roman Church taught for
centuries that freedom from hell was possible for
a contribution to the Church. But look at
the flip side of the coin. Suppose you were
in heaven and for a fee, someone that didnt
like you could send you to hell? As you
quickly see, the actions of other people cannot
determine nor control your eternal destiny
whether in heaven or hell.
Consider this too.
What would be the point of Jesus preaching
forgiveness to people who had been burning in
hell for 2,000 years? Can they now repent
and go to heaven? Jesus preaching
repentance to someone burning in hell for 2,000
years is anticlimactic isnt it? How
persuasive would Jesus (or anyone for that
matter) have to be to persuade those burning in
hell for 2,000 years that they need to
repent? The whole idea is absurd. The
Bible teaches that we have only one chance for
salvation. It is during this life.
Hebrews 4:7
Peter, in our problem
text, is making the point that Jesus was put to
death in the body and made alive by the Spirit of
God. By this same Spirit, Jesus patiently
waited for 120 years in the days of Noah to save
any and all who would get on board. (See Genesis
6:1-8) Then Peter says, For this is
the reason the gospel was preached even to those
who are now dead, so that they might be judged
according to men in regard to the body, but live
according to God in regard to the spirit. I
Peter 4:6 In other words, Peter says the gospel
is preached to those who are now dead to
spiritual things (Jews) so they might see their
need to live in harmony with the spirit and
receive life and the approval of God! The
true meaning of I Peter 3 does not conflict with
other scriptures on death when rightly
understood. There is harmony in the sum of
the parts!
The rich man and Lazarus
No parable has caused
more discussion than this one. Luke records
the story. There was a rich man who
dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in
luxury every day. At his gate was laid a
beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and
longing to eat what fell from the rich mans
table. Even the dogs came and licked his
sores. The time came when the beggar died
and the angels carried him to Abrahams
side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In hell, where he was in
torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away,
with Lazarus by his side. So he called to
him, Father Abraham, have pity on me and
send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony
in this fire. But Abraham replied,
Son, remember that in your lifetime you
received your good things, while Lazarus received
bad things, but now he is comforted here and you
are in agony. And besides all this, between
us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that
those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor
can anyone cross over from there to us. He
answered, Then I beg you, father, send
Lazarus to my fathers house, for I have
five brothers. Let him warn them, so that
they will not also come to this place of
torment. Abraham replied, They
have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to
them.
No, father
Abraham, he said, but if someone from
the dead goes to them, they will
repent. He said to him, if they
do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they
will not be convinced even if someone rises from
the dead. Luke 16:19-31
A casual look at the
story raises several questions:
1.
Assuming there are people in heaven and hell, can
they actually carry on a conversation?
2. Can
people in heaven carry water to those in hell?
3. Do the
rich go to hell and the poor go to heaven?
Josephus, a Jewish
historian who lived shortly after Christ, tells
us the story was in vogue at the time of
Christ. Its a tale of theological
contrasts within Judaism. For example, the
Sadducees rejected the idea of a resurrection
believing that one went straight to their eternal
reward at death while the Pharisees believed in
the resurrection. (See Acts 23:6-9) The
Pharisees believed a wealthy person was blessed
of God for his righteousness while a poor person
was rewarded for some evil, either hidden or
hereditary. See John 9.
Jesus took this
well-known tale of many opposites and tied it
together with some very important points
none of which has to do with burning in hell or
dancing in heaven. Notice:
1.
The Jews were wealthy. They had been given
Gods richest blessings. They had been
enlightened with truth. They had been
chosen as a special people.
2.
The poor Gentiles did not have the opportunities
of the Jews. But circumstances do
change! The Jews would become destitute and
the Gentiles would become enlightened!
(Remember the end of the 490 years, 34 A.D.?)
3.
With roles and opportunities exchanged, the
converted Jew in torment cries out to the Gentile
in heaven, I have 5 brothers. Go warn
them of things to come. Abraham
replied, They have Moses and the Prophets;
let them listen to them. No
father Abraham, he said, but if
someone from the dead goes to them, they will
repent. He said to him, If they
do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they
will not be convinced even if someone rises from
the dead. Luke 16:19-31
Jesus concludes the tale
by placing Himself in the heart of the story
saying, even if someone rises from the
dead, they will not be convinced they are
that hard-hearted.
Like Peters vision
of the unclean animals, the story of the rich man
and Lazarus is designed to teach an important
lesson. It is not designed to confirm a
theological point. As we have seen in the
series of studies, the Bible offers a consistent
message. Its inspiration comes from One
that changes not.
The destiny of the wicked
Since the Bible says
burning in hell forever is not the penalty of
sin, what is the penalty of sin? The Bible
says,
The wages of sin is
death. The Bible clearly says there
will be a hell fire!
But fire
came down from heaven and devoured them.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into
the lake of burning sulfur
Revelation
20:9,10
Malachi, the Old
Testament prophet, saw the total destruction of
the wicked. He writes, Surely the day
is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All
the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble,
and that day is coming will set them on
fire, says the Lord Almighty.
Not a root or a branch will be left to
them. But for you who revere my name, the
sun of righteousness will rise with healing in
its wings. And you will go out and leap
like calves released from the stall. Then
you will trample down the wicked; they will be
ashes under the soles of your feet on the day
when I do these things, says the Lord
Almighty. Malachi 4:1-3
Two more difficult texts
Revelation 20:10 say,
They will be tormented day and night
for ever and ever. And Revelation 14:11
says,
And the smoke of their torment
rises for ever and ever
Do these texts imply an
eternally burning hell? At first glance
they seem to! Will Jesus burn and scorch
people forever and ever? Is this the
unquenchable wrath of God?
First, we have determined
that the wages of sin is death. Death, by
definition of many Bible writers, means sleep or
a state of unconsciousness. The destruction
of the wicked cannot last eternally because in
this scenario, they would never die, thus the
penalty of sin is never paid.
The second text
(Revelation 14:11) literally indicates that the
smoke from the destruction of the wicked rises
forever and ever. If the complete
destruction of the wicked means an end to sin and
sinners, the scripture then indicates that the
smoke of their torment cannot be put out.
The lake of fire will consume sin and sinners
until nothing remains.
Revelation 20:10 seems to
say on the surface that the wicked are tormented
day and night eternally. Actually though,
John was expressing two important ideas.
First, sinners burning differing lengths of time
and secondly, while they burn, they feel the
torment of their suffering.
From Malachi 4 we know
the wicked will be eventually reduced to
ashes. From John, we know the wicked will
be burned up and that there will be a new heaven
and a new earth for the first earth is passed
away! Revelation 21:1 From II Peter 3 we
know the earth and everything in it will melt and
be laid bare with great heat. From the
weight of all the Bible evidence, Johns
comments in Revelation 20:10 indicating the
wicked are tormented day and night forever can be
interpreted to mean as long as they
exist. Like marriage (forgive the
comparison), the vow lasts forever as long as
both parties live.
Hell fire is not the
greatest punishment
In a later lesson, we
will study the sequence of events that take place
before the final destruction. We will look
further into the resurrections and the final
death.
But the greatest
punishment that Jesus gives to His created beings
at the very end is not the hell fire.
Rather, the greatest punishment placed upon the
wicked at the end of the millennium is a
revelation of Gods tender love for each
person. Heres the story:
1.
At the second coming, the saints are taken to
heaven and the wicked remaining upon the earth
are slain by the brightness of Jesus
glory. The earth is desolated by the
splendor of righteousness!
2.
The saints (the resurrected and the living) are
caught up with Jesus in the air and they return
to heaven for 1,000 years. The purpose of
these 1,000 years is very simple: Jesus
wants each redeemed person to clearly see His
decision on those not in heavens was fair.
In other words, the saints now get to review the
books of record. They learn, first hand,
why a loved one or friend was not granted eternal
life. Every mystery will be laid
open. After reviewing each case to their
satisfaction, all saints are convinced that Jesus
was loving, just and merciful in His judgment on
each person.
3.
At the end of the 1,000 years, the saints return
to earth with Jesus. Jesus resurrects the
wicked. They come forth to gaze upon the
New Jerusalem and the saints within the
city. Satan, who was bound to the desolate
earth, now stirs the wicked to attack the New
Jerusalem and rob the redeemed of their
home. As the mob rushes towards the city,
Jesus stops the vast throng just as he commanded
the storm on Galilee to be still.
4.
Then every eye is drawn to the sky where a great
panorama of salvations story is
played. Each person (saints and sinners)
watches the drama, for the most incredible event
to ever happen is now to take place. The
giant screen- play in the heaven not only tells
the big story of Gods love; it replays each
persons life before its owner. Both
saint and sinner stand in awe. Now they see
as never before the extended mercy of salvation
the mystery of God. Now they
comprehend what they dimly understood
before. Now the saints see the humility of
Jesus and sinners see Paradise lost. The
wicked behold the One who loved them beyond
understanding, the One who died that they might
have the opportunity of salvation!
5.
Every knee bows before Jesus, the Father and the
Holy Spirit. They are righteous. They
are fair. They are love! The wicked bow
before their justice. The saints bow before
their mercy. Now, at this grand moment,
before all human beings that ever lived, the 7th
and final seal is broken on the book of
life. The book is opened. Now the
multitudes beyond number understand a new
dimension about God. He foreknew all
this. His written record, sealed before the
world was created, is exactly the same as the
story contained in the books of record and
reviewed in the sky!
6.
Now God is exonerated before His creatures.
God has been proven as a God of love. He
freely granted His creatures the power of
choice. Now, Satan stands before the vast
multitude as a despicable liar. The
evidence clearly shows that God does not use His
foreknowledge to manipulate or control the
outcome of any event. His creatures truly
have the greatest power outside of divinity: the
power of choice. The saints rejoice with
abounding joy at the choices they made: the
choice to live by faith, the choice to follow
Jesus, the choice to struggle against sin, the
choice to be what Jesus wanted them to be, the
choice to do what He wanted, and the choice to go
wherever He directed! Go-Be-Do!
On the
other hand, sinners are crushed. In despair
beyond words they see the tragic result of their
choices. They look upon the Holy City,
Jesus and the saints and a grief beyond
comparison overtakes them. They have no
anger against the Godhead. They are love
and the wicked stand before God with regret
beyond understanding. Their regret is not
based on heart-felt repentance; rather, it is
based on the consequence of seeing what they have
lost. The seeds of rebellion are so deep
that repentance is impossible. In agony
beyond description they turn upon each other to
vent their anguish. In mercy Jesus sends
fire down from heaven and ends the nightmare.
Quiz
1.
When does man become a living soul?
2.
When an evil person dies, what returns to God?
3.
See if you can find two scriptures in this lesson
that call death sleep.
4.
What does God say about mediums?
Memory Verse: Romans
6:23 For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Notes:
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