By Wendell Tenison
Introduction:
The four parts of Hades: Click to Return to Articles Page
The false doctrine that hell does not exist has been around for a long time. This is adhered to mostly by the Jehovah's Witnesses and the 7th Day Adventist. There are also some church of Christ preachers who are jumping onto the bandwagon. They believe that when one dies and his body returns to the dust, he is dead like Rover the dog, dead all over and that is the end of him. Those who corrupt the truth on this subject are more accurately called "Modern Day Sadducees."
Acts 23:7-8 "And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided......For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both."
There are different opinions as to whether or not one is dead or sleeping after departing from this life. Jesus made it very clear that these are synonymous terms.
John 11:11-17 "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep......Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well......Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep......Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead......And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him......Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.....Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already."
First, Jesus says, Lazarus sleeps; second, Lazarus is dead.
Luke 8:51-55 "And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden......And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth......And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead......And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise......And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat."
Here again, death and sleeping are synonymous. Not only that, but the maid's spirit returned unto her again, meaning that her spirit had departed from the body in death. Where did her spirit go? We shall see later in this discussion that her spirit went back to God who gave it. She really was not dead, but sleeping.
1 Cor 15:17-18 "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins......Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished."
1 Th 4:14-17 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him......For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep......For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:.....Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
Someone is lying: either God is lying in his holy word, or men are lying through their perversion of his word. If the soul and spirit becomes extinct in the grave, then there are none who are asleep in Jesus. Jesus cannot recall anyone to meet him in the air if they do not exist. Furthermore, Paul confirms what Jesus said regarding sleeping and death as the same. Verse 14 uses the words "sleep in Jesus"; verse 16 "dead in Christ."
James 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."
The body without the spirit is dead, but nowhere in the bible does it say, the spirit without the body is dead.
Eccl 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
According to some men the spirit is dead at death, but the scripture plainly says, that it goes back to God who gave it. The Jehovah's Witnesses say that this verse is a question; no it is not. Neither does the Septuagint render it as a question. All of the Hebrew writings of law, prophets, etc., were translated into the Greek language known as the Septuagint 385 years before Christ in the city of Alexandria, Egypt and served as the common text during the life of Christ.
1 Cor 5:5 "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."
Heb 12:23-24 "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,.....And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."
This is not hard to figure out that the spirit of man is not dead at death, but can be lost or saved in the day of the Lord. In his final remarks, the Apostle Paul salutes the general assembly and the church of the firstborn, to God the judge of all, the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator and to the blood of sprinkling. The spirits of these just men are not dead, but made perfect.
Psa 22:26 "The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever."
People have been known to remove scriptures from the bible by cutting them out, but they are still there. They can jump up and down, scream and holler, have a fit, but they cannot win their war with God when they deny that our hearts will live forever. The heart is a part of the soul and will live eternally whether in the paradise of God or the fires of Gehenna.
1 Th 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The scripture refutes these false doctrines of no hell (Hades) or resurrection in no uncertain terms, but to the contrary, requires the soul and spirit be preserved for the judgment of the great day of the Lord Jesus Christ. If these false doctrines be true, there is no heaven, no hell, no resurrection of Christ from the dead and we are still in our sins. This compares to the false doctrine once saved always saved in that you can walk with God and run with the devil at the same time if there be no consequence for sin.
1 Cor 15:16-19 "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:.....And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins......Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished......If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."
Man came from eternity then goes back to eternity:
Jer 1:4-5 "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,.....Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
There is no question about it, God knew Jeremiah before he was conceived. Was Jeremiah the only exception? God is the Father of all spirits and forms them within man.
Heb 12:9 "Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"
Zec 12:1 "The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him."
Eccl 3:11 "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end."
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, renders the word "world" as, "the age of the world hath he set; everlastingness, and eternity." In other words, God put eternity in our hearts. That is why men of all generations have looked for a home somewhere after death.
Psa 49:15 "But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah."
Hosea 13:14 "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes."
Repentance shall be hid from the eyes of God, he will redeem us from the power of the grave.
Mat 17:1-4 "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,.....And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light......And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him......Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."
Here Moses made an appearance from the dead speaking with Jesus. Elias (Elijah) also was there, but he did not die seeing that God took him, 2Kings 2:11. However, Elias did come back in his power and spirit in John the Baptist, Mal.4:5-6; Luke 1:17.
Rev 6:9-11 "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:.....And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?.....And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
John saw the souls of those who were slain for the word of God and their making a request of the Lord. When they died they were not dead all over.
Mark 12:24-27 "And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?.....For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven......And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?.....He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err."
Men today greatly err as they did when this was written. Make no mistake about it, even though Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are dead, they are still living, because God is the God of the living and not the dead.
Eph 4:9-10 "(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?.....He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)"
The tomb or grave where Jesus was buried is not considered to be the lower parts of the earth, but barely below the surface. Without question, Christ did descend into the lower parts of the earth.
Mat 12:40 "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Thayer's rendition of the Greek words for heart of the earth is, "used of the middle or central or inmost part of anything, even though inanimate." Jesus was buried in the tomb, but his soul went into the heart of the earth of which we can know nothing about.
Phil 2:9-11 "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:.....That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;.....And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
The word "things" in these passages are italicised in the KJV, meaning they are not in the Greek New Testament. However, the word "beings" is added in the translation of the Greek to complete the sense. The point here is that all beings under the earth will confess with the tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord. There will not be any holdouts.
Jesus said to one of the thieves on the cross, today you will be with me in paradise.
2 Cor 12:1-4 "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord......I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven......And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;).....How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."
Being caught up to the third heaven in the paradise of God is not the same as the paradise of Hades in the earth.
Luke 16:19-22 "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:.....And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,.....And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores......And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;"
Abraham was in the paradise of Hades where the angels carried Lazarus into his bosom for to be comforted.
The great gulf:
Luke 16:23-26 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom......And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame......But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented......And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."
There is a great gulf (chasm-gr.) between the flames of torment and paradise. Also, there is water somewhere that Lazarus could have access to, but Abraham denied the rich man's request that Lazarus could dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. Whether or not the chasm is water or dry land is a moot point.
Flames of Torment:
Luke 16:24 "And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."
The flames of torment in Hades are not the everlasting fire and brimstone of Gehenna. The flames of torment would be like being in incarcerated in the county jail for a crime committed and later be sent to the big house. There are those who say, the account in Luke 16:19-31, is a parable and the flames of torment do not exist. Is Abraham a parable, Lazarus, the rich man, Moses and the law of Moses? Absolutely not. None of the characters in this account are fictious, but as we have already seen Moses reappearing upon the earth at the transfiguration of Jesus.
Tartarus:
2 Pet 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;"
Jude 1:6 "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
The Greek word for hell in 2Pet.2:4, is Tartarus or the deepest abyss and is the same as the bottomless pit that is always rendered abyss in the Greek. This is the only place in the New Testament where the word Tartarus is found. It is strongly implied that only the disobedient spirits who were not flesh and blood are reserved into this place awaiting the judgment.
Now back to Hades:
Acts 2:25-27 "For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:.....Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:.....Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
Acts 2:31 "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption."
Like all others, David's soul is still in Hades. Is he in paradise or the flames of torment? You answer that question. Christ arose from the grave according to the prophecy of David, thereby coming forth from Hades. Christ is the firstfruits of them that slept and neither did his body see corruption.
Luke 16:23-24 "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom......And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."
Being tormented in flames the rich man lifted up his eyes in Hades and saw Lazarus afar off being comforted in Abraham's bosom. Being able to see at a far distance requires light of which there is none in Tartarus, but there the disobedient spirits are bound in chains under darkness. This section of Hades can be accurately called the "Flames of Torment."
Dan 3:23-27 "And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace......Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king......He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God......Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire......And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them."
If God could keep the flesh and clothes of these three Hebrew children from burning, could he prepare a body in Hades fitted for the final abode in Gehenna that will not be consumed yet tormented? The answer is an emphatic yes, because he already has.
Mat 8:11-12 "And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven......But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Luke 13:24-30 "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able......When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:.....Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets......But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity......There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out......And they shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God."And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last."
There is no question but these who were thrust out of the kingdom were Jews under the law of Moses. As to what point those thrust out will see these things is uncertain. The same can be said of those who have become citizens of the kingdom of Christ (the church), but are worthy of death by their manner of living, hatred of the brethren and perversion of the gospel of Christ.
Mat 11:23 "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day."
This saying of Jesus is very typical of evil cities being brought down to Hades. The question is, how many cities in America will have company with Capernaum?
Mat 16:18 "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
We know that Jesus passed through the gates of Hades, but they could not restrain him.
Now back to Tartarus:
2 Pet 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;"
Jude 1:6 "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
The scripture nowhere states that angels (spirits) have ever been burned, injured, or killed. However, God has a place prepared for the devil and his angels where there will be everlasting fire. As opposed to man dying and then going to Hades, the disobedient spirits did not die.
Mat 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"
The deepest abyss of Hades is Tartarus. Tartarus is also referred to as the bottomless pit or the abyss as it is found in the New Testament.
Rev 9:11 "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
Rev 20:1 "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand."
Luke 8:27-33 "And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs......When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not......(For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.).....And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him......And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep......And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them......Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked."
The Greek word for "deep" in verse 31 is "abyss." Note that the evil spirit was submissive and fell down before Jesus, honoring him as the Son of God most high. They did not want Jesus to send them to the abyss knowing full well what lay before them.
Rom 10:7 "Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)"
Here again, the word "deep" in the Greek New Testament is "abyss." One note of great importance is that the word "again" is not in the Greek text. Compared to Eph.4:9-10, there is no doubt that Jesus went to the deepest hell "abyss." The question is why?
1 Pet 3:18-19 "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:.....By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;"
The Greek word for "preached" in verse 19 is as an announcer or one making an announcement such as a town crier. In other words, Jesus went up and down through Hades making it known that he was now the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is no doubt that his kingdom (the church) was announced and that he will be the judge of the righteous and the unrighteous. There is no mistake about it, Jesus did not preach to the spirits in prison in order to convert them.
Death and Hades cast into the Lake of fire:
The tyrant Death:
Rev 1:18 "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
Rev 20:13-14 "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works......And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
The two main points of interest are that Christ has the keys of Death and Hades and there are souls in both who will be cast into Gehenna. A distinction is made between the two and they cannot be the same.
Who are those in Death?
1 John 3:14-15 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death......Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."
Hating ones brother puts him in the same condition as he was before passing from death to life, that is, becoming a new creature in Christ. Cannibalism in the church, that is, biting and devouring one another will afford thousands the everlasting fires of Gehenna.
There is no argument that those who hate their brothers in the Lord are abiding in Death. The most effective way to keep control over a church is to keep it small. That means getting rid of those who oppose their wicked ways.
Jude 1:12-13 "These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;.....Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever."
Bear in mind that these were living souls not having passed this life. Most assuredly, those mentioned in John were members of the church of our dear Lord and the implication is that those in Jude were also members.
Those spoken of in Jude have already been awarded the blackness of darkness forever. We can easily understand why they were twice dead plucked up by the roots. If you pull a tree up by the roots, it ain't coming back. Of course, when those died they became residents of Hades.
Mat 12:31-32 "Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men......And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come."
There is no argument that any and all who commit this sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit are in the jaws of Death.
Heb 6:4-8 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,.....And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,.....If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame......For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:.....But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned."
Sight reading will not provide the answer, but a careful examination will show that this group is limited to those whose powers were from God to do the extraordinary from the standpoint of gifts, knowledge, preaching, understanding, etc. The apostle Paul included himself among those if he failed to preach the gospel. Not only did he have no choice but to preach, but he had to have a willing mind.
1 Cor 9:16-17 "For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!.....For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me."
Heb 10:26-29 "For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,.....But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries......He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:.....Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"
Sinning wilfully here is tacitly opposed to sins of ignorance and weakness. In years gone by, preachers of the church of Christ were notorious for terrorizing the members by saying, to miss a service of the church was trodding under foot the Son of God and putting him to an open shame. Nothing could be further from the truth. Further investigation from these scriptures will reveal that those members of the church were saying that the blood of the covenant that we drink on the Lord's day was unholy as the drinking of blood that was forbidden under the law of Moses. Little did they understand that the communion of Christ is spiritual. That was not bad enough so they did despite unto the Spirit of Grace. The Greek word for "despite" is "insulted" that is done by the mouth, which is blasphemy against the Spirit for which there is no forgiveness. How do we know they were members of the church? Verse 29 tells us that they were sanctified by the blood of the covenant. For sure they were abiding in Death.
Death the institution created by God:
The institution of death is like that of marriage where man and woman can unite together as one flesh and only separation is made by God. God has decreed that man and all other living things are reunited with their place of origin, the earth. Therefore, man is taken from the dust of the ground and given a fleshly body. The fleshly body returns to the dust of the ground, then resurrected a spiritual body from the dust of the ground. He will be raised with a body that pleases the Lord to receive a final abode in the new earth that will replace this one, or the lake of fire that burns with brimstone.
Dan 12:2 "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
Rev 6:8 "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."
Death is personified and Hades follows with him as a giant vacuum sweeper garnering the dead both small and great, good and bad.
1 Cor 15:26 "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
1 Cor 15:55-56 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?.....The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."
The strength of sin is the law and death is the result of being stung by sin. This may compared to the sting of a hornet, bad things happen. The rider of the pale horse Death will be terminated.
John 5:28 "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,"
John 5:29 "And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
Rom 14:10-12 "But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ......For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God......So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God."
Everyone will come forth from the grave and Hades will give up the dead who are in it. There will be no lawyers who can represent another, nor will there be any postponments of trial. If we think 100,000 people make a lot of noise at a football game, that would only be a whisper compared to the roar made when every tongue shall confess the Lord Jesus Christ. Every tub will sit upon its own bottom. (This last phrase is compliments of Vernon Gruver)
The unrighteous living when Christ returns:
1 Th 4:14-17 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him......For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep......For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:.....Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
There is nothing that could not be any clearer than the picture just drawn of the resurrection of the righteous and the living righteous. The dead in Christ shall rise first and those who are alive and remain will meet the Lord in the air. Paul does not mention the unrighteous living when Christ returns, but without any doubt these are abiding in death and cannot be resurrected from the grave, because they will not have not passed from this life. Paul says, the body is sown a natural body and raised a spiritual body, 1Cor.15:44. The unrighteous will be raised from the grave and the unrighteous living will have a spiritual body prepared for Gehenna.
Only those living out of Christ and those who offend in his kingdom when he returns are abiding in death and he will cast Death and Hades into everlasting fire which is the second death, Rev.20:14.
Mat 13:40-42 "As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world......The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;.....And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Will Satan and his angels be among the living that are in death at the return of Christ:
John 12:31 "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out."
John 14:30 "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me."
John 16:11 "Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."
Luke 10:18 "And he said unto them,I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
Rev 12:13 "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child."
John 12:31, states that now is the prince of this world cast out. But, when and to what degree? It cannot with certainty be known when Satan was cast out. We do know that Satan's wings have been clipped so that he could not prevent the establishment of the Lord's church and the preaching of the gospel to the entire world.
Col 1:23 "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;"
2 Cor 11:13-15 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ......And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light......Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
1 Tim 4:1-2 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;.....Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"
1 Pet 5:6 "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:"
Without a doubt Satan and his angels will be on the loose when Christ returns.
The great majority of the religious world close their minds and hearts to the simple truth of God and believe that he will not condemn anyone. Eternal separation from God is the greatest price one can pay for refusing to listen to him and the Lord Jesus Christ in the holy commandments.
© 2005 by Wendell Tenison