Rev 20 - Eternal Life is based upon the Resurrection of the Dead and the Coming Day of Judgment.
I am sharing below a most difficult subject that has been very misunderstood by the church. Please read with an open mind. Let the scriptures speak for themselves. Allow the Bible to interpret itself. We hold many "traditions" that are simply not true. In order to understand our hope in Christ and the end times we must embrace truth. Read and study prayerfully.
Rev 20 - Eternal Life is based upon the
Resurrection of the Dead and the Coming Day of Judgment.
And as it is appointed unto
men once to die, but after this the judgment: Hebrews 9.27
“The Power of tradition is such that scripture
and historical facts rarely sway those who are guided by it”
Strong’s Concordance Study
HELL = O.T.
Strong’s 7585 = “ol” = grave, by extension, realm of death, deepest depths;
transliterate “Sheol”
= N.T. Strong’s 86 = Hades, the grave, the place of the
dead (10 times)
= N.T. Strong’s 1067 = Gehenna, hell,
Valley of Hinnom
=
N.T. Strong’s 5020= Tartaroo =send to hell, hold captive = a place of torment
lower than hades (the grave) in Greek and Jewish literature but not found in
the N.T. (1 time; 2 Peter 2.4) Final judgement in Lake of Fire
Grave = O.T. Strong’s 7585
= “ol” = grave, by extension, realm of death, deepest depths; transliterate
“Sheol”
= 6919 = burial site, tomb, grave
= 6605 = “patah” = open, to be
opened, to loosen, release, take off
= 6900 = Tomb, grave, burial,
sepulcher (2 times)
= 3419 Strong’s N.T. = tomb, grave,
sepulcher (4 times)
Pit = hell - Gehenna - the
grave, realm of the dead.
Hell=
gehenna=hell=Valley of Hinnom Strong’s 1067= Matthew 5.22; 29-30; 10.28; 18.9; 23.15; 23.23. Mark
9.43-47. Luke 12.5. James 3.6.
Hell=Hades= the grave, the place of the dead
(Strong’s 86). = Matthew
11.23; 16.18. Luke 10.15; 16.23. Acts 2.27; 31, Rev 1.18; 6.8; 20.13; 20.14
Pit = hell - Gehenna - the grave, realm of the dead.
What is Hell?
Even if you are a Christian,
you may go to hell. Some of your loved
ones are already in hell. But don’t be alarmed. “Hell”
is not what most people have imagined! There is a judgment in hell,
but the Bible version is different than our tradition.
Most people assume one of two
extremes concerning “hell.” One group totally
denies that it exists. It is passed off as an ancient superstition with no
bearing on modern life. The other group pictures
hell as a terrible
place of never-ending torment where the devil rules and his demons gleefully
“roast” sinners like meat on a bonfire. There is bitter weeping and
wailing, agonized cursing, shrieks and screams from those in eternal
torment—according to this concept.
Before we examine the Bible
to see whether the common ideas about hell could
possibly be true, let us consider where our traditional concept of hell, if true, would lead us.
There are over 7 billion
people on this earth. The most populous lands are China, India and other parts
of Asia. In spite of the efforts of Western missionaries, literally billions of
people on the Earth have never so much as heard the only name by which, the
Bible tells us, men may be saved: “Jesus Christ”! (Acts 4:12). How will God
judge? Romans 2.11-16 may give us a clue:
For there is no
respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without
law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall
be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just
before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For
when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in
the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Which shew the
work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another) In
the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my
gospel.
God is going to judge man according to the gospel. I have to believe that
God is just and that those who have never heard the gospel will be judged
righteously. Romans 10.13-15 says: For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved: How then shall they call on him in
whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they
have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And
how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are
the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of
good things!
The word is a bit unclear here. I believe God is just and those whom have
never heard the gospel in this life throughout history will be judged
righteously…I am just not sure how, but, if
all the “unsaved” go immediately to a fiery hell at
death, then multiple billions of people who have ever lived have been consigned
to this terrible punishment without ever having had a chance to be redeemed by
Yeshua‘s salvation! I will trust in God’s righteous judgment for these souls.
Revelation 20.11-15 is not fully understood by the church today. I continue to
seek understanding of these verses.
What is the truth? Christ Spoke of “Hell Fire”
1. What punishment did Christ
warn would ultimately befall those who refuse to quit sinning? Mark 9:43...If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It
is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to
go to hell, into
the fire that
shall never be quenched—
Comment: Hell is an English word. When Mark
recorded Christ’s words, he wrote them in the Greek language. The Greek word
translated “hell,” which Mark was inspired to
write down, is gehenna. In this
verse Christ says the sinner is “to go into hell,
into the fire,” it follows then, that those who
go to gehenna will
receive punishment by fire.
Keep in mind, that Christ
associated the Greek word gehenna with fire.
2. How did Christ reemphasize
what He said about “hell fire”? Verse 47...And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye,
rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell
fire—
Comment: Again, the Greek word Mark used in this verse is gehenna. This
word is derived from the name of the narrow, rocky Valley of Hinnom,
which lies just outside Jerusalem. It was the place where refuse from the city
was burned up. Trash, filth and the dead bodies of animals and despised
criminals were thrown into the fires of gehenna, or the Valley of Hinnom.
Ordinarily, everything thrown into this valley was destroyed by fire—burned up. Christ used gehenna to picture the fate of unrepentant unsaved sinners!
Two Different “Hells”
In many passages in the New
Testament where we see the word hell,
the original Greek word is gehenna—but
not always. Often, the Greek word translated “hell” is hades, which does not refer to fire at all, but to a grave—a hole in the ground.
Yet the translators have confused and obscured the two entirely separate
meanings of these words by indiscriminately rendering them both as hell. Let’s study the proof. Let the Bible
interpret itself….
1. What one thing befalls
both men and beasts? Ecclesiastes 3:19-20... For what
happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as
one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no
advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are
from the dust, and all return to dust.
Gen 3.19...In the
sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall
return.”
2. What place does God say
man goes to when he dies? Ecclesiastes 9:10...
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is
no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you
are going.
Did Job realize he would go
to the grave after death? Job 17:13...If I wait for
the grave as my house, If I make my bed in the darkness….Ref: Grave=Strong’s 7585=Sheol.
3. Jesus Christ was “made
flesh.” John 1:14. Did Christ take upon Himself the same mortal flesh of
which we are composed? Hebrews 2:14. Didn’t He also have to go to the
grave as other mortal men do? Acts 2:31...he,
foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul
was not left in Hades (the grave), nor did His flesh see corruption.
Comment: The original Greek word translated into the English hell in this verse is hades. Hades
simply means the grave, as its usage in this verse clearly shows! Jesus’ “flesh” (body) did not see corruption (in other
words, it did not decompose in the grave) because He was resurrected after
three days.
We can plainly see that the
English word hell can have different meanings! Hades (which
can also be translated as “grave,” as in 1 Corinthians 15:55) has a completely
different meaning than gehenna.
Whenever you’re in doubt about the intended meaning of the word hell in the New Testament, look it up in a concordance, such as Strong’s or Young’s,
to see which Greek word it was translated from, and hence its true meaning. Hell,
Hades, and Sheol
mean grave—gehenna
means the burning
Valley of Hinnom or Lake of Fire as described
in Revelation 20.
4. When a person dies and is
buried in his grave, does he know anything? Ecclesiastes
9:5...For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, and
they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
When their spirit
departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to
nothing. Ps 146.4
…the dust returns
to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Eccl
12.7
So man lies down,
and rises not till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised
out of their sleep. Job 14.12
Comment: When people die, they go to hades,
or the grave, where they are aware of nothing! But, when do people go to gehenna fire for
punishment? Let’s see when and how the dead will
be judged by God.
The Resurrection to Judgment
Note: The issue in question is: When a
person is thrown into the Lake of Fire are they eternally tormented or do they
get devoured or consumed (cremated) by the fire and become extinct? In this
study I lean toward cremation and eternal death or extinction. It is possible
they are tormented for eternity but that does not seem to fit in with what the
Bible seems to be saying. Keep this in mind as you read on:
1. Is there to be a future
resurrection to judgment of the unsaved dead? John
5:28-29...Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who
are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have
done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the
resurrection of damnation.
(The word damnation in the King
James Version in verse 29 is correctly rendered as “judgment” in most
modern translations.)
Comment: Here is further
proof that the unsaved dead may not be tormented in a “fiery hell.” They are now dead and asleep in the
grave. But there is coming a time (“the hour is coming,” said Jesus) when they
will be resurrected for judgment and thrown into the Lake
of Fire. They are asleep awaiting resurrection.
How long wilt thou
sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Prov 9.6...prophetic
But Christ has
indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep. 1 Corinthians 15.20
Not dead but
sleeps…Matt 9.24; Mark 5.39; Luke 8.52
And this is the
will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on
him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John
6.39-40
No man can come to
me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at
the last day.
John 6.44
Whoso eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at
the last day. John 6.54
2. Does the first sentence of
Revelation 20:5...also prove there is to be a
future resurrection to judgment? (Note that the first sentence in verse 5 is a
parenthetical statement inserted within verses 4-6, which describe the first
resurrection.)…But the rest of the dead did not
live again until the thousand (MK) years were finished. This is the first resurrection…and verses 11-12...Then I saw a great white throne and Him who
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was
found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before
God, and books were opened. And another
book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged
according to their works, by the things which were written in the books…Ref: this judgment is the second death.
Comment: Some of the dead—the “dead in Christ”—will be
resurrected to eternal life in the first resurrection at Christ’s
Second Coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). But the
“rest of the dead” will not live again for a thousand years, at which point they will be resurrected to mortal life. These
are the unsaved dead who will rise in the second resurrection to be “judged.”
The Great White Throne
Judgment described in Revelation 20:11-12 is the period when the vast majority
of mankind (the dead) will be resurrected and given their opportunity to hear
God’s plan of salvation. These billions are those who never heard God’s truth.
They will be judged by their response to the Word of God. At the end of this
period of judgment, God will render a sentence—a verdict—for each individual. Again,
these are those who have not heard the gospel throughout world history.
3. Will there then follow a
resurrection of all the incorrigible dead—all those who refuse to repent?
Revelation 20:13-15...The Sea gave up the dead who were
in it, and Death and Hades (the grave) delivered up the dead who were in them.
And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into
the lake of fire.
This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was
cast into the lake of fire. These are those who heard the gospel and refused to repent
and accept Yeshua’s salvation.
Comment: After the Great White Throne Judgment period, the
incorrigible dead of past ages, who have perished at sea, or on land (the
Greek word for “hell” in verse 13 is hades),
will be resurrected to physical life. They will then be formally judged by God
and sentenced. But what will be their penalty? Is it eternal life in the
torment of gehenna fire? Or, is it extinction and eternal death?
4. All who stubbornly refuse
to repent will be cast into a lake of “fire and brimstone.” Revelation 21:8...But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable,
murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have
their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Notice it says “second death.”
Comment: We saw earlier that the fate of unrepentant sinners is
gehenna fire.
So gehenna and the lake of fire are the same. A very large fire would have the appearance of a fiery lake, hence its description.
5. The fire causes
the death of the wicked. Notice Revelation 21:8 once again. Which death will it
cause? Same verse. But the cowardly, unbelieving,
abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars
shall have their part in the lake which burns
with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Comment: Mortals naturally die once, because we just “wear out”
(Hebrews 9:27). But if anyone dies the second death, that individual will have
been judged by God to be guilty of persistent disobedience and incorrigible
rebellion. The second death will be for all eternity! Just as we have eternal
life the unsaved have eternal death.
6. What are the “wages of
sin”? Romans 6:23...Death! The soul that sins it shall die…Ezekiel 18.20…John
3.18
Comment: Death is the
opposite of life! The final wages the incorrigible may receive is the complete
cessation of life!
7. What does Paul warn will
be the judgment, or sentence, of those who, knowing God’s commands and having
tasted of His way of life, sin willfully—who refuse to repent? Hebrews 10:26-27...For if we sin willfully after we have
received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for
sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will
devour the adversaries--they are “devoured”
by it!
8. Psalm
37:20...But the wicked shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord, Like the
splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away…this
shows that the ultimate fate of the wicked will be destruction by fire. This fire be so
hot that it will burn up—consume—the
wicked…Malachi 4:1...“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all
the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is
coming shall burn
them up, “Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor
branch.
Comment: The biblical “hell fire” will
totally consume the disobedient! Never will they exist again.
The Bible plainly shows that
those who have known God’s truth and willfully disobey and refuse to repent
will reap the wages of sin—which is eternal death! This scripture means what it
says. The attempts by many theologians to explain away death and to interpret
it as mere “separation from God” cannot be reconciled with Scripture.
God Is Love
Why do so many people have a
false concept of “hell”? Because we have
been deceived by our “traditions of men” and do not understand God’s overall
purpose for creating mankind…we have not carefully searched the
scriptures and allowed the Bible to interpret itself.
God’s purpose for man is that
he develop the holy, righteous character of God, which will make him fit to
receive the precious gift of eternal life. God created man out of the dust of
the ground, subject to death, so that if he failed to develop
righteous character, he could—unlike
Satan and the immortal angels who sinned and became demons—be released from
his misery by death. Satan and angels are immortal--they
do not die and will be tormented forever! Rev 20.10
God has no desire to torment
or to torture anyone. God is love (1 John 4:8). He created us mortal for our
own good. He has seen to it that every person ultimately hears the truth and
has a real opportunity for salvation upon sincere repentance, no matter how
terrible his or her sins have been. We are mortal and God will consume the
sinners in the Lake
of Fire.
Return to dust: Body, soul, and spirit.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Genesis 2.7
Then the Lord God formed a
man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life, and the man became a living being. Gen 2.7
By the sweat of your brow you
will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were
taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Gen 3.13
And no man hath ascended up
to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which
is in heaven. John 13.3
…the dust returns to the
ground it came from, and the spirit (breath of God) returns to God who gave it.
Eccl 12.7
When you hide your face, they
are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the
dust. Ps 104.29
All go to the same place; all
come from dust, and to dust all return. Eccl 3.20
All go unto one place; all
are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that
goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Eccl 3.20-21
The word of the LORD
concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the
foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person,
declares: Zechariah 12.1
When their spirit departs,
they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Ps
146.4
When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take
away their breath (spirit), they die and return to
the dust. Ps 104.29
And why dost thou not pardon
my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust;
and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. Job 7.21
So man lieth down, and riseth
not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of
their sleep.
Job 14.12
…Slept with their fathers: 2
Chron 32.33; 33.20
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. Dan 12.2
Consider and
hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of
death; Ps 13.
Resurrection:
When did Yeshua ever teach about dying and
going to heaven? Never!
John 5:28-29...Do
not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the
graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to
the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the
resurrection of condemnation.
So the shipmaster came to
him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God,
if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. Jonah 1.6...very
prophetic of resurrection.
For our citizenship is in
heaven, from where we also look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who
shall transform our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto the body of
his glory, according to the working by which he is also able to subdue all
things unto himself. Philippians 3.20-21
How long wilt thou sleep, O
sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? Prov 9.6...prophetic
…for he knows how we are
formed, he remembers that we are dust. Ps 103.14
But Christ has indeed been
raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 1
Corinthians 15.20
And no man hath ascended up
to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which
is in heaven. John 13.3
For David did not ascend into
the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right
hand
Acts 2.34
Listen, I tell you a mystery:
We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…1 Cor 15.51
After he had said this, he
went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going
there to wake him up.” His disciples
replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” John 11.11-12—
Not dead but sleeps…Matt
9.24; Mark 5.39; Luke 8.52
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin
to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7.60
Then, behold, the veil of the
temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks
were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection,
they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Matt 27.51-53...could these
be the 24 elders in Revelation?
…And hath given him authority
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for
the hour is coming, and all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 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. John 5.27-29
And this is the will of him
that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6.39-40
No man can come to me, except
the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last
day. John 6.44
Whoso eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6.54
The Millennial Kingdom (MK) is the Goal:
But the rest of the dead did
not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first
resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Revelation 20.5-6...the MK on earth.
And he shall send Jesus
Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things (MK), which
God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Acts 3.20-21
...And no man hath ascended
up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man
which is in heaven. John 13.3
But I say unto you, I will
not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it
new with you in my Father's kingdom. Matt 26.29
Heaven is my throne, and
earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is
the place of my rest?…earth is footstool Acts 7.48 - Isaiah 66.1
But the righteousness which
is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend
into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Romans 10.6
For our conversation is in
heaven (our thoughts and mind); from whence also we look for the Savior,
the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself. Phil 3.20-21...so we then enter
the MK. 1Corinthians 15
For they themselves shew of
us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from
idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from
heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us
from the wrath to come. 1 Thess 1.9-10
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: 1 Thess 4.16
Seeing it is a righteous
thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you
who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know
not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Thess 1.6-8
Wherefore we receiving
a kingdom which cannot be moved,
let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly
fear: Hebrews 12.28...MK
Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and
peace, be multiplied.
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (the inheritance in the MK is reserved in writing in heaven
for you!)
Who are kept by the power of
God through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time. Wherein
ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness
through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more
precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be
found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1
Peter 1.2-7
Our hope in
resurrection to an inheritance incorruptible…reserved in the official records
of heaven, God’s HQ.
We sleep in the grave (hades) awaiting
the call of His voice, are resurrected into eternal life, rule and reign with
Him in the Millennial Kingdom, then after a thousand years, the rest of the dead
are resurrected and the White Throne Judgment commences.