According to the
Scriptures there are three heavens. The apostle Paul said, “I know a man
in Christ who fourteen years ago… such a one was caught up to the third
heaven… he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Corinthians 12:2 4). Since
there is a third heaven, it stands to reason that there is also a first
and second heaven. The plural for heaven is used more than one hundred
times in the Bible.
1) It is very clear in the Scriptures that the first heaven is the atmospheric heaven. “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” (Genesis 2:1).
2) Since heaven is “up,” or out beyond the atmosphere, the second heaven would be the stellar heaven, or outer space—reaching up to the heaven of heavens—the very throne of God.
3) Paradise is the same as the third heaven or the heaven of heavens, and is mentioned three times in the Bible:
(a) By Paul when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2 4).
(b) Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). This meant that the thief would go immediately to heaven because he had repented and believed.
(c) In our Lord’s letter to the church at Ephesus, He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). Paradise is also called the heaven of heavens. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! (1 Kings 8:27).
The Bible has more to say about hell than it does about heaven. To deny the fact of hell is to deny that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. That there is an eternal hell where the wicked will be tormented forever and ever is not a religious fable used to scare the wicked into becoming good religious citizens. Hell is biblical fact. There are three words in the Hebrew and Greek that are translated “hell”:
1) Sheol (Hebrew)—generally the temporary abode of the wicked, sometimes grave (O.T.);
2) Hades (Greek)—generally the temporary abode of the wicked (N.T.); agrees with O.T. Sheol;
3) Gehenna (Greek, based on a Hebrew name)—the eternal abode of the wicked (N.T.).
Sheol and Hades are the two names for the intermediate state of the wicked dead. Gehenna is the future abode of the lost. Gehenna will be occupied by the unsaved after the last resurrection and the Great White Throne judgment; “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death [the last enemy 1 Corinthians 15:26] and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death [the last enemy] and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Revelation 20:13, 14)
Gehenna, the eternal abode of the wicked, is found twelve times in the New Testament and is translated “hell” in each case—denoting the eternal torments of the wicked after the last resurrection.
The Lord Jesus used the word Gehenna to warn the wicked of their wicked ways. He said:
1) “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]” (Matthew 10:28).
2) “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell [Gehenna]; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:5).
To deny that there is an eternal hell is to deny the deity of Christ. If we cannot believe what He said about hell, then how can we believe anything He taught? If there is no hell, then Christ is not “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
“Lord, I believe!” (John 9:38).
17-1 Heaven is a Place
(John 14:1 6)
It is a fact that heaven is an actual place. It is as real as the country in which you were born, as real as any place on earth. It is called a “city… whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10), “a better, that is, a heavenly country” (Hebrews 11:16). It is above the earth (1 Kings 8:23), and it is where God the Father dwells (Matthew 5:16). Heaven is called God the Father’s throne (Matthew 5:34); the Lord Jesus Christ is there now, seated with God the Father upon the Father’s eternal, heavenly throne (1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 3:21).
1) Heaven is a place, according to the Lord Jesus Christ. The words of the present text were spoken by our Lord to His troubled disciples the night before He was to die on the cross. They were, and are, words of comfort and hope to all true disciples. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled” (v. 1). He knew their hearts, their sorrows, and He also knew of the faith they had in God the Father. He called upon them to have the exact same faith in Him, God the Son, that they had in God the Father. “You believe in God [the Father], believe also in Me [God the Son]” (v. 1).
After His death, burial, and resurrection, the disciples gained this faith and lost their fearing, troubled hearts. The Scripture says, “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the [risen] Lord… [for now they believed] that Jesus is the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of God” (John 20:19 31). To believe that heaven is a place requires faith in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Asserting His deity, Jesus continued to encourage His disciples by saying, “Believe also in Me” (v. 1), and telling them about heaven. Paraphrased, He was saying, “Before you can believe what I am telling you about heaven, you must first believe in Me as you believe in God the Father.” He went on to say:
a) “In My Father’s house are many mansions [habitable places]” (v. 2). Heaven is a place where we can live and make our eternal home.
b) “I go to prepare a place for you” (v. 2). After His resurrection, the disciples saw Him ascend back into heaven whence He came (Acts 1:9 11; cf. John 8:23). Heaven is a prepared place for every born again believer (John 3:36).
c) “I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (v. 3; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 18).
d) “I am the way” to heaven, “the truth” about heaven, “and the life” of heaven for all believers (v. 6).
e) “No one comes to the Father [in heaven] except through Me” (v. 6, cf. Acts 4:12).
2) Heaven is a place, according to the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6;1 8).
3) Heaven is a place, according to the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:1 4).
4) Heaven is a place, according to the apostle John (Revelation 4:1 11).
Our Lord called heaven a place twice in the present text, emphasizing that it is a real, eternal dwelling place with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7).
17-2 Heaven is the Saint’s Place
(Colossians 3:1 4)
We have already seen that heaven is a place prepared for the saints of God. A saint is one who, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, has been spiritually born into the family of God. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). We become saints when “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7); at the same time the blood of Jesus Christ sanctifies—sets the believer apart for His purpose (Hebrews 13:12).
1) The Corinthian church had many doctrinal and moral imperfections. Both of Paul’s letters to this church were written to correct their transgressions. He began both epistles reminding them that in spite of their spiritual inadequacies they were:
a) in “the church of God”;
b) “sanctified in Christ Jesus”;
c) “called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2; cf. 2 Corinthians 1:1).
The Corinthian believers were saints by virtue of the fact that by faith they were, in Christ, sanctified—set apart for heaven.
2) Writing to the Colossians, Paul said, “If then you were raised with Christ,
a) “Seek those [heavenly] things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (v. 1). Christ, after His resurrection, entered into heaven itself, “now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). Therefore, as saints, we have “boldness to enter into the holiest [heaven] by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19), to seek heavenly things.
“For through Him [Christ] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). The least saint has access into the very presence of God in heaven, to seek every heavenly blessing that God offers to the greatest saint. We do not have to wait until after death to enjoy some of the heavenly benefits—they can be ours now.
b) “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (v. 2). Earthly things are temporal, but heavenly things are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). James warns saints not to be double minded. He said that a doubter is a “double minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Jesus declared, “No one can serve two master… You cannot serve God and mammon [money]” (Matthew 6:24).
c) “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3). Before you became a saint, you were dead to God in sin (Isaiah 59:1, 2; Ephesians 2:1 6). Now you are a saint, dead to sin in God. As saints in God we are to regard ourselves as “dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11). Count it so, because it is so according to the Scriptures. (Romans 6:6, 7; Galatians 2:20)
Now we come to the saint’s heavenly safety. First, the saint’s life is “hidden with Christ”—this is safety. Second, the saint’s life is “hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3)—this is double safety. Third, the saint is “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13, 14)—this is triple safety. The believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit, hidden with Christ in God. This is heavenly safety in the Holy Trinity. To strengthen your faith in this heavenly fact see John 10:27 29 and Romans 8:35¬-39.
d) “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (v. 4). The saints will bask in the glory of God forever and ever. The following great prophetic events will occur after Christ’s second coming, but before the new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem:
i) The rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13 17).
ii) The seven years of Tribulation (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:8¬-31).
iii) The conversion of Israel (Ezekiel 20:34 38; 37:1 28). This is the spiritual resurrection of those from the twelve tribes who are alive and receive the gospel during the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 12:10 13:1; Romans 11:26; Revelation 7:1 17).
iv) The judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).
v) The marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6 9).
vi) The second coming of Christ. At the end of the seven years of Tribulation, Christ will return to this earth with His bride to end the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13 16; 19:17 19; cf. Zechariah 14:3; Matthew 24:21, 22, 29, 30).
vii) The doom of the Beast and the False Prophet (Revelation 19:20).
viii) Satan bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2, 3).
ix) The judgment of the nations. At the beginning of the Millennium, the Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living nations (Matthew 25:31 46).
x) The kingdom reign of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:6; cf. Isaiah 9:6, 7).
xi) Satan released from the bottomless pit. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit to go out and deceive the unsaved of the kingdom, after which God will destroy them with fire from heaven (Revelation 20:7 9).
xii) Satan cast into the lake of fire. He, along with the Beast and the False Prophet, “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
xiii) The Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11 15).
xiv) The destruction of the present heaven and earth by fire (2 Peter 3:10 12).
xv) The new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1, 2). This is the end of the old world system and the beginning of the new—“Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
17-3 Heaven is an Eternal Place
(Isaiah 65:17)
Isaiah is the only Old Testament prophet who permits us a glimpse of the new heavens and the new earth that the Lord will create after the Millennium. God spoke to Isaiah saying, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth” (v. 17). In Isaiah 65:18 25 God allowed Isaiah to foresee some of the characteristics of the Millennium which would precede the “new heavens and a new earth.” About 790 years after Isaiah’s prophecy, the Lord revealed even more of this heavenly vision to the apostle John and enlarged the scope of this heavenly Revelation (Revelation 21:1 22:9). John wrote, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1, 2).
The new heaven, the new earth and the New Jerusalem are the beginning of God’s eternal kingdom—including heaven on earth. It is not the Millennium viewed in retrospect. This future kingdom will come to an end after one thousand years (Revelation 20:7). But the inhabitants of the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem, along with the new things God will create, will never end, but “shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). Revelation chapters 21 and 22 are not a recapitulation of the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1 15); they describe a new eternal order.
1) The New Heaven. God will create a new, pure atmosphere for His new earth and New Jerusalem. No longer will Satan be the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2); the air will be clean and there will be no more storms. Satan and all his demons will be in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
2) The New Earth. Under the curse of sin (Genesis 3:17 19) the old earth will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:10). The Lord will create a new earth and there will be no more sea (Revelation 21:1). With the curse lifted, every foot of the earth will become suitable for habitation. The new heaven and the new earth will then be ready for the Holy City.
3) The New Jerusalem. The old Jerusalem, which was built by man, will be destroyed by fire with the rest of the earth. The New Jerusalem will be the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2, 3). The New Jerusalem is the bride’s eternal dwelling place, created for her by the Lord Jesus Christ. “ ‘One of the seven angels” spoke to John saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ And he [the angel] carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:9, 10). The bride, the Lamb’s wife, will be in the New Jerusalem when it descends from heaven, to become the capital of heaven on earth. John describes the New Jerusalem magnificently (Revelation 21:9 27).
a) The dimensions. The exact specifications defy comprehension: 12,000 furlongs (or 1,500 miles) square. “Its length, breadth, and height are equal.” Try to visualize a city of “pure gold, like clear [flawless] glass,” 6,000 miles around and 1,500 miles high—in square miles covering more than half of the United States (Revelation 21:15 18). Many believe the city will be in the shape of a pyramid, others, in the form of a cube.
b) The wall. It “had a great and high wall” (216 feet tall) made of jasper, a pure stone believed to be diamond. Each of the four walls will have three gates with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written thereon. Each of the twelve gates, which shall never be closed, will be made of pearl, with an angel at each gate. (Revelation 21:12, 17, 21, 25)
c) The foundations. The wall will have twelve foundations, adorned with many assorted precious stones; on the foundations will be the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:14, 19, 20).
d) The street. “The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21).
e) The temple. There will be no structural temple in the new heaven, new earth, or the New Jerusalem. John said, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). Therefore, this new heaven and new earth are not a kingdom viewed in retrospect, for there will be a newly structured temple in the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27), and in the Millennium (Revelation 15:8).
f) The river of life. “And he [the angel] showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). This crystal river of life will flow out from the New Jerusalem to the nations of the new earth.
g) The tree of life. “On either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month” (Revelation 22:1, 2; Genesis 3:24). Yes, we will eat and drink in heaven.
h) The new eternal light. This new heaven on earth will have a new light. It will be “like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11, 23, 24). The glory of God will light the city, and the nations. “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). The glory of God’s essence will light the heaven, the earth, and the Holy City. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse of His glory on the mountain when He talked with Moses and Elijah, where He “was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:1 3). In God’s new order, the bride and the nations of the world will bask in the effulgence of His glory, which will be the eternal light of the world. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). “There shall be no night there” (Revelation 22:5)—we will never need to sleep in heaven because God will be with His people forever and ever. That eternal light will radiate from the throne of God, in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:3, 23; 22:3).
4) The inhabitants of the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem are to be:
a) God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7);
b) The bride of Christ, the church, who will dwell in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9, 10);
c) The Old Testament saints who will occupy the new earth (Isaiah 65:22; Hebrews 11:10, 13 16; Revelation 21:3);
d) The Tribulation and millennial saints who will also occupy the heaven on earth outside the New Jerusalem—the eternal home of the bride of Christ (Matthew 25:31 46). All the inhabitants of the new earth will have eternal access to the Holy City, where the twelve gates of pearl will never be closed (Revelation 21:24 26);
e) Angels who will worship and serve God (Hebrews 12:22, 23). They will also serve the bride and the nations.
The Lamb’s wife and the nations will be busy worshiping and serving the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will have perfect bodies, and therefore perfect brains. Throughout eternity we will be learning about all the wonders of our God. Paul said, “That in the ages to come [heaven] He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4). It will take ages upon ages for God to show us the greatness of His grace.
5) In the new heaven “there shall be no more curse” on man, beast, or the earth (Revelation 22:3 5; Genesis 3:14 19).
a) There will be no tears or crying (Revelation 21:4). There will never be a reason to cry.
b) There will be no more death or separation (Revelation 21:4; Romans 8:38, 39). Death is man’s last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26).
c) There will be no sorrow, pain, or suffering, “for the former things have passed away” forever and ever (Revelation 21:4).
d) There will be no sin or sinners (Revelation 21:7, 8; 22:14, 15); only those who by faith have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9 17; 1 Peter 1:18, 19), “who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27).
When John saw and heard all this, he said, “Amen. Even so [he prayed], come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). We shall see our God face to face, and reign with Him forever and ever (Revelation 22:4, 5).
17-4 Hell is a Place
(Psalm 9:17)
When we say that the Bible teaches that hell is an actual place, we are not using a figure of speech, a religious simile, or a metaphor; we are speaking of hell as a reality, in a real place, for real people who reject the only true God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:36).
Let us look at some of the biblical concepts that speak of the ultimate fate of the wicked dead in the place called hell:
1) Sheol—the Old Testament Hebrew word for hell. “The wicked shall be turned into hell” (v. 17). In some Scriptures, Sheol means the grave. For example, Jacob said, “For I shall go down into the grave [Sheol] to my son in mourning” (Genesis 37:35). It is obvious in this text that Sheol refers to the grave, and it is just as clear in other texts that Sheol refers to the place for the spirits of wicked mankind, e. g., “The wicked shall be turned into hell [Sheol]” (v. 17). This Sheol is the temporary abode of the wicked dead.
2) Hades—the New Testament Greek word for hell. “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes” (Luke 16:23). Hades in the New Testament is the same as Sheol in the Old Testament. Sheol, or Hades, is the place where the spirits of the wicked dead are tormented until the last resurrection (Revelation 20:13). The sea and the graves will give up the dead bodies of the wicked, Sheol Hades will give up the spirits, and every body, soul, and spirit of the wicked dead will stand before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne to be judged. (Revelation 20:11 15; John 5:22).
3) Gehenna—Greek for the ever burning fires in the Valley of Hinnom, a deep narrow valley just south of Jerusalem where the people of Judah sacrificed their children to the god Moloch (Jeremiah 32:35; cf.. 19:2 6). The Valley of Hinnom later became a dumping place for trash and putrefying matter which was offensive to sight and smell. In the Valley of Hinnom the fires burned day and night. It became a prototype of eternal hell fire. Jesus, in His teachings, often warned the sinner of the results of sin, illustrating hell as an eternal place of fire and brimstone—a perpetual burning (Matthew 5:22). Jesus said, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him [God, not Satan], who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell [Gehenna]; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:5)
17-5 Hell is the Sinner’s Place
(Acts 1:25)
After Judas betrayed Jesus and saw that He was condemned to die on the cross, he “was remorseful.” He returned to the chief priest and elders and tried to make restitution. Confessing his guilt, he said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Then he cast down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, at the feet of the chief priest, “and went and hanged himself’ (Matthew 27:3 8), “that he might go to his own place” (v. 25). Hell is the sinner’s own place of torment (Luke 16:23).
While the Upper Room congregation waited for Pentecost, they prayed that God would choose one to take the place of Judas. They prayed, “Show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place” (vv. 24, 25). The question is often asked, “Was Judas ever saved?” Keep in mind that Judas was one of the Twelve. He was an apostle. He sat at the feet of Jesus and was taught the Good News of salvation for three and a half years. He saw Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead, open blind eyes, walk on the water, and feed five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish. He was among the twelve disciples who were given power to cast out demons, heal all manner of sickness, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and preach the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 10:1 8). Judas did all of this, but he was never saved (Matthew 7:21 23). Judas fell, but not from salvation. He fell from the ministry and from apostleship. Salvation is not in question in verse 25.
Jesus taught in Capernaum, saying, “ ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [symbolically], you have no life in you…’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve” (John 6:53 71).
Jesus chose Judas even though He knew that this man would sell Him for the price of a slave and thus would fulfill prophecy (Zechariah 11:12, 13). Judas is mentioned again in the Lord’s Prayer. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). He is called “the son of perdition” (utter destruction, the son of hell). Judas was never saved. After fulfilling prophecy, he went out and hanged himself, that he might go to his own place of torment.
17-6 Hell is an Eternal Place
(Matthew 25:41)
This is the final hell. It was not prepared for mankind. God prepared it for Satan and his angels. They have no choice, but you must make a choice—either Satan’s prepared hell or the believers’ prepared heaven (John 14:1 6). Christ the Judge will say to the living wicked at the judgment, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). The wicked will know that they are in hell by choice; this will make their hell more hellish.
At the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ, the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20). Satan will be bound by chains and imprisoned during this Millennium in the bottomless pit. “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations” (Revelation 20:7 9), and lead them to fight against God. Just as God rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24 29), once again He will send fire from heaven on those wicked nations who think that, with the help of Satan, they can overthrow God and His kingdom.
Then Satan will be cast into hell, the lake of fire, where the Antichrist and the False Prophet will still be alive after one thousand years. The evil triad will at last be together in their eternal abode, where “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). This is proof that the eternal fires of hell do not annihilate the body, soul, or spirit of man or angels. Hell is a place of eternal torment.
At the Last Judgment, all of the wicked dead will be resurrected and will stand in body, soul, and spirit before God at the Great White Throne. White represents holiness, righteousness, and purity. Christ will be the Judge (John 5:22). When the wicked see Him in His resurrected, glorified human body, they will know that He has every right to judge them and cast them into the lake of fire along with their gods, the evil triad.
The lake of fire is called the second death. The first death began in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were separated from God by sin. Christ, the last Adam, was born of a virgin and was given a complete human nature without sin, so that on Calvary He could be our substitute, and that those who trust in Him may be made righteous with the righteousness of Christ, make heaven their home (2 Corinthians 5:21) and escape the lake of fire, the second death (Revelation 20:11 15).
17-7 You Must Choose: Heaven or Hell
(Luke 16:19 31)
We have already seen that hell is a prepared place for the Devil (Satan) and his angels (Matthew 25:41), and is the destiny of all who do the will of their father, the Devil (John 8:44). Satan is the spiritual father of all who reject the God Man.
Just one day before His death, Jesus said to the eleven depressed disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God [the Father], believe also in Me [God the Son]” (John 14:1). Earlier, in the temple at the Feast of Dedication, some of the Jews had come to Jesus and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus had answered, “I and My Father are one.” At this they prepared to stone Him (John 10:22 31). Why? Because when He said, “I and My Father are one,” He was claiming equality with God the Father. “I and My Father are one” in unity, essence, substance, authority, power, and eternity; but not one person. This is what He meant when He later said, “You believe in God, believe also in Me.”
After thus reminding His disciples of who He was, He assured them, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Heaven is a place, somewhere in God’s universe, that is prepared for His believing people (2 Corinthians 11:2), the body of Christ (Romans 12:4, 5).
You have a choice: Either you must choose eternal life with Christ in the place that He is preparing for all who will by faith accept Him as their personal Savior, or you must choose eternal death with Satan in the hell prepared for him and his angels (John 3:16 18). In its full biblical meaning, death is not annihilation; it is separation. Hell is called “the second death” (Revelation 21:8); to experience this second death is to be eternally separated from the mercy, grace, and love of God forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). The love of God does not extend beyond the gates of hell. In Satan’s hell there is no love, no fellowship, no hope.
You have a choice of one of two ways (Matthew 7:13, 14):
1) The broad way that leads to eternal hell. This way seems to be right to lost mankind, but the end of the broad way is eternal separation from God (Proverbs 14:12).
2) The narrow way that leads to eternal life in heaven. Jesus Christ is the narrow way. He is the only way (Acts 4:12)—the only way to God the Father, the only way to heaven (John 14:6).
YOU HAVE A CHOICE!
Master Outline 17 – Heaven and Hell
[1] According to the Scripture there are how many heavens?
[2] The plural for Heaven is used more than how many times in the Bible?
[3] Describe the three (3) Heavens.
1.
2.
3.
[4] The Bible has more to say about Heaven than between Hell. TRUE or FALSE.
[5] List the three (3) words there are in the Hebrew and Greek languages for “HELL”?
Explain.
1.
2.
3.
[6] Explain the statement “To deny that there is an eternal Hell is to deny the Deity of Christ.”
[7] Is Heaven a real place? YES or NO. Explain.
[8] Heaven is called God the Father’s _________________________________________.
[9] What words of comfort about Heaven did Jesus give to His disciples the night before He was to die on the cross?
[10] To believe that Heaven is a place requires what?
[11] What three (3) things did Jesus say He was about Heaven?
1.
2.
3.
[12] Heaven is a ______________________ place and a ______________________ place.
[13] A “saint” is what?
[14] What three (3) things did Paul remind the Corinthians of as he opened his letter to them?
1.
2.
3.
[15] What was Paul talking about in Colossians 3:2 when he said “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth?”
[16] Explain how Jesus Christ was a perfect example concerning the mind?
[17] In His mind, what four (4) attributes did Jesus demonstrate?
1.
2.
3.
4.
[18] As saints in God how are we to regard ourselves to sin?
[19] What is the saint’s triple Heavenly safety?
1.
2.
3.
[20] Isaiah is the only Old Testament prophet who permits us a glimpse of what?
[21] What three (3) things signify the beginning of God’s eternal kingdom?
1.
2.
3.
[22] The New Jerusalem is the __________________ eternal dwelling place created for
_____________________ By the Lord Jesus Christ.
[23] What did one of the seven angels tell John to come view?
[24] What are the dimensions of the New Jerusalem?
[25] Will there be night in Heaven?
[26] What five (5) things will be no more in Heaven?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[27] Describe what the word “SHEOL” means.
[28] What does the word “HADES” teach us?
[29] How is Gehenna different than Sheol or Hades?
[30] What place were the disciples talking about in Acts 1:24-25 when they said, “Show which of these two you have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place?”
[31] What is the definition of “the son of perdition?”
[32] Was Hell prepared for mankind?
[33] What will make Hell more hellish?
[34] What Evil Triad will be together in Hell?
1.
2.
3.
[35] The “White” of the Great White Throne represents what three (3) things?
1.
2.
3.
[36] If the lake of fire is the second death, where was the first?
[37] Satan is the spiritual father of all who ______________________________.
[38] What six (6) things did Jesus mean He and His Father were one in?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
[39] In Satan’s Hell, there is not _____________________, no _______________________, and
No _____________________________.
[40] Where does the “broad” way lead?
Where does the “narrow” way lead?
1) It is very clear in the Scriptures that the first heaven is the atmospheric heaven. “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished” (Genesis 2:1).
2) Since heaven is “up,” or out beyond the atmosphere, the second heaven would be the stellar heaven, or outer space—reaching up to the heaven of heavens—the very throne of God.
3) Paradise is the same as the third heaven or the heaven of heavens, and is mentioned three times in the Bible:
(a) By Paul when he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2 4).
(b) Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). This meant that the thief would go immediately to heaven because he had repented and believed.
(c) In our Lord’s letter to the church at Ephesus, He said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). Paradise is also called the heaven of heavens. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! (1 Kings 8:27).
The Bible has more to say about hell than it does about heaven. To deny the fact of hell is to deny that the Bible is the infallible Word of God. That there is an eternal hell where the wicked will be tormented forever and ever is not a religious fable used to scare the wicked into becoming good religious citizens. Hell is biblical fact. There are three words in the Hebrew and Greek that are translated “hell”:
1) Sheol (Hebrew)—generally the temporary abode of the wicked, sometimes grave (O.T.);
2) Hades (Greek)—generally the temporary abode of the wicked (N.T.); agrees with O.T. Sheol;
3) Gehenna (Greek, based on a Hebrew name)—the eternal abode of the wicked (N.T.).
Sheol and Hades are the two names for the intermediate state of the wicked dead. Gehenna is the future abode of the lost. Gehenna will be occupied by the unsaved after the last resurrection and the Great White Throne judgment; “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death [the last enemy 1 Corinthians 15:26] and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death [the last enemy] and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Revelation 20:13, 14)
Gehenna, the eternal abode of the wicked, is found twelve times in the New Testament and is translated “hell” in each case—denoting the eternal torments of the wicked after the last resurrection.
The Lord Jesus used the word Gehenna to warn the wicked of their wicked ways. He said:
1) “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]” (Matthew 10:28).
2) “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell [Gehenna]; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:5).
To deny that there is an eternal hell is to deny the deity of Christ. If we cannot believe what He said about hell, then how can we believe anything He taught? If there is no hell, then Christ is not “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
“Lord, I believe!” (John 9:38).
17-1 Heaven is a Place
(John 14:1 6)
It is a fact that heaven is an actual place. It is as real as the country in which you were born, as real as any place on earth. It is called a “city… whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10), “a better, that is, a heavenly country” (Hebrews 11:16). It is above the earth (1 Kings 8:23), and it is where God the Father dwells (Matthew 5:16). Heaven is called God the Father’s throne (Matthew 5:34); the Lord Jesus Christ is there now, seated with God the Father upon the Father’s eternal, heavenly throne (1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 3:21).
1) Heaven is a place, according to the Lord Jesus Christ. The words of the present text were spoken by our Lord to His troubled disciples the night before He was to die on the cross. They were, and are, words of comfort and hope to all true disciples. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled” (v. 1). He knew their hearts, their sorrows, and He also knew of the faith they had in God the Father. He called upon them to have the exact same faith in Him, God the Son, that they had in God the Father. “You believe in God [the Father], believe also in Me [God the Son]” (v. 1).
After His death, burial, and resurrection, the disciples gained this faith and lost their fearing, troubled hearts. The Scripture says, “Then the disciples were glad when they saw the [risen] Lord… [for now they believed] that Jesus is the Christ [the Messiah], the Son of God” (John 20:19 31). To believe that heaven is a place requires faith in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Asserting His deity, Jesus continued to encourage His disciples by saying, “Believe also in Me” (v. 1), and telling them about heaven. Paraphrased, He was saying, “Before you can believe what I am telling you about heaven, you must first believe in Me as you believe in God the Father.” He went on to say:
a) “In My Father’s house are many mansions [habitable places]” (v. 2). Heaven is a place where we can live and make our eternal home.
b) “I go to prepare a place for you” (v. 2). After His resurrection, the disciples saw Him ascend back into heaven whence He came (Acts 1:9 11; cf. John 8:23). Heaven is a prepared place for every born again believer (John 3:36).
c) “I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (v. 3; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 18).
d) “I am the way” to heaven, “the truth” about heaven, “and the life” of heaven for all believers (v. 6).
e) “No one comes to the Father [in heaven] except through Me” (v. 6, cf. Acts 4:12).
2) Heaven is a place, according to the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6;1 8).
3) Heaven is a place, according to the apostle Paul (2 Corinthians 12:1 4).
4) Heaven is a place, according to the apostle John (Revelation 4:1 11).
Our Lord called heaven a place twice in the present text, emphasizing that it is a real, eternal dwelling place with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7).
17-2 Heaven is the Saint’s Place
(Colossians 3:1 4)
We have already seen that heaven is a place prepared for the saints of God. A saint is one who, by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, has been spiritually born into the family of God. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26). We become saints when “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7); at the same time the blood of Jesus Christ sanctifies—sets the believer apart for His purpose (Hebrews 13:12).
1) The Corinthian church had many doctrinal and moral imperfections. Both of Paul’s letters to this church were written to correct their transgressions. He began both epistles reminding them that in spite of their spiritual inadequacies they were:
a) in “the church of God”;
b) “sanctified in Christ Jesus”;
c) “called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2; cf. 2 Corinthians 1:1).
The Corinthian believers were saints by virtue of the fact that by faith they were, in Christ, sanctified—set apart for heaven.
2) Writing to the Colossians, Paul said, “If then you were raised with Christ,
a) “Seek those [heavenly] things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” (v. 1). Christ, after His resurrection, entered into heaven itself, “now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Hebrews 9:24). Therefore, as saints, we have “boldness to enter into the holiest [heaven] by the blood of Jesus” (Hebrews 10:19), to seek heavenly things.
“For through Him [Christ] we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] to the Father” (Ephesians 2:18). The least saint has access into the very presence of God in heaven, to seek every heavenly blessing that God offers to the greatest saint. We do not have to wait until after death to enjoy some of the heavenly benefits—they can be ours now.
b) “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth” (v. 2). Earthly things are temporal, but heavenly things are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). James warns saints not to be double minded. He said that a doubter is a “double minded man, unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8). Jesus declared, “No one can serve two master… You cannot serve God and mammon [money]” (Matthew 6:24).
c) “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3). Before you became a saint, you were dead to God in sin (Isaiah 59:1, 2; Ephesians 2:1 6). Now you are a saint, dead to sin in God. As saints in God we are to regard ourselves as “dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11). Count it so, because it is so according to the Scriptures. (Romans 6:6, 7; Galatians 2:20)
Now we come to the saint’s heavenly safety. First, the saint’s life is “hidden with Christ”—this is safety. Second, the saint’s life is “hidden with Christ in God” (v. 3)—this is double safety. Third, the saint is “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13, 14)—this is triple safety. The believer is sealed by the Holy Spirit, hidden with Christ in God. This is heavenly safety in the Holy Trinity. To strengthen your faith in this heavenly fact see John 10:27 29 and Romans 8:35¬-39.
d) “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (v. 4). The saints will bask in the glory of God forever and ever. The following great prophetic events will occur after Christ’s second coming, but before the new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem:
i) The rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13 17).
ii) The seven years of Tribulation (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:8¬-31).
iii) The conversion of Israel (Ezekiel 20:34 38; 37:1 28). This is the spiritual resurrection of those from the twelve tribes who are alive and receive the gospel during the Great Tribulation (Zechariah 12:10 13:1; Romans 11:26; Revelation 7:1 17).
iv) The judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).
v) The marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6 9).
vi) The second coming of Christ. At the end of the seven years of Tribulation, Christ will return to this earth with His bride to end the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:13 16; 19:17 19; cf. Zechariah 14:3; Matthew 24:21, 22, 29, 30).
vii) The doom of the Beast and the False Prophet (Revelation 19:20).
viii) Satan bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2, 3).
ix) The judgment of the nations. At the beginning of the Millennium, the Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living nations (Matthew 25:31 46).
x) The kingdom reign of the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:6; cf. Isaiah 9:6, 7).
xi) Satan released from the bottomless pit. At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit to go out and deceive the unsaved of the kingdom, after which God will destroy them with fire from heaven (Revelation 20:7 9).
xii) Satan cast into the lake of fire. He, along with the Beast and the False Prophet, “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).
xiii) The Great White Throne judgment (Revelation 20:11 15).
xiv) The destruction of the present heaven and earth by fire (2 Peter 3:10 12).
xv) The new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1, 2). This is the end of the old world system and the beginning of the new—“Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
17-3 Heaven is an Eternal Place
(Isaiah 65:17)
Isaiah is the only Old Testament prophet who permits us a glimpse of the new heavens and the new earth that the Lord will create after the Millennium. God spoke to Isaiah saying, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth” (v. 17). In Isaiah 65:18 25 God allowed Isaiah to foresee some of the characteristics of the Millennium which would precede the “new heavens and a new earth.” About 790 years after Isaiah’s prophecy, the Lord revealed even more of this heavenly vision to the apostle John and enlarged the scope of this heavenly Revelation (Revelation 21:1 22:9). John wrote, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1, 2).
The new heaven, the new earth and the New Jerusalem are the beginning of God’s eternal kingdom—including heaven on earth. It is not the Millennium viewed in retrospect. This future kingdom will come to an end after one thousand years (Revelation 20:7). But the inhabitants of the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem, along with the new things God will create, will never end, but “shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). Revelation chapters 21 and 22 are not a recapitulation of the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1 15); they describe a new eternal order.
1) The New Heaven. God will create a new, pure atmosphere for His new earth and New Jerusalem. No longer will Satan be the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2); the air will be clean and there will be no more storms. Satan and all his demons will be in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
2) The New Earth. Under the curse of sin (Genesis 3:17 19) the old earth will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:10). The Lord will create a new earth and there will be no more sea (Revelation 21:1). With the curse lifted, every foot of the earth will become suitable for habitation. The new heaven and the new earth will then be ready for the Holy City.
3) The New Jerusalem. The old Jerusalem, which was built by man, will be destroyed by fire with the rest of the earth. The New Jerusalem will be the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. He said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2, 3). The New Jerusalem is the bride’s eternal dwelling place, created for her by the Lord Jesus Christ. “ ‘One of the seven angels” spoke to John saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ And he [the angel] carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Revelation 21:9, 10). The bride, the Lamb’s wife, will be in the New Jerusalem when it descends from heaven, to become the capital of heaven on earth. John describes the New Jerusalem magnificently (Revelation 21:9 27).
a) The dimensions. The exact specifications defy comprehension: 12,000 furlongs (or 1,500 miles) square. “Its length, breadth, and height are equal.” Try to visualize a city of “pure gold, like clear [flawless] glass,” 6,000 miles around and 1,500 miles high—in square miles covering more than half of the United States (Revelation 21:15 18). Many believe the city will be in the shape of a pyramid, others, in the form of a cube.
b) The wall. It “had a great and high wall” (216 feet tall) made of jasper, a pure stone believed to be diamond. Each of the four walls will have three gates with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel written thereon. Each of the twelve gates, which shall never be closed, will be made of pearl, with an angel at each gate. (Revelation 21:12, 17, 21, 25)
c) The foundations. The wall will have twelve foundations, adorned with many assorted precious stones; on the foundations will be the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:14, 19, 20).
d) The street. “The street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21).
e) The temple. There will be no structural temple in the new heaven, new earth, or the New Jerusalem. John said, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). Therefore, this new heaven and new earth are not a kingdom viewed in retrospect, for there will be a newly structured temple in the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27), and in the Millennium (Revelation 15:8).
f) The river of life. “And he [the angel] showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). This crystal river of life will flow out from the New Jerusalem to the nations of the new earth.
g) The tree of life. “On either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month” (Revelation 22:1, 2; Genesis 3:24). Yes, we will eat and drink in heaven.
h) The new eternal light. This new heaven on earth will have a new light. It will be “like a jasper stone, clear as crystal” (Revelation 21:11, 23, 24). The glory of God will light the city, and the nations. “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5). The glory of God’s essence will light the heaven, the earth, and the Holy City. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Peter, James, and John a glimpse of His glory on the mountain when He talked with Moses and Elijah, where He “was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matthew 17:1 3). In God’s new order, the bride and the nations of the world will bask in the effulgence of His glory, which will be the eternal light of the world. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). “There shall be no night there” (Revelation 22:5)—we will never need to sleep in heaven because God will be with His people forever and ever. That eternal light will radiate from the throne of God, in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:3, 23; 22:3).
4) The inhabitants of the new heaven, the new earth, and the New Jerusalem are to be:
a) God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (1 John 5:7);
b) The bride of Christ, the church, who will dwell in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9, 10);
c) The Old Testament saints who will occupy the new earth (Isaiah 65:22; Hebrews 11:10, 13 16; Revelation 21:3);
d) The Tribulation and millennial saints who will also occupy the heaven on earth outside the New Jerusalem—the eternal home of the bride of Christ (Matthew 25:31 46). All the inhabitants of the new earth will have eternal access to the Holy City, where the twelve gates of pearl will never be closed (Revelation 21:24 26);
e) Angels who will worship and serve God (Hebrews 12:22, 23). They will also serve the bride and the nations.
The Lamb’s wife and the nations will be busy worshiping and serving the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will have perfect bodies, and therefore perfect brains. Throughout eternity we will be learning about all the wonders of our God. Paul said, “That in the ages to come [heaven] He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:4). It will take ages upon ages for God to show us the greatness of His grace.
5) In the new heaven “there shall be no more curse” on man, beast, or the earth (Revelation 22:3 5; Genesis 3:14 19).
a) There will be no tears or crying (Revelation 21:4). There will never be a reason to cry.
b) There will be no more death or separation (Revelation 21:4; Romans 8:38, 39). Death is man’s last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26).
c) There will be no sorrow, pain, or suffering, “for the former things have passed away” forever and ever (Revelation 21:4).
d) There will be no sin or sinners (Revelation 21:7, 8; 22:14, 15); only those who by faith have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9 17; 1 Peter 1:18, 19), “who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:27).
When John saw and heard all this, he said, “Amen. Even so [he prayed], come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). We shall see our God face to face, and reign with Him forever and ever (Revelation 22:4, 5).
17-4 Hell is a Place
(Psalm 9:17)
When we say that the Bible teaches that hell is an actual place, we are not using a figure of speech, a religious simile, or a metaphor; we are speaking of hell as a reality, in a real place, for real people who reject the only true God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:36).
Let us look at some of the biblical concepts that speak of the ultimate fate of the wicked dead in the place called hell:
1) Sheol—the Old Testament Hebrew word for hell. “The wicked shall be turned into hell” (v. 17). In some Scriptures, Sheol means the grave. For example, Jacob said, “For I shall go down into the grave [Sheol] to my son in mourning” (Genesis 37:35). It is obvious in this text that Sheol refers to the grave, and it is just as clear in other texts that Sheol refers to the place for the spirits of wicked mankind, e. g., “The wicked shall be turned into hell [Sheol]” (v. 17). This Sheol is the temporary abode of the wicked dead.
2) Hades—the New Testament Greek word for hell. “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes” (Luke 16:23). Hades in the New Testament is the same as Sheol in the Old Testament. Sheol, or Hades, is the place where the spirits of the wicked dead are tormented until the last resurrection (Revelation 20:13). The sea and the graves will give up the dead bodies of the wicked, Sheol Hades will give up the spirits, and every body, soul, and spirit of the wicked dead will stand before Jesus Christ at the Great White Throne to be judged. (Revelation 20:11 15; John 5:22).
3) Gehenna—Greek for the ever burning fires in the Valley of Hinnom, a deep narrow valley just south of Jerusalem where the people of Judah sacrificed their children to the god Moloch (Jeremiah 32:35; cf.. 19:2 6). The Valley of Hinnom later became a dumping place for trash and putrefying matter which was offensive to sight and smell. In the Valley of Hinnom the fires burned day and night. It became a prototype of eternal hell fire. Jesus, in His teachings, often warned the sinner of the results of sin, illustrating hell as an eternal place of fire and brimstone—a perpetual burning (Matthew 5:22). Jesus said, “I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him [God, not Satan], who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell [Gehenna]; yes, I say to you, fear Him! (Luke 12:5)
17-5 Hell is the Sinner’s Place
(Acts 1:25)
After Judas betrayed Jesus and saw that He was condemned to die on the cross, he “was remorseful.” He returned to the chief priest and elders and tried to make restitution. Confessing his guilt, he said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Then he cast down the thirty pieces of silver in the temple, at the feet of the chief priest, “and went and hanged himself’ (Matthew 27:3 8), “that he might go to his own place” (v. 25). Hell is the sinner’s own place of torment (Luke 16:23).
While the Upper Room congregation waited for Pentecost, they prayed that God would choose one to take the place of Judas. They prayed, “Show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place” (vv. 24, 25). The question is often asked, “Was Judas ever saved?” Keep in mind that Judas was one of the Twelve. He was an apostle. He sat at the feet of Jesus and was taught the Good News of salvation for three and a half years. He saw Jesus heal the sick, raise the dead, open blind eyes, walk on the water, and feed five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish. He was among the twelve disciples who were given power to cast out demons, heal all manner of sickness, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and preach the gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 10:1 8). Judas did all of this, but he was never saved (Matthew 7:21 23). Judas fell, but not from salvation. He fell from the ministry and from apostleship. Salvation is not in question in verse 25.
Jesus taught in Capernaum, saying, “ ‘Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [symbolically], you have no life in you…’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve” (John 6:53 71).
Jesus chose Judas even though He knew that this man would sell Him for the price of a slave and thus would fulfill prophecy (Zechariah 11:12, 13). Judas is mentioned again in the Lord’s Prayer. “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 17:12). He is called “the son of perdition” (utter destruction, the son of hell). Judas was never saved. After fulfilling prophecy, he went out and hanged himself, that he might go to his own place of torment.
17-6 Hell is an Eternal Place
(Matthew 25:41)
This is the final hell. It was not prepared for mankind. God prepared it for Satan and his angels. They have no choice, but you must make a choice—either Satan’s prepared hell or the believers’ prepared heaven (John 14:1 6). Christ the Judge will say to the living wicked at the judgment, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). The wicked will know that they are in hell by choice; this will make their hell more hellish.
At the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ, the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be “cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20). Satan will be bound by chains and imprisoned during this Millennium in the bottomless pit. “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations” (Revelation 20:7 9), and lead them to fight against God. Just as God rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24 29), once again He will send fire from heaven on those wicked nations who think that, with the help of Satan, they can overthrow God and His kingdom.
Then Satan will be cast into hell, the lake of fire, where the Antichrist and the False Prophet will still be alive after one thousand years. The evil triad will at last be together in their eternal abode, where “they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). This is proof that the eternal fires of hell do not annihilate the body, soul, or spirit of man or angels. Hell is a place of eternal torment.
At the Last Judgment, all of the wicked dead will be resurrected and will stand in body, soul, and spirit before God at the Great White Throne. White represents holiness, righteousness, and purity. Christ will be the Judge (John 5:22). When the wicked see Him in His resurrected, glorified human body, they will know that He has every right to judge them and cast them into the lake of fire along with their gods, the evil triad.
The lake of fire is called the second death. The first death began in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were separated from God by sin. Christ, the last Adam, was born of a virgin and was given a complete human nature without sin, so that on Calvary He could be our substitute, and that those who trust in Him may be made righteous with the righteousness of Christ, make heaven their home (2 Corinthians 5:21) and escape the lake of fire, the second death (Revelation 20:11 15).
17-7 You Must Choose: Heaven or Hell
(Luke 16:19 31)
We have already seen that hell is a prepared place for the Devil (Satan) and his angels (Matthew 25:41), and is the destiny of all who do the will of their father, the Devil (John 8:44). Satan is the spiritual father of all who reject the God Man.
Just one day before His death, Jesus said to the eleven depressed disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God [the Father], believe also in Me [God the Son]” (John 14:1). Earlier, in the temple at the Feast of Dedication, some of the Jews had come to Jesus and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus had answered, “I and My Father are one.” At this they prepared to stone Him (John 10:22 31). Why? Because when He said, “I and My Father are one,” He was claiming equality with God the Father. “I and My Father are one” in unity, essence, substance, authority, power, and eternity; but not one person. This is what He meant when He later said, “You believe in God, believe also in Me.”
After thus reminding His disciples of who He was, He assured them, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). Heaven is a place, somewhere in God’s universe, that is prepared for His believing people (2 Corinthians 11:2), the body of Christ (Romans 12:4, 5).
You have a choice: Either you must choose eternal life with Christ in the place that He is preparing for all who will by faith accept Him as their personal Savior, or you must choose eternal death with Satan in the hell prepared for him and his angels (John 3:16 18). In its full biblical meaning, death is not annihilation; it is separation. Hell is called “the second death” (Revelation 21:8); to experience this second death is to be eternally separated from the mercy, grace, and love of God forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). The love of God does not extend beyond the gates of hell. In Satan’s hell there is no love, no fellowship, no hope.
You have a choice of one of two ways (Matthew 7:13, 14):
1) The broad way that leads to eternal hell. This way seems to be right to lost mankind, but the end of the broad way is eternal separation from God (Proverbs 14:12).
2) The narrow way that leads to eternal life in heaven. Jesus Christ is the narrow way. He is the only way (Acts 4:12)—the only way to God the Father, the only way to heaven (John 14:6).
YOU HAVE A CHOICE!
Master Outline 17 – Heaven and Hell
[1] According to the Scripture there are how many heavens?
[2] The plural for Heaven is used more than how many times in the Bible?
[3] Describe the three (3) Heavens.
1.
2.
3.
[4] The Bible has more to say about Heaven than between Hell. TRUE or FALSE.
[5] List the three (3) words there are in the Hebrew and Greek languages for “HELL”?
Explain.
1.
2.
3.
[6] Explain the statement “To deny that there is an eternal Hell is to deny the Deity of Christ.”
[7] Is Heaven a real place? YES or NO. Explain.
[8] Heaven is called God the Father’s _________________________________________.
[9] What words of comfort about Heaven did Jesus give to His disciples the night before He was to die on the cross?
[10] To believe that Heaven is a place requires what?
[11] What three (3) things did Jesus say He was about Heaven?
1.
2.
3.
[12] Heaven is a ______________________ place and a ______________________ place.
[13] A “saint” is what?
[14] What three (3) things did Paul remind the Corinthians of as he opened his letter to them?
1.
2.
3.
[15] What was Paul talking about in Colossians 3:2 when he said “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth?”
[16] Explain how Jesus Christ was a perfect example concerning the mind?
[17] In His mind, what four (4) attributes did Jesus demonstrate?
1.
2.
3.
4.
[18] As saints in God how are we to regard ourselves to sin?
[19] What is the saint’s triple Heavenly safety?
1.
2.
3.
[20] Isaiah is the only Old Testament prophet who permits us a glimpse of what?
[21] What three (3) things signify the beginning of God’s eternal kingdom?
1.
2.
3.
[22] The New Jerusalem is the __________________ eternal dwelling place created for
_____________________ By the Lord Jesus Christ.
[23] What did one of the seven angels tell John to come view?
[24] What are the dimensions of the New Jerusalem?
[25] Will there be night in Heaven?
[26] What five (5) things will be no more in Heaven?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[27] Describe what the word “SHEOL” means.
[28] What does the word “HADES” teach us?
[29] How is Gehenna different than Sheol or Hades?
[30] What place were the disciples talking about in Acts 1:24-25 when they said, “Show which of these two you have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place?”
[31] What is the definition of “the son of perdition?”
[32] Was Hell prepared for mankind?
[33] What will make Hell more hellish?
[34] What Evil Triad will be together in Hell?
1.
2.
3.
[35] The “White” of the Great White Throne represents what three (3) things?
1.
2.
3.
[36] If the lake of fire is the second death, where was the first?
[37] Satan is the spiritual father of all who ______________________________.
[38] What six (6) things did Jesus mean He and His Father were one in?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
[39] In Satan’s Hell, there is not _____________________, no _______________________, and
No _____________________________.
[40] Where does the “broad” way lead?
Where does the “narrow” way lead?
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