Verse-by-verse through Philippians (4:19-4:20, part 2)

Last week we talked about the glory of God, and what exactly that means. And we saw that the word “glory” refers to one’s honor, reputation, and fame. And when we take the word “glory” and apply it to God, that it takes on a greater meaning of “The honor resulting from a good opinion” and “The kingly majesty which belongs to him as supreme ruler; majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity.” We saw that all rule and authority, in Heaven and on earth, comes from God, and that if a person is a president or a king, they were put there by God. Then we compared God’s kingship over all of creation with those men who abuse the power that is given them by God, and gave thanks that God possesses all the attributes necessary to rule this universe without destroying it—attributes like righteousness and justice and love. Today we’re going to see what it means to “glorify God.” That even though there are many people walk around saying “glory to God!” while their lives do anything but glorify Him.

Philippians 4:19-20—19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

There are three particular groups that we are going to talk about today, and we’re going to see how each one of these groups brings glory to God. First, we will see how God is glorified in Hell. We don’t like to think of God being glorified by sending someone to Hell. But He is. The clearest Scripture on this subject is found in Romans 3:5-6—But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world? The argument made by the skeptic—as well as the theological liberal who doesn’t like to think that Hell is real—is this: “If God is love, then how can He send people to an eternal, fiery Hell?” Look at what Paul says here. God inflicts wrath—and He is not unjust. Therefore, this wrath that God inflicts must be a righteous wrath. So, is God righteous in sending people to Hell? Well, in Revelation 16:4-7, God is preparing the seven “Bowl Judgments” that will be poured out upon the earth during the Great Tribulation. First, those who worship the Beat and take his mark will be covered with painful sores. Then the seas will become like blood and all the creatures in the sea will die. Then, Revelation 16:4-7--Then the third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters saying: “You are righteous, O Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be, because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due.” And I heard another from the altar saying, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.”

Then, in Revelation 19:1-3, after Mystery Babylon, the world government set up by the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation, has been destroyed, and God has avenged His saints and done away with sin on earth—for the time being—so that Christ may return and set up His 1000 year reign on earth. Revelation 19:1-3--After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! For true and righteous are His judgments, because He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication; and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants shed by her.” Again they said, “Alleluia! Her smoke rises up forever and ever!” All sin must be punished.

What is the most common criticism of our criminal justice system? “Why do they keep letting criminals back out on the streets?” Can the police and the sheriffs and the THP be everywhere? There are many more criminals than there are peace officers. So not every crime gets punished. Not only that, there are many people sitting in prison for crimes they did not commit. It’s a sad fact. BUT!! When the day comes that all men will stand before Christ and be judged, no one who is guilty will be pardoned—and no one who is justified will be punished. Deuteronomy 32:3-4—“For I proclaim the name of the LORD: ascribe greatness to our God. He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 10:17—The LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe. Before we go any further, let me say this: I'm going to be using phrases like “no sinner will go unpunished.” And I want to be clear, that we are all sinful, and that if we have accepted Christ as Savior and confessed Him as Lord, and are surrendered to Him, then even though we are sinful, He has already taken our sins and God’s wrath for those sins upon Himself on the Cross.

Question: Is a person saved by keeping the OT Law? Well, what was the purpose of the OT Law? It was meant to point us to Christ, and also to show us how we are all guilty before God. But this is not to say that the Law was not good. This is God’s Law, and His Law is perfect. Psalm 19:7-8—The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. 1st Timothy 1:8—But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Not only was the Law good and perfect—it declared the glory of God! 2nd Corinthians 3:7-11 [NASB]--But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. The Law “came with glory”—it showed us how perfect God is, and how sinful we are. If a person does not believe they are breaking a law, are they going to stop doing what is unlawful? If they don’t put up speed limit signs, and I go flying down Alcoa Hwy at 80 MPH—oh wait, everybody does that anyways. A sheriff’s deputy pulls me over and gives me a ticket. “Hey, I didn’t know it was against the law to drive 80 MPH!” But it is. And now that I know that it is against the law to drive 80 MPH down Alcoa Hwy, if I get another ticket, the punishment is going to be even greater.

The same is true for the Law of God. The more a person hears the truth of God’s word, and the more they are taught about their sinful condition—if they do not turn away from those sins they know are sinful, then the more they continue in sin the greater their punishment will be in Hell. “Well, I was gonna stop next week!” Doesn’t matter—you should have stopped yesterday! Romans 2:1-5--Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. If someone KNOWS that committing a particular act is a sin, and they keep on doing it, they are simply heaping up wrath for themselves. Those who were judges in matters pertaining to the OT Law were not beyond the scrutiny of that same Law. If a judge of the Law broke a commandment of the Law—not only was he guilty, but he was subject to an even harsher punishment than those people that he determined were guilty of breaking the Law. This is another example of Paul quoting a principle laid out by Christ.

John 8:1-9—Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”…So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Isn't that another verse that even the ungodly and wicked can quote verbatim? “Let him without sin cast the first stone!” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. So now we see it much more clearly, that the Law is a mirror that we hold up in front of us, and when we start going through each commandment, we see ourselves as being guilty of each one.

“Thou shalt have no other Gods besides Me.” Well, didn’t we all have something we worshipped more than we worshipped God at one time? If nothing else, we worshipped ourselves.
“Thou shalt not murder.” Knowing that even hatred is murder, I think we can all put a check mark next to that one.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Lust equals adultery. Let’s skip that one!

And because this is true, then God must punish sin, or He is not a righteous Judge. If I'm standing before Richard Baumgartner, and I've still got a victim’s blood on my hands and my clothing, and I just stand there and say, “Sorry judge! My bad!” And Baumgartner says, “Well, I believe you. You’re showing remorse. Case dismissed.” Imagine the outrage! Has justice been done? NOW, if all mankind is subject to the same Law of God—and we are—then if even one sinner goes unpunished—if even one SIN goes unpunished—then is God a God of justice? Romans 3:19-20--Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Again, the Law does not make us perfect. Why? Because by the law is the knowledge of sin. The only thing the OT Law did was to show us how sinful we are, and to show us how far from God’s majesty and perfection we really are. Listen to Romans 7:7—I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.” Galatians 3:19, 22—What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made…But the Scripture has confined all under sin.

Is even one sinner, or even one sin, going to go unpunished? And we see that, as we finish up in Revelation 20:11-15--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. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades 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. Every person, who dies apart from Christ, will be standing before this Great White Throne. Whether it’s Johnny Down-The-Road, or Adolf Hitler or Joseph Smith or the men of Sodom and Gomorrah. The ledgers that contain the accounts of all those who did not know Christ as Savior AND LORD will be opened, the dockets will be called, the charges will be read, and the guilty will be punished. No appeal, no technicalities. Every single person will be judged by the Law of God, no one will be able to say, “No fair!” Romans 3:19—Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped. There will be no exceptions. Everyone will be held to the same standard, and judges by the same Law.

God will be seen to be the righteous Judge that He is, and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ IS Lord to the glory of God the Father—that is, that God sent His perfect Word into the world, that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That Word declared the fame and majesty of the Father, and all the world will be judge by being compared to that Word. John 1:1—And the Word was God. Romans 2:16—God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. God must do away with and punish all sin and separate it from Himself and from His kingdom before the holy city of Jerusalem can open its doors. Revelation 21:1-2--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. Skipping down to Revelation 21:23-24, 27--The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it...But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We’ll go further into that next week when we talk about God being glorified in Heaven.

Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

The Reality of Hell--The Great White Throne Judgment (part 2)

We’re picking up where we left off last week. Revelation 20:11-15, the Great White Throne Judgment. This is where the lost, the wicked, will be judged one last time and be sent to their eternal destination. Every person who has ever lived who did not know Jesus Christ will none the less be judged by Him. Anyone who does not believe in Hell will still go there. This is what Jesus came to save us from. He did not come to give us some “Christ consciousness,” like what’s being preached in the church of Oprah. He came to save us from His judgment, because He is a judge who can not be bribed, cannot be fooled. His judgment is perfect.

Revelation 20:11-15—11 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. 12 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. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. We’ll pick up where left off last week, verse 12.

…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. Books were opened. These are the books of people’s works. Every good thing and every bad thing they have ever done in their life. Make no mistake, there are people who do “good things” and yet they do not know Christ. There are people who take in foster kids and give money to charities and what not. Some would say, “There’s a special place in Heaven for that person.” Not if they don’t know Christ. Because at the heart of the gospel is the fact that man is a sinner. We are born with the stain of sin, and there is no amount of “good deeds” we can do to erase that. So all these “good people”—if there was such a thing, and there isn't—who did their “good deeds” and yet did not accept Christ as their Savior will be at this Great White Throne. And all those who stand there will have their entire lives laid out for them, and they were not, in fact, “good people.” Jesus said, “There is only one who is good and that is God” (Mark 10:18).

Those who never accepted Christ as their Savior, or those who claimed to be saved but never turned away from their sins—will stand before the Great White Throne, every evil deed they did, every evil word they spoke, every evil thought they ever thought will be brought against them. Matthew 12:36-37—“36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Luke 12:2-3—2 "For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops." Hebrews 4:13—And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Are there things in your past you're ashamed of? If you have been saved by the grace of God and the blood of Christ Jesus, God will never remember those things. But for those who do not know Christ, it will be a whole different story. Every time these people were alone, in the dark, committing their sinful acts, thinking no one would find out—every one of the acts will be broadcast on a screen that will make the JumoTron® at Neyland Stadium look like a pocket watch. You can only imagine what it’s going to be like. Every single charge against these people will be read. 7,000 counts of lying. 10,000 counts of murder by hatred. 5,000 counts of adultery by lust. And on and on and on. But you want to know the perfect justice of God? If a person stood before that Great White Throne with only one charge on their account, they would be worthy of eternal damnation. Make no mistake—there will be many “good people” in Hell.

And this is not like any human courtroom. There will be no lawyers. Scratch that. Their will be plenty of lawyers there. But they won’t be arguing any cases. There will be no “plaintiff” and “defendant.” Their will be no “motion to dismiss.” There will be none of the fancy technicalities and maneuvers that lawyers in our world like to use. There will be no appeals. There will be no overturning the verdict. There will be no “higher court” because there is no higher court than the throne of God. People like to say, “Well, when I stand there I'll make my case, and He'll just have to hear me!” No. Not at all. They will be picked up and flung into the Lake of Fire with no second thought, no hesitation, no mercy, no leniency. There will only be the perfect justice of God—and all those in Heaven will clap their hands and rejoice because God’s perfect justice will be done.

One question many people like to ask is “Well, what about people who never hear the gospel?” They will stand before this same Judgment. But, look at what it says. And the dead were judged according to their works… That little phrase according to means “in proportion to.” These people are receiving a due portion for the things they did in this life, based chiefly on the amount of truth they received. I truly believe from everything I've read that those who never hear the gospel will be judged less harshly than those who hear the truth and reject it. And I want to park on this subject for a moment.

The clearest passage on this is Romans 2:12-16—12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Let's break down this passage. 12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law—those who died not knowing the commandments of God, never hearing the gospel will be judged even though they never heard. ...and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law—those who do know the gospel and reject it will be judged by that Law. 13 (for [it is] not the hearers of the law [that] are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; and watch this—14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves—in other words, even though there are people who never hear the Law of God, they do have a sense of right and wrong, though it is diminished somewhat. They don’t know that the Law of God says “thou shalt not kill,” but they do know it’s not right, and that little spark of “goodness” carries the same weight as the whole Old Testament Law, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) their conscience tells them, “Hey, this isn't right.” But they do not acknowledge that the law against it comes from God. 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. What all this means is at this Great White Throne, Jesus will judge and condemn sinners to that level of Hell their works make them worthy of. Those who do not hear the gospel will be judged less harshly. Those who do hear it and reject it will be judged more harshly.

Verse 13. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Remember the rich man we talked about a couple weeks ago? Him. He is still in Hades. He is still in torment. Sodom and Gomorrah. They are still in Hades. Herod, the king who wanted Jesus dead. Still there. All those who are alive at the end of all things will be brought before the throne. Those who died in the depths of the sea. Those who are in their graves. Will be reunited with their souls. And if someone has been cremated, then they will get a new body just for this judgment.

John 5:28-29—28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. Look at that. They will ALL come forth. They may not want to. But they will come. Philippians 2:10-11—10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. EVERY KNEE will bow. EVERY TONGUE will confess. THIS IS FINAL! I wish we had a word in the English language that could convey the sense of finality. See, in this life, things end, but life goes on. Once this judgment is complete, that's it. That is it. After all of these stand before the throne, after their sentence is read, after the docket is cleared, after all of this, all the books are closed. The final judgment of God has been rendered. The courtroom is adjourned, and the judge calls for an eternal recess.

Then, to get rid of the last reminder that these people even exist. To do away with the last vestige of all rebellion against God and to purge it from the sight of God, Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. The Lake of Fire is the place Jesus referred to as Gehenna, from the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom, or “Valley of Hinnom.” The Valley of Hinnom was an area outside of Jerusalem that was, basically, a garbage dump. It was where all the people took their garbage and just dumped it in a pile. But that wasn’t the worst part of it. In the Valley of Hinnom pagans would sacrifice their children—they would offer their children to the pagan god named Moloch or Molech—they would burn their still-living children and throw the dead bodies on the pile like so much garbage. Today we have abortion clinics. Same difference.

2nd Chronicles 28:1-3 speaks of one of the more wicked kings in Israel, a man named Ahaz. This guy made Saddam Hussein look like a Boy Scout. 1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king… and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD…For he…burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He burned his children to worship this pagan god. We suck them out of the womb. Think God ain't ready to judge this nation?

There is an eternal Gehenna for those who die without Christ. Just to give you an idea of what Gehenna was like. Back home I used to live next to a field that was owned by a local farmer. And one year he had the bright idea to plant cabbage. It was OK during growing season. But they harvested. As the months went by, those cabbage plants started decomposing. I think you get the idea. How about the smell of the rotting corpse of some critter? A raccoon or a deer? Have you ever put some raw chicken in the garbage, and left it for a couple days? Now, multiply that by a humongous number. Also, any criminals that were put to death in Jerusalem—where did their body go? You can imagine what rotting corpses smell like. Especially in the heat of a Middle Eastern desert. You didn’t have to get very close to smell it. So in order to keep the pile under control—and to get rid of some of the stench—there would always be someone there to set the pile on fire. So it was always burning.

The word Gehenna is used 12 times by Jesus Christ in the gospels. In Matthew 5 and 18, Jesus tells us that it is better to go into Heaven lame, or blind, or maimed, than to be cast whole into Gehenna. Matthew 10 and Luke 12, He says “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 Gehenna.” And of course, with garbage you get flies. In Mark 9, He adds, “Where their worm dieth not and their fire is not quenched.” Worm is probably better translated “maggot.” So after these people have spent thousands of years in conscious, physical and mental torment and fire in Hades. Then one day they will stand before Christ and be judged and cast into this place of rotting flesh and fire and worms. Have you ever been in a situation that seemed hopeless? No you haven’t. This is hopelessness.

Look back at the first part of this passage in Revelation 20:11—Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. These people have nowhere to go except before this throne. And it doesn’t say so specifically, but there are probably going to be angels there keeping everybody in line. Not that there will be a big rush to get to the front. But I dare say that nearly everyone there will be trying to escape to somewhere. And they will standing there knowing their turn is coming. And they will more than likely be wishing they could be back in Hades. But what’s going to happen to Hades? Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. They won’t even be able to get relief in Hades, because it’s going to be destroyed!

Finally, verse 15. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Albert Barnes put it this way: “All persons, of all ranks, ages, and conditions. No word could be more comprehensive than this. The [only thing that] would save any from being cast into the lake of fire, is that they are “found written in the book of life.” [Anyone who is not found in the Book of Life, whether] princes, kings, nobles, philosophers, statesmen, conquerors; rich men and poor men; the bond and the free; the young and the aged; the frivolous, the vain, the proud and the sober; the modest, the humble will be doomed to the lake of fire.” Anyone not found in the Book of Life.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that He will separate the sheep from the goats. Matthew 25:32-33, 41, 46—31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left…41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." He says in other places that “There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” This will not be a party by any stretch of the imagination. There are people who think it’ll be cool because all their friends will be there. Well, they got part of it right. Their friends will be there.

I don’t know exactly what these levels will look like or how they will be divided. But I think it is clear from Scripture that some will be judged less harshly than others. And that there will be some who will suffer at a level that we would not even want to imagine. Who do you think will suffer the worst? I believe—and I ain't gonna take a bullet for this—but I do believe that the lowest, hottest, most painful places of Gehenna will be reserved for those who pervert the gospel—who made people think they were pleasing God when they were actually blaspheming Him. Joseph Smith. Charles Taze Russell. The “prophet” Mohammed. Galatians 1:8--even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED. "May that person be damned by God." And also I believe there will be a place for those who pervert and twist the Word of God. And I say based on Scripture. Psalm 138:2—You have exalted Your word even above Your Name. Think of how holy the NAME of YHVH is. The third commandment. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD your God in vain." He considers His word as being even higher and more worthy of reverence and respect and awe than even His name. And when Satan invents a false religion, what is the first thing he attacks? "Hath God indeed said?"

The Great White Throne is where God’s perfect justice is rendered. The Lake of Fire is where all traces of sin and evil are destroyed with an everlasting destruction. It was prepared by God for Satan and those who follow him. And many people don’t even know they're headed there. A place of eternal torment that is just as real as this building we’re in. A place that Jesus came to rescue us from. Are you rescued?

The Reality of Hell--The Great White Throne Judgment (part 1)

Today we are going to begin a two-week look at the Final Judgment. This will be the judgment of sinners, those who died without submitting to Christ, without confessing Him as their Lord and Savior. These will be cast into the Lake of Fire—Jesus calls it “Gehenna”—and will suffer there for all eternity. We’ve been looking at Hades the last couple weeks—that temporary place where the wicked go to await their final judgment. Before we begin, though, I’d like to clear up a couple of misconceptions the world has about Hell. Satan is not in charge of Hell. In fact, Satan is not even IN Hell right now. A lot of people don’t realize that. Satan is just as free to walk upon the earth as you and me. And he does. Isaiah 14 says He was cast out of Heaven. But when he was cast out of Heaven, he was NOT cast into Hell—yet. Because we see in Job 1, that Satan is just roaming all over the place.

Another question. Who will be the first two beings that will be cast into the Lake of Fire? The Beast of Revelation—the AntiChrist. And his false prophet. Revelation 19:19-21—19 And I saw the beast—the antichrist—and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse—who’s that? Christ—and against His army. The final battle. You’ve heard of “Armageddon.” This is it. And another shot I’ve got to take at movies—no human being is going to kill the AntiChrist. He will be defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ at this battle of Armageddon and thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. In fact, in the very next verse it says Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Let me make this abundantly clear right here right now—I do not know who the AntiChrist will be or the mark of the beast. To be perfectly honest—it won’t matter to us because we won’t be here.

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet…These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Christ will ride into the Valley of Megiddo—Har Megiddo—on a white horse. The beast, the false prophet, and all their armies will be ready to make war against Him. The beast and the false prophet will be caught, they will be taken to the Lake of Fire—wherever it is, that’s another thing I will never lay claim to knowing—and they will be thrown in. They will not go to Hades, they will not die a physical death, they will not pass “Go,” they will not collect $200. They will go directly to eternal jail. 21 And the rest—those who worshipped the beast and took his mark—And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.

I don’t have an exhaustive knowledge of the exact order that things will occur. But here’s a thumbnail. First, the rapture, in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-18, when Christ descends with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise…then we who are alive and remain will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then will come the 7-year tribulation, with all of its judgments and plagues, the Beast and False Prophet. After the tribulation comes Armageddon when the Beast and False Prophet are cast into Gehenna (Revelation 19). Satan will then be cast into a bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3) which will be covered with a stone and sealed with the seal of God—this is not the Lake of Fire, or Hades, but a bottomless pit—and Christ will return and set up His 1000-year reign on earth (Revelation 20:4-6). After the 1000 years, Satan will be loosed for a while, he will make one final rebellion, then he will join the Beast and False Prophet in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:7-10).

So, what’s next? There will be two great resurrections with their judgments. First, the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is for believers only. And it has nothing to do with judging us for salvation. If we are standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ, it means we were saved. This is about handing out rewards to those who have kept the faith, those who were saved by their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. All the saints will receive the reward for our works done on earth for the glory of God and His Christ. 2nd Corinthians 5:9-10—9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. “Good or bad” does not refer to morality or sinfulness. “Good” means those works that glorified God. “Bad” means those works that we did looking for the approval of men for our own glory. Matthew 6, Jesus tells us that if we do good deeds to be seen by men—that’s our reward.

1st Corinthians 3:11-15—11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Notice what it says at the end of verse 13. Does it say WE will be tested by fire? No. It says that it is our works that will be tested by fire. Those things we did that brought honor and delight to God will be like gold, silver and precious stones—they will survive, and the fire they go through will make them even brighter. But those things we did that were done out of pride and selfishness will be like wood, hay and straw and they will be burned. This is the first resurrection, the first judgment, the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Then after this, we get to our subject today, which is the Great White Throne Judgment. And this is the resurrection to death of the lost. The resurrection to death. Jesus tells us in John 5:28-29—“28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Revelation 20:6—Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Before we go any farther, I need to point something out here real quick. And I know it may seem like we’re going around the block to make a left-hand turn, but bear with me. When we read the Bible, the same rules of grammar apply to the Bible that apply to anything else we read. If we are talking about 2 people, we need to use pronouns like “they” and “them.” But watch this: The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him… If Christ and God are separate from each other—if Christ is a created being like the Jehovah's Witnesses teach, then shouldn’t this read they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with THEM.

The subject of the deity—or “Godness” of Christ is a subject I will drive home every chance I get. It is a doctrine that is under attack in this country like never before—even in many so-called “churches.” And it is the most important doctrine we have. If we are wrong about who Christ is, then nothing else you believe, no matter how spotless and flawless the rest of your theology is—if you do not believe in the true Christ, nothing else you believe matters. And yes, it is possible to believe in another Jesus. 2nd Corinthians 11:4—4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached…you may well put up with it! Galatians 1:8—But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. That word “accursed” means “damned.” Paul is saying that if anyone preaches a gospel that contradicts the one he has preached--even if it is him preaching this other gospel, or any other person, or even an angel (perhaps an angel named, oh, I don't know, Moroni, maybe?)--then may God send that person to eternal damnation.

What is this second death? Our text today, Revelation 20:11-15—11 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. 12 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. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

This is the final judgment. The Great White Throne Judgment. Those who take part in this judgment are condemned to the Lake of Fire forever. A lot of churches don’t like to talk about this. Makes people feel uncomfortable. It might offend them. But if we do not teach about Hell, then we cannot say that we teach the justice of God. This is where His justice is made perfect. This is where the lost, the unbelievers will stand and be judged for their works. We who know Christ as our Savior and Lord will not face this judgment. These people will stand before the Great White Throne and be judged by their works. And their works will judge them. If we are saved, how many of our sins will we take with us to the Judgment Seat of Christ? None! They're gone! They were done away with at the cross. At the cross! At the cross! Where I first saw the light/and the burdens of my heart rolled away/It was there by faith I received my sight/and now I am happy all the day! Psalm 103:12—As far as the East is from the West… Romans 4:8—Blessed is the man whose sins God will not remember. If we are saved, God has put our sins on Christ, and has given us Christ’s righteousness. But those who are not saved....

Verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… Who is it that sits on the throne? This will be God the Son. Jesus Christ. He will judge all those who never knew Him. Some will try and tell you that it is the Father who is on the throne. No. You have to do some pretty wild mental gymnastics to believe that. Listen to these words of Christ, concerning His judgment of the world. Matthew 25:31-46—31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:…41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’” The Son of Man, the Son of God will do all the judging. He will separate the saints from the sinners. And no matter what Billy Joel thinks, is he’s with the sinners—he won’t be laughing.

Besides, Jesus tells us that without Him, no one will see the Father. John 14:6—“I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The only ones who will ever see the Father will be those who are saved! And because Jesus is doing the judging, He receives the same honor and glory as the Father. John 5:21-23—21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Now I want you to notice something here. I know this may sound like beating a dead horse or preaching to the choir. But this is another passage that illustrates the Trinity. Look at verse 23. “…all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” Does God share His glory with angels? Who does God share His glory with? Isaiah 42:8—“I am YHVH, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.” Jehovah's Witnesses will tell you that Jesus was simply an angel. The honor that is due only to Him—Is God going to give it to an angel? A created being? Another example of the Tri-Unity of God. The saints will be judged to see what rewards we get. The lost will be judged to see what part of Hell they will go to. We’ll look at that later on. But who will be judging? Christ.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. I don’t know exactly what this scene will look like, but if you think you have ever been in a hopeless situation, think again. There will be billions of people who will be standing there, before the throne of God. And everything they ever knew everything they thought they could trust will vanish away. …the earth and the heaven fled away. Ran as quickly as they could to get away, because they knew what was coming. Don’t believe me? Romans 8:21-22—21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Even all of creation is waiting for this day when it will be rid of sin and corruption. These people will be surrounded by nothingness all around them. There will be no place for them to go.

Think about that. This is the FINAL JUDGMENT. The rich man we looked at the last couple weeks. Guess what? He’s still in Hades. And he will be until this final day. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Goliath. All those who died in the Great Flood. The Pharisees. The Sanhedrin who sent Christ to His death. The soldiers who drove the nails. Many people we’ve known. People we went to school with, worked with. They will stand before the throne of God the Son. Earth and heaven will run away from them as fast as they possibly can. They will not want anything to do with them. There will be no place for these people to go but to their judgment. They will stand before Him with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. They will know their judgment is soon. They will have no choice but to appear before His throne and throw themselves at His mercy. He will have no mercy on them. They will be judged.

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God… There are a lot of people who think that just because they're not as bad as Adolf Hitler or the guys that blew up the World Trade Center that they're in pretty good shape and they’ll slide on into Heaven. Muslims believe that they are judged “worthy” or “unworthy” by their works. That if their “good works” are more than their “bad works” they will go on into their “Paradise.” Mormons believe they are saved by grace “after all that we can do.” The Roman Catholic Church teaches that we are saved by grace and works. All these, and every other belief system on the face of the earth teaches that we can be good enough in God’s eyes—or the eyes of whatever it is they worship. There is no amount of “good works” we can do to make ourselves “good enough.” Because we can never be “good enough.” Jesus said in Mark 10:18, “…No one is good but One, that is, God.” What John is writing here when he says he dead, small and great, is that no matter whether someone was a Hitler or a Jim Jones or David Koresh. Whether they were a murderer, or adulterer, or if they simply did not confess Christ as Lord and Savior and they lived their ordinary lives without ever receiving forgiveness for their sins—they will all stand before the throne of Christ and be damned.

The dead, whether they died 3000 years before Christ, or whether they died 3000 years after Christ. Whether they were kings or princes, whether they were rich or poor, whether they were American, Asian, African, Indian. Young, old, tall, short, rich, poor. There will even be many who will stand before that throne to be judged and damned who spent their entire life in church. Or they taught Sunday School. There will be preachers, there will be choir members, there will be pastors. There will be many “good people” standing before the Great White Throne. Why? Because their names were not in the Book of Life. And only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will see the eternal kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem that comes down out of the sky. We’ll pick up here next week, and learn some more about the place Jesus referred to as Gehenna. The Lake of Fire. The final destination of those who do not know Christ.

The Reality of Hell--Hades (part 2)

We are looking at the reality of Hell. There are so many people who do not believe in Hell, or who think that it’s just for a while, they can do it standing on their head. There are even some who think that Hell is some kind of big party. If you recall last week I mentioned that old Billy Joel song that said

They say there’s a Heaven for those who wait
Some say it’s better but I say it ain't
I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun
Only the good die young

Hell is very real. And it ain't no party. In Luke 16:19-26, Jesus tells us of the torments of Hell. This is the story—not the parable—of a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. The rich man wound up in a place called Hades, while the beggar went to “Abraham’s bosom.” Hades is where the wicked go to. How do we know this? We figure this out when we read about the “second death.” Revelation 20:14—Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Are the saved going to be cast into the Lake of Fire? Only those who do not know Christ will be sent into eternal destruction. And we can see it in our story here.

Luke 16:19-26—19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’”

And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off. We can see from this that Hades and Abraham’s bosom are far away from each other. We will see how far away they are in a minute. The word “saw” means more than seeing something with your eyes. It means “to gaze at” or “to stare at” or even better “to discern.” He “discerned” Abraham. What does this tell us? We recognize each other. He saw Abraham, and knew who he was. One question people ask is, “Will we know each other in the next life?” Will we? Absolutely. 1st Thessalonians 4:13-14—13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. Why do we mourn when someone we love dies? What is Paul saying when he says we don’t mourn like those who have no hope? That we will see those we love—who know Christ—we will see them again and we will know them.

And not only will we recognize each other. We will have some knowledge of things happening on earth. Revelation 6:9-10—9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” These martyrs knew that God had not yet dealt with the ones who had killed them. Now, how much will we know about what’s going on? Who knows. But I can tell you this: The Virgin Mary, she may be in Heaven, but she does not know everything that is happening on earth. See, the Roman Catholic Church teaches that she—and the various “patron saints”—hears the prayers of the saints here on earth. But to do that what power would they need to have? Omniscience. They would have to be all-knowing. Because there are over a billion Catholics. And if even 10% of them are praying to her at the same time, is she going to hear them all? No.

he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom. The term “Abraham’s bosom” refers to a feast, probably a “Seder,” a dinner that was prepared every year at Passover. At this feast were all the saints of God who lived before Christ. And at this feast, this beggar—this outcast, this unclean man that no one would dare even come near—he was seated next to the most beloved man in the history of Israel—the one they called “father” Abraham. Not only was he seated next to Abraham, but he was leaning back on him. In John 13, the night before the crucifixion, Jesus and His disciples were in the upper room, having a Seder. Jesus announced that one of them was going to betray Him. And in John 13:22-23—22 Then the disciples looked at one another, perplexed about whom He spoke. 23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Time-out. You’ve seen that painting of “The Last Supper,” where they are sitting in chairs at a table? Wrong. They were more than likely reclining on the floor, or on couches. But they were not seated like you see in the painting. And when John says he was “leaning on Jesus’ bosom,” this does not mean that he literally had his head on Jesus’ chest. But the way they reclined, it would appear that that was the case. So, just as John was “leaning on Jesus’ bosom” with this being the most honored position, Lazarus, at that great feast where all the saints were gathered, he was in the most honored position next to “Father” Abraham. Now, the Pharisees would have been outraged. They would say that they deserved the honor of sitting next to Abraham. But again we see that our reward in Heaven is not going to have one single thing to do with how much money we had in this life. And according to verses 20-21, this man could not go into the temple, could not keep the rituals and all the external things of the law. Yet not only is this blighted beggar seated at this great banquet feast—he gets the best seat in the house!

Verse 24. Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ He cried. Is it just physical anguish? Emotional, mental. Because he sees Abraham, and he sees Lazarus, and he knows who they are, and he sees that Lazarus is in the place he thinks he himself should be. And what does he ask Abraham to do? What do we know about Lazarus’ physical condition while he was alive? Lazarus was covered with sores. Dogs licked those sores. We could properly assume that he was probably a leper, although it doesn’t say specifically.

At any rate, his appearance alone was enough to make people shudder and probably run away at the mere sight of him. No one would want to be near him, and the fact that someone laid him at this rich man’s gate was a miracle in itself. This rich man was in such torment that he would let this man stick his finger—all covered with sores, and dogs licked those sores—in his mouth. Now, I’ve been thirsty a time or two. And I love y'all! But umm…I can truly say I've never been THAT thirsty. Lazarus was absolutely unclean in every way—according to the Law of Moses. The torment this rich man was going through caused him to lay aside all of his pride, humiliate himself, and ask for a touch of water from a man full of sores. Which only added to his misery.

‘for I am tormented in this flame.’ Let’s look at a couple of words here. Tormented. The word means “to suffer intense pain, to be in anguish.” I have no idea how anybody can read the word of God, say they believe it to be true, and say that Hell is not real. I have no idea. This is not “symbolic.” This is not “hyperbole” or “exaggeration.” This man, fully aware of where he was and what was happening to him, was in more extreme anguish and pain than anything anyone could ever feel on earth. And it will never end. 2nd Thessalonians calls it “everlasting destruction.” This does not mean that someone is destroyed forever. It means that the destruction of that person lasts forever.

“Flame.” 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.” The word “hell” in that verse is Gehenna, a word we’re going to look at next week. That is the eternal lake of fire. Death and Hades will be thrown into Gehenna at the end of all things. The fire shall never be quenched. The worms shall never die. Revelation 14:9-11—9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand…He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.” While those who never worshipped God suffer the most agonizing pain—worse than anything we could ever imagine—the holy angels of God will be looking on, and they will be praising God the whole time, knowing that His perfect justice has been done. Matthew 25:41—“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” God made Hell for Satan and his angels. So many people think of God as this doddering old buffoon, this funny uncle whose sole purpose is to give us things. He created this eternal place of pain and fire on purpose.

Because this would be the place where His justice would be made perfect. We could spend all day just reading passages that talk about the reality of fire in Hell. Matthew 13:40, 18:8-9; Jude 1:7; Revelation 19:20, 20:14-15, 21:8. Hell is real, it is eternal, it is fiery, it is a torment that will never end, will never be lessened, and if anyone does not know the Lord Jesus Christ, that is where they will be for all eternity. I wonder—if Billy Joel really knew what Hell was like, would still rather go there?

Verse 25. But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. Do we remember what we did in our lives? Oh yeah. That passage we read a little while ago about the martyrs underneath the altar of God. They knew how their lives ended. This rich man remembers how he had good things, how he fared sumptuously and wore purple and fine linen. …remember that in your lifetime you received your good things… Obviously, he also knew, while he was still alive, the wretched life Lazarus had. And he may also be remembering that maybe he didn’t do anything to help the poor man. You see all these “preachers” on TV saying how God wants you to be rich in this life? God does not care how much money you have in your bank account. He did not send His Son so that you could drive a Mercedes-Benz.

Jesus did not come to rescue your bank account or put a big-screen TV on your wall. He came—number one, He came to glorify God. Part of that work was to save sinners from the fate of this rich man. All God is concerned about is how much love you have for Him. Because we are all going to die. And why are we all going to die? Because of sin. Romans 5:12—just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. James says that when sin has conceived it brings forth death.

Now, questions: Will we know each other after we die? Will we remember our lives? Will we be somewhat aware of what’s going on in the world? Will we know where we are? Will we be able to go from one place to the other? Verse 26. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us. You can't get here from there. You cannot go from one place to the other. They are separated, completely from each other. As soon as you die you either go to Paradise or you go to Hades. There is no Door #3.

If you die knowing Christ Jesus as your Lord and your Savior, you will go immediately to Paradise, and you will be in His presence. If your sins were never cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, if you die not knowing Christ as your Savior and Lord, or if you said a little prayer and asked Jesus in your heart, but you were never changed, you think you're OK because you said that little prayer when you were a kid—then you will meet this rich man when you die.
Hades is the place where the souls of the lost go. But this is only temporary. Because we’re going to see next week that the eternal fate that awaits them is actually far worse. At the final resurrection, the first thing that will happen is all the saved will be brought before the Judgment Seat of Christ, given their “Well done thou good and faithful servant” and ushered into Heaven. Then there will be the resurrection of the wicked, they will be brought before the Great White Throne, judged according to their works, and cast into the lake of fire, the place Jesus referred to as “Gehenna.” It comes from the Hebrew ge-Hinnom, which means “Valley of Hinnom.” When we see this term used, it means the eternal lake of fire, the final destination for those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ. For those who heard Him and rejected Him, and those who never heard of Him. We will look at the Great White Throne next week.

At the beginning today I mentioned one of the most blasphemous songs of all time. Not counting Marilyn Manson, that’s too obvious. A song that talked about Hell being a party. But probably the most blasphemous song of all time was sung by a man that many people worship. A song that says,

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

An anthem for humanists, Communists, atheists, and all those who despise God and His Christ. It would be nice to think there’s no Hell. In fact, Satan would really like for you to think there’s no Hell. And that “all roads lead to Heaven.” He would love for you to buy into the “Gospel According to Oprah,” where God is this laid-back, lovey-dovey, “Just do whatever you want” kind of God. Non-judgmental. That’s not God. He judges, He condemns, He declares what is right and wrong. His Son did not die on the Cross for being a “good, moral teacher and role model.” He died because we are dirty, rotten, filthy, stinking sinners who have no right to expect God’s grace and forgiveness. There’s a Heaven above us. But there’s also a Hell below. And it ain't no party.

The Reality of Hell--Hades (part 1)

If you were to ask 100 people what they think about Hell what kind of answers would you get? Party. They might say “Yeah, all my buddies will be there. We’ll have a few beers, fire up a couple fat ones. It’ll be alright!” Of course, some people think that there really isn't a Hell at all. Or if there is, it’s just for a few thousand years, you have your sins purged away and you go on into glory. Billy Joel did a song back in the 70’s called “Only the Good Die Young.” This song rates about a 9.9 on the blaspheme-o-meter. If for no other reason than this verse:

They say there’s a Heaven for those who wait
Some say it’s better but I say it ain't
I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun
Only the good die young

Well, Billy, there is a Hell, and it ain't fun. All the sinners are there—but they ain't laughin’! They are in agonizing torment. They are in chains of darkness. They are in blistering heat. The smoke of their torment arises forever and ever. We are going to see today how the world’s ideas about Hell are wrong. A while back, ABC News did a special on Hell. They talked to several experts on Hell. One was Marilyn Manson. One was a fellow who died and had a vision that he was in Hell. One was Carlton Pearson, one of Oral Roberts’ prize pupils (which ought to tell you something right there) who now denies that hell even exists. Trying to learn about Hell from these people is like getting medical advice from watching House. Like trying to learn rocket science from Paris Hilton.

Revelation 21:7-8 says, 7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 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.” The subject of Hell is one that a lot of churches don’t want to talk about these days because it might make people uncomfortable. This ain't one of those churches. And I'll tell you why. Because I would rather have you feel uncomfortable about Hell now, and feel bad about your sins now—rather than feel really bad about your sins for all eternity. There are many people who say that “All roads lead to God.” That if we are just sincere enough about what we believe, and if we’re good enough, we’ll all eventually make it into Heaven. Well, they're right about one thing--if we are good enough, we will make it to Heaven. But what's the problem with that thinking? Ain't none of us good enough.

And while there are people who have some very wrong ideas about Hell, there are just as many who believe that Hell does not exist. Hell is very real. It is not some figurative story that Jesus told. It is not symbolic. It is not just something somebody came up with to scare us. Hell—and the suffering people go through for all eternity there—is as real as the chair you are sitting in. Why don’t people want to believe it’s real? So they can go on living their lives however they want to and not have to worry about going there. They comfort themselves with this idea that if they just don’t believe it that it won’t be true. Well, I don’t want to believe the Red Sox won the World Series, but they've still got the rings, don't they? These people who are now comforting themselves with this belief that Hell does not exist are going to be in for a rude awakening when they find out that they're going to spend eternity there. So, what does the Bible have to say about Judgment and Hell? Today we’re going to look at what happens to someone when they die not knowing Christ as their Lord and Savior. A couple weeks from now we’re going to look at what’s called the Great White Throne Judgment in Revelation 20.

So, what happens to someone when they die if they do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior? Simple answer: they wind up in Hell. But to understand it better, we need to examine some words we find in the Bible that relate to Hell. First, there is the word Sheol. This is the Hebrew word for “the common grave.” It’s where everybody goes. But Sheol—the common grave—is divided into two regions. On one side is what’s called Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom. This is where those who knew Christ will go. Then over here you have a place called Hades. This is where those people who did not call Jesus “Lord” will wind up. And in between there is a huge canyon. You’ve seen pictures of the Grand Canyon. Imagine that but with no bottom to it. You can not go from one side to the other, but you can see what is happening on the other side. Join me please in turning to Luke 16:19.

Before we begin, let me just point out a couple things. The Lazarus in this story is not the Lazarus that Jesus raised from the tomb in John 11. This is a different Lazarus. Also, some people will try to say that this is a parable—that this was not something that actually happened, that Jesus was just telling a story to make an illustration. In fact, if you have a NKJV, this section may have a heading that says, “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.” Ignore that. It’s not a parable. This is not a parable. Number 1, whenever Jesus told a parable, we find the words, “And Jesus told them a parable…” There was always some indication that what Jesus was saying was not a true story. Also, Jesus never used anybody’s name in His parables.

What we are about to read is an event that actually happened, these were actually real people in a real place. Luke 16:19-26—19 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’”

Jehovah’s Witnesses will tell you that the people who do not know Christ will just be **POOF** wiped out, as if they never existed. Catholics will tell you that if anybody goes through Purgatory for a couple thousand years, they will eventually get to Heaven. Mormons will tell you there is no Hell. They have two different concepts of punishment. First, “outer darkness.” This is for murderers, adulterers, and apostates. Then, you have “spirit prison” for those who never heard the MORMON gospel. But let’s take a look at what we see here.

In verse 19, it simply says the one man was rich. But notice something it does not say, and this did not dawn on me until I was reading what some others have said about this passage. It does not say that this was an evil man. Being rich does not necessarily make one evil. So this rich man may have been a virtuous man. But just because somebody’s a “good person” does not mean they are saved. Now, look at verse 22. "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried." What does this tell us? We’re all going to die. Rich, poor, it don’t matter. Ecclesiastes 2:16—How does the wise man die? Same as the fool. All the wisdom and all the knowledge and all the money in the world will not buy us another breath. Romans 5:12—Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. In fact, out of every one hundred people who are born in this country, how many of them are going to die? A hundred.

To illustrate this point, Luke records a story Jesus told a parable about a certain rich man. Luke 12:16-20—16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” When are we going to die? At what time, on what day, are you going to die? We don’t know when it’s going to happen. But we do know one thing—it will happen. There are a lot of people going through life thinking they're OK. Thinking “I’m young. I’m strong. I’m healthy. I’m going to live until I’m 100.” They’ve got their future mapped out, they’ve got all their ducks in a row. They’ll think about all that Jesus stuff later. Right now, they’ve got a life to live. Then somebody gets on the Interstate going the wrong way. Or some hidden medical condition they had finally catches up to them. Or, they just up and have a heart attack, or stroke. Job 21:23-26—23 One dies in his full strength, being wholly at ease and secure; 24 his pails are full of milk, and the marrow of his bones is moist. 25 Another man dies in the bitterness of his soul, never having eaten with pleasure. 26 They [both] lie down…in the dust, and worms cover them.

"So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." In torment in Hades. What does this tell us? He’s in pain. He is suffering. He is awake and conscious of the condition he is in. There are many people who think that when you die your soul just goes to sleep, and you don’t feel anything. This is just one of the heresies that the Jehovah's Witnesses teach. This man was in torment. He was not sleeping, he was not unconscious. See, this is one of the ways Satan likes to steer people astray. Because if there is no Hell, then what do we have to worry about? 1st Corinthians 15:32—If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

In the gospels, we read about the Sadducees. They did not believe in a resurrection. In Matthew 22:23-28 they posed a riddle to Him, about a woman who was widowed from her first husband, then married his brother, he died, and so on “even to the seventh brother.” They asked Him, “Whose wife will she be in Heaven?” But He turned the tables on them. Not only did He correct their faulty beliefs by saying we won’t be married in the resurrection, He proved to them from the Scriptures that there will be a resurrection because that was the whole point of the riddle—that there was no resurrection. Matthew 22:29-32—29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” We are all guaranteed an eternal existence. There will be a resurrection—two, actually, one for the saints to life, one for the lost to death.

Even the apostle Paul had to correct the people in Corinth who thought that once you die, that was it. 1st Corinthians 15, the “Resurrection Chapter,” was written specifically because the people had been led to believe there would be no resurrection. 1st Corinthians 15:12—12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. Our preaching is vain, your faith is futile, and we are of all men the most pitiable. But then down in verse 20 he says, BUT Christ IS risen from the dead.

And not only is Christ risen from the dead, but Paul says that because Christ rose, we will rise also. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The firstfruits were a kind of guarantee of the full harvest. In the time of the Old Testament, farmers would plant a corner of their field, then go back a week or two later and plant the rest. The part that was planted first would come up first and be harvested first, and this was given as an offering to the priests of the temple. This was a picture of the resurrection. On the day Christ died, after He “gave up the ghost and died,” Matthew 27:52-53 says 52 the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. Christ rising from the dead along with the ones who came out of their tombs was the “Firstfruit” of the resurrection.

But not only is there a resurrection to life for those who belong to Christ, there is also a resurrection to death for those who do not believe. Revelation 20:6—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. There will be a second death for those who do not know Christ. This will happen at the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of Revelation 20, and we’ll look at that in a couple weeks.

So, getting back to our rich man in Luke 16, the rich man is in torment in Hades. We saw earlier that Sheol is the place where everybody goes when they die. It is called the “common grave” or simply “the grave.” When the writers of the Old Testament wanted to talk about where the wicked went, they would use this word “Sheol.” But they would always modify it somehow, and you could tell by the context that they were talking about that part of Sheol where the wicked went, which is called “Hades” in the New Testament. But before we get to Hades, let me just clear something up. There are many people who do not want to believe that a literal, fiery Hell exists. They like to say “I just don’t believe God would send someone to an eternal Hell.” Well, that’s their problem. Because He does.

Some of these people will say, “The Jewish people didn’t believe in that kind of place.” The Sadducees didn’t. But I guarantee you Jesus did. You could look at the people of Israel during different periods of their history and find that many times they forgot the God who brought them out of Egypt. And you could probably find that the belief in Hell had been lost from time to time. That doesn’t mean anything. The reality is that Hell is a very real concept, and you can find it in one of the first books of the Bible. Deuteronomy 32:22—“For a fire is kindled in My anger, and shall burn to the lowest hell; it shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.” The lowest Hell. What does that say? And we will see in a couple weeks that there are levels of torment in Hell, or the Lake of Fire, Gehenna. Those who do not hear the truth will be judged less harshly than those who deny the truth when they hear it. The idea of a place where the dead go to after they die is all throughout even the Old Testament.