There are many riddles in life. Even some of God's revelation in His revealed Word to
us contains riddles. Some of
the answers to these riddles will only be clearly known when we see Him face to face. One of the puzzling questions is
this: "What happens to a person after he dies?"
I do not hereby attempt to solve this riddle. Never do I have all the answers. But I
would like to take another look at this interesting
frequently
asked question.
According to the Old Testament, when a person dies, he goes to be with his fathers
(Gen. 15:15; 47:30; Deut. 31:16; Judges 2:10). The patriarch Abraham is regarded as the
father of the Jews (Luke 3:8; John 8:37-40). Therefore, upon their death, the Jews
would go to be with their forefathers in the place where
Father Abraham is. This abode is known as Abraham’s bosom.
We who believe in Jesus are the children of Abraham (Gal 3:7). We are justified by
grace through faith, and are made righteous before God by the blood of the Lamb (Rom
3:21-26). Therefore, we, believers in Christ, will go to Abraham's bosom when we die.
This term "Abraham’s bosom" was used only once
in the Bible. It was mentioned in Jesus' parable of the rich man and the beggar (Luke
16:19-31). Lazarus was the poor beggar. He was described as being carried by the angels to
Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22) while the rich man was tormented in the flames of Hades. A
great gulf separated both of them.
The rich man was conscious of his state of suffering as he was tormented in Hades. And
Lazarus was conscious of his state of blessedness in Abraham's bosom. They were not just
sleeping. They were very conscious of what was happening to them and around them.
The true reason of why Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom and why the rich man went
to hell
was
not about their financial status. It
was about their belief in God. This is clearly understood when we read the
ending verses of the parable. Even though they were separated by the great gulf, there was this interesting conversation between
the rich man and Father Abraham in Luke 16:27-31:
Then the rich man said, "O Father Abraham, then please send
him to my father's home-- for I have five brothers-- to warn them about this place of
torment lest they come here when they die."
But Abraham said, "The Scriptures have warned them again and
again. Your brothers can read them any time they want to."
The rich man replied, "No, Father Abraham, they won't bother
to read them. But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will turn from their
sins."
But Abraham said, "If they won't listen to Moses and
the prophets, they won't listen even though someone rises from the dead."
It is all about believing God - seeking His
kingdom and His righteousness.
Abraham believed
God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Rom 4:3). The righteous believe God,
and the unrighteous don’t.
Hell or Hades is the place of punishment for the unrighteous. It is the abode of the
unrighteous when they die.
One Greek word for hell is
geena.
It means the vale of Hinnom - a valley just south of Jerusalem. It
was in this valley where parents sacrificed their children as a burnt offering to the
pagan god Molech (2 Kings 23:10). Two kings of Judah, Ahaz and Manasseh, were both guilty
of this wickedness (2 Chr. 28:3; 33:6). But a godly king, Josiah, destroyed the pagan
altars in these high places to make it unfit for pagan worship (2 Kings 23:10).
The prophet Jeremiah foretold that God would judge this abomination of human sacrifice.
God would cause such a destruction that the Valley of the Son of Hinnom would become known
as the Valley of Slaughter (Jer. 7:31-32; 19:2-6; 32:35).
The Valley of Hinnom was apparently used as the garbage dump for the city of Jerusalem.
Into it were thrown all the filth and garbage of the city, including the dead bodies of
animals and executed criminals. To consume all these, fires were burned continuously day
and night. Maggots were also working hard, ferociously consuming the decaying flesh. When the wind blew from that
place
towards the city, its stench could be unbearably
awful. At night wild dogs howled and gnashed their teeth as they fought over the remaining
garbage. Hinnom thus became a graphic symbol of woe and judgement - the place of eternal
punishment or hell.
Jesus used the valley of Hinnom
to describe hell. In Mark 9:46-48, hell was depicted as a place where their worm did not die and the fire did not quench. Jesus spoke of an outer darkness and a furnace of fire
where there would be wailing, weeping, and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50;
22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). Obviously this picture was drawn from the dark valley just
outside Jerusalem.
The word
hell
occurs 13 times in the New Testament. James and Peter each used
once in James 3:6 and 2 Peter 2:4. The other eleven were used by Jesus (Matthew 5:22,
5:29, 5:30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15. 23:33; Mark 9:43, 9:45, 9:47; Luke 12:5).
The Book of Revelation describes another place called the lake of fire. The lake of
fire is not the same as hell. If hell is the prison where the prisoners await their
punishment, then the lake of fire is the place of execution where the actual punishment is
being carried out. Between the imprisonment and the punishment is the final judgement.
This lake of fire is the second death (Rev 20:14). This place is burning with brimstone
(Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8). The devil will be thrown into it and be tormented
forever. After the Great White Throne Judgement, those people whose names are not in the
Book of Life will also be thrown into the lake of fire. Death and Hades will also be cast
into the lake of fire. After which, there will be no more death (Rev. 21:4).
A probable flow of events is illustrated below:
When one dies, it is not the end. For both the righteous and unrighteous, it is only
the first death. After death is judgement.
There are basically two kinds of judgement:
- Judgement in the sports stadium where the judge announces the winner and awards the
prizes to those who finish the race. The victors run faithfully and reach the mark of the
finishing line. Those who have not run faithfully nor finished the race will suffer loss
and win no prize.
- Judgement in the judicial court where the judge sits on the bench, hears the case, and
decides the condemnation or acquittal of the person charged.
The Judgement Seat Of Christ
The righteous will all appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ. This Judgement Seat
of Christ is likened to the judgement at the stadium. Each one may receive the things done
in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor 5:10). Each one's
work will become clear; for the Day will declare it. We are to give an account of our
lives before our King.
The primary purpose of this judgement of the righteous is to assess and reward
believers for the manner in which we have lived our lives in discharging our duties and
responsibilities. We are to account for both our motives as well as our deeds.
Everything will be revealed by His holy fire. The fire will test each one's work, of
what sort it is. If anyone's work pass the test of fire, he will receive a reward. If
anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as
through fire (1 Cor 3:12-15).
When is the Judgement Seat of Christ? Some say that it is immediately after we die.
Some say that it is after the Second Coming of Christ but before or during the Millennial
Rule of Christ.
When the Lord comes again, those dead in Christ will be resurrected first. Those who
are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air (1Thes 4:16-18). All of us will be changed – the corruptible must put on
incorruption, and the mortal must put on immortality (1 Cor 15:52-53). This is the first
resurrection (Rev 20:5). But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand
years are completed. Blessed and holy are those who are part of 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.
Before Christ’s rule on earth in Jerusalem, Satan will be cast into the bottomless
pit, and be bound for 1000 years (Rev 20:1-7).
The Great White Throne Judgement
After the 1000 years, Satan will be released from his prison in the bottomless pit to
deceive the nations. But he will be defeated and cast into the lake of fire and brimstone
where the beast and the false prophet are. Therein they will be tormented day and night
forever and ever.
It is after the 1000 years that the Great White Throne Judgement begins (Rev. 20:7-15)!
The dead, small and great, are then resurrected. This is the Second Resurrection. It is
1000 years after the First Resurrection of the Righteous Ones. Hell gives up the dead who
are in it. Death and Hades deliver up the dead who are in them.
All the dead will be resurrected. They include:
- Those who died before the time of Christ
- Those who have not heard of Jesus and His gospel
- Those who died prematurely
- Those who are mentally retarded and therefore cannot understand
- Those who have not heard and therefore did not reject Christ
- Those who have heard and rejected Christ
- And many others.
And they are judged, each one according to his works. They stand before God, and books
are opened. And another book is opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead are judged
according to their works, by the things which are written in the books. Then Death and
Hades are cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found
written in the Book of Life is cast into the lake of fire.
What is this Book of Life? It is a heavenly book in which the names of the righteous
are written. This doctrine of God having the Book of Life was probably first enunciated by
Moses, who prayed that God would blot him out of God's book rather than destroying his
fellow Israelites (Exodus 32:32-33):
"Yet now, if You will forgive their sin-- but if not, I
pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."
And the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against Me,
I will blot him out of My book."
One important fact we have to know is that the Judge is Jesus, and not God the Father.
For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgement to the Son (John 5:22). It
is Jesus Who judges the living and the dead:
And He commanded us to preach to the
people, and to testify that it is He Who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and
the dead. Acts 10:42
I charge you therefore before God
and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His
kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince,
rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 2 Tim 4:1-2
They will give an account to Him Who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this
reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. 1 Pet
4:5-6
Jesus is going to resurrect all the dead and gather them before His throne. Some living
from the Millennium will also be there to be judged. The Book of Life will be opened.
According to 1 Peter 4:6, there is a possibility that the gospel will be preached to them.
I am not talking about preaching the gospel to the dead. But I am talking about preaching
the good news to the living who were dead but are resurrected and become alive.
In John 11:25-26, Jesus declared:
"I am the resurrection and
the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.And whoever lives and
believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
In John 5:21, we are sure of this:
"For
as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom
He will."
A few interesting questions remained unanswered:
1. Why did God postpone the judgement of the unrighteous until:
- after He has ruled on earth for 1000 years?
- after He has rebuilt Jerusalem?
- after He has taught Israel and the nations His laws in Zion (Micah 4:1-4)?
- after Satan is defeated and cast into the lake of fire?
- after all evil and deception are gone?
2. Why did God have to resurrect them to life to be judged?
3. Why did God not just send all of them from hell directly to the lake of fire?
4. Why did God have to go through all these troubles of resurrecting them and judging
them?
5. Why did He open the Book of Life before these people if all are to be condemned for
the Second Death?
6. If God can resurrect the dead in the Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37 and bring
them to life, will He not do the same hereby?
7. Why did Jesus say that He is the Resurrection and the Life?
One thing for sure: Everyone will have a chance to appear before Jesus, their Judge. He
will deal justly with them because He loved them and died for them too.
Back to the rich man in Hades in Jesus’ parable. Did he eventually believe? If
not, why would he want Father Abraham to send someone to preach to his five brothers? If
they do not believe in Someone Who rises from the Dead, will they believe when they
themselves died and are resurrected to life?
I don't have the answers. But I saw the amazing grace of God till the very end! His
boundless love prevails triumphantly!
The question that confronts us now is this:
What are we going to
do with what God has revealed to us? If the rich man in hell wants his family to
know the Lord, shouldn't we desire to do even more?
His amazing love and grace will compel us to preach the Good News more zealously and
passionately. We preach heaven, not hell! They too need the Lord! They too have a race to
run for Christ! They too will press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus.
Source:
Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary