VARIOUS THEORIES OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

VARIOUS THEORIES OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

 

INTRODUCTION

• Material used is Mainly in New Testament
• Discussion under Five Heads

1. Various Theories
2. Biblical Doctrine
3. Related Events
4. Practical Values
5. The Signs

• Begin with the "Various Theories."
• Two general classes

1.  Theories that are Inadequate
2. Theories that are Wholly False

PROBLEMS PEOPLE HAVE WITH THE INTERMEDIATE STATE

Problems People Have With the Intermediate State

 

 

• How do you interpret Old Testament texts picturing Sheol as the place of no knowledge?

Psalm 6:5 "In death no remembrance of me!"
Isa. 38:18 "For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth"
Hezekiah, the Jew, thought of existence in terms of the present life.
Eccl. 9:10 "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest"
Materialistic view of the man under the sun. This statement is no more a divine revelation concerning the state of the dead than any other conclusion of "the Teacher" (Eccl. 1:1). No one would quote Eccl. 9:2 as a divine revelation. These reasoning of man apart from divine revelation are set down by inspiration just as the words of Satan (Gen 3:4; Job 2:4 - 5; etc.) are so recorded. But that life and consciousness continue between death and resurrection is directly affirmed in Scripture (Isa 14:9 - 11; Mat 22:32; Mark 9:43 - 48; Luke 16:19 - 31; 2 Cor 5:6 - 8; Phil 1:21 - 23; Rev 6:9 - 11).

• Why does the Bible speak of death as a "sleep"?

It is a euphemism for that which is a dreaded experience.
It is a word describing the fact that death is temporary.
There is a Resurrection for all dead.
In the New Testament a special word is used meaning cessation or rest (cf. John 11:13). "Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep."
Jer. 51:39 "In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD."

• Location of Sheol-Hades

A place as well as a state.
When Lazarus died the angels carried him away. They must have carried him some place.
Most theologians are afraid of this.
Yet majority of orthodox hold men go someplace at death.
Modernists ridicule a "geography of the nether world."

• Argument: Men shrink from locating Sheol in the heart of the earth

Bible makes definite statements on this point.
Gen. 37:35 "I will go down"
Isa. 5:14 "They shall descend" - not merely moral in sense.
Ezek. 32:18, 21 ARV "Down - nether parts of the earth."
Jonah 2:2 with 6 "I went down to the bottom of the mountains."
Matt. 12:38-40 "Heart of the earth"

CONDITION OF THOSE IN SHEOL - CENTER OF THE EARTH

Condition of Those in Sheol-Hades

 

 

• They are Conscious

The Righteous
Jonah 2:2 - "Out of the belly of Sheol cried I"
Matt. 17:3 - "And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him."
      -Moses talking - proof of consciousness during intermediate state.
Luke 23:42-43 - "With me in paradise" "with" fellowship demands consciousness.
Matt. 22:32 - "Not a God of the dead, but of the living." Spoken to Moses by God.

• The Wicked

Isa. 14:9-11, 15-16 ARV. "Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee."  "Yet thou shalt be brought down to Sheol, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;"  -Recognition, knowledge, speech, astonishment
Luke 16:23-25  "And in Sheol he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."
- note marks of consciousness: see, speak, hear, feel, remember.

• The wicked are under Punishment

Deut. 32:22 "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest Sheol, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains." - God's anger
Prov. 9:18 "But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of Sheol."
Isa. 14:15 ARV "uttermost parts of the pit"
2 Pet. 2:4, 9  "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to Sheol, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;" "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:"

• The Righteous had Rest and Comfort

1 Sam. 28:15 "Why hest thou disquieted me?"
Dan. 12:13 "Thou shalt rest"
Psa. 139:7-12 "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
Luke 23:39-43 with Acts 2:27 (Jesus went that day to Hades) The thief must have been a Jew with some knowledge of the Messianic hope, and this hope centering in the resurrection.
- Argument:
-      "Paradise" (see below) Paradise must have been in Hades.

• Evidently, two different places in Sheol-Hades

Luke 16:19-31 "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in Sheol he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

One called "Lowest Sheol"
Deut. 32:22 "For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest Sheol, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains."
Rom. 10:7 "Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)"
Rev. 9:11 or well of the abyss. - Tartarus  "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."
2 Pet. 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;"

• Other called "Paradise"

Eccl. 2:5 ARV "I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:"
Song of Songs 4:13 - A beautiful, cultivated park, orchard. "Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,"
Neh. 2:8 "Kings forest"
"Abraham's bosom" - John 1:18; 13:25 "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." "He then lying on Jesus' bosem saith unto him, Lord, who is it?"
   -A place of tender, intimate, fellowship

INHABITANTS OF THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

Inhabitants of Sheol-Hades (Center of the Earth)

• The WICKED go to Sheol-Hades

Psa. 9:17 (Best) "Wicked shall be turned into Sheol"
Psa. 31:17 "Let the wicked be silent in Sheol"
Prov. 9:13-18 "Her guests are in the depths of Sheol"
Isa. 14:13-15 "Thou shalt be brought down to Sheol" (Satan)
Matt. 11:21-24 "Thou shalt be brought down to Hades" (wicked city)

• The RIGHTEOUS went to Sheol-Hades (before the Resurrection of Christ).

Gen. 37:35 - Jacob and Joseph
Job 14:13 -"Oh that thou wouldn't hide me in Sheol"
Isa. 38:10 -"Hezekiah will go to the gate of Sheol."
Psa. 16:10 -"Thou wilt not leave my soul in Sheol"

Possible exceptions:
Elijah & Enoch -  Possibly Moses -Enoch, who, like Elijah "was taken away so that he did not see death" (Heb. 11:5), was later placed into the realm of the righteous dead to await resurrection. Temporarily, Elijah appeared alive on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses (who had died nearly 1,500 years earlier; cf. Deut. 34:5). But he was not resurrected. That will happen forty-two months after the resurrection/rapture of the Church (cf. Rev. 11:11-12). Another forty-two months will elapse before all pre-Pentecost saints and Tribulation martyrs will be raised (cf. Dan. 12:1-2; Rev. 20:4-6) to join all glorified Christians in ruling the world under Christ the Lord.

Luke 23:43 "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise." The thief on the Cross.
Rom. 10:7 "Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)"
Acts 2:27, 30 "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;"

SHEOL - HADES (GENERAL NATURE)

Sheol - Hades (General Nature)

 

Center of the Earth

 

• Not Death, Although Often Associated with Death

1 Sam. 2:6 (A.R.V.) Closely associated, but not the same. "The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up."
Psa. 89:48 - Closely associated. "What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah."
Isa. 28:15, 18 (Best verses) Closely associated, but not synonymous "Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:" "And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it."
Psa. 49:14 ARV "Flock for Sheol" - Death is a Shepherd. "Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling."

• Sheol-Hades is not the Grave
• Hebrew and Greek have Definite Words for Grave

qeber - mnemeion - not used interchangeably with Sheol and Hades.

• Bible Usage Forbids such Identification
• In the Bible, when a person dies, body goes into the grave, but the Soul to Sheol-Hades.

Gen. 25:8-9 "Gathered to his people" - not grave, for he wasn't buried with his people.
Job. 11:8 "It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?"
Psa. 141:7 Grave is the door to Sheol.  "Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth."
Gen. 37:35 (Best) Jacob thought Joseph's body was eaten by beasts. "And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him."
Luke 16:22-23 He died, was buried, then in Hades lifted up his eyes. "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
Psa. 16:10 (Clearest) "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
Only exception is Num. 16:30-31 (29-33) "But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them:"

A common death would have been the body to the grave, and the soul to Sheol. But this was not common.

Sheol-Hades is not the final Hell of Scripture. Christ did not to into Hell as Apostle creed reads, etc.
A.V. mis-translation fostered this notion. All one needs to do to settle this is of. Rev. 20:14-15 for final place of punishment. "Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

• Sheol-Hades is a Realm to Which the Souls of men go at Death.
• Sheol-Hades is a Realm where God is Present and Controls

1 Sam. 2:6 "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up."
Job 26:6 "Naked is Sheol before Him, And Abaddon has no covering."
Psa. 86:13 "For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol."
Psa. 139:8 "Bed in Sheol, behold thou art there."
Isa. 28:15, 18 "Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception."" ""Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place."
Prov. 15:11 "Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men!"
Amos 9:2 Sheol is pictured as cruel, never satisfied, men can't bargain with it, inevitable. "Though they dig into Sheol, From there will My hand take them; And though they ascend to heaven, From there will I bring them down."

INTERMEDIATE STATE BEFORE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

INTERMEDIATE STATE BEFORE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

 

 

The Biblical Terms

• Sheol - in the Old Testament. 65 occurrences

Translated in A.V. - "grave" 31 times  Gen. 35:20
"hell" 31 times  Deut. 32:22
"pit" 3 times Num. 16:30, 33; Job. 17:16

Discuss: This variation in translation is confusing to the average reader. A.S.V. uniformly transliterates the word or   she'owl  (Defective) some think the word is derived from meaning to ask, thus signifying the insatiable demand of the place.

Others think it may be from maktesh  meaning - to be hollow.

English R.V. 30 times transliterated  Sheol     A.S.V. came later and the committee felt it wise to transliterate uniformly.
15                                          "grave"         
15                                          "hell"            
  5                                          "pit"

• Hades - in the New Testament  Grk. haides

10 occurrences - unseen or not to be seen
Translated in A.V. - "hell" 10 times
"grave" 1 time (1 Cor. 15:55)  "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

11 Passages
Matt. 11:23
Matt. 16:18
Luke 10:15
Luke 16:23
Acts 2:27
Acts 2:31
1 Cor. 15:55
Rev^. 1:18
Rev, 6:8
Rev. 20:13
Rev. 20:14  Correct - Although the KJV translates this word hell, it is better translated hades which is here cast into the Lake of Fire, also known as hell.
Hades and Sheol are the NT and OT names of the same place each being cast into hell in the end.

 Text in 1 Cor. 15:55 probably tbanate --   THANATOS   Death           HAIDES Grave
"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
In A.S.V. the word is uniformly transliterated.                              

• Both Sheol and Hades seem identical in meaning.

Cf. Biblical usage, Psa. 16:10 with Acts 2:27, 31 (very important) Ever if Peter spoke Hebrew (Aramaic) and Luke translated it, it is still here by inspiration,
Psa. 16:10  "For thou wilt not leave my soul in sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
Acts 2:27, 31 "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hades, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."  "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hades, neither his flesh did see corruption."

Cf. Septuagint: Sheol trans. Hades 61 times
This was a very early Translation into Greek. Thanate 2 times
omitted 2 times - last due to differences in texts.

In mythology - Hades referred to the infernal regions, nether world, the realm of the dead.

THE INTERMEDIATE STATE AFTER DEATH

THE INTERMEDIATE STATE

 

 

INTRODUCTION

Intermediate State Definition: That Period of Existence Between Physical Death and the Resur­rection

• Proof of such a State: Revealed in those passages which refer to the Resur­rection as a future event associated with the Second Coming of Christ.

1 Thess. 4:13-17  "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
1 Cor. 15:51-54 "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
2 Tim. 2:18 "Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some."

• Theological Errors which Eliminate the Intermediate State

Those who deny the resurrection of the body. They do believe in existence in a state of life after death. This life is not very well defined.

       --Modern Liberalism

 

Those who argue for some kind of resurrection at Death. --Lyman Abbott

 

•  Intermediate State - a Matter of Deep Interest to Most Men 

Why?

(1) Universality of Death. Every day 100,000 people die. The great question goes up, where have they gone? Human Philosophy can give arguments for a future life, but only divine revelation can give any hope for a life after death.

 

(2) Traditional Religious beliefs.

  

(3) Speculations of moral philosophy.

  

Kant says that without immortality you can't have mortality.

 

• We shall take the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ as the dividing line between the Old Testament and New Testament situations.

Why? The Resurrection of Christ changed the status of the Righteous

 

MEANING OF DEATH

THE MEANING OF DEATH

To Mankind in General

• An Inevitable Experience

Eccl. 2:15-16; 3:12, 19; 9:5 The man under the sun is here speaking. Two things are sure--death and taxes.  "A time to live and a time to die"

• A Deep Mystery

Job 14:14 - Expecting death as the inevitable and fearing it.
Job 3:21 - Hoping for death, but it is eluding him.
                   Cf. Andrew Lang - "Modern Mythology"
"Men everywhere think man by nature is immortal and this needs no proof; but death is a mystery, which must be explained."

• The Great Enemy

Death is an intrusion into the whole plan of God made necessary by sin. In this sense it is the
enemy to God and to men. 1 Cor. 15:25-26  "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

Strong has some excellent material right here. Life is not fuel, but fire. No reason in the human frame why a man should ever die.

Cf. Walt Whitman "O Captain! My Captain!"

O Captain, my Captain, our fearful trip is done,
The Ship has weathered every rac, the prize we sought is won.
The Port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O Heart, heart, heart.
O the bleeding drops of red,
Whereon the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain, my Captain, rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up, for you the flag is flung- for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths - for the shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain, dear Father.
This arm beneath your head.
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;
Exult O Shores, and ring O bells
But I with mournful treat
Walk the deck my Captain lies
Fallen cold and dead.

To the Unsaved

• Loss of all they call Good

1 Cor. 15:32 - "For tomorrow we die"
Eccl. 5:15-16 Man under sun sees only the material side.

• Escape from Intolerable Evils of Life

Job 3:21 Looking, longing, reaching for death.
Rev. 9:6   "Shall seek death"

Lucretius said - "You can do one thing no God can do, you can die." But he was wrong.

• Precursor of Divine Judgment

Heb. 9:27  "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment."
Luke 17:1-5  In some sense death is the harbinger of final judg­ment.

To the Old Testament Saints

• In General, a Gloomy and Dreadful Experience

Isa. 38:1-19 - Hezekiah and his prayer.
Job 10:20-22  "Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; A land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness."
Psa 6:1-6  "To the chief Musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed. My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long? Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears."

Cf. Heb. 2:15  "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Question: Why this attitude in Old Testament?

• Israel's blessings generally connected with earth.  Cf. Isa. 38:11 "I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living: I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world."
• Consciousness of sin aroused by the Law.
• Lack of revelation concerning intermediate state.

But Old Testament Saints had some Light to Alleviate the Gloom.
Job 19:25-27 - "My Redeemer liveth"
Psa. 16:8-11 - Anticipation  victory over death
Isa. 25:6-8 - This is still future, and refers to the resurrection
Hos. 13:14    "I will ransom thee from the power of Sheol."

Note: Specific nature of Israel's hope?  Entirely Earthly

 To the New Testament Believer

• Death no Longer Feared. Why?

Rom. 8:2 "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death."
1 Cor. 15:56-57 (Best) Sting has been taken away.  "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Heb. 2:14-15 "Destroyed Satan's power to accuse"
2 Tim. 1:10   Abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel
Rom. 8:38 Neither death ­1 Cor. 3:22 - "All things are yours . . . death" - Death has now become a slave. All it can do is take the believer to Christ.
---Some still in bondage - why? Voluntary or involuntary ignorance concerning what Christ has done.

• Death Robbed of its Mystery. Why? Nature of the intermediate state has been revealed to us.

1 Thess. 5:10 "Died for us" . . . we should live with him.
Rom. 8:38, 39 "Death …..shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."

• Death Becomes Door into Presence of Christ

Phil. 1:21-23 Loosed away upward to be with Christ, which is far better. "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I want not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"

• Death Sometimes is used as Iinstrument of Fatherly Discipline

1 Cor. 11:27-32 "For this cause . . . many sleep." "Chastened that we should not be condemned with the world."  Because of sin, thus breaking fellowship.

• Yet Even the True Believer Naturally Shrinks from the Experience. Why?

2 Cor. 5:1-8 The believer is afraid of being unclothed (vs. 4)
Phil. 1:21 "And to die is gain" - The experience of dying is the means by which the believer can get the principal and the interest.
1 Thess. 4:12 - "We sorrow not as those who have no hope."

• Best of all, Death is not Inevitable to the Christian

1 Cor. 15:51 (Best passage in Bible against a partial rapture)  "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed," Not some but all.

CAUSE OF PHYSICAL DEATH

CAUSE OF PHYSICAL DEATH

 

From the Immediate and Material Viewpoint, Physical Death is the Result of What men call "Natural" Causes, and Which are Recognized in Scripture

Gen. 3:19 - Materiality; but this is not merely because of material. "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

Psa. 103:15-16 - Man's life is as grass. "As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more."

Psa. 90:10 years - old age "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

Luke 13:1 Violence "There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices."

Luke 13:4 Hazard "Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?"

Acts 9:37 Sickness "And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber."

Prov. 10:21 Lack of understanding "The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom."

Note: These are not final causes. They would never have been causes, if man had not sinned in the beginning. Because of that sin, the world was thrown out of joint. That is, God permitted such judgment upon the world. Actually, in the original creation man was created to live--in the body, in fellowship with God, forever.

Morally, Physical Death is the result of sin

Gen. 2:17 "In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die"

Rom. 5:12, 21 "By one man sin . . . death to all."

1 Cor. 15:21 "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."

Psa. 90:7-11 (Very good) "For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath."

James 1:14-15 "Sin, when it is finished bringeth forth death"

Note: By this we mean sin is the occasion or the procuring cause of death (cf. Gen. 3:22-24). Thus it may be seen that death does not lie within the nature of sin itself. Actually death comes from without the individual. "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

Metaphysically, God Himself is the Ultimate Cause of Physical Death

Luke 12:5 "Fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell."

Rev. 2:23 "I will kill her children with death."

Note: God ordained the Moral Law which demands death for the sinner, and also the Physical Law which obeys the demand.

NATURE OF PHYSICAL DEATH

NATURE OF PHYSICAL DEATH

 

Physical Death is the Temporary Separation of the Body from the Soul and/or Spirit

Gen. 35:18 "Her soul was in departing, (for she died)."

Luke 23:46 "He gave up the ghost" - GK -"He dismissed his spirit."

Acts 7:59 "Receive my spirit"

James 2:26 "body without the spirit is dead"

On the Physical side, Death is a Distinct Crisis Marked by the Cessation of Life in the Body and Resulting Ordinarily in its Dissolution and Corruption

James 2:26 - "body without the spirit is dead"  Result of Crisis of Separation is deadness.

2 Cor. 5:1 "Our earthly house . . . were dissolved" - putrefaction, decay.

Eccl. 12:7 - "The dust return to the earth" - result

 

Rev. 21:1-5 - "No more death" - these things shall happen no more.

Note: One exception: Acts 2:27 "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."

Compare Jude 9 Moses - disputed  Moses' body was brought out of the grave by Michael the archangel, for reunion with his spirit for the purpose of communion with the Man Jesus (Jude 9). This again was an act of God's faith in Christ, and though the devil disputed with the archangel his right to appropriate the benefits of redemption, until redemption were accomplished by this very act God declared the absolute accomplishment of redemption in the Divine economy, long before it had been wrought out into human history. Jesus therefore through Whom, and through Whom alone eventually, men as such will be found in the heavens, ascended in bodily form to those heavens, being Himself as to actual victory First-born from the dead. He has work to accomplish as one of the two witnesses.

Deut. 34:5- about the body of Moses

Christ - "Neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption."

Death brings about:

• Separation of Body and Soul
• Deadness of Body
• Dissolution of Body
• Return to elements

On the metaphysical side, Physical Death Introduces the Soul (and Spirit) into a New State of Conscious Existence Which is Intermediate Between Death and the Resurrection

Metaphysical means beyond the physical or on the other side as opposed to the physical.
Luke 16:19-23 (Not a parable) - Rich man and Lazarus
Rev. 6:9-11 Souls under altar - conscious, resting, etc.

Intermediate State Later

From the Personal Standpoint, Therefore, Physical Death is an Experience Which Involves the Entire Person - Body, Soul and Spirit

Luke 16:22-23 - The man dies. Text says "The rich man also died."
Gen. 3:19 (body) - "Unto dust shalt thou return;" cf. Gen. 2:7
Luke 23:43 (Soul and Spirit) "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

Summary: I doubt whether it is correct to say that the body dies. The person dies, because it involves separation. The body is dead as an immediate result, and dissolves finally.

PHYSICAL DEATH - INTRODUCTION

PHYSICAL DEATH

INTRODUCTION

With reference to mankind, the word "Death" in Scripture is used to describe three different experiences:

In each case it is a crisis experience, the nature of which is separation.

 

(1) Spiritual Death

Eph. 2:1 - "Dead in trespasses and sin" vekpos means inactive and points to the result of the crisis.

Eph. 2:5 - "Dead in sins" this too speaks of result.

Eph. 2:12 - "Without Christ" . . . "without God" - also result.

Eph. 4:18 - "Alienated from the life of God" - also result.

The Remedy - cf. 2:5-6, 13, 18. 5-6 "Quickened;" 13 "Made nigh;" 18 "Access to the Father"

Isa. 59:2 - "Separated between you and your God" - the experience.

Matt. 27:46 - "Why hast thou forsaken me." Separation

Definition: Spiritual Death is separation of the person from God, and is the present state of all the unsaved.

(2) Physical Death

- Dissolution of the person

James 2:26 "As the body without the Spirit is dead." - result.

Gen. 35:7-8 - "As her soul was in departing, (for she died)."- Experience.

Definition: Physical Death is the temporary separation of the body from the spirit and/or soul.

(3) The Second Death

Rev. 20:13-15 "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

Rev. 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Cf. Rev. 22:14-15 "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."

Definition: The Second Death brings the unsaved person into the final and permanent state, involving a repetition of Physical Death and irrevocable continuance of Spiritual Death.

THE PARTICULAR CONTENT OF ESCHATOLOGY

The Particular Content of Eschatology

 

Eschatology is as wide in its coverage as the Bible itself. I means of creation all things experienced commencement. These same things are now it course and must eventually experience con­summation. The Bible does not discuss every detail of the created order in unfolding the doctrines of eschatology, but it is sufficiently detailed and various, that it would be impossible to treat with justice every theme in this treatise. Nine general divisions of eschatology will be developed in sufficient detail. to make this study worthwhile.

Physical death belongs in this discussion because it is essentially individual eschatology. Physical death marks the climax of a man's career in this present state, unless God chooses to introduce an exception as He did in the case of two men. In general "it is appointed unto men once to die" (Heb. 9:27). And "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor. 15:26).

Physical death introduces men into the intermediate state. While the intermediate state touches individual eschatology, it is nevertheless an area of experience concerning which the Bible has considerable information to impart. According to the Biblical record Christ described the experience of "a certain rich man" and "a certain beggar" who died. The beggar was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man lifted up his eyes in Hades (cf. ASV Luke 16:19-31).

The second coming of Christ constitutes a sizable segment of the doctrine of eschatology. It was Christ himself who comforted His disciples with the promise, "I will come again" (John 14:3). Referring to this eschatological event the writer of Hebrews declares that Christ shall "appear the second time" (Heb. 9:28). Its eschatological character is clearly assumed in the question of the disciples, "Tell us . . . what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world" (Matt. 24:3).

As a part of the concluding events at the end of the age will be the appearance of the Antichrist. This is "the prince that shall come", Satan's masterpiece and counterfeit (Dan. 9:26). This "king of fierce countenance" will appear "in the latter time of their kingdom" (Dan. 8:23), whereby all shall know, according to the apostle John, "that it is the last time" (1 John 2:18).

The resurrection of the dead is clearly marked as an event belonging to eschatological times. It was clearly understood among the Jews that the dead would "rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24). In language that cannot be misunderstood Christ confirmed this hope of the Jews. Four times in the same chapter Christ affirmed that He would "raise him up at the last day" (John 6:39, 40, 44, 54).

The Judgment of the living and dead follows the resurrection for the dead, and is definitely associated with the consummation of the age. Christ declared, "the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day" (John 12:48). "The end of all things is at hand . . . for the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God" (1 Pet. 4:7, 17). And "Christ . . . shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Tim. 4:1).

The period of tribulation, eschatological in significance and distinguished from tribulation in general, is referred to by many expressions. Christ pointed to it as "great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matt. 24:21). John described the same period as "great tribulation" (Rev. 7:14), but in a more emphatic way as set forth in the original Greek, namely, "the tribulation, the great one", chronologically, "immediately after the tribulation of those days….Shall appear the sign of the Son of man, in heaven" (Matt. 24:29-30).

The Mediatorial Kingdom of a thousand years is ushered in by "the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory" to "sit upon the throne of his glory" (Matt. 24:30; 25:31). "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him" (Dan. 7:27). This kingdom consumes and succeeds all other kingdoms, "and it shall stand forever" (Dan. 2:44).

The eternal state is then ushered in by Christ's deliver­ance of the mediator al kingdom to the Father, that God may be all in all (1 Cor. 15:24, 28). There is a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and first earth have passed away. With the ushering in of the final order the former things have disappeared (Rev. 21:1, 4). The relationships of this order will never change for the problem of sin and its results have been solved. As a state it will therefore endure "for ever and ever", that is, into the ages of the ages (Rev. 22:5).