Some of my readers don't believe in any sort of afterlife, seeing eternity, if it exists, as the continuation of the universe, left at most, to the realm of science or even just speculation. Some of my readers believe in universal salvation, meaning that after people die, they go to a better place. And some of my readers believe that after we die we are instantly shuttled to an everlasting heaven or hell. A small minority of my readers probably see things the way I do. My understanding of the issue was formed gradually well over a decade ago, by personal study of the Bible, not guided by any person, by any study guide, or by any hope of finding a certain answer, but I do believe, by the Holy Spirit. Since that time, I learned that what I had discovered is, in fact, the scholarly opinion of a minority, generally in the Arminian traditions.
Even all of this didn't make it quite important enough to write about, and I've been struggling with the purpose for writing this. In the end, I think that what I understand the Bible to say about the afterlife says volumes about the character of God, and what better person to spend time wrestling with and trying to understand? I think of Jacob wresting with the Angel, not letting Him go until he'd received a blessing. He took a wound from that struggle, but he also took away the blessing. That's how I feel about wrestling with the topic of the afterlife in view of God's personality.
So now I'll begin with my rather long-winded and probably only semi-complete thoughts on the topic. I would be delighted if you felt like pulling out a Bible and checking for yourself with an open mind if this makes sense or not.
Prologue: Interpretive Presumptions
Every scripture inspired by God is also useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. ~2 Timothy 3:16-17
I'm working from the presumption that the scriptures inspired by God are the sixty-six books of the Bible fully accepted by nearly every Christian group.
(Also, all the quotes I'm putting in are from the NRSV, which is one of the most scholarly translations, and is the Bible I studied quite extensively in my twenties. When a footnote is a closer translation of the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic, I use that rather than the regular translation.)
It is patently obvious to me and probably you, too, that not every part of the Bible is equally clear and understandable. If I want to feel really confused, I'll start digging into the minor prophets in the back of the Old Testament... For clarity, I look first to the life, the words, and the actions of Jesus, and use that as my basis for understanding the rest of the Bible.
No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's bosom who has made him known. ~John 1:18
Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father?' Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves...." ~John 14:8-11
What I Learned from Studying the Bible
The first couple passages which really caught me eye shortly after 2000 were, however, in the Epistles:
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of the God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; so we will be with the Lord forever. ~1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
Death here is referred to as sleep, and those who have already died will not be ahead of those remaining at Christ's coming. They will rise from their graves and then go to be with Christ.
At the end of the long "Faith Hall of Fame" chapter in Hebrews, there is this little note:
Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God has provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. ~Hebrews 11:39-40
The promise, it seems, is resurrection from the dead. Then, just to continue the sidetrack, let's look at a couple of passages from the two most eschatologically oriented books of the Bible.
The last words from the prophecies of Daniel... The man clothed in linen, with a belt of gold with a belt of Uphaz around his waist, whose body was like beryl, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the roar of a multitude (description from Daniel 10:5-6, likely a reference to Christ or an angel)... This man said to Daniel:
"But you, go your way, and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days." ~Daniel 12:13
So it seems Daniel will wait until the resurrection for his reward. And the same idea shows up in Revelation as well in more than one place. Here's a single reference:
They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power... ~Revelation 20:4b-6a
Yet, these could all be considered tangential. So it's best to look into the Gospels, where we find some fantastic resurrection stories, which seem to acknowledge the true reality of death.
You can start reading in John 11:1 to get the full story, but I will start quoting in verse 11...
...He told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him." The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right." Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead."... Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, " I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the feel. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."...Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days."... He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." ~John 11:11-14, 23-26, 39, 43-44
It sure sounds like Lazarus has been quite dead, and is now called again to life. His sister knew that he would be resurrected at the last day, but right now, he was just busy stinking. If he were in the glories of heaven, why would Jesus have called him back to this life where his life would soon be plotted against by the religious leaders as too much evidence in favor of Christ's power?
This is probably the most dramatic resurrection story in the Gospels, but it is certainly not the only one!
In Mark 5 we read about Jesus raising a little girl from the dead. You can start reading in verse 21, but I'll start quoting in verse 39...
When he had entered, he said to them, "Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha cum," which means, Little girl, get up!" And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. ~Mark 5:39-42
Everyone knew she was dead. If she really had gone on to a better place, why was bringing her back to this troubled life a mercy or a miracle?
There is the resurrection story in Luke 7 of a young man who was his widowed mother's only son.
As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. H was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came forward and touch the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ~Luke 7:11-15
Jesus must know what's best for each of us. He could have helped meet the distraught woman's needs in other ways without pulling her son from the glories of communion with God in heaven. But Jesus seemed to believe that the man was just plain old dead, and it would be better for everyone if he were alive again. In this world.
There are also some resurrection stories associated with Elisha's work in the Old Testament, if you want to look at those, too. One is the resurrection of the Shunammite woman's son in 2 Kings 4:18-37. And there's the funny little story in 2 Kings 13:20-21 of the man thrown into Elisha's grave.
My conclusion from all these stories is that resurrection is what happens at some point after death.
But I lied about Lazarus being the most dramatic resurrection story in the Gospels. Because the best one of all is Jesus himself! You can start in Matthew Matthew 27:26 and read all the way to the end of chapter 28. I'll quote a selection.
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. ~Matthew 28:1-9
You can also read the other accounts in Mark 15:15-16:8 and Luke 23:25-24:53 and John 19:16-21:25.
One other piece of the puzzle was brought to my attention by Dave Ferguson in Cleveland. He mentioned once that the Old Testament doesn't really reveal the afterlife. You can check it out for yourself. There's the cryptic reference to Daniels' resurrection which I already mentioned, but otherwise, people mostly die, descend to Sheol or go to join their ancestors, which certainly must have been understood to be a shadowy afterlife at best.
However, there are two Old Testament prophets who seem to have gone straight to heaven, body, soul, and spirit...
Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the LORD's command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. ~Deuteronomy 34:5-7
Coupled with a very odd little reference...
But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses... ~Jude 9a...says that Moses' death and burial didn't follow the normal human pattern.
You can read the full story of Elijah in 2 Kings 2:1-14. I quote just a bit...
Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal....When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. ~2 Kings 2:1, 9-11
But then the icing on the cake for these two stories comes in the Gospels!
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid." And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. ~Matthew 17:1-8
The parallel account is in Mark 9:2-8.
It seems to me that Moses and Elijah are the two exceptions to all the faithful who died before Christ's time and remain in their graves, and they are the two who are available to meet with Jesus, Peter, James, and John in this pivotal moment.
If you read all the crucifixion and resurrection account of Jesus, you will have read the other Gospel account of resurrection of the dead.
Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. ~Matthew 27:50-53Philosophical Thoughts from the Same Time Frame
I also heard it said at a church I attended in Cleveland (Cedar Hill), that God is the one who created the universe and who holds it together, who is the sustainer of life. If he were to withdraw his hand for even a minute, our life would leave us. This certainly makes sense in light of the Bible's narrative of God's power and sovereignty.
This idea makes perfect sense in the light of Jesus' crucifixion.
Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." And going a little further, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want, but what you want."....And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have your forsaken me?"...Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. ~Matthew 26: 38-39; 27: 46, 50
When God withdrew his hand, Jesus died.
What happened to Jesus when God withdrew his hand? Did he go to heaven for three days to be with his Father again before he was resurrected to earth? I don't know that any Christians believe that. Did he go to hell? Many Christians believe this, and that could make a lot of sense. Or was he completely dead? This seems to fit the narrative of death and resurrection the best.
The soul who sins shall die. ~Ezekiel 18:20a (NKJV)
And...
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin... ~2 Corinthians 5:21aThe Immortal Soul
So by now you might see that I don't understand the Bible to teach that the soul is immortal.
In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time - he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the king of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light... ~1 Timothy 6:13-16a
According to this passage, God alone is immortal.
I have also subsequently learned some interesting things about soul and spirit and body...
...then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. ~Genesis 2:7The Hebrew word for "living being" is nephesh, which refers to the totality of a person or animal, its body and its soul together. In Hebrew understanding, those two parts are not separable. I also understand that the breath and the spirit are somewhat equivalent in Hebrew thinking, so again, when the spirit is gone, it means that the breath is gone, and the life is gone. It is gone from the body. It is gone from the soul. The whole being "falls asleep."
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 6:20-23
We like to spiritualize this passage and many like it to mean that the wages of sin is spiritual death, and I'm sure that is encompassed here, but is it possible it actually means that the wages of sin is actually... literal death? An end to the being? Death of body, soul, and spirit?
What About Hell?
I've talked so far about death and resurrection and tangentially referred to heaven, but I haven't talked about *that other place.*
PLEASE show me if I'm wrong here, but the Bible never refers to "hell." It refers to Sheol, the grave, Gehenna, the outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth, Hades, the bottomless pit, the lake of fire, and the second death. But our modern concept of hell doesn't seem to appear in the Bible and is only read back in by our more recent cultural constructs. As far as I know, the "hell" idea comes from Greek philosophy - from Homer, Virgil, Plato...
Everlasting hell is tied to the concept of an immortal soul. According to my understanding of the Bible, an everlasting hell for immortal souls is not logical. If hell means separation from God, it means separation from the only source and sustenance for life. If there is a hell, it can't last forever without God working moment by moment to sustain its inhabitants. But if hell is separation from God, he would not be working moment by moment to sustain its inhabitants.
Going back to the Bible, you can find the word "hell" many places in your Bible. But if you look at footnotes in the more scholarly translations, you'll see that the Hebrew or Greek uses a different term each time. "Hell" is an English word which may originally come from Norse mythology, referring to the abode of the evil dead in the lowest underworld. But back to words actually used in the Bible...
Like Sheol: the abode of the dead where people and animals go after dead - regardless of righteous or wicked, no love, hate, thought, knowledge, work, sound, remembrance, sound...
Like Gehenna: a valley near Jerusalem where children were sacrificed to Molech, later a cursed place for burning trash
Like Hades: ancient Greek god of the underworld, the underworld over which he presided, the realm of the dead - the Greek term used to translate the Hebrew "Sheol"
By contrast, the Bible directly refers to "heaven" hundreds of times.
Universal Salvation
If we're just speaking philosophically, universal salvation is by far the most appealing philosophy to me, and it is sort of alluded to in C.S. Lewis' beautiful story The Last Battle. Universal salvation (even if it requires, as some people believe, limbo or purgatory) speaks of God's grace and love and mercy, and frankly that's a God I want to believe in. An everlasting hell speaks of a God who is a monster - one who has to keep people alive in order to torment them for eternity for the sins committed in only one life time. Is eternal torment fair punishment for ten or twenty or ninety or one hundred years of sin? I can't really think so. Sin is bad, sin is evil, but still... If Hitler payed one lifetime in hell for each person he brought harm to, he's going to be there a long time, but that punishment still falls far short of eternity. If hell is a prison cell to keep Hitler from harming anyone again, we are ignoring the truth that God is the only one who is immortal, and that sin leads to death. God' grace through Jesus' sacrifice leads to eternal life. Is God going to give Hitler eternal life, even if it's in quarantine?
Some of you who have made it this far are either cheering right now, or you're thinking that I'm really off my rocker and have gone completely apostate. But I'm not done yet...
Biblical Truth
...because I'm interested in biblical truth. And the Bible does not seem to teach universal salvation.
My second choice as far as attractive philosophies go, would be that we just die. No one will have the beauty and joy of being in the Lord's wonderful presence and having the wrongs of their lives righted, but conversely no one has to suffer any more after the sufferings of this life, and certainly not in the hands of an angry deity.
But, the Bible is so clear about resurrection. And it certainly does teach about "reward" and "punishment."
Clearly many people wind up in the resurrection, living in the presence of God. But is it everyone? Just start reading the parables and teachings of Jesus, and you're going to find that it is hard to enter the kingdom of heaven, that some will be thrown into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth, that some will be thrown into the Gehenna of fire. I'm not going to reprint the whole of the Gospels here - read them for yourself. This message is frankly hard for me to hear, because I quite like the idea of universal salvation - healing of all sinners.
If we look at Revelation 20, a bit later than the passage I previously quoted we read:
(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)... And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire; and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. ~Revelation 20:5a, 12-15I don't know if the lake of fire is literal or symbolic, but at the very least it must symbolize complete destruction. Fire burns until the fuel is consumed. I don't know if the Bible gives every last detail about the future of those who aren't part of the Kingdom, but it seems reasonable to conclude that many wicked are resurrected for their judgment and then die a second time - maybe some in the lake of fire die almost instantly, maybe some take a long time to burn up. And perhaps many are not resurrected and just remain dead.
Some Bible Passages which Seem to Contradict Death and Resurrection
You may wish to point out some Bible passages which seem to say something different than the understanding I have laid out. There are some troublesome passages, and I don't want to ignore them. I can't look at them all, but we can examine a few.
One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise." ~Luke 23:39-43
Do we believe that Jesus was in Paradise that very day? Or do we believe that he was dead and paying for our sins in separation from the Father? There are no commas in Greek. What if it read, "Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise."?
So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ~2 Corinthians 5:6-8When we are here in our earthly bodies, we are physically away from our Lord. When we are away from this body, this life, and in our resurrection body and life, we will be at home with Jesus. He will provide that for us at his coming.
It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ~Philippians 1:20-24If death truly is a sleep as Jesus seemed to teach, the one who dies will not perceive the time sleeping in the grave as anything more than shadow, upon awakening at the Lord's glorious coming. So whether we are alive and transformed at his coming or if we fall asleep and wake at his coming, he will remember us, and our rest will seem to have been just an instant.
Jesus did tell one rather confusing parable recorded in Luke 16. I'll lay it all out for you here:
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus in his bosom. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, 'Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house - for I have five brothers - that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, 'No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" ~Luke 16:19-31Scholars aren't quite sure where the term "Abraham's bosom" originally comes from, but this story which Jesus retells here seems to come from inter-testamental times and Abraham's bosom and Hades were already features of the story before Jesus retold it. Apparently in the version floating around, there was a river rather than a chasm, and there was a ferry boat which allowed people to cross from one side to the other. What was Jesus trying to teach by retelling this story? It seems clear that he says this life is when our after-life destiny is fixed; we don't get another chance after we die. Jesus also points out that the Old Testament scriptures have sufficient information for salvation. But I think his main point is that if we cannot believe in Jesus from the Old Testament scriptures, we still won't be convinced after he was resurrected from the dead. Are we willing to accept him?
One other story of an interaction between Jesus and some Sadducees is worth noting.
Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first married and, when he died, left no children; and the second married her and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; none of the seven left children. Last of all the woman herself died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had married her." Jesus said to them, "Is not this the reason you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the story about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong." ~Mark 12: 18-27
The dead are dead, but to God they are alive. He knows their past and their future. He can already see their glorious future at the resurrection. He gives physical and spiritual life here on this earth, and in the hereafter.
Then another angel, a third, followed them, crying with a loud voice, "Those who worship the beast and its image, and receive a mark on the foreheads or on their hands, they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulpher in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image and for anyone who receives the mark of its name." ~Revelation 14: 9-11
It's not entirely clear if this passage refers to a specific symbolic plague poured out at a certain time or if it refers to the end of those who rebel against God. The phrase I want to look at is "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever." Sometimes this is used to mean that the fire burns eternally. However, let's look at another place the Bible says something similar...
Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and went after other flesh, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. ~Jude 7Are those cities still on fire? Are they burning eternally? Or was that a one-time event described in Genesis 19? The fire and sulfur God rained down on the cities of the plain destroyed them eternally, never to be rebuilt, the inhabitants never to rebuild their lives. Likewise, the fire and and sulpher poured out on the worshippers of the beast in Revelation would end their lives, and never allow them another chance.
Wrap-Up: What This Says about God
If we actually die in totality when we die, and then are resurrected for everlasting life or for the second death (or remain dead), it paints a different picture of God's character than just dying or being transferred in soul to a better place at death, or being shuttled to either heaven or hell at death.
First of all, it says that God hates anything that hurts people or God's creation. God hates sin, and sin itself is so bad that it eventually leads to the first death for all of us. Death isn't a punishment of God but a natural consequence of spiritual illness. Each of us who sins causes our own death and the death of other beings around us. God hates sin, because he loves his creation and humanity, and doesn't want to see us harmed.
Second, it says that God values our freedom. He allows us to choose whether to be joined to him in love and worship, or to choose another path that seems good to us. He will not force anyone to choose him, because he cares so much for our freedom. He does everything he can to woo us, but he will never, ever force our hand. Some who call themselves Christians do not really want to be with Jesus in the hereafter, and God will honor that heart's desire. I also believe that some who do not know the name of Jesus really do want to be with Jesus in the hereafter, and God will honor that and show them the joy of serving the One they have always desired to know.
Third, to use a psychology term, God has good boundaries. He is sad when we make choices that hurt us or hurt him, and he loves unconditionally, but he will not allow us to go on hurting ourselves or others into eternity. He will put an end to sin and sickness and death. The second death removes, not just quarantines, all impurities from the living universe, preserving goodness and joy and love and worship and true freedom for all time, restoring God's creation to greater glories than we can imagine.
Fourth, God desires us to live with him forever and enjoy all the good things he has prepared for us. He created us because he loves us, and he wants to be close to us forever, as our loving Father. The future he is creating for those who want to be with him in eternity is far more amazing than we can begin to imagine!
The End
It didn't occur to me that I wrote about the second coming of Christ often on my blog, but Linda pointed that out to me one time. I think this is why - I believe eternity for believers begins then, and not before (except for in the sense that eternal life begins as we trust Jesus). I look forward to the restoration Jesus promises!
Ok, if you actually read all of that, I think you deserve some sort of medal, or at least a plate of cookies, regardless of what you think of my conclusions. Thank you for sticking with me through a very long-winded post!
