I began this series because I am deeply concerned about the lack of understanding regarding the essentials of our faith, especially in light of the forthcoming movie, The Da Vinci Code. This series will help you discuss the roots of the Christian faith answering such questions as: Who is God? Who is Jesus? Who is the Holy Spirit? Who are we? Can we trust the Bible? These questions will be on the mind of any person who sees the movie, inside or outside the Church. To pastors, I respond by saying, “Do your homework and get ready to preach the Gospel.”

From the first study I provided research from noted Christian researcher George Barna:

• Six out of ten Americans reject the existence of Satan.
• Four out of ten Americans believe that when Jesus Christ was on earth He committed sins.
• Five out of ten believe that anyone who is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven.
• Four out of ten believe that the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same spiritual truths.
• Seven out of ten born again Christians said they do not believe in moral absolutes.
• Only one out of ten Christians base their moral decision-making on the principles taught in the Bible.
• 54 percent believe truth can be discovered only through logic, human reasoning and personal experience.

Barna writes, “Christians have increasingly been adopting spiritual views that come from Islam, Wicca, secular humanism, the eastern religions and other sources. Because we remain a largely Bible-illiterate society, few are alarmed or even aware of the slide toward syncretism - a belief system that blindly combines beliefs from many different faith perspectives."

Today we will look at eternal states. The study of eternal states is worthy of serious consideration because it has many implications regarding God’s love, grace and holiness. To begin with, let’s review the following:

1. God is love and His judgment righteous.

2. God is immortal, but man is a creature of time, man is made for eternity, having a beginning, but exists eternally – he is an eternal spirit, either regenerate or unregenerate and will face judgment.

3. Resurrection will precede judgment and judgment necessitates resurrection. Judgment is necessary for the conscience of man demands it. The Law of Conscience, when violated, may be silenced, but it comes alive and active in the judgment before God’s throne, and will accuse the guilty (Rom. 2:14,15). History demands judgment for the injustices of the human race through history, and the perversion of God’s righteous laws demand that man be judged before the righteous and holy God. Justice demands judgment for the justice, righteousness, and holiness of God’s Law and Being demand that He judge all sin. This He does at His throne of judgment.

4. The righteous are to be judged and rewarded as clearly stated in the Word of God and that the unrighteous or ungodly (unbelievers) will face a final and eternal judgment at the Great White Throne at the close of the 1,000 years of the kingdom period (Revelation 20:11-15).

5. The importance of certain elementary teachings as being essential for all believers. Those basics include the importance of faith, the foolishness of trying to be saved by good deeds, the meaning of baptism and spiritual gifts, and the facts of resurrection and eternal life. To go on to maturity in our understanding, we need to move beyond (but not away from) the elementary teachings to a more complete understanding of the faith (Hebrews 6:3).

6. The Scripture clearly teaches that original man was the direct result of a creative act of God. Being the masterpiece of creation, man was created in the image and likeness of God as a tripartite being, consisting of spirit, soul and body (1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 4:12; Gen. 2:7; John 20:22; 1 Cor. 2:14 – 3:4). The body is a lifeless shell until God brings it alive with His breath of life. When God removes His life-giving breath, our bodies once again return to dust. Therefore our life and worth come from God's Spirit. God created man to have a relationship with Him, to be made into His image and likeness, to share in His function of dominion and to be fruitful and reproductive. Though the entrance of sin seemed to frustrate God’s purpose for man in creation, this purpose will be accomplished through redemption.

7. The God-conscious part of man capable of knowing God is the spirit. When God created man, He formed the spirit of man within him (Zech. 12:1). God is the God of all spirits (Num. 16:22; 27:16; Heb. 12:9). The spirit is the eternal part of man that is able to worship God who is Spirit (John 4:24). This is referred to as the candle of the Lord (Prov. 20:27; Job 32:8; Ecc. 12:7; 3:19-21; 1 Cor. 2:11). The faculties of the spirit are intuition, conscience, and communion.

8. When man fell, his spirit lost its contact with God. This can only be restored through regeneration. In the new birth, it is man’s spirit that is born again, or renewed. “That which is born of the Spirit, is spirit” (John 3:6 with Rom. 8:16; Titus 3:5; Ezek. 11:19, 20; 36:25-27; John 3:1-6; 20:22; Col. 3:10; Ezek. 18:31; Ps. 51:10; Mal. 2:16). The believer’s spirit, when joined to the Lord, becomes one with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).

9. Man received his spirit and soul as God breathed into his body formed of the earth. The breath of life included both spirit and soul life. The first man then became a living soul (1 Cor. 15:45-47; Ezek. 18:4; Mth. 10:28; Lev. 17:11; Rev. 6:9,10). The soul is the central part of man connecting the spirit and the body together. The soul can influence spirit and or body because of its centrality.

10. Scripture shows that sin entered the universe through Satan and then into the human race with the fall of Adam and Eve (Rom. 5:12). The Bible reveals the essence of sin to be self-centeredness and its tragic result to be death, but it also reveals God’s redemptive plan in Christ Jesus to make an end of sin for eternity.

11. We were all born into Adam's physical family - the family line that leads to certain death (Rom. 5:15). All of us have reaped the results of Adam's sin. We have inherited his guilt, a sinful nature (the tendency to sin), and God's punishment. Because of Jesus, however, we can trade judgment for forgiveness. We can trade our sin for Jesus' righteousness. Christ offers us the opportunity to be born into His spiritual family - the family line that begins with forgiveness and leads to eternal life. If we do nothing, we have death through Adam; but if we come to God by faith, we have life through Christ.

This issue of last things is foundational to the entire gospel and comes to a focus in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The Bible devotes more space to convincing people that eternal life with God is a free gift than describing heaven itself. To assist us in our understanding, the Bible speaks of three heavens: (1) the atmosphere surrounding earth, that is, the sky (Acts 1:9-11); (2) space, including our solar system and the observable stars and galaxies (Gen. 1:14-18; Ps. 8:3); and (3) the location of God's throne, from where He governs the entire universe, called the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2). Solomon said: "God is in heaven and you are on earth" (Ecc. 5:2). In the Bible, the context usually tells us which of the three heavens is being discussed. Here are a few hints about heaven, the dwelling place of the redeemed.

It is an actual place (Gen. 2:1,4; Deut. 10:14). Heaven is God’s dwelling place (2 Chron. 6:25,33,35,39; Heb. 1:10; 4:14; Dan. 4:26; Zech. 12:1). A place prepared for those who have trusted Jesus (John 14:2,3). Not limited by natural laws (John 20:19, 26). We will be like Jesus (1 John 3:2). We will have new bodies (1 Cor. 15:35-49). Heaven will be beyond anything we could ever dream or imagine (1 Cor. 2:9). A new environment (Rev. 21:1). Eternal joy (Rev. 21:3). No death, mourning, crying or pain (Rev. 21:4).

It has been said that for those who do not trust Christ Jesus, this life here on Earth is the closest thing to heaven they will ever know. Conversely, for the redeemed, this life on Earth is the closest thing to hell they will ever experience. Still, there is simply no words or way to describe the unimaginable: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9). The Bible says that, "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Rev. 21:4). No more death, cancer, AIDS, war, murder, mourning, crying, pain, divorce, rape, prostitution, drugs, politics, capitalism, loneliness, spouse abuse, insults, fear, hatred, racism, prejudice, envy, strife, popularity contests – Heaven! As well, take a look up some night and think time and space dimensions and couple that with the unlimited, unbridled possibilities of our creative God – this life is but a grain of sand.

Even still, the one thing, the most important thing above all things is that heaven is where we will be with our Father and His Son Jesus for all eternity. I can only imagine.

We see that for those who belong to Christ, heaven is their destination after death. To the thief on the cross, Jesus said, "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). Paul said that "to be absent from the body (is to be) at home with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8), and that should he depart this world, he would "be with Christ" (Phil. 1:23). God paid dearly with the life of His Son, the highest price He could pay. Jesus accepted our punishment, paid the price for our sins, and then offered us the new life that He had bought for us.

This present life is just an introduction to eternity – death is just the beginning!

To believe is more than intellectual agreement that Jesus is God. It means to put our trust and confidence in Him that He alone can save us. It is to put Christ in charge of our present plans and eternal destiny. Believing both trusts His words as reliable, and relying on Him for the power to change.

Jesus said, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life" (Mth. 25:46). This same thought is reiterated in Mark 3:29 where Jesus says: “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.”

Eternal punishment takes place in hell (the lake of fire, or Gehenna), the place of punishment after death for all those who refuse to repent. In the Bible, three words are used in connection with eternal punishment and hell:

Sheol, or "the grave," is used in the Old Testament to mean the place of the dead, generally thought to be under the earth (see Job 24:19; Ps. 16:10; Is. 38:10).

Hades is the Greek word for the underworld, the realm of the dead. It is the word used in the New Testament for Sheol (see Mth. 16:18; Rev. 1:18; 20:13,14).

Gehenna, or hell, was named after the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem where children were sacrificed by fire to the pagan gods (see 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chron. 28:3). This is the place of eternal fire (Mth. 5:22; 10:28; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5; James 3:6; Rev. 19:20) prepared for the devil, his angels, and all those who do not believe in God (Mth. 25:46; Rev. 20:9,10). This is the final and eternal state of the wicked after the resurrection and the last judgment.

Eternal life, living forever with God, begins when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior. At that moment, new life begins (2 Cor. 5:17). It is a completed transaction. All still will face physical death, but when Christ returns again, your body will be resurrected to live forever (1 Cor. 15). Jesus said in John 5:24: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”

Those who have rebelled against Christ will be resurrected too, but to hear God's judgment against them and to be sentenced to eternity apart from Him. There are those who wish to live well on earth, ignore God, and then see death as final rest. Jesus does not allow unbelieving people to see death as the end of it all. There is a judgment to face. Jesus said: “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29).

We see from 2 Peter 2:4 that if God did not spare angels, or people who lived before the flood, or the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, He would not spare these false teachers. Some people would have us believe that God will save all people because He is so loving. But it is foolish to think that He will cancel the last judgment. These three examples should warn us clearly that God judges sin and that unrepentant sinners cannot escape: “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.”

The day of judgment is that time when all people will appear before Christ and be held accountable for their actions. With God living in us through Christ, we have no reason to fear this day, because we have been saved from punishment. Instead, we can look forward to the day of judgment, because it will mean the end of sin and the beginning of a face-to-face relationship with Jesus Christ: “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).

The fiery lake of burning sulfur is the final destination of the wicked. This lake is different from the Abyss (bottomless pit). The antichrist and the false prophet are thrown into the fiery lake. Then their leader, Satan himself, will be thrown into that lake (Rev. 20:10), and finally death and Hades (Rev. 20:14). Afterward, everyone whose name is not recorded in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15): “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20).

At the judgment, the books are opened. They represent God's judgment, and in them are recorded the deeds of everyone, good or evil. We are not saved by deeds, but deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person's actual relationship with God. The book of life contains the names of those who have put their trust in Christ to save them. Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire. God's judgment is finished. The lake of fire is the ultimate destination of everything wicked - Satan, the beast, the false prophet, the demons, death, Hades, and all those whose names are not recorded in the book of life because they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle John does not permit any gray areas in God's judgment. If by faith we have not identified with Christ, confessing Him as Lord, there will be no hope, no second chance, no other appeal.

“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that 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, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 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. 20:10-15).

The Scriptures maintain that the sufferings of the damned are eternal (see Mth. 18:8, 25:41, 46, 2 Thess. 1:9, Heb. 6:2, Jude 6, Rev. 14:10,11). Some argue that the terms eternal or everlasting carry another meaning than where they appear in other places in Scripture. The same Greek words (aion, aionios, and aidios) are used to express the eternal existence of God (1 Tim. 1:17; Rom. 1:20, 16:26), of Christ (Rev. 1:18), and of the Holy Spirit (Heb. 9:14). In the vast majority of the uses of this term the meaning is that of endless duration, perpetual, forever, and everlasting. As such, if we apply a definite period of duration to one, this would also be true in all other instances. In other words, any argument, which denies the eternality of the punishment of the wicked, would also apply to the eternal duration of the righteous (see Mth. 25:46) and to the eternality of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.

We see, then, that the doctrine of eternal punishment was taught by Jesus Christ (who said more about hell than heaven), was acknowledged by the early church, endorsed by the apostles, and were defended by the theologians of the Middle Ages and the Reformation period. However, more and more this fundamental tenet of biblical doctrinal distinction has become blurred. According to noted Christian researcher George Barna: “Many committed born again Christians believe that people have multiple options for gaining entry to Heaven. They are saying, in essence, ‘Personally, I am trusting Jesus Christ as my means of gaining God’s permanent favor and a place in Heaven – but someone else could get to Heaven based upon living an exemplary life. Millions of Americans have redefined grace to mean that God is so eager to save people from Hell that He will change His nature and universal principles for their individual benefit. It is astounding how many people develop their faith according to their feelings or cultural assumptions rather than biblical teachings.”

We simply conclude in agreement with the Apostle John: “The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life” (Rev. 22:17).

You can know that you have eternal life if you believe God's truth. If you aren't sure that you are a Christian – that you will live eternally with God - ask yourself: "Have I honestly committed my life to Jesus as my Savior and Lord?" If so, you know by faith that you are in truth a child of God. To have eternal life with God requires entering into a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ. Today you can come to the One who loves you, turn from your sins, accept God’s free gift and plan for salvation through Jesus - who is God in flesh, who died and rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15:1-4) as your Lord and Savior (John 1:12). Ask Jesus to forgive you, to come into your heart, and to wash you clean from your sins. Salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. It is not a complicated process - if you believe in your heart and say with your mouth that Christ is the risen Lord, you will be saved (Rom. 10:8-10).

Pray to Jesus. Seek Him. Ask Him to save you. He will.

Grow in grace and truth,

Doug Morrell

CORE Notes From Doug