SERMON: HEARING FROM GOD

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

      -- turn in Bibles to Genesis 12:1-9 -- while you are doing that, I want to open by reading a couple of verses from Hebrews 1 to get us started -- Hebrews 1:1-2

 

Hebrews 1:1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

 

      -- last year, CBS shared the story of Jacob Smith, a 15-year-old freeride skier who was competing at the higher levels of competition -- freeride skiing is a specialized form of competition skiing that takes place on natural, ungroomed terrain without a set course or goals -- it’s as close to natural skiing as you can get, and the challenge of not having a groomed and set course to follow is that you have to be able to read and understand the terrain you are skiing in and to stay safe from danger while hurtling downhill at high speeds, hopefully getting to the finish line quicker than everyone else

      -- the thing that makes Jacob’s story so compelling is the fact that Jacob is legally blind -- he has extreme tunnel vision with no depth perception -- while he can see a little, what he does see is blurry -- His visual acuity is rated 20/800, four times the level of legal blindness

      -- to give you an idea of what this means in a real-world sense, think of the big E on the eye chart -- in order for Jacob to be able to see that letter, it would need to be blown up four times in size before he could even see it from a distance of 20 feet away

      -- so, how can Jacob ski in such demanding terrain and compete with other skiers while so limited in his vision? -- he can only do it because of his family -- Jacob has a two-way radio in his ear -- and his father, Nathan, stands at the bottom, looking up at the top of the mountain as Jacob begins his descent -- he looks through binoculars and calls out instructions to Jacob -- telling him which way to go and how to turn so he can avoid trees and rocks and cliffs

      -- Nathan described his partnership with Jacob this way:

 

“It's on me to make sure I don't let him down -- I have to guide him through narrower chutes or not go off a cliff -- Jacob is not reckless -- He knows his limitations -- I think he has the ability to ski anything on the mountain, but he's not gonna go try to do it by himself -- Like, he wants to be with somebody who he trusts -- He won't ski with people he doesn't trust.”

 

      -- When Jacob was asked how much he trusted his father, he simply replied, “I mean, [I trust him] enough to turn right when he tells me to.”¹

 

II.  Basic Premise -- Does God Speak Now?

      -- Jacob’s story and his faith and trust in his father’s voice reminds us of a great spiritual truth that we need to be standing on in our lives today -- in our world, we are faced with a cacophony of noise, all demanding our attention and our focus -- from the ubiquitous phone in our pocket to the podcasts and music we listen to -- to the never-ending news and entertainment that we allow into our homes and into our lives

      -- but in the midst of all that noise -- in the midst of all that clamor -- there is one voice that is calling out to us that we need to be listening to -- one voice that can safely guide us through these tumultuous times until we finally reach safety on the other side -- the voice of God

 

      -- this passage from Hebrews is a good reminder to us that God still speaks to us today, if we will but listen -- His voice rings true and provides direction and guidance -- peace and truth -- in this world today

      -- the author Hebrews chose to open his letter to the Jewish believers by reminding them of that truth -- he reminds them that in the past, God spoke to their forefathers through intermediaries -- through the prophets and priests -- but now, he declares, in these last days, God speaks to us through His Son -- the heir of all things -- the Creator of the universe -- and the radiance of God’s glory on earth

      -- although not specifically listed in this passage, we know that there are four main ways that Jesus speaks to us today through His Spirit within -- and I’m giving these to you in order of priority

            -- Bible -- God’s Word -- His spoken revelation to us given through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

            -- Prayer -- our time of conversing with God -- knowing God speaks to us through prayer is a reminder to us that prayer is not a one-way conversation, although that is the way we usually approach it -- we go to God and we do all the speaking -- we praise Him -- we confess our sins -- we share our needs and the needs of others -- but we must always remember to allow God time to speak back into our lives -- we need to allow Him time to respond

            -- Church -- God’s people on earth -- God will use other Christians to share His message -- either corporately, through sermons or Bible studies or testimonies -- or individually and personally, as people in the body of Christ are called to share God’s message with others -- many times in my Christian life I have had believers come to me and say, “God told me to tell you this” -- and when that happens, we need to listen and then we need to confirm through the Bible and prayer

            -- Circumstances -- God will speak to us through our circumstances -- He will orchestrate and move heaven and earth to speak to us and give us His message -- I have wondered over the last several years if God is not calling out to us and calling us to Him through all the unusual events that have occurred -- the pandemic -- the natural disasters -- the economic and political shakings of America and the world -- God can speak to us through our circumstances, but this takes insight and confirmation through the study of God’s word and prayer and the church before you can affirm this is God calling -- so, God will speak through circumstances, but it will always be confirmed in another way -- don’t trust circumstances alone, because the world will lead you astray, if you do

      -- so, those are the four ways Jesus speaks to us today -- the Bible -- Prayer -- Church -- and Circumstances

      -- let’s look now at an example from Scripture that shows us how others have heard and responded to God’s voice in their lives -- and how their obedience resulted in blessings to themselves and to others

 

III.  Obedience to Call of God

      -- the first is the story of the calling of Abram from Genesis 12 -- if you would, join me here in this passage, beginning at verse 1 and we’ll walk through this together

 

Genesis 12:1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

 

            -- while Abram was living in the land of Haran, he heard the voice of God -- and that’s important -- just like we were saying, God is always working in our lives -- always speaking to us and calling out to us -- but we have to be in the place where we can hear His voice and recognize His call -- Abram was in such a place at the beginning of Chapter 12 as he was in Haran with his father and his family

      -- are you in the place where you can hear God’s voice in your life? -- maybe you need to take intentional time in your day to get quiet before God -- to call out to Him and then to listen -- to get away from all the noise and all the distractions so that you can hear Him when he calls, just like He did to Abram

 

            -- and notice this from Abram’s story -- sometimes God calls us to do things that don't make sense -- God told Abram to uproot his family and to start a journey without even knowing the destination -- what a crazy notion -- it didn't make sense for Abraham to just pick up and leave Haran to go to an unknown land -- he would have to leave family, friends, established way of life -- he’d have to uproot everyone and move with whole household to foreign land -- think about explaining that to your parents or to your spouse or to your children

            -- but that was the call of God -- that is what the voice of God told Abram to do -- what is He calling you to do today?

 

      -- thinking about this call of God to Abram always reminds me of the short-lived TV series, Joan of Arcadia, that was out a decade ago -- the premise of the story was that Joan, the middle child of a typical suburban family in Arcadia, Maryland, bargained with God to save her older brother’s life after an accident -- she prayed for God to spare him, and said that if he did so, she would serve Him the rest of her life

      -- not long after that, God began appearing to Joan in various forms, including small children, teenage boys, elderly ladies, transients, or passersby -- calling her to do things that made no sense at the time -- tasks that often appear to be trivial or inconsequential—such as enrolling in an AP Chemistry class or building a boat—but these tasks always ended up positively improving a larger situation -- and by the end of the show, you saw how Joan’s faithfulness in response to God’s voice helped these people move closer to God or saved them from impending doom

 

      -- the message here is that we should be listening for God’s voice -- and when He speaks, prepare to do what He tells us to do, even if it seems to make no sense or to be totally illogical at the time

 

Genesis 12:2 “I will make you into a great nation,

    and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

    and you will be a blessing.

3 I will bless those who bless you,

    and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

    will be blessed through you.”

 

-- although God did not give Abram a lot of details about the immediate future -- where he would go -- what he would do -- God did reveal His plan that would follow Abram’s obedience and faithfulness -- when God speaks, He always has a plan in mind, even if He doesn’t always share with us the end results we will see, as He does with Abram here

      -- but the results of obedience to God -- of hearing and following His voice and turning where He says to turn and going where He says to go-- will result in blessings of God on you and others

      -- in this case, Abram’s obedience was going to result in the blessing of the world because this promise from God foreshadows the coming of the Messiah from the line of Abram, who would take away the sins of the world and bless all peoples on earth

 

            Genesis 12:4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

 

6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

 

8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

 

9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.

 

-- “so Abram left” -- just three words there at the start of verse 4, but how powerful and significant are those words -- “so Abram left” -- when he heard the voice of God call out to him in Haran and tell him to get up and leave his country, his people, and his father’s household and set out into the unknown -- Abram was faced with a choice

      -- the easy answer would be to do nothing -- to say the call wasn’t real -- to turn away from the voice of God -- to keep on in the comfortable -- to keep on living life as always

      -- but the other option was to believe the voice and to act on the call -- and that is what is summed up in those three words, “So Abram left”

      -- this speaks of Abram’s faithfulness and his trust and belief in God -- this is the expected response to God’s call in our lives -- the act of obedience

      -- as we read in the Book of James, be more than hearers of the Word -- be doers of the Word

      -- God's call is a call to action -- when you hear God, He wants you to step out in obedience and do what He is calling you to do, even though you may not fully understand where He is sending you or what else might be expected at the time

 

            -- when God speaks, it is usually similar to the way He spoke to Abram -- first, His voice -- His call to obedience -- a call that does not tell you everything at first, but demands a faithful response before He speaks again -- for Abram, this meant, "go to the land that I will show you"

 

            -- God’s voice and call in our lives always demands a response on our part -- a step of faith in obedience to God’s call, trusting God to lead us once we get going -- think about the paralytic man by the pool of Bethesda -- after questioning whether the man really wanted to be healed or not, Jesus spoke healing into this man’s life by telling him to get up, take his mat, and walk -- healing would only come when the man responded in obedience and faithfulness -- if he had not gotten up and done what Jesus said, I believe he would have remained in his paralytic state -- but he responded with what little faith he had, and he experienced healing in his life -- that is the way God calls all to us when He speaks  

 

            -- finally, as we go -- as we respond in faithfulness and trust and obedience -- God clarifies the call and shares more of His plan for us or for others -- notice here in verse 7 that God paused Abram as he traveled through the land of Canaan -- He tells Abram, “I will give this land to your offspring” -- in other words, this is not for you, yet -- but others will be blessed because of your obedience -- God gave Abram more instructions that made the first part, “Got to the land I will show you” clearer -- the blessing would come, even if Abram didn’t experience it himself

      -- the same holds true with us -- as we respond in obedience to God’s voice, He reveals more of His plan and clarifies the call -- when Kim and I were living in Tennessee, things were going pretty good -- we both had good jobs -- we had friends -- activities -- we were going out and doing stuff -- and then God spoke to me and said, “Come home -- come back to south Georgia”

      -- it made no sense -- we didn’t understand why God was calling us back when we were so established elsewhere -- but we loaded up and went, even if Kim did so with weeping and gnashing of teeth

      -- one thing led to another -- God continued to speak and to lead until we found ourselves in a little church in Morven, where God solidified the call and I accepted His call to ministry -- leading to this very moment in this little church here

      -- God reveals His plan only in response to obedience, so if you find yourself stagnant -- if you find yourself too comfortable -- ask yourself where you are with His call -- have you missed a step that is causing you to not hear the next part of the journey? -- listen for His voice and follow Him in obedience, no matter how illogical or insensible the call might seem at the time

 

 

IV.  Closing

      -- let me close by sharing an illustration that brings all this home

 

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study. The Pastor had shared about listening to God. The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"

After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the idea. Several different people talked about how God had led them to do things in different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God... If you still speak to people, speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to serve your wishes."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought, to stop and buy a gallon of milk. He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.

But again, the thought was there, "Buy a gallon of milk." The young man thought about how he'd heard that not all those spoken to recognized God's quiet voice inside of one's mind. Then he said, "Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk."

It didn't seem like too hard a request to fulfil. He could always use the milk himself if nothing else. So he stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.

As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn down that street."

"This is crazy," he thought and drove on pass and passed the intersection.

Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street. At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh. Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will."

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in a semi-commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst of neighborhoods either.

The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed. Again, he sensed something: "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep.

He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat. "God, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid."

Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk. Finally, he opened the car door. "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to do as you wish. I guess that will count for something, but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?"

Then the door opened before the young man could get away. The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he'd just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to have some stranger standing on his doorstep.

"What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk. "Here, I brought this to you," he said nervously.

The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway speaking loudly in Spanish. Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half-crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I asked Him to send an angel with some milk. Are you an angel?"

when the young man heard her question, he reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car as the tears were streaming down his face, for he had just learned the truth about God’s voice in the world today -- and now he knew that God still answers prayers and that God still speaks to people, if we will but listen.

 

      -- In every instance in the Bible when God calls out to someone, the pattern is always the same:

      1.  When God spoke, they knew it was God

      2.  They knew what God was saying

      3.  They knew what they were to do in response

      4.  They didn’t wait to be given the full picture but moved out in obedience based on the light they were given

      5.  In response to their obedience, God clarified the call

      6.  Their faithful actions resulted in a change in someone’s life

 

      -- we need to learn to look for this pattern in our lives

      -- first, recognize that God is always at work around us and is always speaking to us

      -- secondly, we need to learn to hear His voice through the Bible, Prayer, Church, Circumstances

      -- finally, when we hear God call, we need to step out in faith -- trust Jesus to guide us one step at a time -- when we start to walk in faith like this, it leads to new freedom in Christ

            -- we no longer have to worry about what to do, but we can wait and listen for God’s voice and trust Him to lead us

 

      -- when God calls, He is calling you to obedience in order to bless you and others through you -- small steps of faith can end up with huge results -- look at what happened to the young man in this story with a gallon of milk -- look at what God did in Abraham's life

      -- what would have happened if neither of them had been willing to take that first small step of obedience? -- so, let me leave you with this question:  what small step is God calling you to take today?

      -- let us pray

 

1 Source: Sharyn Alfonsi, “The only big fear I have is not succeeding,” CBS News (3-6-22)

 

SERMON: HEAVEN IS FOR REAL -- AFTERLIFE SERIES PART 6

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Revelation 4:1-11

 

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

 

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

 

“ ‘Holy, holy, holy

 

is the Lord God Almighty,’

 

who was, and is, and is to come.”

 

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

 

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,

 

to receive glory and honor and power,

 

for you created all things,

 

and by your will they were created

 

and have their being.”

 

            -- this morning, we are continuing our Afterlife Sermon Series -- our look at Heaven, Hell, and everything in-between -- we should be finishing up this series next week -- and I hope you have gotten something out of this -- more importantly, I hope this series has inspired you to go out and reach others with the good news of Christ because we know that heaven and hell are real and we want everyone to join us in heaven and not in the Lake of Fire

-- finally, after all of the discussions about Sheol and Hades -- about Hell and the Lake of Fire and the Great White Throne judgment -- we are finally getting to the part that all of us long for in our hearts -- for the next two weeks, we’re going to be talking about Heaven

-- so, let’s get right into it

 

            -- back in 2010, a book came out called, “Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back" -- they later made a movie based on the book that starred Jennifer Garner

-- the book and the movie relate the story of Colton Burpo, a four-year-old little boy who supposedly died and went to heaven and then came back to tell his story

            -- Colton's story begins with emergency surgery after a ruptured appendix -- the doctors weren't sure Colton was going to survive, but thankfully, he did -- a few months later, Colton began telling his father about going to heaven and about the people he met there -- and his father wrote down everything that Colton told him

            -- Colton said as he was going up to heaven, he looked down and saw his parents praying for him in the hospital -- he kept going up, and once he got to heaven, he was immediately greeted by relatives who had died before he was even born -- he told his father he had a conversation with his great-grandfather and met a sister who had died in a miscarriage

-- he said he saw Jesus come riding up on a rainbow-colored horse, and he met John the Baptist and the angel Gabriel -- he said everyone in heaven had wings and halos, just like all the angels -- and that heaven was filled with little children who had either died in utero or as an infant and who continued to grow at a normal rate once they went to heaven -- he said he saw God the Father on His throne, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, who Colton described as being bluish and transparent and hard to see

 

            -- so, what do you think? -- Colton’s description of what he saw sounds exactly like what we have been taught our whole lives through stories, through movies and TV shows -- through paintings -- and even in Sunday School -- Colton’s description of heaven seems to fit pretty closely with what most people believe about heaven

            -- we’ve talked about this a little already in our study -- the popular conception of the afterlife is that when we die, we will go to heaven to be with Jesus and we will become angels or like angels -- if Colton’s description is right, then we’ll all have wings and halos and harps

            -- but before we read and believe the accounts from Colton’s book or one of the other many books that tell about near-death experiences and before we watch movies or TV shows like “Heaven is for Real," we really should turn to the Bible and see what it says about heaven and the afterlife and whether these stories agree with what the Bible says is true

 

            -- remember my direction to you during this study -- be a good Berean -- follow the example of the Bereans in Acts 17:11 who examined the Scriptures to see if what the Apostle Paul taught was true -- do the same with any spiritual teachings you happen to come across -- as John wrote in 1 John 4:1, “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

            -- so, that’s what we’re going to do this morning as we begin our study of the doctrine of heaven

 

            -- just to let you know, we're going to be going to be jumping around a great deal in the Bible this morning -- I’m going to be giving you verses, but not diving deep into them in this message -- so, I’ll give you a list of all the scriptures, but I want you to go and read these in context later today or later this week to see for yourself what God is saying in these verses

 

II.  Is Heaven for Real?

            -- so, first, let’s answer the question, "Is Heaven for Real?" -- is heaven a real place?

            -- of course! -- we’ve talked about that already -- it’s part of our foundational beliefs in the church -- heaven is the place where God is -- even though we tend to look around us and think that our country has drifted away from God, 81% of Americans still say there is a God, and almost 75% of all Americans believe in heaven

            -- the Bible certainly teaches that -- if you look at the very first verse in the Bible, you see there is a heaven -- Genesis 1:1 -- "in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth"

-- at the beginning of time, God created heaven -- and in almost every book of the Bible, we see a reference to heaven -- Colton is right -- heaven is real, there is no doubt about that

 

            -- now before we move on, I want to point out something that has confused a lot of people -- if you notice in Genesis 1:1, it says that "God created the heavens" -- plural -- and in many places throughout the Bible, we see references to "heavens" -- plural -- more than one heaven -- and then over in 2 Corinthians 12:2, Paul talks about being caught up to the third heaven -- about being carried to Paradise

            -- so why does the Bible talk about heaven in a plural sense? -- why so many references to “heavens” and not just “heaven?”

-- it has to do with the way the Israelites understood and used that term -- the Israelites recognized three heavens -- three spheres or planes that existed above the earth

            -- the first heaven is the atmosphere -- the air we breathe -- the place where clouds are -- or, if you’re in New York City, the place where all that smoke from the Canadian wildfires is -- this is the first heaven

-- the second heaven is what we call space -- the place where the heavenly bodies reside -- the sun and the moon and the stars -- the planets -- the galaxies -- the universe -- this is the second heaven

-- the third heaven, that Paul talked about, is what we normally think of in our day when we hear the word, “heaven” -- when Paul talked about being caught up to the third heaven or to Paradise, it appears from the context of that passage he was not referring to Hades, the temporary abode of the dead, but to the place where God lives -- the place where we find the throne of God

            -- so that's why the Bible refers to heavens in a plural term -- it’s because the Jews recognized three separate heavens -- the atmosphere -- space -- and the abode of God

 

            -- so, Heaven is real -- the Bible confirms that -- Colton and all the others are right in their assertion that heaven is a real place

 

III.  Does God Live in Heaven?

            -- let's move on to the next question:  "Does God live in heaven?" -- according to Colton's story, when he went to heaven he saw God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit -- so, what does the Bible say? -- does God live in heaven?

            -- sure He does! -- now, we know that God is not confined to any one place -- He is omnipresent -- He is here with us and in us and all across this world and the universe and the spiritual realm, all at the same time -- but Scripture does teach that when we die, we will go to a specific place called Heaven, where we will find God and reside with God -- that is the third heaven that the Jews believed in -- that the Apostle Paul was referencing

-- Scripture is consistent in its teaching that God resides in heaven -- all the way back in the Book of Genesis, we see references to God being in heaven -- Genesis 21:17 -- "God called to Hagar from heaven" -- Genesis 22:11 -- "The Angel of the Lord called out to him [Abraham] from heaven"

            -- same thing in the New Testament -- in Matthew 5:16, Jesus told us to let our light shine before men, that they might see our good deeds and praise our "Father in heaven." -- in many references in the gospels, Jesus referred to our Father who is in heaven -- we even see that in the Lord's prayer -- "Our Father, who art in heaven..."

            -- so, yes, God lives in heaven -- that is where He has chosen to reside and that is where His throne is -- Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 6 that he saw the Lord seated on His throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple -- over in Revelation Chapter 4, John was caught up to heaven and saw God seated on His throne

            -- look back at Revelation 4:1-5

 

Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

 

            -- so, the Bible does teach that the Father resides in Heaven, just as Colton said

 

            -- and we know that Jesus is in heaven, too -- John describes the Lamb being before the throne later on in the Book of Revelation, which is consistent with other passages in the New Testament

-- in Acts 1, we read of the ascension of Jesus from the Mount of Olives up to heaven-- and in Acts 7:55, we read, "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" -- and in Ephesians 1:20 it says Christ was raised from the dead and seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly realms

            -- so, both God the Father and Jesus are in heaven -- the Bible tells us that -- however, there are not any clear references to the Holy Spirit being in heaven -- at least at the present time

-- we know the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity -- He is God -- He is the third person in the Godhead -- so in that sense He is in heaven because God is in heaven

-- and we know that the Holy Spirit has resided in heaven in the past because Jesus told His disciples in John 16:7 that it was good for Him to leave this earth, because when He ascended, the Father would send the Holy Spirit down to be our Counselor and Comforter

-- in order to send the Holy Spirit down, that implies the Spirit was previously in heaven -- so, the Spirit has been in heaven in the past -- He is with us now, indwelling all believers and reaching out to us in this world in other ways through His prevenient grace as He ministers to us and calls unbelievers to come to a saving knowledge of Christ

-- however, we don’t know for sure if the Holy Spirit still resides in some form in heaven at this time or not -- in verse 5, John refers to seven lamps around the throne, which he says are the seven spirits of God or the seven-fold spirit -- we see similar references throughout the Book of Revelation -- but we’re not sure if this is referring specifically to the Holy Spirit or some other aspect of God’s character and nature

-- but one thing is clear -- the Holy Spirit is never described as having a body of any type or of being in a form that we can see with our earthly, physical eyes-- so this part of Colton's story breaks down a little -- because he claims to have seen the Holy Spirit when he was in heaven

 

            -- also, Colton's description of the throne room of God does not match what we see in Scripture -- in the Bible, there are two accounts of people being caught up to heaven and appearing before the throne of God -- Isaiah in Isaiah Chapter 6 and the Apostle John in Revelation 4 -- and both of their accounts are remarkably similar

            -- look at the rest of John’s description of the throne room here in Revelation 4, beginning at verse 6-11

 

6 Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

 

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

 

“ ‘Holy, holy, holy

 

is the Lord God Almighty,’

 

who was, and is, and is to come.”

 

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

 

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,

 

to receive glory and honor and power,

 

for you created all things,

 

and by your will they were created

 

and have their being.”

 

 

            -- John’s description of worship before the throne of God is very similar to that of Isaiah -- just like in Isaiah, John describes the throne room of heaven as being filled with worship led by the Seraphim -- the Seraphim are a class of angels that have six wings -- they are covered with eyes in front and in back, and have different faces -- one has the face of an ox -- one the face of a lion -- one the face of a man -- and one the face of a flying eagle -- and both Isaiah and John describe them as flying around and crying out in a loud voice, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty"

            -- the throne room is described as being filled with smoke -- and John adds that peals of thunder and lightning came from the throne

            -- none of this is mentioned in Colton's book, which is hard to believe -- I would think this would stand out to anyone who went to heaven -- that we certainly would notice four living creatures with six wings, covered with eyes, and leading worship around the throne -- both John and Isaiah mentioned this in their accounts when they had their visions of heaven, but Colton doesn’t, which is suspect

 

IV.  Our Bodies in Heaven

            -- let's move on to our bodies -- Colton said that everyone in heaven had wings just like the angels -- and that's a common belief of most people -- that when someone dies, they go to heaven and become an angel -- or at least, they get angel wings

            -- we see that in one of our most loved Christmas movies -- "It's a Wonderful Life" -- Clarence is an angel who is sent to help Jimmy Stewart so he will get his wings -- and remember the line from the movie, "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings"

            -- the only problem with this -- and with Colton's story about everyone in heaven -- including the little children -- having wings like the angels is that not all angels have wings -- in fact, according to the Bible -- out of the four types of angels we know of -- angels, archangels, seraphim, and cherubim -- only the seraphim and cherubim have wings -- the other two don't

            -- in the accounts of angels appearing to people in the Bible, they are never described as having wings -- in Luke 2, when the angels appeared to the shepherds in the fields outside Jerusalem, there is no mention of wings -- when the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament, and then to Zechariah, John the Baptist's father, and to Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the New Testament -- no mention of wings

            -- when Mary Magdalene and the other women visited Jesus' tomb on Easter morning in Luke 24:4, they were startled by the appearance of two men with clothes that gleamed like lightning -- no wings

 

            -- so what about us? -- when we die and go to heaven, will we get wings? -- no where in the Bible are we told that people are going to get wings when they die and go to heaven

            -- as we’ve discussed earlier in our study, we will be given a new body when we go to heaven -- Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:49 that our new bodies will bear the likeness of the resurrected Jesus -- our bodies will be imperishable -- immortal -- and physical

            -- think about what Jesus' resurrected body was like -- Jesus was not a spirit -- He was not a ghost -- He was flesh and blood -- He didn't have wings, and we won't either -- after the resurrection, He talked with His disciples -- He ate with His disciples -- He touched His disciples and let them touch Him -- and our new bodies will be like His -- we’ll talk more about the reason for this when we finish up our Afterlife Sermon Series next week

            -- so, Colton's story about seeing people in heaven with wings is not biblical -- it does not line up with the biblical account -- not for the angels -- and, definitely, not for people who have passed away and who have gone to be with the Lord

 

V.  People in Heaven

            -- let's look at one more part of Colton's story and we'll end there

            -- Colton told his father he had talked to his great-grandfather and met a sister who had died in a miscarriage -- his sister was a little girl and his great-grandfather was a young man

            -- that brings up two questions, the first of which we have partly answered -- what will our bodies look like in heaven? -- will we be present in heaven at the age at which we died or will we be given a body at a different age?

            -- Colton said both in his story -- his little sister was brought up to heaven as a miscarried baby and grew from that point on until she was a little girl about his age when he went there -- his great-grandfather, however, was not an old man, but instead was a young man in the prime of his life

            -- so, what does the Bible say about our ages when we get to heaven? -- will we be the same age in heaven as we are when we die? -- well, the Bible doesn't say anything about this -- the Bible just tells us that we will be given a new body -- as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15, this new body will be imperishable and immortal -- but he doesn't tell us how old we will appear to be when we are in heaven

            -- over in Revelation 7:9, when John sees the multitudes that appear before the throne of God in heaven, he doesn't mention how old they were

            -- so, we really don't know -- the Bible is silent on this account -- and this is true whether we're considering if there will be infants and children in heaven or if everyone is going to be the same age -- if we have a new body, will we all appear as young adults in the prime of our lives?

            -- the Bible simply does not say -- I think the assumption that is made by most believers that we will be given the body of a young adult is based on the story of the creation of Adam and Eve -- it is obvious from that account that Adam and Eve were created as adults -- they were not infants -- they were not children -- they were created as adults and placed in the Garden of Eden -- we can assume from this that our resurrected bodies will be the same -- but that is not stated in Scripture -- we simply do not know

 

            -- the other question Colton's story raises is whether we will know each other in heaven -- will we know our relatives in heaven? -- every single story about people dying and going to heaven and coming back say the same thing -- they all knew their family in heaven -- but what does the Bible say?

            -- once again, the Bible really doesn't tell us a whole lot on this account -- the closest thing we have is the story of Lazarus and the beggar from Luke 16 -- Lazarus recognized and knew both the beggar and Abraham and was able to speak to Abraham in Hades

            -- that is the only reference we have in the Bible about people knowing others beyond the grave

            -- personally, I think we will know each other after death -- but I cannot back that up with a scriptural reference -- as he was dying, Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right of hand of God and knew Him and recognized Him -- and we know that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration and Peter, James, and John recognized them even though they had never seen them before -- so I believe we will recognize and know each other in heaven

 

VI.  Closing

            -- so, let's bring this home -- what does all this mean?

            -- I think the big take-away from all of this is that we have to be careful in accepting non-Biblical accounts of the afterlife -- whether that’s heaven or hell

-- in most cases, these accounts of near-death experiences or of people going to heaven and then coming back to life to tell about it don’t line up with what the scriptures tell us, just like we’ve been talking about

-- Heaven is a real place -- it is the place that believers go when we die -- but it’s not the place that Colton described to his father -- it’s not a place of billowy clouds and people with angel wings and it’s probably not a place filled with people of all ages, from infants all the way to senior citizens

-- Colton’s book and the movie that was made based are just another example of the many false teachings about heaven that you can find today

            -- in Revelation 13:6, John writes that the Beast -- the Antichrist -- is empowered by Satan to "blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven"

            -- this is why there are so many false teachings about heaven -- it’s part of the plan of Satan -- this verse tells us that Satan leads the antichrist to attack God by slandering God's name, God's people, and God's dwelling place -- heaven

            -- by slandering heaven, Satan has been able to take God's most wonderful promise to us -- His promise of the kingdom to come -- of life everlasting filled with wonders and excitement and rest -- and turn it into a parody of disembodied saints with wings floating on clouds and sitting in church all day

            -- and, by convincing the world that everyone is going to heaven regardless of what they believe, Satan is keeping people away from the truth of the gospel -- he’s keeping people from turning to Christ in repentance and for the forgiveness of their sins -- he’s keeping people on the broad way that leads to Hell

            -- that is his goal -- that is his purpose -- but knowing this, our response -- our goal and our purpose -- should be to stand against false teachings, to share the good news of Christ, and to point people to the truth about heaven, hell, and everything in-between

 

-- the reality of heaven is so much greater than what we imagine, because heaven is where we will be in the very presence of God and we will be able to see our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus -- where we will know Him in a way we haven’t been able to before

-- so, when someone asks you about books like Colton’s or movies or TV shows about near-death experiences, use that as an opportunity to talk with others about what heaven is really like and what the Bible says about heaven and, more importantly, how we get to heaven in the first place

            -- so, I'm going to leave you with that -- as we close, let's join together in prayer to pray for those in our world who are being led astray through false teachings -- and let's pray that God would open their eyes and remove the veil Satan has put before them so they might come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ

            -- let's pray

SERMON: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT -- AFTERLIFE SERIES PART 5

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in your Bibles to Revelation 20:11-15

 

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

            -- two men were standing on the side of a road holding signs that read, “The End is Near” -- a car came flying up beside them and the driver rolled down his window and screamed at them -- “You religious nuts!  You make me mad!  Stop preaching your hate to the world!” -- and with that, he floored his accelerator and took off again

            -- a moment later, the two men heard a big splash -- one of them turned to the other and said, “I told you our signs should say “Bridge is Out” rather than “The End is Near””

 

            -- this morning, we’re continuing on in our sermon series Afterlife -- our look at what happens to us after our lives -- a study into heaven, hell and everything in-between

            -- as we’ve progressed in this study, we’ve reached the point where we know that all the believers -- past and present -- are currently with the Lord in Heaven -- and that all unbelievers and those who have rejected the offer of life from Jesus and who have died in their sins are being held in the place of torment in Hades

            -- today, we’re going to finally answer the question about what happens to these unbelievers -- where do they ultimately end up and what happens to them after their judgment before God

 

II.  Synopsis of Revelation

            -- we find the answer to that question towards the end of the Book of Revelation -- in Revelation chapters 19 and 20

            -- but before we turn there, I thought it would be helpful to give you a quick synopsis of end times theology from a conservative viewpoint -- there are many different interpretations and understanding of end times theology -- of what the Day of the Lord means and what will happen before, during, and after the return of Christ

            -- I follow a literal understanding and interpretation of the events of the Book of Revelation -- I was taught the principle of Occam’s Razor in science -- that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one -- and I apply that to my biblical understanding, as well

            -- I think it makes more sense to read the Book of Revelation from a literal perspective than to try to interpret it as entirely symbolic or historic

            -- so, my interpretation tends to line up more with the teachings of people like Tim LaHaye -- David Jeremiah -- Hal Lindsey -- and others in that camp who read Revelation and interpret it from a literal perspective

            -- some in the church reject these interpretations as misguided and incorrect -- they teach that the Book of Revelation is not a prophetic book, but instead a coded picture of the events occurring in Rome during the Apostle John's lifetime -- in other words, they contend the events of the Book of Revelation have already occurred and are not future events

            -- others believe the Book of Revelation is simply a picture of the grand sweep of history, showing the rise and fall of nations and the advent of the Christian faith through the symbols and messages given by John in this book

            -- finally, others see the Book of Revelation as simply an allegory of our spiritual lives -- a story or an illustration given by John to describe our struggles with good and evil in our lives which should not be taken literally

            -- I believe in a literal understanding of all Scripture, including the Book of Revelation, which puts me into the literal, fundamentalist camp when it comes to end times theology -- so, I try to read and interpret Revelation from that perspective

            -- once again, this is one of those areas of secondary importance -- and if you believe differently, that’s okay -- but I’m going to give you a real quick synopsis and overview of end times theology from this perspective because it impacts the question of what happens to unbelievers and the timing of those actions

 

            -- so, in the Book of Daniel, we read that God has allotted 490 years for the people of Israel following their captivity in Babylon and beginning at the rebuilding of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem

-- this is known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble -- from the rebuilding of the Jewish temple, the Jewish people would only have 490 years until the end

-- Daniel prophesied that the Messiah would come at the end of 69 sevens -- that’s 483 years -- at which point, he writes that the Anointed One would be cut off from the people of Israel -- this refers to the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish people and His death on the cross

            -- people who hold to a literal interpretation of scripture believe that at this point, it’s like God stops the clock for the nation of Israel -- 483 years have passed -- but He stops the clock because the nation has turned away and rejected their Messiah

-- God then turns His attention to the Church and we enter the age of the Gentiles -- the age we are currently in -- the time when God is building His church through the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers

            -- so, there are seven years left for the nation of Israel -- and at some point in the future, God will start the clock again -- this seven year period is what we read about in the Book of Revelation and what we call the Tribulation Period

            -- right before the clock starts again, the Bible teaches there will be a rapture of the church, when believers -- both living and dead -- will be resurrected -- this is the first resurrection, when we receive our eternal imperishable bodies

            -- after that, a world ruler will arise that we know as the antichrist or the beast of revelation, because he will be indwelt by Satan himself -- he will make a covenant with Israel for 3-1/2 years -- allowing them to rebuild the temple and begin sacrifices again -- at the end of the 3-1/2 years, the antichrist will break his covenant with Israel, which ushers in the part of the Tribulation that we call the Great Tribulation

            -- the antichrist is aided by a false prophet -- during the tribulation period, this is the time of the mark of the beast and world domination by the antichrist -- at the end of the seven-year tribulation period, Jesus returns to wage war against the antichrist and the false prophet, defeating them and throwing them into the lake of fire

            -- look with me at Revelation 19:19-23

 

Revelation 19:19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

 

            -- so, that ends the reign of the antichrist

 

            -- immediately after that, Jesus binds Satan and throws him in to the Abyss for 1000 years and begins the millennial reign -- the thousand-year reign of Christ on the current earth

            -- at the end of the thousand years, Satan is released and goes out to deceive the nations again -- there is a final battle and fire comes from heaven and devours those who followed Satan -- the devil is then thrown into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown

            -- look at Revelation 20:1-3

 

Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

 

            -- Revelation 20:7-10

 

Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

 

            -- that concludes the Millennial Kingdom and the earthly reign of Christ on the current earth

            -- that’s a quick synopsis of the events of the Book of Revelation, omitting all the plagues and trials that come on the earth during the Tribulation period -- just a broad brush overview

 

III.  The Fate of Unbelievers

            -- while all this is going on, unbelievers who have died apart from Christ are still being sent to Hades and are still there in the place of torment awaiting judgment

 

            -- so, let’s look at what happens to them -- look back at Revelation 20:4-6

 

Revelation 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

 

            -- here in these verses, the Apostle John references two terms -- he talks about the first resurrection and the second death

            -- to understand these references, you need to know that Scripture speaks of two births -- two deaths -- and two resurrections

 

            1.  Two births -- this refers to our physical birth and our spiritual birth

-- all humans have a physical birth -- every person who has ever lived experienced a physical birth -- a birth of water, as the Scripture terms it

-- some of us have experienced another birth -- a spiritual birth -- or, as Jesus told Nicodemus, we are born again -- that is the Scriptural term for those who have received Jesus as Lord and Savior -- we are born again as new creations into the family of God -- this is the second birth -- and not everyone experiences it

 

2.  Two deaths -- Physical death and an eternal death

-- it’s an accepted fact that everyone who is alive will die a physical death at some point -- our bodies that our souls and spirits currently reside in are mortal bodies -- they will eventually wear out and die -- or we may die from other causes -- accidents, disease, violence -- some other aspect that is a consequence of living in a fallen world

-- unless the Rapture occurs in our lifetime, every person in this room will experience the first death -- it is natural and part of the cycle of life that God began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

-- it is the fate of believers and unbelievers -- we all die -- some of us, those who have been born again, will go to heaven when we die to be with the Lord -- the rest will go to Hades to await final judgment -- that is the first death

 

-- the second death is what happens to unbelievers and all those who reject Jesus -- as we discussed last week, the Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death -- eternal death -- spiritual death

-- this is something that only happens to those people who have not received Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- it is the fate of the ones the Bible calls wicked -- not wicked because of their actions -- but wicked because their sins have not been forgiven through the blood of Jesus

-- we’ll talk more about this in just a minute

 

3.  Two Resurrections -- so, we have two births -- two deaths -- and two resurrections

-- what does the Bible mean by the term, “resurrection?” -- well, it means more than coming back to life -- it means being fully alive

-- as we’ve been discussing, when believers die, they do not cease to live but go to be in the presence of the Lord immediately -- that is not the resurrection -- the resurrection is when we put on our immortal and imperishable bodies -- when we receive our permanent bodies that our souls and spirits will inhabit for all eternity -- that is the resurrection

-- so, think about the rapture -- in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul teaches us about our immortal and imperishable body -- and in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, Paul talks about what happens at the rapture and the first resurrection

 

1 Corinthians 15:51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

 

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

    Where, O death, is your sting?”

 

-- so, even those believers who are alive -- as Paul puts it -- who do not “sleep” -- even those believers who are alive are part of the first resurrection because they put on the immortal and imperishable body they will reside in for all eternity

-- that’s what the Bible means by resurrection -- not just alive -- but fully alive

 

-- now, the first resurrection is referenced here in Revelation 20:4

 

Revelation 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

 

-- the first resurrection comes in phases -- Jesus was the first to be resurrected -- the Bible tells us He was the firstfruits of resurrection

-- the second phase are those believers who are resurrected at the coming of Christ at the end of Revelation 19 -- that would be every believer who has ever lived from the beginning of time all the way up to this point in the Book of Revelation

-- everyone who has died in Christ up to this point -- when Christ returns, they will put on their immortal and imperishable body -- they will be resurrected and fully alive with Christ

-- these are the ones we read about at the start of verse 4 -- the ones who are sitting on thrones with the authority to judge

-- the others who take part in the first resurrection are the saints who were martyred during the Tribulation period -- believers who were killed during the reign of the Antichrist because of their faith -- those are the ones described in verse 4 as the “souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God” -- the ones who hadn’t received the mark of the beast or worshiped his image

-- everyone who is part of the first resurrection -- all the believers from the time of Adam and Eve all the way up until the end of the Tribulation period -- these are the people who are part of the first resurrection

-- look at the end of verse 5

 

Revelation 20:5b This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

 

-- because we are blessed and made holy through the death and resurrection of Christ -- through the forgiveness of our sins and Christ’s imputation of His righteousness to us -- we have part in the first resurrection and the second death has no power over us

-- as it says in Revelation 2:11 in the letter to the church in Smyrna, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.  He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death”

-- believers are born twice, die once, and then take part in the first resurrection -- they are not affected by the second resurrection or the second death

 

-- what about the second resurrection? -- look back at verse 5

 

Revelation 20:5a (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.)

 

-- this verse is referencing the second resurrection -- the resurrection of unbelievers -- of all of those who have died and reside in the place of torment in Hades and those unbelievers who are alive at the end of the Millennial Kingdom

-- they will be resurrected at the end of the 1000-year reign of Christ and will face judgment at that point -- only unbelievers take part in the second resurrection, because all believers were part of the first resurrection

 

-- skip down to verse 7

 

Revelation 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

 

-- as we mentioned, after the 1000-year reign of Christ, Satan will be released from the Abyss and will go out and deceive the nations -- the people who are living on earth who have not died and been resurrected

-- while it is hard for us to imagine, some of the people who are alive and who are born during the reign of Christ on this earth will not put their faith and trust in Him -- they will reject Him and believe in the devil’s lies and will revolt against Jesus, ultimately being killed when fire from heaven comes down

-- the devil will be finally be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur -- the same lake of fire that the antichrist and the false prophet were thrown into at the end of Chapter 19

-- the lake of fire is hell -- where the place of torment in Hades is a temporary place, the lake of fire is permanent -- for all eternity, the fires in the lake of burning sulfur will continue to burn -- tormenting the devil and the antichrist and the false prophet forever

-- this is the place that Jesus warned of in the gospels -- in our English Bibles, we translate this as Hell, but the Greek word is Gehenna

-- Gehenna was the word the Israelites used for the valley of Ben-Hinnom -- a valley located southwest of Jerusalem -- In Old Testament times, idolatrous Israelites burned their children in the fire there as sacrifices to false gods

-- In Jesus’ day, Gehenna was the site of Jerusalem’s garbage dump -- the Israelites would burn their garbage and trash in the valley of Ben-Hinnom -- the fires never went out, but were kept burning constantly -- and foul-smelling smoke came off of it

-- so, Jesus used this as a symbolic picture of what the eternal Hell would be like -- a place of burning sulfur and never-ending fire -- a place that was originally prepared for the devil and the demons who followed him -- not for humans -- according to Matthew 25:41, which we looked at last week

-- and we read here in verse 10 that Hell -- the lake of burning sulfur -- is the place where the devil will be thrown, along with the antichrist and the false prophet

 

-- verse 11

 

Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

-- and here we find the answer to our question of what happens to the unbelievers in Hades -- they will experience the second resurrection -- they will be brought up out of Hades to stand with any unbelievers still alive in front of the great white throne

-- the great white throne is the judgment seat of the Father -- all of us will stand before the great white throne and will be judged by God -- this is the same judgement that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 25 when He talked about the sheep and the goats

-- all the dead -- great and small -- stand before the throne and books are opened -- these books record our deeds -- both good and bad -- but the most important of the books that are opened is the Book of Life, for that is where those people who have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior are recorded

-- believers are also judged, but since their names are in the Book of Life, they are judged based on the blood of Jesus and His imputed righteousness -- they are declared innocent in the eyes of God, and are granted eternal life with Him

-- believers also face an additional judgment -- the judgment seat of Christ -- where their deeds are measured and rewards and positions of authority are given -- the rewards are the crowns and other accolades that are mentioned throughout the Bible and that are mentioned as being laid down and offered before the throne of God in Revelation 4:10-11

-- note that these rewards and positions of authority are proportional -- they are based on what we have done or not done for Christ in our life -- those who have done a lot or fulfilled what Christ has called them to do are rewarded more than those who did not do anything for Him after salvation or who failed to do what He had called them to do -- you will be rewarded by God with crowns, accolades, and given a position of authority in proportion to your obedience and faithfulness to God

 

-- the unbelievers are also judged based on what they have done as recorded in the books -- like we discussed last week, the Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and that the wages of sin is death -- since these people have not received the mercy and grace of God and received forgiveness for their sins and the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to them, they must atone for their sins on their own -- they must pay the penalty themselves

-- so, we read in verse 15 that if anyone’s name is not in the Book of Life, they are thrown into the lake of fire, which is the Second Death

 

-- now, remember what I said about believers being rewarded for their deeds in proportion to their obedience and faithfulness -- that same principle also holds for the unbelievers in regards to their punishment -- there is a principle in Scripture that does teach degrees of punishment based upon degrees of sinfulness and knowledge -- in addition to being judged for your sin, you are also judged based on the light you received and your response to that light

-- for instance, in Matthew 11:20-24, Jesus denounces the cities in which most of His miracles had occurred because they did not respond in proportion to the light that was given to them -- even seeing the miracles, they refused to repent -- Jesus declared woe to Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, and said because they had received greater light and greater knowledge and refused to repent, they would receive greater punishment than Tyre and Sodom

-- similarly, in Luke 12:47-48 we read that the servant who knows what the master’s will is and refuses to do it will receive greater punishment than the servant who did not know what the master’s will was

-- so, there is proportionality in reward and punishment -- this means that unbelievers will be punished in proportion to the extent of their disobedience and unfaithfulness -- those who knew what God wanted and refused to follow His word or who did greater amounts of evil in their lives will be punished more than those who didn’t know what God demanded or who were less evil in their lives

-- to put it plainly, Hitler and Saddam Hussein will be punished to a greater degree than someone who tried to live a good life but who never received Jesus as their Lord and Savior and never had their sins forgiven

 

-- last week, we talked about the eternal punishment for our sin -- and I pointed out that the Bible clearly teaches that the wages of sin is death -- we read the same thing here in verse 15 -- those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life are thrown into the Lake of Fire, which is the Second Death -- death is the ultimate punishment for rejecting Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and righteousness

-- we also talked about how the church traditionally has taught that sinners whose name is not in the Book of Life will suffer punishment for their sins eternally -- a doctrine known as Eternal Conscious Torment or ECT

-- however, as we discussed, the Bible doesn’t teach that the punishment of unbelievers will be eternal torment but death -- but it does indicate that there will be some level of punishment based on proportionality -- on the degree of sinfulness and disobedience in their lives

-- so, some believe -- and I have come to agree with them based on my studies -- that when unbelievers are thrown into the Lake of Fire, they are put into torment for a time proportional to their sin -- and when they have paid that proportional cost, they experience eternal death -- the cessation of existence -- a form of annihilism -- of total destruction

-- in this interpretation, it is like the unbeliever is put on death row -- where they are in torment until they are finally executed and destroyed and fully experience the second death

-- for some, this is a short period between torment and death -- for others, it is longer -- based on the degree of sin and disobedience and their response to the light they were given

 

            -- so, to sum up the question that we were trying to answer, “What happens to unbelievers after they die?” -- unbelievers go to a place of torment in Hades until after the end of the Millennial Kingdom, the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth -- at which point, they experience the second resurrection -- they come back to life and stand before the Great White Throne -- where they are judged based on their works and their sin and their response to the offer of grace and mercy from Jesus -- and, since their names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, they are condemned to torment in the Lake of Fire proportional to their sin and disobedience, until they finally experience the second death and cease to exist forever

            -- all who are part of the second resurrection, which emptied death and Hades of those who were left in their grasp, are ultimately bound for the lake of fire

            -- and death, representing the bodies of the dead which had lain in the earth and the sea, and Hades, the place of torment for the unrighteous dead between death and their judgment, will be completely destroyed and symbolically be thrown into the Lake of Fire for there will be no more death after this point

 

IV.  Closing

-- three and a half hours north of the capital of Turkmenistan -- in the middle of a flat and empty desert -- there is an infernal abyss, with bright orange flames rising above the sand day and night -- it smells faintly of propane and is reportedly loud, sounding like a jet engine revving up -- this pit is known as the Gates of Hell

-- legend has it that the Soviets were drilling in the desert for natural gas in 1971, when there was an accident -- the drilling rig collapsed into the earth -- and the Soviets tried to burn off the methane gas that was released from the collapse by setting it on fire -- they thought it would burn off the methane in a day or two -- but fifty years later, the desert is still on fire

-- no one has been able to extinguish the flames, even though politicians have promised they would succeed -- pouring sand into the pit did not work -- putting fire retardants in the pit did not work -- the flames still persist

-- George Kourounis reported that as he dug around the surrounding area to gather soil samples, fire would start coming out of the holes that he just dug -- so even if you were to extinguish the fire and cover it up, there’s a chance the gas could still find its way out to the surface and a single spark would ignite it again

[Source: Sarah Durn, “Will the Gates of Hell Be Closed Forever?” Atlas Obscura (1-19-22)]

 

-- one day, this manmade fire may be successfully extinguished -- but the real fires of hell in the Lake of Fire will burn forever -- and even if we do not believe in ECT -- in eternal conscious torment -- the Bible still teaches that unbelievers will suffer torment proportionally for their sin and unbelief before facing eternal annihilism, destruction, and death

-- I think we can all agree that this is not a fate that we would wish on anyone -- especially for those in our family or those of our friends who are unbelievers

-- the Bible is frank about the fate for those who do not receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior -- for those who reject His offer of forgiveness for their sins and His righteousness in place of their unrighteousness

-- it is not meant to scare us, but to inform us -- and to encourage us to go forth and tell others about the good news of the gospel of Christ -- of the eternal life that we can have in Him if we only turn to Him in repentance and ask for the forgiveness of our sins and live in faith and trust and obedience to His word

-- rather than just present to you more information and knowledge about what the Bible teaches about the end times and the fate of unbelievers, I want to encourage you to do something about it -- to apply what you know -- to let this build a sense of urgency in your life to go out and share the gospel with others

-- Jesus left us with the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20 -- in those verses, He told us to Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that He had commanded us to do

-- that is our mission -- that is why we are here -- that is what this study should be leading you to do

-- so, as we close in prayer, let us pray for the lost -- for those that we know and those that we don’t know -- for our friends and our enemies -- for those we support politically and those we do not -- for our leaders and those who serve us -- let us pray for all, that they might come to a saving knowledge of Christ because we don’t want anyone to suffer the torment of the second death in the Lake of Fire

-- let us pray