Understanding Heaven and Hell Part 4

Overview

The Mercy of God and the Fate of the Redeemed

When believers die, they are immediately with Christ, leaving behind the trials, suffering, and effects of sin in this world. Their souls rest in paradise as they—together with us—await the second coming of the Lord Jesus. The apparent delay of that return is not negligence but mercy: "The Lord is not slow about his promise as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance" 2 Peter 3:9. Every passing day is an extension of God's patience toward sinners.

Two Distinct Events: Resurrection and Life Everlasting

Each Sunday in the Apostles' Creed we confess belief in "the resurrection of the body" and "the life everlasting." These are two distinct realities and need to be held together carefully. Scripture testifies that all the dead will be raised bodily—both believers and unbelievers. Daniel writes, "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" Daniel 12:2. Jesus says the same: those in their graves will hear his voice, some rising to life and others to condemnation (John 5:28-29; see also Revelation 20:13). The "good" deeds Jesus mentions are the fruit of faith, not works that earn salvation.

But "life everlasting" is not the same as continued existence. Unbelievers will exist forever, yet Scripture never calls their state "eternal life." That phrase belongs solely to those who are in Christ. The unbeliever's portion is "the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord" 2 Thessalonians 1:9. For believers, Paul gives a magnificent picture: the Lord himself will descend with a cry of command and the trumpet of God; the dead in Christ will rise first, and those still living will be caught up to meet him in the air, "and so we will be with the Lord forever" 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. Christ is "the first fruits of those who have died"—as all die in Adam, so all in Christ will be made alive 1 Corinthians 15:20-22. Our resurrection bodies will be real and substantial, like Christ's risen body, but no longer subject to decay or sin. "Spiritual body" does not mean wispy or insubstantial; it means imperishable, immortal, freed from the corruption of the natural body.

A Word About the Rapture

The popular teaching of a secret rapture—Christ returning quietly to remove the church before a final tribulation—is not a biblical doctrine. The passage often cited, Matthew 24:36-44, actually teaches the opposite of what rapture teaching claims. Jesus compares his coming to the days of Noah, when the flood "swept them all away." In that picture, being taken is judgment; being left is deliverance. The Greek word translated "left" carries the sense of being forgiven or pardoned. We want to be those who remain, like Noah's family in the ark—not those swept away. Christ's second coming will be public, glorious, and unmistakable.

What Heaven Will Be Like

Scripture's portrait of heaven is rich and concrete. There will be no more tears, hunger, or thirst, and the former things will pass away Revelation 21:4—no more war, sickness, aging, or funerals. We will be face-to-face with the Lord, gathered with all his redeemed people and with the angels (though we do not become angels). The image of God, marred by the fall, will be fully restored (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). We will know God fully 1 Corinthians 13:12—no more need even for the Bible, for we will see him as he is. We will be wholly holy Ephesians 5:27, and our joy can never be taken from us John 16:22. Scripture even speaks of varying degrees of glory Matthew 19:27-30, all of them grace-gifts rather than earned rewards.

Pastoral Application

Hold these truths together: the patience of God who delays Christ's return so that more may come to repentance, and the certainty that he will return to raise the dead and gather his people. Grieve, when you must, but not as those without hope. Encourage one another with these words. And when you gather with God's people on the Lord's Day, remember: this is a small foretaste of the eternal assembly we will share, body and soul, in the unhindered presence of God.

Transcript

We studied last week the topic of the justice of God and the fate of the unbeliever. 0s

Today I'd like to take a look with you at the topic of the mercy of God and the fate of the redeem. 8s

The mercy of God and the fate of the redeem. 16s

Those who die die in Christ and they are with Christ. 21s

That means they have left behind the trials and tribulations of the world. 28s

They have left behind the reality of suffering and hardship that indeed we experience a result of sin in the world. 34s

Like the saints in heaven now, we await the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord has promised that they will come. 49s

Let's take a look please at 2 Peter, the third chapter. 61s

Good way to find 2 Peter is to go to Revelation, the last book. 64s

Slowly work your way back. 69s

You are going to quickly cross over the John's and then you hit 2 Peter. 72s

2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9. 77s

2 Peter chapter 3 verse 9. 81s

In the Scripture says the Lord is not slow about his promise as some think of slowness but is patient with you. 96s

Not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. 105s

The promise is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the delay in the second coming shows indeed the Lord's patience. 111s

And we see here the heart of the Lord that he is patient with us not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. 121s

Each Sunday when we confess the apostles' creed we say that we believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. 132s

One of the beauty of the creeds is that it is such tight writing. 142s

I know I have shared with you in the past in my senior year at seminary I had a class and the professor said the only thing that is due is one five page page. 150s

I have a paper all semester. 160s

One five page paper. 163s

This is great. 165s

It never works so hard in my life. 167s

By the time that that paper got done I mean the stack of footnotes to my five pages was this deep because you know you would write something and you would write back and say why do you say and there? 170s

What do you mean by this here? 183s

Where are you getting this? 186s

I never worked so hard in my life. 187s

So by the time when you got done at the end of that semester that five page paper was tight. 190s

It was tightly worded. 198s

That is what he really emphasized was theological correctness and tight expression of that. 201s

It was one of the best classes that I have ever had. 209s

Apostles Creed is really tight writing. 212s

It is tight. 215s

And those two phrases that we say that we believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. 216s

Those two phrases are two distinct events. 223s

And it is important to understand them as two distinct events. 227s

Let us go to Daniel. 232s

Daniel and the Old Testament. 233s

Go to way to find it is open up to Psalms which is the land right in the middle of the Bible. 236s

Then work your way right. 241s

Real Cross over Isaiah Jeremiah. 244s

Lamentations. 248s

Ezekiel. 249s

And then you hit Daniel. 250s

Daniel chapter 12 verse 2. 253s

Daniel chapter 12 verse 2. 256s

The point we are making here now is that the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. 260s

What we confess are two distinct events. 265s

And it is important to keep them distinct. 269s

So Daniel chapter 12 verse 2. 272s

There we read this. 277s

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, shell awake, 278s

some to everlasting life, 283s

and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 285s

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, shell awake, 290s

some to everlasting life, 293s

and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 295s

So what is being talked about here is the resurrection of the body. 299s

Also talks about everlasting life. 305s

Remember that when we die, our soul either goes to paradise or Haiti. 309s

There is no such thing as soul sleep where the soul is simply out of existence or business 318s

until the resurrection of the dead. 324s

What is being referred to here is the resurrection of the body. 329s

Let's go to Revelation chapter 20, last book in the New Testament. 333s

Revelation chapter 20 verse 13. 340s

And the sea gave up the dead that were in it. 357s

Death and Haiti gave up the dead that were in them. 362s

And all were judged according to what they had done. 366s

The resurrection of the body. 371s

Let's go to the gospel of John chapter 5, the gospel of John chapter 5. 375s

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then John, 381s

John 5 and we'll pick up in verse 28. 384s

Do not be astonished at this for the hour is coming. 399s

When all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out. 404s

Those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil 409s

to the resurrection of condemnation. 413s

Remember that's not judgment based upon works there. 417s

The good is simply the expression of faith, the expression of faith, or evil, those that have spurned, 421s

the redemption that is ours in Christ Jesus. 430s

And so they're simply left cloaked in their own sinfulness. 433s

This does not mean that both believer and unbeliever will inherit eternal life. 439s

This does not mean that both believer and unbeliever will inherit eternal life. 446s

Life everlasting is the gift for the Christian. 453s

Life everlasting is that which has been won through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. 456s

Unbelievers will continue in a bodily existence after the resurrection forever. 463s

But nowhere in Scripture does do as the continued existence here of the unbeliever in bodily form. 469s

Nowhere is that ever referred to as everlasting life. 479s

Everlasting life is associated solely with the Christian. 482s

That doesn't mean that the non-believer is not going to be living eternally. 487s

The non-believer will live eternally. 494s

The point is where they will live. 498s

But life everlasting that we confess in the apostles' creed, that is solely associated with the believer. 501s

So when we come to the apostles' creed and we say that indeed there will be a resurrection of the dead 510s

and when we talk about life everlasting those are two distinct, distinct understandings to keep in mind. 514s

The unbeliever then continues in this bodily existence forever. 526s

Let's take a look at 2 Thessalonians 1, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Acts, and then Romans. 532s

1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, then you get into the tea books you wind into 1st Thessalonians, then 2nd Thessalonians. 540s

If you hit the Timothy's you've gone too far. 552s

2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 9. 555s

I'm sorry. 564s

2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9. 567s

2nd Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9. 573s

And there we read. 577s

These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. 579s

Eternal life comes to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. 593s

So what happens then to believers in the resurrection? 600s

Let's go to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 14. 605s

1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 14. 613s

Let's go into 13. It gives us more context. 619s

1st Thessalonians 4 verse 13 we read this. 625s

But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers and sisters about those who have died so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 629s

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 640s

For this we declare to you by the Word of the Lord that we who are alive who are left until the coming of the Lord will by no means proceed those who have died. 651s

For the Lord himself with the cry of command with the archangels call and with the sound of God's trumpet will descend from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first. 664s

Then we who are alive who are left will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air. 676s

And so we will be with the Lord forever. 686s

Therefore encourage one another with these words. 689s

There were some Christians in Paul's day that believed that people that had already died before the second coming would not be raised at the resurrection. 694s

So that's what that's what Paul is dealing with. 705s

He does the same thing in 1 Corinthians. He's dealing with the same issue. 709s

Let's go there. 713s

So keep turning toward Matthew. 714s

You're quickly going to bump into 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 718s

Verse 20. 730s

1 Corinthians 15 verse 20. 736s

And there we read. 739s

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. 740s

The first fruits of those who have died. 744s

For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being. 749s

So what's being referenced there? That's Adam and Eve, right? 756s

So you've got death that has come through the fall of Adam and Eve. 759s

And now you've got life that comes through the Messiah, the Lord Jesus. 762s

For as all die in Adam so all will be made alive in Christ. 768s

But each and his own order. 772s

Christ the first fruits, then it is coming. 775s

Those who belong to Christ then comes the end. 778s

When he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he is destroyed every ruler and every authority and power. 782s

For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 789s

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 795s

Just a position, this picture in your mind. 799s

What we celebrated Christmas of the baby and the manger and the glory and magnificence of Christ's second coming. 804s

And hold those two together. 813s

It is a magnificent picture. 817s

Is it not? 821s

Later Paul responds to another question. 823s

Let's go to first, stay in 1 Corinthians 15, jump down to verse 35. 826s

But someone will ask, how were they that raised? 832s

With what kind of body do they come? 836s

Jump down into verse 51, please, same chapter. 842s

Listen, I will tell you a mystery. 850s

We will not all die, but we will all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. 852s

The trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. 859s

For this perishable body must put on imperishability. 865s

And this mortal body must put on immortality. 869s

When this perishable body puts on imperishability, this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that as written will be filled, 877s

death has been swallowed up in victory. 885s

Where O death is your victory, where O death is your sting. 887s

When we confess in the apostles' creed, we talk about the resurrection of the body. 894s

We also talk about life of elasting. 900s

Life of elasting applies solely to the Christian. 902s

When we die, our soul, our spirit goes to be immediately in the presence of the Lord. 907s

Remember what Jesus said to the thief on the cross? 913s

Today you will be with me in paradise. 915s

When he comes again, there is the resurrection of the dead and our soul and body are united to live with God forever in the glory of heaven. 917s

Don't let spiritual body mislead you. 932s

Sometimes we think of spiritual body as something insubstantial. 935s

The spiritual body is put in distinction with the natural body. 941s

The natural body is subject to decay, it is subject to sinfulness. 946s

It wears out. 950s

The spiritual body is the opposite of that. 952s

The spiritual body has the opposite reality of the natural body. 956s

But our spiritual bodies will have a corporal nature to it. 962s

There is a bodily existence to it. 968s

In other words, we are not going to be floating around in a wispy state for all of eternity. 971s

You see heaven, people are floating around on clouds there, playing their harps and eating dove bars. 977s

It is just amazing how heaven is portrayed. 985s

We are going to be in heaven, body and soul. 989s

When you look at Philippians 3.21, we won't refer to it now. 992s

But the resurrected Lord had a fleshly, substantial body and so also will we. 998s

A body, however, no longer afflicted by sin and its effects. 1006s

What about the rapture? 1014s

What about the rapture? 1016s

You hear that term in awful lot. 1018s

If you read the left behind series of which I do not endorse, 1022s

the rapture is in there. 1030s

You see an airplane and all of a sudden there are people that are gone from the airplane. 1035s

You see the pilot of the Christian or non-Christian. 1046s

If he is a Christian, he is raptured out of the jet and all of these kind of things. 1051s

The rapture is a belief that the Lord Jesus Christ will return secretly to the earth. 1059s

Prior to the second coming, we will rapture his church out of our existence here so that we do not face an increasing terrible bad times and tribulation. 1065s

The rapture is not a biblical doctrine. 1083s

The rapture is not a biblical doctrine. 1086s

There is no secret return from Jesus prior to the second coming in which the church is raptured out. 1091s

Oftentimes people will use Matthew chapter 24 to say, well here is the rapture. 1100s

I want to look closely at that with you. 1107s

Let's go to Matthew chapter 24, verse 36. 1111s

Those that support the rapture will refer here to Matthew chapter 24. 1121s

I just want to give you some talking points on this. 1131s

Matthew chapter 24, verse 36 says this. 1136s

But about that day and hour, no one knows neither the angels and heaven nor the sun but only the Father. 1140s

For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 1148s

For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark. 1154s

And they do nothing until the flood came and swept them all away. 1163s

So too will be the coming of the Son of Man. 1170s

Then too will be in the field. 1175s

One will be taken, one will be left. 1178s

Two women will be grinding meal together, one will be taken and one will be left. 1181s

Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 1187s

But understand this. 1193s

If the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into, therefore. 1196s

You must also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. 1206s

This passage is used to support the unbiblical doctrine of the rapture. 1213s

Let's look closer. 1219s

Go back into verse 40. 1221s

Then two will be in the field, one will be taken. 1224s

That Greek word there can also be translated seized or taken prisoner. 1230s

And one will be left. 1238s

That word in Greek is oftentimes translated to mean to forgive or to pardon, to forgive or to pardon. 1242s

In fact, the same word that is used there is used in the Lord's Prayer. 1251s

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. 1258s

It's the same word. 1262s

In Greek, that is used here. 1263s

So with that in mind, you want to be the person that's left, right? 1268s

You don't want to be the person that's taken. 1276s

And so those that will maintain that this proves the rapture, their argument doesn't hold up to the original language. 1279s

We want to be those that are left, not taken. 1288s

Notice the example that's given right before that in verse 38. 1294s

For as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark. 1299s

They knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away. 1309s

So two will be the coming of the Son of men. 1316s

Well, obviously in this context, to be taken away, to be swept away by the flood, that's not a good thing. 1324s

Is it? 1332s

You want to be the ones that are left. 1334s

You want to be Noah and his family, also in verse 43. 1336s

Or it says, understand this. 1343s

If the owner of the house that knowing what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 1345s

Having one's belongings taken is a bad thing. 1355s

Having one's belongings left is a good thing. 1359s

So when Matthew chapter 24 is used by those to say, we'll see the rapture is right here. 1364s

You need to take them through a little word study and show them what you're saying you don't want to be taken. 1373s

You want to be left because those that are left are those that are forgiven. 1381s

The rapture is an unbiblical doctrine. 1388s

It's unbiblical. 1393s

And so when you hear, you know, the left behind series or the movie and all of that, it is simply terrible theology. 1396s

It's terrible theology. 1408s

So that's kind of a way of saying don't pass along the left behind series as a witnessing tool. 1412s

And if you've done that, we all make mistakes. 1421s

If you've done that, say, say, can I have that back? 1424s

And then just kind of deep-six it there because it's just not a good witness. 1431s

Well, in a few minutes we've got remaining. 1440s

I want to take you through a little description of heaven itself. 1443s

And last week we took a tour through hell and what hell is like. 1448s

And now notice the glory and the wonder and the beauty and the majesty of what heaven will be like. 1455s

And for the sake of time here, I'm just going to give you some scriptural references here. 1461s

First, there's no more tears. 1471s

There's no more hunger. There's no more thirst. 1475s

That's Revelation chapter 21, verse 4. 1479s

No more tears. No more hunger. No more thirst. 1484s

Secondly, there's no more of sin's consequences. 1489s

That's Revelation chapter 21 4b. 1493s

The first things have passed away. The first things have passed away. 1497s

In other words, there's going to be no more wars. There's going to be no more fighting. 1502s

There's not going to be having to deal with with sinners. 1507s

And sinners having to deal with you and me as sinners. 1511s

None of that. There's no medicine because we're all perfectly healthy. 1515s

There's no aging. There's no funerals in heaven. 1524s

Third, we are with the Lord. We are with the Lord. 1530s

Remember how scripture defines what hell is like. 1534s

It is being out of the presence of God. 1538s

In that beautiful intimate relationship with God Almighty, 1543s

where in heaven you are, you will be holding Him face to face. 1547s

So there's no more of sin's consequences. No more tears, hunger, thirst. 1551s

We are with the Lord. We are with our fellow believers. 1555s

How glorious it is to gather on the Lord's day as His people. 1560s

Because this is just kind of a little glimpse of heaven. 1564s

Tiny, tiny, tiny little little glimpse. 1567s

But you imagine being in the very presence of God with the throngs of all the people 1571s

that God has brought to faith. 1578s

And there we all are, before His Almighty, all mighty throng, gathered together. 1582s

We will be with the angels. We will not become angels. 1589s

So what is it where the clearance gets His wings? 1596s

What is it? You know, all this kind of stuff. 1600s

You know, the angel getting His wings. 1602s

And we can think of sometimes when we get to heaven, you know, 1604s

we've got the wings and all that. 1606s

No, we will be with the angels. We won't be angels. 1608s

The image of God will be restored in its fullness. 1612s

Remember, we lost the image of God because of our fallen to sin. 1616s

But as God brings people to faith, He restores that image of God not perfectly. 1621s

But He is at work each and every day, making us more and more like Jesus Christ. 1628s

The old Adam and the old Eve. Don't drop off until we are in heaven itself. 1634s

And that image is fully restored. 1642s

We will have perfect knowledge of God's will and we will be able to follow it perfectly. 1645s

And that full knowledge, I forgot to give you some verses there. 1651s

Image restored is Ephesians 424 and Colossians 310. 1655s

We'll have full knowledge of God. 1661s

In other words, there's going to be no need for the Bible in heaven 1665s

because we will have full knowledge of who God is. 1668s

So that's 1 Corinthians 1312. 1674s

We have been made holy in the waters of baptism, but as Luther said, 1678s

we're simultaneously saint and sinner. 1684s

That sinner drops off when we're in heaven and it is simply the lovely perfect holiness of God. 1687s

That's Ephesians 527. 1696s

No one can take our joy away in heaven. 1699s

That's John 1622. 1703s

Scripture says there, Jesus says, 1706s

Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice. 1708s

And no one will take your joy away. 1712s

What a glorious picture that is. 1717s

There's also going to be degrees of glory in heaven. 1721s

Sometimes people get hung up on this. 1725s

Remember where there's degrees of punishment in hell that we talked about last week? 1727s

Matthew 1927 to 30 talks about degrees of glory. 1732s

But the various degrees, it's not something we earn. 1737s

There's simply grace gifts that God brings about. 1741s

Heaven is glorious and it is wonderful. 1746s

And the picture is just incredibly beautiful. 1749s

So we see then that with regard to heaven, no more tears, hunger, a thirst, no more sins, consequences. 1755s

We are with the Lord. 1760s

We're with our fellow believers. 1761s

We are with the angels. 1763s

The image of God is restored. 1764s

We'll have full knowledge, holiness. 1767s

No one can take our joy away as we live in the glory and the reality of heaven itself. 1770s

And as I've mentioned in previous classes, sometimes people will say, 1777s

well, I'm glad that heaven is going to be big enough for all the redeemed because I sure hope I don't run into so and so there. 1782s

And of course, when we run into so and so there in heaven, so and so is going to be as changed as you are. 1792s

And perhaps someone so and so is saying, I sure hope I don't run into so and so there. 1801s

We're referring perhaps to us. 1807s

No, we will live in glory and harmony with all in heaven itself. 1810s

It is the mercy of God and the fate of the redeemed. 1817s

Well, we will continue in our study on understanding heaven and hell next. 1823s