Hell - The Punishment of the Wicked (3 of 3)

-Will it be just
-Did Jesus take our place
-Conclusion
-Note: The Rich Man and Lazarus

---WILL IT BE JUST?
THE BIBLE TEACHES QUITE CLEARLY THAT WE ARE JUDGED BY OUR WORKS, REWARDED AND PUNISHED ACCORDINGLY. 

(Don't be confused, we are saved by God's grace, by accepting and following Jesus: That is what separates those who go to everlasting life from those who go to destruction. A person's “works” determine what sort of gifts they receive in heaven or else how severe their punishment is in hell.)

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. (Jesus declares it quite plainly here, when He returns He will reward every man according to his works)

Ezekiel 18:30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

Ezekiel 33:20 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways. (God says He will judge everyone according to his ways so everyone must repent and turn from their transgressions or else their iniquity will be their ruin)

1 Corinthians 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

1 Corinthians 3:13-14 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. (Here we see that everyone shall receive their own reward for their own works which abide)

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (Everyone will be judged according to what they have done in their life (good or bad) and receive accordingly)

2 Corinthians 11:15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (Their end is according to their works)

Romans 2:5-10 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: (On the judgment day, God renders to every man according to his deeds. Those who do good receive peace and eternal life but those who do evil receive, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish)

Matthew 11:20-24 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. (Because those cities saw Jesus and His mighty works first hand and did not repent the people of those cities shall have a worse judgment. This shows us that the more light we have the more we are held responsible for)

Matthew 16:26-27 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (It seems that Jesus is implying that we can end up losing our soul: soul and body destroyed in hell. Also we see when Jesus comes He shall reward every man according to his works)

Luke 12:47-48 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (We are accountable for our knowledge of God. For example: Those who hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and reject God will have a more severe punishment than those living in a secluded tribal society who go their entire lives never knowing the name of Jesus)

Colossians 3:23-25 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. (We receive a reward of inheritance for serving God or else we receive the wrong that we have done)

Matthew 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. (Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees that they will receive the greater damnation for the evil things they have done)

John 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin. (God sees different degrees of sin, for Jesus declares that “he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.” I don't think it's reading too far into the text here to say that greater sin would equal greater damnation... a worse punishment)

Obediah 1:15 For the day of the LORD is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head. (The evil the heathen have done will be done onto them, they receive upon themselves punishment for each of their evil works on the day of the Lord)

James 3:1 My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. (James is telling his brethren not to be many masters (teachers) because they will receive the greater condemnation (have a more severe judgment). Having the truth makes us more accountable before God and especially those who are shepherding His flock)

Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Jesus tells us how to treat others and by so doing our reward shall be great)

Matthew 5:11-12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. (Here we see that when men persecute us for Jesus name sake we are to be glad because our reward in heaven shall be great)

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (The dead are judged according to their works)

Job 4:17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? (A logical question is asked. Do men think it just to punish someone's crime with an eternity of torture? Is it just to punish a petty thief with the same punishment as a mass murderer? Should someone who simply never knew God and died relatively young be punished for all eternity? Is that justice? Or what about those who thought they knew God and while trying to follow Him they never quite forsook all of their sin, those to whom Jesus will say “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” We may get it wrong many times but God will exact perfect justice for each individual case in the great judgment)

Job 8:3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? (Job knows that God's justice and judgment is perfect so again I say that God will exact perfect justice for each individual case in the great judgment. This is why it is declared in Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.)

Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. (I don't believe that God creates us with such a skewed sense of logic, reason, morality, and justice from His own. We are created in His image and He wants to reason with us)

Conclusion: God is perfectly just. Those who do good will receive their reward and those who do evil will receive their punishment, each according to their works. God is all knowing and therefore everything done in secret will be revealed and judged:

Luke 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Luke 12:2-3 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

We may not have all the facts and the innocent may be condemned and the guilty go free but God knows all and will have the final judgment. God will reward and punish each individual according to their works. I have to stress this because there are many who believe that God will punish all of the wicked by burning them in hell fire for all eternity. They say “it doesn't matter what their sins are, whether they lived a very short time and never heard of Jesus, or whether they lived a long life of sin, repeatedly rejecting Jesus, or even those who persecuted and killed His people. They all burn for all eternity... that's God's perfect justice. To those who may say that's not fair, that's not just, well who are you to question God's justice? He's God and therefor whatever He says and does is just.” I agree that He's God and whatever He says and does is just and that's why I know He will justly punish the wicked according to their works. The wicked will not receive the gift of eternal life but will be judged and punished for their works, inevitably receiving the wages of their sin when they die the second death in the lake of fire and cease to exist.

---CAN CHRISTIANS CLAIM THAT JESUS TOOK THEIR PLACE?
THE BIBLE TEACHES THAT JESUS TOOK THE PUNISHMENT WE DESERVE ON HIMSELF IN OUR PLACE.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (The results of sin is death. We will either die for our sins or through Jesus we will receive eternal life)

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (Again we see that sin brings death... not eternal life: in hell)

The wages of sin is death but justice demands punishment for sin which is what hell is: God's righteous punishment for sin. Jesus experienced hell from the garden of Gethsemane to the cross and to death. He experienced hell starting in the garden of Gethsemane when he said “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” for in hell the soul is destroyed and the sinner dies. “but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” During this time Jesus experienced separation from the Father. Separation from God is part of the punishment of the wicked as is written in 2 Thessalonians 1:9: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

So we see that Jesus experienced both hell and death because He took the punishment all sinners deserve.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

If the punishment of the wicked is to literally continue to burn in hell for all of eternity then Jesus didn't hardly begin to truly take our punishment. Simply put, it is through our sin that we deserve to die (perish) but Jesus redeemed us by taking our punishment and dieing in our place.

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

(Satan had power over death because he convinced Adam and Eve to sin by obeying him over God. Through sin we are then subject to death. Satan took this world hostage through sin, this is why he is our adversary and the accuser. Jesus died without sin and therefor has redeemed us from Satan. This is why it is said that Jesus came to give His life a ransom for many and that we are bought with a price. So again, the wages of sin is death and Satan can thus accuse us of our sins before God that we are deserving of death. Jesus is our advocate (and judge), because He died in our place and redeemed us. If we have faith in Him He is able to forgive us of all our sins. So rather than receiving death He can give us life)

John was shown exactly what is going to take place and he lays out these events perfectly for us in Revelation chapter 20. We see that it is totally consistent with the rest of the Bible:

Revelation 20:1-20 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Conclusion

The Bible teaching on hell and the punishment of the wicked is rather clear when you study all the verses in the Bible on this subject. It is consistent and logical. So why do so many believe that the wicked burn for all eternity? I believe that the Devil came up with this teaching to malign the character of God. Many have turned away from the teachings of Christianity because of the idea of eternal tourment by concluding that God is unjust and sadistic. The Catholic church exploited this false teaching to fear people into giving them money and power. They began to teach that you could pay to have sins removed to avoid hell and get into heaven. They taught that hell was burning now and any lost person who died is currently burning in hell. You could even pay to get others out of hell who may have died lost. Aside from the money this teaching also gave them more power. If anyone was doing something they didn't like they could threaten them with excommunication. This basically meant they were out of the church and therefore destined to hell when they died. The eternal suffering of the wicked is a terrible teaching not found in the Bible but taken from pagan beliefs and incorporated into the Bible. Worshiping or serving God out of fear is not the kind of worship God desires. If someone is serving God because of they are trying to avoid being burned alive for eternity then it seems that they will lose their motivation if they make it to heaven. Don't get me wrong, punishment in hell is a very real event and should be feared. Anyone who is on their way to destruction should not be at peace. Those who die in a lost state will be punished in the lake of fire for every evil thing that they have ever done. I''m saying that the Bible declares that God is love, that He is Holy, Just and Good. It does not declare Him to be a sadist but rather says that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. God loves all, but those who reject Him and the way to salvation which He has provided through His grace, leaves Him with nothing more He can do for them. He will not force anyone to repent but He also will not live in the presence of sin. When this world comes to an end He will remove sin from the universe and make a new heaven and a new earth where there is no more sorrow and no more pain. So on His great judgment day He will judge all who do wickedly according to their works. They will receive their just punishments and the end thereof is death. After which He will destroy death and the grave because no one will ever die again. This is how the Bible describes it and this makes sense. When God creates a new heaven and a new earth and there is no more sorrow or pain so it doesn't make sense to say that there is also still some place of eternal pain and sorrow where the wicked are continually being burned. Disagree if you must but if you do disagree I would say that you are not going by the Bible, you are not worshiping a God worthy of worship and you certainly are not worshiping the God of the Bible.

NOTE: THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

Everything I've been saying has been the consistent teaching throughout the Bible, however there is one story that Jesus told which seems to somewhat contradict this and that is The Rich Man and Lazarus found in the gospel of Luke:

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

There are those who base their doctrine on this story. The problem with doing that is that this story seems to be a parable and not actual literal events. If it is literal events it would then appear to contradict many Bible verses and teaching including many of the things Jesus said elsewhere in the gospels.

The first question: What is a parable?

Parable: a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

The second question: Is this story a parable?

Some do take this story to be literal but here are the reason I believe it to be a parable:

· Luke recorded the most parables out of all the gospel writers and seven of them started out with Jesus saying “a certain... (man/nobleman/rich man)” In the story of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus begins with “There was a certain rich man...” and then “There was a certain beggar...”

· It says when Lazarus died the angels carried him to “Abraham's bosom” This seems very figurative, there's no other verses in the Bible that even hint at the dead saints being carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom? According to the story Lazarus was literally in Abraham's bosom because when the rich man looked up he saw Abraham and Lazarus in his bosom and then spoke to Abraham. So I'm just saying that taking this to be a literal story means Abraham's bosom is literally Abraham's bosom. (Abraham's bosom is not heaven: Hebrews 11:8-10, 16)

· It says that the rich man wanted Lazarus to “dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue” If he is literally being tormented in a flame a drop of water isn't going to do anything.

· If this is a literally story it means that the saved and the lost will be able to see and speak to each other from heaven/Abraham's bosom and hell. (Isaiah 65-17 indicates that this is not the way it will be)

· If it is literal it provides a whole new and different teaching on a number of things about the “afterlife” which contradict numerous other scriptures and the Biblical teachings as a whole. For example, Lazarus received his reward at death but many versus tell us the saved are rewarded at Jesus second coming. Also the rich man was punished at death but many versus tell us that the wicked are judged and punished after being resurrected for God's great judgment which has not yet happened.

· It falls perfectly under the definition of a parable. It is a short (allegorical) story and Jesus used it to illustrate and teach a moral lesson: The rich man represents the Jews (or Christians when applied today) who “feast” on the word of God. Lazarus represents Gentiles who are “hungry” for the word of God. One point of the parable is that those with the truth and the word of God are responsible for sharing their faith. Also, Jesus was showing the people that though a man is rich in this world, that does not necessarily mean it is because he is blessed by God and vise versa with the poor. Jesus showed this same point a few other times in the gospels because it seems it was a common belief held by the people that the rich are blessed by God and surely they will go to heaven. In this story the roles would have appeared reversed from what the people expected after the two men had died. There is also a strong point to this parable given in the last verse: “And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

So if we admit that this story is a parable is it wrong to base our doctrine on it? A parable is a fictitious narrative designed to convey a moral. If we take parables to be literal then we must believe trees can talk (Judges 9:8-15). If the moral of a parable is rightly understood it is not wrong to base doctrine on that moral, however, doctrine should really be based on more than one place in scripture or a very clear and plain scripture. I believe the rich man and Lazarus is certainly a parable and was told by Jesus so we would understand we are held accountable for the light we have and the way we are towards others, especially with that light/knowledge. For if men reject Jesus after hearing Moses (the law) and the prophets they may just as well reject Him even if one rose from the dead (as Lazarus and Jesus both did). Then they would be all the more accountable on judgment day and receive greater condemnation. Jesus didn't tell this parable to teach us about how things are in the afterlife, the judgment, heaven, hell, etc.

-Caleb D Stroman