Category: Judgment Day

Will We Judge Angels?

Paul addresses issues within the Corinthian congregation, particularly their practice of suing one another in pagan courts. He argues that Christians are more qualified to adjudicate disputes, referencing scriptural support for their future role as judges. This indicates a vindication for believers who suffer for Christ, emphasizing their authority in the coming Judgment Day.

The congregation that Paul writes to in Corinth had a bunch of problems. Some of their doctrinal understanding was bad. Some of their practices were worse. One practice that Paul took issue with was their bringing lawsuits against each other in pagan civil court. He insists that Christians are more equipped to be just in their judgments than the pagan judicial system. He then says this:

2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (ESV)

When we think of Judgment Day, we rightly think of ourselves being judged. For someone saved by Christ there is no concern of being damned at this point. Yet, there is still a judgment of the works of our lives. Read more about that here:https://afterdeathsite.com/2025/01/07/will-judgment-day-recount-all-our-deeds/. We don’t think of ourselves being on the other side of the bench. Yet Paul speaks of our judging the world as if it is a well-known and obvious fact.

There are other places that speak of humans being placed in a position of being a judge. In Revelation 20:4 it says:

4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed.

Revelation 20:4 (ESV)

This verse sounds much more restrictive in who will be judging than Paul’s quote above. I would add to it the following:

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Matthew 19:28 (ESV)

In a world without sin, there is very little need for government and possibly nothing for judgment. If you look at the Greek words translated as “judge”, they are all a form of the Greek “krinos”. This is normally the function of a judge in a court. In Matthew it may have a broader sense of ruling like the Judges did before Saul became king. In either of Revelation 20:4 or Matthew 19:28, it doesn’t seem to apply to everyone. Paul may be saying that humans will have a role in oversight in the New Earth that will cover both Jews who are saved and even angels.

Perhaps what is in view is a Judgment Day activity. Satan and the fallen angels would be judged on that Day. The Twelve Tribes of Israel would be judged. There isn’t a great degree of discernment necessary, because those unconnected to Christ are still in their sin. The judgment is clear. Being put in the position of judge is a sort of vindication for those who suffered with Christ–specifically the Twelve, and the Martyrs, and maybe even you and me.

Sheol As a Waiting Room

Sheol is a Hebrew term for the waiting place of the dead, distinct from Hell, and appears in the Old Testament. Both the righteous and unrighteous go there. The understanding of Sheol is often obscured by translations. Some believe it offers a second chance for salvation post-Judgment Day, but interpretations vary widely.

Many people are not aware of what Sheol is, so first let me give you a quick primer. Sheol is a Hebrew term used 65 times in the Old Testament. Its Greek equivalent “Hades” shows up another 10. It is not a reference to “Hell” as most people think of Hell. It is more the waiting room for Hell. It is not “purgatory” either. Though I would bet that an ancient misunderstanding of Sheol led to the development of the idea of purgatory.

Sheol has escaped many people’s understanding thanks to some lousy translating. Many versions of the English Bible cover over the word by translating it as “the grave” or “the pit”. This is garbage. Sheol is a place and a proper noun. Leave it as is.

In the Old Testament everyone expected to go to Sheol whether they were considered righteous or unrighteous. It was the place of the dead. Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19f) gives us the best glimpse into Sheol as it was.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 16:22-23 (ESV)

Notice that both the rich man and Lazarus are in Hades (Sheol) but in significantly different conditions. Lazarus is in “the bosom” of Abraham, and the rich man is in torment. He explains the torment as being because of fire. Thus the confusion with the post-Judgement Day “lake of fire”, which we think of as Hell.

Lazarus, Abraham, and the rest of the Old Testament righteous are waiting. For what? For Jesus to complete atonement for their sins on the cross and for Jesus to complete the Law in a way that they did not with His life. Timing actually matters. You didn’t suffer in this part of Sheol. The Roman Catholic Church refers to this place as “The Limbo of the Fathers”. Others prefer “Abraham’s bosom”. I like “the good neighborhood of Sheol. It reminds you where it is. What did they do there (some for millennia)? Don’t know.

When Jesus had completed His work, He set them free.

As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
    even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

Zechariah 9:11-12 (ESV)

You can see that they were rewarded for their patience and faith. Want to read more about Jesus’ descent into Sheol read here: https://afterdeathsite.com/2017/04/04/christs-descent-into-hell-part-4/

People like the rich man were/are waiting too. Without the forgiveness of Christ you are stuck in the bad neighborhood of Sheol until Judgment Day. Could actual Hell be any worse? Read this: https://afterdeathsite.com/2023/11/14/how-is-sheol-different-than-hell/

Those who now die connected to Jesus will never go to the “waiting room”. Eternal life in Heaven begins immediately.

Is there any hope once you find yourself in the bad neighborhood of Sheol. Many people and denominations say “no”. To be honest there is not a lot of Scriptural information on the topic. Those who say no are depending on one verse, which I think they misapply. It is Hebrews 9:27:

27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)

You can see that the context is about how many times Christ is sacrificed. The answer is one. Similarly, how many lives do we live before judgment–one. It does not say the final judgment is immediate. There is the waiting room. The one Bible passage that suggests some measure of hope is 1 Peter 4:6:

6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

1 Peter 4:6 (ESV)

“The gospel was preached to those now dead” is not a great translation. It is more like “for indeed the dead ones were evangelized (declared the good message)”. The context of “the dead ones” is found in 1 Peter 3:20. They are the disobedient people killed by Noah’s flood. They waited in the bad neighborhood of Sheol until Jesus declared the promise of salvation to them. Then some, if not all, were made alive to God.

How far does this second chance go? I don’t know. I hope far. It is clear that many make it through the waiting room all the way to their appointment at Judgment Day. Hell won’t be empty, and that is regrettable since what Christ did was big enough for all.

Angels and Demons

The text explores the nature of angels and demons, clarifying misconceptions about their existence and origins. It discusses how demons may be corrupted angels, influenced by Satan, while angels are distinct beings not derived from deceased humans. Both entities impact human life, with scripture referencing their roles in spiritual warfare and personal experiences of possession and intervention.

Most people, even if they are biblically illiterate, have heard of angels and Demons. They are known in other world religions as well, which is interesting. They are encountered by humans both in modern times, New Testament times, and ancient times. Are they real? And if so, what are they?

First, let’s say what they are not. Demons are not an ignorant understanding of mental illness. Mental illness is dysfunction of the brain. It can happen for a variety of reasons from genetics to trauma. I would not doubt that some trauma could be inflicted from spiritual (i.e. demonic) source, however. Angels, on the other hand, are not dead people. You do not die and become an Angel. Though the term, “angelus”, just means messenger, it is a term that is usually used to describe a certain species of being normally resident in Heaven. Angels are also not “Seraphim or Cherubim (in English: “burning ones” or “living ones”). These are synonyms for something of even higher capability than Angels.

It would appear that Demons are/were Angels. The information that we have is cryptic, but it appears that Satan (a Cherubim) managed to corrupt a large minority of Angels and turn them against God. Unlike humans where Satan was able to genetically corrupt the first set (Adam and Eve) and therefore corrupt every one of us, only a portion of Angels are corrupted. Perhaps this is because they don’t replicate, or that there were many Angels before Satan got to them.

What happened to Demons? This is very sketchy. Satan seems to have been able to hang on to residence in Heaven until Jesus’ victory on the cross. Nothing is said about Demons in this regard, except in Jude it says this:

6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

Jude 6 (ESV)

From this passage we learn that Judgment Day isn’t just for people. Angels and Satan will receive their final disposition on that day as well. This passage can’t be about all fallen Angels, because many are shown creating problems on Earth. How is the timing of Jude 6 connected to this passage?

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in Heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the Earth, and his Angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 12:7-9 (ESV)

Maybe these events are disconnected, maybe not. In the end, it would appear that we have both Angels and Demons among us. How do they contribute to our situations both positively and negatively?

On a personal level, the Bible records instances of demonic possession. There could also be lesser ways that a demon could affect a person. The most famous being the possession that inspired the book, “The Exorcist”. The Washington Post just happened to document this story back in the 1950’s. In that story the window that allowed the Demon to take hold was the dabbling in occultic practices by a “spiritualist” aunt and a boy’s use of a Ouija board to try to communicate to her after she died. I am not certain why and what occultic practices make this possible. They were also behind the scenes in all of the possessions encountered by Jesus. Pagan people lived very near or in Israel. People dabbled in these things and paid a price.

On a positive note, both the Bible and personal experiences account for angelic intervention. The most common being a helper that should not be there who assists someone in desperate need and then disappears.

There is also some interesting stuff about Angels and Demons at the national level, but I would like to briefly address our interaction with them after our death. First, Angels do not have wings and neither will you. My piece of art above in generated by AI. I cannot convince the “AI” that Angels do not have wings since there is so much garbage on the internet that shows that they do. This idea is an addition mostly from Renaissance artists. Cherubim do have wings. Angels will be a regular part of our existence in Heaven. Much like humans, they will seem like neighbors.

Demons will not be in Sheol, they will either remain on Earth or be contained in someplace called “the Abyss” until Judgment Day. After Judgment Day they will not be tormenting people in Hell. They will be suffering as well.

Do Humans Have a Body in Hell and Sheol?

I bet you were lying in bed wondering about this very question. I grant you that it is an obscure issue for which we have little information but it is a parallel to the important issue of whether we have a body in Heaven (to which I say yes), and it connects to same verse in Scripture, which is 2 Corinthians 5:1f.

5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2 Corinthians 5:1-4(ESV)

Our body that we have during this life is a “tent”. It houses our spirit, but it is a legitimate part of what we are. That is why there is a resurrection of the body. Paul says that we do not wish to be “unclothed”, which means without a body. Can such a situation even exist?

The Bible does not say where Heaven, Sheol, or the final Lake of Fire actually are. The ancients conceived of Sheol as the center of the Earth, and Heaven as being outside the furthest reach of the universe; but that does not make it so. Recent work in theoretical physics uses the concept of other dimensions. Albeit these dimensions are not observable because they are very small. There is no constraining reason why they must be small. What if they are unobservable just because we are constrained to live and observe in only three spatial dimensions. What if other dimensions do exist, explaining some of the odd behavior of gravity and quantum physics, but actually define the space of parallel universes. These universes would not have to be in lock-step with ours because they are only connected at the quantum level. This could define the space of Heaven, Sheol, the Abyss, and possibly Hell.

Going with this very unprovable theory, that would be why an “earthly” body is Earthly. It only can move in the dimensions of this space-time. And why a “heavenly” is Heavenly. It moves in Heaven’s dimensions. Could Sheol be its own space-time with a Sheol appropriate body. Not sure of the adjective for that one.

Descriptions of Sheol (please use the Search box if you are not familiar with this term to find posts about it) seem very physical. For example the rich man in Luke 16:

23 and in Hades (same as Sheol), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Luke 16:23-24 (ESV)

Flame, water, cool, tongue all seem very physical. This would also connect to the general resurrection of the dead. The damned would need an earthly body to stand before God at Judgment Day on Earth. It would also connect to the destruction of those Earthly bodies:

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 4:1-3 (ESV)

They won’t be needing those bodies where they are going next. Is the final Lake of Fire (i.e. Gehenna or Hell) also a “bodily experience”? Maybe it is not even connected to our multi-dimensional reality. Maybe “forsakeness” means total disconnection from creation? I think that is an interesting and disturbing thought.

One final thought. Paul speaks about being “unclothed”. The spirit of Samuel is “raised up” from the good neighborhood of Sheol by the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:13-15). He seems “unclothed” in the bodily sense. He appears “wrapped in a robe”. What about ghosts? I don’t know how they would fit in the model given us by Scripture. Are they figments of a person’s imagination? Are they demonic? Are they people “brought up” from Sheol and left here? Are they just part of a tired sit-com (I prefer the British version)? The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost when Jesus came to them walking on the water. From where did such an idea come? I don’t know.

Again, most of this post is unproveable and unstated by Scripture verbatim. But it does make sense to me. I hope you find it thought provoking and may be only find through experience about the Heavenly body and your Resurrected body.

Will Judgment Day Recount All Our Deeds?

The content discusses the concept of forgiveness from God and the impact of sin. While God’s forgiveness frees individuals from eternal judgment, temporal consequences of sin remain. Judgment Day will assess believers’ deeds, not for salvation but for reward. Actions matter, motivating individuals to live humbly and purposefully in faith.

It feels very good to know that you are forgiven by God. Many of our common, day-to-day type sins don’t bother us nearly as much as they should. Big mistakes that alter our lives and the lives of others can remain a millstone around our necks for the rest of our lives. Feeling forgiven is nice. Not having an eternal judgment on us is much better.

We receive forgiveness from eternal judgement in one way only. Jesus experienced our eternal judgment (being forsaken by God) for us on the cross. As long as we are connected to Jesus by the mystical union that God creates at our baptism, then that part is done. Is there any consequence of sin that is not done?

Certain sins definitely create problems in this world that are not undone by God’s forgiveness. Crimes still have their penalties. Damage to relationships may persist. This is what we call the “temporal” consequences of sin. They don’t impact eternal judgment once forgiven through Jesus.

What I want to write about is the Judgment Day impact for even forgiven and saved individuals like myself. For those saved by Jesus, Judgment Day is not about whether we are going to Hell or not. The Bible still does refer to Judgment Day as a judgment of our deeds (Psa. 62:12, Jer. 17:10, Mat. 16:27, 1 Cor. 3:10-15, 2 Cor. 5:10, Rev. 20:12,22:12) The question is whether this is a “filtered” list of deeds for those covered by the blood of Jesus or an embarrassingly unfiltered list?

The passages above use words like “reward” and “deserve”. As sinners saved by grace, we can rightly say that just being saved is more that we “deserve”. Still, to say that the conduct of our lives is inconsequential either positively or negatively doesn’t seem to fit the whole of Scripture. The “reward” isn’t entry into Heaven and the New Earth. That is a gift. I have written about Judgment Day for the redeemed here: https://afterdeathsite.com/2023/10/03/judgment-day-for-the-redeemed/ I now want to explore just one aspect. Are the sinful aspects of our lives just burned up and forgotten or do we have to face them in some way?

Our motivations for doing good with a humble servant’s heart are many. I love God. I love others. I believe in and desire to do good. It is my God-given purpose. God commands it. I may be rewarded. The one motive not on this list is to merit my salvation or God’s love. Is there the motive to not have to face my sinful action or inaction on Judgment Day?

There are the Old Testament promises,

as far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:12 (ESV)

I do have to note that on a sphere East and West do meet again. Then there is this:

17 then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

Hebrews 10:17 (ESV)

The context is about the need for further sacrifice, however. Jesus has made the sacrifice and that is done. Remembering the deeds seems applied to the Law and eternal judgment.

The theory that all of our deeds now disappear, and we are just seen as an extension of Christ doesn’t seem to reconcile with 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. The context of this passage is about the fruit of specifically called workers. Their life’s work can be wood, hay or straw. In other words, false teaching, no teaching, worthless actions, minimal or no impact for the Kingdom. Or it can be gold, silver and costly stones (truthful teaching, active use of time, good stewardship, loving actions, humble service of Christ). Their actions matter on Judgment Day. They are not merely judged in light of Christ when it comes to their reward.

In light of more general passages about the judgment of deeds like those listed above or the stewardship of life like the Parable of the Talents, I think 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 fits us all. This is not just a process for called preachers. We are all the product of teachers to an extent, but we are then able to teach others and put that teaching into practice.

If this is the experience is for all of those who are built on the foundation of Christ, what will the “revealed by fire” be like? Maybe it passes quickly leaving only the good. If the amount of good is small, we are ashamed of it. I expect that it will be more detailed, if only for our benefit. We will not know for sure until we experience this ourselves. The implication for our life remains. I am motivated to know the truth purely, put it into practice humbly but vigorously, not count anything as my entitlement, and leave as little as possible undone.

And I Will Raise Him Up on the Last Day

The blog discusses John 6, emphasizing Jesus’ teachings on eternal life and resurrection. It distinguishes between physical death and spiritual life through a relationship with God via Jesus. The author reflects on personal mortality and anticipated resurrection, contrasting the hopeful fate of the righteous with the dire prospect for the unrighteous, urging faith in Jesus as the path to salvation.

Recently, on my other blog (GivingChrist.com), I discussed a very controversial passage–John 6. You can see that discussion here:https://givingchrist.com/2024/09/17/the-mystical-union-lords-supper-and-john-6/. In John 6, Jesus uses a phrase twice. It the title of this article.

44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:44 (ESV)

54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:54 (ESV)

At the time, Jesus wanted the crowd, the Jewish leaders, and even His disciples to look for something more substantial than miracles, healing and food. He finally spells it out for them: eternal life and the resurrection.

The topic of the resurrection is a complicated thing. Daniel reveals that everyone will be resurrected for Judgment Day. It is not like one could avoid it. From Jesus’ perspective, the Resurrection is not synonymous with eternal life. We blur these topics together because we simply think of “life” as conscious existence. “Life” says Jesus, is knowing the true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Or, as stated above, being drawn in to a relationship with God and sustaining a God-created bond through Jesus’ body and blood. The only experience that deserves the positive title of “life” is existing in the full presence of God. With that definition in mind, eternal life can be something you already have. I have it through the connection that Jesus has made between Him and me.

I have eternal life while my physical body is noticeably wasting away. I don’t have the stamina I used to have. I must take some medicines. I’m forgetting a few words. I know the direction that this is going. While I might realize a few short-term improvements, the general trend is toward my physical death. I am not a fan of the process, but I understand it and have confidence in its ultimate goal. My current body, brain included, has always been diminished by sin and a sinful nature. It was damaged goods at my conception. The plan is to dump this body but eventually gain a superior one.

How will we experience the resurrection of body? There are three possible scenarios. The one I expect to experience goes like this. I’ll die someday, and my spirit will separate from this body. I will immediately go to Heaven because of what Jesus did for me. My spirit will join with a heavenly body and recreate a soul. (See https://afterdeathsite.com/2024/03/26/your-body-soul-and-spirit/). My conscious existence will joyfully be engaged with Heaven until the day that Jesus rounds us up to head back to this planet. As we arrive, I will acquire my resurrected body. A body meant for a recreated version of this universe without any sin and with major upgrades.

Another possibly that is acceptable to me is if Jesus comes before I die. If this is going to happen, I hope it does before I break down too much. We still have to experience a break between spirit and body, but it will happen fast.

51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (ESV)

For those who come to Judgment Day without the prior forgiveness of their sins through Jesus. The resurrection of the body will be of little comfort.

Some will have spent a long conscious existence in Sheol. They will have suffered much. Who can speak of their state of mind. It is like a long incarceration before facing a judge. Without eternal life, the resurrection is more of a curse.

The status of the resurrected body of the damned is a bit unclear. The passage above makes it sound like a resurrected body is imperishable. Malachi makes it sound like the resurrected bodies of the damned are torched.

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.”

Malachi 4:1-3 (ESV)

Perhaps “indestructible” only applies to the righteous. Unfortunately for the unrighteous, this is not total destruction. Their spirits and possibly their resurrected bodies are cast into Gehenna, the lake of fire, along with Satan and his angels and forgotten.

There is a way to avoid such a fate. The way is Jesus. We all deserve the latter, but as a gift of God we can have the former. There is no greater gift to receive.

Satan and the Afterlife

In the classic 14th century poem, Dante’s Inferno, “Hell” is pictured as nine descending rings of torment. At the very bottom, Satan is seen frozen in ice and chewing on the worst traitors in history. So, I guess there is a “cold day in Hell”. Ancient poetry and renaissance paintings have influenced our ideas of Hell and Satan in eternity. Understandably, since the Bible was not available to most people, there is something lacking in the details.

The first thing I would like to re-emphasize is that there is a difference between Sheol/Hades, which is before Judgment Day, and “The Lake of Fire”/Gehenna which is the final destination of the damned. Their similarities (i.e. fire, suffering) lead many to conflate the two. But they are clearly distinct. Which should we call “Hell”. Honestly, it your pick. But I tend to think of the post-Judgment Day, lake of fire, as Hell. See more here: https://afterdeathsite.com/?s=Sheol

So where is Satan in all of this? Well, if we refer to The Far Side for our theological truth, he is ruling in Hell with all his junior Satans. The Bible would not support this view. Prior to Jesus’ victory on the cross, Satan and his angelic/demonic following seem to be able to either be in Heaven or on Earth. Following the loss of leverage that Satan had legally, he and his minions are cast out of Heaven. Revelation 12 shares that he is now on Earth.

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him…Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Revelation 12:7-9,12 (ESV)

Trustworthy details are scant. But it appears that not all of Satan’s followers make it to exile on the Earth.

6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day

Jude 6(ESV)

It doesn’t say where this “gloomy darkness” is. I would not conclude that it is the same place as the souls of the disobedient who Jesus preaches to after His crucifixion. (1 Peter 3:19) Look at that topic starting here: https://afterdeathsite.com/2017/03/14/christs-descent-into-hell-part-1/

I think the angels’ prison is part of what the Bible calls “the abyss”. Still, where is Satan? That depends on the meaning of the first paragraph of Revelation 20. It is also in Revelation 20 where we find the eternal destination of the one who kicked off this whole corruption of God’s creation. There are interpretations of Revelation 20:1-3 that understand Satan to be currently bound. If so, I would conclude bound in the Abyss. There are also interpretations that make this a future event. I lean toward the former. But there is little ambiguity of where he ends up.

0 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Revelation 20:10 (ESV)

This is formally “Hell” in my lexicon. It is post-Judgment Day and it is the ultimate destination of both corrupted angels and unredeemed people. The people have been in Sheol/Hades to this point.

14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:14-15 (ESV)

Satan is not there to reign or torment. He is there is suffer like everybody else. As bad as fire and sulfur sound, the phrase “second death” takes us to the ultimate penalty of sin which is to be forsaken by God. Hell is place. Forsaken is a condition. Jesus was forsaken on the cross, so that those who are connected to Jesus don’t need to suffer this themselves.

Satan does not seem to be connected to Sheol/Hades. He is either here on Earth, in the Abyss, or ultimately in the lake of fire/Gehenna/Hell. Neither he nor his demons seem to have the recourse that people have. Though we are sinful and rebellious as well, God’s love has created a way of forgiveness through Jesus. That is the way that I want and have. I am perfectly satisfied reading about Satan. I don’t need to meet him.

Looking At the Unseen

The passage in 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 urges believers to focus on the unseen, eternal things rather than the transient world. Envisioning the afterlife may be flawed, but it encourages hope and motivation as disciples. Descriptions in scripture hint at a bodily, immersive experience in heaven, free from physical and emotional pain, surrounded by beauty, love, and pure joy, all made possible through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.

For the next two blog entries I would like to ponder with you the meaning of 2 Corinthians 4:17-18, which reads:

17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (ESV)

How does one “look to things that are unseen”? It seems like an oxymoron. Our gift of vision is a limited function. It works only for objects that reflect or emit a narrow band of the electromagnetic spectrum that we call visible light. These objects also have to be big enough. Vision is a nice feature, but I need equipment to “see” many other objects, and even night-vision goggles and microscopes have their limits.

Paul is talking about looking to Heaven and the New Earth. Heaven, I expect, is extra-dimensional to this universe. As large as the universe is, I don’t expect Heaven to be hiding within it or just beyond our observational horizon. The New Earth is future. Neither suit our vision, but that doesn’t make them unreal. It might make them feel surreal, but that is our problem. That said, how do you “look to them”?

Perhaps it is enough to say, “I have a promise and a partial description given by inspiration from God”. “I look forward to that.” In that case “looking” is trusting. Would it be wrong if “looking” meant “envisioning”? Envisioning will necessarily be an exercise fraught with error. For,

9 But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)

Paul quotes Isaiah and both men had out-of-body experiences of Heaven. It is their way of saying, “What I saw would blow your mind”. Our envisioning of Heaven would no doubt fall short of the reality of it because our experience is limited to this fallen world. Still, Heaven and especially the New Earth do not sound like they are completely different from God’s creation here. Envisioning, though inaccurate, may be just the type of encouragement to keep us forward looking and motivated as disciples of Jesus.

So what could we envision? I would like to start with my heavenly body. The point is that our experience in Heaven is a bodily experience versus merely a dream or like a ghost is stated in the verse after text above.

5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Corinthians 5:1 (ESV)

The “tent” is your body here. The “house” is your body in Heaven, not a building in which you will dwell.

What is it like? I envision the same basic body plan. I have no pain. I still sleep, but my sleep is the most refreshing and wonderful thing. I feel strong. I am happy and excited about what each day will bring. I feel beautiful and complex. My senses are sharp and more than the five I have here. I sense love and feel it for every fellow creature around me.

The people and the angels around me are stunningly beautiful. I have an immediate bond with each one of them. I know their names instinctively. I recognize people I know from my life on Earth. They are more valuable to me and more pleasing to me than ever. Any sin between us is long forgiven.

I move in many ways. I can walk, run, swim, fly or just think my way to places far away. Heaven is vast. It is no smaller than the Universe I came from, but I am not limited to one planet. I feel at home anywhere, but I have a community I return to.

I can communicate with words or directly to the mind. I encounter people from different eras of time. None are like strangers to me. Some were part of my family tree. Language is not a barrier. We speak one language.

God is with me either visibly or fully in my mind all the time. He speaks to me. We spend time together one-on-one, for He is able to do this with everyone at the same time. We also gather in groups with God. Worship is not a struggle. It is spontaneous and is a highlight of our experience, but we do many things.

Music, celebration, eating and drinking, playing, learning, exploring, serving, bonding and much more is part of my experience. In Heaven, we are not reproductive, but we can feel a bond with each similar to the hormonal bond felt on Earth through sex. We are always safe, disease-free, sorrow-free.

We do not watch the events of the Earth because our experience in Heaven is immersive. Yet, we are aware of certain people who are still on their earthly pilgrimage. God speaks to us about them. We are eager for Judgment Day, primarily to end evil in all of God’s “inhabited” creation. Hell is “forsaken”. We are also mindful of being even further clothed. The day when we receive the universe of Earth and a resurrected body.

I am sure with a little creativity you can make this more detailed. Use the limited description given within Scripture as your guardrails, so that you do not envision something perversely incorrect. But enjoy the ride. Heaven is not wishful thinking, or boring, or tainted like this world.

By grace, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it can be and will be yours.

When Does Eternal Life Begin?

Does this title seem like a stupid question? I hope to show you that it is more complicated than you first think. It depends on the definition of “eternal life”, so let’s start with that.

God has made human beings to be eternal creatures. Once we have begun our existence there is an innate quality that preserves our existence forever. It is part of being created in the “image of God”

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them

Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)

When do we begin? The answer is probably conception. Our body and our unique genetic code begin then, and these are definitely a part of our being. The body is not just a rental. Does our spirit/soul begin then? We have no information. I think there is reason to say that the soul does not pre-exist our body, but it is possible that there might be a lapse between conception and having a soul.

The Bible does not care to refer to our existence as sinful human beings as “life”. I’ll call it “existence” instead. A definite change in our existence happens with baptism in the name of the Triune God. Baptism doesn’t look or feel like much, but God’s promise is forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). When you dig down into how we receive the forgiveness of sins, you find that these things needed to happen: Jesus, as a human, had to fulfill God’s Law perfectly, He then had to pay the Laws demands for a sinner on the cross (namely be forsaken by God), then an individual needs to be spiritually united with Jesus for Jesus’ actions to apply to him or her. God normally accomplishes the last one through baptism. I want to emphasize that this is the function of baptism, not a “sinner’s prayer”, nor coming to intellectual faith. So you could say that eternal life begins at baptism even though you still carry around an earthly body that is doomed to die.

The next choice, and most popular choice, is your physical death. At death, if you are in Christ (still connected by what God does at baptism), you temporarily leave your earthly, sinful body and your soul now joins with a heavenly body restricted to Heaven. 

 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Corinthians 5:1 (ESV)

Being in Heaven does not feel like a restriction. It feels like life that is truly life and we can call it “life”. It is not complete, however. Part of you is missing still. You are your spirit/soul, your heavenly body, and your earthly body. Like I said, your earthly body is not a rental.

Eternal life made complete happens with Judgment Day and the resurrection of the body. All portions that make up what we are will be redeemed at that point. https://afterdeathsite.com/2020/02/04/we-will-be-made-multi-dimensional/

So, when does eternal life begin? You may pick the answer. Realize the process God has put in place for us. An uglier but parallel process exists for those who reject Jesus. Also understand what you are and what produces the complete you.

Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth

One of the problems with describing our existence after death is the limitations of words. Words have meaning because we can relate them to experience. If you have never experienced anything even similar to the glory of Heaven and the New Earth then all you can do is explain what is not there. Similarly, if you have not experienced the depth of sorrow, pain or hopelessness that characterizes Sheol or Hell, what do you say? 

The Bible pulls out a few negative experiences that happen on Earth to help us to understand damnation. Speaking of Hades/Sheol Jesus speaks of fire and the worm that never dies. Most of us have been burned at some time. It is intense pain. Many of us have seen maggots doing their work. The smell and the disgusting sight quickly elicits the gag reflex. Does this mean that there is actual fire and maggots? Maybe. It certainly means that the experience is intensely awful. 

A frequently used clause to communicate the horror of being exiled from God is the phrase, “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” All of the occurrences of this phrase are in the Gospels and out of the mouth of Jesus. Most are found in Matthew. Here are some examples:

11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 8:11-12 (ESV)

The context is Jesus responding to the faith of the Centurion. He is bemoaning the fact that many of the Jews will not enter Heaven because of their lack of faith in Him. ”Outer darkness” conveys that Hell segregated away from God’s presence in some way. Darkness is an often-used descriptor for a number of things including ignorance, evil and the literal lack of light. Could all of these apply to the experience of Hell or even to a lesser extent Sheol? You and all around you are evil. Nobody can trust anybody. There are no bonds, or friendship or kindness. God and good feel like a distant dream. Maybe you do not even understand why you are there.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Great Divorce, describes some of the inhabitants of Hell as firmly convinced that they are innocent and unjustly damned. Even when they are given the opportunity to enter Heaven by grace they resist. They live in the darkness of ignorance about themselves. 

Then Jesus uses the phrase “weeping and gnashing of teeth”. I expect that is a very literal description. What does the phrase connote? With damnation being an eternal sentence, all hope is loss and joy consumed. All good things come from God, so if God forsakes you, there are no good things. The sorrow must be overwhelming and so is the weeping. 

I have never been a tooth-grinder, but I can easily imagine such stress that one would grind their teeth together. Another reason for the gnashing of teeth may be anger. If not overcome by sorrow, a person may be filled with rage at God. It doesn’t matter which, both are horrible conditions that were avoidable since Jesus died for all.

Jesus also works this phrase into a bunch of parables that describe Judgment Day. The first is The Parable of the Weeds. This little story just conveys the fact that God is able to separate those who belong to Him from those who reject Him.

41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 13:41-42 (ESV)

A similar message is given using the same phrase in The Parable of the Net, Matthew 13:49-50. 

Then in The Parable of the Wedding Banquet, (Matthew 22:2-14) Jesus uses the phrase again to describe someone who is cast out of the banquet because they are not wearing “wedding clothes”. These “clothes” are the righteous of Jesus which are provided for a person. Just as the Gospel tells us that salvation is the gift of God and that Jesus provides the necessary righteousness through His obedient life and His forsakeness on the cross, so the clothes are a God’s grace to us but not optional.

A similar point is made in The Parable of the Talents, (Matthew 25:14-30). Here the person who is cast out does not invest the one talent (a unit of money) that the Master gives Him. This is not to suggest we are saved by a minimum level of good stewardship. The one talent must represent knowledge of the Gospel which the wicked servant buries. His punishment is to be cast “outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

There are a few more, but you get the point. ”Weeping and gnashing of teeth” is Jesus’ most used phrase to describe Hell. It gets to the emotional side of the experience. It is not an experience that anyone would want. Some people erroneously think of Hell as a party for those who prefer an immoral life. Nothing could be further from the truth. To be thrown out from any presence of God is devastating even for those who hate God. There is no party, pleasure or friendship–only suffering and hopelessness.