Now and Not Yet

Some books have a prologue; this sermon does too.

The rabbis and the writers of the New Testament understood the term “the Kingdom of Heaven” to have a dual meaning: 

• The rule of God in the present

• the reign of God in the age to come.[1]

Christians have long called this “the now[2] and not yet.” In Northern Michigan we know what this is like when it comes to seasons. When the first day of spring shows up on the calendar, the age of fulfillment has come, but the consummation is still in the future. Here is a biblical example.

“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

Here are a few other examples where you are going to have to look up the address yourself :)

• We are already adopted in Christ (Romans 8:15), but not yet fully adopted (Romans 8:23)

• We are already redeemed in Christ (Ephesians 1:7), but not yet fully redeemed (Ephesians 4:30)

• We are already sanctified in Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2), but not yet fully sanctified (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24)

• We are already saved in Christ (Ephesians 2:8), but not yet fully saved (Romans 5:9).

• We are already raised with Christ (Ephesians 2:6), but not yet fully raised (1 Corinthians 15:52).[3]

The now and not yet. 

* * * * *

Last week we talked about what all the sermons in the book of Acts present. Today, we will talk about some really significant things that are not present in the speeches in the book of Acts.

Specifically, heaven and hell are not presented as motivators for following Jesus in the book of Acts. They are barely mentioned at all.

Hades is mentioned once in Acts 2, where Peter is quoting Psalm 16. There, Peter is just applying a prophecy to Jesus (“You will not abandon my soul to Hades/Sheol”). He’s not making a presentation about it.[4]

In the New Testament, heaven (Ouranos) can refer to the sky, outer space, or the third heaven (God’s dwelling place). Acts uses “heaven” language as shorthand for “where God reigns” twice: God “raised Jesus” and exalted him (Acts 2:33–36), and Jesus is enthroned at God’s right hand (Acts 7:55–56).[5]

Even the phrase “eternal/everlasting life” appears only in one speech (Acts 13:46-48), but the phrase “eternal/everlasting punishment” not at all.[6]

Clearly, what happens in the age to come is a very important part of the Christian worldview and is talked about by Jesus and others as recorded in Scripture. But in the midst of all the sermons and speeches in Acts, the life in the age to come – the “not yet” -  is not front and center, and punishment and reward in the age to come are not presented as motivators for following Jesus.

Acts focuses on the “now” part of the “now and not yet.”

Having said that, Acts absolutely does preach the importance of repentance with a coming judgment in view.

• Paul teaches that God “commands all people everywhere to repent” because God “has fixed a day” to judge the world through the risen Jesus (Acts 17:30–31). 

• Peter told Cornelius, “[Christ] commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42-43)

Clearly there will be a judgment that holds us accountable. Acts does not deny this at all. It just doesn’t record a detailed map of competing destinations in the afterlife, and it doesn’t incorporate a presentation of them into evangelism tools to reach their audience.

Why? I suspect that their audience had a grasp of reward and punishment that they took so seriously already that Paul and Peter didn’t need to raise the stakes for them as they considered whether or not to repent and follow Jesus. That is what we are going to examine.

When people in Peter and Paul’s audience were called to repent, they were generally trying to avoid “the wrath of God”.  HELPS Word-studies defines this wrath this way:

“Settled anger (opposition) proceeds from an internal disposition which steadfastly opposes someone or something based on extended personal exposure…a fixed, controlled, passionate feeling against sin . . . a settled indignation.”

So, God’s wrath isn’t God flying off the handle in a temper outburst. God is, after all, “slow to anger” (Psalm 86:15, etc).  God steadfastly opposes sin because He knows what it does (that’s the “extended personal exposure”). He has a settled indignation at the chaos it causes. He has a holy resistance to corruption. He loves His creation too much to let it be ruined without consequence.

In the framework of God’s Old Testament covenant with Israel, the wrath of God was more often than not very practical. Think of the OT blessings vs. curses within the covenant that mapped onto righteousness vs. sin. Wrath is God’s in that God warns us that sin will lead to consequences that God himself has ordained.

This was something the people of Israel had experienced already in this life, and the Jewish people continued to understand as seen in the writings of Paul.

Ezekiel 22:31 - “I will pour out my wrath…they have returned their conduct upon their heads, says the Lord God.”

Romans 1 -  “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people….  God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts… God gave them over to a depraved mind.” 

Galatians 6:7 - “Be not deceived; God is not mocked. What one sows, one will also reap.”

So what does the wrath of consequences look like? Two key results show up over and over again in the Old Testament; that pattern starts immediately in Genesis.

• loss of life (“if you eat you will surely die”)[7]

• loss of the land intended to give them life (exile from Eden).[8] To be exiled from the land is to be pushed back toward chaos and death. Wrath was the loss of life-giving space.

That pattern continues through so many stories. The wrath of God revealed as the wages of sin leads to death or loss of the land meant to give them life.

• The people go to Egypt for help during a famine instead of trusting God, and they lose their land (and a lot of lives).

• When they follow God out of Egypt, God leads them toward a land of Promise – and an entire generation dies outside the land because of sin.

• They make it to the land; when their sin overwhelms them, they are conquered and exiled.[9]

This is exactly the framework that the apostles in Acts assume when they warn about the consequences of “wrath” without needing to tap into imagery of life or death in the age to come. Their audience already knows the story: the wages of sin are death and exile from the blessing of the land God had provided for them.

I suspect this is why the afterlife isn’t central in Acts. There was plenty of material here already. When Jesus warned them about the punishment of Gehennah (literally right outside the city gates), they wanted to avoid it at all cost. They had seen what happened there to their ancestors.[10] They knew what that meant. The wages of sin were death and exile.

When John the Baptist said, “Flee from the wrath to come,” his audience had centuries of history that formed the legitimacy of this warning. So many times, God’s people had fallen into sin, failed to hear the prophets, and experienced the wrath of God through the consequences of their sin. It’s been an ongoing reality. That’s why Paul can write,

“The wrath of God is being revealed (present tense) from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness…” (Romans 1:18)

But that wasn’t the end of the story. The prophets had always insisted that the goal was always repentance, return, and restoration into a renewal of life. Here is just one (fairly famous) example.

This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:10-14)[11]

The Jewish people still thought of themselves as exiled even though they were back in their own land. Rome ruled them; they were convinced God’s Spirit had left them; the glory hadn’t returned to the Temple; and so many of the prophets promises had not been fulfilled.

And if they were still in exile, they were still under the wrath of God.

The apostles are convincing their audience that Jesus has conquered the power of death and exile. That’s why the focus is on Jesus’ resurrection/exaltation (He’s God!), the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (“The Kingdom is within you!”), and a new community of belonging (“You’re home!”).

In a sense, Jesus relives Israel’s history of death and exile by participating in it.

• Goes into Egypt (Matthew 2)

• Enters the wilderness (40 days)

• Crucified outside the city (Hebrews 13:12)

• Hung on a tree (Deuteronomy 21’s curse)

• Enters death (Hades)

On the cross, Jesus stepped into exile and overpowered it. He entered the realm of death and took away its power. Acts preaches that, because of what Jesus has done, the exile is over. The King has returned and sits on a throne in His Kingdom, which has now expanded to include all the nations. He is pouring out His life-giving Holy Spirit for renewal and refreshing. And he has even rebuilt the Temple, but this time it’s His people.

The age of exile is over because the risen King has come. A national and even cosmic restoration has begun.

Acts’ dominant evangelistic posture is a proactive summons into this new life of restoration and reconciliation. Repentance is a doorway into resurrection life and Spirit-formed community. The stress is on what it looks like to experience the Kingdom of God now.

• Forgiveness of sins

• Gift of the Holy Spirit

• Inclusion in a new community

• Participation in God’s renewing work

Acts invites its audience to align themselves with Jesus, because resurrection has already begun. They are no longer exiled from the true land that nourishes them with the true Water and Bread of life. The land – the Kingdom of God - is theirs to enjoy, beginning now. Paul told Timothy, 

“Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” (1 Timothy 6:12)

Every commentary I read said something like this: Believers have begun "eternal (aiṓnios) life" right now, experiencing this quality of God's life now as a present possession.[12]

Around the time Jesus lived, the rabbis were discussing the difference between hayei olam (Hi-YAY Oh-LAHM), meaning eternal life, which is contrasted with hayei sha’ah (Hi-YAY Sha-AH), which means fleeting or earthly life.

This wasn’t about before death and after death. Hayei olam was “lasting life,” and it referred to living in a way that focused on matters of eternal importance. Hayei sha’ah was about only being concerned with short-term material needs of today: working, making money, eating, etc.

We as followers of Jesus have hayei olam, and it begins now.  There’s more to come, but it begins now. Let’s go with John 4:14’s image:

“The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

If you go to where the Boardman River pops out of the ground, and put your kayak in, you are on the Boardman river. But the spring is just the beginning. That river will take you somewhere. You are on the river “now” but you are “not yet” where it plans to take you. So, how do we start eternal life now?

“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

Knowing has to do with being transformed into the image of Christ, having the Holy Spirit at work in us, absorbing the truth of God’s word, ordering our life around the things of God, seeking to see God at work in every situation… It’s an active, all-encompassing, total life surrender and make over. 

Eternal life starts with repentance, turning away from all that is sinful and unrighteous and turning toward the path of life made possible through Jesus.  It’s living in God's righteous path centered in God's will, making it our highest priority to further God’s interests and kingdom in every way by having eyes that see what Jesus sees, hearts that respond like the heart of Jesus, and hands that do what Jesus would do.

And if we do this as entire communities of people, the “now” gives us clearer and clearer images of the glory and goodness that awaits us in the “not yet.”

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[1] “The Kingdom Of Heaven In The Here And Now And Future.” Marg Mowczko, https://margmowczko.com/the-kingdom-of-heaven-here-now-future/

[2] “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst (or, within you).” (Luke 17:20b-21)

[3] https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/already-not-yet provided that list.

[4] The word “hell” did not exist when the Bible was written. Hell comes from a word with German roots, haljō, referring to a "concealed place" or the place of the dead. Norse mythology made it famous: “Hel” refers to both the realm of the dead and the goddess who rules it (no surprise – her dad is Loki.) “Hell” starts showing up in Bible translations around 1,000 AD. It eventually became a catch-all word that referred to Sheol (Old Testament realm of the dead in Hebrew); Hades (New Testament realm of the dead in Greek), ,Gehenna (the valley of Hinnom), and Tartarus. The individual words matter, because they meant different things to the audience in the book of Acts.

[5] Heaven is God’s headquarters. The emphasis in Acts is on exaltation and lordship, not relocation after this life

[6] You see “everlasting/eternal life/punishment” discussed more in the letters to the churches.

[7] Genesis 2. Also, “The soul that sins shall die” (Ezekiel)

[8] Genesis 3

[9] The Northern Kingdom was destroyed by Assyria and the people deported because of idolatry and injustice. (2 Kings 17) Jeremiah and Ezekiel record the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the people removed from the land.

[10] And, sadly, would happen again in A.D. 70.

[11] The author of Romans will note: ““We were enemies… we were reconciled… saved from wrath.” (Rom 5:9–10)

[12]  All the discussion that follows on eternal life as understood in the time of Jesus is from Lois Tverberg, writing in “Eternal Life, Here and Now.”

Harmony #50: Upon This Rock (Matthew 16:13-19; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21)

Then Jesus and his disciples went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, when Jesus was praying by himself, and his disciples were nearby, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They answered, “John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”

  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”[1]And Jesus answered him, “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven!

 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.”

There are three leading interpretations of this play on words:[2]

·      Jesus Himself is the rock, as Peter later testifies (1 Pet. 2:5–8). But in this passage, Jesus describes Himself as the builder of the church on the rock, so that’s likely not the meaning here.

·      Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ” is the rock upon which the church is built. In this reading, a confession of faith in Jesus is the foundation on which everything else is built.

·      Peter himself is the rock in that he is a representative apostle whose confession of Christ has been revealed to him by the Father. Peter acknowledged Jesus not by his name, but by his title: The Christ. In this reading, Jesus’ response is not just a statement of the obvious, but includes some type of title/role acknowledgment. Peter later writes (1 Pet. 2:4–8) that all believers have become “living stones” by virtue of their association with Christ, with the apostles as the foundation (Eph. 2:20, 21; Rev. 21:14). 

I believe this “rock” is most likely the confession of faith, the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus. The church is built  on belief/trust/faith in Christ. But it could be that Peter is the first of many “living stones.” Maybe they both go together. The main point is that Jesus has validated that God’s church will be built on a confession of faith, whether it’s the belief, the people who hold it, or both.[3]  

The gates of Hades will not prevail against it (the church)

Hades was a common ancient expression for the realm of the dead across cultures, including Jewish culture (Job 38:17; Isaiah 38:10). In Acts, it is portrayed as is the temporary abode of the dead (Acts 2:27). In Revelation 1, Jesus is described as having the keys to Death and Hades. In Revelation 20, “Death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them…then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.” So they will not prevail. They will not survive. Their judgment is sure. Meanwhile, the “gates” will not prevail against a church that confesses Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Gates are the decision-making place in the city. The plans of evil will not destroy the church or its mission. Gates are defensive. Those gates will fall. The church is meant to proactively take the power of the gospel to the very heart of evil. The power of the Gospel will break through.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

This is in sharp contrast to what Jesus told the Pharisees,

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in” (Matthew 23:13).

I think there is more than one implication from this.

1. The key that opens the Kingdom of Heaven is the Gospel

“When the Jews made a man a doctor of the law, they put into his hand the key of the closet in the temple where the sacred books were kept, and also tablets to write upon; signifying, by this, that they gave him authority to teach, and to explain the Scriptures to the people.” (Adam Clarke)

We see this in the life of Peter. He is the first apostle to preach the message of the kingdom to:

·      the Jews at Pentecost (Acts 2); about three thousand Jewish people are saved that day.

·      to the Samaritans (Acts 8) who believed the gospel and received the Holy Spirit.

·      to the Gentiles (Acts 10), Roman centurion’s household, who also received the Holy Spirit.

Matt. 18:18 notes that the same promise is given to them all, but Peter seems to have a unique role in starting this global spread of the gospel.

2. Those entrusted with the key are entrusted with authority (“binding and loosing”) to implement what has already been established in heaven.

The expressions bind and loose were common in Jewish temple language that meant something was either forbidden or allowed. Josephus said of the Pharisees in the time of Queen Alexandra: "They were the real administrators of the public affairs; they removed and readmitted whom they pleased; they bound and loosed [things] at their pleasure."[4] This included establishing sacred days, admitting or removing people from the Temple community, and identifying which offerings were acceptable.

The expression was common; for example, it was not unusual to hear a disagreement between rabbinical schools recorded this way: “The school of Shammai binds it, the school of Hillel looseth it.”[5] The idea was that certain things done on earth – if they were done in line with the order of God - was at the same time done in heaven. For example, when the priest on the Day of Atonement offered the two goats upon earth, they believed the same were offered in heaven; when priests cast the lots on earth, a priest also casts the lots in heaven.[6]

We see this principle of binding and loosing in this way throughout the New Testament:

·      As the disciples’ rabbi, Jesus had already done this binding and loosing for His own disciples (for example, when He allowed them to take the grains of wheat in the field[7], or when he healed on the Sabbath[8]).

·      Jesus tasked all the disciples with preaching the gospel and discerning God’s will (for example, calling all foods clean[9], or doing away with circumcision as a rite of initiation for men[10]).

·      When “the apostles and the elders” came together in Jerusalem to consider the conditions on which Gentile believers might be recognized as fellow members of the church, their decision was issued as something which “seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 15:28).

Meanwhile, note: whatever the apostles bound or loosed on earth must have already been bound or loosed in heaven. They weren’t supposed to just be making stuff up or running with tradition or a gut feeling. It had to be biblically sound and Holy Spirit led (and we see the importance of a community leading in this kind of decision).

“Heaven, not the apostles, initiates all binding and loosing, while the apostles announce these things.”[11]

So, one way they did this was by helping the church understand how to apply Scripture or scriptural principles. We’ve already looked at a couple examples. Another way involved managing disputes or handling discipline within the church, both cases where it is important that truth is established.  Paul talked about a judgment (a verdict) pronounced by the church of Corinth in which “I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present” (1 Corinthians 5:3–5). We read a more clear scenario in Matthew 18:15-20.

Go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you and repents, you have regained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.

 I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. Again, I tell you the truth, if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”

William Kelly writes,

“Whenever the Church acts in the name of the Lord and really does His will, the stamp of God is upon their deeds.”[12]

3. When heaven is opened, the resources of the Kingdom are available.

In an old Greek comedy, a speech mentioned somebody having “the keys of the market,” which meant they had the free use of authority to buy and eat whatever meat was sold in it.[13]  If we apply that context to this passage, having the key to the Kingdom seems to include giving us access to divinely authorized heavenly resources.

What are they? The truth of the Scripture to guide us; the gifts and fruits of the Spirit that come with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit; ongoing transformation into the image of Jesus; the nourishment of church community; the increasing shalom of God (peace with God, with others, within ourselves, with God’s creation). The list could go on….

* * * * * *

What does this mean to us today?

·      Jesus builds His church on the cornerstone of Jesus[14] and the testimony of those who confess that Jesus is Lord and commit their lives to following Him into salvation and transformation. Jesus is the Good Shepherd of those in the Kingdom and the Door into the Kingdom. All are welcome to enter in the physical front doors of this building and join our congregational church life. I hope people near and far from Jesus and anywhere inbetween experience the love of Jesus from us when they visit or become a part of the life of this community. But walking into our front door is not the same as walking into the Kingdom of God. Our front door ushers you into our physical community; only Jesus ushers you into the eternal life of the Kingdom that begins now and never ends.

·      We enter into a Kingdom that even Death and Hell cannot stop. This is not a promise that we won’t suffer or even die for the sake of Christ, or that our lives will never be impacted by the presence of evil in the world. It’s a reminder that the agenda of Heaven will defeat the agenda of Hell. Good will have the last word, not evil. The end of the story is that God wins. This is part of the hope of the gospel. God will set things right. We might not understand God’s timing, or why each chapter unfolds the way it does, but we know the end to the story.

·      Jesus is the Door to the Kingdom, but He has given us a key to ‘open the door’ to the kingdom for others by our presentation of the gospel through our words and our lives. We can’t do the Holy Spirit work of drawing people to Jesus, but we can present Him by sharing the gospel and by living lives that show the transformative power of God in our lives. Just like John the Baptist, “prepared the way”[15] for Jesus, we can prepare the way for the message of the Gospel in word and deed. On the other hand, we can speak and live in such a way that people don’t want to open that door. We have to be careful. Having the ‘keys’ is a wonderful and daunting responsibility.

·      Re: “binding and loosing” - We are meant to live out the reality of “on earth as it is in heaven.’ If we put boundaries and guidelines around what it means to be a follower of Jesus, it better reflect what God intended to convey through Scripture and how God intended us to apply it through the help of the Holy Spirit. If we speak to the freedoms we Christians have in Christ, they better be the freedoms God intended to convey in Scripture applied how God intended with the help of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We must be very careful the minute we step outside of an obvious teaching in Scripture and attempt to apply it to life.

·      God’s resources are for our good and God’s glory. The effectual work of Jesus’ death and resurrection is a real thing that a) makes peace between us and God and b) empowers genuine peace with others. The fruit and gifts of having the Holy Spirit indwell us are real things that not only build us but build those around us. Connection in a spiritually healthy church community offers tangible experiences of the ‘the hands and feet of Jesus.’ I believe God wants us to flourish as His image bearers, as His ambassadors, as His children. He has given us what we need to do so.

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[1] Caesarea Philippi was the center of worship for a number of pagan gods such as Baal and Pan. There is pointed contrast here: Jesus is the Son of the God who is alive, unlike the pagan gods. 

[2] Thanks for this handy summary, ESV Reformation Study Bible!

[3] Ephesians 2:19 to 22:“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone. In whom all the building fitly framed together grows unto a holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are built together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

[4] “Authority, Rabbinical” in the Jewish Encyclopledia

[5] Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

[6] Adam Clarke

[7] Matthew 12:1-8

[8] Mark 3:1-6

[9] Acts 10

[10] Acts 15

[11] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[12] Believer’s Bible Commentary

[13] Bengal’s Gnomen

[14] 1 Corinthians 3:11

[15] Matthew 3:3

Following God: Our Eternal Destination

“We believe in the resurrection of the saved and the lost, and that both will stand before the judgment seat of Christ; the saved will enter into everlasting life in God’s presence, and the lost will be sent into everlasting death, devoid of the presence of God. (Matthew 25:31-46; Mark 9:43-48; 1 Corinthians 4:5; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:8).”

There is a lot that could be said about where we go when we die, and cultural notions haven’t helped to keep our view of Scripture clear. From Milton’s Paradise Lost to Dante’s Inferno,  from Chick Tracks to What Dreams May Come, people have ideas that waver somewhere between relatively solid and totally made up.

This is my attempt to focus on the Bible understood in its context. Keep in mind that the Bible has been given in what we call Progressive Revelation. God seems content to let the biblical writers use language, images and ideas from their time to convey the message He intends – for that time. As we will see, what begins as a vague notion of afterlife in the Old Testament clarifies in the New Testament. 

 I want to focus on three key biblical claims.

1.    After physical death, our existence continues. 

2.    We will wait for the final day of God’s judgment (Matthew 12:36) in a state of blessedness or despair (Luke 23).

3.    After the final day of God’s judgment, when God wraps up history as we know it, there will be a separation. All people will be consigned to an eternity fully absent the presence of God, or raised in a glorified, incorruptible body (1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:49) to eternal life, fully in the presence of God (Matthew 25) in a New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21).

After Death, Our Conscious Existence Continues 

In the Old Testament, there was only one word which indicated an afterlife: sheol, a Hebrew perspective in line with the Ancient Near East (ANE) concept of the underworld. The Epic of Gilgamesh called it a house of dust and darkness,” a realm for departed spirits. In ANE thought, this wasn’t usually a great place. It wasn’t torturous, but it wasn’t something anyone looked forward to. The Hebrews agreed.

The Jewish people also accepted the ANE view of a three-tiered heaven: the atmosphere (Genesis 1:7-8), outer space or the firmament, (Genesis 22:17), and a place where God lives (Job 22:12; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4). I point this out only because it explains the language we often invoke that involves direction: going up or down, for example. 

Sheol was apparently sufficient for God’s purposes at this point in talking about the world to come. The writers of the Old Testament used this word 65 times to mean hell, grave or the pit (depending on the translation). 

●     The rebellious sons of Korah “went down alive into the realm of the dead” after an earthquake (Numbers 16)

●     Jacob and Abraham planned to meet family there (Genesis 37:35; Genesis 15:15)

●     God will deliver Israel from Sheol (Hosea 13:14)

●     God will redeem His people from Sheol (Psalm 49). Perhaps a decent analogy is that just like the Jews looked forward to a good life in Caanan, they hoped for an equivalent land in the life to come (namely a good future community together).

●     Isaiah 14: 9-15 says about the king of Babylon: “The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you… it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you…all those who were kings over the nations…will say, ‘You also have become weak, as we are; you have become like us… How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn…you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.’”

●     When Daniel received a messenger from God, he was told, “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). This is actually the first time in the Old Testament that we see a clear reference to a resurrection that hints at different destinations for the righteous and the wicked. #progressiverevelation

 This perspective gives us the background to what we see more clearly in the New Testament through the teaching of Jesus and the writings in Scripture.

After We Die, Our Existence Continues As We Wait For The Final Day Of God’s Judgment (Matthew 12:36) In A State Of Blessedness Or Despair (Luke 23). In the New Testament, the state of despair is called Hades; the state of blessedness is called Paradise or Abraham’s side.[1]

 Hades was the Greek term for the realm of the dead, an “eternal retirement” where the dead are less substantial (and less happy) versions of themselves. In Greek literature hades meant a variety of things:

●     a grave or tomb

●     the domain of the dead

●     place where dead spirits go

 Once again, biblical writers borrowed a well-known word to describe what happens after death. The New Testament writers use hades eleven times (Matthew 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27; 1 Corinthians 15:55; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13, 14) as a state of existence where those who are not saved wait until the end of history.

●     "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not prevail.” (Matthew 16:18)

●     “[David] foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.” (Acts 2:31) When we say in the Apostles Creed that Jesus ‘descended into hell,’ it’s best understood as a reference to Hades/Sheol, or “the lower parts” or the “heart” of the earth (Matthew 12:40; Ephesians 4:9)

●     Death and Hades are linked together (Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13-14). They are both judged and destroyed (Revelation 20:13-14) at the end of human history when they are thrown into the “lake of fire.”[2]

Paradise (paradeisos – a garden or park) is a parallel place to Hades, a place in which those who have committed their lives to God dwell more fully in the presence of God as they wait for the end of human history. The Jews though it was neither in earth nor in heaven, but the souls of the righteous went there at death. We see this captured in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16: 19-31.

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.  So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’[3]

There is disagreement about whether this is a parable or a real story, but there is agreement about an important truth here: after this life ends, Hades is not the only option – there is also a Paradise (here called “Abraham’s side”) that offers blessing and goodness. We see this mentioned more times in the New Testament:

●     When Jesus was talking to one of the thieves on the crosses, he referred to paradise (“Today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:42-43)

●     Paul was taken up into this paradise when he talks about a vision of the ‘third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2-4).

So when we die, our existence continues either in the despair of Hades or the blessedness of Paradise as we all wait for the final day of judgment when God wraps up human history with the final judgment. After the judgment, we go to one of two final, eternal destinations - what we typically mean when we talk about Heaven or Hell. 

After The Final Day Of God’s Judgment, There Will Be A Separation.[4] All People Will Be Consigned To Eternal Death Absent The Presence Of God[5], Or Raised In A Glorified Body (1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:49) To Eternal Life, Fully In The Presence Of God (Matthew 25) In A New Heaven And New Earth (Revelation 21).

Tartarus was where the Greeks believed the really wicked people eventually landed. It was just a flat-out bad place to go. In Greek mythology, the Titans, rebels against the gods, were imprisoned there. We see tartarus used only once in the New Testament, and it’s not a future intended for humans, but for fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4) – Titans, if you will J. (Early Christians were called ‘atheists’ because they insisted that the ‘gods’ were actually lesser being called daimons – a position that Plutarch, who lived in the first century, also espoused). 

Gehenna is the word most commonly translated in the New Testament as “hell.” Gehenna is found in 12 verses: Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; and James 3:6.*  It’s a Greek word that comes from the Hebrew ge-hinnom, or "valley of Hinnom." In this valley, people burned their children in sacrifice to Molech during the Old Testament times. This valley eventually became the place where people threw all kinds of refuse, including the dead bodies of animals and of criminals. A fire burned continuously there.  

·      Gehenna is used to describe the final, everlasting judgment of the wicked (Matthew 25:41;46).

·      This future, punishing world is also referred to as a place of fire (Matthew 13:42) and destruction (apollymi -Matthew 7:13-14; 10:28; Romans 9:22; 2 Peter 3:6, and olethron, in 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9). 

·      It is a place of utter darkness and weeping/gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; Luke 13:28). Different theologians have described Hell as characterized by guilt, regret, despair and destruction (of the self or of others), personal existence lacking goodness, full of ruin, waste, mental anguish, the loss of all that is beautiful and meaningful, and completely devoid of the presence of Christ. All common grace, all traces of the good and perfect gifts that comes from God, will be gone.

·      It is a lake of fire, which may well be a symbolic reference to the Dead Sea[6] (and casts some light on the Rich Man and Lazarus, which seems to be set around the Dead Sea or the Jordan Valley Rift). 

·      It is a ‘second death’ (Revelation 2:11; Matthew 10:28).  Hell was made for the Devil and his angels; they are spiritual beings, so this would seem to be a punishment intended for the spiritual side of our human nature (Matthew 25:41). This punishment is a type of second death in which the soul suffers a everlasting death instead of everlasting life (Matthew 10:28). [7]**

I like how C.S. Lewis summarizes:

“In the long run the answer to all those who object to the doctrine of hell, is itself a question: ‘What are you asking God to do?’ To wipe out their past sins and, at all costs, to give them a fresh start, smoothing every difficulty and offering every miraculous help? But He has done so, on Calvary. To forgive them? They will not be forgiven. To leave them alone [shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might]? Alas, I am afraid that is what He does… “  (C. S. Lewis)

Let’s summarize: the Bible uses a variety of images to hammer home a very important point: existence apart from the presence of God in the life to come will bring the fullness of death, not the fullness of life. It will be the exploration of the depths of all things unblessed; it will be an unfolding of destruction, not a restoration. It’s a place where there is no escaping the wages of sin (and I suspect, if we knew the ripple effect of our sin, and the cost we have accrued, this alone would be enough sober us). Because it’s an entirely different kind of existence, I don’t know precisely what all the implications are. I just know there will be weeping (sorrow) and gnashing of teeth (anger – Acts 7:54; Psalm 37:12)).

I just know it’s bad.

Christians will be raised in a glorified body (1 Corinthians 15; Philippians 3:21; 1 Corinthians 15:49) to eternal life fully in the presence of God (Matthew 25) in a New Heaven and New Earth (Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).

Paul said (Romans 8:23) that Christians eagerly await the redemption of our bodies. To the skeptics in Corinth who just weren’t convinced God could pull off a physical resurrection because of what they all knew happened to buried bodies, Paul supplied three analogies for the reality of bodily resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15.

●     A seed and a full-grown plant (1 Corinthians 15:36) The physical, mortal body will be raised as a new and better kind of physical, immortal body.

●     Different kinds of flesh (1 Corinthians 15:39). Just as there are different kinds of flesh in this life, why not believe God can raise us into another kind of flesh in the next?

●     Different kinds of bodies (1 Corinthians 15:40-41) Just like celestial bodies differ in glory, the new body we receive will be a different kind of glory altogether.

He concludes with, “So also is the resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:42). Several paragraphs later he concludes: 

“Now listen to this: brothers and sisters, this present body is not able to inherit the kingdom of God any more than decay can inherit that which lasts forever. Stay close because I am going to tell you a mystery—something you may have trouble understanding: we will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be transformed. It will all happen so fast, in a blink, a mere flutter of the eye. The last trumpet will call,[8] and the dead will be raised from their graves with a body that does not, cannot decay. All of us will be changed!  

We’ll step out of our mortal clothes and slide into immortal bodies, replacing everything that is subject to death with eternal life. And, when we are all redressed with bodies that do not, cannot decay, when we put immortality over our mortal frames, then it will be as Scripture says: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is you victory?
O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:50-55)

 So, where will Christians go after Paradise? When the New Testament speaks of heaven or the heavens, several words or phrases are used:*** 

●      Doxa – infinite worth, renown, or glory. “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.” (Romans 8:18)

●      Ouranos - the sky, or the dwelling place of God. “Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed by your name…” (Matthew 6:9; 7:21; Ephesians 6:9; Ephesians 4:10; Revelation 21)

●      Hupselos - on high, lofty, highly esteemed. “When [Jesus] had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3) 

●      Epouranios – in the heavenly realm, the sphere of spiritual activity. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”  (Ephesians 1:3 as well as 1:20 ; 2:6 ; 3:10 ; 6:12)

●      Eternal Kingdom. “Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:11)

 They all refer to the realm of God, but the important thing is that they describe the presence of God, not the location of God. In Heaven we will see Jesus face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2), and we will become as much like him as is possible for us to be (John 3:2). We will see his glory, power, and beauty in its fullness. As one hymn put it, it will be “joy unspeakable, and full of glory.” That just tells us about the experience of finally, fully being in the presence of Christ. If that was all we knew, it would be sufficient.

 But the Bible tells us more. Considering how all of creation has been groaning as it awaits God’s redemption (Romans 8:22), it makes sense that the earth itself will be made new. We will not fly away to some distant place. God will come to us (Revelation 21:3). This new Heaven and Earth will be the eternal home of God’s people. The Bible uses all kinds of imagery to try to capture this redeemed reality. 

·      It’s a peaceable kingdom where predators and prey will get along, and children will play with the deadliest of animals (Isaiah 11).

·      It’s a banquet, a symbol suggesting fullness and fellowship and celebration (Revelation 19:9).

·      It’s a place where pavement is like transparent gold (Revelation 21:21), a symbol showing that the glory of heaven is immeasurably greater than what we can imagine. 

·      It’s a place where we receive crowns (2 Timothy 4:8) symbols of reigning in creation as the steward God intended us to be. 

·      It’s a place where we will get a new wardrobe, which symbolizes the fact that we will be cleansed of all sin. (Revelation 3:5)

·      It’s a Kingdom, where we, the children of the King, are finally home.

 The classic passage on this is from John’s vision in Revelation:

I looked again and could hardly believe my eyes. Everything above me was new. Everything below me was new. Everything around me was new because the heaven and earth that had been passed away, and the sea [chaos and evil] was gone, completely. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride on her wedding day, adorned for her husband and for His eyes only. 

And I heard a great voice, coming from the throne. “See, the home of God is with His people.
He will live among them;
They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them. The prophecies are fulfilled:
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; Mourning no more, crying no more, pain no more,
For the first things have gone away.” And the One who sat on the throne announced to His creation, “See, I am making all things new…”

 No one or nothing will labor under any curse any longer. And the throne of God and of the Lamb will sit prominently in the city. God’s servants will continually serve and worship Him. They will be able to look upon His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. Darkness will never again fall on this city. They will not require the light of a lamp or of the sun because the Lord God will be their illumination. By His light, they will reign throughout the ages.” (Revelation 21: 1-5; 22:3-5)

 If theologians are correct, we will serve and reign on this new earth in a very practical, physical sense. Part of our ongoing, continuous worship of God will be that we will steward and enjoy the earth like God intended.

I believe the language of the Bible suggests we will explore, create, paint, write, build, sing, laugh, emote, think, - we will become fully alive in a wholly good heaven and earth in the presence of the unfiltered goodness, truth and light of God. 

We will be fully at peace with God, fully at peace with each other, fully at peace with God’s created, new world, that we will tend and work and explore and enjoy, and fully at peace within - our hopes fulfilled; our hearts no longer restless because they have found rest forever in Christ.

___________________________________________________________________

KEY SOURCES

·      The Bible 

·      C.S. Lewis – assorted texts

·      Timothy Keller - sermons

·      N.T. Wright – assorted essays

·      Randy Alcorn – Heaven: Biblical Answers to Common Questions

·      Erwin Lutzer – One Minute After You Die

·      Ken Boa – Sense and Nonsense About Heaven and Hell

NOTES

* The langue of Hell in the Bible allows for but does not require Eternal Conscious Torment (ECT). John Calvin, among many other theologians, thought the flames and darkness are the best human metaphors for the agony of an existence without Christ. The Bible also allows for but does not require the annihilation of those who are not saved – that is, the belief that souls are destroyed in hell (the eternal or everlasting nature of the punishment may simply mean that the second, spiritual death is irrevocable. No more chance at resurrection). Conditionalism stands on a middle ground: The unsaved will face God and receive just penalty, and afterward they will be permanently excluded from eternal life by means of a final destruction of human life and being. Think purgatory, but in the opposite direction. Both ECT and annihilationism/conditionalism are found throughout church history, though ECT has been the mainstream view. 

** The modern view of heaven began in the 1700’s with Emanuel Swedenborg. He said angels are perfected people and thought we could learn a lot for people claiming to make personal visits to heaven. This trend has escalated recently with all the NDE stories.  Biblically speaking, NDE’s are not stories of visits to heaven or hell; at best, they are returning from hades/paradise - a claim I still think merits criticism. They are full of elements that are extra-biblical at best and anti-biblical at worst.

BONUS, LENGTHY QUOTE FROM N.T. WRIGHT

In our vision, after the last judgment, heaven and earth are joined as one, and the new Jerusalem descends to earth, adorned like a bride adorned for her husband, as God at last comes to dwell among human beings (Rev. 21:1-3). In this new heaven and new earth, righteousness finally finds a home (2 Peter 3:13). The whole cosmos will be lit up with God’s presence, and all on earth will be filled with joy. All whose names were written in the Book of Life will inherit this joy, and the nations at long last will walk by the light (Rev. 21:24). Led by Christ, all that live will bow the knee with joy before God, and He will be all in all (1 Cor. 15:28)…

 Sadly, some will resist to the very end, and perversely choose the misery that comes from insisting on their own way over surrender to God’s love... It is absurd, and it is unreasonable, and it staggers belief, but it will be so. Some will refuse to repent, even at the cost of entry into the city of joy. By their own insistence, they will remain outside the city, wrapped in their pride, clinging to their sins (Rev. 22:15). Their lot is Gehenna, the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Rev. 21:8).

 The whole universe is hurtling to Christ and to the light which fills all with joy… But what of those who refuse the light and with triumphant obstinacy refuse to surrender to it? Since the whole world will be filled with light, they will be pushed outside of it, to the borders, to the dark fringes where existence shades off into near non-existence. Their own swollen will, victorious to the end, will bind them hand and foot, and they will remain in the outer darkness, outside the cosmos of light, away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power (Mt. 8:12, 2 Thess. 1:9). The lake of fire, the flame which burns but gives no light, and which was never meant for humanity but only for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41), was not built by God as a holding cell to punish people. 

But it is the only realm left for people who refuse to dwell in joyful penitence in the world God made. What other fate is left for them? If the whole universe is filled with God and they refuse to live with Him, where else can they go? All that is left for them is to remain in their self-chosen misery, at the intersection of God’s wrath against sin and their own refusal of His love. In that place, there is only weeping, and the gnashing of teeth.

Since Christ first entered the world through His incarnation, the universe has been in the process of separating and splitting apart. Since the Cross and Resurrection, it has been coming apart at the seams, as light separates from darkness, righteousness from sin, penitence from pride. At the last judgment, that separation will be complete, and all people will forever abide in what their deeds and hearts have chosen.

 – N. T Wright, quoted in “Heaven and Hell

ENDNOTES

[1] Some theologians say Paradise is the ‘blessed’ part of Hades. I am separating them because I think it does better justice to the passages of Scripture that describe them.

[2] This would make symbolic sense: Revelation said there is no more sea (the sea was chaos to the Hebrews; the home of monsters) in the New Heaven and Earth; why not choose a ‘sea’ to represent the place where all chaos goes?

[3] Some have speculated that this language purposefully draws from the imagery of the Jordan Valley Rift. 

[4] Biblical critic Bart Ehrman, who is radically skeptical of the trustworthiness of the Gospels, believes Jesus’ teaching on the separation of the sheep and the goats was definitely given by him. “I think in fact, it well encapsulates Jesus’ entire proclamation.  There is a judgment day coming and those who have lived in an upright way, loving others, showing compassion on those in need, helping those in dire straits, will be given an eternal reward; those who fail to live in this way will be severely punished.”

[5] “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9)

 [6] The Dead Sea (and the land around it) was viewed by Jewish writers as a land of desolation, death and punishment.  http://www.askelm.com/secrets/sec106.htm.  

“Eyewitnesses around the time of Christ and the Apostles called it a “lake of fire and smoke”… we are told by Henry Maundrell (1697) that most of the map makers prior to the seventeenth century show ‘smoke ascending above the surface of the water… The first scientific investigation of the Dead Sea (1848) recounted that there was “a strong smell of sulfurette hydrogen” a “fetid sulphurous odour in the night.... “At one time today the sea assumed an aspect peculiarly sombre. The great evaporation enveloped it in a thin, transparent vapour, its purple tinge contrasting strangely with the extraordinary colour of the sea beneath and, where they blended in the distance, giving it the appearance of smoke from burning sulphur. It seemed a vast cauldron of metal, fused but motionless. In the afternoon of the same day it looked like molten lead. At night it had the exact hue of absinthe [or wormwood].”  http://www.remnantbiblestudies.com/article10_lake_of_fire_pt2.html. 

See also https://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-teacher/the-lake-of-fire/, as well as https://philologos.org/bpr/files/l008.htm, and https://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/lake-of-fire.html.

[7] “The second death is to be cast into the lake of fire ( Rev 20:14 ). This is a permanent state ( Rev 14:11 ), where in anything that would qualify as "life" is forever absent.”  - Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary Of Biblical Theology

[8] Trumpets were used to signal a lot of things. This is the last one; history is done.