What About the Thief on the Cross-?

“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’” (Luke 23:42,43) The Bible indicates that Jesus did not go to heaven the day He died. Instead, He ascended to the Father on Sunday morning. (John 20:17) The original Greek in the New Testament does not use commas, and the punctuation inserted by translators to make reading easier can be misleading. One simple misplaced comma can make the words of Jesus appear to mean something He did not say. Notice how a comma can change the meaning in the following sentence: “I tell you the truth today, you will be with me in paradise.” This punctuation appears to be correct since it is supported by the weight of biblical evidence.

Tormented Day and Night Forever

We will examine one last text in Revelation: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:10)

If we separate this verse from all other Scripture, it would be easy to conclude that God will throw people into the lake of fire at the end of the millennium and torment them day and night forever and ever. If we ignore the presence of numerous texts and exclusively use this text, the concept of an eternally burning hell could be defended. However, sincere Bible students know the fundamental doctrines require broad support from many Bible writers. More importantly, there has to be harmony from the sum of all the parts. Let the entire Bible speak and then weigh the evidence!

If we reconcile all that the Bible has to say on the subject of death and the resurrections, we will find a harmonious solution to John’s statement in Revelation 20:10. John says that the wicked will be tormented day and night, forever and ever, which means they will be tormented as long as they exist. Apparently, the burning process (the restitution process) takes longer for some people than others. In other words, people who have been extremely wicked will suffer longer according to their deeds. This means that Satan will burn the longest! (Exodus 22:9, 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 14:10) Remember, the saints will determine the amount of restitution! Jesus told his disciples.” I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28) “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you know that we will judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:2,3)

You may be surprised to learn that the biblical use of the word “forever” does not necessarily mean throughout endless ages of eternity. Consider how the word “forever” is used in this text, “[King] Achish trusted David and said to himself, ‘He has become so odious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant forever.’” (1 Samuel 27:12) This verse does not mean that David was to be a servant to King Achish for eternity. Instead, Achish wanted David to be his servant for as long as he lived. In a similar way, the marriage vow ends with death – “until death do us part” - because forever can only be possible as long as both people in the marriage exist. The torment of justice described in Revelation 20:10 lasts until God’s vengeance is satisfied. When sin and sinners are finally destroyed, death and sorrow will be history. “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory, Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” (1 Corinthians 15: 54,55)

Without the Resurrections – We are Dust

For me, the book of Revelation clarifies the subject of death as it describes the judgment process. Since the subject of death involves a number of prophetic issues that are not covered in this study, perhaps a “big picture” scenario might be helpful. The following is a brief overview of how death, the judgment of the dead and living, the two resurrections and the destruction and the destruction of the wicked with fire harmonizes with bible prophecy:

The judgment of mankind has two phases: The judgment of the dead involves a close review of each person’s history as recorded by angels. (Malachi 3:16) Jesus makes a determination on each person for eternal life or eternal death on the basis of this record. (Daniel 7:9,10; John 5:22, 2 Corinthians 5:10) The first person to be judged was Abel because he was the first to die. During the Great Tribulation, the living will make choices that indicate their faith or lack of faith in Jesus. The “mark of the beast” will ultimately separate the wicked living from the righteous living. (Revelation 3:10) Our eternal destiny will have been determined by the time Jesus returns to Earth at the Second Coming. (Revelation 22:12) This may seem obvious, but it is a crucial point. When Jesus returns, people like Abel, who are a part of the righteous dead, will be called to life (resurrected) and they rise up out of their graves to meet Jesus in the air. (John 6:39,40) This is the first resurrection. Then, Paul says the righteous living will join with the righteous dead to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17)

The wicked that have died through the ages, like Cain, are not resurrected at the Second Coming. In fact, the Bible states that Jesus slays the wicked that are alive on Earth at the time of His appearing. (Revelation 19:15-21) The net effect is that the wicked, from Cain to those living at the time of the Second Coming, sleep on until the 1,000 years in Revelation 20 have ended. During the millennium, Earth will be desolate because Jesus takes the saints to the Holy city that is in Heaven for “The Feast of Ingathering!” Meanwhile, the saints are in Heaven and they will review the records of the wicked. They will satisfy themselves that the eternal decision that Jesus made on every person was fair and appropriate. The saints will also judge the wicked by determining the appropriate restitution that each wicked person must suffer after they are resurrected. (1 Corinthians 6:2,3)

At the end of the 1,000 years, the Holy City will descend to Earth with the saints inside. After the Holy City rests on Earth, Jesus will resurrect the wicked. This is the second resurrection. Every wicked person who ever lived on earth will see the reality of God. Think about it; every person will meek his or her Maker! Everyone who has ever lived will see the Holy city, the saints, the devil and his angels. With one last blast of lies and fury, Satan incites a great multitude of wicked people to attack the City of God (Revelation 20:7-8), but Jesus suspends the attack with the same authority He calmed the Sea of Galilee. Jesus turns the tumult of battle into silence so that He can present the facts to the wicked. Jesus will reveal to each wicked person why He could not save him or her. He will also declare the verdict of the saints indicating how much restitution will be extracted before death in the lake of fire. After the truth has been presented and the wicked see how fair and just Jesus has been, every wicked person will bow before Jesus Christ admitting that God is fair and His judgment is righteous. (Isaiah 45:23,24; Romans 14:11,12; Philippians 12:10) As the realization sets in about the outcome of their life decisions, the wicked become overwrought by their sense of loss, fear and loathing disgust. In an effort to avoid the suffering God has imposed upon them, they try and kill themselves. God initiates the executive phase of judgment by calling fire down from Heaven and ultimately, God burns up the wicked and every trace of sin is gone. (Revelation 20:9,15)

Missing Heaven Will be Hell

This study may not fully resolve the question of an eternally burning hell for the student. However, the weight of evidence throughout the Bible must be considered if we are to properly understand what God is doing. One thing is certain, God is love. Because His love is great and everlasting, we want to spend eternity with Him. His government id fair and His mercy is overwhelming! God’s truth are too wonderful to describe and His peace too deep to explain. Missing Heaven after realizing all that God offers-will be hell. In summary, ponder the following statements:

1. The wages of sin is death, not eternal life in the torture of hell.

2. There are two deaths, the first is temporary and it called “sleep,” the second death occurs at the end of the 1,000 years and is eternal.
   
   

3. There are two resurrections, the first one is for the righteous and occurs at the Second Coming. The second resurrection is for the wicked and occurs at the end of the 1,000 years.

4. A soul is formed when the body and the breath of life are united. A soul ceases to exist when the breath of life is separated from the body. Regardless of behavior, the spirit of breath of life returns to god when a person dies.

5. The soul of man is not an immortal entity. The soul that sins will die.

6. The parable of the rich man and the beggar is an object lesson. The object lesson of the parable is stated in the parable.

7. God forbids any communication with the dead because such communication is with demons. The dead know knowing.

8. God is fair. His punishment is commensurate with the crime. Jesus did not suffer eternal torture in hell and neither will the wicked. Eternal torture is not fair.

9. God has appointed a time for the judgment of human beings. With the exception of a few people taken to Heaven “on a credit card” (Enoch, Elijah, Moses, the 24 elders), human beings do not receive their eternal reward at the time of death. We must wait until either the resurrection at the Second Coming or the resurrection at the end of the 1,000 years.

10. No one can be in hell at this time because the second death (the penalty for sin) is not implemented until the end of the 1,000 years.

Memory Verse:  (John 6:44) “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Quiz:

1.      From this lesson, what happens at death?

2.      Is there a hell?  Where is it?  What is it like?

3.      Explain conditional mortality when God created man and woman?

4.      What returns to God when an individual dies?

5.      Do you clearly understand what Bible writers use as personification in their writing?

6.      Explain the two resurrections that are coming when Jesus returns?

7.      Do you think by missing Heaven, it will be hell?  Explain your comment!

Notes:

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