This refers to the time following the Millennial reign of Christ and the doom of Satan, the false prophet, antichrist, and death in the lake of fire when the wicked dead are resurrected and judged. This judgment will not be for those who have received salvation, but the evildoers, enemies of God, and those who only outwardly profess to be Christians. This is God’s ultimate and final punishment for sin and the second death.

 

This class is not intended to instill fear, but to make plain what God has said in His Word. To fear the Lord is not to be afraid of Him. Who can have a meaningful relationship with someone that they’re afraid of? The fear of God is to fear being separated from Him. The word fear in Scripture means a reverential fear, in other words a deep respect and awe for something powerful or holy.

 

Proverbs 9:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

 

This subject is not just important for non-believers to know, but for all people. Let us humble ourselves and open our hearts to what God clearly wants us to know according to His Word.

 

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Where Are the Dead?

Luke 16:19-31

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 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.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.” And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—  for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

 

This Scripture establishes that the soul and spirit continue eternally after the physical body dies.

 

What is Spiritual Death?

This does not mean that the spirit ceases to exist, for God created our spirits to be eternal. Spiritual death simply means the separation of man from God because of sin. Isaiah 59:2 says, “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he doesn’t hear”. Adam’s penalty was death the moment he sinned. This not only referred to physical death, because he lived 930 years after that day, but he was to die spiritually too. He was cut off from God because of sin. Man’s natural life exists of itself separate and apart from God. Sinners can live natural lives apart from Him.

 

Hell is translated into three words, Hades/Sheol and Gehenna. When the unsaved person dies, they are placed in Hades (the Greek name for “the place of the dead") which is a temporary state of torment for the unsaved before the final judgment. We will speak about Gehenna in a moment.

 

Those who have received Christ as their Lord will not experience the second death because they believe in Christ’s sacrifice and atonement for their sins. Upon physical death, those who believe will be immediately present in spirit and soul with God until the rapture. At the rapture their newly perfected bodies will be joined by the soul and spirit.

 

It is important to understand that the Judgment Seat of Christ is where Christ judges the works of the saved and eternal life is given, while the unsaved are judged by God in the Great White Throne Judgment and are thrown into the Lake of Fire.

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The Great White Throne

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This takes place after the rapture of the church and the Judgement Seat of Christ.

 

Revelation 20:11-15

 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

In this passage, the apostle John saw a great white throne occupied by God, from whose face the Earth and Heaven (this heaven is translated to “heavens” or “the sky”) fled away. This is no doubt the same throne seen throughout the Book of Revelation. This is the only place where a description of the throne is given, and it takes place in Heaven.

 

Revelation 19:20

 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur (Gehenna).

 

Mark 9:43-48

 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell (Gehenna), to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell (Gehenna). And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell (Gehenna), ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’

 

Matthew 25:41-46

 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Gehenna). For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’  Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’  And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

Revelation 21:8

But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death (Gehenna).”

 

Don’t be fooled. We cannot serve two masters. If you don’t serve the Lord, then you are a servant of the enemy. One cannot say that they don’t serve either one, for if you serve yourself, you serve Satan. Do not allow the enemy to talk you into being thrown into the lake of fire with him. Hell was created as a punishment for Satan and his fellow angels, but  those who do evil with him will suffer the same punishment for all eternity.

 

Those whose names are written in the Book of Life will not be subjected to the Great White Throne Judgement. They will be saved and be judged by Christ according to what they have done with the time given to them. As disciples of Christ, it is our top priority to witness to as many people as we are able so that no person is lost to eternal damnation. This is commanded by Christ in the Great Commission!

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Going Forward

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God’s Word on this subject is very important and should be understood by all people. Though this subject is incredibly frightening, it is important to understand we should try our hardest every day to spread the Gospel to everyone we can, so they don’t end up in eternal separation from God. Jude 1:23 says to ”save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

 

The deeper we study and the more time we spend sanctifying our relationship with Him, the more the flame of God will spread in our spirits until it can no longer be contained inside us. This is when the power to witness by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is manifested. Jesus said in John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” You will become a wildfire of wisdom and discipling those around you will come naturally.

 

The mission of Convergent City Church, along with the worldwide Body of Christ, is to equip our people for the spreading of this knowledge, which has the power to rip the chains of sin and death off the people around us and igniting that same flame in them!​​