Transcript HOLY SPIRIT - Erskine College

LAST THINGS
THE REFORMED VIEW
• WCF 32:1, “The bodies of men after death return to
dust, and see corruption; but their souls (which neither
die nor sleep) having an immortal subsistence,
immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of
the righteous, being then made perfect in holiness, are
received into the highest heavens, where they behold
the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full
redemption of their bodies; and the souls of the wicked
are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and
utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great
day. Besides these two places for souls separated from
their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.”
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THE REFORMED VIEW
• The soul continues to live after physical
death
• Elect souls are perfected in
righteousness, go to heaven and behold
God
• Non-elect souls go to “hell” and are
tormented
• There is no other place, such as
purgatory.
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THE ROMAN CATHOLIC VIEW
• “The Catholic Church, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit,
in accordance with Sacred Scripture and the ancient
tradition of the Fathers, has taught in holy councils, and
most recently in this ecumenical council, that there is a
purgatory, and that the souls detained there are helped
by the prayers of the faithful, and especially by the
acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar.” The Council of Trent,
25th Session, Decree Concerning Purgatory (Denziger
1820)
• The Church bases this on the distinction between Mortal
Sins (sins unto death) and Venial Sins (lesser) for which
post-mortem purification is necessary
• Scriptures used by the Roman Catholics include
– II Maccabees 12:40-45, Sirach 7:33
– Matt. 12:32, Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10, I Cor. 3:11-15.
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TERMS FOR THE HEREAFTER
•
she’ol, lAav., 66x, “pit, grave, death, underworld,”
Sheol is the place of departed dead, of good and evil.
It may be related to verb sha’al, lav, “to ask”
• `adhj, “Hades,” KJV, “hell,” Hades is the NT word for
the place of the departed dead, both righteous and
wicked. It is parallel to she’ol
• paradeisoj, paradeisos, 3x Luke 23:43; II Cor. 12:4;
Rev. 2:7. Taken from Heb. pardes, sdrP, from the Persian
word for garden, it is always a good place of righteous
dead. It is parallel to third heaven, II Cor. 12:2,4, and
the tree of life is found there, Rev. 2:7
• “Abraham’s bosom,” Luke 16:22, Lazarus
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TERMS FOR THE HEREAFTER
• ’ouranoj, ouranos, 284x, “heaven,” This word is often
used for “air, sky, space,” or as circumlocution for
“God.” Usually it is used for the abode of God and the
angels, often in the plural form. Sometimes it is used
in the church fathers as the place to which Christians
go at death, cf. Rev. 6:9, 4:1-2. In NT, heaven is
viewed as a source of blessings, II Cor. 5:1-2; Matt.
5:12; 6:20; Col. 1:5; I Peter 1:4
• geenna, geenna, “gehenna, hell, ” Gehenna is from
the Hebrew ge’ (ben) hinnom, “valley of the sons of
Hinnom.” This is the traditional site of hell and the
place of final judgment. Translated “hell” in the NT, it
is used 11x in Synoptics, once in James 3:6
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TERMS FOR THE HEREAFTER
• “Lake of Fire” (Rev. 19:20;
20:10,14,15; 21:8) This is
apparently the same as gehenna
since it also includes fire. Cf.
Matt. 5:22; 18:9; but see also
Luke 16:24
• tartarow, tartaroo, “hold in
Tartarus,” II Peter 2:4 Tartarus in
Greek mythology was considered
place lower than Hades, where
divine punishment was meted
out. Cf. Deut. 32:22, “lowest
she’ol.” It is used in II Peter only
for demons, not for the departed
wicked
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INTERMEDIATE STATE: RIGHTEOUS
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They are: freed from sin
There is no misery
They have communion with Christ
They await the resurrection
Scriptural data: blessedness
– Lazarus is in “Abraham’s bosom,” Luke 16:22-25
– Thief on the Cross is promised paradise, Luke 23:43
– Paul speaks about the joy of the presence of Christ,
Phil. 1:23; II Cor. 5:8
– Church Triumphant, joyful assembly, Heb. 12:23
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INTERMEDIATE STATE: RIGHTEOUS
• The righteous dead in heaven are described as “souls”
(Rev. 6:9, 20:4) or “spirits” (Heb. 12:23). Yet pronouns
and nouns are used, suggesting personality; e.g.,
Lazarus, Christ; “I” and “you”
• While the NT emphasizes joy during the intermediate
state, both the OT and NT teach that the state is
incomplete and even, in the long term, undesirable
– Psalm 6:5 (cf. 88:5); 115:17; Isa. 38:18-9; Ecc.
3:19-21; 9:4-6; 12:7
– Luke 16; Rev. chap. 6; 7:13-17; chap. 14.
• II Cor. 5:1-5, uses the term “naked”; speaks of a desire
for the resurrection body, to be “clothed.” See also I Cor.
15:53-4; “Mortal swallowed”- I Cor. 15:54; “earnest of
Spirit”- Rom. 8:23 and Eph. 1:14
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INTERMEDIATE STATE: WICKED
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The lost are cast into hell
Hell is a place of Torments
All is in Utter Darkness
Reserved to Judgment at the last day
Scriptural Evidence concerning the intermediate
state of the lost
– The rich man, thirsty and in torment, Luke 16:23-24
– The wicked: punished/reserved for judgment, II
Peter 2:9
– The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah suffer
eternal fire, Jude 7
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THE RESURRECTION
•
WCF 32:2-3 “At the last day, such as are found alive
shall not die, but be changed: and all the dead shall be
raised up with the self-same bodies, and none other,
although with different qualities, which shall be united
again to their souls for ever. The bodies of the unjust
shall, by the power of Christ, be raised to dishonor; the
bodies of the just, by his Spirit, unto honor, and be made
conformable to his own glorious body.”
• All the dead shall be raised
• Those in Christ will have the same bodies, but glorified
• Those who are lost will be raised to dishonor
• All those living believers, at the return of Christ, will not die,
but will be transformed
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THE RESURRECTION: SCRIPTURE
• Job 19:25-7, “in my flesh shall I see God,”
mibbesari, hz<x/a, yrIf'B.mi `H;Ala/
• Gen. 17:8, 26:3, 28:13: There are
promises to the patriarchs that they would
participate in the blessings of the
Abrahamic covenant (Cf. Heb. 11:13,19)
• Isa. 26:19, “the dead shall live”
• Dan. 12:1,1 “those who sleep will awake”
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THE RESURRECTION: SCRIPTURE
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I Thess. 4:13-7, “the dead in Christ shall
rise”
I Cor. 15:20-24, 42-44, 51-57, speak of
the centrality of the resurrection for the
Christian faith
Acts 24:15, Paul asserts the resurrection
of the just and unjust
Phil. 3:21, “transform the body”
See also Rev. 20:4-6, 11-14
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RESURRECTION & MILLENNIUM
• Amillennial and Postmillennial Christians believe
in a general resurrection of the just and the
unjust that will take place at the return of
Christ, preparatory to a general judgment. This
has generally, in the past, been the Reformed
view
• Premillennial and Dispensational Christians
believe there will be a resurrection of the just
at the beginning of the millennium and a
resurrection of the unjust at the end of the
thousand year reign
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RESURRECTION AND THE LOST
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They are raised to
dishonor
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Their bodies have
physical substance
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This substance will
exist eternally
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These bodies will
not be glorious, but
befitting to a wicked
heart
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HELL IN SCRIPTURE
• It is a place for the destruction of both body
and soul, Matt. 10:28; II Thess. 1:8,9
• It is the company of Satan and demons, Matt.
25:41; Rev. 19:20; 20:10,15
• It is a place of fire, Matt. 25:41; Rev. 20:15
(But, see Hodge, ST, III,868)
• Hell is a place of darkness, Matt. 25:30
• It is a place of Torments, Mark 9:43-4; Rev.
14:9-11
• There will be thirst, weeping, and gnashing of
teeth, Luke 16:24; Matt 22:13; 25:30
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RESURRECTION & THE REDEEMED
• There is identity with their bodies during life, a
physical substance
• Cf. resurrection body of Jesus
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The disciples could feel his hands and side
Jesus could eat fish
His body was called “flesh and bone,” Luke 24:39
Jesus was able to transport without physical, spatial, barriers
(See the discussion in Hugh Ross, Beyond the Cosmos, 4449, 122ff for the extra-dimensionality of God)
• See the description of the resurrection body in I Cor.
15:35-54
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Honor
Power
Spiritual
Incorruptible
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THE JUDGMENT
• WCF 33:1, “God hath appointed a day wherein he will
judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to
whom all power and judgment is given of the Father. In
which day, not only the apostate angels shall be judged,
but likewise all persons that have lived upon earth shall
appear before the tribunal of Christ, to give an account
of their thoughts, words, and deeds, and to receive
according to what they have done in the body, whether
good or evil.”
• The judgment includes apostate angels
• It also includes all humans
• It covers all of one’s life, thoughts, deeds, etc
• Rewards or punishments are based on the outcome
of this judgment
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JUDGMENT AND SCRIPTURE
• Eccl. 3:17; 11:9; 12:14, all will be judged
• Matt. 10:26; 12:36-7, we will be judged for every idle
word
• John 5:22, 26-7, 30, Christ will be the judge
• Rom. 2:16; 14:10-2, God will judge at the judgment
seat of Christ
• I Cor. 3:13-5; II Cor. 5:10, Christians will be judged for
their deeds
• Heb. 9:27, all are appointed to judgment
• II Peter 2:4, Jude 6, the fallen angels will be judged
• Rev. 20:11-15, describes the Great White Throne
judgment
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ETERNAL STATE
• Everlasting life
• Fullness of joy and
refreshing
• Freed from all sin and
misery
• Inconceivable joys
• All will be perfectly holy
and happy in soul and
body
• Saved will dwell in the
company of saints and
angels
• Vision and fruition of
the Triune God.
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HEAVEN IN SCRIPTURE
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It is called “Eternal life,” Matt.
25:46; John 3:16
There are no tears in heaven,
Rev. 7:17
There is no hunger or thirst,
Rev. 7:16-7
The Glory of God fills all and
is in all, II Cor. 4:17
Heaven is a place of Rest,
Heb. 4:9
There is eternal day- No
night, Rev. 22:5
In heaven, the curse has
been removed, Rev. 22:3
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• It is a place of unsurpassed
beauty, Rev. 21,22
•
There will be fellowship with
others, Heb. 12:22-3
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There is Communion with
God, Rev. 21:3; 22:4
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Heaven is a place of
Righteousness, II Peter 3:13.
•
There the people of God
offer Service to God, Rev.
22:3.
•
Christians exercise authority
with God, Rev. 22:5
•
All will bow and worship
God, Rev. 7:9-12, 19:1.
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LAST THINGS