Heaven (Part 8) - Hell and the Lake of Fire, the Spirit of Man and the Spirit of God

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Heaven (Part 8) 11. What happens with people who are not God's children immediately upon dying? It would seem they go immediately to hell, because the rich man lift up his eyes in hell, but on judgment day Jesus' sheep are on His right hand, and the goats on His left, and doesn't He cast the goats into hell on that day? Even though God's children who have gone on before are with the Lord, they are not experiencing complete heaven at this point. Is it something like that for the goats? They are not in a good place, but the worst is yet to come? (Judy) A. The non-elect go to the present hell under the earth (presumably in the center of the earth) immediately following their deaths (Luk 16:22-25). i. They are tormented there in flames (v. 24). a. Torment v. - 1. trans. To put to torment or torture; to inflict torture upon. b. Torment n. - 1. An engine of war worked by torsion, for hurling stones, darts, or other missiles. Obs. 2. An instrument of torture, as the rack, wheel, or strappado (rare or doubtful); hence, the infliction of torture by such an instrument as a form of punishment, a means of extracting information, etc.; torture inflicted or suffered. b. spec. The punishment of hell. 3. A state of great suffering, bodily or mental; agony; severe pain felt or endured. c. Torture n. - 1. The infliction of severe bodily pain, as punishment or a means of persuasion; spec. judicial torture, inflicted by a judicial or quasi-judicial authority, for the purpose of forcing an accused or suspected person to confess, or an unwilling witness to give evidence or information; a form of this (often in pl.). to put to (the) torture, to inflict torture upon, to torture. d. To say the wicked in hell are not in a good place is putting it mildly. ii. Some of the wicked in hell appear to not even know why there are there. a. On judgment day (which comes after they have been in hell for a long time - see below) they are surprised that their "wonderful works" they supposedly did for Jesus did not save them (Mat 7:21-23; Mat 25:44-46). b. They were apparently not told why they were in hell, which appears to be part of their punishment. c. For crimes against men, the accused man must stand before his accuser and answer for himself before being judged (Joh 7:51; Deut 17:6-7; Deut 19:15). d. But for sins against God who has perfect knowledge and perfect judgment, no trial is necessary before sending them to hell. e. They will get their day in court on judgment day at the second coming of Christ after they have been resurrected though. B. At the resurrection on the last day of time, the soul and spirit of the wicked in hell will be joined to their resurrected body (Joh 5:28-29) and will stand before Jesus Christ at His throne to be judged (Rev 20:11-13; Mat 25:31-33). i. They will be cast into the lake of fire (Mat 25:41; Rev 20:14-15). ii. In the lake of fire they will suffer everlasting punishment and be tormented day and night forever and ever with the Devil and his angels (Mat 25:46; Rev 20:10). iii. The punishment in the lake a fire after the resurrection is worse than the punishment in hell (2Pe 2:4 c/w Mat 25:41, 46 c/w Rev 20:10; 2Pe 2:6-9 c/w Jud 1:7). C. The judgment of the wicked and the blessing of the just do have something in common. i. The blessing of the just. a. Upon death the just go to the present heaven and their soul and spirit enjoy a blissful existence. b. There they await the resurrection when they receive their bodies which will inherit the new earth which will be far more enjoyable. ii. The judgment of the wicked. a. Upon death, the wicked go to the present hell and their soul and spirit are tormented. b. There they await the resurrection when they receive their bodies which will be cast into the lake of fire which will be far more painful. 12. For a child of hell—is the very flesh we view when we visit with them here on earth, or finally view them in their casket—is it that very flesh that will writhe in agony in eternal damnation? (Judy) A. Yes, their resurrected flesh will be punished eternally in the lake of fire. B. The physical bodies of the wicked will be resurrected, judged, and cast into the lake of fire (Mat 25:31-33, 41). C. The bodies of both the just and unjust will be resurrected on the same day (Joh 11:24) and in the same way (Joh 5:28-29; Act 24:15). i. Resurrected bodies of the saints retain their identities (Job 14:12-15; Job 19:25-27). ii. The resurrected bodies of the wicked shall likewise retain their identities. iii. Those bodies, which are renewed versions of their original bodies, will be punished eternally in the lake of fire (Mat 25:46). 13. The elect and the reprobate each have the spirit of God within them. Is there a difference in the spirit that gives (temporal) life, and the Holy Spirit? Are they two different spirits, one carnal and one spiritual? In Gen 2:7 the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Since this was pre-fall, and the only thing changed since is sin; both the elect and the reprobate have within them "the breath of life" given to them by God. At death, the soul of the elect goes to heaven. Where does the soul of the reprobate go at death? (Don) A. The elect have the Spirit of God in them (Gal 4:6), but the reprobate do not (Rom 8:9). B. Our spirit which gives us temporal life (Jam 2:26; Ecc 8:8) is distinct from the Holy Spirit who dwells in the elect (Rom 8:16). i. Every man naturally possesses a soul and spirit within his body (1Th 5:23; Job 10:11-12; Job 14:22). ii. This is the spirit (the breath of life) that God breathed into Adam and made him a living soul (Gen 2:7). iii. The spirit of man gives him life and self-knowledge (Pro 20:27; 1Co 2:11), but that spirit is not the Holy Spirit. C. At death the soul and spirit of the elect go to heaven (Ecc 12:7; 2Co 5:8). D. At death the soul and spirit of the reprobate go to hell (Luk 16:22-23; Jud 1:7).