You Can Know You Have Eternal Life
#720
The Divine Mystery Revealed (27)
by Jim Mettenbrink
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Three questions which every one
has are: (1) Where did I come from? (2) Why am
I here (purpose in life)? (3) Where am I
going? Ultimately, what happens when I die?
Last week we considered the two parts of Hades, the place
of departed spirits when folks die (Luke 16:19-31). Does
anything happen after that and if so, what, where and when? This
is not clearly stated in the Old Testament, but is part of the
mystery revealed in the New Testament.
Jesus must have shockingly startled
the Jews, revealing part of the mystery beyond the grave, that
the
hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His
voice and come forth those who have done good, to the
resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection
of condemnation
(John 5:28, 29). This declaration tells us a person
simply does not die and become non-existent. First, lets
address the resurrection
of condemnation.
When leaving the temple just three
days before His crucifixion, Jesus also declared to His disciples
regarding the destiny of the condemned And these will go away
into everlasting punishment
(Matthew 25:46). Two points: (1) Eternal existence
is ahead, which begins with the resurrection. (2) The punishment
of the condemned is eternal never ends. Where is
the residence of punishment, once the evil person resurrected?
Jesus said it was an outer darkness (Matthew 8:12). Since
it is darkness and God is light, God is not present in the outer
darkness. In that Matthew 25 speech, Jesus said it is the
same place as for the devil and his demons (Matthew 25:41).
The apostle John refers to it as a lake of fire (Revelation
20:10). Imagine a lake of fire where it is dark. Jesus
called this place hell Fear Him who, after He has killed, has
power to cast into hell
(Luke 12:5). Note, the power to cast a person into
hell, refers to the resurrection of condemnation.
Hell is the word gehenna
(Greek) which was the valley south of the temple which was a
perpetually burning garbage dump. Jesus coined hell
to show the burning never ends eternal. This dark
hot place is hell, not of this world.
What is the punishment in hell?
The mystery continues to unfold!
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