Untangled Thinking

Untangled Thinking

The Bible, as God's inspired Word, cannot contradict itself. And it does not. It presents one grand theme of unbroken truth, revealing to man the justice of God, and His great grace and loving mercy.

But how can we harmonize passages of scripture that seem to be contrary to one another? Let us examine some of these texts, using the inspired method of Bible interpretation. The Bible must explain itself. Text must be compared with text, as we discovered in a previous lesson. If we will follow this inspired method of Bible study, we shall discover that from cover to cover God's Book is one harmonious whole.

UNTANGLING DIFFICULT TEXTS

1. What is the origin of the belief that man's soul does not die?

Answer: This false belief originated in the Garden of Eden when Satan, through the serpent, said to Eve, "Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. Eve chose to believe that the devil was speaking the truth. And millions since her day have been led to believe the deceiver and to deny the Word of God in this matter.

Satan told the first lie recorded in the Bible when he said there is no death for the sinner. Jesus declared the devil to be the father of all lies:

"He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for HE IS A LIAR, AND THE FATHER OF IT."—John 8:44.

The teaching that man is conscious after death, is but a form of the devil's lie to Eve. It found its way into the Christian church directly from the traditions and superstitions of paganism. But the Bible clearly teaches that death is a black-out of the entire being — a dreamless, unconscious sleep — as the dead await the coming of the Lifegiver to call them from their graves.

2. What constitutes the punishment of the wicked?

Answer: According to the Bible, the punishment of the wicked is death, while the reward of the righteous is eternal life.

"For the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH; but the GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord."—Romans 6:23.

The fires of destruction at the end of the world will bring about the "second death."

"And death and hell were cast into THE LAKE OF FIRE. This is the second death."—Revelation 20:14.

There is a momentous difference between the first and the second death. From the first, or natural death, there will be a resurrection. From the second death, or the final death of the impenitent, no one will ever be raised. The second death will be final, for it is complete annihilation in the lake of fire. But "he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death." Revelation 2:11.

3. Does the Bible, then, not teach that the wicked will be punished eternally?

Answer: Would a God of justice torture a man throughout eternity for the sins of a short lifetime? That would not be justice, much less mercy.

Of the end of the wicked, Jesus said:

"And these shall go away into EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT: but the righteous into life eternal."—Matthew 25:46.

The Bible does not speak of everlasting punishing, but of everlasting punishment.

And what does the Bible say this "everlasting punishment" is?

"Who shall be punished with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."—2 Thessalonians 1:9.

"Whose end is DESTRUCTION."—Philippians 3:19.

Everlasting destruction is the end that awaits the wicked. They will be burned up root and branch until nothing remains but ashes. (Malachi 4:1-3.)

The terrible condemnation of being separated from God for eternity by the second death, is the punishment of sin. Fire will come down from God out of heaven and will purify this old world, ridding it of sin, sinners, and finally of the rebellious angels and the devil himself, who originated sin in the beginning.

The punishing does not go on endlessly. The wicked will not experience endless torment. But the punishment, which is death, is everlasting; it will never end. Those who die the second death will never live again.

"They shall be as though they had not been."—Obadiah 16.

Thus, the second death in the lake of fire will end all sin.

4. What does the Bible mean when it says, "and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever"? Revelation 20:10.

Answer: First let us discover what the Bible means by the expression, "for ever and ever."

The Bible expression "for ever" may mean "as long as one lives." The child Samuel was dedicated to the temple service "for ever"; but he died, and his service ended with his death. (1 Samuel 1:22, 28; 25:1.) The civil law of Israel stated that certain bondservants were to serve their masters "for ever." (Exodus 21:6.) In both these cases, "for ever" would mean until death, but not longer.

The expression "for ever" may also mean "until God's plan is accomplished." The prophet Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, and said he was there "for ever":

"I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me FOR EVER: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God."—Jonah 2:6.

In this case, "for ever" was three days, or until God's plan was accomplished. Evidently, in the language of Holy Scripture, "for ever" does not always mean "without end." Sometimes it means "until death"; or, as in the case of Jonah, "until conditions change."

With these possibilities before us, and in view of other texts indicating the final and complete destruction of sin and sinners, there is only one valid interpretation of Revelation 20:10. To be tormented "for ever and ever" can only mean "until life has ceased."

"The wages of sin is death."—Romans 6:23.

The only safe course is to accept the Bible's own interpretation of such expressions. When we do, the meaning of texts that otherwise seem difficult, will be made plain.

5. What did Jesus mean by the words: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels"? Matthew 25:41.

Answer: "Everlasting fire" is the agent God has chosen for the destruction of the devil and his angels; and those who choose the side of evil must also partake of the same fiery destruction. Speaking of the wicked when they surround the Holy City after the millennium, the Bible says:

"FIRE came down from God out of heaven, and DEVOURED THEM."—Revelation 20:9.

The fires will burn until nothing is left to burn. They will burn until life is extinct and annihilation is complete.

How can we know certainly that everlasting or eternal fire will actually burn out?

In the days of Lot there were several wicked cities in a fertile valley now believed to be covered by the Dead Sea. Sodom and Gomorrah were the largest and most wicked of these. Of their destruction, we read:

"Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, . . . are set forth for an EXAMPLE, suffering the vengeance OF ETERNAL FIRE."—Jude 7.

"And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah INTO ASHES [God] condemned them with an overthrow, MAKING THEM AN ENSAMPLE unto those that after should live ungodly."—2 Peter 2:6.

The word "eternal" in Jude 7 is actually the same word translated "everlasting" in Matthew 25:41. Sodom and Gomorrah are examples, then, of what eternal or everlasting fire will do. It burns to ashes and then goes out for lack of something to burn. So the fires of hell will consume the wicked into ashes. This destruction will take place at the end of the world.

Even the devil, originator and mastermind of sin, will be destroyed on this earth when he is cast into the lake of fire. Speaking of Satan the Bible says:

"I will bring thee TO ASHES upon the earth . . . and never shalt thou be any more."—Ezekiel 28:18, 19.

6. What is the meaning of Matthew 3:12: "He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire"?

Answer: "Unquenchable fire" burns with such fury that man is unable to put it out. It burns until there is nothing left to be consumed. Then the flames die out for lack of fuel.

We have a Bible illustration of unquenchable fire in the destruction of Jerusalem as prophesied by Jeremiah.

"But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; THEN WILL I KINDLE A FIRE in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and IT SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED."—Jeremiah 17:27.

The armies of Babylon burned Jerusalem in 586 B.C., in fulfillment of this prophecy. (2 Chronicles 36:19-21.) While no man was able to put out the fire and save the city, the fire did go out when all that was flammable had been burned. Those unquenchable fires are not still burning. Jerusalem has been rebuilt.

Unquenchable fire is fire which man is incapable of extinguishing.

7. Mark 9:43-48 speaks of a "fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." What did Jesus mean by this?

Answer: Jesus often used objects and places within view of His hearers to illustrate truths He wanted to impress on their minds. Rabbinical tradition tells us that the Valley of Hinnom was a place outside Jerusalem where people took their rubbish to be burned. Even the remains of animals were disposed of in this place of burning, which came to be known as "Gehenna."

That which escaped the fire, the worms consumed; and that which the worms did not eat, the fire destroyed. The destruction was complete. Jesus used this familiar scene to illustrate the complete destruction of the wicked.

The wicked will not be able to quench, or put out, the fires that will consume them.

8. Doesn't the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 teach that men go immediately to a burning hell when they die?

Answer: Both the Old and the New Testament recount many parables. Their purpose is to clarify Scriptural truth already established. A parable is a story, which may be either true or imaginary. An example of a fable-parable, used to teach an effective lesson, is found in 2 Kings 14:9.

Christ's parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a story created out of the traditional beliefs of the Pharisees. A fragment attributed to Josephus tells of a place supposedly in the nether world where the righteous dead were believed to wait until they should find rest and eternal life in heaven. The author says, "This place we call The Bosom of Abraham." It was in this setting that Christ placed His illustration.

This parable could not be the literal experience of two men. Why not? Because: (1) The Bible teaches plainly that men are not rewarded immediately at death. Therefore, Lazarus did not go to his reward when he died. And the rich man did not go to his punishment when he died. (2) Heaven and a burning hell are not in close proximity; therefore, conversation between persons in the two places would be impossible. (3) The punishment of the wicked takes place on this earth after the thousand years, so the fires of hell are not now burning. (4) This parable represents the body, not the soul, as suffering in the flames. But the bodies of the dead are obviously not now burning. (5) Lazarus could not actually reach across that vast distance to bring physical relief to the tormented rich man. (6) Abraham was dead; his thoughts had perished. (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6.) Therefore, he could not speak, think, or act.

Obviously, this is a parable. It was not given to explain the condition of man in death. Jesus used it to illustrate an entirely different truth. He Himself summarized its meaning by saying:

"If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."—Luke 16:31.

9. According to Luke 23:43, didn't Jesus tell the thief on the cross that they would meet in Paradise on the very day of the crucifixion?

Answer: The evening prior to Christ's crucifixion He was talking with His disciples about His kingdom. He promised them that He would go back to His Father's house and prepare homes for them. Then He would return to take them to be with Him. (John 14:1-3.)

Following His crucifixion He was in the grave and had not yet returned to His Father when He talked with Mary on Sunday morning. (John 20:17.) So Jesus did not go to heaven at death, and the thief could not have met Him there.

The problem with our text is one of punctuation. It can make a great difference whether the comma is before or after "today."

The thief said, "Remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." (Luke 23:42.)

Jesus answered: "I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." Verse 43.

To be in harmony with the Bible truth that the dead sleep, the comma should come after "today" rather than before making the verse read: "I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in paradise." Verse 43.

When so punctuated, Jesus is saying, "I say unto you today — today of all days, when I am dying on the cross and to all appearances I've lost My last chance of a kingdom — you shall be with Me when I come into My kingdom." We know from Revelation 11:15 that Christ will come into His kingdom at the end of the world. (See also Matthew 25:31-34.)

The great question in the thief's mind at that moment was not when he would reach Paradise, but whether he would get there at all.

10. If Jesus did not go to Paradise when He died on the cross, where did He go? According to 1 Peter 3:18-20, didn't He preach in hell to the "spirits in prison"?

Answer: First, this text does not indicate that Jesus ever preached in hell. In fact, it does not even mention hell.

After dying for you and me on the cross, Jesus went to the tomb just like any man, to lie in unconscious sleep until His resurrection on Sunday morning.

"He hath poured out his soul unto death."—Isaiah 53:12.

"That he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."—Hebrews 2:9.

Since Jesus was asleep in death, He could not be preaching to spirits in prison. Then what does this text mean?

Jesus, preaching to the people of Nazareth, declared that He had come to earth to preach "deliverance to the captives" of sin. (Luke 4:18, 19.) His life was devoted to that great task. But in death, Jesus slept in the tomb in unconscious rest.

In 1 Peter 3:18-20, the apostle Peter is speaking of the work of the Holy Spirit in carrying out the plan of salvation. The same Spirit which quickened Christ when He rose from the dead, had also served as His agent in pleading with men of old to repent and live. It was the Spirit of Christ — the Holy Spirit — which worked through Noah to warn the world to repent before the Flood. It was Christ by His Spirit who had inspired all the prophetic messages of warning and appeal throughout the centuries and millenniums of man's enslavement to Satan.

The people who lived before the Flood were "spirits" in the prison house of sin. Satan held them fast in the bonds of sin until the flood waters sealed their final doom. Sinners by nature, we also are spirits in the prison house of sin, and only as Christ through His Spirit speaks to our hearts and we surrender to Him can we be freed from sin and death.

God had said (Genesis 6:3) that His Spirit would not always strive with the people of Noah's time. We too are warned to "grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30.

11. Didn't Paul say that he desired to die and be with Christ?

Answer: Paul was trying to choose between life and death. He says:

"Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better."—Philippians 1:20-23.

Paul must choose between departing in death, and living a life of witness for Christ. In view of the persecutions and deprivations that Paul suffered, he must often have felt that death would be an escape from all of those trials, but he recognized that to live would be a challenge to witness for Christ. (2 Corinthians 6:1.) In death Paul could rest from trouble, or in life he could glorify God.

If Paul should die, it would be a gain to him, for he knew that in his next conscious moment he would hear the call of the Lifegiver. He knew that, as far as he was concerned, the passing of time would mean nothing.

The apostle is not sure just what he would rather do — live and carry on the burdens of life, or lie down in unconscious sleep until the resurrection morning (see Job 14:12-14) when he would awake and be with his Saviour.

To interpret these words to mean that Paul expected to go to heaven immediately at death, would make the apostle contradict himself. For he wrote on the subject of being with Christ as follows:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and THE DEAD IN CHRIST SHALL RISE FIRST: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD."—1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

It is when Jesus comes and the dead are raised and the living changed to immortality, that believers are caught up to "ever be with the Lord." Paul's constant hope was the great day of the resurrection when Christ will reward him and all who "love His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7, 8.)

The simple Bible truth is that death is an unconscious sleep which continues until the resurrection day. Then the dead will come forth to the resurrection of life or to the resurrection of damnation, according as their works have been. (Matthew 16:27.) If the day of Jesus' coming finds you asleep in death, will you awake with Paul in the resurrection of life?

O God of life: In You "we live, and move, and have our being." Open my mind to comprehend more of Your love and mercy. Implant in my heart a longing to live for Christ now so that by His grace I shall live with Him in the earth made new. In His blessed name I pray. Amen.