The Three Heavens and the Three Hells

Today, for the message, I want to talk about a topic that's foundational to our belief system in the Church of God. It's a topic that I would say is often misunderstood by mainstream Christianity in this world around us. That misunderstanding leads to a number of wrong conclusions as to what it is that the Bible actually has to say about this topic.

Today, I want to talk about heaven and hell. Heaven and hell can be somewhat of a broad topic. I'll try to contain it to one message here for us today. Wrapped into the topic of heaven and hell is also the question as to whether or not mankind has an immortal soul. The focus of my message today isn't specifically on the immortal soul, but it's hard to address the topic of heaven and hell without addressing and at least looking at that question and answering, does mankind have an immortal soul?

Today as we go through the message, it's going to be a little more of a Bible study type format as opposed to a sermon. We're just going to walk topically through this address as it goes from Scripture to Scripture on heaven and hell. Again, as I mentioned, the subject is surrounded by a number of misconceptions, a bit of speculation, and a lot of confusion in today's world. So, Brendan, what does the Bible actually have to say?

What does it say about heaven and hell? I want to start out today by looking at what it has to say about heaven. The title of my message is, The Three Heavens and the Three Hells. The Bible does indeed show that there are three heavens. In fact, in Genesis 1, verse 1, we won't turn there, but it says, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

So, heavens plural, obviously is the indication that there is more than one heaven. Clearly, there's only one earth. As you'll see, the Bible specifically addresses three different heavens. Now, as you read through Scripture to determine which heaven is being specifically addressed, oftentimes is determined by the context in which it's addressed. That's what leads to confusion. Has anybody ever gone to heaven? What about some of these biblical examples from the Old Testament? People that would appear, maybe, went to heaven. Again, we have to examine the context to know which heaven is being addressed.

Now, the common belief in the world around us today is generally that those who die in the faith go to heaven when they die. Those who are not in the faith, those who would not come to repentance or who are evil, when they die, the concept is they go to an ever-burning hell in torment upon death. Sometimes there's the concept of a state in between, and where maybe you're hung up in this particular state until certain things transpire, certain allowances are made on your behalf, and you move from heading to one destination and make it to the other. But is that biblical?

Is that what the Bible says? I want to start off today by kind of setting up a couple of background scriptures that will sort of be in the context of how we'll address the rest of the message. I want to start in John 3 and verse 13. John 3.13 will see what Jesus Christ had to say in terms of, has anyone ever ascended to heaven?

In this case, the heaven we're referring to is the heaven of God's throne. John 3 and verse 13 hear Jesus Christ. He says, no one has ascended to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is the Son of Man who is in heaven. So up to the point when Jesus Christ walked the earth, no human being had ever ascended to heaven, where the Father's throne is, and it's clearly the same today.

The only one to ascend to heaven, brethren, is he who descended from heaven. Again, that was Jesus Christ. Now, what's interesting about that is that there are scriptures, again, in the Old Testament that are often cited that people point to that supposedly prove certain individuals went to heaven. And yet, here we have Jesus Christ's statement that clearly no one has ascended to heaven in such a way.

Now, how about King David? We'll look at King David shortly. But David was a man after God's own heart in the Old Testament. And if somebody was going to ascend to heaven, certainly David would have been among that group of few individuals. A man after God's own heart, a man who's prophesied to sit on a throne ruling in the kingdom of God. Well, let's notice what Acts 2, verse 29 says about the state of King David. Acts 2, chapter 29. Again, this is background material for what we'll go forward with shortly.

In Acts 2, chapter 29, this is Peter's sermon during the day of Pentecost. And just breaking into the context, he says, Verse 34, he says, And so clearly King David, a man after God's own heart, died. He was buried in the grave, and he remains in the grave, awaiting the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ. We won't go there, but 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4, reference the first resurrection. That's the resurrection of the saints at the return of Jesus Christ. So let's look now at what the Bible does say as it pertains to the three heavens.

And let's see if we can kind of sort out some of what the confusion is that exists in the world today. First scriptural heaven that I want to address is that of the earth's atmosphere. The earth's atmosphere. The Bible refers to it as a heaven.

The atmosphere is the closest heaven to us in proximity. It's that envelope of air consisting of oxygen and various gases that encircle our planet. We often would call it the sky as we look up in our common terminology. We find this heaven reference specifically in Genesis chapter 7. So let's go there. Genesis 7, these are the events surrounding the flood.

Genesis chapter 7 and beginning in verse 10, it says, And it came to pass after seven days that the water of the flood were on the earth, and the sixth and thirtieth year of Noah's life, and the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

And so you had, first of all, this great upswelling of water that came up out of the earth as the fountains of the deep were broken loose, and the water poured out of the earth. But also you had the heavens as well that opened up, and the water poured forth out of the clouds and contributed as well to the flood of Noah's day.

Now that rain here that's referring to coming from heaven did not come from God's throne, as it were, but it came from the atmosphere, the clouds, which surrounded the earth.

Now this heaven is also referenced in verse 19, still in Genesis 7.

It says, And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the hills under the whole heaven were covered. So again, this heaven pertains to the earth's atmosphere from which, again, much of the water had come. Now the Bible also uses this region of the atmosphere when it speaks of various wildlife. It talks about the birds of heaven. Those are oxygen, breathing, living creatures that live within the confines of earth's atmosphere, but they fly around in the heavens. Now we won't turn there, but Job 35, 11, as well as Jeremiah 16 verse 4, refer to the birds of heaven. Now back in the book of Acts, the disciples watched Jesus Christ descend before their eyes through this heaven. Acts chapter 1 and verse 9. Acts 1 verse 9. Jesus Christ here was telling them to tarry in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit would come on the day of Pentecost. And in verse 9 it says, Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And so here Jesus rose up into the atmosphere. He swallowed up by this cloud in the sky. Again, it would be the proximity of this first heaven. And verse 10 it says, And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel. And so they also said, Mena Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the like manner as you saw him go into heaven. And so again, this heaven was the earth's atmosphere. It was up into the cloud. Now Jesus didn't stop there. Obviously and clearly he continued on, and he ultimately ended up in the heaven where his father's throne is, dwells with his father in heaven. But that which the disciples saw with the naked eye, saw him ascending into was this first heaven. Now the second heaven mentioned in the Bible can be found back in Exodus chapter 32.

Exodus 32. This is not the first time this heaven is mentioned, but it's a good example for us to take in today. Exodus chapter 32 and verse 13.

It says, Remember, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self.

I think it's interesting when people take an oath, when people swear, it's like in court.

Basically, people swear by God that they will tell the truth. We're not to swear again, brethren, but the point is when you swear, you swear by a power higher than yourself. And it's supposed to confirm what it is that you're saying. Well, God, when he makes an oath, he swears by himself because there is none higher than God. God is the authority, and his word is true.

So again, it just says, Remember, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, whom you swore by your own self. And you said to them, I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I've spoken of, I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.

So the second heaven mentioned in Scripture is the heaven that contains the sun, the moon, the stars. It's beyond the earth's atmosphere, and mankind has actually traveled to that heaven.

Mankind traveled to the atmosphere in terms of heaven. When I fly to Africa, I fly through the heaven in that way. People have gotten into rocket ships, escaped earth's atmosphere, gone and circled the moon and come back. They've gone out as well into that heaven by modern science, but still this is not the heaven in which God's throne resides. Now, King David expressed his thoughts as he gazed into this heaven in Psalm 8. Psalm 8 will begin in verse 3.

Psalm 8, verse 3, you kind of imagine David may be out on a night away from the city. Maybe he's out by attending a flock, and he just looks up into heaven. And if you've ever been in a very dark place with no surrounding lights, you can see quite a bit. Psalm 8, verse 3, David says, When I consider your heavens and the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him?

David's here staring into the awesomeness of God's creation, seeing the moon and the stars, as I kind of imagine on, again, a night away from any other lights. And he's looking into the vastness of space, and he's considering how does mankind even compare to this?

How small you would feel compared to the vastness of God's creation. And yet, God says, actually, you're the one that's significant. Human beings are God's crowning creation, and they are significant in his sight. But David just says, how do we even compare to all of this?

I think back into 2010, the first time I went to Nigeria for the Challenger program, we went up to Plasto State in the Joss region, somewhere you can't actually go today. But at that time, we went up there, and there was very little violence, but we were able to travel up to a village well off the beaten path. There was no lights, no electricity out there. And then from the village, we put on our packs, and we hiked out a number of miles. And where we ended up setting up camp was up on the top of a plateau. You climb this hill a number of, I'd say, probably a couple hundred feet, and you set up your tents on top of this plateau, and you could look around the whole region. And I just remember one night basically doing the same thing King David did here. I kind of walked away from the campfire and sort of off on my own, and there was a big rock that I just kind of laid out on this rock on my back and just looking up into the sky. And with no lights anywhere to diminish the glow of the heavens, it was just incredible. And as you stare long enough, and your eyes adjust to the darkness, and you begin to see farther out and farther out, and more more stars come into view. And I remember kind of having some of the same thoughts as David.

You know, what is man that you're mindful of him? And seemingly so insignificant next to the vastness of this creation. But again, staring into the stars, up to the moon, up to where in the daytime we see the sun. That is also called heaven in Scripture. Now, the prophet Isaiah prophesied about the day of the Lord, and he references heaven as well as the sun and the moon and the stars. Isaiah 13, verse 9 and 10, gives us that reference.

Isaiah 13, beginning in verse 9, he says, Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and he will destroy its sinners from it. Verse 10, it says, For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light, the sun will be darkened, and its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.

So again, the second heaven is an observable heaven. It can be seen with the naked eye, at least a portion of it. And yet again, it's not God's heaven in terms of where his throne is contained, in terms of where his presence is. Now, that heaven is what the Bible refers to as the third heaven. And the Apostle Paul used such a description. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 12.

You'll see the third heaven reference.

2 Corinthians 12, beginning in verse 1, Paul says, It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast.

He says, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I know a man in Christ two fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know. God knows. Such a one was caught up to the third heaven.

And he says, I know such a man, whether in the body or out of the body I do not know. God knows. You know, Paul's saying, was I actually there, or was this a vision?

It would appear it was a vision. But verse 4, he says, How he was caught up into paradise.

And he heard inexpressible words which is not lawful for a man to utter.

So Paul was allowed, apparently by vision, to see God's throne in the third heaven.

That heaven is different than the other two heavens. It's a heaven consisting of the spirit realm.

The first heaven, this atmosphere around the earth, is a physical heaven. The heavens that you stare at to the sun and moon and stars, or the physical realm as well. Yet this third heaven is beyond that. It consists of the spiritual realm. We see God's throne in this heaven described in the vision that John had in the book of Revelation. Let's go to Revelation chapter 4.

And they keep you busy today, turning to scriptures. Revelation chapter 4 and verse 1. Here, again, vision of John. It says, After these things I looked and behold a door, standing open in heaven. Now we're referring to the third heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet, speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.

And immediately I was in the spirit, and behold, a throne set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

And so here John's catching a glimpse of God the Father sitting on his throne in heaven.

Verse 3. It says, And he who sat there was like a jasper and a sardust stone in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne in the appearance like an emerald. And around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting clothed in white robes, and they had crowns of gold on their heads. So he's seeing this vision of God on his throne, surrounded by the twenty-four thrones in which these spirit beings are sitting as well.

Verse 5. He says, And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. Behold, before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal. And in the midst of the throne and around the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes, in front and in back. And so this is the heaven which the Apostle Paul called Paradise, who's the third heaven. It's the dwelling place of the glory of God, and it's evidently and clearly a region that's reserved for spirit beings only. Mankind cannot launch into the heavens and reach the third heaven by a rocket ship. This is God's throne.

Now, this third heaven is also where Jesus Christ resides at the right hand of His Father.

Back to the Gospels, this time the Book of Mark. Mark 16. Look at verse 19.

Mark 16 and verse 19. Here, once again, Jesus is preparing to ascend up to heaven.

He's speaking with His disciples, and now in verse 19 it says, So then after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And so now this isn't just the physical heaven that the disciples saw Him passing through as He went through the clouds. This was the ultimate destination of Jesus Christ at the throne of God in the third heaven.

Again, Scripture tells us no one has ever ascended into that heaven except for Jesus Christ. Now, He sits there, as we understand, at His Father's right hand and throne, and He is our high priest. He is our elder brother. He is the one who relates to us in a very personal, direct way as our brother and high priest, and He makes intercession on our behalf before the Father. Hebrews 7, verse 25.

Hebrews 7 and verse 25. It says, Therefore He also, speaking of Jesus Christ, is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. It says, Jesus Christ is higher than the first heaven, higher than the second heaven. He is enthroned by His Father in the third heaven, and He is higher as the Son of God than any physical element of the creation. He is higher than the heavens.

Chapter 8, still in Hebrews, verse 1, says, Now this is the main point of the things we are saying. We have such a high priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of majesty, in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord erected, and not man.

So the third dwelling place is the place of the throne of God. That's what was portrayed behind the veil in the Holy of Holies, was the throne of God.

That Holy of Holies was a copy of the true in heaven. The true in heaven is the third heaven.

It's God's throne. It's where He sits. It's where His majesty dwells. Jesus Christ is at His right hand as well. Well, again, Scripture tells us no one has ever ascended into heaven apart from Jesus Christ.

That was the case before Christ lived, and that is the case even yet today.

And yet sometimes confusion arises when people read through the Old Testament accounts of various people that apparently perhaps went to heaven. And so it might say, well, what about Elijah?

What about Elijah? After all, didn't Elijah go to heaven?

Well, did Elijah go to heaven? Well, the answer is yes. Elijah went to heaven, but the question you have to ask is which heaven? Again, the context determines which heaven it is that's being referenced. So let's take a look at Elijah's account, 2 Kings 2. 2 Kings 2, and we'll begin in verse 1.

2 Kings 2, 1. I'll see if I can condense a little bit of this along the way.

It says, It came to pass when the Lord was about to take Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind that Elijah went with Elijah from Gilgal. Then Elijah said to Elijah, Please, for the Lord has sent me onto Bethel. But Elijah said, As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel.

Now, the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elijah and said to him, Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?

And he said, Yes, I know. Keep silent. Now, really, if you think about it, if this person you loved and respected and was your mentor is now getting ready to be taken away from you, he says, I'd really rather not even talk about it. I know that. Keep silent.

Verse 4 says, Then Elijah said to him, Elijah, stay here. And again, the Lord had then called him now to Jericho. Elijah says, I'm going with you. They continue to Jericho. Verse 6, once again, it says, Elijah said to Elijah, Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan. Again, he says, I'm coming with you to the Jordan. Verse 7, And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elijah, Ask, What may I do for you before I'm taken away from you?

Elijah said, Please, let a double portion of your spirit be upon me. And so he said, You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be to you as you ask for you. But if not, if you don't see me, it shall not be so.

Then it happened, verse 11, as he continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, with horses of fire, and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by whirlwind into heaven.

So there you have it. Elijah, taken off by God into heaven. You know, for some, that might seem like an open and shut case, but is that really what it's saying? Did Elijah go to the third heaven, where God resides, where his presence is? That's how it's often mistranslated, misinterpreted, by people who see that. But again, Jesus Christ stated that no one had ever ascended to heaven, except he who came down from heaven. So there must be an explanation. Where did Elijah go?

Well, if we carry on in verse 12, it says, and Elijah saw it, and he cried out, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen. And so he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he had also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that, and Elijah crossed over.

Now, when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, and said, The Spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha, and they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. Now they said to him, Look, now, there are fifty strong men with the servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up, cast them upon some mountain or into some valley. And he said, You shall not send anyone. You see, the heaven that Elijah had been taken up into was the first heaven. It was the atmosphere. And so all those who watched him leave expected that they could go out and search and find him. And maybe God took him off, dropped him on the mountain, in another valley, somewhere, someplace else, under heaven. The expectation was, We can go search for him. We can find him. Verse 17, it says, But when they urged him, urged Elisha, till he was ashamed, he said, Send them. Therefore they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days, but did not find him. Now, God did not want Elijah to be found. His miraculous removal by a fiery chariot involved transporting him to another location where he would be separated, where he would not be found. And then now Elijah would be looked to as the one who was God's active servant in that way, with the authority and with the power to back him up. But again, Elijah was not taken off to the third heaven with God. In fact, we see later that Elijah was still on the earth, and he wrote a letter, physical letter, and sent it off to a physical king of Judah. Let's go to 2 Chronicles chapter 21.

2 Chronicles 21. This is sometime later, and this is during the reign of Jehoram. He was a wicked king of Judah. 2 Chronicles 21 and verse 8. It says, In his days Edom revolted against Judah's authority and made a king over themselves. So Jehoram went out with his officers and all his chariots with him, and he rose by night and attacked the Edomites who had surrounded him and the captains of the chariots. And thus Edom has been in revolt against Judah's authority to this day. And at that time Libna revolted against his rule because he had forsaken the Lord God of his fathers.

Moreover, he made the high places in the mountains of Judah and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to commit harlotry and led Judah astray. Now notice verse 12. It says, In a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying. And so we have this letter now which follows. I won't read it, but it's a letter pronouncing God's judgment on Jehoram for his wickedness. Again, Elijah wrote this letter himself. He was very much alive, very much on the earth. He'd been let down from the heaven. The chariot took him up. He'd been a whirlwind into heaven, the atmosphere, transported him elsewhere, let him back down again. Elijah lived out the rest of his natural life in another location. He did eventually die and his fate was the same as every other human being down through the ages. He lies in the grave waiting in the resurrection of the faithful at the return of Jesus Christ. Same is true with Enoch. Enoch is as well an example that's looked to and says, well, it says that God took him so that he would not see death. And the assumption is God took him to heaven, but it doesn't say God took him to heaven. Both Genesis 5.24 and Hebrews 11.5 just say that God took Enoch. I want to look at the example in Hebrews. Hebrews 11 verse 5.

Hebrews 11.5 it says, By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, and he was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken he had this testimony that he pleased God. So again, the passage does not say Enoch was taken into heaven. Just as he was taken, that he would not see death, he was God's servant, who was God's friend, he walked with God, and God took him in order to preserve his life. Now later in the book of Hebrews chapter 11 it comments about all of those who are listed in the faith chapter, including Enoch. Okay, we're still in Hebrews 11. Let's go to verse 39.

You have Enoch and Noah and Abraham and all those who are listed as the faithful in this chapter. Hebrews 11 verse 39 says, And all these, including Enoch, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise. What was the promise? Well, it's eternal life in the kingdom of God. It's dwelling with God in the New Jerusalem. It says, All these died not having received the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. So none of these have received the promise. They all died in the faith. They're all sleeping in the grave, which is the place I like to call the grave, the place of safety. I'm not saying that it is the place of safety at the end time. I'm saying the grave is a place of safety where the faithful rest and await the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ. That's the example of Elijah, Abraham, Noah, David. Every human being that's ever lived apart from Jesus Christ, that's ever lived and died, is in the grave to this day. The concept of an immortal soul, that now you've gone to heaven and you continue to live, is not biblical. The Bible does say that the body dies. It goes into the grave. The spirit, the spirit of man which God gives, returns to God who gave it. But it's not like the consciousness continues to live on. The Bible describes death as sleep. So again, my point of my message isn't to walk through necessarily the topic of the immortal soul, but I think we need to recognize clearly what the Bible does say in terms of death and sleep and the grave and the resurrection. So I will just quickly, we'll go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 13 because this is one of the books that we turn to in referencing the resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 13. Here Paul says, I don't want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. He says, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring him those who sleep in Jesus. Paul described death as sleep, though awakened at the return of Jesus Christ. Verse 15, for this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means perceive those who are asleep. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. He says, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. He says, therefore comfort one another with these words. These are words of comfort that we express to one another as we have loss, as family members die or brethren die, but it is a comfort to know they are asleep, and as they died in the faith, they're awaiting the resurrection, the first resurrection, at the return of Jesus Christ. Again, brethren, the point of the message is not the immortal soul, but to show again the distinction between the heavens. Hopefully it clears up some of the confusion as to which heaven of the three are being referenced. You have to look at the context. Jesus Christ has ascended into the heavens, and he sits at the right hand of his Father. And with the understanding of the other scriptures that are contained here, brethren, we understand the state of the dead is sleep, and yet God has a plan for all of mankind in its timing and according to his order.

Now for the three hells that are mentioned in the Bible. What are they? What do they have to do with man or not do with mankind? Despite a common belief, the term hell does not simply mean a great fiery blaze for the damned. If you're using the original King James version of the Bible, you see the word hell show up fairly often. Not every occurrence of the word hell means the same thing as the other occurrence of the word hell. A lot of the newer translations of the Bible, modern translations, as well as the New King James, have done a fairly good job of sort of sorting out some of the distinctions between the words that are translated hell. But there are three different hells mentioned in the Bible. Now, one is a Hebrew word. There's only one Hebrew word for hell. There are three Greek words for hell, three different meanings of hell. The Hebrew word is parallel to a Greek word forming one meaning and then the two other Greek words form two other meanings of what is translated hell. So the first hell I want to cover comes from the Hebrew word sheil and it's spelled S-H-E-O-L. That's the Hebrew from the Old Testament. And its parallel in the Greek is Hades. Hades, H-A-D-E-S. That's what we would find in the New Testament. And they both carry the same meaning for hell. They mean grave, pit, the abode of the dead. Now, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 55, we find reference to the word Hades or hell. Let's go there. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 55. This is another one of the chapters referring to the first resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15. Let's back up to verse 53. It says, For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible is put on incorruption and this mortal is put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

It says, O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?

The word here Hades, translated oftentimes hell, is referring to the fact that the resurrection is actually the victory over the grave. Hades is the grave. It's the pit. It's where the dead lie. It is not an ever-burning hellfire. Again, Sheol was the Hebrew parallel to that. And if we go to Psalm 16, we're going to look at an Old and New Testament scripture.

It's a scripture that's cited in Psalms, and it is repeated in the New Testament. The Psalms is using the Hebrew. The New Testament is using the Greek, but we'll see the similarity in the meaning, both in the Hebrew and the Greek. So again, Psalm 16, Psalm 16, beginning in verse 7, is the words of King David.

It says, I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. He says, I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand. I shall not be moved. David here is talking about God, and he's saying, he's my strength. It's him who is my fortress and my deliverer. He's my refuge. He says, I shall not be moved. Verse 9, he says, therefore my heart is glad. My heart rejoices. My glory rejoices. He says, my flesh will also rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Sheol. This is the Hebrew word for grave. You will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. So David is saying, you know, God would resurrect him from the dead. We understand that is at the first resurrection, at the return of Jesus Christ. But he's also saying that God would not leave his Christ in the grave long enough for his flesh to corrupt. You know, Jesus Christ is in the grave three days and three nights, resurrected according to the prophecy and the promise of God. But here David is acknowledging that you will not allow your Holy One to see corruption. Verse 11, you will show me the path of life, and your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Now, if we go to Acts chapter 2, we see the same Scripture repeated with the Greek word Hades. Acts chapter 2, and we're going to begin in verse 23.

Acts 2, 23, back once again to Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost. And it says, him, speaking of Jesus Christ, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and have put to death, whom God raised up, having loosened the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. He says, for David says concerning him, and he quotes the Psalm, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, that for he is at my right hand, that I might not be shaken. He says, therefore my heart rejoiced and my tongue was glad. Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope.

For you, God, will not leave my soul in Hades. Again, it was Sheol. Now it's Hades. Same meaning.

It's the pit. It's the grave. Nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of joy in your presence.

Peter goes on to say, men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David. He's both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne. And he foreseeing this spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades in the grave, nor did his flesh see corruption. So again, when we consider the word hell, it's often translated from Sheol and the Hebrew, Hades and the Greek. And it's a reference to the grave in the ground, again, not some everlasting burning torments in which the damned soul's goal to be tormented forever and ever.

The grave is the current place for the dead, both good and evil. All those who have ever died are there apart from Jesus Christ. To be technical with the wording here, Jesus Christ went to hell.

He went to the grave. He went to the pit. But death did not have power over him. His father resurrected him unto glory. The second Greek word translated hell that we'll look at in the Bible is Tartarou. Tartarou, and it's spelled T-A-R-T-A-R-O-O. Tartarou. And it's a word that's used only one time in Scripture, translated hell. And this hell refers to the current restraint of the fallen angels, otherwise known as the demons. We find Tartarou in 2 Peter 2 and verse 4. 2 Peter 2 verse 4.

And we're breaking into the middle of the context. It says, If God did not spare the angels who sinned, that's the demons, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them with the chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment.

So again, the word here for hell is Tartarou, and it's not a place of fiery judgment or torment in that way, but rather it's a place of restraint. The demons have been placed under restriction and restraint by God currently, all right? From the time that they were cast out of heaven, they've been under restraint on this earth, awaiting the time of their judgment for their rebellion. Tartarou does not reference human beings in any way. Tartarou, as it's translated, hell, only refers to, in this sense, the demons. Now, we catch another glimpse of the form of restraint that's referenced in 1 Peter chapter 3. It doesn't actually use the word Tartarou, but it's a reference to the restraint that the demons are under. 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 18.

Here it says, for Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison. The spirits in prison, again, are those demons who rebelled, along with Satan the devil as well. They're under restraint. They're awaiting judgment from God at the end of the age. Their place of restraint is the earth. Satan and his demons have generally free roam of the earth. They're going about doing their work, but again, their restriction is limited to that which God would allow for his purpose. So again, verse 19, it says, by whom he also went and preached to the spirits in prison. This is Jesus Christ, who formerly were disobedient when once the divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is eight souls, were saved through water. And so there was a time where the word apparently confronted these demons at the time of Noah's flood. That's what the account says.

The specifics of the encounter are not mentioned, but the point is that this earth, again, is the place of restraint for the fallen angels. It's time where they await out until the ultimate judgment at the end of the age. The third Greek word, the final one we'll look at today, translated hell and scripture, is Gehenna. And it's spelled G-E-H-E-N-N-A, Gehenna. And Gehenna literally does point to hellfire. It's the type of hell that is most commonly referred to when people think of hell, but there's a misconception as it relates to Gehenna as well. The word Gehenna itself is connected to a valley just outside of Jerusalem. It's the Valley of Hinnom. Hinnom is spelled H-I-N-N-O-M. And in the Greek, the Valley of Hinnom would be a Hebrew word, but in the Greek, Gehenna is derived from the Valley of Hinnom. Historically, the Valley of Hinnom was occasionally where idolatrous worship took place. It's a place where human sacrifices took place when Israel and Judah strayed from God. You can find those accounts in the Old Testament. But during the time of Jesus Christ, Gehenna, or the Valley of Hinnom, was essentially a garbage dump outside the city of Jerusalem. It's where trash was dumped and it was burned by fires which burned continually.

Out in Gehenna, or sorry, out in the Valley of Hinnom as well, oftentimes were dumped the corpses of dead animals and even condemned criminals who had died. Jesus Christ used the commonly known trash disposal site of his day to illustrate the ultimate fate of the wicked who would refuse to repent and submit themselves to the kingdom of God. He used Gehenna to help his listeners to understand clearly the illustration of the lake of fire. Again, that was a garbage dump where refuse was thrown, where the fires burned continuously, and the refuse was consumed.

In Matthew 10, 28, the word hell is Gehenna. Let's turn there briefly. Matthew 10, verse 28.

Here Jesus Christ says, Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And so again, that word hell is Gehenna, literally meaning hellfire. The lake of fire will be the ultimate end for those who refuse to submit themselves to God and his authority. Jesus' instruction is that God is the one with the authority to bring an ultimate end to a person's life, not just in the physical sense, but in the eternal sense, that complete destruction of both the body and the spirit.

Jesus Christ says, Man may be able to kill the body, and indeed he can. He says, But don't fear man. God has the power to destroy both body and soul in the lake of fire. He says, Fear God.

That's ultimately, brethren, where our fear must lie. Gehenna fire is the most commonly known hell, once again. It's misconstrued, however, and the details of that fate are, in some ways, become legend and folktale and stories that are built around that. Again, just as the garbage dump existed outside of Jerusalem in the Valley of Hinnom, and the garbage was thrown in there and burned up and consumed until there was nothing left, the lake of fire, Gehenna fire, will consume all fuel that is thrown into it until it is burned up and completely consumed.

Hellfire is not a torturous, everlasting existence of torture. It's not like you take your finger and you burn it over a candle and just imagine it over your whole body going on forever and ever with no escape. That is of man's devising. That is not what God is intending. First of all, God is merciful. He is loving. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. Again, not all will, and those unrepentant will end up in the lake of fire.

The Bible says the wages of sin is death. It's Romans 6, 23. It does not say the wages of sin is eternal life in hellfire. Wages of sin is death. The gift of God is eternal life, and that is the blessing. All those who have ever died throughout human history are in the grave, and they await the judgment following whichever resurrection they come up in.

Saints will come up in the first resurrection. The subsequent resurrections to follow will be according to their order and God's acknowledgement and judgment of who comes up in those. But again, people are not in hell. Neither are they currently in heaven. The only hell that anyone is in currently is the grave. In John 5, 28, and 29, Jesus said, The hours coming in which all those who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth.

Those who have done good to the resurrection of life, those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. The resurrection of condemnation will be the resurrection of those who received the judgment of hellfire. Gehenna Fire will apparently be ignited at the beginning of the millennium.

When we look at the prophecies of Revelation, you can go into Revelation 19, the prophecies show that the beast and false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire at the beginning of the millennium. Revelation 19, verse 19, John says, I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army. See if Jesus Christ is now returning with power and might, the beast and the armies of the earth coming against him. Verse 20, it says, then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive in the lake of fire burning with brimstone. It says, then the rest were killed with the sword and proceeded from his mouth of him who sat on the horse and all the birds were filled with their flesh. So it says, at the return of Jesus Christ, the beast and the false prophet were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Beasts and false prophet are physical beings. Being cast into that fire, they will be completely consumed. They'll be completely destroyed, never to exist again. That is their fate. That is God's judgment upon them. Remember, again, Gehenna Fire has the same effect on the physical flesh that the garbage dump and the fire burning in the valley of Hennam has on the garbage. It's a complete consumption of a burning up until nothing but ash remains. Revelation 20, verse 6. Again, apparently, this Gehenna Fire, this lake of fire, will burn throughout the thousand years of the millennium. Now we come to the end after the thousand-year millennium, Revelation, chapter 20, verse 6. It says, "...blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection." This is one we read about in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15. Those are the saints. "...over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years." The second death refers to the fate of those who go into Gehenna Fire. Verse 7. Now, when a thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. The fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them." It says, "...and the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet..." The word, R, has been inserted by the translators. It is in italics. R does not exist in the original text because the beast and false prophet are not still in the lake of fire. They were thrown in a thousand years earlier, beginning of the millennium. At the time of the return of Jesus Christ, they were consumed, burned into nothing.

They do not continue in a torturous, ongoing state. The word here should actually be, WERE. "...the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were..." Again, Christ said in Matthew 25, 41, that this fire is prepared for the devil and his angels. So it says, "...and they..." The devil and his angels "...will be tormented day, night, forever, and ever." In verse 11, "...then I saw a great white throne." And it says, "...him who sat on it, and from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and there was no place found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books." It says, "...and the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades of the liver up the dead who were in them." It's physical people coming back to physical life out of the grave. And it says, "...and they were judged, each one according to his works. Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Brethren, this is the hellfire that Jesus Christ warned about when he said, fear God. Fear Him who has the power to destroy both body and soul in hellfire. Again, Gehenna is not where people are tormented forever and ever. It is actually the place where their potential for an ongoing existence comes completely to an end. They're consumed, they're burned up, to exist no longer. Malachi chapter 4. Malachi, the last book of the Old Testament, chapter 4, verse 1. Again, we see the fate of the wicked. Malachi 4.1. It says, "...for behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven. And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble." What happens to stubble when the fire comes raging through? It used to burn the grass fields. It used to burn the stubble off the fields in years past in this region. What happens to that? Well, it burns the field clean. Nothing left but a little ash. It says, "...and the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch. He says, But for you who fear my name, the Son of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings, and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. Verse 3. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this, says the Lord of hosts." Rather than the fate of the wicked, who refuse to submit to God, who will not repent, who will not be reconciled into the relationship with him, will be consumed in hellfire. Their fate is to be ashes under the feet of the saints. Again, completely consumed until nothing remains. And it's not a physical, temporary death. This is death that is eternal. But again, suffering forever and ever in tormenting hell is not the record of Scripture. The final death of the wicked in the lake of fire is an act of justice and mercy from a merciful God. Bringing rebellion to an end, rather than allowing it to continue, is putting people out of their misery, again, rather than allowing evil and suffering and strife to continue. That's the purpose of Gehenna Fire. God is merciful. It's not willing that any should perish, again, but that all would come to repentance. 2 Peter 3, verse 9. So God will provide a means for each and every individual to be able to acknowledge him, understand what it is he is offering, and come to repentance. But those who will not repent, who will not be reconciled to God and desire to live in that relationship, simply will cease to exist.

So as not to end on a low note, I want to conclude back in the book of Revelation, chapter 21.

Revelation 21. We're going to go back to the concept of heaven. Revelation chapter 21, beginning in verse 1. John says, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. God is going to bring the new Jerusalem down from the third heaven, okay, from heaven, to this earth, and contained in that city will be the very throne of God.

Verse 3. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, no more sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. And he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Right, for these words are true and faithful. The day will eventually come, brethren, when God himself will bring heaven to earth. The New Jerusalem, the throne of God, what exists there in the third heaven of God in his presence is eventually coming to earth. God will be there as well. He will be our God, and he will dwell among his people. Understanding the three heavens and the three hells in Scripture gives us a deeper insight into the wonderful plan of salvation that God has ordained.

Let you and I strive to be among the faithful saints who will be there to see the fulfillment of these things at the culmination of the age. Let us strive to be among those who will dwell in the New Jerusalem as sons of the living God. And as David said, if we are there in the presence of God, what a blessing it will be to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.