Once God’s Promised Kingdom, the Millennium is over, a new Jubilee is established. God creates anew. The earth is cleansed by fire (2Pt 3:10) and reformed. There is no longer a sea (Rv 21:1). This new earth is different from the old version. There is no longer a curse (Rv 22:3). Heaven comes to earth.

This time of earth’s future history has been compared to the Jubilee which God instituted with Israel.  It was a time when everything started anew. All debts were cancelled, all land returned to its original owner, and all slaves were freed (Lv 25). This was a time of great rejoicing. A lot can happen in fifty years. People can get into trouble, get financially bankrupt, and have to do whatever it takes to survive. God knew that. Therefore, he proclaimed Jubilee as a time of renewal, a time to start over. That is what this is for the earth. It is back to the beginning, back to the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden – before it all happened, before sin crept in and destroyed perfection. And that is what is presented here, the Garden of Eden reborn, but much better. Perfection reestablished.

There are two groups who enter into this Eternal State:

1.           Those who were resurrected or transformed at the Rapture, or resurrected just prior to Christ’s reign (and who had been serving/ruling with Christ during the Millennium). They will continue to serve/rule with Christ throughout eternity.

2.           Those who accepted Christ as Savior during the Millennium. Because the Bible does not indicate there is another resurrection, or another transformation, and the Bible does state that the Tree of Life will be used by the nations (Rv 22:2), it is likely these individuals will not be transformed into a body like Christ. It is more likely they will possess a body like Adam and Eve had at the beginning in the Garden of Eden but without a sin nature or the propensity to sin. They will eat of the Tree of Life and drink of the River of Life to sustain their eternal state. They may be able to have children since Adam and Eve were able to have children. These are probably those who are identified as “nations” (Rv 21-22).

Overpopulation will likely not be a problem. The earth could be larger than it is now. There will be less bodies of water. There could be up to eight times the present land mass because there will be no more sea. Also, the whole universe could be opened up for use and expansion of people. With God all things are possible.

Does this get you excited? I sure hope so, because this is the eternal hope we have when we trust in Christ as our Savior. Isn’t that what everyone wants: no more hardship, true peace, no more want, and freedom to live joyously? It can be your future, too. All it takes is a little faith and placing it in the one who can make it all happen. Jesus Christ has an extended hand waiting. Take it.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We have now come to the final step of God’s plan, His Eternal State: True Heaven. We don’t have a lot of detail, but we have some glimpses of what life will be like. Let’s explore.

Knowing that the layout of the tabernacle was a pattern of what was in Heaven (Ex 25:9; Hb 8:5), and knowing that God has made many statements that Israel will be his people forever and be his witnesses to the world, it is likely that Israel will be surrounding the city of Jerusalem as they did when the tabernacle was first erected since God now dwells in the new Jerusalem. Also, there will be three gates on each side of the wall with a name of a tribe on each gate (Rv 21:12) – just like it stated in the Old Testament that three tribes camped on each side of the tabernacle (Nu 2). Again, it is likely that Israel will lead the nations in the worship of God (Is 43:10, 21).

As far as activities, the Bible does not have a lot to say on this subject. However, knowing that the intent is to return to a more Edenic state (however, it will be so much more), one can use that as a reference. The original intent for Adam and Eve was to have them have dominion over all the earth and to subdue it, and to “work it” and “to take care of it” (Gn 2:15). These words and concepts would imply exploration, production, guarding, and observing. Therefore, as then, one will learn about God: His attributes and His creation. All that one does will be to bring glory to God: everyone will explore His creation, learn more about God and recognize, acknowledge, and proclaim His attributes. This would be one fulfillment of Revelation 21:24, 26: “And the nations [peoples] of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it... and they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.”

Dr. Herman A. Hoyt, who graduated from Ashland Theological Seminary with highest honors and who later served as academic dean of Grace Theological Seminary for fourteen years (1948-1962) and then as its president for the next fifteen years (1962-1976), summarizes what life in the Eternal State will be like:

“Will the redeemed sink into a state of ineffable bliss marked by release from exertion and hardship on the one hand, but filled with enjoyment and idleness on the other? The answer to this seems to be a positive no. And even though there is little information in the Scriptures on this point, it is sufficient to draw a picture of wonder and attractiveness with which to excite anticipation for this glorious future.”

He goes on to provide these descriptions:

• the attitude of worship will permeate every aspect of activity and employment

• research will enter every area of creation and will reach beyond the wildest imagination of men

• the kings, that is, those in administrative authority over the nations, will bring the results of their accomplishments to the city as an offering of praise to the King of kings

• the perfect administration of the universe will at last be achieved through grace

• at last, redeemed mankind will have reached that place of purity and perfection in a land of life, light and love where the deepest desires of the human heart will be satisfied.

In addition, Dr. Robert Congdon, a noted international Bible teacher, conference speaker, author, and radio commentator on subjects related to Biblical prophecy and world events states the following:

“Unlike most scientists and writers of today, redeemed individuals of the new earth will delight in giving glory to God as they explore His creation, and through it learn more about Him. God’s attributes will be recognized, acknowledged, and proclaimed. For example: As one saint goes forth in the universe and studies some aspect of a planet that is unreachable today, he will discover a new aspect of God’s greatness. Immediately he will return to tell others of God’s glory. Another, searching the microscopic world, will see God’s infinite details and call others to see God’s greatness. This will be the fulfillment of several of David’s psalms: ‘The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork’ (Ps 19:1), and ‘the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself’ (Ps 5-6).”

It seems that everyone during this time is going to be exploring further all of the things God knows that human beings do not. It is going to be a scientists’ wonderland!

Because of the large number of people, there will be the need for a lot of administration. Here are some of the groups and their likely responsibilities based upon what scripture has revealed about them:

• The Bride (New Testament Saints, i.e., the Church): assists in the administration and offers eternal testimony to God’s attributes of grace and love (Rv 2:26-27; 3:21; 20:6)

• The Resurrected Saints (Old Testament and Tribulation): friends and attendants of the Bridegroom (Mt 25:1, 10). They will rule over Israel and the nations.

• Israel: head of the nations and being God’s witnesses helping the nations worship the Lord (Is 61:6-11, 66:22; Dn 7:27).

• Kings and Nations: Administered by kings, the nations will carry on activity and production throughout eternity and bring the glory and honor that they find in their daily tasks and discoveries back to God for display when they visit the New Jerusalem (Rv 21:24).

This is only a peek of what things will be like. While everything can’t be directly supported by direct scripture references, many of these inferences are similar to the scenarios that have been provided above and give at least a glimpse of what true heaven may be like. Perhaps more was not provided because either mankind is not able to understand it or it is too wonderful to even describe. I’m reminded of the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey where the question was asked, “What’s going to happen?” The simple response was, “Something wonderful.” Well, that’s what’s going to happen here: something wonderful. Do you plan on being around to experience it? I trust you will. Come with me to visit Something Wonderful.

Quotes in this post came from the following:

Hoyt, Herman A. The End Times. Chicago: Moody Press, 1969.

Congdon, Robert R. Living in the New Heaven and Earth. Sixteenth Annual Pre-Trib Study Group: Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX, 2007.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

We’ve gone through several blog posts on this topic. We now come to the end of this particular series. Here is a summary of what we have discussed.

•Sheol / Hades was originally for both righteous (those who accepted their coming Messiah by faith as the payment for their sins) and unrighteous; temporary; both face future resurrection at different times

•Sheol / Hades was divided into at least three sections

Upper Part: Righteous were in a place of comfort; after crucifixion, Christ went here for 3 days and was then resurrected to overcome death; he then took the occupants to heaven

•Lower Part – Pit: Wicked were in a place of punishment/torment; they remain there today

•Abyss: Certain angels were in a type of ‘prison’ known as Tartarus; currently still there

•Gehenna is equivalent to the Lake of Fire mentioned in Scripture; occurs after Great White Throne Judgment at the end of Christ’s Millennial Reign on earth and equates to our concept of “eternal hell”

•Paradise is anywhere Jesus Christ is in His glorified state

•Enoch, Moses & Elijah were the only ones taken to Heaven prior to Christ’s first coming and they served as hope and assured those looking forward to their Messiah’s coming they would one day be with Him

•Today the righteous go directly to heaven and are with Christ who has chosen to always be in glorified human form to identify with us for eternity

•Christians today will be resurrected at the Rapture or be changed to their glorified state and return with Christ at the end of the Tribulation Period

•Christ will reign on earth for 1000 years in a theocracy; the curse will be lifted; he will reign with righteousness and justice (i.e., an iron scepter); all creatures live in harmony, both those glorified and non-glorified will live together, those glorified will help Christ rule and administer His kingdom; those born will have free will; Israel will lead earth in worship of Christ; temple will be built to show what Christ did, to show what death is, and to atone for sin until those accept Christ through faith, and cleanse inanimate objects used in worship of a holy God

•Satan is released at the end of the Millennium; he uses human nature against mankind and gets many followers; they attack Jerusalem and are destroyed.

•The current heaven and atmosphere are destroyed by fire

•The unrighteous are resurrected and face the Great White Throne Judgment and are cast into the Lake of Fire (eternal hell)

•New Heaven and atmosphere are created; the New Jerusalem descends out of heaven to earth

•Those already glorified enter into eternity as glorified beings

•It is likely those humans in the Millennium will enter eternity as human and become the nations mentioned in Rv 21; they may be able to have children

•The propensity to sin is removed (perhaps like what Christ did for angels)

•Nations will bring God’s glory to him; likely meaning that science and life will continue similarly as we know it but credit for all discoveries will be given to Christ

•All our talents and gifts Christ has given us today will be used for his honor and glory

If this is the first of these posts you have read, I hope you will go back through each one to better understand each of the above bullets. I hope you can see that God cares for us and loves us. Although his love will continue forever, his longsuffering and mercy will not last forever. That is why he gives us so much warning and never gives up on us. He is coming. I trust you will be ready. He definitely wants you to be.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

Let’s finish up our topic on contrasting heaven and hell with two final posts. We have spent several posts on understanding both hell and heaven. While there is a lot more that could be presented, I think we have covered some significant topics. I thought we would do some review via a question and answer session. See if you can answer the questions before reading the answers. Review the previous posts for the supportive scriptures.

1. The Bible is not consistent in stating what happens to someone when they die. Therefore, can we really know what happens after death?

A. There is a progression over history as to what happens to those who die

a. Prior to Christ’s death: All dead resided in Sheol

b. After Christ’s resurrection: Righteous in Heaven; Unrighteous remain in Sheol

2. What do we mean by “righteous”?

A. Those who accept Christ by faith

a. Prior to Christ’s first coming, those who accepted by faith that their coming Messiah would be the sin sacrifice for their sins and that would be their only merit to enter Heaven

b. After Christ’s first coming, those who accept by faith that Christ paid the penalty for their sin on the cross and only through Him do we have merit to enter Heaven

3. Doesn’t the Old Testament supports soul sleep? No one is conscious until they are resurrected, right?

A. Many scriptures contrast death to the living which can sometimes feel there is no consciousness there; yet, there are many scriptures that allude to being with loved ones, activity, and speaking that occurs in Sheol.

4. Isn’t it true that there is no torment or flames in Sheol? Doesn’t only the parable by Christ in New Testament state torment or flame?

A. There are passages in the Old Testament that do refer to flames and/or torment in Sheol for those who were labeled ‘wicked’

a. There is no torment mentioned for those labeled ‘righteous’

b. Yet, neither are there passages that consider Sheol to be a paradise for the righteous

5. If God is going to send people to an eternal hell, why wouldn’t there be more verses in the Bible that are clearer on this topic?

A. God expects people to understand the subtleties in scripture

a. It was a concept understood by Jewish society and therefore did not need emphasis

b. Only when one tries to justify their own will can the scriptures be ignored

6. Isn’t sending people to hell outside of God’s character of love?

A. We should not confuse ‘love’ with ‘longsuffering’

a. God loves everyone but mankind also has responsibility

b. Is love true love if only one-sided?

c. Can one hate God and not reverence Him and yet claim it is unjust to receive consequence?

d. You can rest on God’s love or His justice. God has never been ‘fair’ because it is not a Biblical concept.

7. What is the purpose of the Rapture?

A. God removes the Church so He can “remember” his covenant with Israel.

a. This is the prophetic significance of Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets)

b. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb cannot occur until the entire Church is with Him

c. Another concept of the Rapture would the The Receiving: that is, the receiving of the bride (the church) by Christ (the groom)

8. What is the purpose of the Tribulation? Why does this have to occur?

A. The main purpose is so God can work with Israel once again.

a. It is a final fulfillment of Dt 28 & 29

b. It is global because Jews and those of Israeli descent are worldwide today

c. This time fulfills scripture of how God will again bring Judah and Israel back together into one nation

d. This time forces Israel to do what his loving prodding could not: accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah before He returns to the earth.

e. God’s will still prevails even when Satan is supposedly in control

9. How do we know Christ’s Millennial Kingdom will be an actual physical kingdom?

A. Not only Revelation, but many passages in the Old Testament refer to this time and describe it as a physical kingdom.

a. This re-establishes the theocracy that was lost by Adam and proves why Christ is superior to Satan

b. This allows Israel to become the kingdom of priests to the world originally offered to them

c. This further tests humanity and proves that their rebellion has nothing to do with Satan

10. Why would Christ’s Millennial Kingdom need to come to an end if it is supposed to be so wonderful?

A. Christ’s earthly reign is not perfect. It is a theocracy containing sinful people.

a. Sin has to be removed in its entirety before a perfect kingdom can be established

b. Therefore, the earth and all those not responding to Christ must be removed

c. A sinless earth and heaven is created, populated by sinless people

d. However, it is likely there will still be humans without the propensity to sin present who will continue to “inherit the earth”; and maybe even the universe

I hope this helps you understand the Bible presents a cohesive message and not a hodgepodge of ideas to be interpreted any way one wishes. God has a plan and you are a part of it.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The Church, or those who put their faith in Jesus Christ as the payment for their sins and their eternal future, is known as the Bride of Christ (Ep 5:24-27; 2Co 11:2). Now, to picture how we fit into this analogy, we need to understand the Jewish concept of a wedding. After all, as we have stated many times, the Bible is written from a Jewish perspective. There are three main components to a Jewish wedding. Let’s explore those:

First Part: Betrothal Period. A marriage contract was signed by the parent of the bride and the bridegroom. The parents of the bridegroom, or the bridegroom himself, would pay a dowry to the bride or her parents. This first part of the marriage between Christ and the Church is completed when each believer places his or her faith in Christ as their Savior. The dowry (the blood of Christ) was paid by the bridegroom (Christ) to the bridegroom’s parent (God the Father) on behalf of the bride. As the Church is composed of individuals, the bride is still being formed as believers put their faith in their bridegroom. Yet, at some point in the future, the bride will be considered complete (Ro 11:25). The second part of the wedding will then commence.

Second Part: Receiving the Bride. The groom went to get the bride after a period of time – usually occurring a year or so later. One reason for this was to be sure the bride was pure and a virgin. If the woman was not a virgin, it would become evident within the year. At some undisclosed time, the bridegroom, accompanied by his male friends, would go to the house of the bride (typically somewhere around midnight) and take her and her bridesmaids to the bridegroom’s home via a parade through the city. This will be completed at the Rapture (a sudden catching up; 1Co 15:51-52; 1Th 4:13-18) when the bridegroom (Jesus Christ) returns for his bride (the Church).

Third Part: Wedding Supper. A wedding supper was held, which could go on for days. This is fulfilled as described in Revelation (Rv 19:7-9), most likely in heaven after the Rapture and before Christ returns to Earth.

Attendees to the Wedding Feast: not everyone was invited. There were three main groups: the bridegroom, the bride, and the attendants. So, from this analogy, who will those be? The Bridegroom is none other than Jesus Christ; the Bride is the Church (these will now have their glorified bodies); the attendants are the Old Testament saints (these will not yet have glorified bodies but be whatever bodies souls have as we discussed in our previous post).

I know there is a lot of controversy around the Rapture event. Yet, as we see above, it does fit into the wedding scenario and would help to fulfill Rv 19 in heaven at the same time as the Tribulation Period is happening on Earth. It also allows it to last for an extended period of time similar to a normal Jewish wedding feast. There are also some other characteristics about the Rapture we should consider. It is an imminent event. There is nothing that must happen before this event can happen. All other events are tied to a Jewish timeline. This event is not tied to a Jewish timeline (nothing has to occur prior to this event occurring). This event is for the Church and does not involve the nation of Israel. Actually, this event happens so God can once again deal with the nation of Israel (more on that later). You can see how this really ties into the idea of the bride not knowing when her bridegroom would come for her.

The Rapture occurs at the end of the “Age of Gentiles”: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in” (Ro 11:25). The Feast of Pentecost represents this time period; two trumpet blasts occurred on this feast day (one to initiate it and one to complete it). Three types of sacrifices were made at Pentecost (Nu 10:10): the burnt offering with a trumpet blast, followed by a sin offering, followed by a fellowship offering with a trumpet blast. Isn’t that what we do currently? We accept Christ as our Savior (offering ourselves to him as a whole burnt offering), we continuously confess our sins (1Jn 1:9), and we will be with him and fellowship with him forever after the Rapture. What is the Rapture but the beginning of our eternal fellowship with Christ.

So, what will our new bodies at the Rapture be like? The intermediate bodies of those who died and are already in heaven are upgraded, or the souls receive a glorified body that will be like that of Christ (Pp 3:20-21; 1Jn 3:2). It would seem that our future glorified body will need a physical body to be transformed (1Co 15:52). Perhaps that is why righteous souls are said to be raised as they are already with Christ in a non-glorified state. Otherwise, why would a glorified body not be given at time of death? Why do the righteous souls have to come back for a body? This is a mystery that the scriptures do not explain. Yet, in the light of a Jewish wedding, it may be to fulfill the presentation of the bride to the bridegroom. The why is perhaps not that important as the sureness of the event is what matters. We do get some clues to the characteristics of our future glorified state. Our glorified bodies will be solid (Thomas was able to feel the scars of Jesus’ body; Jn 20:27), they will be similar to our natural body (Jesus was recognized and bore scars; Jn 20:20) yet these bodies can also look dissimilar (disciples on road to Emmaus did not recognize him; Lk 24:13-16), they can materialize and rematerialize (Jesus appeared in a closed room; Jn 20:19, and he disappeared from the disciples sight; Lk 24:31), and the physical realm has no power over these types of bodies (Jesus defied gravity in his ascension; Ac 1:9). I’m sure that is just the beginning! Great things await us. Are you excited!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In a previous post, we discovered that the righteous in Sheol were relocated to Heaven after Christ’s resurrection. What does that mean for those who die today?

According to Scripture, the righteous go straight to heaven. The apostle Paul stated, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven…was caught up to paradise…” (2Co 12:2-4). This was important for Paul to experience this because it put him as an eyewitness to the fact the righteous today (i.e., those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ for their eternal future) go straight to heaven confirming the fact that the righteous were transferred from Sheol to Heaven. As we stated before, Paul called it paradise because Jesus Christ now resides there. Just as Enoch, Moses, and Elijah served as a tangible hope for the Old Testament saints that their future with their Messiah was secure, Paul’s experience serves as our hope we will also one day be with Christ. This is why Paul also stated, “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2Co 5:8).

We are talking about the righteous here, but what about the unrighteous? They still go to Sheol (Hades). There is nothing in Scripture to suggest they have changed their location. Actually, Scripture states they will remain there until their final judgment: “…death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done” (Rv 20:13).

What are people like in heaven? Scripture seems to suggest souls have similarities with a type of body. In Revelation, when the souls of those martyred for the cause of Christ were described, Scripture states they were able to speak, wore white robes (which would indicate some type of solid body), were told to wait and, therefore, were able to understand, reason, and comprehend time (Rv 6:9-11). This description is not the same as the resurrected body they will receive later. This description in Revelation is either talking of an intermediate, temporary body, or this is the normal characteristic of souls. It could even be that souls in our world appear as spirits but may not appear so in the spiritual world.

Of course, Christ is in Heaven today. Christ has three roles:

•Prophet – His role on earth during his first coming: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among your own brothers. You must listen to him” (Dt 18:15).

•Priest – His current role as our high priest and mediator: “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess” (Hb 3:1). The author of Hebrews also states, “…because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hb 7:24-25).

•King – His future role after his second coming: “…He will rule them [the nations] with an iron scepter…on his robe and on his thigh he as the name written: King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rv 19:15-16).

We also need to understand that Christ coming to earth changed him forever. Prior to his coming to earth the first time, Christ was a spirit: “God is a spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth” (Jn 4:24). John also stated, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (Jn 1:1-2).

Christ’s birth made him human. Yet, he was unique: 100% human, 100% God: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).

Christ’s resurrected body is still that of a man (100% man; 100% God): “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Lk 24:39).

Christ is forever man (100% man; 100% God) to identify with us: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Tm 2:5).

Christ agreed to change his relationship with God the Father forever – for us! How amazing it that! That really shows how much he loves us. Would you do that for someone? That would be a really hard decision, to be willing to give up so much for someone else. Yet, that is what Christ did for us. Can you now see why Sheol for the righteous was relocated? He loved us so much and wants to be with us, but the only way he could do that was to pay the sin debt and, by doing so, stopped being a spirit so he could save us and identify with us forever. We can never say he is cold and indifferent and doesn’t care. No one cares more than He does for us.

Next time we’ll look at heaven between now and our Savior’s second return. Stay tuned.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

During the last post, we were exploring what heaven was like before Christ’s first coming. We discovered that something different happened for Enoch, Moses, and Elijah than for other humans. The Bible seems to imply that these three went to heaven and not to Sheol as did others at that time. Yet, there are some who believe that was not the case. Their argument is based almost entirely on a New Testament verse. Let’s explore that further.

Some quote, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man” (Jn 3:13). Yet, we first must take this verse in its context – Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus how to receive eternal life. Only the one who came from heaven, died, is resurrected, and ascends back to heaven can provide that. This verse is referring to volitionally doing so. Only Jesus had the means and power to do so on his own accord. Enoch, Moses, and Elijah did not volitionally ascend into heaven. God took them. They had no power on their own accord to do so. Therefore, this verse does not preclude these three from also being in heaven. We also do not need to fabricate how these three were placed in another location until God used them again.

Then, there are others who claim Elijah was back on earth after he was supposedly taken to heaven. They refer to a verse in 2nd Chronicles: “Jehoram [son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah] received a letter from Elijah the prophet . . .” (2Ch 21:12). This event occurred after the death of Jehoshaphat, yet Elijah was translated before the death of Jehoshaphat. Is there a rational explanation? I think there is. The word translated ‘letter’ is usually translated ‘writing’ in most other places. Therefore, Jehoram received a writing from Elijah (likely delivered by Elisha or another prophet). This is a simple, yet plausible, explanation and would not be inconsistent with the delivery of prophecy. Elijah made sure it was delivered at the specified time after he was taken away. This would ensure the delivery would have its maximum effect upon the king. Unfortunately, the king was un-phased even with such a prophetic delivery.

It is interesting that we find these three Old Testament individuals also represent how people will enter Christ’s earthly Promised Kingdom once he returns. The following table shows this:

So, what is the purpose of these three individuals receiving such special treatment? It is two-fold. First, these individuals provided hope and a promise to those who lived prior to Christ’s first coming that whoever would put their faith in the coming Messiah would eventually be with him. And second, it showed Old Testament saints, and even us today, the type of people who will be part of the Messiah’s future kingdom.

Why were only Moses & Elijah transfigured with Christ? Jesus would be building his church and his future bride would be composed of those who would be resurrected and those who would be translated.

Does this have anything to do with the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation (Rv 11)? The actions of these two are reminiscent of actions and miracles of Moses and Elijah. Since Moses and Elijah already have glorified bodies, the two witnesses may not be them specifically, but may represent, or be prototypes, of the types of individuals these two witnesses will be.

Okay, let’s summarize. Prior to Christ’s first coming, only the Trinity and angels had access to heaven. None of the righteous (those placing their faith in the coming Messiah), with three exceptions, were in Heaven prior to Christ’s first coming. Enoch, Moses, and Elijah gave hope to Israel they would one day be with their Messiah. These three are prophetic of the type of people who will make up Christ’s future earthly kingdom: those who will be alive at the time of Christ’s second coming (represented by Enoch), those who were part of the Rapture prior to Christ’s second coming (represented by Elijah), and those who will be resurrected either at the Rapture or at the time of Christ’s second coming (represented by Moses). These examples also demonstrate to us today that the Old Testament is proof of the prophecy to be fulfilled in the New Testament. What hasn’t been fulfilled yet will still be fulfilled in our future. We can trust God is faithful to bring to pass what his Word says.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

When we think of the word ‘heaven,’ there are three places the Bible describes using the same word. Here are a few examples.

1. First Heaven – Sky. Isaiah spoke of this: As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater . . . (Is 55:10).

2. Second Heaven – Outer Space. Moses spoke of this: And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon, and the stars – all the heavenly array – do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under the heaven (Dt 4:19).

3. Third Heaven – Where God is. Paul spoke of this: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven (2Co 12:2). The psalmist spoke of this: The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne . . . (Ps 11:4). And Solomon spoke of this: But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you . . . (2Ch 6:18).

It’s the third heaven we want to concentrate on for this post. So, who occupies this third heaven? Based upon a previous post, we know that changed over the course of earth’s history. Let’s focus on its occupancy before Christ came to earth the first time. Here are the occupants the Bible speaks of and some of the supporting verses:

1.      First Person of Trinity (God the Father). We find God in the beginning: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gn 1:1). He also revealed himself to the Israelites at Mount Sinai after they were rescued from Egypt: Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire (Ex 19:18a).

2.      Second Person of Trinity (God the Son – Jesus Christ). The Bible tells us he was there with God in the beginning: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image…” (Gn 1:26). Also, after God appeared to the Israelites in the smoke and fire on Mount Sinai, this second person of the Godhead appeared to their leaders: Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank (Ex 24:9-11). I find this awe inspiring because right after God gave the command to stay off the mountain because they were not holy, he met with them to show his grace.

3.      Third Person of Trinity (God the Holy Spirit). Even the Holy Spirit was with God in the beginning: Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Gn 1:2). The Holy Spirit was also given to many of the Israelite leaders: Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took of the Spirit that was on him and put the Spirit on the seventy elders (Nu 11:25a).

4.      Angels. The Bible speaks of both righteous angels and unrighteous angels, or demons, who followed Lucifer (also called the devil, the Adversary, or Satan).

Let’s now focus on these angels for a few minutes. The word ‘angel’ simply means ‘messenger.’ It is humans who have genericized what angels look like and what they do. The Bible actually gives us a look into these creatures whom God created. They are not all the same and they do not all have the same occupation or the same rank. Yet, they all are messengers who carry out the will of God:

1.      Cherubim (Ek 1:5-24; 10:1-22) – These are the highest rank of angels with the closest relationship to God, and a major part of God’s moving chariot throne

2.      Seraphim (Is 6:1-7) - They cover the unique presence of God and his throne.

3.      Four Living Beings (Rv 4:6-9) - They exalt God day and night.

4.      Archangel (1Th 4:16; Ju 1:9) - Chief Messenger and ruling angel.

5.      Angels – (Mt 24:36; 25:31; Hb 1:6; Ro 8:38; 1Pt 3:22) - These are messengers who carry out the message God wants delivered.

6.      Satan – (Jb 1:6; Rv 12:10) – Satan himself is an angel, a created being, who is submissive to God. He does not have equal billing or influence. The Bible does state he has access to heaven and to God, at least at certain times. Scriptures also tells us that one day his access will be revoked, and he will no longer be granted such access.

7.      Demons - (Ro 8:38; 1Co 15:24; Ep 1:21, 2:22, 3:10, 6:12; Cl 1:16, 2:10, 15; 1Pt 3:22) – These are under Satan and his authority. They may or may not have access to heaven. They also have ranks and are described as principalities, might, powers, dominions, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places, authorities, rulers, and thrones.

The Second Person of the Godhead (who later became known as Jesus Christ) has always been the part of the Trinity who has reached out to humans and revealed attributes of God to them. There are many examples of this, and theologians have termed these Old Testament visits, or pre-incarnate visits, as Christophanies: Adam & Eve (Gn 3:8-9), Abraham (Gn 18:1), Children of Israel (Ex 23:20-21), Moses, Aaron, and elders (Ex 24:9-11), Joshua (Js 5:13-15), and Manoah and his wife (Jd 13:2-23). While this is not an exhaustive list, it does help us see and understand God was in constant communication with humans even before the Holy Spirit was given to all Christians.

There are some other individuals we must consider. There are three humans who the Bible state were taken to heaven before Christ’s first coming. Let’s take a look at them and see what that implies.

Enoch. The Bible states, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Gn 5:24). Later, we read, “by faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God” (Hb 11:5). And we find he was a prophet in his day: Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “see, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him” (Ju 1:14). Therefore, Enoch preached of the Messiah coming to set up his earthly kingdom. How he entered heaven is how many will enter Christ’s kingdom. They, too, will not die but still be alive when Christ returns to earth again to set up his kingdom. They will literally, walk into his kingdom.

Moses. God told the children of Israel their promised coming Messiah would be recognizable because he would come as a prophet like Moses: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him” (Dt 18:15). When Moses died, God, himself buried him: “And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is” (Dt 34:5-6). Yet, Moses did not stay buried. We read of this unusual event in Jude: “But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘the Lord rebuke you’” (Ju 1:9)! The reason we believe he did not stay dead is because he appeared with Christ and three of his disciples: “Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus” (Lk 9:30-31). Therefore, the disputed body may have been over Moses’ glorified body. If Moses was resurrected, Satan may have argued over Moses not staying in Sheol. Christ had not yet come and defeated death and Sheol, so Satan may have argued this was premature of God to raise Moses at this time. This would be consistent with the similarity between Moses and Jesus.

Elijah. He was another that did not face death in this life: “As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind” (2Ki 2:11). This was a testimony to the message Elijah had constantly wanted his people to realize and understand about God: God is alive, and they can put their trust in him. Recall what he told the Israelites: “Elijah went before the people and said, ‘How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him’” (1Ki 18:21). This became a promise to Israel in that they would one day be with God if they remained faithful to their belief in their Messiah. Elijah also appeared along with Moses to Christ and three of his disciples: “Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus” (Lk 9:30-31).

There are some controversies around what I just presented. Next time, we’ll explore this further and see what the likely purpose of why these three individuals received special treatment. It may not be what you expect. Stay turned and find out. Until then, God bless.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In our last post, we discovered Paradise is wherever Jesus Christ, in his glorified state, resides. But there is a little more to it than just that, although that is an important step in understanding Biblical context.

We also found that everyone went to Sheol when they died, but they went to different sections within Sheol depending upon their faith in the coming Messiah. After the Messiah came, died, rose, and ascended, we find those who put their faith in the Messiah who came would now be with him in Heaven when they died. Since the entire Bible is true, then something had to have happened to make both passages of Scripture true. Somehow, the righteous went from being in Sheol to being in the third Heaven. So, how did it happen?

There is no one Scripture reference that tells us what happened, but there are enough pieces of evidence throughout Scripture which we can assemble into a logical scenario of the chain of events. Let’s explore.

Jesus told the thief on the cross he would be with Jesus in paradise that very day (Lk 23:43). We discovered that because Jesus went to Sheol, paradise came to Sheol that day. The long awaited hope all the righteous in Sheol had longed for was now being fulfilled. Joy had come to a non-joyous place. To fulfill Scripture, Jesus was in Sheol for three days (Mt 12:40). By rising from the dead, it showed he now possessed the power over death and Sheol (Rv 1:18). Others had died and been resurrected, but they died again. Jesus Christ rose and never died again. He is the Hope for our eternal future (Ro 6:5).

Jesus rose from the dead early on a Sunday (Mt 28:1, 6). Because of the rush to bury Jesus before Passover ended and the special Sabbath arrived (Lk 23:54), the women who had come to the crucifixion did not get to prepare Jesus’ body properly by Jewish standards (Mt 27:59-60; Lk 23:53). Several women came to anoint his body once the weekly Sabbath was over, when they could again travel to the tomb. Art usually depicts three women coming to the tomb that morning, but there were many other women with them (Lk 24:10). These women find the heavy stone already rolled away from the tomb’s entrance (Mk 16:4). Mary Magdalene gets to the tomb first (Jn 20:1), but goes off on her own in sadness. The other women see the angels who tell them to tell Peter and the other disciples Jesus is alive (Mt 28:6; Mk 16:7; Lk 24:6). The women leave; one group runs to the disciples (Mt 28:8); the others travel with Mary (Mt 28:9), Jesus’ mother, who is likely confused and trying to understand the angelic message.

The disciples did not believe the women, but Peter and John ran to the tomb (Lk 24:11-12; Jn 20:3) to check for themselves. When Mary Magdalene saw Peter and John approaching, she ran to them and told them someone took Jesus’ body (Jn 20:2). Mary Magdalene likely ran back to the tomb with them. Peter and John entered the tomb; Peter left confused; John believed (Jn 20:4-9). Peter and John left; Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb (Jn 20:10-11). Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene (Mk 16:9; Jn 20:14) but told her he had not yet ascended back to the Father (Jn 20:17). Mary Magdalene went back and told the disciples she had seen Jesus (Jn 20:18). What was this conversation with Mary Magdalene about?

A sin offering was considered most holy (Ex 30:10; Lv 10:17) and was to be used for atonement (Hb 9:7). Christ was now going to present himself to God the Father for the eternal atonement (Hb 9:12) of mankind. Perhaps something like the following occurred.

Jesus returned to Sheol and announced to all those in Sheol who had died and, by faith, had looked forward to his coming, “It is time! Come.” And then they were gone. This part of Sheol was now empty. The barrier dissolved, no longer needed. Jesus transported the righteous from Sheol to heaven with him: i.e., led captivity captive (Ep 4:8-10; Ps 68:18). That is why Paul was able to say that now to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2Co 5:8). Christ’s death created a paradigm shift among the living and the dead.

“They’re here! They’re here!” various angles were telling each other. They all scrambled to line the way that led to God’s throne. This was a once in an eternity experience! They were not going to miss it. Jesus led the procession, and behind him, from Abel to the thief on the cross who Christ had promised to be with Him in Paradise just a short time earlier, followed behind Jesus. As Jesus passed, angels genuflected and bowed their heads to show their respect to this One, their Beloved, who had been willing to leave this beautiful, wonderful, home and go to earth to pay the high price God required for mankind’s sin and be willing to be forever changed from spirit to human form. Jesus headed to God’s throne, to the true Most Holy Place (Hb 9:11-12). When the processional reached the throne, Jesus said, “Father, I present myself and the blood I have shed to you as the payment to purchase these here with me who have looked forward, by faith, to this day as we had prophesied even before our creation of mankind.” God replied, “My Son, I accept your sacrifice and your blood as payment for these here and for those who, also by faith, will also become yours. No longer is a sacrifice needed. Your payment satisfies the debt due once and for all.” He then turned His attention to those who accompanied Jesus. “My children, I welcome you. Your faith in your Messiah is rewarded. His blood has covered your sins, and I only see you through Him. You are accepted.” At that, all the angels stood and began to applaud these who had now come to be with them in Heaven, and some of the angels started singing praises to their unique and awesome God.

Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, and God, the first person of the Trinity, continued their conversation. “My Son, go now and finish your work. You have gathered one sheepfold, now is the time to start gathering the second. Go and show the Adversary you have not only paved the way for mankind to overcome their sin, but you have also overcome death itself. Go fulfill our prophecy to Eve that your death is comparable to that of a bruised heel. As a bruise is short-lived, so has been your death. Then the Adversary will know the rest of the prophecy will come to pass. You have served as a prophet, you will now serve all those who trust in your work by faith as their High Priest before Me, and you will one day serve as their King. Our prophecy cannot be thwarted. Go, My Son. I look forward to your return.” At that, as the angles still sang, Jesus was gone.

Jesus next appears to his mother and the other women (Mt 28:9). These women returned to tell the disciples Jesus would meet them in Galilee (Mt 28:10). How could the above have happened between the time of Jesus speaking to Mary Magdalene and him appearing to his mother before she got back to the disciples? Well, Heaven seems to be outside of our normal sense of time (2Pt 3:8). Therefore, one can’t correlate our sense of what can get accomplished with what God can accomplish.

Jesus, later in the day, appeared to Cleopas and another disciple on the road to Emmaus (Mk 16:12; Lk 24:15), and later appeared to all the disciples (Mt 28:16; Mk 16:14; Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19).

So, the righteous were moved from Sheol to Heaven because of Christ’s payment of atonement for their sins and their faith in him coming to do just that. We now will be with him forever if we accept what he did utilizing that same faith. They looked forward; we look backward. But our faith in Christ is the same. Praise His Name.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

The word paradise conjures up images of somewhere peaceful and beautiful, and where no one has a care in the world. But what is the Biblical meaning? Some would say the Garden of Eden, or Heaven, or the Millennium, or maybe the New Jerusalem as part of the New Earth. Well, let’s see how the Bible used the word ‘paradise.’ Surprisingly, it is only used three times:

Lk 23:43 – Jesus answered him, “I tell you [thief on the cross] the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”

2Co 12:4 – [Paul] was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell.”

Rv 2:7 – He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

As we first look at these, it would appear three different places are being called paradise. Let’s investigate each one. In a previous post, we saw that prior to Christ’s resurrection, everyone went to Sheol. Was Christ calling the part of Sheol for the righteous, paradise? If that is the case, then this would be the only place in Scripture where Sheol is called Paradise.

King David referred to Sheol differently. Even knowing he would one day go to the portion for the righteous, he referred to it as a place like the following:

•Of captivity

•Where worship at temple cannot occur

•Where joys of life cannot be experienced

Therefore, he did not consider it a place he wanted to go, but a place to be released from.

There was an expectation of future joy after death, but that would occur only after their resurrection. After Babylonian captivity, some Jewish sects did teach of experiencing Gan Eden after death. Yet, most taught this would occur after their resurrection.

Christ would have known the correct time of Gan Eden, or Paradise, so he would not have used it inappropriately.

So, how do we make sense of three different places being called ‘paradise’? Well, what do all these references have in common? It would seem that in all cases, Jesus Christ himself is present. He was in the Garden of Eden; he was in Sheol when the thief on the cross went to Sheol; he is in Heaven today; and we who accept him by faith will be with him in his Millennial Kingdom and in the New Earth. It would seem, then, that paradise is wherever he is. He could tell the thief he would be in Paradise because Christ would be with him in Sheol. This was the only time it could be called Paradise as this was the first time happiness and joy entered there. Christ is today in Heaven, and so it would be correct for Paul to state he went to Paradise. And, in the future, Christ will be a part of the New Heaven and Earth when the Tree of Life will once again be available as John stated in Revelation.

It seems appropriate that Paradise is wherever Christ is. He is the one who brings hope and joy. Paradise is associated with praise, and praise is void without Christ being the subject of it.

Now, if that is the case, how does this play a key role in the transition of Christ’s followers going from being in Sheol after death to being in Heaven in Christ’s presence after death? Stay tuned for our next post.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

In the Old Testament, Sheol is noted as the place where all dead go: both the righteous and the wicked. Before we get deeper into the controversy of why translators did not always translate the world Sheol into the same English word, let’s first get an understanding of what the Old Testament stated about Sheol.

We first need to understand that while all the dead went to Sheol, not everyone went to the same place in Sheol. It seems there was a different place for the righteous versus that for the wicked. There are passages within scripture that mention at least three different sections within Sheol (Dt 32:22; Ps 30:3; Is 14:15; 2Pt 2:4) with the righteous occupying the upper part, the wicked the lower part (sometimes called the “pit”), and some angels occupying another, separate, section of Sheol. We will discuss this latter section in a separate post. In addition, the Talmud supports this belief as well (see ref).

What are some of the characteristics of Sheol? Many Old Testament passages tell what Sheol is not rather than what it actually is. Many passages contrast Sheol to life and hence the term “land of the living” in contrast to the land of the dead – the opposite of each other (Ps27:13; 52:5; 116:9; 142:5; Is 38:11; 53:8; and Ezekiel 26:20; 32:23-27; 32:32). Sheol is a place where activities of physical life are no longer possible: they do not marry, procreate, or carry on business transactions; they cannot attend public worship in the temple and give sacrifices or praise; they cannot eat or drink; they do not have any wisdom or knowledge about what is happening in the land of the living; they are cut off from the living; they have entered a new dimension of reality with its own kind of existence (Ps 6:5, 30:9, 88:10-12, 115:17; Ec 9:5, 10; Is 38:18). It is a place hidden to us and of a different dimension. Some scripture calls it a “shadowy place” or “place of darkness” (Jb 10:21-22; Ps 143:3) and a place of disembodied spirits (Jb 26:5; Ps 88:10; Pv 2:18, 9:18, 21:16; Is 14:9, 26:14, 19). Other scripture tells us Sheol is found “down”, “beneath the earth,” or in “the lower parts of the earth” (Jb 11:8; Is 44:23, 57:9; Ek 26:20; Am 9:2). Since the rebellion of Adam, Satan is the ruler of the earth (Mt 4:8-9) and of death (1Co 15:26). During Old Testament times even the righteous were not in God’s presence after death.

Yet, Sheol was also not a place of inactivity. Ps 115:17 states, “It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence.” Yet, this is not a verse that supports the idea of “soul sleep.” To a Jew, praise involved the temple in Jerusalem, especially in David’s case. There is no temple in Sheol and, therefore, no place to adequately praise God. David was making a statement of contrast between the live, physical world and the dead, spiritual world. We have contrast here – silence of praise, not silence in totality.

Princeton scholar Charles Hodge stated: “That the Jews believed in a conscious life after death is beyond dispute.” There are Biblical examples as well. Jacob expected to see his son Joseph in Sheol and interact with him (Gn 37:35). There are numerous other scriptures that support expectations of interacting with loved ones who had passed on before (Gn 15:15, 25:8, 35;29, 37:35, 49:33; Nu 29:24, 28, 31:2; Dt 32:50, 34:5; 2Sa 12:23). Those in Sheol can converse with each other and can make moral judgments on new arrivals (Is 14:9-20, 44:23; Ek 32:21).

Although there are not many Old Testament passages that directly state torment occurs in Sheol, Old Testament scripture is not exactly silent on this issue either. Some scriptures do allude to the fact that Sheol is a place of God’s continuing judgment. The wicked in the lowest part of Sheol experience the fire of God’s anger (Dt 32:22), experience distress (2Sa 22:6; Ps 18:6, 116:3, 118:5), and may writhe in pain (Jb 26:5). Although no other passages in the Old Testament directly speak of torment in the intermediate state, there are other passages that speak of “everlasting humiliation and contempt” which awaits the wicked after the resurrection (Is 66:24; Dn 12:2). Peter was clear in stating the unrighteous are in torment until their resurrection: . . . the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the Day of Judgment, while continuing their punishment (2Pt 2:9).

What about the righteous? While they were certainly not in torment, scripture does not paint it as a place of paradise either. They feared death (Ps 6, 18:4, 55:4, 116:3); yet, still had hope (Ps 73:23-25). They knew they were not abandoned (Jb 26:6) and were not out of God’s reach (Ps 139:8). They knew Sheol was not permanent for them (Ps 16:10, 49:14-15, 86:13). The ascension of Enoch (Gn 5:24) and Elijah (2Ki 2:11) to heaven indicated that the righteous would someday be taken into God’s presence.

So, we now know that Sheol was established as an intermediate state for everyone where activity was still occurring. The wicked and righteous were in separate areas and experienced Sheol differently. Likely the wicked were in a state of some type of torment while the righteous were in a state of peace, but not necessarily paradise. In our next post, let’s see how the translators used various English words to translate Sheol into our present Bible and what that implies.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

There probably isn’t a more controversial topic in the Bible than the topic of hell. It seems everyone is okay with heaven being in the Bible but get really upset around the concept of hell. Some say hell is not even mentioned in the Bible, others say it’s there but is not a place of torment, while others say the term is just about one sleeping until that person is resurrected.

Although controversial, I thought we should look at this topic and try to keep an open mind. After all, if it is a true concept then we really need to know about it. If it isn’t true, then we certainly want to be sure of that also. So, why is it such a controversial topic? It seems one of the biggest controversies is nomenclature. Remember the Old Testament is predominantly written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek. So, if one only looks at these original languages, the word hell is not there, as the word came from the translation of these original texts into English. In Hebrew, the term is Sheol; in Greek it is Hades.

To me, one of the first questions is, if we are concerned about the English translation not keeping the original word, why are we not upset that the Greek translation did not? Translators try to find words which people will understand or words that convey the original author’s intent. Hades seemed to be a good analogy for Sheol for a Greek society to understand. They’re not exactly the same in meaning but do convey the concept of an underworld where the dead would reside. Both are spiritual places and are therefore “hidden” from those alive. Some claim that is what the definition of Hades means, i.e., hidden. In that case, the word hell may have come from the word hel also meaning “to hide.” It is a term sometimes used to describe how potatoes are stored in an underground shed for the winter (to hell potatoes) or to cover a roof (to hell a roof). Hel was also the Norse god of the underworld just as Hades was the Roman god of the underworld. From this perspective, Hades and Hel have more in common than does Sheol and Hades. Yet, we know from New Testament scripture (Ac 2:27 compared to Ps 16:10) Hades was used interchangeably for Sheol.

The second question is, if Sheol and Hades were to be translated as Hell, why were these terms not always translated as Hell? Is there a terminology issue? There are other terms like Gehenna and Tartarus which were also translated as Hell. Why is that? Is that significant? There are also other terms used that seem similar but were not translated as hell, such as Lake of Fire and Abyss. Are they related? Then, there are terms used in place of Sheol and Hades that were not translated as hell, such as depth, grave, pit, and death. Why?

Is there a reason for these seemingly mistranslations? Was this a bias of the translators or were they trying to be helpful? Let’s see if we can tease this out and make some rational sense of it all. These are the questions I would like for us to explore over the next several posts. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens