<< Previous | Index | Next >>
                           "LIFE AFTER DEATH"

                   What Is The Condition Of The Wicked?

INTRODUCTION

1. So far in this series, we have concentrated our attention upon...
   a. The "intermediate state" of man between death and the resurrection
   b. In particular, the temporary state of the departed righteous

2. Stated briefly, I have tried to show that upon death the souls of the
   righteous:
   a. Are in "Paradise", which since the ascension of Christ is in 
      Heaven with Jesus and the Father
   b. That they are conscious in this state of "bliss", and recognize 
      one another

3. A passage which I understand to beautifully describe this 
   "intermediate state" of the righteous after death is Re 7:9-17

4. In this lesson, I wish to address the following question:  "What is
   the condition of the departed wicked?"

5. Once again, we are considering at this time only the "intermediate 
   state" between death and the resurrection

[The Bible reveals several thing about the condition of the departed 
spirits of the wicked.  For example, they are...]

I. ALIVE AND CONSCIOUS

   A. AS SUGGESTED BY THE STORY OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS...
      1. Recorded in Lk 16:19-31
      2. Even if this story is a "parable" (which I doubt), like all 
         parables it is "true to life", not based upon fantasy
      3. The reference to "Moses and the prophets" (31) makes it clear
         the time frame of the story is set while the Law of Moses was 
         still in effect, so this is a description of the "intermediate 
         state"

   B. FROM THIS ACCOUNT, WE LEARN THAT THE WICKED...
      1. Do not cease to exist ("he lifted up his eyes and saw") - 23
      2. Are aware of where they are, and what is going on around them 
         ("I am tormented in this flame") - 24b
      3. Recognize others ("Father Abraham...send Lazarus...") - 24a
      4. Remember those who have yet to follow them in death ("for I 
         have five brothers") - 28a

[Not only alive and conscious, but as already hinted at, they are...]

II. IN TORMENT

   A. AS EMPHASIZED FOUR TIMES IN THE STORY OF THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS
      - Lk 16:23-25,28
      1. "being in torments" - 23a
      2. "I am tormented in this flame" - 24c
      3. "and you are tormented" - 25c
      4. "lest they also come to this place of torment" - 28b

   B. AS REVEALED BY PETER - 2 Pe 2:9
      1. The Lord knows how to "reserve the unjust under punishment for 
         the day of judgment"
      2. According to Robertson's Word Pictures, the Greek word for 
         "under punishment" (kolazomenous) is a present passive 
         participle; the present tense emphasizes continuity of the 
         punishment
      3. Note that the wicked are reserved under punishment "for" the 
         day of judgment, so the punishment is something going on PRIOR 
         to the Judgment itself

[Where is this "torment" or punishment taking place?  As revealed in 
the Scriptures, the wicked dead are...]

III. IN HADES

   A. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD "HADES" IS UNCERTAIN...
      1. Either from IDEIN (seen) with a negative prefix A-, meaning 
         "the unseen, invisible"
      2. Or from AIANES, meaning "gloomy, gruesome"

   B. IN THE SEPTUAGINT VERSION OF THE OLD TESTAMENT...
      1. It is used to translate the Hebrew word, SHEOL
      2. Depending upon the context, "sheol" (hades) may mean...
         a. Simply an unseen place
            1) As in Jonah 2:2
            2) Where it refers to the belly of the great fish
         b. The grave - Gen 42:38; 44:29,31; Job 17:13; Ps 16:10
         c. The realm of the dead (but not the tomb), where both good 
            and bad go upon death
            1) Gen 37:35 - How could Jacob hope to go down "into the 
               grave" to his son (even though that is how the NKJV 
               translates "sheol") when he thought his son had been 
               eaten by animals?  This makes me think Jacob had in mind 
               the "realm of the dead", not the tomb
            2) Ps 55:15; Pro 9:18; Isa 14:9-11 - These passages speak 
               of the wicked

   C. IN CLASSICAL GREEK...
      1. Homer used the word as a proper name for the "god of the 
         underworld"
      2. In other literature, it stood for "the underworld" as the abode
         of all the dead
         a. Which was divided into two parts (similar to Luke 16)
         b. These two parts were:
            1) The "Elysian fields", the abode of the good
            2) "Tartarus", the place of punishment for the wicked

   D. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, "HADES" IS FOUND ONLY ELEVEN TIMES...
      1. Ten times it is translated "hell" or "hades" (Mt 11:23; 16:18;
         Lk 10:15; 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31; Rev 1:18; 6:8; 20:13,14), and 
         once it is the "grave" (1 Co 15:55)
      2. Some believe that "hades" is the realm of ALL the dead (similar
         to the concept of the Greeks), and made up of two separate
         parts...
         a. With Paradise (at least prior to the Ascension of Christ) 
            for the righteous
         b. And Tartarus for the wicked - cf. 2 Pe 2:4,9
      3. Others believe the term "hades" refers only to the place of the 
         WICKED
         a. That it is not clear in Lk 16:22-23 whether Hades was just
            the abode of the rich man, or also that of Lazarus and 
            Abraham
         b. And in Ac 2:26-27, 31 we may have a case of synonymous 
            parallelism, with only the resurrected body of Christ in 
            view ("soul" being used to refer to the body, and "Hades" is
            referring to the grave, as "Sheol" in the Hebrew sometimes 
            does)
         c. But remember the statement of Jacob in Gen 37:35
      4. In any case, "hades" is used at least on several occasions in 
         the New Testament...
         a. As the place of the wicked - Lk 16:23
         b. As a place where the wicked are in torment - Lk 16:23
         c. As a temporary place, to be thrown into "the lake of fire" 
            after the Judgment - Re 20:13-14

CONCLUSION

1. Though the Scriptures may not tell us everything we might like to
   know about the "intermediate state", enough is revealed to make the
   following comparison:
   a. Concerning the RIGHTEOUS...
      1) With God and Christ
      2) In Paradise, which since the ascension of Christ is in Heaven
      3) Alive and conscious
      4) At rest in a state of blessedness
   b. Concerning the WICKED...
      1) Separated from God and Christ
      2) In Hades
      3) Alive and conscious
      4) In torment, reserved under punishment for the day of Judgment

2. In future lessons we shall consider the "eternal state" of man, both
   of the righteous and the wicked...
   a. But does this not suffice to move us to so live as to experience
      the blessings of the righteous and to avoid the torment of the
      wicked?
   b. If so, what are we doing about it?
<< Previous | Index | Next >>

The "Executable Outlines" Series, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 1999


This document (last modified February 06, 1999) from Believerscafe.com
Home | Bible versions | Bible Dictionary | Christian Classics | Christian Articles | Daily Devotions

Sister Projects: Wikichristian | WikiMD

BelieversCafe is a large collection of christian articles with over 40,000 pages


Our sponsors:   sleep and weight loss center W8MD sleep and weight loss center