And you know, as I look at 2 Timothy 2.15, to rightly divide the word of truth, I'm reminded in this series so far, we've been doing that. in a number of areas. We've looked at the three tenses of salvation. We've looked at justification versus practical sanctification. We've looked at the natural, spiritual, and carnal man. We've looked at the family of God versus fellowship with God. We've looked at the relationship of the gift of salvation to the believer's reward. We've looked at the ministries of the Holy Spirit. We've looked at the eight biblical covenants, the differences between Israel and the church, the various judgments and so forth. And today we're going to begin distinguishing between the three hells of the Bible. And there are three distinct places that we put into one general category called hell. A quote from a book written by Chuck Swindoll in his Growing Deep in the Christian Life, he says this, It's not unlikely that within the last 24 hours you've heard someone say, what the hell are you doing? Or, I sure as hell will. Or, who in the hell do you think you are? Now, I'm quoting, remember? OK. That word, yes? No, you don't need to. Just leave it as part of it. OK? That word hell has become a conversational byword in our day. Good friends dare to say playfully to one another, go to hell. They surely don't mean go to the place of punishment for the wicked after death, though that is how the dictionary defines the word hell. But why use the word hell? Why not instead, what the jail are you doing? Or I sure as school will. And why not say, oh, go to Chicago? simply because jail, school, and Chicago, even for the enemies of each, have no real sting. They have only the flavor of vanilla at a time when chocolate or peppermint is needed. When it comes right down to it, in the English language, hell is the strongest expletive available that carries the idea of ultimate deprivation, devastation, fear, torment, punishment, suffering, and loss. Whether or not the user of the term hell believes in an actual literal hell is of little or no consequence. There is an inbuilt, inarticulated, yet understood bite in the very word itself. Swindoll goes on to say, so if hell really is the place of eternal punishment of the wicked after death, how comes it's used so lightly, millions and millions of times each day? Why is there such an apparent lack of seriousness about the word? Why is a word so heavy with meaning used so indifferently? Why do people pretend the place doesn't exist? When is the last time you heard a serious sermon on the subject or read an article of note dealing with judgment and eternal punishment? Even the evangelical crowd has, by and large, avoided the topic, opting for a more positive approach. Hell has come on hard times. Deep below the surface of things, a proliferating erosion concerning the seriousness of hell, brought on by a complex web of modern ideas about hell. has stripped this weighty word of most of its awesomely solemn content." And I agree. I mean, hell is a word that has a lot of bite to it. It is not to be used lightly. In fact, Billy Graham, in his book, Facing Death and the Life After, says, whatever happened to hell? In contemporary society, hell is not a popular subject. George Gallup made a survey on hell, and there were some interesting results in his national poll. 53% of the general population of the United States said they believe in hell. The percentage goes down dramatically among people with a college education and those with high incomes. Simply stated, the Gallup poll shows that the more education and more money people had, the less likely they were to believe in hell. And then he goes on to state some other things. In fact, kind of interesting, I remember I read a stat recently I shared with you, I think. Do you remember what it was? How many people think they're going to go to hell? It's a very small amount. In fact, to every person who thinks they're going to go to hell, like 150 think they're going to heaven. But that is just typical. Because one, we don't understand how to go to heaven. And two, we don't think we're that bad. And number three, we don't think God is that holy. therefore, of course, and then there's false teaching that comes along like the Jehovah Witnesses who have been trained a little bit in the Greek words or the Hebrew words of Hades and Gehenna and Tartarus and Sheol and if you are uninstructed and Undiscerning about those words they can spin this argument because they don't believe in an eternal retribution they believe in a annihilation They do not believe hell goes on forever, and that you are tormented day and night, forever and ever. They believe there's just an annihilation, as it were, for the unredeemed, per se. And so, there are three words, four in particular, if you go through the Hebrew, that we need to become familiar with, that are all translated by the word hell in your Bible. First of all, its designation. First word is Sheol. That's the Hebrew word. The Greek word is Hades. And they're both translated hell in the Bible. Now, Sheol occurs about 65 times. This word Sheol. 65 times in the Old Testament, and it is translated grave some 30 times, and hell some 30 times, and pit a few times. So you've got grave, it's translated, it's translated hell, and it's translated pit occasionally. Context determines. The word sheol is the Hebrew word for the lower parts of the earth. and can refer to the grave or the place of judgment. And I'll just show you the verses here. Habakkuk, well, I guess not. Let's go to Habakkuk chapter two. Habakkuk chapter two. Some pronounce this Habakkuk as well. I like Habakkuk myself. Back in chapter 2, verses 4 and 5. Behold the proud! His soul is not upright in him, but the just shall live by his faith. Familiar with that verse at all? found three times in the New Testament. Indeed, because he transgresses by wine, he's a proud man and does not stay at home because he enlarges his desire as hell. And he is like death and cannot be satisfied. He gathers to himself all nations and heaps up for himself all peoples. We see the word hell there, and that is a translation of the Hebrew word Sheol. Now it's interesting to note the phrase, the just shall live by faith, is quoted three times in the New Testament. Once in Romans, once in Galatians, once in Hebrews. So this is a very important verse. The Scofield Note from Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 5 says, the Hebrew Sheol is, in the Old Testament, the place to which the dead go. Number one, often, therefore, it is spoken of as the equivalent of the grave, where all human activities cease, the terminus toward which all human life moves. So it's used of the grave. And it's found in Genesis 42, 38, where he said, my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him, Jacob said, along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the Sheol. to the grave. This is Jacob protesting about letting his son go to Egypt, which Joseph was requiring. In Job 14, 13, all that you would hide me in the grave, that you would conceal me until your wrath is passed, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me. Again, the word is Sheol, grave, the place where the dead go. Psalm 88.3, for my soul is full of troubles and my life draws near to the grave. To the grave. A second thing the Scofield note says, to the man under the sun, the natural man who of necessity judges from appearances, she all seems no more than the grave. The end and total cessation not only of the activities of life, but also of life itself. And by the way, this is where the Jehovah Witnesses sometimes go to these verses in Ecclesiastes, to try to prove their point. The problem is Ecclesiastes is largely how man, apart from divine viewpoint, looks at life from human viewpoint. And how does the natural man look at human life? He looks at it as, well, when I'm dead, I'm dead. Activity ceased. Number three, but scripture reviews Sheol as a place of sorrow. 2 Samuel 22, 6, Psalm 18, 5, 116, 3, into which the wicked are turned, Psalm 9, 17, and where they are fully conscious, Isaiah 14, 9 through 17, Ezekiel 32, 21. Compare Jonah 2, 2, what the belly of the great fish was to Jonah. Sheol is to those who are therein. The Sheol of the Old Testament and Hades of the New Testament are identical. Okay? So when you're talking about hell in the Old Testament, and by the way, there are not a lot of references to hell in the Old Testament, but the word that is used is the Hebrew word Sheol. Its New Testament equivalent is the word Hades, which we'll look at in a little bit. Number two. Hades is the Greek synonym for Sheol. and was the place for the saved or unsaved dead prior to Christ's work on the cross. And I'd like you to go with me to the book of Luke, chapter 16. Now, there are those even good Bible teachers at times that dismiss this passage and dismiss this idea that Hades had two categories, but I don't know how they can do that with a normal, literal understanding of the passage. And furthermore, this is not a parable, because parables do not use specific names like Abraham and Lazarus, which are found in this passage. In Luke chapter 16, we begin in verse 19. There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sore. Source so it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom the rich man also died and was in and was buried and being in torments in Hades He lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom Now, you must always remember that death refers to some kind of separation in the Bible. And in physical death, the soul is separated from the body. And here in our passage, we see that whether rich or poor, they both died. All human beings are under the curse and will die physically apart from the rapture. And what a ride that must have been to be carried into Abraham's bosom by the angels. And by the way, that's where the old spiritual comes in. Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry me home. Where does that come from? I looked over Jordan, and what did I see? Coming for to carry me home. A band of angels coming after me, coming for to carry me home. Where does that come from? This passage right here. And by the way, we're thinking of the black spirituals of the past. These people lived very difficult lives. And many of them claimed to be Christians. I hope they were. And they looked forward to the next life. They looked forward to going to heaven. They looked forward to the angels coming to carry them home. Now we know prior to the cross and prior to the ascension of Christ, that both the saved and the lost went to Hades, the place of the dead here. Verse 24 goes on to say, Then he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am in torment, tormented in this flame. Now, did the rich man know he was tormented? Yes. Did he know who the people were he was dealing with? Did he have reasonability? Did he have consciousness? Did he have memory? He had all of that. And he knew he was being in torment. Verse 25, but Abraham said, son, remember, and notice you have to have memory to remember. that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things, but now he's comforted and you are tormented. Now based on this verse is the saying I've often said that I heard first from John White, for the unsaved this life is the best it gets. For the saved, this life is the worst it gets. It's only going to get better. And that's exactly what that verse is saying. Going on, we read. What verse are we on? And beside all this, between us and you, there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us. And so we see Hades clearly has two compartments. There is a paradise side, and there is a torment side, and there is a great gulf between them in which you cannot cross over. You can't cross over. I find it interesting that Jesus Christ takes a prophetic jab at the Pharisees in the crowd And he is indicating something that would really strike at their core. Remember, the thinking of the Pharisee was this. If you're righteous, you will be what? Blessed. In what way? Physically. So the rich man should have been viewed as righteous, and where does he end up? Torment. And most of the Pharisees were rich, And here Lazarus is poor, so therefore he would have been viewed as unrighteous, and it's just the opposite. Just the opposite in this case. Going on, we read, verse 27, and he said, I beg you therefore, Father, that you would send him to my father's house, where I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of what? Torment Abraham said to him they have Moses and the prophets. They have the Word of God Let them hear them and he said no father Abraham as if he was smarter than Abraham But if one goes to them from the dead, they'll repent they'll change their mind But he said to them if they do not hear Moses and the prophets neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead by the way, that's my conclusion if they ever find Noah's Ark and Do you really think there's going to be a great revival if they find Noah's Ark? No way. They won't believe the Word of God. Why are they going to get saved if there's Noah's Ark? Noah's Ark. And so we just read the story of the rich man and Lazarus. We've just noted Sheol in the Old Testament is the place of Hades in the New. There's two compartments to this. Now, next we notice its description in Destiny. Number one, Sheol or Hades consists of two compartments, torment for the unsaved and paradise for the saved. And we know paradise is now in the third heaven. Second Corinthians 12 says, Paul says, I knew a man in Christ, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell, but he was caught up into paradise. The next verse, he was caught up into the third heaven. So paradise today is no longer in Hades, which was viewed in the lower parts of the earth, but paradise today is in the third heaven, the very throne room of God. And so, Old Testament prior to the cross concept, the redeemed went to paradise and enjoyed the presence and blessings of God. The unsaved went to torment due to their failure to put their faith in the Lord and his offer of salvation to them. And this is the way it was. Number two, Sheol or Hades is described as a literal place of torment. of conscious memory in which a person's destiny is unchangeable. We just saw that in our passage. Four times in this passage, Hades is mentioned as a place of torment. Verse 23, and being in torments in Hades. Verse 24, I am tormented in this flame. Verse 25, but now He is comforting you, you are tormented. Verse 28, lest they also come to this place of torment. The unbeliever experiencing this great pain, suffering, and anguish and torment has a greater evangelistic vision than the average believer does. It's a place of conscious memory. It's a place in which the person's destiny is unchangeable. You cannot cross over. There is no means of escape. from the torment of hell. There is no second chances. There is no purgatory. The lost are destined for eternal torment. And so, we see very clearly that Sheol is the place of physical pain and torment. It's a place of conscious memory again, as I noted. Number three, Hades is the temporary place of God's judgment for the souls of people, and it will eventually be cast into the lake of fire. Now keep in mind, the Bible says that punishment is everlasting for the unsafe. But it does not say that the everlasting punishment has to be in only one place. But it's everlasting. So when an unbeliever dies today, where do they go? They go to Hades, which no longer has a paradise side to it. and they await the great white throne judgment in which they then are cast into the lake of fire. Why? Because Hades is also cast into the lake of fire. And so I've tried to explain it before this way, utilizing our location here. When someone gets in trouble with the law, they are usually put into the St. Louis County Jail. They are incarcerated. They are awaiting their day in court. One day they go to court, and if found guilty, they are not usually put back in the St. Louis County Jail. They move on to a more permanent place of punishment. In the same way, when an unbeliever dies today, they go to Hades. But Hades isn't the final place of the punishment, though the everlasting punishment has begun. Just like while the believer today goes upon death into the presence of the Lord in that place that Christ has gone to prepare for them, that place doesn't remain there. It eventually moves down and lands on the new earth, doesn't it? And so, as you study the Bible, these things become obvious. Now go to Revelation chapter 20. And you're familiar with this passage, but I want to just point it out again. Revelation chapter 20. Now, chronologically, this is after the Millennial Kingdom. And the final rebellion, verse 10, the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. By the way, they were thrown in a thousand years earlier and they're still there, which clearly indicates it's not annihilation and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And, you know, sometimes they want to downplay the words forever and ever. But that very phrase is used of God in the book of Revelation, who lives forever and ever. And that clearly means forever and ever. Verse 11, Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat in it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And the 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. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one according to his works. Why? Because they didn't put their faith in Christ and his work. Then death and, here's our word, Hades, were cast into the lake of fire. Why? Because both death and Hades are temporary. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And so again, if we're looking at this chronologically, we're looking here at the great white throne judgment, and where the unsaved are cast into the lake of fire, but so is Hades cast into the lake of fire, or Sheol, because it was simply the temporary holding place, as it were, for the unsaved, though it was clearly a place of torment And as it were, maybe you could say at the first stage of the everlasting punishment that the unsaved experience. It is interesting to note, dear students, that according to Revelation 118, Jesus Christ alone has the keys of Hades and of death. And keys symbolize the authority to lock or unlock the gates of hell, and only Christ paid the penalty for our sin, and His resurrection is evidence of God the Father's satisfaction with that payment. Therefore, the Father is given all authority to judge mankind to His Son, Jesus Christ. No rituals are the keys. No surrendering of your life is the key. No church has the key. No works of any kinds are the keys. Only Christ is the key. In fact, he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Revelation 1 17 and 18 and when I saw him I fell at his feet is dead But he laid his right hand on me saying to me do not be afraid. I am the first and the last I am he who lives and was dead and behold I am alive forevermore amen, and I have the keys of Hades and of Now, before we go on to Gehenna, let me pause and open it up for questions. Anyone have any questions about what we've covered so far? Okay, Bailey? Okay. Obviously, we know that that a place of punishment was established at the beginning of time for those who were without Christ and who died. And we don't know the first person that died physically, though it certainly seems to be Abel. And Abel's body would be put in the ground, but his soul had to go somewhere. His soul would go into the presence of God because he was righteous and with our understanding of scripture we would be He went to the paradise to the paradise side of Hades To enjoy the presence of God This would have been true of all of the redeemed in the Old Testament Clearly there is the other side of the coin. And by the way, when the Genesis flood came and God wiped out the whole planet, the torment side of Hades had a major population growth. So, but God still had his redeemed and there were those who he saved by his grace, through faith in him, having some sense of need, having some sense of sin, having some sense of holiness, having some sense of punishment, but having a sense also that through faith in the Lord, they could be forgiven and declared righteous, apart from ritual law and works. And so this is the way it was until the Lord Jesus died. And remember, what did the Lord Jesus even say to the thief on the cross? Today you will be with me in paradise. And I believe that was the paradise side of Hades. And I believe that Jesus Christ upon death, what did his, while his body was in the grave for three days, what was his soul doing during three days? went to paradise for one of the things he did. Secondly, we're going to see he went and preached to the spirits that were in prison. Did that as well, clearly. And so there's some interesting things. Now, by the way, there are those who falsely teach. And this is true of a group down in the Milwaukee area who taught that on the cross, Jesus Christ paid for our sins, but not completely. Then his soul was taken and tormented by Satan and the demons for three days until he was raised from the dead. That's just nuts. Again, it comes from the Greek word, nutos. Now, what did Jesus say on the cross? It is finished. You don't need demons and the devil to torment him further. It's ridiculous. Now, a second key word you're going to have to be familiar with is this word, Tartarus. Tartarus. Which is also called the Abyss. The two are the same place. And it's not to be confused with Sheol and Hades. Its designation, number one, this Greek word Tartarus, is found only in 2 Peter 2.4. Now, the word Tartarus is found there. Reference to the same place is found in a few other places, though. 2 Peter 2.4, so go there with me. 2 Peter 2, verse four. Verse one. But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways. By the way, is that true today? Just think of all the people following the prosperity gospel preachers of today. Many will follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed, and by covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words. For a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell." Now, I just would put in my Bible right there Genesis 6. Delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment and did not spare the ancient world but saved Noah One of eight people preacher of righteousness bringing in the flood the world and then godly you can put Genesis 7 and 8 next to that and verse 6 in turning the cities of Sodom Gomorrah and ashes, that's Genesis 18 and 19 There are three chronological illustrations here of the fact that God does intervene in human history by way of judgment. But we're after the word hell in verse four. You see, that word hell in verse four is the Greek word Tartarus. It's the only time it's found. By that word. Number two, it's also called the abyss in Luke 8 31, or the bottomless pit in Revelation 9 verses 1 through 3. Listen to Luke chapter 8 verse 29. For he, Jesus Christ, had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles. And he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. Jesus asked him, saying, What is your name? He said, Legion, because many demons had entered him. And they begged him that he would not command them to go out into the abyss. Now I want to ask you a question, why would these demons, and by the way, the word legion is a word for the multiplicity of demons, that indwelt this person, why would he beg them not to be thrown into the abyss? Because there was a select group of demons previously in human history that were confined in chains of darkness in a place called Tartarus, otherwise known as the abyss. The abyss. While it's close, go to Revelation 9. Revelation 9. Verse 1. Remember, those demons knew of the abyss. They knew what had happened to their cousins. And they also knew who had the authority to send them there. In Revelation 9 verse 1, Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. You know what the Greek word is? Abismos. The abyss. He opened the bottomless pit and smoke rose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace So the Sun in the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit then out of the smoke Locusts came upon the earth and I believe these are demons that look like Locusts and to them was given power as the scorpions of the earth have power This angel will release demons from the bottomless pit or the abyss and they will spread over the earth like smoke with power to destroy like locusts or inflict pain like scorpions. And so Tartarus, abyss, bottomless pit are all referring to the same place. Now notice its description and destiny. Number one, the word Tartarus or abyss refers to a temporary place of God's judgment for select fallen angels who king is Satan. In fact, we read again, the name of their leader is Apollyon, which is a word for Satan here. Remember, Satan is the prince of the power of the air. Under him are principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness. Revelation 9 verse 11, And they had a king over them, the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew is Abaddon, but in the Greek he has the name Apollyon. These demons bound in chains of darkness still have a king over them named Abaddon or Apollyon. Now, what did these particular angels do to deserve this judgment? What did they do? These angels were involved in the unsuccessful satanic plot in Genesis 6 to destroy the bloodline of the Redeemer, Since then are kept in chains of darkness Now to see that I want you to see some verses. Let's go to Genesis 6 very quickly By the way, you know the the movie Noah I Haven't seen it. I don't plan to see it. I don't want to see it But with the reviews that I've read talk about a lot of unbiblical things. In fact, it appears as though the Rockmen that helped build the Ark are the sons of God that are being referred to here. And someone snuck on the Ark. I mean, just dumb. Verse one, now it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth and the daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and they took wise for themselves of all whom they chose. Now, there's discussion as to who the sons of gods are. Even in the Scofield Bible, there's the view of the daughters of Seth or is it actually angels? I am absolutely convinced it's angels. In fact, I think I could give about 12 reasons why it's angels. And remember in this phrase, sons of God, was used in Job chapter 1. That the sons of God had to come and present themselves to the Lord, and Satan came also. Sons of God is a term for angels, angelic beings, who in somehow wanted to cohabit with the daughters of men in such a way that involved, I think, more than the possession of a male body in order to do this. And they crossed a line that God said, you do not cross. And as a result, their objective was to somehow pollute and to derail the birth line of the Messiah, and God took this select group of individuals, these demons, and He took them right out of commission and He put them in the abyss, the bottomless pit, or Tartarus. Verse 3, the Lord said, my spirit shall not strive with men forever, for he is indeed flesh. Yet his days shall be 120 years, as God is very gracious and gave them time. And there were giants on the earth in those days. Those are supposedly the rock men, I think, of the Noah movie. And also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men and they bore children to them, those were the mighty men who were of old men of renown. Notice God's evaluation, verse 5. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart. So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created. from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping things and the birds of the air, for I'm sorry that I have made them, but knoweth on grace in the eyes of the Lord." That's the first reference to grace in the Bible. Not the first example of grace, but the first reference directly to grace. And so we see here this satanic plot of Genesis chapter 6. And only Noah and his family found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The rest of humanity had been so corrupted by the influence or actual engendering of children with these fallen angels that God had to destroy them all. Some have estimated as many as four billion people. And start over with just Noah and his family. So these fallen angels were cast into Tartarus and held by chains of darkness. and tell their judgment. Now go with me, if you would, to the book of Jude. Jude. And by the way, Jude and 2 Peter definitely are related to each other. In fact, they make reference to it. I think it's Jude that refers to 2 Peter. Now in Jude, we begin in verse 5. But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, they crossed over the line that God had set up between man and angel, but left their own abode He has reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness for the judgment of the great day. As Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, a similar manner to who? The Genesis 6 situation. And in what way is it similar? Having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh. The word strange means foreign flesh. Set forth as an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. What was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? It was going after foreign flesh It was man going after man or women going after women for in flesh What was the sin of Genesis 6 a similar kind of sin? angels going after Women Similar kind of sin The God says he would not tolerate He would not tolerate. Now go with me to 1 Peter chapter 3. In 1 Peter chapter 3, We see something here regarding our Lord, verse 18. 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 the way, in the Greek text, there is no the before the word flesh. There is no the before the word spirit. Literally, put to death in flesh, but made alive in spirit. by whom, literally in which state, namely spirit, also he went, and the word went is the Greek word that means to go on a journey, specific journey, he went and he preached, karuso, this is not the word evangelizo, which speaks of evangelizing, but proclaiming a message. And who did he go and preach to? To the spirits. And the word spirits in the New Testament, unless specifically in context referring to human spirits, always refers to angelic spirits. He went and preached to the spirits who were where? In prison. What is this prison? Tartarus. What is this prison? The abyss. What is this prison? The bottomless pit. Are we sure these are the same people? Is this the same time element, next verse, who formerly were disobedient? When, when once the divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared in which a few, that is eight souls, were saved through water. So it even tells us historically the context is the Genesis flood. So we've got Genesis 6 again and 7 and 8 right here being referred to. That these are referring to the same angelic beings. So this happened again, remember, in the days of Noah. Jude six again and the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own abode he has reserved into everlasting change under darkness For the judgment of the great day. So notice this is temporary They're waiting there for the judgment of the great day for them So number three after Christ's return Carter's will function as a temporary prison and of God's judgment for Satan and his angels during the millennial kingdom on earth. So go with me to Revelation chapter 20. Excuse me. Revelation chapter 20. It is fascinating when you just study the Bible, let it speak for itself, and then seek to piece the puzzle together, how all this has a way of coming together. Verse one, then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit. By the way, chapter 19 is talking about the Lord's return in the battle of Armageddon. And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and he cast him into the abyss, the bottomless pit. And he shut him up and he set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years are finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little while. And after the thousand years, what does happen when he's released for a little while? Verse 7, now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison. His prison. Do you remember the word prison was used in 1 Peter 3, 19 as well? About the spirits in prison. and will go out to deceive the nations which are on 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 in the beloved city, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. So what then happened, verse 10, the devil who deceived them, and his demons as well, we know from Matthew 25, 41 and others, Was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever And so number four after Satan's last rebellion the abyss will be replaced by the lake of fire Where Satan and his angels will be cast into? to be tormented forever and ever. Hell is not annihilation. The beast or the Antichrist and the false prophet will still exist, having been tormented for the thousand years of the kingdom. And Satan joins them and he's tormented forever and ever. And so we've seen Sheol slash Hades. Who's that for? Initially for both the saved and the unsaved. Change happens though after the death and resurrection and ascension of Christ. There's Tartarus, the abyss, the bottomless pit, only for certain demons initially. Eventually for Satan and all the demons at the beginning of the millennial kingdom. and then eventually replaced by our third word, namely Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire. But I'm going to pause for a moment and open it up for questions. Make sure everyone's tracking with me. OK, Mike? Is the place for the Palm Angels on Mars, would that be similar to the unsafe place of Hades? OK, the question is, will the angels that are tormented experience similar things to people who are cast into hell by way of wailing, gnashing of teeth, utter darkness, sense of abandonment, and so forth? There's no mention of wailing gnashing of teeth and so forth because angels don't have teeth But there's clearly a sense of punishment In fact the words that are used if you go to Matthew 25 41, let's just go there for a quick minute Matthew 25 41 Then he will say to those on the left hand, depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It's called everlasting fire. So similar terms that are going to be, in fact, look at verse 46. And these on the left, the unsaved, will go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. And so the people that are unsaved will be cast into everlasting fire, they'll experience everlasting punishment, and so will the angels. So, obviously, there's got to be a tremendous similarity of the sense of torment that goes on between the two. Also, the idea of darkness is found in both cases. In fact, go to 2 Peter for a quick moment here. 2 Peter, if you would. Now notice verse 4, for if God did not spare the angels of sin, but cast them down to Tartarus, and delivered them into what? Chains of darkness to reserve for judgment. Notice chains of darkness. Now darkness carries the idea of, again, abandonment, isolation, and so forth. Now notice verse 17, in reference to humans now. unsaved, unregenerate false teachers. These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." And notice, darkness is used in both cases. So I think there's going to be a lot of similarity between the two, though obviously angels don't have the same kind of bodies that humans do. So there's no description of wailing gnashing of teeth in that sense. But obviously profound, intense, everlasting, unquenchable punishment, fire and darkness. Another question? Mark? Yes. I think the everlasting fire Again, keep in mind everlasting fire first is experienced in Hades But then ultimately is experienced in Gehenna So keep in mind just like where does eternal life when we die, where does eternal life? Where is it enjoyed? Third heaven, where is it ultimately enjoyed? in New Jerusalem. But it's still eternal life. In the same way everlasting punishment and fire is experienced initially in Hades, its first phase if you want to say it, but then since Hades is put into the lake of fire, it's ultimately experienced there. But it's no less everlasting in that sense. That make sense to you, Mark? These are good things to think about, Travis. Yes. Yeah, similar. The sense you get is just like Hades will be cast into Gehenna or the Lake of Fire, Tartarus in a sense is either replaced, cast into, so forth, into Gehenna too. So again, The people, the angels in Tartarus are there in chains waiting everlasting punishment. But Tartarus isn't the final place of the punishment. Gehenna will be, the lake of fire. And by the way, Gehenna is used often by our Lord. He used the term Gehenna quite often. Because you see, right outside of Jerusalem was this city dump. in which bodies and animals and criminals' bodies were put, and the fire was just stoking and going all the time in the Valley of Hinnom. This is where they get the word Gehinnah. And as a result, the Lord Jesus used that as a word picture. for people to have a point of reference to indicate what Gehenna or everlasting torment in the lake of fire would be like. Because there was no lake of fire he could refer to. Obviously, do any lakes have fire? It doesn't usually work that way. So it's the ultimate destiny for the unsaved mankind and rebellious angels. Number one, Gehenna was an actual place in the Valley of Hinnom, southwest of Jerusalem, Joshua 15.8, where children were sacrificed to Moloch, which was this pagan deity. And it was horrible. In fact, this is what they would do. If you can visualize kind of a Buddha. In the belly of the Buddha idol would be a flame of fire. And what these people would do to try to appease these false deities is they would take their babies and they would put them here towards the top and the arms of the Buddha would act like slides or shoots. And the baby would be put there and they would go right into the fire and be burned as a sacrifice. You say, how could people do that? Well, how do people abort their children today? Same problem as it were. They were sacrificed to Moloch and was later used to dispose of garbage and dead bodies. Number two, Jesus Christ repeatedly utilized the word Gehenna to designate a place of eternal punishment for the lost. Eternal punishment. Number three, Gehenna is synonymous with the lake of fire. Synonymous with the lake of fire. So let's see if we can keep all this straight. Sheol, Old Testament, New Testament counterpart is? Hades. Tartarus for angels. Other terms, two other terms, abyss and bottomless pit, right? Okay, then you've got Gehenna, also the lake of fire. And by the way, in your English Bibles, they're all translated hell. So it's really nice to have a little Greek text or something to know, well, which hell are we talking about here? Though there's similarities between them. So as we think of its description, number one, it is a place where God is able to destroy both one's soul and body. Matthew 10, 28, Jesus said, and 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 Gehenna, translated hell. Number two, it is a place of God's damnation of the lost, including the religious lost. God's damnation of the lost, including the religious lost. And then the Lord Jesus in Matthew 23, which was his scathing indictment against the religious leaders of Jerusalem, says, That is so powerful. And what an indictment. Matthew 23, 33. Serpents, brood of vipers, how can you extinguish the condemnation of Gehenna? Translated, hell. Number three, it is a place of unquenchable fire. Unquenchable fire. Where the fire is constantly lapping up, as it were, and can never be extinguished. It's used that way in Mark 9, 43 and 45. Jesus said, if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed rather than having two hands to go to Gehenna. into the fire that shall never be quenched. And again, they would think of the Valley of Hinnom, they would think of that constant flow of fire that was there as a point of reference to a greater fire, a place of punishment, a place of condemnation where the fire shall never be quenched. In Matthew 9, 45, and if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched." And there's Gehenna again. By the way, what are these verses talking about? If your hand offends you, cut it off. Does Jesus want you to literally cut off your hand and your foot? You know, you hear every once in a while somebody who does something like this. Obviously they're a little wacko. you know, to do that. But sometimes they do. What's his point? I think in the context, his point is this. Whatever is hanging you up from getting saved, deal with it so you can get saved. I think that's the essence. Because if you don't deal with it, you're going to ultimately go to hell. Number four. It was originally prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25, 41. It's originally prepared for the devil and his angels. And we saw that already. Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Number five, it is a place of everlasting punishment. Everlasting punishment. And again, we looked at this earlier. Matthew 25, 46. But these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Number six, it is the final place of torment where the beast, the Antichrist, and the false prophet, the devil and his angels, and all the unsaved of mankind are cast. The beast, the Antichrist, the false prophet are the first to enter into the lake of fire. You know, some people think if you die and you go to hell today, Satan is there with the welcome wagon. He's not there yet. He doesn't want to go there, but one day He will be cast there with His angels, and so will the unsaved of mankind. Again, Revelation 19-20, in conjunction with our Lord's return to the earth. Then the beast was captured and with him the false prophet who works signs in his presence By which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image these two were cast Alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone Revelation 20 verse 10 a thousand years later The devil was who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone Where the beasts and the false prophet are and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever and you know when you think of fire and brimstone What do you think of when you think of fire and brimstone? What in the Old Testament do you think of? Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and they say that brimstone is salt sulfur, you know and That some of these sulfur pellets and whatever can heat up to four or five hundred degrees incredible heat incredible destruction But they'll be tormented day and night forever and ever And then we see regarding the unsaved humans, the death in Hades were cast into the Lake of Fire, because the Lake of Fire is the ultimate place of punishment. This is the second death, and anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into where? Again, the Lake of Fire. The other word for the Lake of Fire is Gehenna. Gehenna. Number seven, it is referred to as the second death. eternal separation from God. And it's called the second death in Revelation 20 verse 14. Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And death always carries the idea of separation. So we read in 2 Thessalonians 1, 8 and 9. Regarding the Lord who in the future in flaming fire will be taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ these shall be punished with everlasting destruction From the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Number eight it's only escape us through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone as revealed in the gospel of grace Don't you love John 5, 24? Are you familiar with it? Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in him who sent me has everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation or judgment. Why? Because he has passed, perfect tense, from death into life the moment he has put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, questions for our break? Sheol, Hades, can you think it through? Sheol, Hades. Tartarus, Abyss, bottomless pit. Gehenna, Lake of Fire. All translated, hell. But different places. And in some cases, different groups. Some mankind, some angelic. Ultimately, both angels and men that are unsaved are cast into the Lake of Fire. Okay? Now, you know, when I first heard this kind of teaching, I was like, It's my life. And yet it's right there on the pages of scripture, if you're willing to study it out and let the puzzle pieces fall into place. Question, David? Okay. The question was, do we know why people don't immediately go into the lake of fire? Why is there stages to this? I don't really know why. It's not unlike our judicial system, though. You know, when you think about it. And perhaps their judicial system of the past, I don't know. It's the way God chose to do it. If someone has a great answer, let me know later after we break.