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I. Paradise:
А. The pleasant section in Hades being Paradise:
1. The spirits and souls of the righteous being in the pleasant section.
2. The Lord Jesus being in the pleasant section for three days and three nights after His death.
3. Paul going to the pleasant section in a vision.
4. The location of Paradise.
B. The future New Jerusalem being the Paradise of God:
1. The New Jerusalem in the millennial kingdom.
2. The New Jerusalem in the new heavens and new earth.
II. The third heaven:
А. The dwelling place of God.
B. The place where the Lord Jesus is today.
C. The location of the third heaven.
III. The section of torment in Hades.
IV. Gehenna.
V. The lake of fire.
VI. The abyss.
VII. Tartarus.
In addition to the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8-15), which is commonly considered as a depiction of paradise, the Bible also associates the pleasant section in Hades and the New Jerusalem with the term paradise.
The Greek word Hades denotes the same thing as the Hebrew word Sheol. Although it is the place where the spirits and souls of all dead people go (37:35; Job 7:9; Eccl. 9:10; Rev. 20:13), it has two sections — one of which is a pleasant place and the other of which is a place of torment.
1. “The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels into Abraham’s bosom...Now he is comforted here” (Luke 16:22, 25).
Paradise, the pleasant section in Hades, is where the spirits and souls of the righteous go after they die. Luke 16 shows that both Abraham and the beggar Lazarus are in this pleasant section. Although it is a section in Hades, it is a place where the spirits and souls of people are comforted. The spirit and soul of the beggar Lazarus were comforted there after his death. The angels took his spirit and soul to the bosom of Abraham. Bosom signifies a place of comfort, so the bosom of Abraham in Hades represents the section in Hades where people find comfort.
When a person dies, his spirit and soul leave his body, and he becomes a disembodied soul; that is, he becomes naked (2 Cor. 5:3). This is an incomplete, abnormal, and shameful condition, just as being physically naked is shameful. Such a disembodied soul cannot enter into God’s presence to see God’s face. This situation applies even to the spirits and souls of those who are righteous. Since they are disembodied spirits and souls, they cannot stand before God’s face, but being righteous, neither should they go to the place of torment in Hades. Although we have no answer in ourselves as to where the spirits and souls of the righteous should go, our God is both wise and reasonable. According to reason, the spirits and souls of dead people should go to Hades because Hades was prepared expressly for the spirits and souls of the dead. It is a temporary dwelling place for the spirits and souls of the dead prior to their resurrection. After a person dies, his spirit and soul go to Hades to wait for resurrection. This is a reason that the Bible often speaks of death and Hades together. When God’s righteous ones die, it is logical that they also would go to Hades, but since they have been justified by God as being righteous, they do not deserve torment in Hades. Therefore, according to His wisdom God opened Paradise, a pleasant section in Hades, so that they might find rest there while waiting for resurrection. When the Lord returns, they will come out of Hades in the resurrection before the millennial kingdom, put on a resurrected body, be raptured to the air, and be with the Lord for eternity. Although they do not suffer torment in death prior to their resurrection, they still must go to Hades to await resurrection because they are disembodied spirits and souls, who are incomplete and abnormal with the condition and shame of death upon them. In resurrection they will put on a body (1 Cor. 15:44) and be complete, normal, and free from the condition and shame of death. They will rise to be with the Lord, leaving Hades behind. When the righteous die, they go to the pleasant section of Hades, leaving the sufferings of earth behind and obtaining the comfort and happiness of Paradise. However, they do not enjoy the Paradise of the New Jerusalem until after they are resurrected. When the righteous resurrect, the overcomers will enjoy the blessing of the Paradise of the New Jerusalem during the millennial kingdom as a reward (Rev. 2:7), and every believer will enjoy the blessing of the Paradise of the New Jerusalem for eternity after the completion of the millennial kingdom. It is possible to enter into the presence of the Lord to enjoy the blessings of Paradise only after one has been resurrected and has put on a resurrected body to become a complete person.
1. “He said to him, Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
2. “So will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40).
3. “Neither was He abandoned to Hades” (Acts 2:31).
The Lord Jesus was in the Paradise in Hades for three days and three nights after His death. When the Lord was dying on the cross, He promised the thief that he would be with Him in Paradise that day. Acts 2:31 also indicates that Paradise is in Hades because it speaks of the Lord’s resurrection as the proof that He was not abandoned to Hades following His death. Luke 23:43 and Acts 2:31 show that the Lord entered the Paradise in Hades on the day that He died. According to Matthew 12:40, He was there for three days and three nights until the time of His resurrection from the dead.
1. “I know such a man (whether in the body or outside the body, I do not know; God knows), that he was caught away into Paradise” (2 Cor. 12:3-4).
In these verses Paul speaks of being caught away into Paradise in a vision. Many think that this reference to Paradise is the same as Paul’s reference to the third heaven in verse 2. But according to the original Greek and to the facts, being caught away into Paradise and being caught away to the third heaven are two different matters. This portion of Scripture speaks of the revelations received by the apostle (v. 1). In order to give him a full revelation, God caught him away to the third heaven to show him the heavenly things and also into Paradise to show him the things under the earth in Hades. The Bible divides the space in the universe into three parts: the heavens, the earth, and under the earth (Phil. 2:10). In order for a person to have a full revelation, he must know these three parts. Paul was a man living on earth, so he certainly knew the things on the earth, but he did not know the things in heaven or the things under the earth, that is, in Hades. Therefore, God caught him away to the third heaven to show him the things in the heavens as well as to the Paradise in Hades to show him the things under the earth. He received the transcendence of the revelations (2 Cor. 12:7), including being caught away into the Paradise in Hades.
1. “In the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40).
Paradise is in the heart of the earth. This is confirmed by the fact that Paradise in Luke 23:43 refers to a place in the heart of the earth.
Paradise is in Hades. This is confirmed by the fact that Paradise in Luke 23:43 is also associated with Hades.
3. “Did not ascend into the heavens”; “In the name of Jesus every knee should bow...under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Acts 2:34; Phil. 2:10-11).
Many think that when Jesus resurrected and ascended, He brought the righteous ones in Paradise up to heaven. Both Acts 2:34 and Philippians 2:10-11 show that the righteous ones in Paradise did not go to heaven following the Lord’s resurrection. Instead, in the name of Jesus they are still under the earth in the Paradise in Hades, bowing their knees and confessing that Jesus is Lord. After the Lord’s ascension on the day of Pentecost, Peter specifically said that David did not ascend into the heavens. This proves that the righteous ones in Hades did not go to heaven at that time. If the righteous ones went to heaven when the Lord resurrected and ascended, how could there still be people in the name of Jesus who are bowing their knees and confessing His name with their tongues under the earth? Revelation 6:9 shows that at the time of the fifth seal (near the end of this age), there are still souls underneath the altar. The altar is on the earth, so underneath the altar means under the earth. Until the end of this age, the righteous dead in Paradise will be under the earth in Hades. They will be in Paradise, which is under the earth; it is in the heart of the earth. Even though Paradise is in the heart of the earth, it is still Paradise because the spirits and souls of the righteous enjoy rest there.
Some in Christianity today believe that the Paradise in Hades was moved to another place when the Lord Jesus resurrected and ascended from Hades to the heavens. Bible expositors who believe this, such as Scofield and his followers, base this teaching on Ephesians 4:8. They say that the phrase those taken captive in this verse refers to the righteous ones in the Paradise in Hades. According to their view, the spirits and souls of the righteous ones in Hades have been taken captive by the devil and are being held there. They say that since the Lord defeated the devil, who has the might of death, on the cross and defeated death by His resurrection, He led the spirits and souls of those righteous ones who were taken captive by the enemy and held in Hades and brought them to heaven when He ascended. They then use this explanation as a basis for saying that when the Lord ascended to the heavens, He brought both Paradise, where the spirits and souls of the righteous are, and the spirits and souls of the righteous themselves out of Hades into heaven. If we examine this explanation carefully, it is not difficult to see that it is quite strained. Without touching the problems in their translation of Ephesians 4:8, they cannot make a case for saying that the Lord brought Paradise itself, which was in Hades, out of Hades and into heaven when He ascended.
Those taken captive refers to the redeemed saints, who were taken captive by Satan before being saved by Christ’s death and resurrection. In His ascension Christ led them captive; that is, He rescued them from Satan’s captivity and took them to Himself. This indicates that He conquered and overcame Satan, who had captured them by sin and death.
The Amplified New Testament renders He led captive those taken captive as “He led a train of vanquished foes.” Vanquished foes may refer to Satan, to his angels, and to us the sinners, again indicating Christ’s victory over Satan, sin, and death. In Christ’s ascension there was a procession of these vanquished foes, led as captives from a war, for a celebration of Christ’s victory.
Those who say that the Paradise in Hades was moved to the heavens also regard 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 as a strong basis for their teaching. According to their view, the apostle Paul’s experiences of being caught away into Paradise and being caught away to the third heaven refer to the same thing because Paradise was no longer in Hades when Paul was caught away, having been moved to the third heaven, which they call heaven. But we have previously seen that being caught away into Paradise and being caught away to the third heaven refer to two different places. Thus, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 does not prove that Paradise is in the heavens. Rather, it proves that Paradise is still in Hades, which is a different place from heaven.
There are two other portions that are used to try to prove that the Paradise in Hades was moved to the heavens: 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23. These portions speak of being abroad from the body and at home with the Lord and of departing and being with Christ. Based on these two portions, some say that when the believers leave their bodies to be with the Lord, they must go to the Lord, who is now in the heavens. They then say that since the dead believers leave the earth to go to Paradise to be with the Lord, Paradise must be in the heavens. However, from experience we know that being at home with the Lord and being with the Lord are relative matters before the rapture and transfiguration of the believers (1 Thes. 4:17). Before the rapture and transfiguration of the believers, these matters are not absolute. For example, Genesis 5—6 tells us that Enoch and Noah both walked with God while they were living on the earth. Second Corinthians 5 and Philippians 1 also speak of these matters in a relative sense. When we believers are in our physical bodies, we live in the physical realm. Although we can live and be with the Lord in our spirit and heart, we are separated from Him at a physical level. When we leave our bodies, we leave the physical realm and enter into a spiritual realm in which we can live and be with the Lord in a deeper, closer way. But even then, we are not fully living with the Lord and are not absolutely with the Lord. These portions do not say that we are absolutely with the Lord after leaving the earth, so they cannot be used to prove that the Paradise in Hades is in the heavens where the Lord is now.
Others say that Paradise must be in the heavens because 1 Thessalonians 4:14 says that God will bring those who have fallen asleep through Jesus with Him. This verse, however, is spoken in the context of the Lord’s return, and verse 16 specifically says that the dead in Christ will rise when the Lord returns. Verse 14 cannot be used to prove that the dead in Christ are with the Lord Jesus in the heavens simply because God will bring them back with Christ. For example, a father may be doing business in America while his son is studying in Japan. One day the father may write to the mother and tell her that he is bringing their son with him when he returns, but this does not prove that the son is with the father in America. Similarly, 1 Thessalonians 4:14 cannot be used to prove that the believers are in the heavens with the Lord before their resurrection or that prior to their resurrection the believers are in a Paradise that is in the heavens.
The teaching that the Paradise in Hades was moved to the heavens is incorrect. According to the Bible, Paradise is in Hades, and it has not moved. Because Paradise is in Hades, the righteous ones will rise from under the earth when they are resurrected. This is the only explanation that is consistent with the meaning of resurrection since resurrection means “rising up” in the original Greek. If Paradise has been moved to the heavens, the righteous could only descend from the heavens at the time of the resurrection. This, however, would not be a rising up. The righteous in this Paradise will resurrect; they will rise up. This further proves that Paradise is under the earth in Hades, not in the heavens.
1. “The city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God”; “A better country, that is, a heavenly one” (Heb. 11:10, 16).
The first verse speaks of a city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God. According to the Bible, this city is the future New Jerusalem. This is the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (12:22), the Jerusalem above (Gal. 4:26), the holy city, New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2; 3:12), which God has prepared for His people (Heb. 11:16), and the tabernacle of God, in which God will dwell with men for eternity (Rev. 21:3). The city that God is building will come out of His house; therefore, just as the church, God’s house (1 Tim. 3:15), is being built today, this city also is being built.
In the Bible God reveals that He wants His house to become a city. He is building His house today so that it will become a city in the future. At the beginning of the Bible there is a garden, and at the end of the Bible there is a city. Both this garden and this city have many similar features, and those who carefully read the Bible agree that the New Jerusalem in Revelation signifies the culmination of God’s work that began in the garden of Eden in Genesis. A garden is a place for a house. God’s work throughout the ages is to build His garden and His house into a city. He wants to enlarge His house into a city, and this city, the New Jerusalem, will be the Paradise of God.
2. “The city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22 see also Gal. 4:26).
The coming New Jerusalem, which God’s dwelling place today will become, is a heavenly city, a city that God has designed and built. As such, it is God’s dwelling; it is the city of the living God. Thus, the coming New Jerusalem is called the city of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem.
1. “To him who overcomes, to him I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).
This verse says that the tree of life is an outstanding feature of the Paradise of God. Since the tree of life is in the New Jerusalem (22:1-2), the New Jerusalem must be this Paradise. According to Revelation 2:7, eating of the tree of life in the Paradise of God will be a reward in the millennial kingdom. Only overcoming believers will enjoy the blessings in Paradise during the millennium. Later, at the time of the new heaven and new earth, all believers will enjoy these blessings. The Paradise of God, the New Jerusalem, is clearly different from the Paradise in Hades. The Paradise in Hades has existed since Old Testament times, but the Paradise of God is related to the coming millennial kingdom and will not be completely manifested until the time of the new heaven and the new earth. The first Paradise is under the earth in Hades; the latter Paradise is the heavenly Jerusalem. The first Paradise is for the spirits and souls of the righteous throughout all time until the Lord returns. The latter Paradise is for the resurrected, raptured, transformed, and overcoming believers during the millennial kingdom and for all the resurrected, raptured, and transformed believers in the new heaven and new earth.
1. “A new heaven and a new earth...The holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:1-2).
The last book in the Bible, Revelation, shows that when God’s work in the universe is finished, the old heaven and old earth will pass away, and the new heaven and new earth will come. The New Jerusalem will be in the new heaven and new earth as the eternal dwelling place of God and all His redeemed in the Old and New Testament times. This New Jerusalem is the Paradise of God and the holy city of God. This holy city is very mysterious, and every point concerning it manifests deep spiritual meaning.
2. “The city lies square...twelve thousand stadia; the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal” (Rev. 21:16).
The length and the breadth and the height of the holy city are equal. In principle, these equal dimensions reflect the equal dimensions of the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament (1 Kings 6:20). This signifies that the entire holy city is God’s Holy of Holies in eternity.
3. “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb” (Rev. 21:14).
Since the twelve apostles represent the redeemed New Testament believers, the twelve foundations bearing the names of the twelve apostles signify that the New Testament believers are the constituents of the holy city.
4. “It had...twelve gates, and at the gates...names inscribed, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel” (Rev. 21:12).
Since the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel represent all the redeemed Old Testament saints, the twelve gates bearing the names of the twelve tribes signify that the Old Testament saints are also the constituents of the holy city. The holy city, New Jerusalem, is composed of all of God’s redeemed people from the Old Testament and the New Testament times to be God’s eternal dwelling place.
5. “The city was pure gold, like clear glass...And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass” (Rev. 21:18, 21).
Pure gold like clear glass signifies God’s pure nature, which is the city’s element.
6. “The twelve gates were twelve pearls” (Rev. 21:21).
Pearls signify the Son’s overcoming death and life-imparting resurrection, through which entrance to the city is gained. This means that only those in Christ’s new creation can participate in (enter into) the New Jerusalem.
7. “Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal”; “Its wall was jasper”; “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone” (Rev. 21:11, 18-19).
Precious stones signify that the saints have been transformed through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to be the material for God’s building (Rom. 15:16; 2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Pet. 2:4-5). Gold, pearls, and precious stones signify that the New Jerusalem is constituted with the element of the Triune God and accomplished by His threefold work.
8. “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (Rev. 21:22).
The absence of a temple in the holy city signifies that the entire holy city is the temple of God. The city is the temple, the mutual dwelling place of God and His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed people. God dwells within His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed people, and they dwell in God. This is a mysterious union.
9. “The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it” (Rev. 22:3).
The throne of God and of the Lamb at the center of the holy city signifies that God’s authority, the governance of His eternal kingdom, is the central feature of the holy city.
10. “He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street. And on this side and on that side of the river was the tree of life,...yielding its fruit each month” (Rev. 22:1-2).
The holy city is like a mountain with the throne of God at the top. There is only one street in the city that spirals downward, reaching the twelve gates of the city on the north, south, east, and west. In the middle of this street the river of water of life flows, and in the river the tree of life grows like a vine along the two banks of the river, yielding its fruit each month. This signifies that the life of the Triune God will eternally flow out as living water and produce fruit as food to supply the entire city, which is the redeemed people of God. God’s life is the “street” for communication within the city, going from the throne of God to the gates of the city and from the gates of the city to the throne of God.
11. “The city has no need of the sun or of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb”; “And night will be no more; and they have no need of the light of a lamp and of the light of the sun” (Rev. 21:23; 22:5).
The Triune God is not only the life of the holy city but also the light and the glory of the holy city as her expression.
12. “Enter into it...only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev. 21:27).
Only those who believe in Christ will be part of the holy city (enter into it). The New Jerusalem will be an eternal, divine blessing for those joined to the Triune God by believing in Christ.
1. “A man in Christ...was caught away to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2).
2. “The heaven of heavens” (Deut. 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chron. 2:6).
In 2 Corinthians 12:2 Paul speaks of a man in Christ being caught away to the third heaven. This man was Paul. God wanted to show him the things in the heavens, so God caught him away to the third heaven. The Bible divides the heavens into several levels, the heaven of heavens and the heavens (Eph. 4:10; Heb. 7:26). The third heaven is above the stars; it is the highest heaven (Isa. 14:13-14).
1. “Your dwelling place in the heavens” (1 Kings 8:30).
1. “Into heaven itself, to appear now before the face of God” (Heb. 9:24 see also 1 Pet. 3:22).
The Chinese Union Version translates heaven in these two portions as “heavenly mansion.” This is not according to the original Greek. The Greek word in these two verses is the same word that is translated as “heaven” in Mark 16:19 and Luke 24:51. “Heaven” is the correct translation according to the original language.
1. “The height”; “On high” (Eph. 4:8; Heb. 1:3).
Ephesians 4:8 and Hebrews 1:3 both speak of the Lord Jesus ascending to the height or on high. The same Greek root word is used in both portions. This shows that the Lord Jesus today is in the height of the universe.
2. “Higher than the heavens” (Heb. 7:26).
3. “Far above all the heavens” (Eph. 4:10).
4. “I will ascend to heaven; / Above the stars of God / I will exalt my throne. / And I will sit upon the mount of assembly / In the uttermost parts of the north. / I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; / I will make myself like the Most High” (Isa. 14:13-14).
These verses clearly show that God is in the heaven that is above the stars and the clouds. It is in the uttermost parts of the north. This phrase the uttermost parts of the north must refer to the highest place where God sits on His throne. Thus, it is the highest place in the universe.
5. “Neither from the east nor from the west, / And neither from the south, does exaltation come; / For God is the Judge” (Psa. 75:6-7 see also 48:2; Ezek. 1:4).
Exaltation does not come from the east, the west, or the south, for only God is the Judge. The north is not mentioned in Psalm 75:6 because God is in the north. Since exaltation is by God, it must come from the north, not from the east, the west, or the south. This verse shows that God is in the north. Since God dwells in the north, the vision of God’s glory that Ezekiel saw also came from the north (Ezek. 1:4). Furthermore, when God commanded men on earth to build Jerusalem as a type of His heavenly dwelling, it was on the sides of the north (Psa. 48:2). All these verses signify that the third heaven is in the north.
1. “The rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham from afar and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out...I am in anguish in this flame” (Luke 16:22-24 see also Job 24:19).
Hades is divided into two sections. The first section is the pleasant section, the section of comfort. The spirits and souls of the righteous are in this pleasant section, which is the Paradise in Hades. The second section is a section of torment. The spirits and souls of the sinners come to this place after their death. According to Luke 16, the rich man who died was suffering in this section of torment, burning in a flame and being in terrible anguish. In his torment, however, he still could see the pleasant section of Paradise. His ability to see Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom caused him to suffer even more. Job 24:19 says, “Drought and heat snatch the snow water, / As Sheol snatches those who have sinned.” There is no rest and enjoyment in the section of torment in Hades.
Hades follows with Death to collect the dead (Rev. 6:8). The spirits and souls of dead unbelievers go to the section of torment in Hades to wait for the resurrection. The section of torment in Hades is more than a temporary dwelling place; it is a temporary jail. Unbelievers are kept in this section of Hades as a temporary jail until after the millennial kingdom, when they will be resurrected to stand before the great white throne of judgment. Then their eternal fate will be determined; that is, they will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone to perish for eternity. The righteous in the Paradise in Hades will be resurrected before the millennial kingdom. After the millennial kingdom the dead in the section of torment in Hades will be resurrected, and Hades will be emptied. At this point no one will be in Hades.
2. “A great chasm is fixed, so that those wanting to pass from here to you cannot, neither from there to us may any cross over” (Luke 16:26).
Although people in the two sections in Hades can see each other and speak to each other, there is a great chasm fixed between them that cannot be crossed. This proves that the two sections are clearly separated even though they are not far apart.
Gehenna is the Hebrew name for a deep valley near Jerusalem called Ge Hinnom, valley of Hinnom. It is also called Topheth (2 Kings 23:10; Isa. 30:33; Jer. 19:13). The worshippers of Molech burned their children there, and later the Jews burned the bodies of criminals there as well as unclean things. The fire there never went out. The Bible uses this picture to describe how sinners will be burned in the lake of fire outside of the New Jerusalem as an eternal punishment.
1. “The judgment of Gehenna” (Matt. 23:33).
2. “Into Gehenna, where...the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:47-48).
The judgment of Gehenna is the judgment of unquenchable fire; therefore, it is an eternal judgment in the lake of fire. The word translated as “hell” in the King James Version in Mark 9:43 and 47; Matthew 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; and 23:15; Luke 12:5 and James 3:6 are all Gehenna in the original text. Thus, they all refer to the judgment of the lake of fire.
The lake of fire is the final dwelling place for the devil with his angels and for all the sinners and everything that is contrary to God.
1. “The beast was seized, and with him the false prophet...These two were cast alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20).
Antichrist, the beast, and his false prophet will be thrown alive into the lake of fire. They will be the first to go into the lake of fire since they oppose God most fiercely. They will be cast into the lake of fire when the Lord returns to defeat the nations who oppose Him on the earth. This will occur before the start of the millennial kingdom.
2. “If anyone worships the beast and his image...he shall be tormented in fire and brimstone” (Rev. 14:9-10).
Those who worship Antichrist, the beast, and his image will suffer in the lake of fire. They will go into the lake of fire before the millennium.
3. “Into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).
When the Lord comes to judge the nations living on earth, those who are condemned as evil, that is, the goats, will go into the lake of fire to suffer eternal punishment. This will occur before the millennial kingdom. This eternal fire was prepared by God as a place of eternal punishment for the devil and the angels who followed him in his rebellion against God. Unforgiven sinners will be thrown into the lake of fire because they followed the devil to sin against God. Those who followed the devil in rebellion against God will be punished with the devil. As companions of the devil in sinning, the unbelievers will be companions of the devil in his punishment.
4. “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Rev. 20:10).
The devil will be cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire was originally prepared for him, and it is fitting that he be thrown into the lake of fire after the millennial kingdom.
5. “Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14).
Even death and Hades will be cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Aside from the lake of fire, all matters pertaining to death are included in the first death. Death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire after the millennial kingdom when all the spirits and souls of the dead in Hades are resurrected. At this time Hades will be empty and useless. Therefore, God will throw Hades into the lake of fire to terminate it.
6. “If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire”; “The cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all the false, their part will be in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 20:15; 21:8).
All the unsaved people throughout the ages, whose names are not written in the book of life, that is, those who are not in Christ, will be cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire will be the portion that they deserve for their sins. After the millennial kingdom they will rise from Hades to pass through judgment at the great white throne and then be cast into the lake of fire. They will be the last group cast into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death to them. Prior to being cast into the lake of fire, all the sufferings that they have passed through, whether of spirit, soul, or body, are part of the first death. The first death is merely temporary; the second death is an eternal death, and their eternal end. Hades is merely a temporary jail. At the great white throne they will pass through judgment and will be cast into the lake of fire, which will be their permanent prison.
7. “Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone who loves and makes a lie” (Rev. 22:15).
The lake of fire will be outside of the New Jerusalem, just as Gehenna was outside of the earthly Jerusalem. Those who commit sins and are cast into the lake of fire for eternal punishment are like unclean dogs in the eyes of God. They are cast into the lake of fire to be punished for eternity because God considers them unclean.
The lake of fire signifies eternal punishment for all who oppose God, and the New Jerusalem signifies eternal enjoyment for all of God’s people. They are the exact opposite of each other. The result of God’s work in the universe throughout the ages issues in two very different ends. One is a city of water of life, and the other is a lake of fire of death. One is God’s eternal habitation, and the other is the devil’s eternal prison. One is a place of eternal enjoyment for God and all who belong to Him, and the other is a place of eternal punishment for the devil and all who follow him. All who choose God and stand with Him will be part of (enter into) the glorious city as the wife of the Lamb (21:9) for His eternal enjoyment. All who choose the devil and stand with him will descend into the lake of suffering as the devil’s companions in his eternal punishment.
1. “They entreated Him not to order them to depart into the abyss” (Luke 8:31).
Demons are imprisoned in the abyss. The demons’ entreaty to the Lord Jesus in Luke 8:31 proves that God has imprisoned the demons in the abyss. Demons are not related to the devil himself, sinning angels, or the spirits and souls of dead men. According to the Bible, demons must be a group of living creatures who were under the devil’s control on the earth in the preadamic age. When they followed the devil in his rebellion against God, they became disembodied evil spirits. They are on the earth to harm sinful, worldly people, but God wants to imprison them in the abyss.
2. “He laid hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil...and cast him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him” (Rev. 20:2-3).
The devil will be laid hold of and cast into the abyss to be shut up there. In addition to these portions, Revelation 9:1-2; 11:7; and 17:8 speak of the abyss. They refer to the devil and demons. In Romans 10:7 the word abyss is also used.
1. “If God did not spare the angels who sinned but delivered them to gloomy pits, having cast them down to Tartarus, they being kept for judgment” (2 Pet. 2:4, some ancient manuscripts say gloomy chains instead of gloomy pits).
Tartarus is a Greek word that refers to a deep and gloomy pit where sinning angels are imprisoned. The angels who sinned were cast into Tartarus. The Chinese Union Version translates Tartarus as “hell.” Actually, Tartarus is not hell. In the Greek, hell is another word. Tartarus is a very deep pit into which God has cast the angels who sinned, giving them up to the gloom, or to the chains of gloom. He shut them up there to wait for judgment (Jude 6). Tartarus is where sinning angels are imprisoned. This place is the prison spoken of in 1 Peter 3:19.
The section of torment in Hades, the abyss, and Tartarus are like three different jails. The section of torment in Hades is a jail for the spirits and souls of unbelieving sinners, the abyss is a jail for the devil and demons, and Tartarus is a jail for angels who have sinned. Using these jails, God carries out His judgment in His government in the universe. God has prepared a place for each category of rebellious, sinful creature, and He jails them each in their own place.
