POST 19 - Death for the Unsaved

by William W. Orr, A.B., M.A., Th.B., D.D.. Pastor and Teacher.

     Non-Christians have advanced several defensive philosophies concerning the reality of eternal punishment.  One of these theories is that God is far too loving to sentence any of His creatures to such a frightful place as hell.  Another idea is that in that place there is a certain camaraderie even though there may be some discomforts.  But perhaps the most common theory is that somehow, sometime, the occupants of hell will be released.  Related to this belief is the widely taught idea of purgatory:  suffering first, then release.

     None of these theories find any substantiation in Scripture.  The teaching of the Bible regarding the death of the unsaved is solemn indeed.  For those who reject Christ as Savior, the only destiny is a burning, eternal, solitary hell. for the moment of an unbeliever's death, he immediately goes to a place of conscious torment.  This seems clearly outlined in our Lord's case history of the rich man and the beggar (Luke 16:19-31).  Christ reveal  three important facts about Hades.  First, it was a place of torment.  Then there was not the slightest hope of release.  Worst of all, the sinner there possessed a full, accusing memory to stab them unmercifully throughout the ages to come.

     The exact location of the place of the unsaved is unknown.  Some have reasoned that it must be in the heart of the earth due to the almost universal designation of its being "down."  Just how the unsaved dead are taken to Hades we do not know either.  It is reasonable to suppose that the angels have a part in this sorrowful task.  Clearly, though, the unsaved dead are fully conscious, greatly susceptible to torment, in possession of their memories, and apparently entirely alone.

     The familiar ideas of soul-sleeping, a journey through the valley of the shadow, the crossing of any icy river, or the hope of a second chance are not found in the Scriptures.  One could be certain that there would be absolutely no one in torment if after death even one small opportunity to accept God's terms of salvation was offered.  But now -- not then -- is the day of salvation!

     What about the physical body of an unsaved individual?   We know that a believer's body is to be raised and made like Christ's glorious resurrection body (I John 3:2).  This will not happen to the body of a sinner.  His body is to be raised, but "to shame and everlasting contempt." (Dan. 12:2).

     Evidently at the moment of death he is provided  with a temporary, spiritual type body for his stay in Hades.  This body is prepared for him and registers pain, sorrow, remorse, and regret (Luke 16:19-31).  Our Lord speaks solemnly of this body:
"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off;  it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell (Gehenna), into the first that never shall be quenched.  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." (Mark 9:43,44).

     The phrase"Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" deals with an unquenchable fire ever burning an in-consumable body.  Certainly it is a dreadful picture.

     This time our Lord  does not use the Greek term Hades, which refers to the place of temporary torment, but rather Gehenna, which is synonymous with the lake of first or the second death (Rev. 20:10-15).

     Eventually the unsaved dead will appear at the Great White Throne (Rev.20:11,12).  Then, at the very end of time, they will receive their sentence.  This will not be a determinative judgment,l but it will show for all time that in perfect righteousness God has sentenced these poor wretches to hell.  God's books will be opened, and they will reveal the times that salvation was offered and rejected by sinners.

     Following this judgment scene, Hades and the grave, meaning the temporary place of torment and the people there, will be cast into the place of eternal punishment called hell (Gehenna), or the lake of fire and brimstone (Rev. 20:14).  This experience is called "the second death," not death in the sense of annihilation or cessation of existence, but death in its horrible meaning of complete and eternal separation of a sinner from love, life, and God Himself.

     The instant of death will hold the greatest shock possible for those who have refused the offers of the Gospel.  They will see that the message they spurned is God's eternal truth, that the pathway they chose was the broad one which led to destruction, that for them the future is unspeakably horrible; and that hell is forever.

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