Book 4 Endnotes
[i] In classical mythology there were numerous composite animals. The centaur was half man, half horse, the Minotaur a human with a bull’s head, griffins were a lion and eagle mix, and the hippogryph combined a griffin with a horse. One of these, the sphinx, bore some resemblance to the Cherubim. The sphinx appeared in both Egyptian and Greek mythology. The animals that comprised it varied. The Egyptian representation was relatively simple. The creature had the face and chest of a man and the hindquarters of a lion. The famous Sphinx at Giza is of this form.
In Greek myth, the sphinx was more complex. Sometimes it was portrayed as having a woman’s head and breasts, wings, and the hindquarters of a lion, while at other times it was more complex. Zimmerman’s Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Bantam Books, 1964 pp 246-247 says it had “the head and breasts of a woman, body of a dog, tail of a serpent, wings of a bird, paws of a lion, and a human voice.”
How much the appearance of the sphinx was influenced by the Cherubim cannot easily be stated. It is likely there was some. One intriguing possibility is that the sphinx is a parody, perhaps a Satanic counterfeit, of a Cherub. All five of the beast empires that existed or had existed by John’s day – Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persian, Greece, and Rome – used the sphinx or composite animals much like it. Both Egypt and Greece were beast empires, prototypes of the final anti-God empire of the last days. As beast empires, they were the special province of Satan. And Satan was himself a Cherub.
[ii] In Chapter 10, Ezekiel encounters the four creatures again and clearly states they are the same he had met in Chapter 1. Their description in Chapter 10 is identical to the earlier description, with two exceptions. First, in describing the initial encounter, Ezekiel does not give them a name, while in the second he calls them cherubim. The other difference is more curious. In Chapter 1, the prophet says they each have four faces, those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. In Chapter 10 they also are said to have four faces, but the ox face has been replaced by the face of a cherub. Since the creature is a cherub, it is probably best to take the four living creatures of Ezekiel as having the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.
[iii] Isaiah called the creatures “seraphim” and Ezekiel “cherubim,” and so they have the entered common vocabulary as two different ranks of angels. Nonetheless, there is considerable reason to believe they are the same. The discussion in the main text points out their strong similarities, but other reasons can also be given. The Hebrew word translated “seraph” in Isaiah 6 has two primary meanings in Scripture. The more common is “burning” or “fiery.” Isaiah himself uses it with this meaning (e.g. 1:7, 44:16,19, and 47:14), and it is possible that in Chapter 6 he means to call the creatures “fiery ones.” Their relation to fire is perhaps strengthened in 6:6 when a seraph carries Isaiah a live coal. If this interpretation is correct, then since the cherubim of Ezekiel are repeatedly linked with fire, the similarities between cherubim and seraphim become even stronger.
The other meaning of “seraph” is serpent. This would not be relevant here, except that Satan is called a cherub and linked with fire (Ezekiel 28:16) and called a serpent and linked with fire (Revelation 12:3 where purros, translated red, means fiery). It is perhaps also relevant that Satan’s final punishment is the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). His career led from the fire to the fire. Thus, Satan may be both a cherub and a seraph, which would indicate that they are the same thing.
[iv] On the assumption that at least the four of Ezekiel and Revelation are the same, it is worthwhile to look at where cherubim appear in Scripture.
In the New Testament, they appear only once, in a brief mention in Hebrews (9:5), but they are throughout the Old Testament. The first mention is in Genesis where cherubim are stationed at the eastern side of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life to keep men from getting to it.
Two cherubim decorate the top of the atonement cover of the ark of the covenant. Moses once heard God’s voice speaking to him from between these two cherubim (Numbers 7:89).
2 Samuel 6 records that David “and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.” It is possible this hearkens back to a primitive believe that God physically dwelt invisible on a throne between the cherubim on the ark.
David, when he had been delivered from Saul, sang a song to God, some of which is given here:
In Greek myth, the sphinx was more complex. Sometimes it was portrayed as having a woman’s head and breasts, wings, and the hindquarters of a lion, while at other times it was more complex. Zimmerman’s Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Bantam Books, 1964 pp 246-247 says it had “the head and breasts of a woman, body of a dog, tail of a serpent, wings of a bird, paws of a lion, and a human voice.”
How much the appearance of the sphinx was influenced by the Cherubim cannot easily be stated. It is likely there was some. One intriguing possibility is that the sphinx is a parody, perhaps a Satanic counterfeit, of a Cherub. All five of the beast empires that existed or had existed by John’s day – Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persian, Greece, and Rome – used the sphinx or composite animals much like it. Both Egypt and Greece were beast empires, prototypes of the final anti-God empire of the last days. As beast empires, they were the special province of Satan. And Satan was himself a Cherub.
[ii] In Chapter 10, Ezekiel encounters the four creatures again and clearly states they are the same he had met in Chapter 1. Their description in Chapter 10 is identical to the earlier description, with two exceptions. First, in describing the initial encounter, Ezekiel does not give them a name, while in the second he calls them cherubim. The other difference is more curious. In Chapter 1, the prophet says they each have four faces, those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. In Chapter 10 they also are said to have four faces, but the ox face has been replaced by the face of a cherub. Since the creature is a cherub, it is probably best to take the four living creatures of Ezekiel as having the faces of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle.
[iii] Isaiah called the creatures “seraphim” and Ezekiel “cherubim,” and so they have the entered common vocabulary as two different ranks of angels. Nonetheless, there is considerable reason to believe they are the same. The discussion in the main text points out their strong similarities, but other reasons can also be given. The Hebrew word translated “seraph” in Isaiah 6 has two primary meanings in Scripture. The more common is “burning” or “fiery.” Isaiah himself uses it with this meaning (e.g. 1:7, 44:16,19, and 47:14), and it is possible that in Chapter 6 he means to call the creatures “fiery ones.” Their relation to fire is perhaps strengthened in 6:6 when a seraph carries Isaiah a live coal. If this interpretation is correct, then since the cherubim of Ezekiel are repeatedly linked with fire, the similarities between cherubim and seraphim become even stronger.
The other meaning of “seraph” is serpent. This would not be relevant here, except that Satan is called a cherub and linked with fire (Ezekiel 28:16) and called a serpent and linked with fire (Revelation 12:3 where purros, translated red, means fiery). It is perhaps also relevant that Satan’s final punishment is the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). His career led from the fire to the fire. Thus, Satan may be both a cherub and a seraph, which would indicate that they are the same thing.
[iv] On the assumption that at least the four of Ezekiel and Revelation are the same, it is worthwhile to look at where cherubim appear in Scripture.
In the New Testament, they appear only once, in a brief mention in Hebrews (9:5), but they are throughout the Old Testament. The first mention is in Genesis where cherubim are stationed at the eastern side of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life to keep men from getting to it.
Two cherubim decorate the top of the atonement cover of the ark of the covenant. Moses once heard God’s voice speaking to him from between these two cherubim (Numbers 7:89).
2 Samuel 6 records that David “and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark.” It is possible this hearkens back to a primitive believe that God physically dwelt invisible on a throne between the cherubim on the ark.
David, when he had been delivered from Saul, sang a song to God, some of which is given here:
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(2 Samuel 22:7-15) {7} In my distress I called to the LORD; I called out to my God. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. {8} "The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry. {9} Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. {10} He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet. {11} He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind. {12} He made darkness his canopy around him-- the dark rain clouds of the sky. {13} Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth. {14} The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. {15} He shot arrows and scattered the enemies, bolts of lightning and routed them.
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This passage (and the identical one in Psalm 18) is interesting for the intense and terrifying images of God’s coming. Many of them also appear in Day of the Lord prophesies (especially in Joel and Amos). The phrase “he mounted the cherubim and flew” parallels Ezekiel where the cherubim transport the throne of God. Another scripture implying that the cherubim transport God’s throne comes in 1 Chronicles 28. David is passing on to Solomon plans for the temple, plans David says he has “in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan (1 Chronicles 28:19).” He tells Solomon “the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim (1 Chronicles 28:18).” Hebrews 8:5 says that the temple is “a copy and a shadow of what is in heaven,” so this is a clear indication that the cherubim are, in some way, God’s chariot.
Remembering Hebrews 8:5, it is perhaps significant that there were four cherubim in the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple. “In the Most Holy Place he made a pair of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold (2 Chronicles 3:10).” Thus there were two as part of the decoration of the Holy of Holies. There were two more on the ark itself. Moses had been told (Exodus 25:18) to “make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover,” and he did so, making them of one piece with the cover. It was from between these cherubim that God spoke to Moses (Exodus 25:22). It is interesting to note that these “shadow” cherubim seem to have only one face, since Moses is told which way they are to face (Ex 25:20). When the ark was later brought into the temple (2 Chronicles 5:7-8), it was placed beneath the outstretched wings of the two cherubim which Solomon had carved. Since it is unlikely the cover of the ark was removed before doing this, there were now four cherubim within the Holy of Holies.
Ezekiel spoke of numerous Cherubim on the walls of the future temple (Ezekiel 41:17-18). Unlike the creatures he had seen around God’s throne, these Cherubim only had two faces, those of a man and a lion. Whether this is meant to imply that some Cherubim only have two faces, or that only two at most could be seen from one perspective, cannot be said. It is, of course, possible that the Cherubim carved here are meant to be decorative rather than representational.
There is also substantial evidence Satan is a fallen cherub. In a lament addressed to the king of Tyre, Ezekiel refers to one who was “in Eden, the garden of God (Ezekiel 28:13).” This individual, clearly not the king of Tyre, was also “anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones (Ezekiel 28:14).”
Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind after being separated from Elisha by a chariot and horses of fire (2 Kings 2:11-12). This fiery chariot may be a cherub. First, as was pointed out above, the cherubim are God’s chariots. Second, in a similar passage in Zechariah 6 (discussed in the main text), one of the chariots has red horses. The word for red used there (and for the red horse in Revelation 6) means “fiery.” Only one chariot is mentioned specifically at this point, but there may be others present. Elisha cries out “My father! My father!, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” as Elijah is taken from him. This, by the way, is not Elisha’s last encounter with chariots of fire. When the forces of Aram are invading Israel, Elisha and his servant are protected by a great horde of fiery chariots (2 Kings 6:17). If these, too, are cherubim, then there are a great many of them.
In short, whatever cherubim are, they are decidedly not fat babies with wings.
[v] This passage gives a somewhat different slant to John 14:6, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” The word “dia”, translated as “through”, can mean “on account of”, “because of”, or “by way of”. This scripture is usually taken to mean that only believers in Christ can draw near to the throne of God, and this certainly is the primary meaning of the verse. Nonetheless, it may secondarily apply to Christ’s physical presence at the throne of God.
[vi] The number seven is mentioned 55 times in 31 verses in Revelation. There are seven churches, seven spirits, seven golden lamp stands, seven stars, seven lamps, seven horns and seven eyes of the Lamb, seven angels, seven thunders, seven heads on Satan, the Beast from the sea, and the beast ridden by the Whore of Babylon, seven golden bowls, seven hills, seven kings, and of course seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven plagues. Besides this, the altar of God is mentioned seven times, as is the Abyss.
[vii] When the seven spirits were last seen, in Chapter 4, the scene in the throne room was eternal, separate from the earth, and the spirits were just a part of the perpetual worship. Now, earth is about to experience its most direct divine intervention since Christ’s first coming. The addition of the active statement “sent out into all the earth” to the description of the spirits is another manifestation of this change.
[viii] Jeremiah (Chapter 51) issued a lengthy prophecy against Babylon which resembles in many ways the prophecies of Revelation Chapters 17 and 18. Where Jeremiah’s prophecy is discussed in detail in the commentary on those two chapters, one verse is worth quoting here because of its close similarity to what Christ said, “Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.” (Jeremiah 51:46)
[ix] It is very hard for us in America to picture what it is like to face death for our faith. We live our lives free of persecution and the threat of martyrdom. This is partly a testimony to the freedom and tolerance of our society, and partly because we have become so lukewarm we no longer present much of a threat to those whose master is Satan. We think our freedom is the norm, but it has not been so throughout much of history and it is not in much of the world today. If you want to find this out, go to, say, Saudi Arabia and start proclaiming the gospel on a street corner.
Because our lives as Christians are so secure, it horrifies us to think of them being otherwise. This has led many Christians to reject the idea that our brothers and sisters alive at the Seventieth Week will mostly be martyred, thinking (and often writing) that God would not do that to his bride. God, of course, will not do it to his bride. Satan (in the person of the Antichrist and the False Prophet) will. God has warned us that it is coming, and that it will be worse than anything the Church has ever seen. We ignore his warning at our peril.
[x] The Bible teaches that humans have three parts: spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12), other scriptures simply designate two parts, soul and body (Matthew 10:28, Revelation 18:13). When three are in view, they are, approximately, the material part of man (the body); his life, the part that animates the body (the soul); and the part of him that thinks and worships (the spirit). When only two are mentioned, spirit and soul are combined. We say approximately because 1) there is some disagreement among Christian teachers as to the exact relationship among these three and 2) a human is only complete when all three are together. The only clear distinction is that the spirit appears to be our gifts, both natural and supernatural. This is supported in the cases of Elisha receiving Elijah’s spirit when he was taken and Jesus’ declaration about John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13). The resurrection of our bodies is an important doctrine of Christianity: we will not be complete until our bodies are resurrected. Christians will not spend eternity as disembodied souls.
[xi] Many people confuse the concepts “the immortality of the soul” and “the resurrection of the dead”, thinking they are equivalent. Those who believe in the immortality of the soul believe the dead will be resurrected because man was created immortal. His fate depends on his relationship with Christ, but his immortality itself is part of the soul’s nature. In this view, the dead are conscious between their death and resurrection because an unconscious soul is a contradiction in terms. Such is not the teaching of the Bible, however. Scripture clearly teaches the resurrection of (or from) the dead, but the concept of the immortality of the soul enters modern thought more from Plato and the Greeks than from Scripture.
The Bible teaches that man is by nature mortal and that it takes a specific act of God to give him immortality (Romans 6:23). When he resurrects us, what is naturally mortal becomes naturally immortal (1 Corinthians 15:53). The soul that sins, dies (Ezekiel 18:4). Its continuing or restored life is the sovereign choice of God. Note that this view says nothing at all about whether the soul is conscious between death and the resurrection. To find out, we need to look at the rest of Scripture.
In considering the soul between death and resurrection, we will set aside the NT scriptures which say the dead have fallen asleep (e.g. John 11:11, 1 Corinthians 11:30). This is how the dead appear to the living and says nothing of their state of consciousness. The passages from the OT, however, which speak of the unconscious (or non-existent) state of the dead are not as easily dealt with. Several verses say the dead are insensate (e.g. Psalms 88:10-12 and 115:17), but the most explicit is probably from Ecclesiastes (9:5b): “the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.” If these were the only verses on the state of the dead, we should be forced to believe they are unconscious at least, and probably non-existent.
Nonetheless, there are scriptures to the contrary, both from the OT and the NT. Job tells us that some of the dead are in anguish (Job 2:6) and both Isaiah (14:9) and the author of 1 Samuel (28:7-20) imply the dead can at least be roused. Isaiah says hell rouses the dead to taunt the king of Babylon. This passage is doubtless meant figuratively, but it seems very unlikely an inspired prophet would imply a doctrine (the consciousness of the dead) if it were false. Similarly, whether the Witch conjured Samuel or a spirit masquerading as Samuel, the passage certainly reflects a belief that the dead can be conscious. All these passages show that the OT revelation was not as complete as the NT on this (as on many) issues. As we will discuss below, the state of the dead may have been more shadowy, less well-defined before Christ’s resurrection.
The NT, on the other hand, has numerous scriptures which state or imply that the dead are conscious. The three most important are from Christ himself. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Christ says (Luke 16:20-31) that the rich man is in torment and Lazarus is being comforted, situations which demand consciousness. Though this is a parable, it is very unlikely our lord would imply a false doctrine even in figurative speech.
The second statement of Christ’s about the state of the dead was his promise to the repentant thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). Christ says the two would be together in Paradise that day, which certainly implies the thief would be conscious. Christ even appears to contradict a misimpression of the thief. The thief had said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (v 42), that is, when Christ returned. Christ responds that he will do as the thief asked, but immediately, not at the end of the age. The thief on the cross was probably the first person in history to have Christ waiting for him on the other side.
Christ’s third statement is in his dispute with the Sadducees over the resurrection of the dead. Christ says (Luke 20:37-38), “but in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” While Christ expressly refutes the Sadducees on the resurrection, he also implies the consciousness of the dead because God cannot be the personal God of someone who is insensate.
These scriptures establish the conscious state of the dead, but do not clearly state where the dead are between death and resurrection. Lazarus, presumably, had no memory of where he had been between his death and his resurrection at Christ’s command. If he did, that information is lost, and such speculation is futile.
Several words are used to describe the location of the dead between death and resurrection. In the OT, by far the most common is “sheol”, a word of uncertain origin. It is nearly always translated (NIV) as “the grave” or (less commonly) “death”. It is usually seen as the common destination of the good and the bad. The NT uses the Greek word “Hades” for the abode of the dead, generally without regard for whether they are good or bad (the references in Revelation 20, in connection with the second resurrection and the Last Judgment may imply it is just the abode of the evil - which it would be anyway if the good were all resurrected at the first resurrection). Christ rose from Hades (Acts 2:27 - see Greek) and from Sheol (Psalm 16:10 - See Hebrew), equating the two, and making it very likely they both simply mean the abode of the dead.
This finds support in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man was in Hades. His relative nearness to Lazarus and Abraham (Luke 16:23) may indicate they are all in Hades, though in well-separated parts. It is true that Hell is visible from Heaven (Revelation 14:10-11), but the proximity here seems stronger. The word “hades” is here (NIV) translated “hell”, which is a problem with the translation, not with the meaning of the word.
Another word, Greek “geena” from Hebrew “gehenna”, is usually translated “hell”. It describes the eventual destination of the evil. Almost every time it is used, it is associated with fiery punishment (e.g. Matthew 18:9, Mark 9:43). Since all who do not follow God are cast into the Lake of Fire following the Last Judgment (Revelation 20:15), it seems appropriate to equate gehenna and the Lake of Fire. The Hebrew word “Gehenna” means “valley of Hinnom”, a place southwest of Jerusalem. Its association with evil and with fire goes back to the time of the kings and before. “[Ahaz, king of Judah] burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites” (2 Chronicles 28:3).
Paradise, from Greek “paradeisos”, is used three times in the NT. The repentant thief is promised it (Luke 23:43), Paul’s acquaintance is taken there (2 Corinthians 12:4), and it is promised to all Christians (Revelation 2:7). Heaven, a common translation of the Greek “ouranos”, is the abode of God (e.g. Acts 7:55, Revelation 4), the ultimate destination of the followers of God (e.g. 2 Corinthians 5:1) and where Christ is until his return to earth (Acts 3:21). Ultimately, Paradise is a part of Heaven, since believers are promised both.
When Christ died, he went to Sheol (Psalm 16:10 - see Hebrew) or Hades (Acts 2:27 - see Greek). He did not, between his death and resurrection go to Heaven (John 20:17). If he was in Paradise with the thief as promised, Paradise was not then in Heaven, and yet it seems that it ultimately will be. Possibly, when Christ descended into Hades, preached to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19), and freed many captives (Ephesians 4:8), he pulled Paradise out of Hades and planted it in Heaven. That assumption makes all the verses consistent.
After Christ’s resurrection and before the Last Judgment the blessed dead are conscious, with God in Heaven, and the lost are conscious and in prison in Hades.
Remembering Hebrews 8:5, it is perhaps significant that there were four cherubim in the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple. “In the Most Holy Place he made a pair of sculptured cherubim and overlaid them with gold (2 Chronicles 3:10).” Thus there were two as part of the decoration of the Holy of Holies. There were two more on the ark itself. Moses had been told (Exodus 25:18) to “make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover,” and he did so, making them of one piece with the cover. It was from between these cherubim that God spoke to Moses (Exodus 25:22). It is interesting to note that these “shadow” cherubim seem to have only one face, since Moses is told which way they are to face (Ex 25:20). When the ark was later brought into the temple (2 Chronicles 5:7-8), it was placed beneath the outstretched wings of the two cherubim which Solomon had carved. Since it is unlikely the cover of the ark was removed before doing this, there were now four cherubim within the Holy of Holies.
Ezekiel spoke of numerous Cherubim on the walls of the future temple (Ezekiel 41:17-18). Unlike the creatures he had seen around God’s throne, these Cherubim only had two faces, those of a man and a lion. Whether this is meant to imply that some Cherubim only have two faces, or that only two at most could be seen from one perspective, cannot be said. It is, of course, possible that the Cherubim carved here are meant to be decorative rather than representational.
There is also substantial evidence Satan is a fallen cherub. In a lament addressed to the king of Tyre, Ezekiel refers to one who was “in Eden, the garden of God (Ezekiel 28:13).” This individual, clearly not the king of Tyre, was also “anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones (Ezekiel 28:14).”
Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind after being separated from Elisha by a chariot and horses of fire (2 Kings 2:11-12). This fiery chariot may be a cherub. First, as was pointed out above, the cherubim are God’s chariots. Second, in a similar passage in Zechariah 6 (discussed in the main text), one of the chariots has red horses. The word for red used there (and for the red horse in Revelation 6) means “fiery.” Only one chariot is mentioned specifically at this point, but there may be others present. Elisha cries out “My father! My father!, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” as Elijah is taken from him. This, by the way, is not Elisha’s last encounter with chariots of fire. When the forces of Aram are invading Israel, Elisha and his servant are protected by a great horde of fiery chariots (2 Kings 6:17). If these, too, are cherubim, then there are a great many of them.
In short, whatever cherubim are, they are decidedly not fat babies with wings.
[v] This passage gives a somewhat different slant to John 14:6, “No one comes to the Father except through me.” The word “dia”, translated as “through”, can mean “on account of”, “because of”, or “by way of”. This scripture is usually taken to mean that only believers in Christ can draw near to the throne of God, and this certainly is the primary meaning of the verse. Nonetheless, it may secondarily apply to Christ’s physical presence at the throne of God.
[vi] The number seven is mentioned 55 times in 31 verses in Revelation. There are seven churches, seven spirits, seven golden lamp stands, seven stars, seven lamps, seven horns and seven eyes of the Lamb, seven angels, seven thunders, seven heads on Satan, the Beast from the sea, and the beast ridden by the Whore of Babylon, seven golden bowls, seven hills, seven kings, and of course seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven plagues. Besides this, the altar of God is mentioned seven times, as is the Abyss.
[vii] When the seven spirits were last seen, in Chapter 4, the scene in the throne room was eternal, separate from the earth, and the spirits were just a part of the perpetual worship. Now, earth is about to experience its most direct divine intervention since Christ’s first coming. The addition of the active statement “sent out into all the earth” to the description of the spirits is another manifestation of this change.
[viii] Jeremiah (Chapter 51) issued a lengthy prophecy against Babylon which resembles in many ways the prophecies of Revelation Chapters 17 and 18. Where Jeremiah’s prophecy is discussed in detail in the commentary on those two chapters, one verse is worth quoting here because of its close similarity to what Christ said, “Do not lose heart or be afraid when rumors are heard in the land; one rumor comes this year, another the next, rumors of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.” (Jeremiah 51:46)
[ix] It is very hard for us in America to picture what it is like to face death for our faith. We live our lives free of persecution and the threat of martyrdom. This is partly a testimony to the freedom and tolerance of our society, and partly because we have become so lukewarm we no longer present much of a threat to those whose master is Satan. We think our freedom is the norm, but it has not been so throughout much of history and it is not in much of the world today. If you want to find this out, go to, say, Saudi Arabia and start proclaiming the gospel on a street corner.
Because our lives as Christians are so secure, it horrifies us to think of them being otherwise. This has led many Christians to reject the idea that our brothers and sisters alive at the Seventieth Week will mostly be martyred, thinking (and often writing) that God would not do that to his bride. God, of course, will not do it to his bride. Satan (in the person of the Antichrist and the False Prophet) will. God has warned us that it is coming, and that it will be worse than anything the Church has ever seen. We ignore his warning at our peril.
[x] The Bible teaches that humans have three parts: spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12), other scriptures simply designate two parts, soul and body (Matthew 10:28, Revelation 18:13). When three are in view, they are, approximately, the material part of man (the body); his life, the part that animates the body (the soul); and the part of him that thinks and worships (the spirit). When only two are mentioned, spirit and soul are combined. We say approximately because 1) there is some disagreement among Christian teachers as to the exact relationship among these three and 2) a human is only complete when all three are together. The only clear distinction is that the spirit appears to be our gifts, both natural and supernatural. This is supported in the cases of Elisha receiving Elijah’s spirit when he was taken and Jesus’ declaration about John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13). The resurrection of our bodies is an important doctrine of Christianity: we will not be complete until our bodies are resurrected. Christians will not spend eternity as disembodied souls.
[xi] Many people confuse the concepts “the immortality of the soul” and “the resurrection of the dead”, thinking they are equivalent. Those who believe in the immortality of the soul believe the dead will be resurrected because man was created immortal. His fate depends on his relationship with Christ, but his immortality itself is part of the soul’s nature. In this view, the dead are conscious between their death and resurrection because an unconscious soul is a contradiction in terms. Such is not the teaching of the Bible, however. Scripture clearly teaches the resurrection of (or from) the dead, but the concept of the immortality of the soul enters modern thought more from Plato and the Greeks than from Scripture.
The Bible teaches that man is by nature mortal and that it takes a specific act of God to give him immortality (Romans 6:23). When he resurrects us, what is naturally mortal becomes naturally immortal (1 Corinthians 15:53). The soul that sins, dies (Ezekiel 18:4). Its continuing or restored life is the sovereign choice of God. Note that this view says nothing at all about whether the soul is conscious between death and the resurrection. To find out, we need to look at the rest of Scripture.
In considering the soul between death and resurrection, we will set aside the NT scriptures which say the dead have fallen asleep (e.g. John 11:11, 1 Corinthians 11:30). This is how the dead appear to the living and says nothing of their state of consciousness. The passages from the OT, however, which speak of the unconscious (or non-existent) state of the dead are not as easily dealt with. Several verses say the dead are insensate (e.g. Psalms 88:10-12 and 115:17), but the most explicit is probably from Ecclesiastes (9:5b): “the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.” If these were the only verses on the state of the dead, we should be forced to believe they are unconscious at least, and probably non-existent.
Nonetheless, there are scriptures to the contrary, both from the OT and the NT. Job tells us that some of the dead are in anguish (Job 2:6) and both Isaiah (14:9) and the author of 1 Samuel (28:7-20) imply the dead can at least be roused. Isaiah says hell rouses the dead to taunt the king of Babylon. This passage is doubtless meant figuratively, but it seems very unlikely an inspired prophet would imply a doctrine (the consciousness of the dead) if it were false. Similarly, whether the Witch conjured Samuel or a spirit masquerading as Samuel, the passage certainly reflects a belief that the dead can be conscious. All these passages show that the OT revelation was not as complete as the NT on this (as on many) issues. As we will discuss below, the state of the dead may have been more shadowy, less well-defined before Christ’s resurrection.
The NT, on the other hand, has numerous scriptures which state or imply that the dead are conscious. The three most important are from Christ himself. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Christ says (Luke 16:20-31) that the rich man is in torment and Lazarus is being comforted, situations which demand consciousness. Though this is a parable, it is very unlikely our lord would imply a false doctrine even in figurative speech.
The second statement of Christ’s about the state of the dead was his promise to the repentant thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). Christ says the two would be together in Paradise that day, which certainly implies the thief would be conscious. Christ even appears to contradict a misimpression of the thief. The thief had said “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (v 42), that is, when Christ returned. Christ responds that he will do as the thief asked, but immediately, not at the end of the age. The thief on the cross was probably the first person in history to have Christ waiting for him on the other side.
Christ’s third statement is in his dispute with the Sadducees over the resurrection of the dead. Christ says (Luke 20:37-38), “but in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.” While Christ expressly refutes the Sadducees on the resurrection, he also implies the consciousness of the dead because God cannot be the personal God of someone who is insensate.
These scriptures establish the conscious state of the dead, but do not clearly state where the dead are between death and resurrection. Lazarus, presumably, had no memory of where he had been between his death and his resurrection at Christ’s command. If he did, that information is lost, and such speculation is futile.
Several words are used to describe the location of the dead between death and resurrection. In the OT, by far the most common is “sheol”, a word of uncertain origin. It is nearly always translated (NIV) as “the grave” or (less commonly) “death”. It is usually seen as the common destination of the good and the bad. The NT uses the Greek word “Hades” for the abode of the dead, generally without regard for whether they are good or bad (the references in Revelation 20, in connection with the second resurrection and the Last Judgment may imply it is just the abode of the evil - which it would be anyway if the good were all resurrected at the first resurrection). Christ rose from Hades (Acts 2:27 - see Greek) and from Sheol (Psalm 16:10 - See Hebrew), equating the two, and making it very likely they both simply mean the abode of the dead.
This finds support in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The rich man was in Hades. His relative nearness to Lazarus and Abraham (Luke 16:23) may indicate they are all in Hades, though in well-separated parts. It is true that Hell is visible from Heaven (Revelation 14:10-11), but the proximity here seems stronger. The word “hades” is here (NIV) translated “hell”, which is a problem with the translation, not with the meaning of the word.
Another word, Greek “geena” from Hebrew “gehenna”, is usually translated “hell”. It describes the eventual destination of the evil. Almost every time it is used, it is associated with fiery punishment (e.g. Matthew 18:9, Mark 9:43). Since all who do not follow God are cast into the Lake of Fire following the Last Judgment (Revelation 20:15), it seems appropriate to equate gehenna and the Lake of Fire. The Hebrew word “Gehenna” means “valley of Hinnom”, a place southwest of Jerusalem. Its association with evil and with fire goes back to the time of the kings and before. “[Ahaz, king of Judah] burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites” (2 Chronicles 28:3).
Paradise, from Greek “paradeisos”, is used three times in the NT. The repentant thief is promised it (Luke 23:43), Paul’s acquaintance is taken there (2 Corinthians 12:4), and it is promised to all Christians (Revelation 2:7). Heaven, a common translation of the Greek “ouranos”, is the abode of God (e.g. Acts 7:55, Revelation 4), the ultimate destination of the followers of God (e.g. 2 Corinthians 5:1) and where Christ is until his return to earth (Acts 3:21). Ultimately, Paradise is a part of Heaven, since believers are promised both.
When Christ died, he went to Sheol (Psalm 16:10 - see Hebrew) or Hades (Acts 2:27 - see Greek). He did not, between his death and resurrection go to Heaven (John 20:17). If he was in Paradise with the thief as promised, Paradise was not then in Heaven, and yet it seems that it ultimately will be. Possibly, when Christ descended into Hades, preached to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19), and freed many captives (Ephesians 4:8), he pulled Paradise out of Hades and planted it in Heaven. That assumption makes all the verses consistent.
After Christ’s resurrection and before the Last Judgment the blessed dead are conscious, with God in Heaven, and the lost are conscious and in prison in Hades.
