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Systematic Theology II

DIPLOMA IN PASTORAL LEADERSHIP.

Module 1

POLEMICS 101

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Content Page.

1. Introduction. 3

2. Polemics. 3

3. The Netherworld (Sheol/ Hades). 5

3.1. Sheol/ Hades. 5

3.2. The translation of “Grave”. 6

3.3. Sheol/ Hades is not the “Hell”. 7

3.4. Tophet /Gehenna (Hell). 7

3.5. Sheol / Hades is not the “Tartarus”. 8

3.6. Sheol/Hades is not the “Abussos”. 8

3.7. Location of the Sheol/Hades. 10

3.8. Occupants of Sheol/ Hades. 12

4. Judgment and Lake of Fire. 20

5. The Doctrine of the Russellites. 21

5.1. Doctrine about Christ. 22

5.2. Their doctrine about Salvation. 23

5.3. Russell's teaching about reconciliation. 24

6. Eternal Punishment. 24

6.1. The location. 24

6.2. The people. 24

6.3. How long will the lake of fire continue? 24

6.4. A different degree of punishment. 25

6.5. The different types of punishment. 25

7. Assignment. 27

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1. Introduction ..

It is necessary that the Scriptures must be clearly understood regarding any

issue, in order to be able to stand against those w ho attempt to pervert it for their

own selfish gain. They deceive many people and lead them away from the truth

on a path of destruction. It is our duty as true fo llowers of Christ, to act against

them and their false doctrines. The most proficient way to do so is to study the

Word of God carefully and prayerfully about any sub ject that may cause

controversy. These arguments are known as “Polemics ”.

2 Tim. 3:16&17 (Amplified Bible) reads: “Every Scri pture is God-breathed (given

by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin,

for correction of error and discipline in obedience , [and] for training in

righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God 's will in thought, purpose, and

action), So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and

thoroughly equipped for every good work”. The Scrip ture provides us with a

mandate to present Biblical truths in an authentic manner.

2. Polemics.

Polemics are one of the most common forms of arguin g. Similar to debate, a

polemic is confined to a definite controversial the ory. Unlike debate however,

which may seek a common ground between the two disp utants, a polemic is

intended only to establish the truth of a point of view while disproving the

opposing point of view. Polemics are usually addres sed to important issues in

religion, philosophy, politics, or science. Polemic theology is the branch of

theological debate devoted to the history or conduc t of controversy over

religious matters. It is distinguished from apologe tics, which refers to the

intellectual defense of faith. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polemic ).

Polemic then is the turning point in a theological context regarding the

fundamental truths about the soul and salvation of man. Besides Polemic stands

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the Apologetics in the field of religion, that defe nds in the light of the fact of the

divine Revelation, the possibility of credible kno wledge about God, His Essence

and His existence - not as an apology (or excuse), but rather as a justifiable truth.

Hence the Apologetics of the revelation of God oppo ses the mere philosophy

with regard to faith, science, theology and the nat ural wonder. The Polemic then

has found focus and scope in the essence of the spi rit and spiritual realm with

specific confinements in the eternal under the offe r of salvation.

Based on the Scriptures, the field of Polemic there fore endeavors to establish:

• An understanding of certain terms.

• Study of specific Scriptural references.

• Determining of revealed truths:

� With regards to eternity and the eternal state of m an.

� A special reference to the distinction between the righteous

and the wicked.

� The factual discussion of the various and often

opposing views of specific doctrine.

� The proof around the various debates over Polemic i n a

theological context, is the Bible as Holy Scripture and doctrine

for faith and life.

In this module we will therefore not look outside o f Scriptural context for

evidence, information or clarification to investiga te and review certain parts of

Scripture and references in an analytical and exege tic way in order to determine

the truth.

The purpose of this module is to familiarize the st udent with the field of polemics

and present a style of arguing to present the truth in any debate. A myriad of

subjects, teachings, doctrines, opinions, theories etc. may be examined under the

polemic magnifying glass. In order to apply the po lemic style though, we will

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only perform a concise examination of the doctrine of the netherworld and some

the views of the Russellites.

3. The Netherworld: Sheol / Hades.

According to Wikipedia the netherworld is a region thought to be beneath the

surface of the world in many religions and mytholog ies.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherworld .

“Sheol” is the Hebrew word used in the Old Testamen t for the netherworld.

“Hades” is the Greek word in the New Testament. The general opinion of the

Hebrew and Greek scholars is that the Greek word “H ades” has the same

meaning as the Hebrew word “Sheol”.

When the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew t o Greek in 300 – 270 BC,

they used the word Hades to describe Sheol. It is t hus clear that Sheol and Hades

have the same meaning at all times. For the benefit of the student, it will be used

as a compound word throughout this course material.

Sheol appears 65 times in the Old Testament and Had es 11 times in the New

Testament. It should however be clearly understood that when referring to

Sheol/Hades, it has no reference to the hell, grave or pit.

3.1. Sheol / Hades.

In order to clearly understand this, we must first focus to determine what Sheol/

Hades is not.

� The grave is not Sheol/Hades. Sheol appears 65 time s in the Old Testament.

The Staten Bible translates it 30 times, with “grav e” and 30 times with “hell”.

In the New Testament Hades is found 11 times and is translated in Dutch as

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“hell”. However, we find that Sheol/ Hades never or iginally had the meaning

of hell or grave. It is the abode of the spirits of the deceased. It is the

netherworld.

� Sheol/ Hades cannot mean grave in any of the 71 tex ts where it occurs. The

reasons include:

o It is never used in the plural.

o Not a single time it is indicated to be located on the surface of the earth.

o The body of a man is never placed in it.

o Sheol/ Hades is never built, dug or made.

o In the Scriptures it has never been touched by a ma n.

3.2. The translation of “Grave” .

The word “grave” is correctly translated from the o riginal languages. The Hebrew

word for grave is “Queber” and the Greek word in th e New Testament is

“Mnemeion”.

In the Old Testament, the word “Queber” appears 68 times:

- Once (1) as a cemetery. - -

- Twice (2) as being buried.

- Sixty five (65) times as grave.

- Seventy five (75) times it appears in the plural form.

- Thirty two (32) times it is indicated as a locat ion on the earth.

- Thirty seven (37) times, the body enters into it .

- Thirty three (33) times a body is placed into it by someone.

- Six times (6) it is dug or prepared by men.

- Five times (5) man is prohibited to touch it bec ause of prescribed ceremonial

laws.

- Forty four (44) times reference is made to indiv iduals.

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3.3. Sheol / Hades is not the “Hell”.

In the Old Testament, we find the Hebrew word “Toph et”, in the New Testament

the Greek word “Gehenna”. Both have the same meanin g, and refer to eternal fire.

In general the two words are properly translated as “hell” or its equivalent - the

lake of fire.

Tophet/ Gehenna will become the final and eternal a bode of the wicked. Only the

soul goes to Sheol/ Hades. In Matt. 5:29, 30; 10:28 the Bible indicates however

that both the soul and the body will go to Tophet/ Gehenna (Hell or the lake of

fire).

Please note that:

• The Lord refers eight times (8) to the fact that th e body will go to

Tophet/Gehenna.

• Gehenna appears twelve (12) times in the New Testam ent and has the same

meaning as “hell” and the “lake of fire”.

• Eleven (11) of the twelve (12) times it is said by Christ Himself. It is

presented as a serious warning about the ultimate c onsequences of sin.

• Eleven times (11) fire is mentioned in this regard.

• Eight times (8) it is described as eternal, and it is depicted as a place where

the worm does not die and where the fire not quench ed.

• Rev. 20:14 states that Sheol/ Hades will be cast in to Tophet/ Gehenna (hell

or the lake of fire) after the White Throne judgmen t.

3.4. Tophet / Gehenna (Hell).

1. According to the Scripture, there is no one yet in hell. The first creatures to

go there will be the Antichrist and the false proph et (Rev. 19:20).

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2. They will be followed by the wicked nations when Christ judges the nations

(Matt. 25:41). The people will be cast alive in to the lake of fire. This fire is

especially prepared for the devil and his angels. I t is wrong to say that the

devil and his angels are presently in hell. Paul sh ows in Eph. 6:12 that the

devil and demons are the rulers of the darkness of this world and reign as

such. Eph. 2:2 refers to the devil as the prince of the power in the air. The

devil will be cast into hell, the lake of fire, at the end of the millennial reign

of Christ, which will be 1000 years after the Antic hrist and the false prophet

have already been cast into it.

3.5. Sheol / Hades is not the “Tartarus”.

The Sheol/ Hades is not the “Tartarus” either. Tart arus is the abode of fallen

angels. This word occurs only once in the Bible in 2 Pet. 2:4 (Revised English

Version). In other versions such as the English, Du tch and Afrikaans versions it is

erroneously translated as “hell”.

2 Pet. 2:4 reads: "For if God did not spare angels having sinned, but having

hurled [them] down to the deepest pit of gloom [Gr. tartarus], He delivered [them]

to chains of thick darkness, being kept for judgmen t; . . .”. Tartarus is not the

same place as Sheol/ Hades, but seems to be a separ ate place of safeguarding for

the fallen angels who are kept for final judgment, from where they will be cast

with the devil into the "lake of fire".

3.6. Sheol/Hades is not the “Abussos”.

“Abussos” in the Dutch Bible is translated with "bo ttomless pit” and "abyss". It is

found nine (9) times in the New Testament, but no e quivalent word for this

phenomenon, is found in the Old Testament. This wil l be the abode of Satan and

demons during the 1000-year reign of Christ on eart h. Abussos seems to be

separate and apart from Sheol/ Hades. They also see m to be not the same as

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Tartarus which is again the present abode of the fa llen angels. It should be kept

in mind that the Bible makes a distinction between demons and fallen angels.

They are never referred to being the same beings.

The "abyss" (Abussos) appears to be apart from Sheo l/ Hades, although it would

seem that according to an Old Testament reference t o the downfall of Satan, the

two places are related to each other. Isa. 14:15 re ads: "but you will come down to

the Netherworld, into the depths of the pit", in th is regard.

We never read that there are souls of people in the abyss nor is any reference

made in the Bible that the devil and the demons hav e any interaction with lost

souls in Sheol/ Hades, during this period and up to just before the Last Judge

ment. Only after the White Throne, will they all be judged and cast into hell, the

lake of fire. Although many people on earth pretend that they do not believe in

Sheol/ Hades or hell, but we do find that the demon s are fully aware of their

eventual damnation and what their fate will be. Whe n Jesus, for example, was

ready to cast out the legion of demons from the pos sessed man of Gadara, they

(the demons) besought Him not to send them to the n etherworld (Luke 8:31). In

Matt. 8:29 we also read: "And suddenly they cried o ut, saying, what have we to do

with thee, Jesus, Son of God? Did you come here to torment us before the time?"

These demons recognized Jesus Christ as their Judge and were fully aware that it

was in His power to send them to the place of torme nt, namely the abyss. The

worst of all is that the devil, demons, fallen ange ls and all unsaved descendants

of Adam are already condemned. For the unsaved pers on though, there is still

hope when he/ she turns to God in repentance, that they will be saved. If they

continue rejecting the grace of God, they are conde mned already, and are on their

way with all the evil forces to their respective pr isons. There they will remain until

after the 1000-year reign of Christ in order to app ear before the great White

Throne Judgment.

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3.7. Location of the Sheol/ Hades.

Of the 65 texts in the Old Testament referring to S heol/ Hades, there are at least

twenty (20) of them that refer to descending to a p lace underneath the earth.

Some of them are:

1. Gen. 37:35: “Jacob said: No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son,

mourning."

2. Job 7:9: “so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up”

3. Isa. 14:11: “Your pride was brought down to Sheo l”.

4. Ps. 55:16: “Let them go down to Sheol alive”.

In each of these Old Testament texts, as well as in many others that we will

encounter later on, Sheol is indicated by “going do wn”, or “to descend”. In both

cases in the New Testament it also refers to be “br ought down”, “to descend to a

place underneath the earth”.

1. Matt. 11:23: “You shall be brought down to Hades ”.

2. Luke 10:15: “You shall be brought down to Hades” .

No indication in the Scriptures is evident that She ol/ Hades is said to be on the

earth or above the earth, but always underneath. Un derneath/ downwards from

anywhere on this planet is in the direction of the center of the earth. From New

Testament portions we will clearly see that the Lor d Himself refers to Sheol/

Hades as a place that is situated in the heart of t he earth.

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With the resurrection of Christ, He (Christ) took w ith Him the souls of the

deceased believers out of the Netherworld (Matt. 27 :52, 2 Cor. 5:8; Acts. 7:56-60, 2

Cor. 12:2-4). It is clear that when the righteous d ie they go to the third Heaven or

paradise.

NEW TESTAMENT

After His Crucifixion, Christ

descended into the netherworld.

Matt. 11:23; Luke 10:15; 16:23

Eph. 4:9; 1 Pet. 3:19; Acts 2:27, 31;

1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 1:8

OLD TESTAMENT

Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29;

Num. 16:30; Ps. 55:16; Ezek. 31:15;

Deut. 32:22; 1Sam. 2:6;

1 Kings 2:6; 2:9;

Ps. 9:18. Prophecy about Christ:

Ps. 16:10; Prov. 15:24; 30:16;

Isa. 14:9

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The wicked that are presently in the Netherworld, a s well as those who will arrive

there in the ages to come, will remain there until the Great White Throne

judgment. After their conviction they will then be cast into the lake of fire. Satan

from Abussos and the fallen angels from Tartarus wi ll accompany them.

3.8. Occupants of Sheol/ Hades.

3.8.1. Gen. 37:35.

In this Scripture, Jacob has made it very clear whe n he said: "with mourning will I

go down to my son in the netherworld”. With the res urrection of Christ the just in

the netherworld were moved to the paradise. The wic ked will remain there until

the White Throne Judgment.

3.8.2. Numbers 16:1-34.

This Scripture accounts of a remarkable instance wh ere three persons, Korah,

Dathan and Abiram went down into Sheol/ Hades alive . They rebelled against

Moses and caused uproar to take place. The results were (verses 28-35) that “the

earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up. . . So they and all that belonged

to them went down alive into Sheol. . .”. This rema rkable incident confirms the

fact that Sheol/ Hades is situated somewhere in the core of the earth.

3.8.3. Samuel and the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28:1-1 9).

Another intriguing case unfolds in 1 Sam. 28:1-19. In verse 3, we read that

“Samuel died . . . and he was buried in Ramah, even in his city”. Note the fact that

Samuel was buried at Ramah, in his own city and tha t Saul had removed all the

spiritual mediums of those days from the country. S aul executed God's

commandment that He (God) commanded in Lev. 20:27 a nd 19:31. A spiritual

medium does not really communicate with spirits fro m the deceased but is

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having communion with the demons that pretend to be the spirits of the

deceased. These spirits are also called familiar sp irits (Lev. 19:31). Although Saul

was aware of all these facts, he still went to this fortune teller.

1 Sam. 28:11-16 (Amplified Bible): “The woman said, Whom shall I bring up for

you? He said, Bring up Samuel for me. And when the woman saw Samuel, she

screamed and she said to Saul, Why have you deceive d me? For you are Saul!

The king said to her, Be not afraid; what do you se e? The woman said to Saul, I

see a god [terrifying superhuman being] coming up o ut of the earth! He said to

her, In what form is he? And she said, An old man c omes up, covered with a

mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to

the ground and made obeisance. And Samuel said to S aul, Why have you

disturbed me to bring me up? Saul answered, I am bi tterly distressed; for the

Philistines make war against me, and God has depart ed from me and answers me

no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you

may make known to me what I should do. Samuel said, Why then do you ask me,

seeing that the Lord has turned from you and has be come your enemy?”.

Samuel came up from out of earth.

At this point in time (prior to the resurrection of Christ) the righteous and the

unrighteous were residing in Sheol/ Hades. Samuel s aid to Saul: "Moreover the

LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand o f the Philistines; and tomorrow

you and your sons shall be with me; the LORD will g ive the army of Israel also

into the hand of the Philistines." (Verse 19)

The proponents of the so-called soul sleep teaching s claim that Samuel meant

that Saul and his sons would be with him in the gra ve. In Chapter 31 however, we

read that their bones were buried in Jabez. It was therefore impossible for them to

be with Samuel in his grave. Samuel, who is a right eous man, said unto Saul, who

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is a wicked man, "Tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me." Remember that

two of Saul's sons were wicked and one was righteou s. At that point in time in

Sheol/ Hades the just and unjust were separated by a chasm (Luke 16:26).

These Scriptures, as well as many others, from the Bible contradict the theory of

soul sleep.

The Soul sleep doctrine.

The Soul sleep doctrine refers to teaching that whe n a person dies, his soul

"sleeps" until the time of the future resurrection. In this condition, the person is

not aware or conscious. The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-day

Adventists hold to this doctrine. The Jehovah's Wit nesses version also includes

annihilation. This means that after death a person ceases to exist. At the future

resurrection they maintain that the soul is created again. Basically, it is a re-

creation of the individual. The Seventh-day Adventi sts teach that the soul is

simply inert and resides in the memory of God.

The primary verses used to support soul sleep are f ound in Ecclesiastes:

• Eccl. 9:5: “For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know

anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for th eir memory is forgotten."

• Eccl. 12:7: "then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will

return to God who gave it."

Ecclesiastes must be understood in the context of i ts own commentary, which is

stated in the opening of the book: "The words of th e Preacher, the son of David,

king in Jerusalem. “Vanity of vanities,” says the P reacher, “Vanity of vanities! All

is vanity.” What advantage does man have in all hi s work which he does under

the sun?" (Eccl. 1:1-3). The writer is telling us h ow things are from the human

perspective, from "under the sun." He is not tellin g us doctrinal statements about

whether or not the soul continues after death. Besi des, it's a mistake to use the

Old Testament to interpret the New Testament. It is the New Testament that sheds

light on the Old Testament.

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In the New Testament we see the Apostle Paul say in 2 Cor. 5:8, "we are of good

courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home

with the Lord." Paul is clearly telling us that whe n he dies, he will go and be with

the Lord. Furthermore, at the Transfiguration of Je sus (Matt. 17:1-8) we see

Moses and Elijah who were alive. There was no soul sleep with them.

Therefore, the doctrine of soul sleep is erroneous when it claims that the soul is

suspended in a state of unconscious, between the ti me of death and resurrection.

We know from God’s Word that the soul of man contin ues on after death. The

wicked face the judgment of God, and the Christians will dwell in His presence.

3.8.4. Jonah went to Sheol/ Hades (Jonah 1 & 2) .

The Book of Jonah is ridiculed by skeptics more tha n any other book in the Bible.

We must bear in mind however that Jesus accepted th ese events as literal

historic events. This provides therefore sufficient proof that we are dealing with

facts that are authentic. If it was not true and He did not know that, then He

certainly fell short of perfect knowledge, and His infallibility failed. On the basis of

ignorance and dishonesty, He would then be rejected as the Savior. Christ

accepted the Book of Jonah and its events without a ny doubt. He also used it as

a type of Himself. The events of Jonah were a shado w of Christ and His ministry

to the Gentiles.

There are those who ask: "How could Jonah have stay ed alive three days and

three nights in the belly of a fish?”. Is there any thing that is impossible for God?

No. After intensive study of these Scriptures, it s eems that Jonah did die, and that

he went to Sheol/ Hades. He was later raised from t he dead and went to Nineveh

to preach to the Gentiles. The made him the perfect type of Jesus Christ. Before

His death, the ministry of Christ was exclusively f or the Jews only, but after His

resurrection, He commanded the Apostles to also go and testify to the Gentiles.

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Jonah refused to obey the command of God, to go and preach to the Gentiles.

This meant that he had to leave his own people in s in and unrighteousness, and

go and preach salvation unto the Gentiles. He fled from the will of God in his

attempt to escape his calling. Mat 12:38 – 40 (Ampl ified Bible): “Then some of the

scribes and Pharisees said to Him, Teacher, we desi re to see a sign or miracle

from You [proving that You are what You claim to be ]. But He replied to them, An

evil and adulterous generation (a generation morall y unfaithful to God) seeks and

demands a sign; but no sign shall be given to it ex cept the sign of the prophet

Jonah. For even as Jonah was three days and three n ights in the belly of the sea

monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and t hree nights in the heart of the

earth. [Jonah 1:17]”.

Jonah 2:1-2 (Amplified Bible): “Then Jonah prayed t o the Lord his God from the

fish's belly, and said I cried out of my distress t o the Lord, and He heard me; out

of the belly of Sheol cried I, and You heard my voi ce”. Jonah started his prayer in

the belly of the fish, but he ended it from Sheol/H ades. Jonah 2:5&6 (Amplified

Bible) reads: “The waters compassed me about, even to [the extinction of] life;

the abyss surrounded me, the seaweed was wrapped ab out my head. I went down

to the bottoms and the very roots of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed

behind me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, O

Lord my God”. The “bottoms and the very roots of th e mountains; the earth with

its bars closed behind me forever” refer to a place lower than the belly of the fish.

If a person is weak he normally cannot recall much of what happens to him, but

note how Jonah is able to “earnestly and seriously remember” the Lord; and even

pray. He certainly was in Sheol/ Hades. There are t hree instances documented in

the Scripture where communication from or in the ne therworld took place (Ezek.

32:21, Isa.14:9-20 & Luke 16:19-31).

Based on this information we believe that Jonah was certainly dead, and was

raised as Lazarus was raised. Jonah was in no soul sleep in Sheol or the grave.

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He was at his full consciousness and has called vig orously on the Lord. God

listened to his cry and responded.

3.8.5. Jesus Christ descended to Sheol/ Hades.

In Matt. 12:38-40 Jesus Christ referred to the hist ory of Jonah. This is the same

place where Christ went after His death. We believe what Jesus Christ implied.

We believe that He took His place with the Old Test ament saints. His words to the

criminal on the cross confirm where He was going. T he murderer said unto

Jesus, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Jesus

answered him:" Verily I say unto thee, today thou s halt be with me in paradise"

(Luke 23:39-43).

Where does Jesus Christ say He will be during the t hree days and three nights?

Our answer is that he would be in the heart of the earth. Now comes the question,

where was Paradise then at that time? It could only have been in one place and

that is in the heart of the earth. It speaks for it self that paradise before the

resurrection of the Lord, then was one of the secti ons of Sheol/ Hades in the

heart of the earth. John 3:13 reads: “And no man ha th ascended up to heaven,

but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven”. To

the criminal Jesus said that he would be with Him i n paradise on that day. There

is no Scriptural evidence that Jesus Christ was in heaven during those three

days, while his body laid in the grave. Note the si gnificant prophecy regarding

Christ's resurrection in Ps. 16:10: “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (Sheol/

Hades); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption”. This text is

quoted by the Apostle Peter, on the day of Pentecos t when addressing the crowd

(Acts 2:27). From this prophecy we can conclude tha t His soul will not be

delivered to Sheol/ Hades, and that his body will n ot be allowed to perish unto

corruption in the tomb. Jesus, true God and true ma n, has taken his place with

the Old Testament saints in Sheol/ Hades.

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There is no Scriptural indication that Jesus was th ree days and three nights in

heaven, for after His resurrection He said to Mary: "Do not touch me, because I

have not yet ascended to my Father" (John. 20:17). From the Scriptures it appears

that Christ had not, at that time, ascended in to t he celestial heaven, because He

had not yet entered into the Holiest of holies to m ake atonement for the sins of

the world with his own Blood (Heb. 7:19 & 9:12).

3.8.6. The removal of the saints from Sheol/ Hades.

All the passages of Scripture considered thus far, dealt with the conditions up to

and until the time of Christ’s resurrection. The qu estion now arises: When did the

Lord evacuate the Sheol/Hades? Based on Matt. 27:50 -53 and Eph. 4:7-10 it is

clear that Christ evacuated the souls of the just f rom Sheol/Hades during His

resurrection. No Scripture is available to provide evidence of the souls of the

righteous still being in Sheol/ Hades or that are g oing to it after Christ’s

resurrection. Christ has made it clear that Sheol/ Hades will not overcome the

saints of this dispensation (Matt. 16:18). Sheol/ H ades will never become the

resting place of any of the true saints of this dis pensation.

The events that occurred during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ are very

significant in this regard (Matt. 27:50-53). The so uls of the just, imprisoned in

Sheol/ Hades in the dispensation up to the resurrec tion of Christ, were

resurrected during His resurrection. They left thei r graves after His resurrection.

The graves were opened when Jesus was crucified, an d the saints that were

asleep (dead) were resurrected, but they did not le ave their graves till the

resurrection of Christ. Christ had to be first frui ts of the resurrection.

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3.8.7. Paradise is now in Heaven.

After the resurrection of the Lord there is no furt her evidence of any believers in

Sheol/ Hades, or that are going there. In the prese nt dispensation of the Holy

Spirit it is said of the righteous dead that they h ave ascended into Paradise.

2 Cor. 12:1-4 (Amplified Bible): “True, there is no thing to be gained by it, but [as I

am obliged] to boast, I will go on to visions and r evelations of the Lord. I know a

man in Christ who, fourteen years ago--whether in t he body or out of the body I

do not know, God knows--was caught up to the third heaven. And I know that this

man--whether in the body or away from the body, I d o not know, God knows--

Was caught up into paradise, and he heard utterance s beyond the power of man

to put into words, which man is not permitted to ut ter”. The date when this epistle

was written corresponds to an experience the Apostl e Paul had in Lystra (Acts.

14:19, 20. Fourteen years ago the Jews had stoned Paul, and dragged his body

outside the city walls and left him for dead. It is generally assumed that Paul had

actually died at that time and that he was really c aught up to Paradise, which is

currently the whereabouts of those who are dead in Christ. It will appear that God

wanted to use this extraordinary experience of His servant Paul, to uncover two

important facts.

First: The locality of the Paradise, during this dispensa tion of the Church, is no

longer situated in the heart of the earth, but in t he third heaven.

Secondly: In this dispensation, the believers’ soul no longe r descends to the

heart of the earth, but rather ascends to the third heaven, where Paradise is

situated. See 2 Cor. 5:6, 8 and Phil. 1:23 in this regard.

Paul expects that when he passes away, he will inst antly be with the Lord, and

not as the purgatory doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church states. Purgatory is a

condition of purification or temporary punishment b y which those who die in a

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state of grace are believed to be made ready for He aven

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory). Paul also did not expect to be in the tomb

in an unconscious state. The proponents of the soul -sleep theory would have

favored it to be like this, but he expected to be i mmediately with the Lord. He

stated very clearly that it would be the best by fa r (Cor. 15:51-55 and 1 Thess.

4:13, 17).

It is clear that during this dispensation, the soul s of all the believers, when

passing away, will go directly to Paradise to be th ere with Christ. With His return

at the rapture they will enter their bodies to be r esurrected from their graves, so

that they can be in spirit, soul and glorified body with Him forever and ever.

4. Judgment and the Lake of Fire.

Sheol/ Hades is presently occupied by the souls of the unjust; those who died

since the time of Adam. Those who will pass away ti ll the time of final Judgment

will accompany them. According to the Bible they re main in torment and “in

custody” until their final sentence of eternal damn ation. They are not in hell yet,

but are imprisoned awaiting the judgment day.

I. The first persons that will be sent to the lake of fire and hell will be the

Antichrist and the false prophet (2 Thess. 2:8, and Rev. 19:20).

II. When the beast and the false prophet will be ca st into hell, Satan will be

cast into the abyss. He will be bound there during the Millennial (Rev. 20:1-

3).

III. The so-called “goat nations” will then be sen t to hell (Matt. 25:41).

IV. The devil himself will be the next to be sent t o hell (Rev. 20:7-10). Sheol/

Hades will be ultimately also be cast into hell (Re v. 20:11-15).

The concept of Sheol/ Hades is very prominent when the resurrection of the

wicked is mentioned. It is remarkable that Sheol/ H ades is found in the first book

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of the Bible, and again in the last book. In the 76 times that Sheol/ Hades appears

throughout Scriptures, it is not once used outside of the context of the general

purpose or meaning of the word, neither does it sta nd in conflict with other words

and terms. When it is correctly interpreted as it w as given in the original

language, there is absolutely no contradiction rega rding the teachings of

Scripture about the present and future state of bot h the righteous and the wicked.

Whether people accept this phenomenon as the truth or interpret it as spiritual or

even reject its reality – it does not really matter as Paul said: "For what if some

did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the fait h of God without effect" (Rom.

3:3).

Jesus Christ has made it very clear that there is a hell. If we are not willing to

accept this, we nullify His teachings. If that is t he case then we have no Teacher,

Mediator, High Priest or coming King. In other word s, man then is left to his own

fate.

But this is not the case, for God in His great love , grace and mercy, has done

everything possible in His Power, and is still plea ding with people today through

the Holy Spirit, to save people from eternal damnat ion.

Also see 2 Pet. 3:9, John 3:16, 5:40, 6:37, Matt. 2 8:19, Mark 16:15-16; Acts 1:8,

2:38-42; Rev. 21:4-7 and 22:6-20.

5. The Doctrine of the Russellites.

The Society of the Russellites, as they are referre d to in the English language, is

also known by many other names. They are also known as the Millennial Dawn,

Watch Tower and Tract Society, People's Pulpit, Int ernational Bibles Student's

Association and Jehovah's witnesses. “Jehovah's wit nesses” was adopted by the

society in Columbus Ohio in 1931, with the aim of s eparating themselves from

these other names. Charles T. Russell was the found er and leader. Some of their

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teachings will be cited in short here. Please take advantage of the following

books to increase your knowledge on this subject.

These books include:

1. The chaos of cults. by J. K. van Baalen.

2. Heresies exposed. by W. C. Irvine.

3. Jehovah's witnesses. by W. A. Warwick.

4. Why I am not a Jehovah's witness? by Chizera Bible School.

5.1. Doctrine about Christ.

1. They rejected His deity. Russell declared that J esus Christ was created just

like the angels. This claim is rejected and we decl are that Christ is from the

beginning ONE with the Father (John 1:1-3, Heb. 1:2 ; Col. 1:16-17).

2. Russell rejected the incarnation of Christ. He a lso declared that Christ did

not have two natures when He was on earth. He claim s that Christ departed

from His human nature when He ascended on high. Acc ording to this

doctrine He is now a spiritual being of a higher or der. We do not accept this

and believe that Jesus Christ in his glorious state is truly God and truly

man (Luke 24:39-45, Matt. 28:9). The unity of His P erson consists of two

natures, which is unmixable and unchangeable, but a lso undividedly and

impartibly united. Read 1 Tim. 2:5; Acts. 1:11; Heb . 10:11-14.

3. Russell rejected His resurrection from the dead. They say that His body

dissolved into gases or that He is preserved somewh ere as a thanks giving

offering and that nobody knows where He is. The Bib le said: "If Christ is

not risen, then your faith is futile." 1 Cor. 15:17 -21, Luke 24:39, John 20:27.

4. Russell rejected the second coming of Christ. He stated however that

Christ did return in 1874, but the Bible declares t hat only God the Father

knows when it will be. Read Acts. 1:7, Mark 13:32, 1 Thess. 4:14-17.

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5.2. Their doctrine about Salvation.

Russell declared that those who believe in Christ c annot now possess eternal life,

but only in the distant future. The Scriptures decl are the opposite (John. 5:24,

3:18-36, Rom. 8:1, 14-17, 1 John 3:1-3). He also cl aimed that "although someone

believes in Christ and is justified by faith, that he is not a born again believer by

the power of God. A man cannot be born again unless he is raised from the dead.

Sanctification is the result of works, dedication a nd self denial". This is also

contrary to the Scripture. (Tit. 3:3-7, Eph. 2:8-9 and Rom. 11:16).

5.3. Russell's teaching about reconciliation.

1. "Souls-sleep". Russell claims: "When a man dies, his soul goes in to

oblivion." The Bible contradicts this (Luke 16:19-3 1; Matt. 10:28, Mark 9:44

and Heb. 9:27).

2. A second chance. Russell claims: "The unrighteous will get another

opportunity to accept Christ during the millennial reign." The Bible states

that after the death of man, that judgment will tak e place without being

granted a second chance for salvation. After death, comes judgment.

Today is the day of salvation (Acts 17:30 & 31, 2 C or. 6:2, Heb. 9:27, and

Rev. 22:17).

3. The destruction of the wicked. Russell declares that the wicked will be

destroyed forever. In Matt. 5:22-30 Christ deals wi th the punishment of the

wicked. He states that the punishment would be as e ternal as what the

reward of the righteous will be. Read Mark. 9:48, M att. 3:12, Jude 7 and Rev.

14:10&11 in this regard.

The Russellites also reject:

1. The reconciliatory work of Christ.

2. The Trinity of the Godhead.

3. Governments and the power thereof.

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4. The Scriptural teachings regarding the Jews and their relationship to God

and the world.

6. Eternal punishment.

6.1. The location.

This is the "lake of fire" that is prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41;

Rev. 20:15). The size of it is equal to that of a l arge lake and it burns with fire and

sulfur (Rev. 19:20, 21:8).

6.2. The people.

• All people who rejected the God-given gift of salva tion and refused to be

reconciled with God, through the Blood of Jesus Chr ist. Their names are

not written in the Book of Life and they will spend their future in the lake of

fire (Rev. 21:8).

• God will cast the devil and the fallen angels into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20,

20:10, Matt. 25:41).

• The resurrected bodies of the unrighteous will then be spiritual and

immortal (Matt. 10:28; Rev. 14:10).

6.3. How long will the lake of fire continue?

The fire will be everlasting and because of the imp erishable state of their bodies,

their agony will also be everlasting. The fire of h ell can never be quenched (Rev.

20:10).

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6.4. A different degree of punishment.

We understand that not only the soul is cast into T ophet/ Gehenna, but also the

body. The eternal punishment will include the entir e existence of man (Matt.

25:29-30, Mark 9:47-48).

The wicked will not all receive the same punishment . According to Scripture

every individual will endure mental and physical pu nishment that is determined

by God Himself for the different crimes they commit ted (Luke 12:47, Rom. 2:6;

Rev. 20:12-13).

6.5. The different types of punishment.

a) To be excluded from the presence of God (Matt. 2 2:13, 25:11).

b) To be cut off from the community of the righteou s (Matt. 8:12, 25:46).

c) To be cut off from the heavenly rest, light and peace (Matt. 25:30, 2

Thess. 1:6-9).

d) To receive no sympathy (Rev. 14:10-11).

e) To have absolutely no hope of any kind of redem ption. There will be

only pain, blame and remorse (Luke 6:25-26, Mark 9: 48).

f) Inner sorrow:

i. An inexpressible pain will be in every soul (Ma rk 9:44, 46-48,

Matt. 25:30).

ii. The condemned will mentally be able to recogniz e the justice

of God, but in their hearts they will be filled wit h hatred towards

Him (Luke 16:23, Matt. 25:24-30, 2 Thess. 1:6-8).

g) External grief:

I. The eternal fellowship with demons (Matt. 25:41) .

II. The eternal fellowship with all that is evil (R ev. 21:8).

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III. To remain in place of extreme filth forever (M att. 25:30, Mark

9:43-47).

IV. To remain in a fire that shall never be quenche d, and that will

torment body without destroying it (Rev. 14:10-11, 20:10&15:

21:8).

Additional sources for research.

1. Dr. A. Strong - Systematic Theology, pp. 981-1 056.

2. Drs. E. Brunner - Dogmatics, Vol. III, pp. 339 .

3. Christo Kriel - Where are the dead?

4. Dr. Berkhof - Christian Doctrine, pp. 357.

5. Clarence Larkin - Dispensational Truth.

6. Dr. K. Barth - Credo.

7. Dr. L. Chafer - Systematic Theology, Vol. IV, pp. 402.

8. Dr. C.I. Schofield - The Holy Bible.

9. Bible - Explanatory English Bible.

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7. Assignment.

1. What do you understand by the term “polemic” wit h special reference to

Biblical Theology? 10

2. Distinguish between the terms “polemics” and “ap ologetics”. 10

3. Give an explanation of the concept of the Nether world on a Biblical basis,

referring to:

• Sheol/ Hades.

• Grave.

• Tophet /Gehenna.

• Tartarus.

• Abussos. 20

4. Distinguish between the destination of the Right eous and of the wicked

after death? Indicate the difference between the Ol d Testament and the

New Testament conditions. Provide the appropriate S criptures. 20

5. Discuss the doctrine of the Russellites regardin g:

• Christ.

• Salvation.

• Reconciliation.

• Governments. 10

6. Give a comprehensive debate about eternal punish ment quoting and

discussing Scriptural references. 30

TOTAL: [100]