BASIC CHRISTIANITY Q & A
LESSON NUMBER 19 – June 15, 2014
RIO Revolution Church – 3419 East Lamar Alexander Parkway – Maryville, Tennessee
www. riorevolution.net – (865) 984.9200 – Pacer Hepperly, Pastor
This lesson is written to teach basic concepts of Christianity. RIO Revolution Church desires that members and visitors
begin studying the basics of Christian faith. Please study each lesson, as we learn together what we Christians should
know and believe. Lessons are numbered. If you miss lessons, we have replacement lessons available for you. Please
share copies of any lessons you find useful with relatives, friends, neighbors, or co-workers. Help us spread the Good
News (the Gospel), which is: Jesus the Messiah died for our sins and is resurrected to live eternally with those who believe
in and follow Him!
WHAT IS A NON-CHRISTIAN'S JOURNEY TO ETERNAL LIFE IN HELL? (Part 2– The Lake of Fire)
INTRODUCTION. In recent lessons, we have discussed the certainty of the eternal nature of man's spirit (soul), the certainty of death,
and the certainty of judgment. We discussed the stages a believer in and follower of Jesus takes in his/ her journey to New Jerusalem
(Heaven). In last week's and today's lessons, we present an entirely different journey, a journey for the person who refuses to believe in
and follow Jesus. This different route does not lead to New Jerusalem (Heaven), but it leads to the Lake of Fire and Brimstone (Hell).
FIRST DEATH, SECOND DEATH. If you die in an unsaved condition, your body remains in a grave. This is the first death. Your spirit
(soul) is eternally alive, though, and it lives in a place of terrible torment for one-thousand years, during the Millennial Kingdom on
earth.
Read Jesus' teaching in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus taught that a poor beggar– a good man, Lazarus– sat, begging, in front of a rich man's
home. Lazarus wished to eat the crumbs from the rich man's table. The rich man showed no love or concern for Lazarus, though. Both
men died. Lazarus' spirit passed to “Abraham's bosom” (the Jews' name for what we now call Paradise). The rich man's spirit passed
into fiery torment. He begged for just a drop of water from Lazarus' finger to ease his suffering, but he could receive no help after death.
After lying in the grave, unsaved persons' bodies will be resurrected and joined with their spirits. After the Great White Throne
Judgment (discussed last week), their immortal bodies and spirits will be sent to Hell for eternity. The consequence of this judgment is
the second death.
HELL. Many people– even some “Christians” – believe that a loving, merciful God would never let anyone go to such a horrible place s
Hell. Such people believe wrongly. The Bible, including Jesus Himself, clearly taught the reality of Hell. Hell exists, is eternal, and is
more horrible than anything we can imagine or describe.
You may encounter different terms for Hell. The Bible teaches there are five compartments or sections of Hell:
●-Tartarus: This Greek word describes the compartment where fallen angels are kept and punished. Recall that Satan was expelled
from God's persence, and a third of the angerls of Heaven accompanied him to earth. These fallen angels, also called demons, will
eventually be cast into the Lake of Fire (read 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6).
●-Abraham's bosom: Before the birth of Jesus, Israelites understood that the soul went to “Abraham's bosom” after deah. Those who
lived a good life received joy, but those who did not do good received torment. After Jesus' crucifixion, He went to Abraham's bosom
and set the captives free, that they might enter the eternal life Christians now expect.
●-Hades or Sheol: Hades, from the Greek (read Luke 16:23 and Revelation 20:13), and Sheol, from the Hebrew (read Isaiah 14:9 and
Psalm 9:17), describe the grave, the place where departed spirits exist until resurrected.
●-The Abyss (Bottomless Pit): This deep, bottomless divide is the place Satan will be bound for one-thousand years while the Christ
rules the earth during the Millennial Kingdom (read Revelation 20:1-7). Locust-like creatures also reside here, and will torment mankind
for five months during the Tribulation (read Revelation 9:1-11). The Abyss is only a temporary prison for Satan. After his final temptation
of mankind, he will be cast for eternity into the Lake of Fire.
●-The Lake of Fire: The Lake of Fire is the eternal home of all unrepentant, rebellious sinners (non-Christians). This place is commonly
called simply “Hell.” In some passages, Hell is described as “Gehenna.” Gehenna, a valley to the south and east of Jerusalem, was
hated by the Jews. At one time, children were sacrificed here by being burned to death in the arms of an idol, Molech. Gehenna also
served as the Jews' garbage dump. Horrible odors, constantly smoldering fires, and rotting dead animals were found in Gehenna. Hell
is for real, is eternal, and is a place of constant torment. The sad residents of Hell will forever weep, gnash their teeth in anguish, and
even curse God. Satan and the spirits of the worst people of all time will roam Hell, preying on weaker spirits. There will be no one to
call for help from these evil spirits.
In summary: Please know this about Hell:
●-Hell will be a place of pain and sorrow reserved for non-Christians (read Luke 16:19-31).
●-Hell was created by God and not Satan (read Matthew 25:41).
●-The flames of Hell will exist forever and will never burn out (read Mark 9:43-48, Isaiah 66:24, and Matthew 12:8).
●-Only persons who reject God's grace and Jesus' death of atonement for sin will enter Hell (read Psalm 9:17, Proverbs 7:5-25, and
Revelation 21:8). Such people do not have their names inscribed in the Book of Life (the Lamb's Book of Life).
●-There are five compartments of Hell– Tartarus, Abraham's Bosom, Hades or Sheol, the Abyss, and the Lake of Fire.
●-The sinner's complete body will be in Hell's fire, never to die or to be physically destroyed (read Revelation 20:11-15 and John 5:2829).
WHAT ABOUT PURGATORY? According to Catholic Church doctrine, Purgatory is an intermediate state after physical death in which
those destined to ultimately enter Heaven "undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven"
(from Cathechism of the Catholic Church). Only a person who dies in a state of grace but has not in life reached a sufficient level of
holiness can be in Purgatory. No one will remain forever in Purgatory. This theological notion has existed for centuries. Consider two
questions and answers from the Cathechism of the Catholic Church:
●-210. What is purgatory? Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still
have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.
●-210. How can we help the souls being purified in purgatory? Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still
pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice.
They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance.
There is absolutely no Scriptural basis for Purgatory. Almost all Protestant denominations reject the concept of Purgatory. RIO
Revolution Church does not teach the existence of Purgatory. You cannot pray to Mary or any saint to lessen the responsibility of a
dead person for his/ her own sins. You cannot take any dead person's sins on yourself. You cannot pay any price (almsgiving,
indulgences, penance) to atone for a dead person's sins. The person who sins is solely responsible for his/ her sins. At death, a
person's sins are forever fixed until judgment. There is no second chance for purification in Purgatory. The Bible clearly teaches:
●-The person who sins will die (including the second death), without repentance (read Ezekiel 18:20).
●-Each person must bear his/ her own load– the burden of sins (read Galatians 6:5).
●-Parents are not responsible for their child's sins; a child is not responsible for the parents' sins (read Deuteronomy 24:16).
WHAT ABOUT ANNIHILATION (EXTINCTION) OF THE SOUL? Jehovah's Winesses do not believe in the Trinity (God the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit). Jehovah's Witnesses also do not believe in an eternal Hell. They believe that the souls of wicked persons will
be annihilated (destroyed), but will not be punished for eternity. Christian churches– including RIO Revolution Church– reject these
teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
YOUR CHOICE! God will never on His own admit you to Heaven or sentence you to Hell. You voluntarily make the decision for your
eternal life. You and you alone decide whether you will live in the joy of Heaven or the torment of Hell. God gives you free will– the gift
to make your own decisions. He knows you will sin (read Romans 3:23), but He provides a way you can be forgiven of sin. Because of
His grace (love greater than any sin you can commit) and the crucifixion death of Jesus (who paid the price for your sins– the price
you should have paid), you can follow Jesus through faith and obedience. You can choose to spend eternity in Heaven. You can
choose to avoid the torment of Hell.
All Scriptures are taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION (NKJV), © Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. Holy
Scriptures are reproduced in red boldface font.
●-If you have questions about salvation or re-dedication of your life to serve God or if you wish to be counseled, call the RIO
Revolution Church office at (865) 984.9200, email the pastoral staff at www. riorevolution.net/contact-us/ , or come to the altar
during any worship service.
●-If you have questions, comments, or suggestions concerning this lesson series, contact the author, Raymond Finney, at (865)
984.1424 or raymondfinney@ charter.net . The author assumes full responsibility for any error or misstatement.
qa-19
YOUR
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