Hope in Death B (Listen or Read)
¨ He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him (Lu. 20:38). If all the dead live to Him, then we can have hope beyond death unless there is no hope in God Himself!
¨ God…brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist (Ro. 4:17 JB).
¨ If their [Israel] being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? (Ro. 11:15). Life from the dead for the world? That is what it says! Would this “life” be merely a prelude to further death?
¨ Christ died, rose, and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living (Ro. 14:9). These “dead” are apparently those who once lived on earth. At some point they exist again under Christ’s Lordship. It would be senseless to say He is Lord of the annihilated ones. For Christ to be “Lord” implies hope, not hopelessness, especially in light of Ph. 2:10-11. Once their subjection is made complete, God becomes all in them (1Co. 15:28).
¨ The last enemy that will be destroyed is death (1Co. 15:26). If death is destroyed, what is left? Life.
¨ Jesus tasted death for everyone (He. 2:9). If Christ tasted death for everyone, then hope beyond death must be for all! If it does not at least mean this, what is the point?
¨ Death is swallowed in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? (1Co. 15:54-55). What words could be brighter or more hopeful than these? Who would dare place limits on such a promise? Do we forget what has made this possible? Nothing but the blood of Jesus shed for all!
¨ What will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead (1Co. 15:29)? Why were New Testament believers baptized for the dead if they believed the lost dead were in a hopeless state?
¨ Christ abolished death (2Ti. 1:10). Who did Christ not abolish death for according to Is. 53:6; Jn. 1:29; 6:51; Ro. 5:6, 8; 1Ti. 2:6; He. 2:9; 1Pe. 3:18; 1Jn. 2:2? In light of this, how can death possibly be hopeless for anyone?
¨ He destroys him who had the power of death (He. 2:14). If the one who had the power of death is destroyed, then there must be hope.
¨ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever (He. 13:8). He does not change or fail! Once a Savior, always a Savior. “Jesus” means “Savior.” As long as a Savior is needed, He remains such.
¨ Fear not, I… have the keys of Hell and of Death (Re. 1:17-18 KJV). Christ holding Hell’s keys is our assurance that He will release its captives at the proper time. If not, the words “fear not,” would be a mockery.
¨ There shall be no more death (Re. 21:4). How can death be a hopeless condition if it will cease to exist?
¨ Christ…went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah….the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.…He ascended on high…led captivity captive….descended into the lower parts of the earth…that He might fill all things (1Pe. 3:18-20; 4:6-7; Ep. 4:8-10).
William Barclay wrote:
If Christ descended into Hades and preached there, there is no corner of the universe into which the message of grace has not come. There is in this passage the solution of one of the most haunting questions raised by the Christian faith—what is to happen to those who lived before Jesus Christ and to those to whom the gospel never came? There can be no salvation without repentance but how can repentance come to those who have never been confronted with the love and holiness of God? If there is no other name by which men may be saved, what is to happen to those who never heard it? This is the point that Justin Martyr fastened on long ago: “The Lord, the Holy God of Israel, remembered his dead, those sleeping in the earth, and came down to them to tell them the good news of salvation.” The doctrine of the descent into Hades conserves the precious truth that no man who ever lived is left without a sight of Christ and without the offer of the salvation of God. Many in repeating the creed have found the phrase, “He descended into hell” either meaningless or bewildering, and have tacitly agreed to set it on one side and forget it. It may well be that we ought to think of this as a picture painted in terms of poetry rather than a doctrine stated in terms of theology.1
References: See Bibliography page.
