Talbot_Expositi_1937-WM.pdf

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The Revelation of Jesus Christ This will be the final assize. The Son of God takes His place as the Supreme Judge of human kind. The Christless dead of all the ages are raised, even those whose bodies have just been slain by fire. They will be judged according to the light of the dispensation in which they lived. None will be found to have his name in the book of life. The sentence of death will be reaffirmed, and these human derelicts will go out into eternity lost-forever banished from the presence of God, into "the lake of fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (21 :8). Twice in the verses quoted above you will note that the word "hell" is correctly translated "Hades" in the Revised Version. Hades is "the place of the dead." In our study of "God's Plan of the Ages" we went into this subject fully. Here, however, we shall only summarize the scriptural teach­ ing briefly on this point: Before Christ died and rose and ascended into heaven, Sheol (Hebrew word) or Hades (Greek word) was divided into two· compartments, Paradise and the place of torment. Between these two, there was "a great gulf fixed." Into one of these two places the spirits of all the dead went: the saved, into Paradise; the lost, into the awful prison-both to await the resurrection. Their bodies went into the grave, and re­ turned to dust. When Christ died, He went to Paradise, though His body did not "see corruption." He rose again, and ascended into heaven. And when He ascended up on high. He "led a multi­ tude of captives captive." In other words, He took Paradise, with all the spirits of the Old Testament saints, into heaven itself. And since that day, Hades has been occupied only with the spirits of the wicked dead. At the judgment of the great white throne death (the grave) and Hades (that awful prison of wicked souls) will deliver up their dead. This will be the second resurrection. We have already seen that the first resurrection will take place before the millennium, when soul and body of the re­ deemed will be forever "with the Lord." Likewise, before the great white throne, soul and body of the wicked will forever be reunited. The righteous Judge of all the earth will pro-

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