Sunday School Notes: Revelation 20:14-15

¹⁴ And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death: the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Before finishing up chapter 20, since we are talking about Death, Hades, and the lake of fire, we took some time to answer a couple of questions:

• What is the difference between Hades and Sheol?
• Is Hades divided between “Hell” and “Abraham’s Bosom”?

What Is the Difference Between Hades and Sheol?

In a word: none. But we should unpack that a bit. Hades is the ancient Greek name for the abode of the dead. It was well known in first century Greco-Roman culture, which is no doubt why both the New Testament writers and the translators of the Old Testament into Greek used it. This is not a Scriptural endorsement of Greek mythological ideas about the afterlife. It is simply the Biblical authors using a term in the culture as a way to help the audience understand a Biblical concept. Rather than coming up with a new word to convey the Hebrew concept of Sheol, Jewish translators borrowed the Greek word “Hades” since they have broadly the same meaning. But then the Biblical writers add definition to the term based on what the Lord revealed to them. For example, the Greek mythological Hades was not a holding place for the unbelieving dead until the second death. This understanding of Hades is given to us in Revelation.

[SIDEBAR: I find it interesting that in the Greek mythology, there was a locked gate at the entrance to Hades, and only a few people had the key to enter. Revelation 1:18 tells us Jesus holds the keys to Death and Hades. This could be another example of using a mythological concept to convey a truth: Jesus is, in fact, the master of the realm of the dead. Who enters, and the eternal destiny of every soul is in his hands, and his alone.]

Most of the time, Hades is used in Scripture simply in reference to the place where people go when they die. There are some passages that may use the term more specifically to refer to a place of punishment or judgment, and we can see from the context when that is the case.

There are 65 references to Sheol in the Old Testament, among these are: Genesis 37:35; Numbers 16:30; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 7:4, 11:8; Psalm 6:5, 9:17, 116:3, 141:7. In the New Testament, Hades is used in Matthew 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15, 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31. From the context, I believe Matthew 16:18 is one place where Hades is used as a place of judgment.

We looked at a couple of other terms for the realm of the dead in Scripture:

Gehenna: The Hebrew for this name means “Valley of Hinnom.” It was a valley south of the southernmost hill outside of Jerusalem (Joshua 15:8). In Jeremiah 7:31-34, this valley was renamed the “Valley of Slaughter.” In this passage, God pronounces judgment on the place saying that birds and beasts will eat of the bodies that lie there. These verses probably gave rise to the practice of calling the place of eternal torment “Gehenna.” Not that Hell is actually the Valley of Hinnom. But that the Valley of Hinnom as described in these verses gives us a glimpse of the horror that is judgment and eternal punishment.

Abaddon: From the Hebrew verb meaning to ruin, be destroyed, or perish, this is a place of destruction. Again, the name is meant to convey a sense of what it means to suffer judgment at the hands of God. It’s used in Job 26:6, 28:22, 31:22; Psalm 88:11; Proverbs 15:11, 27:20; Revelation 9:11.

Tartaros: This name isn’t used in Scripture, but you can find the Greek verb tartaroō, “to be imprisoned in Tartaros” in 2 Peter 2:4. According to Greek mythology, Tartaros is an abyss as far below Hades as the earth is below the heavens. If you know your Greco-Roman mythology, it is the opposite of the Elysian Fields–that is, a place of torment, not paradise. Again, Peter is using a culturally-recognizable term to help convey a spiritual reality. He is not endorsing Greek mythology.

Is Hades Divided Between “Hell” and “Abraham’s Bosom”?

As we have established above, the term Hades most often refers to the abode of the dead. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:22 seems to suggest that this abode of the dead has a place of torment, and a location known as “Abraham’s Bosom” where the redeemed go. This has led some to suggest that “Abraham’s Bosom” is the holding place of the saved, just as Hell is the holding place of the lost. Is there any validity to this view?

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus tells of a wealthy man who lived a self-indulgent life, and a poor man named Lazarus who would beg at the rich man’s gate. The rich man never even shared the scraps from his table with Lazarus. When they both die, the rich man goes to Hades where he suffers torment, but Lazarus goes to Abraham’s side (or “Abraham’s Bosom” in the KJV). The rich man pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus with water to cool his tongue. But Abraham refuses him–the rich man had no concern for Lazarus when they were alive, and now Lazarus is enjoying paradise. Besides, there is a chasm between them that no-one can traverse. So then the rich man begs Abraham to send someone to his family to warn them of this torment. To this Abraham replies that they have Moses and the prophets to warn them. But, the rich man reasons, if someone were to rise from the dead and warn them, they’d take notice. Abraham tells him if they won’t heed Moses and the prophets, they won’t believe even if a man rises from the dead.

The important thing to observe is that this is a parable. That means Jesus is taking a reality (Heaven, Hell, and the eternal state of souls) and using it to make a point. It would, therefore, be unwise to take every aspect of this parable as a literal reflection of reality, just as it would with any of Jesus’s parables. What is the point of this parable? Luke 16:14 tells us. Jesus told this parable to condemn the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and their unwillingness to believe Moses and the prophets, particularly with regard to Jesus’s identity. As the religious experts, they should know God’s standards with regard to care for the poor and compassion for the needy. They should also be familiar enough with the prophets to recognize the Jesus’s teachings as true, understand his miracles as divine verification, and finally be convinced by his resurrection.

Despite the parable, the places in Scripture that teach on the afterlife give us no reason to believe that there is communication between souls in Heaven and souls in Hell. I think Jesus, knowing full well that he is telling a parable, adapts the reality to make the point. After all, that’s what a parable is: a literary adaptation of reality to serve a point.

Now back to Revelation…

Verse 14 says that Death and Hades are thrown in to the lake of fire. Death and Hades appeared together in 6:8, where Death is the rider of the fourth horse, and Hades is his companion. Together they are given authority (by Jesus, the one with the keys to Death and Hades) to kill one quarter of the earth. This is a partial judgment since the full judgment is yet to come (see the notes on this verse). The fact Hades rides with Death presents, I think, the idea that those killed by Death are consigned to Hades.

As we saw in 20:10, being cast into the lake of fire is not annihilation. These souls continue to have eternal existence, since they are in torment day and night forever. This indicates that Hades in this context is not simply the abode of the dead, but the holding area for the souls of unbelievers. The souls of those who take the mark of the beast are imprisoned in Hades awaiting final judgment. At that judgment, Hades is cast into the lake of fire, along with Death–the last enemy to be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:25-26).

John tells us this lake of fire is “the second death.” Believers, those who did not take the mark, whose names are in the Book of Life, are not harmed by this second death (2:11). Rather, they experience eternity with the Lord.

From what we have learned in Revelation about the first resurrection and the second death, I think we can assume the following:

• The First Resurrection: The spiritual resurrection of the dead believer to life with Christ. Believers’ bodies are in the ground, but their souls are with the Lord (Philippians 1:21:23).
• The First Death: The eternal soul of the dead unbeliever is imprisoned in Hades awaiting the final judgment. There is torment here of some kind, but the worst is yet to come.
• The Second Resurrection: The physical resurrection of dead believers at the end of the age, that is, when the Lord returns (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
• The Second Death: The spiritual dead of unbelievers in the lake of fire. There might be a similar physical resurrection implied in 20:13, where Hades gives up the dead. If unbelievers receive eternal physical bodies of some sort (as is suggested of believers in 1 Corinthians 15:40-56), this would, I imagine, make the torment of the lake of fire much more severe.

Finally, verse 15 says that those whose names are not in the Book of Life are thrown into the lake of fire. This appears to be a repetition of the previous verse, but I don’t think it is. At the very least, it is underscoring the basis upon which those in Hades are judged. Further, it is emphasizing the individual nature of this judgment. Judgment doesn’t simply fall upon a place, but upon every single person consigned within that place.

It’s also possible that John is referring here to those unbelievers who might be alive at this time. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul says that those who are alive in Christ when the Lord returns will rise to join with their formerly deceased brethren. In other words, they will not experience an intermediate state, the first resurrection, but go straight to the second resurrection. Should there be any unbelievers still alive at this point (and, given all that’s supposed to happen prior to the lake of fire, I’m not 100% sure of this!), they will bypass Hades (the first death) and go straight to the lake of fire (the second death). Again, this is another possible interpretation of verse 15.

However you understand verse 15, one thing is abundantly clear: Christ wins. The final victory belongs to the Lord. Remember, Revelation is letter of hope. This is meant to encourage us. If we take anything away from this chapter, it is this: we shouldn’t cling tightly to this world, or be enticed to follow after the world for the sake of a “peaceful” life, or to avoid mockery and persecution. We need to remember where our hope is ultimately. Sin and Satan will not have the last word. No matter how it appears in the world, where it seems the devil has the upper hand, and God’s truth is maligned and his people suffer, this is not how it will end.

As we will see in chapter 21, this world is passing away. Satan may have his way over the people of this world, but it is temporary–a blip in God’s eternal timeline. Christ has won the war. Satan and this corrupt world are on notice.

Isaiah 65:11-17 is an interesting passage to look at as we get ready to study chapter 21. It speaks of God’s judgment on those who forsake Him, and God’s blessings on those who are His. God promises to create a new heavens and earth, just as we will see in Revelation 21. It appears Revelation 20 and 21 follow the structure of Isaiah 65:11-17. What Isaiah saw in part, we see fully in these chapters.

One of the main themes of Revelation 20 has been the millennium, and what it means. I thought it appropriate as we close this chapter to take a quick look at 2 Peter 3:1-13, which I think ties in well with what we have been discussing. Peter addresses the fact that scoffers mock Christians for their expectation of the Lord’s return. “Where is he?” they say. “Everything has been going on as it has for generations. Where’s the apocalypse?” Peter’s response is twofold. First, the natural course of life as we know it was created by the Lord. He judged it before with a food, and He will do it again just as He promised. Second, the Lord is not confined to time as we are. What seems to us like a long time is but a moment for Him. Notice Peter’s use of 1,000 in verse 8. He’s not saying that one literal day is the equivalent of 1,000 literal years according to some cosmic formula. He is using 1,000 exactly as we have seen it used throughout Revelation. that is, in reference to a long, seemingly undetermined (at least to us) period of time. And why is this relevant? Because God’s people are not, thankfully, all in the first century A.D. God has His people scattered throughout every tribe, tongue, people, and nation throughout time. And the Lord will wait on His return as long as it takes to gather them all in. To the Lord, that period of time is extremely brief since He is outside of time. To us, it may seem like forever. But make no mistake, the Lord will fulfill His promise.

And Revelation 20 tells us that God does indeed have an end game. There will come a time when that last name in the Book of Life is accounted for. Then judgment will fall as surely as night follows day.

Someone in the group asked about 1 Peter 3:18-22 in relation to our discussion on Hades. We will start with this next time and then begin Chapter 21.

Update: Click here for our discussion of 1 Peter 3:18-20.