This transcript was generated automatically and may contain minor errors.

I thank you for being here this morning. I trust that you, as I have, have tried to worship God in spirit and in truth. And I know that the things that we've done have been edifying and uplifting, and I'm pleased to have opportunity to speak to you from the word of God and hope that the things that we say can be of value to you also. I wonder if you've ever noticed that the scriptures describe the reward of the righteous as being eternal life, but describes the existence of the unsaved as eternal, but it never calls it life. Let me repeat.

The scriptures make it clear that the unsaved will exist eternally, but it never calls that existence life. I can remember studying from the book of John, and I think it was the fifth chapter some time ago, and we'll look at that passage in a few minutes. But it speaks of our being raised into life and how that the wicked are raised to condemnation. And I can remember thinking at that time, why doesn't he call it life? And in the months to come, I spent time studying and making sure my thoughts were right.

That every time the scriptures talk about the resurrection of the life... Of the righteous, he talks about it as being life. But while he talks about the resurrection of the wicked or the unsaved, he'd never... The scriptures never refer to that as life. I wanna talk to you this morning about the subject, the fate of the unsaved, eternal existence, but not eternal life.

And I hope that knowing this and keeping these facts before us will encourage us to seek God, to be saved by God's grace, to receive the eternal life that he gives as a gift, and make sure that we're not one of those that exist eternally but never described as living. We're gonna talk about a number of passages. Most of them will be on the screen behind us, but if you would like, I would encourage you to take your Bible and follow along in your Bibles. If you mark in your Bible, maybe there'll be something that you want to mark that'll stand out in your mind and each time that you read the passage. But do follow along if you would.

The main thrust of the lesson will be the things that the scriptures say. I want us to begin by looking at the book of first John in the fifth chapter in verse 11 through verse 13. The writer John there says, and this is the testimony that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his son. He who has the son has life. He who does not have the son of God does not have life.

These things I've written to you who believe in the name of the son of God that you may know that you have eternal life and that you may continue to believe in the name of the son of God. I've read that whole section of passage so that we can see this particular point, that he speaks of those that would be saved as having eternal life. But when he talks about those that are not saved, he just simply says they do not have life. They don't have life. What kind of life is he saying they don't have?

Well, in context, it would seem very much like he's saying they don't have eternal life. They have an existence, but it's not called eternal life. I want you to look secondly at the book of John in the fifth chapter in verse 28 and verse 29. And this is the passage that I was telling you about that I first picked up on the thought and began to explore this idea of having an existent but not being called life. Jesus is talking to an audience.

He says, do not marvel at this, the things that he told them. He says, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the grave will hear his voice. I'm talking about the resurrection, the final coming of Christ. He says, all will hear his voice and come forth. Those that have done good to a resurrection of life and those who have done evil to a resurrection of condemnation.

Not life, but condemnation. This is New King James. I'm reading that says condemnation. If you're reading from the King James, it would say, have damnation. If you're reading from the American Standard Version or the New American Standard or the English version, it'll say judgment.

And if you are reading from the NET Bible, it'll say something about condemnation. This particular word seems to be a little difficult to assign a specific definition to the Greek word, but the context makes it clear that they are unacceptable to the Lord and that their faith differs from those that are serving the Lord and who are pleasing to the Lord. And so the point that I want you to notice is particularly that though the wicked come forth, they will exist. They'll have a resurrection or be raised at the same time the righteous will, but their faith is not called eternal life. It's not even called life.

You may remember not too long ago. It's longer than probably I remember and longer than I intended, but I preached a sermon called eternal life and pointed out in that that eternal life is a phrase that not only speaks of that is eternal, but that it also suggests that there's goodness about that life, that there's positive. But his point here is that those that are raised that are not pleasing to him, he doesn't even call it life. He calls it condemnation. And if you go back to the passions that we read a moment ago in the book of first John in the fifth chapter in verse 12, he doesn't have...

Those who have not the son do not have life is what he said. Look if you would with me to a third passage. Look if you would to the book of John in the third chapter in verse 36. Here, John says, he who believes in the son has everlasting life, and he who does not believe in the son shall not see life, but wrath of God abides on him. This passage affirms the same thing that we have been saying.

It plainly tells us in this passage that those who do not believe shall not see life, he says. And then he goes a step further. He says, the weak or those that are unsaved, they're not going to see life. He even goes on and says, but they will have the wrath of God. Wrath is a word I think in our age that we think of somebody being super angry and maybe even without calls or an unjust anger, but that's not the way the Bible uses this word.

In fact, Strong commenting on this says the implication is punishment. And one writer said, in scripture, right... Wrath is usually not depicted as uncontrolled emotional outbursts. When applied to God, it refers to his holy righteous opposition to sin. God's wrath is his moral response to evil, not a lie...

Loss of self control. This perhaps further defines for us this damnation or constant condemnation that we've talked about earlier in the book of John the fifth chapter. But I don't want you to miss the point. What I want you to do is to again realize that those who are not saved will exist eternally, but it's not called life in any way. I don't know about you, but I think probably when I became a Christian, the first thing that I thought of was I don't want to suffer hell.

And in time, I began to see not only do I not want to face hell, but I wanna enjoy the blessings that God has. And then some point in time, it wasn't about escaping the punishment so much or even receiving the blessings. It was just I love the Lord, and I want to do what he wants me to do. But I would guess that a lot of us would start with this point. I don't want to suffer hell.

I don't want to be lost. And I think that, at least in my study, when I came to understand that the wicked will be raised, and they will exist all of eternity, but what they have is not even called life. It just kinda refresh my remembrance of I don't want any part of being lost. Let's go back in thought for a moment to John the third chapter in verse 36 where we're told that unbelievers shall not see life but wrath of God. And remember that Strong explained wrath as being kinda a punishment.

And so let's think about that word punishment for a moment. And I wonder if I might to suggest two things to you about this idea of punishment of the unbeliever. The first one is very simple. You can't punish that that doesn't exist. And so that would again just tell you the fact that that he is talking about punishing the unbeliever, that he's not gonna just pass out of existence.

He won't have life as the Bible talks about life, but he's not gonna pass out of existence. He's going to be a being, a soul, and perhaps with some sort of body. But let's think about this punishment of the unbeliever for a moment. You remember in the book of Matthew in the twenty fifth chapter that Jesus talks about those that do good? He starts out by saying Christ comes again, and he brings those that are righteous before him.

And he's talking to them about how they're good, and he talks about their end. And then he begins to talk about those that don't do good and are not saved. At... Q twenty five forty six, he ends that conversation by saying, and these, talking about those that would not be saved, will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous will have life eternal. Everlasting punishment, but not life.

Just punishment. In the book of second Thessalonians in the first chapter in verse 7-9, Paul would again address this idea that those that don't make the resurrection of life that are not faithful to Christ, that they will suffer punishment. Listen to 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9. When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, that's the final coming of Christ, He says, when they come with his angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, they shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Now you begin to see a little more about the fate of those that are lost that's not called life.

First of all, if you would just pay a little bit attention to the fact that he says, this is vengeance, And vengeance is defined as vindication or retribution or punishment. And so this is the time that those who have ignored God's sacrifice of Jesus and ignored his will, These people are gonna be called into judgment, and there's gonna be a retribution for their disobedience. There'll be punishment. And then he says about this punishment. He says that they will suffer everlasting destruction.

Now maybe we think about destruction, and we think about something that just is totally eradicated. That... That's just gone. But concerning this word of destruction here, Vine says, it's loss of well-being, not being. And so when he talks about these people that are lost that they shall have everlasting destruction, he's not saying they're going to pass out of existence.

He's just saying their well-being will be gone. He goes on to tell us that they will be removed from the presence of the Lord. No longer any communion with God, no longer any opportunity to have fellowship with God or to enjoy the good and perfect gift that come from him. They will exist, but all that they will know is torment. Let me just give you a couple of ways that this idea of punishment is described in the scriptures.

First of all, probably all of us know that it is sometimes referred to as everlasting fire. In the book of Matthew in the eighteenth chapter in verse... Or the eighth chapter, it should be in verse 12. But the son of the kingdom, that is the Jews, he's talking about their kingdom at that time, will be cast into outer darkness and there will be... Or excuse me.

Wrong passage. Matthew 18:8 is right. He says, if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maim rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if your eyes cause you to sin, pluck it out and cast it out from you.

It's better for you to enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes and be cast into hell fire. This is a passage that he's warning us somewhat of the evils that that would keep us from going to heaven by looking at things that we ought not do or participating in things that we ought not, things that are sinful. And he says, you'd be better off just to reach up and pluck your eyes out than to spend your time looking at things that you ought not be looking at and end up into this place called hell. And he calls it hellfire. Or you'd be better off to cut off your hands than participating in something that you ought not and then end up in this hell and end up in this place he calls hellfire.

Along the same lines, Matthew the twenty fifth chapter, the passage that we referenced earlier where Jesus gives a judgment scene, and he has some that are good before him, some that are wicked. But in verse 41, talking particularly about those wicked, he said, then will he speak to those on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. He pictures the judgment as if though we're gonna stand before God, and he's gonna judge us. And if we're right, he's gonna say, you stand over here on his right hand.

And if you've not been living as you should or you don't measure up to what he is wanting in Christ Jesus, you're gonna be on the left hand, he says. And then he says, those on the left hand, he'll tell them, depart from me. You know, every one of us in this life, we enjoy blessings from God even if we deny God. We still breathe this air. We still participate and live on this earth.

We still have good things that happened to us. But he says that time, he's gonna speak to those on the left and he's gonna depart from me, you cursed. And then he says, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. It would seem to me from this passage that even before we got to men, and he thought about what happens if men don't accept Christ and follow me. Even before he got to that point, he'd already said the devil should be cast into everlasting fire.

And now he sees the of us that are here who are not obeying maybe. And he says, what are we gonna do with these people? And he says, we're gonna put them into hellfire. This place made for the devil and his angels. Look if you would to the book of Revelation in the twenty first chapter in verse 8.

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable murderers, sexual immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. The is is... If you picture a big lake and maybe you think of it as full of nice refreshing water and it's a hot day and you can go and refresh yourself. But he changes that picture, and it's no longer refreshing water. It's hellfire.

It's brimstone. And I suspect hot, smelly of suffer and so forth. And he will cast those that not faithful or not saved into that lake of fire which burns eternally. It's not something that you can just say, well, you know, it'll soon be over. I can endure it.

Oh, you just run your mind as long and as hard as you want to about that. It doesn't end there. It just keeps on, and you got as much time left as you had when you were first thrown into that lake. That's what he's saying is the fate of those who are lost and why he doesn't call it life at all. Second thing, it's referred to sometimes as outer darkness.

In the book of Matthew in the eighth chapter in verse 12, Jesus says, but the sons of the kingdom, and this is where he's talking to the Jews, he said, will be cast out into outer darkness, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And he's seemingly talking about the final judgment and how those Jews whom he went to first and tried to convince them that he was the Christ and to follow him, but they rejected. He said, they're going to be cast out into outer darkness. There'll be weeping and gnashing of teeth. I don't know how you reconcile the idea of fire which usually gives some kind of light to this idea of out of darkness.

I don't know whether it's special creation of God where it can be fire and darkness both or there's some type figurative language, but I know the end of it. It is to say it is a place where it is no happiness, no joy, not even considered life, nothing but weeping, gnashing of teeth because of the suffering and the agony. There's some other passages that talk about the same passage, Matthew the twenty second chapter in verse 13. You have one of the parables there, and he talks about how that it ends up with the... Being tossed into this outer darkness.

Matthew 25, I think, another one, it talks about servant being cast out into this outer darkness. And in both of these, they're they're used of a parable, but the idea seemingly is here's people that have not been faithful, and here's the punishment out of darkness referencing back to Matthew 18 or Matthew eight and the actual darkness where there's weeping and gnashing teeth. Let me suggest to you one other thought. That is that hell is referred to as death or the second death. You may be remember and may be familiar with and remember Romans 6:23 where Jesus says, the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

It seems from this passage that he is specifically talking again about the end of the world because he talks about eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's the reward of the righteous. And so it would seem like the wages of sin is talking about what the wicked will receive or the unsaved will receive. We talk sometimes about what we call spiritual death, how that we are separated from God because of sin. But this passage seems to look beyond that in talking to, again, the judgment and what happens after the judgment Because it's contrast with eternal life, and so the wages of sin isn't...

And I think the point that I would try and get across to you, he doesn't say bad life. He just says it's death on this occasion. You probably remember the book of Revelations in the twenty first chapter in verse 8 we've mentioned a moment ago. We've read the first part. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, sexual immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.

Then he says, which is the second death. What does he mean by which is the second death? Well, my guess is that he's... Knows that we know in this life about we come to an end that we die and it's death, and there's a separation of our body from our soul, and the soul is in the hand of God again. But this is his way of telling us about that soul.

That that soul, he speaks of not as having life, but death. That... Not mere out of existence. That's not really what death is. Death really is a separation.

As we mentioned, James talks about death and soul. And we talk about spiritual death, and we say what that means is that our sins have separated us from God. It's separation. And his point here is it's the second death that we're separated from God. We're separated from the righteous.

We're in this lake of fire with nobody but those that are the same. And the fact that we're separated from God, he refers to it the second death. The wages of sin as Paul talked about. Some suggest that death is fitting description because there can't be life without God. I don't know that the scriptures specifically say this.

I think it's worthy of our thoughts that if we are lost, we are separated from God, and that separation could be called death in that way. And you could see how it would be called death because without God, there would be no life, and so the second death maybe. Wherever you come down on those funds, the real point that I want you to remember is the wicked or the unsaved. I think we say wicked. We think of really bad people.

And we're not talking about just the bad people. We're talking about anyone that is of the age of accountability who simply do not accept Jesus and his word. That they're the ones who we're talking about being lost and whom the scripture describes as being lost and describes as being in eternal punishment. We describe as being in eternal fire or the lake of fire or the second death. I want to just go back and remind you of something that we said just a moment ago.

That is that God gives us opportunities to be saved. That's grace. Every one of us deserve to be in that lake of fire. But through the grace of God, he sent Jesus to suffer death that we might extend and in him life, life eternal. But those that don't will be in hell.

I think very much so that probably where we start in our journey to Jesus is the understanding we don't wanna be lost. And I don't know about you, but my thoughts when I read these and I thought this is, I sure don't wanna be lost. And thank God that he sent Jesus down the cross so that I wouldn't have to be lost. By his grace, I could be saved and not just exist in punishment, but I could be blessed with eternal life in Christ Jesus. Are you ready to meet the Lord as you stand today?

I know that there's a tendency to think, well, I've got more time, but none of us are guaranteed that time. You've never obeyed the gospel, you're running the risk of being eternity in hell or having what we're calling this eternal punishment, not even called life. Just punishment. Destruction. If you're a Christian but not living faithfully, you run the list...

Risk of this. I'm hoping and praying that this just reminds us of how important it is for us to come to Christ and to be saved. You're here, and you need to be saved. The way to do it is come and confess Jesus as Lord and savior. Be buried with him in baptism, rising up and walk in newness of life.

You can miss this part and have heaven. You're subject to the invitation. We invite you to come as together we stand.