Truth Magazine

By Jimmy Tuten

In preceding articles, it has been established that man has a soul, that inherent in the soul’s existence is endlessness and, therefore the soul of man is conscious from death to the resurrection. Solomon tells us that at death the flesh returns to the dust of the ground, while the “spirit shall return unto God” (Eccl. 12:7). What is meant by “return unto God”? Does this mean that the souls of just men go directly to heaven at death? If this is true, what of the souls of the wicked? Do they go directly to hell? To be specific, just where do the spirits of men go at death?

Positions Considered

While there may be some differences with reference to minor details, most people who believe that the soul has existence beyond death, take one of three positions: (1) That there is an intermediate state between death and the resurrection, known as “hades;” that hades is the abode of the souls of all men, whether just or unjust. (2) That at death, “particular judgment” takes place creating three classes of people. The first class enters into heaven, for it is argued that they are without sin. The second class are those who have committed venial sin. These enter into what is called “Purgatory.” The third class are those guilty of mortal sin and these, we are told, enter directly into hell itself. (3) The third position is that taken by many Protestant faiths (so-called), viz., That the spirits of men do not go into an intermediate state at death, but rather go directly to heaven or hell.

It will be the burden of this writing to establish the first position as the scriptural position and the one. most consistent with New Testament teaching. The second position will be discussed in a later article on “Purgatory.” As to the third position, our readers will be interested in knowing that William Hendriksen in his publication, The Bible on the Life Hereafter, presents a number of arguments in an effort to sustain this idea (Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1959; it may be purchased from Truth Magazine Bookstore). He says, “That the soul of God’s child goes directly to heaven at death is the clear and consisting teaching of Scriptures” (p. 51). Later in the book, Mrs. Hendriksen discusses the abode of wicked souls. Concerning them, he says, “We must be careful.” He throws his caution to the wind, however, when he says, “Scripture teaching on this point, though not extensive, is clear enough” (p. 81). The author’s position on this point is that hades is hell, and that hell is to be identified with the Old Testament sheol which in turn is said to be “the place where God’s wrath burns, and to which the wicked at death descend” (pp. 85-86). Not much weight can be attached to this position due to the vagueness and ambiguousness of the arguments used to sustain it. Hendriksen has tried in vain to use such passages as 2 Cor. 12:2-4; Heb. 11:10, 16 and 2 Cor. 5:8 to sustain his position.

That the soul of man does not go directly to heaven or hell at death is clearly taught in the Scriptures. The New Testament teaches that those going into “everlasting punishment” and those going to “life eternal,” will do so when/and only when “the Son of man shall come in his glory” (Matt. 25:31, 46, italics mine, JT). Since heaven and hell are places of everlasting reward and punishment, and men enter into these abodes at the Lord’s coming, it should be evident that they reside some place prior to the judgment which is in contradistinction to heaven and hell. When the Lord comes a second time, He shall appear with “a shout, and with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God” (1 Thess. 4:16). At the sound of this voice, the dead shall come forth, “they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). Thus, if one argues that, at the time of death, men go to heaven or hell rather than to an intermediate state, he is forced to repudiate these passages (cf. John 14:16; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; 2 Tim. 4:7-8). He is forced to deny the need for a judgment predicted upon the resurrection of all the dead.

Where Are The Souls Of Men?

Since men enter into heaven or hell after the second coming of Jesus, the spirits of those who have departed this life are in existence somewhere due to their immortal natures. What happens to them? Where do they go? Turn to the account of the “rich man and Lazarus” in Luke 16. Jesus, according to this context, is reproving the Pharisees by portraying them as the “rich man.” The believing publicans and sinners are portrayed as “Lazarus.” The characters in the story were not in a state of unconsciousness, nor were they in non-existence, for they could see, speak, remember and feel pain (vv. 23-25, 27-28). If they were in a state of unconsciousness or extinction after death, then the entire story loses its significance. Furthermore, it is fruitless to argue that the conditions described are descriptive of conditions after the resurrection, for the statement, “if one rise from the dead” implies that the resurrection had not occurred. Observe also that the object of the rich man’s concern was five brothers living on earth (vv. 27-28). This would not be, possible if the resurrection had occurred and the final state had been ushered into existence. The diversified conscious existence pictured symbolically in the account is a reflection of conditions during the intermediate state between this life and the judgment. The departed ones do enjoy either happiness or a form of punishment in this intermediate state, but this is provision and by no means the eternal state in heaven or hell.

“And In Hades He Lifted Up His Eyes”

When the rich man died, his soul entered into hades (hell, KJV). Since “hell” is a place of everlasting punishment, and hades denotes an intermediate state it is improper to translate hades into the English word “hell.” Hades we are told, is “the region of departed spirits of the lost (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the Ascension of Christ).” To this definition given by Fine (Vol. 2, P. 187), Bagster’s Analytical Greek Lexicon adds the fact that hades is “the invisible abode of mansion of the dead” (p. 6). Thayer says that hades is “the nether world, the realm of the dead . . . common receptacle of desembodied spirits” (p. 11). Not only was the rich man in the realm of disembodied spirits, but he was in a special section of the nether world, i.e., in a region of woe. Hades in this passage takes the sense of tartarus though the word is not used in the text (Future Punishment, Moses Stuart, p. 134). The word tartarus occurs only once in the New Testament. Of it, Peter said, “For God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to tartarus (hell, KJV), and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Pet. 2:4). In the Greek, tartarus “is employed to designate a supposed subterranean region, as deep down below the upper part of hades as the earth is distant from heaven” (Ibid., p. 137). The rich man entered into hades, but more specifically that part of hades known as tartarus, where all the wicked are confined and tormented between death and the resurrection. Of this state, Jude says that men are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). This demonstrates that the “everlasting chains” and/or tartarus is not hell, for men do not enter into hell until the judgment of that “great day.”

“Carried By Angels Into Abraham’s Bosom”

In spite of the fact that some ridicule the idea that hades has two divisions, one for the wicked and one for the righteous, the story of the rich man and Lazarus teaches that Lazarus-went into “Abraham’s bosom” which is also a part of hades (Lk. 16:22). Abraham’s bosom stands for paradise. “To repose on Abraham’s bosom is to be in paradise, for Abraham is there” (Alfred Plummer, Commentary on Luke). Paradise originally meant “an enclosed park, or pleasant garden,” but in time it became known as “the department of Hades where the blessed souls await the resurrection; and therefore, equivalent to Abraham’s bosom” (Marvin Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, p. 431). Paradeisos (paradise) occurs in Lk. 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:4 and in Rev. 2:7; and always denotes the abode of the blessed. Paradise is not heaven, though in the true sense of the term, it is a pleasant park leading into the heavenly mansion. It is not possible to describe the beauty of paradise, for even those who have viewed it were not allowed to describe it to us (2 Cor. 12:2). We will have to satisfy our curiosity by accepting the facts that are revealed, i.e., that paradise is separate from the earth, and by far more delightful than anything in this life. It is not heaven, but is an earnest of heaven itself. Though our knowledge of the thrilling existence of the hereafter is limited, there is no reason why our faith in such an existence cannot be sure. This is certainly true if our grasp on revelation is firm and steady.

Conclusion

When our dear companions in life die, their spirits enter into hades. The righteous abide in that part of hades known as Paradise until the day of resurrection. The wicked have their place in tartarus, which is also a part of hades. There is no turning back from the realm of hades due to the fact that death seals our destiny. We learn from God’s own word that “working out salvation is limited to the period of man’s earthly existence.” “And it is appointed for man once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb. 9:27-28). Prepare for eternity now by becoming a child of God (Gal. 3:26-27). Live faithfully until death (Rev. 2:10). Someone said, “The years seem to rush by now, and I think of death as a fast approaching end of a journey. This affords every reason for living, as well as working while it is day.” Amen!

Truth Magazine XXIV: 47, pp. 758-759
November 27, 1980

By Earl Robertson

It is almost unbelievable what bitterness can do to a good person. We have witnessed over and over again capable and good men become bitter in their hearts. As a result, they were no longer used to the accomplishment of good as before and their friends became few. This does not have to be. It makes no difference who the person is, if he allows his heart to become bitter it will affect his whole life and eternal future.

The Israelites were forsaken by the Lord and designated as a people of Gomorrah, and their rulers as of Sodom (Isa. 1:10; 3:9); they not only live like Sodom and Gomorrah (Jer. 23:14), but their sins were greater than that of Sodom (Ezek. 16:46ff). Moses wrote of them saying, “For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps” (Deut. 32:32, 33). In the figure, the Israelites are represented by the vine and the grapes represent their actions. These people of God produced a fruit of spiritual and moral conduct bitter as worm-wood, as deadly as the poison of dragons and cruel as the venom of a snake! They could not ignore the doctrine of God and at the same time be inviting and influential for good.

In the same figure, Paul says, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled” (Heb. 12:15). What “fruit” might be produced must essentially come from the root. With the root being bitter, the fruit also had to be the same. Simon, as a sinner before God, was told that he was “in the gall of bitterness” (Acts 8:23). Husbands are admonished to love their wives and “be not bitter against them” (Eph. 4:31).

Bitterness destroys oneself, others, and the Lord’s cause. James says, “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth” (3:14). Watch one when his heart becomes bitter: the closest friends he has, who have never done anything but good for him, is suddenly misjudged and condemned. Even the truth of God is lied against. But would the bitter one recognize and acknowledge such to be true? “Keep thy heart with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23).

Truth Magazine XXIV: 47, p. 757
November 27, 1980

By Mike Willis

During the years of the controversy over church support of benevolent institutions, a good many brethren have the good sense to perceive that the issue of church support of benevolent institutions was but the tip of the iceberg of church involvement in all aspects of the social gospel. Throughout their debates, they emphasized that church support of hospitals, colleges, old folks homes, boys schools, and any number of other things which might arbitrarily be classified as “good works” were just as authorized as church support of benevolent institutions.

Despite these warnings, our liberal brethren made their choice to go down the road toward the social gospel, all of the time denying that these conclusions to their premises were logical and inevitable. History has confirmed that church support of human institutions was the means of introducing the liberal churches of Christ into the social gospel. Now, many are openly advocating church sponsored hospitals.

Evidences of Church Supported Hospitals

To demonstrate that the call for church supported hospitals is not the figment of my imagination, please consider these following evidences:

1. “Medical Missions Increasing.” This was the name of an article which appeared in the 29 May 1979 issue of Christian Chronicle. It reported,

Christian medical professionals and students from around the world will gather in Atlanta October 19 and 20 for the annual Medical Evangelism Seminar, hosted by the Decatur Church of Christ and Medical Outreach, Inc. . . .

The Decatur congregation has long been active in medical mission work. But, in the last three years, members of the congregation have organized to focus on solutions to the personnel problems that have hampered mission clinics and hospitals in the past.

This article plainly admits that presently there are existing church supported mission clinics and hospitals.

2. Gospel Herald. The August 1980 issue of Gospel Herald carried the speech delivered by Maurice Hood, M.D. to the Medical Evangelism Seminar in Atlanta. Here is what Hood said:

The medical missionary is, in our brotherhood, almost an anomaly. There have been so few and they are so poorly supported that our work has been almost only a gesture . . . . To phrase it another way, in Nigeria alone there have been literally hundreds of missionary hospitals, while we have only one, and there is only one in all of East Africa . . . .

It is important to realize that the gospel is total and must apply to broken bodies as well as broken spirits. Some have wanted to use our ministering as a lure in order to be able to preach to a captive audience or to make medical care dependent on the willingness to listen to Biblical teaching. I fail to see that we can expect the African or Indian to resent this any less than any of us might. Medical benevolence should stand on its own merits.

This is an outright defense of church supported medical missions – church supported hospitals and doctors.

3. Greenwood Park Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The bulletin published by Wesley Jones and Bill Brumit reflects the thinking of some of those liberals who are on the vanguard of the social gospel movement. The 10 September 1980 bulletin which is published by this church and called Messenger reported the plans for work in Las Cruces. It stated the following plans:

In conjunction with this we hope to start a program of “preventive medicine.” The curative program of our medical clinic is well under way, but to make any impact in the health of the community, programs of nutrition, inoculation, and sanitation must be introduced. In the next few years we are hoping to expand the clinic to the point where we can provide inpatient care and a training program for medical and evangelistic personnel who wish to learn how to work in underdeveloped communities.

The work of this church includes, not only church supported hospitals and clinics, but church supported nutrition, inoculation and sanitation programs! This is the total acceptance of the social gospel.

This program was defended in the 3 September 1980 issue of the Messenger S. Sherman wrote as follows:

Christianity ministers to the needs of the “whole man.” It is able to take a broken human being who is separated from his creator, separated from his family, separated from himself, and separated physically, and bring him together in a healthy, happy being. If Christianity is not able to do this, then it is not serving in the manner that its founder set for it. If the church is geared to no more than a “spiritual” ministry, it has already utterly failed. The healing of Christ must, through the work of His servants, enter all realms of human life that Satan has enslaved, and declare that this part of man is no- longer Satan’s dominion.

The medical mission work of the church is more than “just a means to reach lost souls.” It is a ministry of a healing Savior to a diseased world. If we believe that all good things come from God, is it not our responsibility to see that these good things are brought to bear on aspects of Satan-dominated life? Or do we believe any more that sin, disease, and poverty are the dominions of Satan? Because they are, we as Christians must use every means available to sever Satan’s hold on human lives. Medical doctors, nurses, social workers and mailmen are just as effective in fighting a Satan dominated world as any “minister” if they lead Christ dominated lives. They can bring the knowledge of a healing Savior into areas where only they can go.

This is the philosophy behind the mission work in Las Cruces. People who have many different talents are working together as a body of Christ, through the support of you and people like you, to bring the knowledge of a healing Savior to a small community in Guatemala. This knowledge includes medicine, programs of disease prevention, and congregations of “healthy” humans who are ready to advance the kingdom of God even more.

The bulletin reproduced this sentence in bold, large type: “If the church is geared to no more than a `spiritual’ ministry, it has already utterly failed.” I cannot avoid commenting that every church in the New Testament was a failure by Sherman’s own criterion. None of them ever built a hospital, taught nutrition classes, worked to improve the city’s sanitation system, or any of the other works which this church in undertaking in Las Cruces.

The Liberals Were Warned

Our liberal brethren cannot say that church support of medical missions came unexpectedly. In practically every debate on church support of benevolent institutions which has occurred, a chart similar to the one presented in the Willis-Inman Debate (p. 145) has been used. (See below)

Usually our institutional brethren have given charts such as this one a royal ignoring. However, the logic of this chart was unable to be refuted; the liberal’s children saw the conclusion of this chart and have built church supported hospitals, church supported old folks homes, church supported reform schools, church supported colleges, and who knows what else will follow!

James 1:27

If this Scripture authorizes Church of Christ to build and maintain benevolent institutions, then such a conclusion

would also authorize the following:

Jas. 1:27 Visit the Fatherless Church Orphanages

Jas. 1:27 Visit the Widows Church Widowage

Heb. 13:2 Entertain Strangers Church Motels

Mt. 25:36 Clothe Naked Church Haberdasheries

Mt. 25:36 Visit The Sick Church Hospitals

Mt. 25:35 Feed The Hungry Church Cafeterias

Mt. 25:36 Visit Prisoners Church Jails

1 Cor. 16:1-2 Put Money In Treasury Church Banks

Mt. 28:19-20 Teach All Nations Church Colleges

Silence From Debaters

Those who stepped forward to defend the church support of benevolent institutions have been conspicuously silent with reference to recent developments to get the church involved in supporting hospitals and doctors. What has Guy N. Woods written about the matter? Have W.L. Totty, Alan Highers, Roy Deaver, Clifton Inman, E.R. Harper, Ira Y. Rice, Jr., Thomas Warren, Reuel Lemmons, Ray Hawk, and others who have defended the church support of orphan homes said anything about church support of hospitals? If so, I have not seen it! I take about 100 bulletins per week and over 45 periodicals monthly but I have not seen anything from any of our “conservative” liberal brethren regarding church support of hospitals.

I am predicting that we will not be able to read anything logical from the pens of such men. These men have argued in debate that “whatever the individual can do, the church can do.” The individual can obviously provide medical assistance and make donations to hospitals; hence, these brethren are logically compelled to admit that church support of hospitals is approved of God! They have no ammunition left with which to fight. Hence, the liberals are destined logically to accept every tenet of the social gospel.

There Is A Pattern

The fact remains, however, that God has revealed the program of work which the church is supposed to perform. Let it be remembered: Either God has revealed the pattern for the mission or work of the church, in which case the church is obligated to restrict its work to the mission revealed in the Scriptures, or God has not revealed a pattern for the mission or work of the church, in which case the church can be involved in any work it so desires. Where there is no law, there can be no transgression; hence, if there is no pattern revealed, any work stands just as approved by God as any other work.

We believe that God has revealed the mission of the church. The only programs of work in which any church was involved, as revealed in the Scriptures, were as follows: (1) Evangelism (2 Cor. 11:8; Phil. 4:15); (2) Relieving the benevolent needs of its own members (Acts 4:32-37; 11:27-30; Rom. 15:25-26; 1 Cor. 16:1-4; 2 Cor. 8-9); and (3) Edification (Acts 2:42). For the church to be involved in works which are not authorized under these headings is unscriptural. Church support of hospitals and colleges, do not fall under the heading of the church relieving the physical needs of its own members. To date, no one has been able to demonstrate that the church has a responsibility to relieve the physical needs of the entire world. Until this is shown beyond the shadow of doubt, church support of hospitals and orphan homes stands unauthorized by the word of God and in the same category as is the perversion of the worship by the introduction of instruments of music.

Seek The Old Paths

The continued advancement in the paths of digression by our liberal brethren reminds us of what happened in the days of Jeremiah. As the people apostatized, Jeremiah called them back to the “old paths.” He said, “Thus said the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein” (Jer. 6:16). This is exactly the same attitude as is being portrayed by our liberal brethren as they move further and further away from the old paths in order to walk with denominationalism.

I am confident, however, that there are a few brethren among them who are discontent with what they see in the liberal churches. Brethren, there is an alternative. Every man has the opportunity to pull out and establish a group of saints who will cling to the revelation of God’s word and stand opposed to these modern innovations. (Perhaps there are others in your area already taking such a stand. If you will contact me, I will try to put you in contact with each other.) We would like to encourage those who will listen to stand opposed to churches being involved in activities for which no Scripture can be given. Do not hestitate to ask your elders for Bible authority for churches to be contributing to the support of hospitals, colleges, orphan homes, etc. Do not allow these men to put off answering your questions; so long as you are contributing, you have every right to find out how the money is being spent.

The plea for book, chapter, and verse preaching is still needed. Saints who are committed to doing Bible things in a Bible way and calling Bible things by Bible names are forced to stand opposed to church support of colleges, orphan homes, and hospitals inasmuch as no command, example, or necessary inference can be given authorizing these works. Where are you standing?

Truth Magazine XXIV: 47, pp. 755-757
November 27, 1980

By Ron Halbrook

For the truth’s sake, we must take time to be holy. First, we must take the time, if we are to get it at all. Job lamented, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, arid is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not” (14:1-2). Moses contrasted God who is “from everlasting to everlasting” with man: “We spend our years as a tale that is told . . . for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” Rather than taking life for granted, we must “number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Ps. 90). David prayed, “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am” (Ps. 39:4). Is there time enough yet to be holy? The attitude which boasts of the days to come will destroy us “ye know not what shall be on the morrow” (Jas. 4:14). Is there no time left to be holy each day, after we agonize for material things? The mind which is over anxious for these things and finds in them the treasures of life, is a mind at war with God. No amount of time would be sufficient for the person who will not take the time to serve God.

We must take time. We cannot count on the holiness of good parents, a good mate, or good children to save us. Each individual must come to God by faith, to render the service due God and befitting from His creature. “The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezek. 18:20). Each one of us must take time to devote the heart unto God. In a busy royal court, even with the threat of punishment, young Daniel made time to get “upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God” (Dan. 6:10). Time spent in sin is worse than wasted, but in serving God we are “redeeming the time” (Eph. 5:16). It takes time to join the saints in public worship and to teach sinners the Good News in Christ, but how could we ever use our time any better?

What does it mean to be “holy”? It simply means to be set apart from the world of sin unto the service of God. The church of God is composed of “them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Cor. 1:2). In Christ men are made into “an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ . . . . ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:5, 9). How does God choose us to be holy, set apart, sanctified? “Through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 2:13-14). The gospel is calling us to receive the forgiveness of all our sins so that we will be holy in God’s sight, and so that we can then walk in holiness (1 Thess. 4:1-7). By faith, we must repent of every sin, confess the name of Christ, and be “buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). Then, in the words of the song,

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;

Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.

Make friends of God’s children; help those who are weak,

Forgetting in nothing His blessings to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;

Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone.

Abiding in Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;

Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul;

Each tho’t and each motive beneath His control.

Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,

Thou soon shall be fitted for service above.

Truth Magazine XXIV: 47, p. 754
November 27, 1980