Afterlife: Hades
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 5/17/15
On January 18, 1989, around 11:45 a.m., thirty-nine-year-old Larry Donald Piper’s Ford Escort collided head-on with a semi-truck. EMTs arrived shortly thereafter and pronounced him dead at the scene. Unconscious in the wrecked vehicle, Piper claims to have spent ninety minutes at the entrance to heaven, seeing deceased loved ones, hearing celestial music, and walking toward heaven’s gate. Before entering, however, God sent him back. Piper’s book, 90 Minutes in Heaven, which recounts his near-death experience, remained on the New York Times best-seller list for more than five years and has sold over six million copies.
Even more recently, in the 2010 New York Times best-selling book, Heaven is for Real, Todd Burpo relates the near-death experience of his then-three-year-old son, Colton. The book recounts Colton’s journey to heaven, where he personally met Jesus riding a rainbow-colored horse and sat in Jesus' lap when angels sang songs to him. Burpo’s book has since sold over 10 million copies and was adapted into a feature film, earning over $100 million at the box office.
Other near-death-experiences are recorded in books like 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Weise (2006), The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven written by Kevin Malarkey (2010), and Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander (2012). While I think the subjective experiences of near-deathers do little to prove their claims, the sales record of books such as these certainly proves one thing—our culture is curious, even obsessed, about the afterlife. We want to know what happens after death. What will we see? What will we feel? Does Jesus really have brown hair, blue eyes, and a rainbow colored horse!?
Rather than relying on the notoriously unreliable experiences of others, Christians ought to rely on Scripture. The Bible tells us, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV).
Through the inspiration of God’s Spirit, the authors of Scripture reveal to us what we could never otherwise have known. Scattered throughout Scripture we find windows through which we can peer into the Afterlife. Specifically, the Bible identifies three different places—or realms—that lie beyond death’s door. Those realms are Hades, Hell, and Heaven. For the next three weeks we’re going to peer through the peepholes of Scripture to see what we can discern about each of those realms and what awaits us in the afterlife.
The first of those realms is Hades—the “waiting room” of departed souls.
Hades is a Greek word which means “unseen.” The Hebrew word for Hades was Sheol, which meant simply “beyond.” When the Old Testament was translated into Greek, Sheol was rendered Hades—giving us a total 75 references to Hades in both Testaments combined. Unfortunately, in the King James Version the word Hades was translated as Hell 31 times in the Old Testament and 10 times in the New Testament, which has led to a lot of confusion about the afterlife because Hades and Hell are two very different realms. Thankfully, most modern translations have corrected the sloppy translation of the King James and now render the word as either Hades or “the realm of the dead.” And that’s what Hades is—the realm of the dead.
I call it the “waiting room” because that’s we’ll do there—upon death, our disembodied spirits will journey immediately to this spiritual realm to await the Second Coming of Christ and the resurrection of our bodies. Of all the references to Hades throughout the Bible, none are more vivid than the one found in Luke 16.
During a confrontation with the Pharisees, “who dearly loved their money” (Luke 16:14), Jesus tells a terrifying tale of the Afterlife. Let me begging by reading this story in its entirety:
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, “Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.”
25 But Abraham replied, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”
27 He answered, “Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” 29 Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”
30 “No, father Abraham,” he said, “but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.” 31 He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
(Luke 16:19-31 NIV)
This story has shaped many people’s view of the Afterlife more than any other passage of Scripture. Yet, rarely do we sift beyond the surface of this story. For starters, the setting of the story is not Heaven and Hell, but Hades—this is the “waiting room.” Before we get to the details of what to expect in Hades, we first need to understand that this parable is intended to paint a picture.
• A PICTURE
Many have argued over the years about whether or not this story is parable—a fictional story Jesus made up to prove a point. Some assume that since Jesus gives a specific name to one of the characters (Lazarus), it’s somehow more real his other parables. Regardless of whether this is based on a true story or a completely fictional one, the story itself relies on symbolism and anthropomorphism to paint a picture that we can relate to—and, therefore, we need to be careful about how literally we take this story.
For instance, we immediately have a problem when the rich man says, “send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue” (vs. 24 NIV). The question is—what tongue? What finger? Disembodied spirits don’t have bodies. A spirit without a body is like helium without a balloon. It’s there, but you can’t see it. You can’t touch it. It’s formless and immaterial. There are no fingers and tongues in Hades. These are anthropomorphism—physical traits given to immaterial being in order to paint a picture of their experience.
Likewise, there is no water or fire in an immaterial realm. Again, these are physical elements that Jesus uses to describe a non-physical world. Similarly, I doubt that Jesus indented for us to believe that in Hades the saved can actually look across “a great chasm” and observe the wicked in torment. If that were the case, Hades would be Hell for those who sit in comfort while hearing the tortured screams of their loved ones coming from the other side of fire-lit the chasm.
If we insist on taking these images literally, it’s not water we’ll be begging for, but trouble. So let’s be careful to read the Bible for all it’s worth by reading it in the sense in which it was written. So, understanding this story contains symbolic imagery not intended to be taken literally, what can we learn from it about Hades?
First, it reveals that Hades will be a prison to unbelievers.
• A PRISON
Long ago, I heard the story of a prison inmate who spent weeks planning his escape. Every Tuesday, like clockwork, he watched as a food service truck drove onto the prison grounds, made a delivery, and then drove out the front gates. Finally, he devised his plan and determined to carry it out. Having bribed another inmate to distract a nearby guard, he rolled underneath the delivery truck and tied a bedding sheet to each end of the axel, giving him something to hang onto unseen. Moments later he felt the delivery man close the back of the truck then start the engine. The prisoner held on for dear life as the truck passed through the gates and barreled down the road. After a few miles, he thought he was home free! When the truck finally came to stop he let go and rolled out from under it. But as he looked as his surroundings he realized that he was in the courtyard of another prison surrounded by guards! Out of the frying and into the fryer.
Those departed souls in Hades won’t have any better luck. In the Afterlife, Hades will be an inescapable prison for those who rejected God in this life. On this side of eternity, good and evil, righteous and unrighteous, believers and unbelievers all live and dwell together. But in Hades, unbelievers are quarantined—confined to a prison marked by sorrow and suffering. Jesus said of the rich man, “In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side” (vs. 23 NIV). The rich man then cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (vs. 24 NIV).
As I already pointed out, the flames in this story are figurative. First, we know that immaterial spirits cannot be burned by physical fire. Further, literal fire consumes whatever is thrown into it. Furthermore, the rich man seems awfully articulate for a man that is supposedly being burned alive. A person who is actually on fire can’t ask politely for a bit of water or argue about whether or not his five brothers would repent at the warnings of a resurrected Lazarus. Finally, this is the only place in Scripture where fire is mentioned in Hades. In most passages, the prison of Hades is described as a dark and gloomy place. Peter describes it as “blackest darkness” (2 Peter 2:17).
So, if there is no literal fire in Hades, what does this fire represent?
All throughout Scripture fire is associated with one of three things. First is refinement, such as gold being purified by fire. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. Second is destruction, such as the burning of Edom or Sodom and Gomorrah. That also doesn’t seem to be the case. But third, fire is often associated with God’s judgment and wrath—that certainly does seem to be the case here. In the Old Testament, God threatens Israel, saying, “I swear in My zeal and fiery rage: On that day there will be a great earthquake in the land of Israel” (Ezekiel 38:19 NIV). In this instance, God’s judgment came in the form of an earthquake; yet, his wrath is described as fire and rage. Likewise, the disembodied spirits of unbelievers, cut off from God’s goodness and grace, will experience the agony of God’s burning rage as they await their final judgment.
Fortunately, only a portion of Hades’ populace with experience the sorrow and suffering associated with God’s fiery rage. For those who love and trust God, Hades will be a paradise.
• A PARADISE
For the Jews of Jesus’ day, nothing was more reassuring and comforting than the thought of joining their beloved father, Abraham in the Afterlife. And that’s just Jesus pictures. When the rich man looked across the chasm, the Bible says, “he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side” (vs. 23 NLT). The image of Lazarus in Abraham’s arms was a picture of comfort and peace to the Jews.
While you and I may not care as much about being with Abraham, he certainly isn’t Hades’ only resident. Paul writes, “we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord… and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).
In Hades, those who have trusted in Jesus will be at home with God. We’ll experience God’s presence—his love and grace—in a way that we’ve only glimpsed here on earth. Remember what Jesus said to the thief crucified beside him? He said, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT). As soon as Jesus’ body died, his spirit transcended space and time, arriving in Hades. Like the thief on the cross, you and I can look forward to joining Jesus in this paradise of the soul.
But that’s not all. In the Old Testament, Jacob lamented the loss of his son Joseph and cried, “I will go down to Sheol to my son…” (Genesis 37:35 HCSB). David likewise expected a family reunion upon his death. After the death of his infant son, he laments, “Can I bring him back again? He will not return to me, but I will go to him” (2 Samuel 12:23). Like David, Jacob, and Lazarus, you and I can expect a reunion in Hades with lost loved ones—children and ancestors who loved the Lord.
As disembodied spirits, Hades isn’t so much about location, but relation. What makes a home isn’t the brick and mortar—it’s the people with whom we share it. In Hades, we will be at home with the Lord.
Thus, Hades will be a prison to some but a paradise to others. Finally, there is one more aspect of this spiritual realm worth noting. In Hades there will be a parting.
• A PARTING
When the rich man made his meager request for water, Abraham replied by saying, “between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us” (vs. 26 NIV).
This chasm symbolizes a parting—a separation between the saved and the unsaved. Once we die, our final destiny is sealed. There is no going back and no changing our minds. God will give us every opportunity to know him and love him in this life; but when this life is over there are no second chances. After experiencing the agony of God’s fiery wrath, the rich man seems repentant. He pleads with Abraham to make Lazarus a preacher—to send him back to earth and warn the rest of his unbelieving family. But his change of heart came too late.
This underscores the point of the parable. On earth, Lazarus was poor and pitiable, but he trusted in the God of Abraham and lived by faith. The rich man had it all, but never gave a care for spiritual things. As Jesus once asked, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mark 8:36 NIV).
While Lazarus looks forward to the resurrection with optimism, the rich man can do little more than wallow in his regrets and think about all the missed opportunities he had to embrace the gospel of Jesus as he awaits his final judgment to be carried out.
Conclusion:
While Christians ought to use caution before accepting the subjective experiences of near-deathers, we can unreservedly embrace the teachings of Jesus when it comes to life after life. After all, Jesus didn’t simply have a near-death experience; rather, he had a fully dead experience and returned to life three days later.
According to the picture Jesus paints, the realm of the dead—Hades—is a prison to some, a paradise to others, and the place of permanent parting. Jesus wanted the Pharisees to realize that the choices they make in this life have eternal consequences in the afterlife. The same is true for you and me.
Invitation:
If you’re not sure which side of that chasm you’ll find yourself in Hades, now is the time to figure it out. In this life—right now—you can choose to accept Jesus as your Leader and Forgiver. When you do, Jesus’ words to thief on the cross will become his words to you, “I assure you… you will be with me in paradise.” If you want to make that decision, please come forward while we stand and sing.
