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Particulars
of Christianity:
303
Bible Cosmology
Part 2:
From Christ's Death to His Return
Cosmology: Introduction and Definitions
Part 1: The Old Testament - Buildings
in Heaven
Bodies in Heaven: Angels and Spirit
Bodies
Humans and Angels: How Similar are
We?
Hell in the Old Testament
Part 2: From Christ's Death to His
Return
Part 3: Christ's Return Through His
Millennial Reign
Part 4: The Final Judgment and Eternity
Replaced or Restored: "Restarts" vs.
the First Start
Replaced or Restored: Genesis 1 and Angels
Replaced or Restored: Precedent Reveals
Restoration (Part 1)
Replaced or Restored: Precedent Reveals
Restoration (Part 2)
Replaced or Restored: More on the
Creation of Angels (Part 1)
Replaced or Restored: More on the
Creation of Angels (Part 2)
Cosmology: Composite Chart
Cosmogony Illustrations
In
this section of time, the concept of Heaven remains entirely
unchanged with one small addition, which we will describe
in a moment. During this second section of time, heaven continues
to be defined as the place where angels and God currently
reside consisting of physical structures such as a temple
and where bodies such as the spiritual bodies of the angels
and the resurrected body of Jesus Christ exist. And, once
again, we would note that unlike the kingdom of God, which
will arrive and be established on earth when Christ Jesus
returns, Heaven is not some future time. Heaven is a place
that currently exists.
And, for the most part, Sheol and hell remain the same as
during the previous time period, with the same minor exception
as described in the above paragraph regarding Heaven.
Sheol continues to contain a compartment of fiery torment
for the wicked dead and fallen angels as described by Jude
1:6, 1 Peter 2:4, and Luke 16:19-31. However, as discussed
in the previous section and as described in 1 Peter 3:18-20
and 4:6, when Jesus died he went and preached to the dead
spirits who were imprisoned for disobedience. And, from Jesus'
comments to the thief in Luke 23:24, we know that Jesus also
went that very day he died to Paradise with the thief, which
was obviously not the place of the disobedient, but of the
obedient. For the Greeks, this word paradise denoted a place
within hades. Since Paradise was the place where this good
thief was going upon his death, we can conclude that Paradise
was the same as the Bosom of Abraham, the compartment of Sheol
reserved for the comfort of the righteous.
However, writing after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, in
2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul speaks of being caught up to what
he calls the "third heaven." In verse 4, Paul also refers
to this third heaven as Paradise, just as Revelation 2:7 (also
written after the resurrection of Christ) refers to the current
residence of God as "Paradise." And, even though in the Old
Testament prior to the death and resurrection of Christ, the
righteous dead went to Abraham's Bosom within Sheol, in 2
Corinthians 5:6-9 Paul asserts that at that time dead Christians
are present with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. Similarly,
Revelation 6:9 describes the martyred saints as residing before
the altar of God in Heaven.
So, why the difference? Why, prior to Christ, do we see the
righteous dead depicted as residing in Abraham's Bosom within
Sheol (a subterranean region) and yet writings after the resurrection
of Christ depict the righteous dead residing in the very presence
of God in Heaven?
As 1 Peter 3 and 4 tell us, Jesus preached in Sheol, including
preaching to the spirits of those who died before the flood
and were being kept in the compartment of the wicked. At this
point, since Jesus had made the atonement for human sin, the
saints of the Old Testament (and presumably any of those in
prison who may have accepted Jesus' message) no longer had
to be barred from the presence of God. As such, although Paradise
(the place of comfort for the righteous dead) was formerly
within Sheol and was synonymous with Abraham's Bosom, after
the atonement was provided, the righteous dead could now ascend
from Paradise/the Bosom of Abraham to the very presence of
God in Heaven. From that point forward, Paradise (the place
of comfort for the righteous dead) was no longer within Sheol,
but was now located in the presence of God, just as we see
the martyrs in Revelation 6:9 waiting beneath the altar of
God in heaven, being comforted as they await justice on their
murderers. The reason for this is that at his death and resurrection,
Jesus took the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18), with
the immediate effect being that the gates of hell (Sheol or
hades) could no longer keep back his followers (Matthew 16:18)
and the future effect that one day, Jesus would return and
enforce his defeat over death, which is the last enemy to
be defeated (1 Corinthians 15:26), and consequently his followers
will become resurrected and immortal (1 Corinthians 15:52-57).
Ephesians 4:8 explains, "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended
up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto
men." When Paul writes that when Jesus ascended to heaven
he led captivity captive, Paul is referring to the fact that
when Christ ascended to heaven after his resurrection, he
brought forth with him the righteous dead (as well as any
wicked who might have accepted his message) who prior to that
time had been held in Sheol, unable to leave.
Matthew 27:50-53 attests to this fact. Matthew 27 tells us
that when Jesus' died, "the graves were opened; and many bodies
of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves
after his resurrection."
What was it that caused the Old Testament saints to arise
at that precise moment in time? It was the fact that the atonement
had been made and they were no longer required to remain in
Sheol.
So, in this second period of time spanning from the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ to the return of Christ and
the onset of his millennial reign, Heaven and Hell remain
largely the same as prior to the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. The only difference is that Sheol no longer
contains a compartment reserved for the righteous. Instead,
during this period of time, Sheol only contains a place of
imprisonment for the disobedient and fallen angels. Thanks
to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus, the place of comfort and
waiting for the righteous is now in the specific area of heaven reserved for the presence of Jesus and God the
Father.
This concludes our analysis of the second period of time between
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the return
of Christ and establishment of his millennial reign. We will
now move on to our third section of time, which spans from
the establishment of the millennial reign of Christ Jesus
to the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of that 1000
year reign.
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Related
Images


Cosmology
(Days of Creation)
(Figures 1-6)


Cosmology Chart
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