MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Seven Baptisms
Written by: Max Klein
Baptism means identification or association:
Introduction:
1. This meaning began in Homer's time. Homer wrote of the one-eyed giant, Cyclops who had trapped Ulysses and his men in a cave and was eating them one at a time. The ingenious Ulysses devised a plan. He had his men sharpen a large log and together they rammed this log into the eye of the one-eyed Cyclops rendering him blind. They identified (baptized) the sharpened log with Cyclops’ eye which changed Cyclops from a seeing giant to a blind giant. Having blinded the Cyclops, they were able to maneuver their way out of the cave. Another example by Homer: Homer's Odyssey, book 9, used baptism for hot metal identified (baptized) with water when a smith dipped a piece of hot iron into water. This is how a blacksmith would temper swords in the ancient world. After this identification, the sword was made stronger and so less likely to bend.
2. Xenophon said that the Spartan military recruits after finishing infantry training would identify (baptize) their spears with pig’s blood. They would run by a barrel of pig’s blood and thrust their spears into this blood. This ritual, identified their spears with killing and the soldier’s readiness for combat with the enemy.
3. Euripides used the word for a ship identified with the bottom of the sea when it sank. Before sinking, the ship was valuable; after sinking it had no value at all.
4. So "baptize" in the classical Greek meant to identify one thing with another so that the characteristics of the original thing were altered. Therefore, the interpretation of the word "baptism" is identification with something that brings about a change.
5. There are a number of cognates related to this Greek word such as bapto, baptizo, baptisma, baptismos, baptistes, and embapto. A few examples follow:
6. John 13:26, “Jesus then answered, ‘That is the one for whom, I shall dip [the future of the Greek word bapto] the morsel and give it to him. So, when he had dipped [the aorist participle of bapto; the sop now takes on a new meaning that of honor] the sop [the morsel], He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.”
To give someone a sop [a special bit of food usually a piece of bread or meat with a tasty sauce] was the highest honor of a banquet. At a banquet a special piece of bread or meat was prepared along with a special sauce for the guest of honor who would then honor someone by giving it to that person. Jesus as the guest of honor took this sop and dipped it into a special sauce and gave it to Judas. In this way, the Lord Jesus Christ honored Judas as a member of the family of God, and for his ministry as an apostle to the Lost Sheep of Israel. This honor should have given Judas second thoughts regarding his plan to betray Jesus to the Sanhedrin.
7. Matthew 3:7, “but when he [John the Baptizer] saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism [identification: the Greek word baptisma], he said to them, “You brood of vipers [poisonous snakes], who warned you to flee from the wrath to come [Baptism of Fire: identification with the fire of Torments and then the Lake of Fire]?”
8. Hebrews 6:1-2, “Therefore, leaving behind the elementary teaching about Christ, let us advance to maturity, not laying again the foundation [of the basics such as]: a change of thinking about dead works [just as an unbeliever must have a change of mind about Christ to obtain salvation, so the believer must have a change of mind about legalism (dead works) in order to obtain the spiritual life], and of faith toward God [Faith-Rest Drill], (2) doctrine of baptisms [the Greek word baptismos; a reference to the seven types of baptism as found in Scripture] as well as the laying on of hands [ritual rebound in the age of Israel], and of resurrection from the dead, and of eternal judgment [the Great White Throne Judgment].
9. Matthew 3:1, “In those days John the Baptizer [the Greek word baptistes; when John baptized someone into the Jordan River, the converts were identified with the plan of God and his kingdom.] came proclaiming [as a herald] in the desert of Judea.”
There are two categories of identification in Scripture namely an actual identification or a real baptism and a representative identification or a ritual baptism which uses water.
The four real or actual identifications with something that has significance.
1. The Baptism of Moses: 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 presents the baptism of Moses, "For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; (2) and all were baptized [the Greek word baptizo] into Moses in the cloud [the Lord] and in the sea." This was a real identification in which Moses was identified with the Lord and the open path through the Red Sea and the Jews were identified with Moses. By the way, none of the Jews got wet, only Egyptian unbelievers who were immersed in the water as a means of death.
2. The Baptism of the Cross is found in Matthew 20:22, “But Jesus answered [Salome by addressing her sons] and said, “You [plural: a reference to James and John] do not know what you [James and John] ask. Are you [James and John] able to drink of the cup [bear the punishment of all the sins of the world] that I am about to drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism [the sins of the world identified with Christ followed by the Father judging them] that I am baptized with [identified with]?” They [James and John] said to Him, “We are able. [the dumbest statement that James and John ever made]” [I selected the longer text as did Jerome.]
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Retroactive Positional Truth and Current Positional Truth) occurs at salvation for Church Age believers only.
Colossians 2:12. Having been buried [aorist participle] with Him [Jesus Christ] by means of the baptism [God the Holy Spirit identified us with the burial of Jesus Christ as part of our salvation] by means of which [Baptism] you have been raised up [main verb] with Him [in union with Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father] through faith [at the point of salvation] in the operational power from the source of God who has raised Him [the humanity of Christ was given a resurrection body] out from the dead [physical death].
Romans 6:3-9:
Romans 6:3: Or do you not know that all of us who [a correlative] have been baptized into [identified with] Christ Jesus [Current Positional Sanctification: we are in union with Christ in his life in heaven], have been baptized into His death [Retroactive Positional Truth and so identified with his substitutionary spiritual death on the cross]?
Positionally, (in union with Christ) we share His righteousness, heirship, priesthood, destiny, election, eternal life, royalty, sonship etc. All these making us a new spiritual species in Christ Jesus. The plural correlative hosoi (ὅσοι) means that if we were identified with Christ in heaven and we were, then also we have been identified with Christ in his substitutionary spiritual death in which he removed the power of sin nature. Thus, the sin nature should not have power over our lives.
A few more points will be noted:
1. Note that the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation enters the believer into union with Christ at the right hand of God the Father which union is called current positional truth.
2. This verse also mentions identification with Christ in His spiritual death on the cross which identification theologians call retroactive positional truth. Retroactive positional truth also includes identification with Christ in His physical death and burial as well.
3. Identification with Christ in His death, then, has a two-fold connotation namely all personal sins were judged at the cross and since that is the case, God the Father is free to provide in grace, the Recovery Procedure. The second connotation is that good and evil were rejected by Jesus on the cross since good and evil are a part of Satan’s policy and plan. On the cross, Jesus relied on the proto-type spiritual life which operated under the two power options namely God’s power system.
4. So, the old sin nature’s ruling power over the Christian has been broken since all sins were judged on the cross and the Recovery Procedure has been provided. So, Retroactive Positional Truth has destroyed the sovereignty of the old sin nature over the life of the Christian.
5. Also, since Jesus rejected the good and evil policy of Satan so should the believer reject Satan’s policy of good and evil as the believer applies Retroactive Positional Truth.
Romans 6:4: Therefore, we have been buried together with Him through the identification [Baptism of the Spirit] into His death [physical], in order that just as Christ has been raised up from the dead [on Resurrection Sunday], through the glory of the Father [through the Father’s power], [So also we, the dead in Christ, will be raised from the dead by the power of the Father, and those alive at the Rapture, by the power of the Holy Spirit.] in this manner we also might walk in newness of life [Experiential sanctification should reflect our future ultimate sanctification.].
Christ had to die physically “and Jesus having shouted clearly with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands I deposit my [human] spirit, and having said this, he exhaled” (Luke 23:46). This last exhale caused His soul and spirit to depart from his mortal body resulting in physical death. Just as Christ had to die physically in order to obtain his resurrection body, so we must depart from our body of corruption, or mortality in order to receive our eternal body called our resurrection body.
The Newness of Life:
1. The newness of life provided through the baptism of the Spirit includes positional freedom from producing good and evil. Not only are we free from the tyranny of good and evil but we are also free from having to produce good and evil.
2. The believer has no obligation to improve the devil’s world through social action, socialism, welfare state, communism, environmentalism, or any social gospel, social action, getting involved, etc.
3. The human race is protected from Satan’s policy of good and evil through the laws of divine establishment which promote freedom instead of improvement at the cost of freedom.
4. In addition to the Laws of Divine Establishment the believer is insulated from good and evil positionally through the baptism of the Spirit.
5. Divorced from the Old Sin Nature positionally and its useless activity of human good and the function of evil, the life of the believer can be devoted to glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ through maximum knowledge and application of Bible doctrine.
Romans 6:5: For if we have become united with Him [Christ, the new husband] in the likeness of His death [the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross], and we have, and not only this, but also, we shall be [united in the likeness] of His resurrection [Current Positional Truth: in union with the resurrected Christ].
Romans 6:6: Be knowing this [through Retroactive Positional Truth], that our old man [our former husband, the sin nature dates back to the Garden] has been crucified together [with Him], in order that the [human] body, with reference to its sin nature, [the sin nature located in the body] might be rendered powerless [when we use Recovery Procedure and the two power options], that we should no longer be slaves to the sin nature.
“Our old man has been crucified with Him” meaning that the power of the sin nature has been broken on the cross. Since the power of the sin nature was broken by the work of the cross, we as believers have no excuse for not executing the spiritual life. We will not be able to say to Christ at our evaluation that our sin nature was too powerful for us to execute the spiritual life.
A few points for further clarification:
1. Retroactive positional truth is that phase of the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation which identifies the believer with Christ in His spiritual death, physical death and his burial.
2. In the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross all the personal sins in human history were imputed to Christ, but at the same time the other two trends of the old sin nature were not imputed for judgment.
3. Good and evil is the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world and the function of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life. In fact, the sin nature functions as the agent of Satan.
4. Good and evil were not imputed for judgment on the cross. Hence, in the spiritual death of Christ on the cross they were rejected to remain an issue in the angelic conflict, rejected to be perpetuated in human history as an issue every believer must face, and either overcome through the intake of doctrine or be entrapped by ignorance of doctrine and therefore lose out in glorifying God in time.
5. We are identified with Christ in His spiritual death, which means that we must understand that our sins have been judged and that good and evil has been rejected.
6. It all adds up to the fact that the sovereignty of the old sin nature over human life has been made powerless through retroactive positional truth.
7. The imputation of all personal sins of the human race to Christ on the cross means that the believer through the rebound technique is instantly forgiven sins, cleansed from all wrong doing which includes Satanic good and evil, restored to fellowship and filled with the Spirit.
Romans 6:7: For we who have died [the Christian is identified with the substitutionary spiritual death of Christ: theologically called Retroactive Positional Truth] have been acquitted [positional deliverance] from [the power of] the sin nature.
A few points for further clarification:
1. A dead person is discharged from the obligations of his former sphere of life. This is why the word “death” is used in this context. It is not a literal, physical death we are discussing but identification with Christ in His death.
2. As unbelievers we were under the authority of Satan as the ruler of this world, and under the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
3. Both the power of Satan and the old sin nature have been abrogated through the baptism of the Holy Spirit at salvation.
4. This passage, then, emphasizes the annulling of the power and the authority of the old sin nature as the sovereign of human life.
5. Positionally, the power of the sin nature has been broken. Experientially, the old sin nature controls to the extent that we fail to understand and utilize the provision and support of logistical grace.
Romans 6:8: Now if we have died with Christ, and we have [retroactive positional truth], we also believe that we shall live in association with Him [the instrumental of association; a reference to Current Positional Truth].
In this verse, the 1st Class conditional sentence shows the relationship between Retroactive Positional Truth with Current Positional Truth. The protasis, the ‘if’ clause states the reality of Retroactive Positional Truth and the apodosis, the concluding clause states the doctrinal inference and the reality of Current Positional Truth. While Retroactive Positional Truth presents positional rejection and separation from good and evil as the policy of Satan and the function of the old sin nature, Current Positional Truth relates the believer to the function of the royal family of God. In other words, they have separate functions.
Romans 6:9: Knowing that because Christ has been raised from the dead [He received a resurrection body], no longer can He die; [physical] death is no longer a master over Him.
Analysis:
1. Retroactive positional truth destroys the sovereign authority of the old sin nature over human life. Current positional truth, on the other hand, destroys the limited authority of physical death in human life.
2. Instead of being ruled by the old sin nature located in the cells of the human body and influencing our souls toward sin, good and evil, we now have a new sovereign, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are identified with Him in His deaths, in His burial, resurrection, ascension and session.
3. Before salvation and the baptism of the Holy Spirit our lives were under the absolute rule of Satan who is the ruler of this world and under the rule of the old sin nature which is the ruler of life, and under the limited rule of physical death. All of that, of course, has been changed since salvation.
4. Now both retroactive and current positional truth have abrogated the authority and power of these former rulers. The power of Satan over our lives has been broken through identification with the rejection of good and evil namely Satan’s policy and plan and through our position in union with Christ. The power of the old sin nature is broken through retroactive positional truth and the power of physical death is broken through current positional truth.
5. Therefore, having studied these things by principle and by implication we are now ready for application, verses 12 & 13 specifically.
6. Having been positionally liberated from the sovereignty of the old sin nature as an absolute ruler, and the authority of physical death, we must recognise and apply doctrine for the experiential victory commanded in verses 11-13.
Galatians 3:25-28, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under the authority of [have need of] a school bus. (26) For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ [identified with Christ through union with Him] have clothed yourselves with Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek [no racial distinction], there is neither slave nor free man [no social or economic distinction], there is neither male nor female [no gender distinction]; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [All Christians have the same privileges and opportunities to execute the spiritual life.]”
Current Positional Truth, Elaborated:
In the Church Age, Current Positional Truth establishes our relationship with Christ as opposed to religion. It refers to the Church Age believer in union with Christ and is the key to understanding the Church Age and how the royal family came into being. Therefore, it is the basis for distinguishing between Christianity and religion. Christianity is a relationship with God without merit whereas religion is a system of works to gain the approbation of God. Never shall the twain meet!
The mechanics of Current Positional Truth is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, whereby the Spirit enters us into union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13, “For also by agency of the one Spirit we are all baptized [identification resulting in becoming a new spiritual species] into one body [in union with Christ], whether Jews or Greeks [racial distinctions are removed], whether slave or free [class and economic distinctions are removed], even all were made to drink [the aorist passive, the voice of grace] the one Spirit [The Holy Spirit did not ask us whether we wanted to be put into union with Christ or not.].” Ephesians 4:5, “One Lord [becomes our Lord positionally at Salvation]), one faith [faith alone in Christ alone; Acts 16:31], one baptism [Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes place at salvation].”
Current Positional truth guarantees that there will be no judgment for believers in eternity, Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Thus, the condemnation which occurred at the first birth was removed at the 2nd birth. As a result of being born with the sin nature and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin, we were condemned to the Lake of Fire for all eternity, but now that has been removed. Romans 5:12, “For this reason just as through one man [Adam] the sin [nature] entered into the world [procreation], and so spiritual death through the sin [the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin to the sin nature], and so spiritual death spread to all mankind, because all sinned when Adam sinned [since we were all genetically in Adam when he sinned, we will receive Adam’s Original Sin].” However, at our spiritual birth, the 2nd birth, our pre-salvation sins were all forgiven including Adam’s Original Sin. After which, the Spirit entered us into union with Christ where there is now no condemnation (Romans 8:1).
Current Positional truth qualifies the believer to live with God forever. To live with God forever, the believer must have eternal life and God’s perfect righteousness, 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life, and this life is in his son [Since we are in union with Christ, we share this life.]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].” 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And He [the Father] made Him who knew no sin [perfection] to be a sin offering [imputation of sins on the cross] as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [current positional truth].” To live with God forever means you must have His life, and you must be as righteous as He is.
Positional truth guarantees the believer’s eternal security, Romans 8:38-39, “For I am persuaded that neither death [nothing in death] nor life [nothing in life] nor angels nor principalities [ruling angels] nor powers [human organizations] nor things present nor things to come (39) nor height [nothing in heaven] nor depth [nothing in Hades] nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life in Christ is for all eternity!
Positional truth belongs to all categories of believers whether they be apostate, mature, immature, spiritually adult, or carnal. Since Current Positional Truth occurs at the point of salvation before experience in the Christian life begins, it doesn’t depend on that experience. 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus [at salvation], called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.” So, even though you may be carnal or in reversionism, you still have positional truth. Being in union with Christ has nothing to do with what you do [experiential righteousness], or don’t do [failure to execute God’s plan]. Current Positional sanctification is completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and so is not based upon our volition, but on the sovereign decision of God. We make the decision to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but we don’t make the decision to enter into union with Christ “all were made to drink the one Spirit” as per 1 Corinthians 12:13. God the Holy Spirit graciously did that for us and so it cannot be undone.
Current Positional truth creates a new spiritual species in Christ as per 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power; behold, new things have come to pass.” You become a new spiritual species at salvation by being put into union with Christ. It is what God does for you, and therefore it is grace. It is not what you do after salvation, such as the self-righteous works of legalism. The “old things” have to do with spiritual death and those things related to that death; the “new things” refer to things you receive at salvation such as the 40 assets and the unique spiritual life.
Positional truth should motivate the production of divine good and a pattern of life compatible with royalty as per Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his creation, having been created in Christ Jesus [a new spiritual species with many assets] for the purpose of divine good production [via experiential sanctification] which the God [the Father] has prepared in advance [in eternity past, God the Father provided election and predestination as part of our Portfolio of Invisible Assets], that we in the sphere of them [election and predestination] may pattern our lives.”
Even though a Christian may die the Sin on to Death, he will not lose his position in union with Christ (1 John 5:18-20), and so cannot lose his salvation. In order for a believer to lose his position in Christ, he would have to sin in that status, but since the believer cannot sin in union with Christ, he cannot lose his position in Christ and so cannot lose his salvation. Thus, it is comforting and reassuring to a believer to know that even though a loved one may have died the ‘sin on to death’, he has not lost his salvation.
Because we are in union with Christ, we share His:
1. Eternal life, 1 John 5:11, “And this is the deposition [testimony] that the God [the Father] has given to us, eternal life [At salvation, God the Father imputes this life to the human spirit], and this life is in his son [The Christian also shares the life of Christ through union with Him]. (12) and he who has the son [a relationship with the Son] has the life [eternal life] and the one who does not have the son of God [relationship with the Son] does not have the life [eternal life].”
John 14:6, “Jesus said to him [Thomas], ‘I am the way, the truth and the life [eternal life]; no person [in human history] comes face to face with the Father [having an eternal relationship with the Father] except through Me.’”
2. Perfect righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21, “And he (God the Father) made him [Jesus] who knew no sin (perfection) to be a sin offering as a substitute for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in him [positional truth]. Sharing the righteousness of Christ, we become the objects of God the Father’s love as per Romans 8:39.
3. Election, Ephesians 1:4, “just as He [the Father] has elected us for Himself in Him [Jesus Christ] before the creation of the world [in eternity past], that we may be set apart [experiential sanctification] and blameless [ultimate sanctification] in the presence of Him [Father].”
4. Destiny, Ephesians 1:5, “By means of love, He has predestined us for the purpose of adoption as adult sons to Himself through Christ Jesus our Lord according to the grace purpose of His will.”
5. Sonship, Galatians 3:26, “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
6. Heirship, Romans 8:16-17, “The Spirit Himself testifies together [bears witness] with our [human] spirit, that we are the children of God. (17) Now, if we are children and we are, also heirs, on the one hand heirs of God [the Father], and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed [if it is true that], we suffer with Him [pass all three stages of undeserved suffering], that also we might be glorified with Christ.”
7. Sanctification, 1 Corinthians 1:2, “to the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints together with all who call upon the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ, their [Lord] and ours.”
8. Priesthood, Hebrews 7:12-19, “For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change in the Law also. (13) For the One [the Lord Jesus Christ] concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe [the tribe of Judah] from which no one has officiated at the altar. (14) For it is evident that our Lord has descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests, (15) and this is clearer still, if another priest arises similar to Melchizedek, and there has, (16) who has become a priest not on the basis of physical requirement [a reference to the Levitical Priesthood] but on the basis of indestructible life [the Lord’s priesthood is forever]. (17) For this reason, it is witnessed, ‘You are a priest forever similar to the order of Melchizedek.’” [We are in union with Christ. Therefore, we are royalty and priests forever. We represent ourselves before God as royal priests.] (18) For, on the one hand, there is a rescinding of the former commandment [the Mosaic Law that authorized the Levitical priesthood] because of its weakness and uselessness (19) (for the Law brought nothing to completion), but on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope [the second door of hope for the Church Age believer—a personal sense of destiny—by which we enter the adult spiritual life] through which we draw near to God.”
Hebrews 7:26-28, “For it is fitting that we should have such a high priest, impeccable integrity, the One who cannot do evil, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; (27) Who does not need daily, like those Levitical priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He [Jesus] offered up Himself. (28) For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of His [God the Father’s] oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has become perfect forever [Jesus Christ is a perfect high priest].”
9. Royalty, 1 Peter 2:9, “ But you and only you are an elect [elect by God the Father] race [as a new spiritual species], a royal priesthood [since Jesus is a king-priest], a holy nation [God’s entity: a nation of priests: every Christian is a priest], a people for God’s own possession [a protected people], so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him [Christ] who has called [in eternity past] you out of darkness [spiritual death and the Cosmic Systems] into His amazing light [his plan];”
10. New Spiritual Species, 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ and he is, he is a new spiritual species. The old things have lost their power [Old Covenant]; behold, new things have come to pass [This would include the New Covenant to the Church.].”
Current Positional Truth changes our relationship with Angels.
1. Through current positional truth the believer is higher than angels positionally.
2. Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and so superior to all angels. By virtue of being in union with Christ, every believer is now positionally superior to angels.
3. Positional truth has fulfilled the believer’s triumph with Christ in the angelic conflict. We are victorious with Him already.
4. Furthermore, positional truth demands compatibility with experiential righteousness. Therefore, the believer’s walk on this earth must be compatible with positional truth since we have perfect security in Christ, we have the freedom to choose for Jesus Christ, to love Jesus Christ, to respond to His love, and to fulfill our purpose on this earth.
What positional truth is not?
1. It is not an experience, emotions or ecstasies.
2. It is not progressive; it cannot be improved in time or eternity.
3. It is not related to human merit or ability.
4. It cannot be changed by God, man or angels. It is eternal in nature.
5. It is not obtained gradually as you grow in grace, but in toto at salvation.
6. It is not known apart from the metabolization of doctrine.
7. From understanding the doctrine of positional truth, we progress in our spiritual life, but we cannot improve it since it is perfect at salvation.
8. We are not in Christ because of what we do (execution of the spiritual life) or fail to do (fail to execute the spiritual life), but because of what God has done.
A few points of explanation:
1. The conclusion from positional truth, whether retroactive or current, is that the Christian must apply these doctrines to his spiritual life.
2. In Romans 7:1-4 where we have an illustration of a woman whose first husband has died freeing her to marry another. This is what actually happens to us as believers at salvation. The old sin nature is the husband up to the point of salvation, but at the moment we believe in Jesus Christ positionally the sin nature is dead, as it were, the first husband has died and we have a new husband through union with Christ. Retroactive Positional Truth removes our first husband, the sin nature whereas Current Positional Truth enters us into union with Christ, our new husband.
3. The old sin nature-husband is still around, still seeking to regain his control over his former wife, the believer. But union with the second husband, the Lord Jesus Christ, has broken the first husband’s authority over the former wife.
4. The Baptism of Fire:
Matthew 3:11, “On the one hand I [John the Baptizer] baptize you [believers] by means of water because of a change of thinking [about Christ], but the one coming after me is mightier than I whose sandals I am not worthy to lace [loosen, remove]. He himself will baptize by means of the Holy Spirit [a reference to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Church Age] and by means of fire [a reference to the Baptism of Fire at the 2nd Advent].”
Baptism of Fire: The baptism of fire (identification with fire) is defined as the judgment of unbelievers both Jew and gentile at the Second Advent. They will be removed from the earth and placed in fire for 1000 years until the Last Judgment, Luke 3:16-17; Mathew 25:31, 33. The analogy to the Baptism of Fire is found in Matthew 24:36-41. The one left in the field is the mature believer; the one taken is the unbeliever.
Parables of the Baptism of Fire:
1. The wheat and the tares (the unbelievers), Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40.
2. The good and bad fish (unbelievers), Matthew 13:47-50.
3. The ten virgins: five wise, five foolish (the unbelievers), Matthew 25:1-13.
4. The sheep and the goats (the unbelievers), Mathew 25:31-46.
5. The talent test, Matthew 25:14-30. The one talent man represents the unbeliever.
If Jesus Christ had not been rejected by the Jewish people, then the age of Israel would have continued until its completion (the Tribulation completes the age of Israel). (However, they did reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Messiah and so the client nation was destroyed, and the Church age was intercalated that is inserted before the age of Israel was complete.) After the completion of the age of Israel at the end of the Tribulation, comes the wrath of God namely the Baptism of Fire when the Lord removes both Jewish and gentile unbelievers from the earth and identifies them with fire forever. After which, the Millennial reign begins.
The Three Ritual Baptisms. None are extant at the present time. They are representative identifications in which water is used as a training aid to represent some principle of doctrine.
1. The Baptism of John is found in Matthew 3:2-6, “Saying, ‘Change your thinking [regarding Christ] for the kingdom of heaven is near.’ [The future king was already on the earth] (3) For this is what was communicated through Isaiah, the prophet saying, ‘The voice of one [John the Baptizer] proclaiming loudly in the desert [of Judea]. Prepare [the aorist tense is a one time-decision] the way of the Lord [an idiomatic expression for salvation]. Keep on making upright [the use of the Recovery Procedure followed by the development of experiential righteousness] His paths!’ (Isaiah 40:3) (4) Now, John himself kept on having a garment of camel’s hair [very uncomfortable] and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (5) Then [after John went where God wanted him to be] Jerusalem kept on going out to him [face to face] and all Judea and all the districts around the Jordan. (6) and they were being baptized [identified with the kingdom] by him [under John’s authority] in the Jordan River [where Israel crossed when they entered the land], and they kept on confessing their sins [post-salvation confession of sins].”
MAX KLEIN BIBLE MINISTRIES
The Book of Revelation: Chapter Twenty
A verse-by-verse commentary by Max Klein
Outline:
Incarceration of Satan: verses 1-3
The 1st Resurrection: verses 4-6 (2nd Resurrection verse 5a)
The Last Revolution: verses 7-10
The Great White Throne Judgment: 11-15
Revelation 20:1
Then I saw [a vision] an angel descending from Heaven, having the key of the abyss [the fourth compartment of Hades] and a great chain [giant handcuffs] in his hand.
Καὶ εἶδον ἄγγελον καταβαίνοντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ἔχοντα τὴν κλεῖν τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ ἅλυσιν µεγάλην ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ.
The arresting angel coming directly from the throne room of God as he did in Revelation 14:15 is a six-winged angel, the highest-ranking category. This particular seraph is The Officer of Arms, the second highest angel from the Angelic College of Heralds. God never sends a boy to do a man’s job. Furthermore, God always follows protocol both in blessing and in judgment. In this case God selected a powerful, high-ranking angel to make the arrest. Thus, the arresting angel doesn’t need any armament to help him, just his inherent power.
Note: R. B. Thieme Jr. developed terminology from English heraldry to help Christians to better understand angelic hierarchy. So, if you are interested, read the following doctrines: Angelic College of Heraldry and Angelic Hierarchy.
Initially, Satan, a Cherub, a four winged angel was the most powerful angel, but during the angel conflict, the Lord promoted certain angels to a higher and more powerful class called Seraphim, six- winged angels. This we understand through deduction.
Satanic influence must be removed before perfect environment can commence, so the need for an arresting angel. The chain will be used to control Satan after his arrest and to bind him for the thousand years in the Abyss, a compartment of Hades (a Greek word; Sheol being the Hebrew equivalent). There cannot be the perfect environment until Satan, his fallen angels and all the religions which Satan has authored are removed. See the doctrine of Hades (Sheol) by R. B. Thieme Jr.
Although Satan in his arrogance gained more power by revolting by which he gained authority over 1/3 of the angels (Revelation 12:4a, “And his tail [Satan's great power] dragged away a third of the stars [shining ones: appearance possibly related to light] of heaven [convinced these angels to revolt”), he lost authority over those fallen angels at the 2nd Advent. Being alone he was no match for this Seraph. One of the great manifestations of arrogance is greed (selfish and excessive desire for something), not only for monetary gain, but also for approbation and power. Satan wanted to displace God, but instead God replaced him.
Satan in his eternal body will enter prison in good health and will depart prison in good health (an eternal body neither ages nor deteriorates). In addition, we know that after his release, he will have the mental and physical vigor to mastermind a revolution against the Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:7-8).
Application: In prehistoric angelic history, the arresting angel started out lower than Satan in rank, position, power and glory et cetera, but ended higher. Thus, it is not how one starts in life, but how he ends up. Principle: No one ever loses by choosing the plan of God.
Revelation 20:2
And he [the Officer of Arms] seized [with violence] the dragon [a term for beauty; a large snake in Classical Greek], that ancient serpent [so named because he indwelt the serpent to tempt the woman] who is the Devil [slanderer, accuser, defense attorney] even Satan [the Hebrew for devil], and bound him [with the chain] for a thousand years.
καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸν δράκοντα, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὅς ἐστιν ∆ιάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς, καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτη,
The Greek verb (krateo) means to use force. This Seraph will have to use force to bind and imprison the devil since Satan will not go willingly to the Abyss. (No criminal ever willingly seeks imprisonment.) This angel once inferior to Lucifer [the morning star], the Son of the Dawn will be able to easily arrest and bind Satan at the 2nd Advent.
This dragon is not some long snake-like creature breathing fire as many writers portray him. Rather the Scripture depicts this dragon as the quintessence of beauty. Ezekiel 28:12b, states “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” and in verse17a, “Your heart [mentality] was lifted up because of your beauty; you distorted your wisdom because of your glamor.”
Revelation 20:3
And he cast him into the abyss and shut and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any more until the thousand years have been completed. After these things [the closing statement of Jesus Christ and other events of the Millennium], he must be released for a short time [for his closing statement].
καὶ ἔβαλεν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον καὶ ἔκλεισεν καὶ ἐσφράγισεν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ἵνα µὴ πλανήσῃ ἔτι τὰ ἔθνη ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη· µετὰ ταῦτα δεῖ λυθῆναι αὐτὸν µικρὸν χρόνον.
This was prophesized in Isaiah 14:15, “Nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol [The Hebrew word for Hades], to the recesses of the pit [a reference to the Abyss, the last compartment of Hades].”
Remember that human history is the appeal trial of Satan and his fallen angels. The Millennial reign of Christ is the closing statement of the Lord functioning as the prosecuting attorney. Satan also must have a closing statement which explains why he must be released for a short time at the end of human history. (The opening statement of the appeal trial is the garden with the initial two witnesses; the formal phase of the trial is the Old Testament; the First Advent and the Church Age is the rebuttal of Christ, the prosecuting attorney; the Tribulation is the rebuttal of Satan.)
Revelation 20:4
And I saw [also in verses 1, 11] thrones [of judgment], and they [the 144,000] sat on them, and judgment was given [culminative aorist: a result of fulfilling their spiritual lives] to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been decapitated [with an ax] because of the witness [testimony] for Jesus [the 144,000 martyrs] really because of doctrine from God, and these who had not worshiped the beast nor his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads, nor on their hands. And they both came to life [ingressive aorist: received their resurrection bodies at the 2nd Advent] and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
Καὶ εἶδον θρόνους, καὶ ἐκάθισαν ἐπ’ αὐτούς, καὶ κρίµα ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν πεπελεκισµένων διὰ τὴν µαρτυρίαν Ἰησοῦ καὶ διὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οἵτινες οὐ προσεκύνησαν τὸ θηρίον οὐδὲ τὴν εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἔλαβον τὸ χάραγµα ἐπὶ τὸ µέτωπον καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτῶν· καὶ ἔζησαν καὶ ἐβασίλευσαν µετὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ χίλια ἔτη.
Tribulational martyrs and Old Testament believers will not receive their resurrection bodies until the age of Israel is complete. Thus, since the Tribulation is the last part of the Age of Israel (Daniel’s 70th week), all Old Testament believers who have died before the 2nd Advent will receive their resurrection bodies at that time.
Revelation 20:5
(The rest of the dead [unbelievers of the Tribulation and all other unbelievers of human history] did not come to life [will not receive their eternal bodies] until the thousand years have been completed.) This is the first resurrection [continues from Revelation 20:4].
οἱ λοιποὶ τῶν νεκρῶν οὐκ ἔζησαν ἄχρι τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη. αὕτη ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη.
The parenthesis is to bring out a contrast between the first and second resurrection. (The first resurrection includes the resurrection of the humanity of Christ three days after entering the tomb, the Church Age believers at the Rapture, the Old Testament believers at the 2nd Advent and finally Millennial believers at the end of the Millennium. The Second Resurrection is the resurrection of all unbelievers. This will occur at the end of human history. At that time all unbelievers will receive a resurrection body and will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment.) Those in the First Resurrection may have suffered in time, but in the eternal state will never suffer again. On the other hand those in the Second Resurrection may have obtained much power, approbation, wealth etc. in time, but they will spend all eternity in the Lake of Fire.
Revelation 20:6
Happy [mentioned in Revelation 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14] and sanctified [emphasis on ultimate sanctification: receiving one’s resurrection body] is the one who has part in the first resurrection [all believers]. Over these, the second death [the Lake of Fire] has no authority, but they [a reference to the 144,000] will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
µακάριος καὶ ἅγιος ὁ ἔχων µέρος ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τῇ πρώτῃ· ἐπὶ τούτων ὁ δεύτερος θάνατος οὐκ ἔχει ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλ’ ἔσονται ἱερεῖς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσουσιν µετ’ αὐτοῦ [τὰ] χίλια ἔτη.
All believers in human history participate in the 1st Resurrection and will be happy in the eternal state no matter what is their stage of spiritual growth or retrogression. However, the great believers of history will have great rewards, whereas those who fail to execute God’s plan will suffer loss of rewards in the Eternal State. Regarding a group who do succeed, for example, the 144,000 who were beheaded in the Tribulation will rule with Christ and function as priests in the Millennium Temple though the high priest will come from the line of Zadok (Ezekiel 40:46).
Revelation 20:7
And when the thousand years have been completed, Satan will be released from his prison [to make his closing statement].
Καὶ ὅταν τελεσθῇ τὰ χίλια ἔτη, λυθήσεται ὁ Σατανᾶς ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς αὐτοῦ,
A short brief on the Appeal Trial: There was a prehistoric trial in which Satan and his minions were sentenced to the Lake of Fire. Matthew 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me accursed ones into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Satan appealed, and God the Father, the presiding judge graciously granted him an appeal. The appeal spans human history which explains the following: why God created the first two human beings (If one is going to have a trial, one must have witnesses), why angels are permitted to participate in human history, why Satan was permitted to tempt the woman in the garden, and to cross examine Job, why human history is broken down into the different parts of a trial, why Satan and his angels were not immediately cast into the Lake of Fire, and why they will not enter the Lake of Fire until after human history comes to a close (Satan loses the appeal).
Revelation 20:8
And he will go out [predictive future] to deceive [culminative aorist: results in a revolution] the nations, those in the four hemispheres of the earth, Gog [code name for Satan] and Magog [code name for the conspiracy], to concentrate [military word] them for battle [Satan uses violence] whose number is like the sand of the sea [sand on beaches or under the oceans: an extremely large army].
καὶ ἐξελεύσεται πλανῆσαι τὰ ἔθνη τὰ ἐν ταῖς τέσσαρσιν γωνίαις τῆς γῆς, τὸν Γὼγ καὶ Μαγώγ, συναγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν πόλεµον, ὧν ὁ ἀριθµὸς αὐτῶν ὡς ἡ ἄµµος τῆς θαλάσσης.
People do not believe the lie until they first reject the truth, and once a person believes the lie, his life becomes a lie. This process involves lying to self and then lying to others. After rejecting the truth, Satan became the greatest and most effective liar in history, the first pathological liar. (A pathological liar has no truth in him so he has no qualms regarding lying, much different from a person lying to get out of a jam.) Just as Satan has rejected all truth so in the future the unbelievers in the Millennium will reject all truth. This rejection will leave them with no capacity for life, love and happiness and so no capacity for the perfect environment of the Millennial reign of Christ. In this state they will lust to serve their sin natures which will have been hindered and frustrated by perfect government.
One thousand years in prison will not change the criminality of Satan, and so, after his release, he will make immediate plans for a revolution. He will not have learned the simplest of principles namely that the power of God is infinitely greater than the power of his creatures. (Arrogant creatures do not learn from experience.) The revolution’s code named Gog and Magog is universal and international. Satan in hindsight will take his code name from a future ruler in the Tribulation (Gog, king of the North) and his people (Magog) (Ezekiel 38:2, 15). The revolutionary army will number in the millions, maybe even in the billions.
After 1000 years in confinement, Satan leaves his imprisonment in good health since he is in his eternal body.
Revelation 20:9
Then, they marched over the wide terrain of the land [the high desert country of Southern Israel] and they surrounded [culminative aorist] the bivouac of the saints [gentile believers in mortal bodies who will have retreated before this army], and the beloved city [Jerusalem where the Jewish believers in mortal bodies will have fled for security]. Then, fire [or something approximating fire] came down [constative aorist] from God [according to the best manuscripts] out of Heaven and consumed [destroyed] them.
καὶ ἀνέβησαν ἐπὶ τὸ πλάτος τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐκύκλευσαν τὴν παρεµβολὴν τῶν ἁγίων καὶ τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἠγαπηµένην. καὶ κατέβη πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ κατέφαγεν αὐτούς·
Satan [without angelic help] is able to manufacture weaponry and to train an army very quickly for the purpose of attacking Israel. He being an organizational genius will organize all the negative volition into a strong revolutionary army. (World peace and disarmament never prevent war since the power of arrogance is greater than the power of prosperity.) Armed and with overwhelming numbers, the revolutionary army will have great confidence in the evil genius of Satan. It seems that the concentration point of the invasion will be the Valley of Esdraelon.
Aggression gives tactical advantage. Thus, Satan and his invading force initially will have the advantage. However, the Lord operating under the principle of using violence to stop violence will use his divine flame thrower (or a divine laser or nuke weapon) to destroy this invading army.
Revelation 20:10
And the Devil [the enemy] who had deceived [durative present] them, was thrown [culminative aorist] into the Lake of Fire and burning sulfur, where the beast [the dictator of the Revived Roman Empire] and the false prophet [the false dictator and messiah of Israel] were. And they [the three just mentioned] will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
καὶ ὁ διάβολος ὁ πλανῶν αὐτοὺς ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν λίµνην τοῦ πυρὸς καὶ θείου, ὅπου καὶ τὸ θηρίον καὶ ὁ ψευδοπροφήτης, καὶ βασανισθήσονται ἡµέρας καὶ νυκτὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.
Two people in the human race were evil enough to precede Satan into the Lake of Fire. In the mouth of two witnesses it shall be established. These two unbelievers establish the judgment of all unbelievers to the Lake of Fire. In the case of the angelic creatures it takes one witness to establish judgment for all fallen angels.
The dictator of the Revived Roman Empire has the following aliases: The Feet of the Image: Daniel 2; The Little Horn: Daniel 7; The King of the West: Daniel 7:17; The Prince that shall Come: Daniel 9:26, 27; The god of forces: Daniel 11:38; The Prince of Tyre: Ezekiel 28:1-10; The Abomination of Desolation: Daniel 11:31, 12:11; Matthew 24:15; The Man of Sin: 2 Thessalonians 2; The Anti-Christ (against): 1 John 2:18; Revelation 13:6; The Scarlet Colored Beast: Revelation 17; The Beast out of the Sea: Revelation 13:1-10.
The false prophet of Israel has the following aliases: Dan the Serpent: Isaiah 49; The King who shall do according to his own will: Daniel 11:36-40; The False Messiah (instead of): Matthew 24:23, 24; Revelation 13:11, 13, 14; The Foolish Idle Shepherd: Zechariah 11:15-17; The False Prophet: Revelation 16:13; 19:20 and context; The Beast out of the Land: Revelation 13:11-18.
Revelation 20:11
Then, I saw [constative aorist: the eschatological vision of the last courtroom of human history] a great [the importance of the judge] white [the integrity of the judge] throne, and he [the Lord Jesus Christ] who was sitting on it [the judgment bench] from whose presence [face] planet earth and heaven [earth’s atmosphere and stellar space] fled [ingressive aorist: will attempt to escape figuratively from the justice of the Lord. Since the earth and heaven were the locations of many sins, pseudo good and evil, they must be destroyed.] Consequently, no place was found for them [culminative aorist: The earth and heaven (earth’s atmosphere and stellar space) will be destroyed. They will be replaced by the New Heaven and the New Earth].
Καὶ εἶδον θρόνον µέγαν λευκὸν καὶ τὸν καθήµενον ἐπ’ αὐτόν, οὗ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου ἔφυγεν ἡ γῆ καὶ ὁ οὐρανός, καὶ τόπος οὐχ εὑρέθη αὐτοῖς.
The destruction of the universe is mentioned here to give us the order of events and to emphasize that neither place nor person can escape the justice of the Lord.
1. After the Millennial reign of Christ, Satan is release for a short time.
2. Satan initiates the Gog-Magog Revolution.
3. The divine victory over the Revolution.
4. The resurrection of all unbelievers (the pure humans along with the human-angelic unbelievers of Genesis 6) will occur. This is called the Second Resurrection.
5. This present universe is destroyed (planet earth along with its atmosphere
and stellar space).
6. The Great White Throne Judgment of all unbelievers is convened in heaven.
7. The creation of the New Heaven and earth (Revelation 21).
Just before this judgment, all unbelievers are removed from planet earth namely those who had just been executed in the Gog-Magog revolution, those in Torments in the heart of the earth and the Nephilim in their sea prison. These pure human unbelievers and the half angel-half humans will be arraigned in heaven before the Great White Throne Judgment to be described in the rest of this chapter.
2 Peter 3:7, 10 provide information regarding the destruction of the universe by God. 2 Peter 3:7 states, “But the present heavens [postdiluvial heavens] and the earth [postdiluvial earth] by his Word [Hebrews 1:3; Colossians 1:17] are being reserved [the stored up gases and molten rock] for fire [possibly nuclear destruction] kept for the Day of Judgment, [destruction of the universe: Revelation 20:11; 21:1] and destruction of Godless mankind [unbelievers: Revelation 20:12-15]. 2nd Peter 3:10 states, “But the Day of the Lord [includes the 2nd Advent, His millennial reign and the destruction of the universe and the judgment of all unbelievers] will come like a thief [the 2nd Advent will come suddenly, unexpectedly] in which [sometime within that time period: genitive of time within which] the heavens will vanish with a roar and the elements [chemical structure of the universe] will be dissolved with intense heat [thermal action possibly from nuclear fusion], and the earth and its works will be incinerated [Manuscript problem: R. B. Thieme Jr. chose this word from one of the several manuscripts].”
All the synoptic writers mention the destruction of the universe and contrast it with the eternality of God’s Word (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). So, if we were rational, we would concentrate on what will last forever.
Revelation 20:12
Then I saw the dead [all unbelievers of human history arraigned before the Supreme court in heaven], the great [famous and successful] and the insignificant [losers in history] standing [unbelievers in their resurrection bodies as a result of the 2nd Resurrection] before the throne [the Great White Throne]. Then, the books [which register the deeds of the unbelievers] were opened (to function as evidence that they are not righteous enough), and another book was opened which is the Book of Life [to verify that they do not possess eternal life]. Then, the dead [unbelievers] were judged from the things which had been written in the books according to their deeds [good deeds and accomplishments].
καὶ εἶδον τοὺς νεκρούς, τοὺς µεγάλους καὶ τοὺς µικρούς, ἑστῶτας ἐνώπιον τοῦ θρόνου, καὶ βιβλία ἠνοίχθησαν· καὶ ἄλλο βιβλίον ἠνοίχθη, ὅ ἐστιν τῆς ζωῆς· καὶ ἐκρίθησαν οἱ νεκροὶ ἐκ τῶν γεγραµµένων ἐν τοῖς βιβλίοις κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν.
Unbelievers resurrected to be arraigned before the supreme court of heaven with Lord Jesus Christ as the presiding judge. For proper court function there must be at least 2 to 3 eyewitnesses. In this case, the eyewitnesses will be God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The evidence that the unbeliever has rejected God’s imputed righteousness in favor of his human righteousness is taken from the Book of (Eternal) Life. The evidence proving that the unbeliever is not righteous enough to enter into eternal relationship with God will be taken from the Books of Work. Observe that there is no book registering the sins of the unbelievers since they were all judged on the cross. Sin is not an issue at this final trial except the sin of not believing in Christ noted in the Book of Life.
Revelation 20:13
Then, the sea [the sea prison of the Nephilim: half human-half angelic] gave up their dead which were in it, also Death [apparently those unbelievers, involved in the Gog-Magog revolution upon death (1st death) are changed from their mortal bodies directly into their eternal bodies (no need for them to be sent to Torments and given interim bodies, and then a short time later have their interim bodies changed into everlasting bodies) are arraigned before the Great White Throne Judgment ] and Hades [all unbelievers in Torments will be changed from their interim bodies to their everlasting bodies] gave up the dead which were in them [two locations: Death and Hades] and they were judged each one of them [individually] on the basis of their deeds [good deeds]. See R. B. Thieme Jr’s Revelation series 457, lessons 673-674.
καὶ ἔδωκεν ἡ θάλασσα τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ ὁ θάνατος καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἔδωκαν τοὺς νεκροὺς τοὺς ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐκρίθησαν ἕκαστος κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν.
Hades (Sheol) is located in the heart of the earth. It has four compartments namely Abraham’s bosom (the former paradise), Torments separated from Abraham’s bosom by a gulf-fixed, Tartarus and finally the Abyss. Abraham’s bosom was where all Old Testament believers went to, and resided in their interim bodies until the ascension of Christ. At which time they were led in a procession to the 3rd heaven. Torments is where all unbelievers go upon their physical death and reside there in their interim bodies until they are resurrected to face the Great White Throne Judgment. Tartarus is the prison for all the fallen angels who cohabitated with the human race. This story is found in Genesis 6:1-4, Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into Tartarus and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment,”. The final compartment of Hades is called the Abyss. This is where Abaddon (in Hebrew, Apollyon in Greek) is located with many other fallen angels. (All fallen angels who violate the rules established by God for the Appeal Trial granted to Satan and the fallen angels are imprisoned there. They will be released during the Tribulation (Revelation 9:1-12)). (See the doctrine of Hades by R. B. Thieme Jr.)
Since the Nephilim have never been judged, and since they were in human history, they will be judged with all unbelievers at the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:13a states, “And the Sea [the Greek word thalassa in its technical sense is the sea prison where the Nephilim are located] gave up the dead [the Nephilim-unbelievers] which are in it.”
There appears to be a sea entrance to Hades at the bottom of the sea for two verses in Job seem to confirm this. Job 38:8a states, “Or who closed the sea with gates (θάλασσαν πύλαις)?” In Job 38:17, "Have the gates of death (πύλαι θανάτου) been revealed to you (the gates that an Old Testament believer would have to go through on his way to Abraham’s bosom). Remember that all the Nephilim were killed by drowning in the Noahic Flood. At the bottom of the sea, after death their souls would normally have gone to one of the compartments of Hades via the sea gates. However, being half angelic and half human they were not allowed to enter Torments (reserved only for unbelieving humans) nor Tartarus (reserved only for fallen angels) and since Revelation 20:13 confirms the sea as the prison for the Nephilim, it appears that they were imprisoned at the bottom of the sea near the entrance of the sea gates leading to Hades.
Just as believers alive at the Rapture will go from mortality (the present human body) to immortality (the resurrection body), so those unbelievers killed as a result of the Gog-Magog rebellion will go from mortality (the present human body) to immortality (the resurrection body of the unbeliever). Furthermore, just as the dead in Christ at the Rapture will go from bodies of corruption (their interim bodies) to bodies of incorruption (their resurrection bodies) so also the unbelievers in Torments at the 2nd Resurrection will go from their bodies of corruption (their interim bodies) to bodies of incorruption (their resurrected bodies).
As soon as the Gog-Magog revolution is put down, the Lord will destroy this universe and convene the trial of all unbelievers at the Great White Throne Judgment. Thus, there would be no reason for these dead unbelievers killed as a result of the Gog-Magog rebellion to be sent to the Torments and then to immediately resurrect them from Torments to be brought before the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Bible emphasizes the two births of the believer (John 3:3, 5, 7); conversely it mentions the two deaths of the unbeliever namely the 1st death, his physical death and the 2nd death, the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14). Now, in this verse Death and Hades are mentioned as two different locations. Though in the English we don’t translate these two nouns as possessing articles, in the Greek both nouns have articles. According to the Granville Sharp Rule if two nouns with articles are connected by the Greek conjunction kai, those two nouns are referring to two different things, functions, locations etc. Thus, the phrase ‘the Death and the Hades’ are referring to two different locations. One is the location where the first death (physical death) of those involved in the Gog-Magog Revolution took place and Hades (specifically Torments) is from where all the other unbelievers are resurrected to face the Great White Throne Judgment which will be convened in the 3rd heaven.
This is not a mass trial of all the unbelievers of history. Rather, each person will be judged individually by the Lord “and they were judged each of them’. The Lord always treats people as individuals: he never punishes or blesses the masses although there is the concept of blessing or cursing by association. In this trial, we have already seen that the charge against the unbeliever is related to his accomplishments, his good deeds. His accomplishments or good deeds are not sufficient to satisfy the perfect righteousness of God. (God demands perfect righteousness which can only be obtained through the imputation of God’s righteousness.)
Revelation 20:14
Then Death [apparently those unbelievers, involved in the Gog-Magog revolution upon death (1st death) are changed from their mortal bodies directly into their eternal bodies (no need for them to be sent to Torments and given interim bodies) are arraigned before the Great White Throne Judgment] and Hades (the temporary location of the unbelievers now in their eternal bodies) were thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the 2nd death, the Lake of Fire.
καὶ ὁ θάνατος καὶ ὁ ᾅδης ἐβλήθησαν εἰς τὴν λίµνην τοῦ πυρός. οὗτος ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερός ἐστιν, ἡ λίµνη τοῦ πυρός.
Revelation 20:15
And, if anyone’s name having been written in the Book of Life [at birth] was not found in the Book of Life [at the Great White Throne Judgment], he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.
καὶ εἴ τις οὐχ εὑρέθη ἐν τῇ βίβλῳ τῆς ζωῆς γεγραµµένος ἐβλήθη εἰς τὴν λίµνην τοῦ πυρός.
Literally, Revelation 20:15 reads, “And if anyone was not found in the Book of Life [where] he had been written, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire.”
Since it is the will of the Lord that all believe in him (1 Timothy 2:3, 4), all are entered into the Book of Life at birth, and if a person does believe in Christ, he remains in the Book of Life forever. However, if a person does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ before his physical death, the 1st Death, he will be blotted out of the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12) and cast into the Lake of Fire, the 2nd Death. (The exception would be children who die before reaching God awareness, and others who fail to reach God awareness due to some mental disability.)
