Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

1. Harsh treatment of women, children, and the vulnerable in OT times: infanticide, abortion, disrespect of women.
2. Divorce was easy and favored the man.
   1. Worse, abandoned women could be "reclaimed" by their husbands.
   2. In the Middle Assyrian laws, a woman abandoned could remarry, but only after a 5-year wait.
3. The 1st century world of the Roman Empire
   1. Divorce (divortium) = separation
   2. Remarriage was a duty / expectation
      1. Roman law, 18 BC
         1. Augustine's laws, the Lex Julia de Maritandis Ordinibus (i8 a.c.F..) and Lex Papia Poppaea Nuptialis (9 s.c.E.), which were later merged into a single text (Lex Julia et Papia).
         2. Made it a duty of all Roman men age 25-60 and Roman women age 20-50 to be married. Widows could remain unmarried for two years, and divorcees for 18 months, but then they were expected to remarry.
         3. Extent of enforcement outside of Rome, Italy, or Roman cities and colonies?
   3. Laws concerning remarriage were strikingly different in Judaism
      1. There was is no time limit, making it far easier for the wife to find security in another husband.
      2. Jewish men write out a divorce certificate (Deut 24). This created greater rights for women with respect to marriage and remarriage, especially because of the clean break provided by the divorce certificate. The wording of this document ended: "You are now free to marry any man you wish."
      3. Note: The OT assumes polygamy and divorce, and neither is criticized.
   4. Four Jewish expectations that went beyond the demands of the Torah
      1. All must marry.
      2. Marriages must result in offspring. If not, the man could divorce his wife and try to reach this end through a new wife.
      3. Those widowed or divorced had to remarry. As in the Roman world, except for the aged, remarriage was an expectation.
      4. Divorcing one's spouse was required if he or she was involved in sexual scandal.
4. Sources
   1. The Bible
      1. 3 or 4 OT passages
      2. A handful of passages in the gospels, plus one chapter in 1 Cor.
      3. The Bible doesn’t actually provide a comprehensive teaching on divorce and remarriage – nor on many topics we would be interested in better understanding.
   2. Extra-biblical sources
      1. Over 200 Aramaic, Greek, and Latin marriage and divorce papyri.
      2. Samaritan marriage contracts.
      3. Newly discovered divorce certificates—written by a Jewish man in Masada in 72 AD, and by a woman c.125 AD.
      4. Dead Sea Scroll fragments dealing with divorce.
      5. The publication of marriage and divorce documents from geniza of the Cairo Synagogue.
      6. Extensive rabbinic evidence from the 1st C.
5. Vows
   1. Marriage historically understood as contractual. Failure to feed, clothe, love = unfaithfulness marriage vows.
      1. Expert Davis Instone-Brewer: “Marriage in the ancient Near East was contractual, involving payments, agreed stipulations, and penalties. If either partner broke the stipulations of the contract, the innocent partner could opt for a divorce and keep the dowry. Exact parallels to these practices are found in the Pentateuch."
      2. The vows are reflected in biblical passages, such as Eph 5 (Christ as groom, church as bride) and Ezek 16.
      3. Our English marriage vows have hardly changed for 1000 years. I, N, take you, N, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day on, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; until death do us part.”
   2. Broken vows are grounds for divorce.
      1. Most conservative Protestant churches: 2 grounds for divorce (adultery or desertion by nonbeliever)— otherwise no divorce and remarriage, except in the event of the death of the spouse.
      2. Catholicism: Millions are trapped in abusive or hopeless marriages. Augustine formulated the doctrine of annulment, 350 AD.
      3. Yet the strictest view isn’t always the most holy view.
         1. Pharisees made it very hard on some people
         2. Since the 2nd century, in many parts of the Christian church extremely strict rules have been created.
         3. Jesus’ yoke is easy, and his burden light (Matt 11:30).
      4. Exod 21 and Deut 24—four grounds for divorce, as we will see in our second talk.
         1. These grounds are reflected in wedding vows.
         2. God divorces Israel (Jer 3:8), 8th C. BC and Judah (Ezek 16), 6th C. BC.
            1. God kept all 4 of his marriage vows to Judah: love, food, clothing, faithfulness.
            2. Instone-Brewer: “In contrast, Judah broke all four of her vows: she did not return God’s love; she committed adultery with idols; she presented idols with the food that God had given her; and she decorated idols with the clothing and jewels with which God had honored her” (Ezek 16, esp. vs.8-13, 15, 19, 16-18).
            3. Divorce wasn’t immediate. Much grace was extended, but eventually enough was enough.
            4. When God divorces Israel, the sin isn't the divorce, but the covenant infidelity leading to divorce.
6. Marriage: permanent and indissoluble?
   1. Matt 19:5-6: For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
      1. Yet Jesus didn’t say no one can break the marriage bond. Must not put asunder isn’t the same as cannot.
      2. This commonly cited passage does not affirm that marriage necessarily obtains until the death of a spouse.
      3. Let's look at four more claims about the indissolubility of marriage.
   2. “Marriage not a contract, but a covenant.” Actually, it is both.
   3. "One flesh" means lifelong marriage?
      1. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh” (1 Cor 6:15-16).
      2. Being “one flesh” doesn’t mean the two spouses are inseparably connected, any more than prostitution creates a permanent one-flesh relationship.
   4. Rom 7:1-3: Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man.
      1. The passage concerns our relationship to the Law, not marriage.
      2. Besides, Paul doesn’t say she is no longer married to him only if her husband dies.
      3. He was keeping his illustration simple, not writing a full doctrine of remarriage.
   5. “Sacrament” as in Catholicism
      1. Ordination (priesthood). Even an immoral priest remains a priest (!).
      2. Marriage too—therefore no man or woman can dissolve it.
   6. None of these five claims about the permanence of marriage is biblical!
7. Conclusion
   1. We are not mystically or sacramentally married until death. Some marriages end before either spouse has died.
   2. Most marriages can be healed, if both partners are willing.
   3. But broken vows will eventually kill a marriage.

1. Background information

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

This podcast is an adaption of a draft chapter from my book, What’s the Truth about Heaven and Hell? Sorting Out the Confusion about the Afterlife.

The universally familiar NDE/OOB sequence:

• A sense of well-being
• Disembodiment
• A tunnel leading to light
• Visions of persons, events, and objects
• Interactions with other beings, human or divine
• A new evaluation of one’s life
• Return to life
• Most of this can be explained by the drop in oxygen levels in the brain, the buildup of carbon dioxide, reduction in neural firing, shutdown of the visual cortex, and euphoria triggered by dopamine and endorphins in the brain).

The five cases we discuss in this podcast:
 

• Case 1: Don Piper (90 Minutes in Heaven, 2004)
• Case 2: Choo Thomas (Heaven is So Real!, 2003)
• Case 3: Colton Burpo (Heaven is For Real, 2010)
• Case 4: Bill Wiese (23 Minutes in Hell, 2003)
• Case 5: Eben Alexander, MD (Proof of Heaven, 2012)
• Other recent New York Times bestsellers on heaven and hell: Richard Sigmund, My Time in Heaven (Whitaker House, 2009); Dennis and Nolene Prince, Nine Days in Heaven (Charisma House, 2011); Mark K. Baker, A Divine Revelation of Hell (Whitaker House, 1997); Kevin and Alex Malarkey, The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: A Remarkable Account of Miracles, Angels, and Life beyond This World (Thomas Nelson, 2011).

Scriptures referred to
 

• Revelation 21:1
• Mark 8:38; 2 Timothy 2:12
• Colossians 2:18-19
• John 3:13

In brief:

• NDEs are universal, happening to members of every culture and religion.
• Experiences tend to reflect the faith background of those undergoing them.
• Many, but not all, can be rationalized in terms of physiology or psychology.
• NDEs are suggestive of a spiritual world and an afterlife. They strongly imply the former, though they do not prove the latter.

Also recommended:

• Dinesh D’Souza, Life After Death: The Evidence (Washington DC: Regnery Publishing, 2009). Easy to read, written for general audience.
• Gary R. Habermas and J. P. Moreland, Immortality: The Other Side of Death (Nashville, Thomas Nelson, 1992).
• Michael A. Persinger, S. G. Tiller, and S. A. Koren, “Experimental Stimulation of a Haunt Experience and Elicitation of Paroxysmal Electroencephalographic Activity by Transcerebral Complex Magnetic Fields: Induction of a Synthetic “Ghost”?  Journal of Perception and Motor Skills, 90:2 (2000), 659-674.
• Pim van Lommel, Ruud van Wees, Vincent Myers, and Ingrid Elfferich, “Near-Death Experience in Survivors of Cardiac Arrest,” The Lancet 358, issue 9298 (2001): 2039-45.
• For more about the case of Colton Burpo, you may listen to a podcast with notes: “Heaven is for Real—Or is It?”.
• Douglas Jacoby, What’s the Truth about Heaven and Hell? Sorting Out the Confusion about the Afterlife (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House, 2013), chapter 16.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Scriptures

• Where the word antichrist appears:
  • 1 John 2:18
  • 1 John 2:22
  • 1 John 4:3
  • 2 John 7
• Passages that do not mention antichrist but which are popularly understood to refer to him:
  • 2 Thessalonians 2
    • Appears to be a Roman emperor, one with the arrogance of Caligula, Nero, or Domitian.
    • Stands as a warning for all generations.
    • No mention of "antichrist."
  • Revelation 13
    • Whereas the "number" of the Beast is 666, the apocalypse never identifies the Beast (Rome the false religious power) with an antichrist.
    • Applies in immediate context to the persecuting Roman Empire.
    • That antichrist is a figure who would be worshipped is a second century construction. This notion was never part of the apostolic doctrine.
• The specific truth denied by the opponents of the faith is the incarnation.
  • The heretics in view were Docetists, a variety of Gnostics who denied that Jesus (God) came in the flesh; rather, he appeared (Greek dokein = appear) to come in a body. These heretics were active in the late first century, at the time 1 and 2 John were written.
  • They held that the physical world is evil, and therefore...
  • They denied that God came to us in a body.

Conclusions

• Antichrist was already present even in the first century, although those rejecting the incarnation are still among us (e.g. theological liberals who deny Jesus was God, but rather a guru whose God-consciousness inspired others).
• The antichrist is not a single person; contradicts 1 John 2:18.
  • Popular guesses: Hitler, Muhammad, the Pope.
  • There have been, and presumably will be, many antichrists.
  • Antichrist lives in those who have left the community.
• Joining the antichrist is more than a subtle doctrinal shift; it is to join the agents of evil, with seriously negative cosmic implications.
• It is unlikely an antichrist would come in a body, since incarnation is the very truth denied by the antichrist!
• Eventual triumph comes not by inflicting death on the followers of evil, but by words that engender faith (Revelation 12:11).
• We as readers of the Bible are called to distinguish truth from falsehood.

Further study: Listen to all the podcasts in the Last Things series.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

For further study:

• Read the original two-article series I wrote in London (1986). Click on Armageddon!
• Read a paper on Matthew 24 and the Destruction of Jerusalem I wrote at Duke University (1980). Click here.
• See also John Clayton's article The 2012 Mayan Demise of Earth.
• If you'd like to learn a lot more, you might want to order Revelation and the End of the World. This audio series:
  • Includes 4 lessons on audio CD (3 hours total).
  • Also has the paper on The Destruction of Jerusalem.
  • Contains further material (40 days of study) on every chapter of Revelation. (These notes are also available at the premium site, under N.T. Studies.)
• Some failed predictions & estimates:
  • Rabbi Menachem Schneerson: “The Iraqi crisis may spark the terrible war that will herald Messiah’s arrival.”
  • Billy Graham: “There are spiritual forces at work in the Persian Gulf confrontation. History has gone full circle, and we are coming back to these [Bible] lands. This is not another Korea, it is not another Vietnam – it is something far more sinister and far more difficult."
  • Jack Van Impe: “Four major prophecies in the Bible pinpoint Iraq and the Persian Gulf as the prelude to the Battle of Armageddon, a conflict that will begin at the Euphrates River in Iraq.”
  • Lester Sumrall: “I predict the absolute fullness of [the] man’s operation in planet earth by the year 2000 AD. Then Jesus Christ shall reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years.”
  • Mary Stewart Relfe: “The second coming of Christ will occur in 1997.”
  • Jerry Falwell: 2000.
  • Hal Lindsey: 1987 or 1988
  • Jehovah's Witness predictions: 1914, 1918. 1925, 1941, 1975, etc.
• Update: Interestingly, just days before 21 Dec 2012, the very moment my editor and I were exchanging emails and joking about the big day (he said I had just 9 days to get my corrections to him before it was "too late"), I received a warning from a fellow who wanted me to know that he had intelligence that am undetectable dwarf star was on a collision course with the earth. The date of impact: 21 Dec 2012.
• Related podcasts in the current series:
  • What Happens After Death?
  • The Rapture & the Tribulation
  • Thoughts on Heaven & Hell

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

What exactly is the battle of Armageddon? Is there going to be a literal battle, as Revelation 16 seems to indicate? And how can we prepare for this awful battle at the end of time?

1. Around 95 AD, the clear and present challenge to the Christian faith is emperor worship. Domitian is the first emperor to demand it in his lifetime. The center of emperor worship was Asia Minor, esp. the province of Asia (where Ephesus is).
2. Armageddon comes from the Hebrew har-Megiddo, hill/mountain of Megiddo, on the edge of the Valley of Jezreel.
3. Revelation is a book rich with symbolism, including 100s of allusions to the Old Testament.
4. The general environs of Megiddo was a frequent battleground. Here are 34:

BC
2350 Pepi I and the "Gazelle's Head" -- Jezreel Valley
1479 Thutmose III v. Canaanites – Megiddo
1430 Amenhotep II in the Valley -- Jezreel Valley
1360-1350 Biridiya v. Labayu – Megiddo
1125 Deborah & Barak v. Sisera -- Taanach & Mount Tabor
1090 Gideon v. Midianites/Amalekites -- Hill of Moreh/Endor
1016 Saul & Jonathan v. Philistines -- Mount Gilboa
925 Shosenq I (Shishak) -- Megiddo
841 Jehu v. Joram & Ahaziah –Jezreel
609 Necho II v. Josiah -- Megiddo
218 Antiochus III v. Ptolemy IV -- Mount Tabor
55 Gabinius v. Alexander -- Mount Tabor
AD
67 Vespasian v. Jewish rebels -- Mount Tabor
940 Ikhshidids v. Abbasids – Lejjun
946 Ikhshidids v. Hamdanids -- Lejjun/Aksal
975 Byzantines v. Fatimids -- Mount Tabor
1113 Maudud v. Crusaders -- Mount Tabor
1182 Saladin v. Daburiyans – Daburiya
1182 Saladin v. Crusaders – Forbelet
1183 Saladin v. Crusaders -- Ayn Jalut
1187 Saladin v. Crusaders -- Mount Tabor
1217 Fifth Crusade v. Moslems -- Mount Tabor
1247 Ayyubids v. Crusaders -- Mount Tabor
1260 Mamlukes v. Mongols -- Ayn Jalut
1263 Mamlukes v. Hospitallers -- Mount Tabor
1264 Hospitallers/Templars v. Mamlukes -- Lejjun
1735 Zahir al-'Umar v. Nablus-Saqr alliance -- al‐Rawdah
1771-73 Zahir al-'Umar at Lejjun -- Lejjun
1799 Napoleon v. Ottomans -- Mount Tabor
1918 Allenby v. Ottomans -- Megiddo
1948 Israelis v. Arabs Mishmar -- Haemek
1948 Israelis v. Arabs -- Zarin, Megiddo, Lejjun
1967 Israelis v. Arabs -- Ramat David Airfield
1973 Israelis v. Syrians -- Ramat David Airfield

Comments on Rev 16

• Background: Plagues on Egypt (Exodus 6-13)
• The plagues are not fulfilled literally.
• Rome will fall and this is just: Invasions, plagues, corruption, ultimate demise.
• Not only to show she will fall, but to show that she has fallen….She is nothing but a cheap harlot (Rev 17).
• Metaphors involving sun, moon, and stars are common in apocalyptic literature.
• The God whom the Romans are defying is in control of the sun (not Apollo); he’s in charge of the entire universe!
• Refusal to repent, refusal to admit God is right.
  • Natural disasters
  • Economic slumps
  • Inept and pleasure-seeking leadership
  • Stupid laws and brutality in the government
  • Invasions
  • All warning signs ignored! (Are we paying attention to the "warning signs" in our own day?
• Eastern kings the threat to Rome – never subdued the Parthians.
• Dragon (ch 12) – Satan – the true power behind Rome.
  • Don’t be impressed by her power, or her false wonders.
  • She is directly opposed to the Lord God Almighty!
• Rev 16:16 refers to Megiddo, where Sisera thrashed Jabin, Judges 4; and Necho slew Josiah, 2 Chron 35.
• Next chapter describes the Great Harlot, and in chapter 18-19 we read of her fall--the battle has in effect already taken place. Revelation is filled with different ways of describing God's ultimate defeat of Satan.
• This is speaking about Rome, yet the cosmic truths behind the description could just as well refer to any enemy of God. He’s got no chance.
• There are many obstacles to taking the language of Revelation literally; I am afraid the preachers on pop religious radio are misleading many. The earliest recorded "battle of Armageddon" took place nearly 4400 years ago, and there have been dozens -- perhaps scores -- of battles in the region of Megiddo since that time. In other words, "Armageddon" is an image of warfare, for it reminds us of the battles waged from time immemorial.
• What would Revelation 16:16 conjure up in the mind of the reader/listener familiar with O.T. history?
  • What does Gettysburg signify to an American? Normandy to a European? How about Waterloo?
     
  • Focus on theology, not literal history. What is God trying to tell his people?
  • Warfare--a showdown. The forces of good will ultimately triumph over the forces of evil, for Rome is not ultimately sovereign. Only Jesus Christ is the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Conclusions

1. There will be no literal "Battle of Armageddon," radio preachers notwithstanding! Yet through the millennia, there have been numerous literal battles in the vicinity of Armageddon.
2. It's an encouraging image, an apt picture of the cosmic battle between God and Satan, indeed! God's word assures us, in the book of Revelation, that ultimately he will vanquish every cause that sets itself up against him, his Son, and his kingdom. And in order to walk the walk of disciples, we need that assurance!
3. If this is not a literal battle, there is no way to prepare for it physically. And yet both testaments urge us always to be ready to meet God. So rather than stockpiling water, canned goods, and ammunition -- as some survivalist groups practice -- it is the Lord's will that we heap up righteousness and good deeds, sharing what we have (not hoarding it) with as many as possible.
4. Revelation 12:11 is in many ways the key to understanding the central message of the book of Revelation.

Further study
 

• Remember that detailed chapter notes are available for every chapter in Revelation in the NT series.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Order of events, popular Christianity:

• Second coming
• Rapture
• Tribulation (for unbelievers)

Order of events in New Testament:

• Tribulation (throughout our lives as believers)
• Second coming
• General resurrection + rapture
• Judgment Day
• Eternal destiny: heaven or hell

Etymology

• Rapture < Latin rapire, translating Greek harpadzomai (snatch) in 1 Thessalonians 4:17
• Tribulation < Latin tribulatio, translating Greek thlipsis (oppression, affliction)

Scriptures cited

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (see also 5:1-2)
• John 5:28-29
• Exodus 7-12
• Revelation 6-19
• Luke 9:52-56
• Jonah 3:10-4:5

Further

• Revelation 7:14 actually says that the righteous experience the tribulation. I.e., they are delivered through it (not from it).
• Listen to the previous podcast in this series, 2010, 2012, & the End of the World.
• See the N.T. chapter notes, e.g. those on 1 Thessalonians 4, or any other chapters in the series.
• Listen to relevant O.T. lessons, e.g. the Jonah podcast.
• From Daniel deSilva's An Introduction to the New Testament, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018) 824n29: "... There is no place in Revelation for the 'rapture.' John calls Christians to arm themselves to die out of faithfulness to Jesus, and indeed the so-called tribulation descended on his hearers in earnest in but a few short decades. We also have to reckon with the peculiarity that Western Christians (especially from the United Kingdom and the United States), who invented the idea of a rapture, should be the only ones never to taste tribulation for their Lord. Even now sisters and brothers across the globe face marginalization, privation, and death for their testimony—but we will be spared any such tests of our faithfulness!... The common error of reading 1 Thess 4:13-18 together with Rev 4:1 in order to demonstrate a 'pretribulation rapture' is fundamentally flawed... There is no mention of resurrection in Revelation until Rev 20:4-6, which speaks of the 'first' of two resurrections, and so the resurrection of the saints in 1 Thess 4:16 cannot be prior to that and cannot refer to a 'pre-tribulation rapture.'"

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Hinduism has taught reincarnation for many thousands of years. Sikhism, which derives from Hinduism and Islam, also accepts reincarnation (many passages in the Granth teach this doctrine).

• The Chandogya Upanishad 5.10.8 reads, “... those who are of pleasant conduct here—the prospect is, indeed, that they will enter a pleasant womb, either the womb of a Brahman, or the womb of a Kshatriya, or the womb of a Vaisya. But those who are of a stinking conduct here—the prospect is, indeed, that they will enter a stinking womb of a dog, or the womb of a swine, or the womb of an outcast.”
• Kaushitaki Upanishad 12 teaches reincarnation "... either as a worm, or as a moth, or as a fish, or as a bird, or as a lion, or as a wild boar, or as a snake, or as a tiger, or as a person, or as some other in this or that condition, he is born again here according to his deeds, according to his knowledge."
• Status and the body you inhabit in the next life (canine, porcine, or “untouchable”) depend on your conduct in the present life. Karma (actions) determine the level at which you are reborn.
• Eventually all souls “graduate” until atman (soul) becomes one with paramatman (the world soul).
  • Individual existence then disappears.
  • And that means communal existence disappears, too. But we were created for community. Reincarnation ultimately negates the social dimension of humanity.

John the Baptist reincarnated?

• In Matthew 17 Jesus says John the Baptist was the Elijah to come, yet in John 1:21 the Baptist denies it. Is this because Malachi only speaks of a prophet to come "in the spirit of Elijah," not Elijah himself?
• Was John's denial a way to steer his disciples away from the idea of an actual reincarnation? Yes, I think so. Many expected Elijah to return to the earth literally, and this notion persists in Jewish tradition even today, with the empty seat left for him at the Seder Supper. John does come in the spirit (and clothing) of Elijah, his ninth century BC counterpart (Malachi 3-4; Matthew 11, 16; see also 1 Kings 17-19), though he wasn’t literally Elijah (John 1:21).
• Elijah appeared along with Moses at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9), so how could he have he been "reincarnated" as John the Baptist? Worse for those advocating reincarnation, the classic belief requires the rebirth of a dead person, yet
  • Elijah never died (2 Kings 2:1-11).
  • Thus there is no biblical basis for importing the popular eastern idea of reincarnation into Christianity, at least not based on the case of John the Baptist.

Conclusion

• The scriptures do not allow reincarnation. See Hebrews 9:27, Job 7:9-10.
• Reincarnation does not take seriously the biblical view of humanity as "spirit, soul, and body" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
• Eastern reincarnation is something to be escaped, not desired. In contrast, in the West, where it has become fashionable to espouse reincarnation, this is viewed as something positive: a chance to start over. Probably few westerners have any idea about the real source of the idea, or why no one would desire the doleful cycles of reincarnation who really comprehended the doctrine.
• Reincarnation it is ultimately part of an impersonal worldview.
• To be fair, "Contrary to the popular stereotype of past lives fostered by the tabloid press, the vast majority of past lives are not those of Egyptian princesses or wives of Henry VIII. Most of the lives that are reported are barely identifiable within the known framework of history. We encounter African tribesmen, nomadic hunters, nameless slaves, Middle Easter traders, anonymous medieval peasants, and so on, from all times and places; often they can barely name their chieftain or lord, let alone place themselves upon some totally irrelevant time map of European or ancient history." (Roger J. Woolger, Other Lives, Other Selves: A Jungian Psychotherapist Discovers Past Lives [New York: Doubleday, 1987], 37-38)

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Note: If you are not familiar with the early Christian doctrine of the intermediate state of the dead, please listen to the podcast "What Happens After We Die?" This podcast assumes some familiarity with the biblical teaching that the dead proceed to Hades, a sort of waiting place before the second coming, the general resurrection, and the Judgment Day.

The Evolution of Purgatory

• Doctrine of purgatory gradually evolved from the third century to the fifth. Although the idea was current among some Jews even in the time of Christ, it was slow to gain acceptance.
• By the 3rd century the church was already on the way to a doctrine of purgatory. Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215) and Origen (185-254) elaborated further. In the late 4th century, Gregory of Nyssa even spoke of universal salvation through purgatory: in the end all creatures will suffer temporarily, not (infinitely) forever -- until all things return to God (Life of Moses II, 82-84). By the 5th century -- as far as I can tell -- purgatory was a widespread belief in the Roman Catholic Church.
• As the centuries dragged on, the church began to slip into worldliness. By the 4th century, when church membership was standard in the Roman Empire, the majority were not living holy lives. How would their sin be dealt with? The necessary purging must take place in the afterlife, or so it was thought.
• Officially affirmed in the Second Council of Lyon (1274), the Council of Florence (1438–1445), and the Counter-Reformation Council of Trent (1545–63).
• In medieval church, it was thought baptism and penance pardon sins in this life; purgatory deals with sins in the next life -- a distinction seeming to find justification in Matthew 12:31.
• Dante Alighieri, who wrote more about purgatory than any other medieval writer, portrayed it as not only a state of suffering, but also as a state of joyous anticipation. Though painful, this "antechamber of heaven" enabled us to be transformed, to reach a state of holiness so that we would be prepared for the presence of God.
• From the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2005):
  • What is purgatory? Purgatory is the state of those who die in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.
  • How can we help the souls being purified in purgatory? Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance. Note: indulgences were the flash point for Protestant Reformation (1500s).

Is there any biblical justification?

• Adam still had to pay for his sin – sweat of his brow. Moses forgiven but excluded from promised land. David was forgiven but still paid severe penalties for the incident with Uriah and Bathsheba. But of course all of these were consequences of sin in this life…
  • In fact, if anything, the Bible teaches purgatory is now, not after we die, for it is in this life that we face fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12).
  • Moreover, motives will come to light and be judged only after judgment day begins (1 Corinthians 4:5)--not before!
• There is one verse in the O.T. Apocrypha that seems to justify prayers for the dead.
  • This implies that they may be suffering in purgatory -- and that is 2 Maccabees 12:42-46.
  • Yet according to Catholic theology, mortal sins, like the idolatry in which these persons had engaged, cannot be forgiven through third-party prayer. (Only with confession and penance.) Thus this proof-text backfires.
• The verse commonly cited in support of purgatory is 1 Corinthians 3:13-15.
  • Yet the context of 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 (the entire passage) is church building (church planting and ministry).
  • The Catholic Encyclopedia admits "this passage presents considerable difficulty...", and several authors I've read who support purgatory admit that there is little if any biblical justification. The grounds for purgatory are thus more philosophical than biblical.
  • There is nothing in this passage about the afterlife, and certainly no hint of a purgatory.
  • What is burning is not the not-yet-holy sinner, but his sub-standard church building!

Conclusion

• Purgatory is a man-made doctrine.
• It has a certain rationale -- that is, those who believe in it aren't necessarily selfish or stupid! -- yet there is no scriptural support.
• Jesus’ death was enough to completely forgive our sins. We do not need to pay or them in the afterlife!
• This life is the time to strive for holiness, not the next!

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Scriptures cited:

• 1 Corinthians 3:15, Hebrews 9:27
• Luke 10:12, 12:28
• 1 Peter 3:22
• John 4:34
• Genesis 2:15, 1:16,28
• Hebrews 4:9
• Philippians 3:21
• Matthew 22:30
• Matt 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33, 18:22
• Romans 14:10,12
• Matthew 25:21

For further study:

Here is the link to my paper on Terminal Punishment.

For more about "levels" of reward, click here.

You'll find a review of Alcorn’s book Heaven here.

Finally, in case you haven't heard the 4-part study on What Happens After We Die?, you can order it HERE.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Scriptures cited:

• Genesis 1:31
• 1 Corinthians 15:1-7, 47-52
• Philippians 3:20-21
• 1 John 3:2
• Luke 24:39
• John 21:12, 20:19
• 1 Corinthians 15:20, 35-37, 42-44, 58
• See also Acts 24:15

Further study:

• Be sure to listen to the related podcasts in this series on The Rapture & the Tribulation, What Happens After We Die?, and Thoughts on Heaven & Hell.
• The audio series, What Happens After We Die, will also be useful (3 hours + notes)
• The audio series, Revelation & the End of the World, should also be stimulating, esp. the section on the Judgment, Heaven & Hell (3 hours + notes).
• See also Gordon Ferguson's article on this subject. Click here.
• For a brief article on cremation, click here.
• Click here for more on our heavenly body.
• Another article on Jesus' resurrection and ours is available here.
• Notice the prejudice against the physical body in passages like: "Methinks that what they call my shadow here on earth is my true substance…. Methinks my body is but the lees of my better being. In fact take my body who will, take it I say, it is not me." -- Herman Melville, Moby Dick 85-86.