Go, if you would, to Revelation 20. 14. Here's the thing. Death is a place. There's a place
called death. And I'll tell you where that place is. It's in the center of the earth.
It's called hell. That place, see, in the Bible, it'll use the words death and hell
synonymously about that place. Okay, that's why, a place you can read up on this, and
I really wanted to cover it in this sermon, but it would just take so long. I wanted to
go verse by verse through the whole chapters of Ezekiel 31 and 32 and show you this. Okay,
how death and hell and it's the lower parts of the earth and everything. But it's a big
long complicated passage, really interesting. I need to just give it its own sermon sometime
where I just teach through Ezekiel 31 and 32. But in those chapters, God calls hell
death. Now, death is a place and here's the proof that death is a place. First of all,
in Revelation 20. 14 at the great white throne, it says in verse 13 actually, and the sea
gave up the dead which were in it, which referring to bodies, watch this, and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their
works. So there are dead people that are in hell, right? Dead people who are in a place
called death because it says death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.
And then it says in verse 14 and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This
is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. So this place where unsaved souls are is known as death and hell.
Those are two different aspects of it. And that's why it's used synonymously in Ezekiel
31 and 32. They're delivered unto death. They're delivered under the pit. They're delivered
under the lower parts of the earth. They're delivered unto hell. It keeps repeating that.
We don't have time. Now go to Revelation 21 8. It says, but the fearful and unbelieving
and the abominable and murderers and whoremongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second
death. So the lake of fire is the second death. The first death is the current hell that's
in the center of the earth. See, there's the current location of hell. Right now it's
in the lower parts of the earth. But eventually when people are in their final doom as unsaved
people, they're going to be in the lake of fire. And what's the lake of fire known as?
The second death. The lake itself is known as the second death. So the reason I point
all this out is that people, pay attention, people, I know I'm going a little deep here,
literally deep into the earth, right? People who are in hell, this is the whole point where
I just explained that for the last several minutes. People who are in hell are dead.
They're dead. Now they're conscious. They're feeling pain. They have memories. But they
are classified as dead. Does everybody understand that? People who are in heaven are alive.
And even if you believe in this doctrine that I don't believe in of paradise in the center
of the earth or Abraham's bosom, which both of those are ridiculous doctrines, I don't
believe in them. But even if you do believe in them, the people who were in those places
were called alive. Everybody got that? People who are in hell are dead people. People who
are in heaven or paradise are alive. Okay? Look, if you would, at verse 12 of Revelation
20, look at Revelation 20, 12, and see that I'm telling you the truth here. And I saw
the dead. Are these people alive or dead? They're dead. I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the
book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the
books according to their works. These are not saved people. These are dead people who've
been brought up out of hell. They've been brought up and placed before that great white
throne of judgment to be damned eternally. They are the dead. These are not the people
who were already resurrected in the first resurrection. Okay, these are dead people.
They came from a place called death. They're going to the second death. Okay, so here's
the point. If Jesus was dead for three days and three nights, then that means he was in
hell, not in paradise. Because if he were in paradise, that would mean he was alive
for three days and three nights. But no, he was dead. And now he's alive forevermore,
and that's why he says in the next breath, I have the keys of hell and of death. Why?
Because that's where he came from. He went there, he conquered death and hell, which,
you know, why does he say it, death and hell, when we're talking about one place? You know,
we don't really necessarily understand all the mysteries of that place hell. Thankfully,
I don't really want to be an expert on it. I'd rather just stay away from it and just
go straight to heaven, be an expert on that. Thankfully, I'm never going to have to go
there and experience what it means to be in a place known as death and hell. You know,
or his name that sat on him was death and hell followed with him. You know, the Bible
is clear, though, that if you're in that place, you're dead. And if you're in heaven or paradise,
you're alive. Jesus was dead for three days and three nights. He was in hell for three
days and three nights. And then his soul was not left in hell. He arose.