Lord in the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement as a pattern for the implementation of the covenant/blessing of grace.  There remains the concluding activity of the Day of Atonement–release of the scapegoat–which is a pattern for the implementation of the blessing of mercy.

The chief priest, after taking God Almighty long ago proclaimed how He will justify all of sinful humanity (p. 5-3).

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,  Exodus 34:6  KJV

By the blessing of grace, God Almighty will justify some of humanity, and then by the blessing of mercy God Almighty will justify the rest of humanity.  Whereas the blessing of grace is an unwarranted gift to the sinner during life on earth, the blessing of mercy will be unwarranted reprieve for the sinner in the lake of fire/hell in the afterlife.  As we know from legal systems of various countries, there is often a difference between the sentence imposed and the actual time served.  If we, sinners on earth, allow one who has been given a life sentence in prison to be set free, then it should surprise no one that our heavenly Father, abundant in goodness and truth, would do likewise.  So God Almighty, having condemned by righteous judgment all unredeemed sinners to an eternity in the lake of fire/hell, will bestow the blessing of mercy and thereby impose a finite time that the judged must spend in the lake of fire/hell.

We are using the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement as a pattern for the implementation of God Almighty’s blessings in the afterlife.  In the last section, we considered Jesus as the officiating high priest and as the goat for the blood of the goat for the Lord into the Holy of Holies, laid his hands on the scapegoat, symbolizing the transferring of the sins of the Israelites to the goat.

“When he finishes atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat.  Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.  And the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.”  Leviticus 16:20-22

As it was with the scapegoat, so it was with Jesus.  Thus, the high priest along with the elders of Israel laid hands as well as sins on Jesus in order to fulfill His role as the scapegoat.

And they laid hands on Him, and seized Him.  …  For many were giving false testimony against Him, and yet their testimony was not consistent.  …  And the high priest arose and came forward and questioned Jesus, saying, “Do you make no answer to what these men are testifying against You?”  But He kept silent, and made no answer.  …  Mark 14:46,56,60-61  NASB

Jesus, perfect in righteousness, was without sin, so no sin could rightfully be assigned to Him.  However, in order to facilitate the events that must take place, Jesus spoke.

…  Again the high priest was questioning Him, saying to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”  And Jesus said, “I am: and you shall see the SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”  And tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witness?  You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?”  And they condemned Him to be deserving of death.  Mark 14:61-64  NASB

Jesus speaking the truth was designated by the chief priest and elders as committing the sin of blasphemy and thus deserving of death.

The chief priest’s and elder’s contrived assignment of sin to Jesus is symbolic of that which God Almighty actually did.  That is, God Almighty put all the sins of the world upon Jesus.

Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  1Peter 2:24  KJV

As we saw in the garden of Eden, sin causes a separation between God Almighty and humanity.  Jesus told us of His separation from God Almighty because of our sins put upon His body.

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “ELOI, ELOI, LAMA SABACHTANI?” which is translated, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAS THOU FORSAKEN ME?”  Mark 15:34  NASB

With these sins upon Jesus, there came the necessary consequence:  death of the body.

Jesus accepting the sins of all humanity and the consequential death does not affect the death of the body imposed upon all of humanity.  Divinely, Jesus’ substitutionary death does affect the requirement of the second death in the lake of fire/hell for all of humanity.  For those receiving the blessing of grace, Jesus’ death will provide relief from the consequences of judgment and will provide entrance into heaven in the afterlife.  For those unredeemed sinners suffering the second death in the lake of fire/hell, Jesus’ death will provide merciful relief from the wrath of God Almighty by ending the time spent in the lake of fire/hell.  In order to enable relief from the lake of fire/hell for unredeemed humanity, Jesus Himself went into the lake of fire/hell on their behalf, an event that has been expressed in versions of the Apostle’s Creed for centuries, specifically that Jesus “descended into hell.”  Thus, the wilderness into which Jesus was sent in the role of the scapegoat was the lake of fire/hell.

Divinely, patterns which we have been using provide indications that Jesus while dead spent time in the lake of fire/hell.  First, consider Jesus in the role of the sacrificial Lamb of Passover (p. 4-60).  The body of the Passover lamb, without being butchered, was roasted with fire.

“And they shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its heads and its legs along with its entrails.”  Exodus 12:8-9  NASB

Notice that the body of the lamb was not destroyed in this encounter with fire, but was prepared for consumption.  Here then we have the suggestion that Jesus was exposed to fire during His time with the dead in order to prepare His body for consumption by others.  Though this is a crude description, it is nevertheless accurate, for we have already established that Jesus’ body is to be “eaten” by believers during the Eucharist or Holy Communion.  Therefore, from the pattern of the lamb of Passover, we have an indication that Jesus, after his death, was “roasted” by fire while in the lake of fire/hell.

Next, consider Joseph, Jacob/Israel’s son, whom we have used as a pattern for Jesus’ betrayal, death, and resurrection (p. 4-53).  Recall that Joseph was falsely accused of misconduct by his master’s wife and therefore was thrown into a pit or dungeon.  Jesus also was falsely accused, and His burial after crucifixion corresponds to Joseph being put into the dungeon.  While in the pit/dungeon, Joseph gave instruction to those in prison with him (Gen 40), and Jesus did likewise.

Christ himself suffered for sins once.  He was not guilty, but he suffered for those who are guilty to bring you to God.  His body was killed, but he was made alive in the spirit.  And in the spirit he went and preached to the spirits in prison who refused to obey God long ago in the time of Noah.  God was waiting patiently for them while Noah was building the boat.  Only a few people–eight in all–were saved by water.  1Peter 3:18-20  New Century Version

Here then we are told that Jesus, after His death, was made alive in the spirit, which suggests Jesus’ awaking from the “sleep” of death.  Jesus is then in the company of spirits who had been disobedient to God Almighty back in the time of Noah and who evidently have been “awakened” for this special event.  This generation, having been judged by God Almighty as evil (Gen 6:5-7), is naturally associated with the unredeemed in the lake of fire/hell, and Jesus, while in the state of death, gave instruction (preached) to those with Him in prison.  Thus, just as Jesus suffered the death of the body that is required of all humanity, so also Jesus experienced the second death in the lake of fire/hell that will be assigned to the unredeemed after resurrection on judgment day.  Because a portion of humanity will suffer the wrath of God Almighty in the lake of fire/hell, it was necessary that Jesus endure the same.  In this way, it is certainly true that Jesus was made like His brethren in all things (Heb 2:17).

With the sins of the world placed upon Him, Jesus was separated from God Almighty for three days and three nights.

But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”  Matthew 12:39-40  NASB

For the sake of creating a timeline, we will use Friday as the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.  Then, the last supper was on Thursday evening, and Jesus afterward went to the Garden of Gethsemane.  That first night, Thursday night, the Jews laid hands on Him and heaped sin upon Him in His role as the scapegoat.  The second night of Jesus’ separation from God Almighty was the night after His crucifixion (Friday).  The third night was the night of the Sabbath (Saturday), after which Jesus was resurrected on the third day.  Jesus had not finished His redemptive work for He was not yet glorified, so He remained in the heart of the earth status into a third day.

“God raised Him up on the third day, and granted that He should become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us, who ate and drank with Him after he arose from the dead.”  Acts 10:40-41  NASB

Thus, in our timeline, Jesus was separated from God Almighty from Thursday after the evening meal through sometime Sunday, a period of three nights and three days.

We have precedence for Jesus being missing for three days and nights; this occurred when He stayed behind in Jerusalem while His family started the journey home after attending a feast.

And it came about that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them, and asking them questions.  And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.  Luke 2:46-47  NASB

Notice that Jesus, while missing for three days at age twelve, discussed spiritual matters with those who were with Him.  This event is another indication of what occurred while Jesus was with the dead.  For Jesus, while missing from the living for three days and three nights, discussed spiritual matters with the spirits in prison who refused to obey God long ago in the time of Noah (1Peter 3:18-20).  The apostle Peter testified of this event a second time.

For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that thought they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.  1Peter 4:6  NASB

Here then we have an indication that Jesus preached to sinners while in the lake of fire/hell.

After three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, i.e., the lake of fire/hell, Jesus defeated death by resurrection.

“And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.”  Acts 2:24  NASB

Jesus’ preaching to the dead was productive, for, upon His resurrection and ascension, He brought with Him to heaven those who had been captive spirits in prison.

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore it says, “WHEN HE ACSENDED ON HIGH, HE LEAD CAPITVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”  (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?  He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)  Ephesians 4:7-10  NASB

Jesus GAVE GIFTS TO MEN at His resurrection, and one gift He gave was reprieve from eternal punishment in the afterlife.  Jesus provided justification to those in the heart of the earth/lake of fire/hell so that they could accompany Him to heaven.  When Jesus ascended to His place in heaven after His resurrection, He brought with Him a host of captives, those who heard the gospel from Jesus while captive in the afterlife.  Just as there were a number of saints resurrected along with Jesus (Matt 27:51-53), so also there were a number of newly redeemed captives from the lower parts of the earth who accompanied Jesus when He ascended to His place in heaven.

For this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.  Romans 14:9  NASB

Just as Jesus’ resurrection portends the resurrection of all humanity, so also Jesus leading captives from prison in the afterlife is assurance that Jesus will lead the condemned of humanity from the lake of fire/hell after they suffer for a time the consequence of judgment.

Do this, because on the day of judgment there will be no pity for those who have not had pity on others.  But even in judgment, God is merciful!  James 2:13  Contemporary English Version

The lake of fire/hell has been prepared as the place of eternal torment for Satan and all his agents.

“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;’  ”  Matthew 25:41  NASB

And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  Revelation 20:10,  NASB

However, there will be no mercy for the evil beings.

For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham.  Hebrews 2:16  NASB

Therefore, the lake of fire/hell will be a place of eternal punishment for spiritual entities, but only a place of temporary punishment for humanity.  Divinely, God Almighty will bestow the blessing of mercy upon persons whose rightful judgment was to spend eternity in the lake of fire/hell.

For the Lord will not reject forever,  /  For if He causes grief,  /  Then He will have compassion  /  According to His abundant lovingkindness and tender mercy.  Lamentations 3:31-32  AMP

An analogy, using God Almighty as the fire of the sun, may be helpful. The resurrection of the dead will bring all of humanity into the presence of God Almighty, so that the resurrected will move from total darkness of death of the body into full and bright light of deity.  Those who are properly prepared will have sun glasses and sunscreen (blood of Jesus).  These will enjoy beholding the full majesty of the bright sun (God Almighty) without the fear of burning.  For the redeemed, entering the presence of God Almighty is heaven.

On the other hand, an unprepared individual will find the sun too bright and too uncomfortable to look at, and will feel the burning of unprotected skin or flesh.  This burning is painful for it causes the flesh to blister.  However, with time, the blistered flesh will peel off.  It is in this fashion that the fleshly nature of the unredeemed will be removed during time in the lake of fire.  For the unredeemed dead, God Almighty is a consuming fire with respect to their fleshly nature.

for our God is a consuming fire.  Hebrews 12:29  NASB

Those in the lake of fire/hell, rather than receiving a baptism by water associated with grace, will receive a baptism of fire in the lake of fire/hell associated with the blessing of mercy.

God Almighty as a fire is also expressed as the refining and purifying fire of metallurgy (p. 5-51).

“But who can endure the day of His coming?  And who can stand when He appears?  For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap.  And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness.”  Malachi 3:2-3  NASB

Just as fire is used to refine gold, silver, and other precious metals, so also the lake of fire/hell will be used to refine or purify humanity.  Those condemned to the lake of fire/hell are unfit to enter the kingdom of God Almighty and therefore must undergo change–the second death of burning away the fleshly, beastly nature.  That is, the suffering produced by the second death in the lake of fire/hell is actually the refining process that separates self-will from the sinner, and, like the slag of the refining of metal, the self-will, the root of sin, is discarded.  Elimination of self-will, i.e., the forgoing of selfishly expressing one’s soul, is not destruction or elimination of the person, but rather the surrender of one’s will in favor of God Almighty’s will.  The time in the lake of fire (refiner’s fire) has a component of punishment because of the wrath of God Almighty, but the outcome of God Almighty’s judgment upon humanity is purification and righteousness.

At night my soul longs for Thee,  /  Indeed, my spirit within me seeks Thee diligently;  /  For when the earth experiences Thy judgments  /  The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.  Isaiah 26:9  NASB

Once the sinful flesh is removed, that is, the soul unburdened of self-will, these purified souls are able to learn righteousness.  One who experiences this second death (of the soul) in the lake of fire/hell is ready for the change from Satan’s kingdom to God Almighty’s kingdom.

After the necessary time of exposure to fire for refining (i.e., the second death), Jesus will appear with those in torment, as suggested by the Israelites in the fiery furnace of Babylon (p. 4-7).  Jesus’ preaching the Gospel will complete the redemption of these condemned souls.  The combination of purification by fire, Jesus’ teaching and mediation, and the sinner’s confession of Jesus Christ as Lord will bring the will of the unredeemed sinners into submission to God Almighty’s will.

Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  Philippians 2:9-11  NASB

God Almighty, through Jesus the Christ, will then bestow the blessing of mercy upon the newly justified, assign righteousness to them, and call them to heaven.  In other words, God Almighty can and will grant His mercy to those cleansed souls by offering them the birth of the spirit that will bring them into the kingdom of heaven/light.  Therefore, we can be sure that “all men,” as used in Romans 5:18-19, means all men will receive justification of life (Section 5.2).

The blessing of mercy is also portrayed in the marriage of the Lamb at the consummation of all things (Heb 9:26).  The groom, the many-membered Christ, will be comprised of Jesus along with those who attained the 100-fold level of production of spiritual fruit.  The many-membered bride will be comprised of those who had attained the 60-fold level of production of spiritual fruit, and the bridesmaids will be comprised of those who had attained the 30-fold level.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.  Ephesians 5:25-27 NASB

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”  And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.  And he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ”  And he said to me, “These are true words of God.”  Revelation 19:7-9  NASB

The blessed who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb are those who are released from the lake of fire/hell by the blessing of mercy and who will join the other two components of Woman in heaven (p. 7-7).

Jesus offered a parable about a wedding supper and guests (Matt 22:1-14), and it is clear that the message was a warning to the Jewish leadership of the coming age of Gentiles.  Of present interest is the inclusion of guests, both the evil and the good, at the wedding supper.

“ ‘Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding Feast.’  And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”  Matthew 22:9-10  NASB

Hence, we get the indication that Jesus will be sent to those who were once called evil, and He will purify them, and bring them to the wedding feast.  God Almighty will bless those condemned to the lake of fire/hell with a call to be guests at the heavenly, marriage supper.  That is, God Almighty will extend the blessing of mercy to those in the lake of fire/hell so that they may complete the Woman component and participate in the heavenly gathering for the marriage.  This inclusion of those condemned to the lake of fire/hell at the wedding supper was indicted in the illustration of the resurrections (p. 7-5).