Where we were never meant to Be: The Intermediate State
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
As human beings, we have a terminal disease called mortality. The current death rate is 100 percent. Unless Christ returns soon, we’re all going to die. We don’t like to think about death; yet, worldwide, 3 people die every second, 180 every minute, and nearly 11,000 every hour. If the Bible is right about what happens to us after death, it means that more than 250,000 people every day go either to Heaven or Hades, the grave, hell.
The life we live now is a choice, not a test where you flunk or need to study. It is a choice. Choose to follow Jesus or don’t. You don’t have any power over your salvation other than a choice.
After we physically die something does happen. Because we live in a fallen world there is this schism of our material and immaterial. This is not what we are made for. This is not how it is supposed to work. But it is the reality of our existence in this fallen state. There is an immediate state the popular term for this is life after death. This is the temporary state after your physical death before your resurrection, Before the New Heaven and the New Earth. Which most of our images of heaven and hell are images from after this intermediate states.
In the Old testament it talks about Sheol or the grave. Everyone goes to the Sheol sinner and saint, everybody. Hebrew bible doesn’t really talk about what this looks like this.
One of the first places people flip to when wanting to know about this intermediate state is Luke 16:19-31. In the New Testament account of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus ascribes physical properties to people who have died (Luke 16:19-31):
19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was lying at his gate. 21 He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man’s table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’
25 “ ‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “ ‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house—28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’
30 “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
This is a parable. It has all the markings of a parable. Jesus could easily have portrayed the rich man and Lazarus in other ways. He could have said, “When Lazarus died, his spirit drifted without a body into a realm without sin and pain.” But he didn’t. It seems unlikely that Jesus would have depicted the afterlife in such concrete detail if it had nothing to teach us concerning the nature of Heaven and Hell.
Did you know that this is the only parable Jesus told in which he gave a specific name to someone in the story? Naming Lazarus suggests that Jesus was speaking of a real man who had that name. Furthermore, if the events in this story didn’t actually happen, if Jesus made up the name for the poor man, why would he choose the name Lazarus—the name of his close friend, who was actually a rich man, not a poor man? Jesus knew that Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, would die and Jesus would raise him from the dead. Using Lazarus’s name would inevitably create confusion—two different Lazaruses who die and live again, one in Paradise, the other on Earth? When Jesus could have chosen from hundreds of other names, it seems doubtful he would have invented a name that would unnecessarily confuse. The best explanation for why Jesus called the man Lazarus may be this: He was a real man, and that was his name. If so, it increases the probability that Jesus was telling us about what actually happened to two men after they died.
Lazarus is taken to Abrahams bosom. Which is a metaphor, for being taken to where God is.
Consider the story’s major components:
• When Lazarus died, angels carried him to Paradise.
• The rich man died and went to a place of torment.
• Lazarus is with Abraham (and, by inference, others); the rich man is by himself (no one else is mentioned).
• The intermediate Heaven and Hell are separated by a fixed chasm. But in this case, people on both sides could see and communicate with each other, at least on a limited basis. (It’s possible this was granted to Abraham and the rich man as an exception, not the norm. We shouldn’t build a doctrine on it because it’s not supported by other references.)
• Both the rich man and Abraham reasoned and communicated, and they maintained their distinct identities from Earth (as did Lazarus), indicating direct continuity from their earthly lives to their afterlives.
• The rich man and Lazarus are depicted as having physical forms. The rich man had a tongue and a thirst that he wished to satisfy with water. Lazarus had a finger, and there was water available to him in Paradise, into which he might dip his finger. Of course, these references may be entirely figurative. But they might also suggest the possession of transitional physical forms, existing in a physical Paradise, to sustain and manifest human identity between death and resurrection.
• The rich man certainly remembers—and possibly sees—his lost brothers. He expresses concern for their welfare and asks that Lazarus be sent to warn them. This indicates consciousness after death and clear memory of Earth and people on Earth.
• Abraham says that no one can cross the gap between Heaven and Hell.
The problem with a strictly literal interpretation of this passage is that it presses too far, suggesting things that are unlikely and not taught elsewhere, such as that people in Heaven and the grave talk to each other.
Other than this passage there is very little information about this present intermediate heaven. And this passage is a parable so what is metaphor what is literal gets a little murky.
We do know that this present Heaven is a temporary lodging, a waiting place until the return of Christ and our bodily resurrection. The eternal Heaven, the New Earth, is our true home, the place where we will live forever with our Lord and each other. The great redemptive promises of God will find their ultimate fulfillment on the New Earth, not in the present Heaven.
This Present Heaven
This Present Heaven
Only 3 verses in the New Testament that clearly (emphasis Clearly) discuss this present heaven out side of parable.
42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom!” 43 And he said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Paradise Greek word for garden. Garden in OT is the perfect union of God’s space. Today you will be with me in God’s space. With God.
It is a word of hope.
We be like tell us more Jesus and he be like nope on a cross.
Bible does not exist to answer our theological questions. It exist to tell us what God is doing about what god is din about evil sin and death in our world through Jesus. If bible answers some of our questions then wonderful, more important that we read what the bible says not make the bible say what we want it to say.
20 according to my eager expectation and hope, that I will be put to shame in nothing, but with all boldness, even now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether through life or through death. 21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if it is to live in the flesh, this is fruitful work for me, and which I will prefer I do not know. 23 But I am hard pressed between the two options, having the desire to depart and to be with Christ, for this is very much better. 24 But to stay on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
Live is christ. Die is gain. It is better to be with Jesus. Now as we talk about death we must put in context that death is not a friend in the Bible. It is a alien invader in gods world, brought there by sin. Its not what we are made for.
6 Therefore, although we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—7 for we live by faith, not by sight—8 so we are confident and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore indeed we have as our ambition, whether at home in the body or absent from the body, to be acceptable to him.
Scripture doesn’t really describe the intermediate state of those who don’t believe. The parable places it a place of torment. Most places put it as Hades the grave.
When I was growing up I was taught that all people went to the grave. And that when Jesus died he went and brought out all those who are followers of Christ even before Him and placed them in Paradise.
Which sounds wonderful and maybe its true. The problem is the Bible doesn’t confirm this teaching. The Parable of Jesus talks about paradise before Jesus is dead. In Hades Greek mythology there are levels of paradise , and punishment all in the grave. There teachings often color our own understanding of the scripture.
12 And I saw the dead—the great and the small—standing before the throne, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and each one was judged according to their deeds.
Death and grave give up its dead.
That leaves a lot to be considered. and wanting but the Bible just doesn’t give us answers.
9 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had, 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, holy and true Lord, will you not judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” 11 And to each one of them a white robe was given, and it was said to them that they should rest yet a short time, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they had been were completed also.
This passage can help us. Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven gives 21 things we can see from this passage. You can read that on your own time but there are a few things we can point out.
These people in Heaven were the same ones killed for Christ while on Earth (v. 9). This demonstrates direct continuity between our identity on Earth and our identity in Heaven. The martyrs’ personal history extends directly back to their lives on Earth. Those in the present Heaven are not different people; they are the same people relocated—“righteous men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23). And are remembered for their lives on Earth. “They called out” (v. 10) means they are able to express themselves audibly. This could suggest they exist in physical form, with vocal cords or other tangible means to express themselves, in rational, communicative, and emotional—even passionate—beings, like people on Earth.
They are aware of what is going on earth.
Wearing white robes suggest the possibility of physical forms of some kind. Different from the old body but not in new body yet?? Enoch and Elijah both seem to be taken up in physical form. ?? These robes could be symbolic in meaning and doesn’t have to mean a physical state.
Voice of the Martyrs estimates that more than 150,000 people die for Christ each year, an average of more than four hundred per day. God knows the name and story of each one. He knows exactly how many martyrs there will be, and he is prepared to return and set up his Kingdom when the final martyr dies.
There doesn’t seem to be a reason to suggest that this happens only for these martyrs so we can place these on ourselves and our loved ones.
Every reference in Revelation to human beings talking and worshiping in Heaven prior to the resurrection of the dead demonstrates that our spiritual beings are conscious, not sleeping, after death. (Nearly everyone who believes in soul sleep believes that souls are disembodied at death; it’s not clear how disembodied beings could sleep, because sleeping involves a physical body.)
Roman catholic purgatory
Roman catholic purgatory
Those who are baptized in the church but are still compromised by sin must spend time in purgatory which is a process not a place leading to a total purification and later entrance into God’s presence.
Purgatory can be shortened by prayers of loved ones or monetary offering to the church
42 and they turned to supplication, praying that the sin that had been committed might be wholly blotted out. The noble Judas exhorted the people to keep themselves free from sin, for they had seen with their own eyes what had happened as the result of the sin of those who had fallen. 43 He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. 44 For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.
Bottom line is Purgatory is mention nowhere in scripture and it undermines the sufficiency of Jesus’ death to deal with all of our sins
Will We Be Judged When We Die?
Will We Be Judged When We Die?
When we die, we face judgment, what is called the judgment of faith. The outcome of this judgment determines whether we go to the present Heaven or the present Hell.
This initial judgment depends not on our works but on our faith.
It is not about what we’ve done during our lives but about what Christ has done for us. If we have accepted Christ’s atoning death for us, then when God judges us after we die, he sees his Son’s sacrifice for us, not our sin. Salvation is a free gift, to which we can contribute absolutely nothing (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).
This first judgment is not to be confused with the final judgment, or what is called the judgment of works. Both believers and unbelievers face a final judgment. The Bible indicates that all believers will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of their lives (Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:10). It’s critical to understand that this judgment is a judgment of works, not of faith (1 Corinthians 3:13-14). Our works do not affect our salvation, but they do affect our reward. Rewards are about our work for God, empowered by his Spirit. Rewards are conditional, dependent on our faithfulness (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 2:26-28; 3:21).51
Unbelievers face a final judgment of works as well. The Bible tells us it will come at the great white throne, at the end of the old Earth and just before the beginning of the New Earth (Revelation 20:11-13).
Next Steps
Next Steps
This is a hope. There is hope for being with Jesus. Never once go to heaven is used to describe this event. Because this isn’t the new heaven. We are taken to Jesus. There are rooms for us in the heavenly temple.
We have a God that loves us enough to provide a temporary state while we wait on this new heaven and new earth.
There is comfort for those who have lost. There is comfort for those who are dying.
There is challenge to build up your storehouse in heaven. Living the life to build up treasure in heaven.
Bibliography
Bibliography
Ingram, Chip, and Lance Witt. The Real Heaven: What the Bible Actually Says. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2016.
Alcorn, Randy. Heaven. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale Momentum, 2011.
Moody, D. L. Heaven: Where It Is, Its Inhabitants, and How to Get There. Chicago: Fleming H. Revell, 1884.
Hayes, Zachary J., Clark H. Pinnock, and John F. Walvoord. Four Views on Hell. Edited by Stanley N. Gundry and William Crockett. Zondervan Counterpoints Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.
http://davidwarkentin.blogspot.com/2011/09/heaven-out-of-this-world.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy2AQlK6C5k&t=1s
https://youtu.be/qwNfH_SOWKA?list=RDCMUCeqnFRVfjy5R5ZUR92IZlpg
https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/heaven-hell
https://bibleproject.com/podcast/series/heaven-earth-series