Death and the Intermediate State

[Over the years, I've had occasion to speak with friends, co-workers, and students concerning questions about what the Bible says regarding what a person experiences when he or she dies, before the Final Judgment.]

Introduction

The Final Judgment

At the end of this present age (before God establishes the new heavens and new earth) all who have died will be raised from the grave. God will miraculously restore the body of each person, and all people will be judged before His throne. (See Revelation 20.)

The Intermediate State

But before the Final Judgment mentioned above, what will a person experience after death? (To re-state the question in theological terms: what will a person experience in the intermediate state: the mode of existence that occurs immediately after a person dies up until the time of the Final Judgment?)

The Importance of Scripture in Answering This Question

Our source for knowledge concerning what happens after we die must come from God. This knowledge lies outside of any normal human experience, and so we must seek answers from the LORD, who is the Giver of life, and who is Sovereign over life and death. Thankfully, God has given us certain knowledge about the intermediate state in His written Word, the Bible.

Sheol/Hades
As with some other important subjects—such as the Trinity, the nature of Satan, etc.—the state of souls after death is a matter that is much more clearly explained in the New Testament than the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the common term for the realm of the dead is "Sheol." This word seems to simply mean, "realm of the dead." The references to Sheol in the Old Testament do not give readers much indication of the nature of the realm of the dead, but are indicative of the idea that personality does not cease at death: that identity carries on into an afterlife. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, "Sheol" is rendered as "Hades". In certain New Testament passages quoting the Old Testament (as in Acts 2:27-31), this idea of "Hades" as the general realm of the dead is found.

Jesus’ Teaching Concerning the Intermediate State

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus says:

19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers— so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (ESV)

In the above passage, Jesus gives His listeners some important information about what they may expect immediately after they die.

Sheol Is Divided 
In this New Testament account, we get some important information in terms of the state of affairs regarding the afterlife in the Old Testament era (the New Testament era not being inaugurated until the passion of Christ: see Luke 22:20). In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus pictures the afterlife as being divided between a place of joyful rest and a place of sorrowful torment, with a wide gulf set between these realms.

The Humble Will Receive the Loving Fellowship of “Abraham”

In Jesus’ account, Lazarus—the humble poor man—is taken away to Abraham as soon as he dies. The text above says that Lazarus was at “Abraham’s side”—the older translations say “in Abraham’s bosom”—the idea is not just that Lazarus is situated close to Abraham, but that he is (in a sense) embraced by Abraham: he is brought near to Abraham’s heart. Lazarus, who was ignored in life by the rich man and, it seems, by everyone else except the filthy dogs, is now given a place of great honor and he has fellowship with Abraham.

“Abraham” is mentioned because he was a greatly respected example of faith, one who was known as God’s friend (see, for example, Genesis 15:6, 2 Chronicles 20:7, and Isaiah 41:8). When we who trust in Jesus die, we will have the opportunity to have fellowship with heroes like Abraham, but the Bible also indicates that we will find ourselves in the presence of all faithful people who have died before us; this is one reason why the Old Testament frequently speaks of people who die being ‘gathered to their people’ (see, for example, Genesis 25:8; 49:33). When the person who humbly trusts in Jesus dies, he is immediately taken into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, he is able to fellowship with heroes of the faith that we read about in the Bible, he is reunited with all his faithful departed loved ones—the Bible’s picture of the intermediate state is joyful indeed!

The Self-Centered Will Receive Torment

But notice the words from Luke 16:23-31 that are used to describe what the proud, compassionless rich man experiences when he dies: words like “thirst,” “anguish,” and “flame.” This wicked man experiences extreme discomfort and pain, he experiences frustration in that he can apparently see Abraham and Lazarus, but he can take no part in their joy, and when he addresses Abraham, he receives only righteous rejection. This is the fearful future that can be expected for all who fail to follow Jesus.

What has changed in the New Testament era?

Old Testament/New Testament: what's the difference for souls in the afterlife? Certainly, the saints on earth in the New Testament era—even into the present day—have a clearer view of our hope for life after death. We have heard and read the words of Jesus to the thief on the cross: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43 ESV). We have read the Apostle's words that: "[T]o be absent from the body [is] to be present with the Lord" (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:8) and that if he were to die he would “depart and be with Christ” (see Philippians 1:21-23). Even the saints who had been in the afterlife from Old Testament times may have received a clearer view of God's redemptive plan upon the completion of Christ's work of salvation. At very least, saints who had been in the afterlife from ancient days would certainly have experienced great joy and celebration as Jesus faithfully endured the Cross, rose from the dead as the conqueror of sin, death and Hell, and then took His rightful place "at the right hand of the throne of God" (cf. Hebrews 12:2). It seems reasonable to suppose that those who died in the Old Testament era came either into an experience of increasing joy or increasing sorrow following the work of Christ.

A Future Hope and Warning

One day, the full number of God's elect sheep will have been gathered into the fold by the Good Shepherd (see John 10:16). One day, all of those "who have been predestined to be conformed to the image of [God's] Son" (cf. Romans 8:29) will have come to trust in Him. On that day, the Author of history will again step back onto the stage, descending in the way He ascended (see Acts 1:11). All of the dead will be resurrected and judged: those who are righteous in Christ—who have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life—will experience the unparalleled joy of the "New Heaven and New Earth"; those who are outside of Christ—who are yet dead in their sins—will be condemned by their wicked deeds and will experience the unimaginable torment of the Lake of Fire (see Revelation 20-21).

The following chart which was created by my friend Jerry Dorris, helpfully systematizes the Bible's presentation of the afterlife:

What Makes the Difference in How We Experience the Intermediate State?

Jesus’ teaching indicates that, immediately after death, a person will experience either joy or anguish. What makes the difference: is it simply whether a person is poor or rich? Is it whether a person is humble or proud? Is it whether a person is charitable or selfish?

Jesus expected His hearers to do more than simply agree with His teaching. Simply nodding your head as you read passages like Luke 16:19-31 is not enough.

Jesus expected His hearers to do more than just try to follow His teaching as if it were a list of rules: after all, how could you “obey” a passage like Luke 16:19-31 in this sense? Would you try to become like Lazarus by making yourself poor, then having dogs lick your sores?

Jesus expected His hearers to follow Him. In Luke 9:23-24 Jesus said, “If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.” (HCSB)

The first step to following Jesus is to confess that you have sinned against God. In some ways, each one of us has been like the rich man in Luke 16:19, seeking our own pleasure and enjoyment in the things of this world, while giving little to no thought to God or to others. Due to our sin, each one of us deserves the exact same kind of torment—the thirst, anguish, flame, frustration, and rejection—that the rich man received after death. On the Cross, Jesus took the torment that sinners deserve, as seen by the words He spoke from the Cross: “I thirst!” (John 19:28), “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Mark 15:34), etc. Jesus died the death that we deserve, He was buried, and He rose from the grave on the third day. Jesus now lives and offers eternal life to anyone who follows Him.

The Christian’s Great Hope in Death: Experiencing the Presence of the Lord

The Christian can have absolute confidence that if he dies—though his body will be placed in the ground awaiting the resurrection—his soul will immediately be ushered into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, who saves His people from their sins (see Matthew 1:21), as well as from death, which is the consequence of sin (see Romans 6:23).

My Plea to Anyone Reading These Words

Confess that you are a sinner. Turn away from your sin. Trust in Jesus and in His work on the Cross to save you from your sin and from the agony of death. Follow Jesus today.