This is a good follow up to our recent three part series on "Death Covenant & Refuge in Lies."
One thing for sure, we know that there have been some in the bible who have died and came back to life. One of them, named Lazarus, sister of Mary and Martha, a family dear to the Lord, had died and was dead for four days and yet he came back to life. This story is found in the eleventh chapter of the gospel of John. It is no surprise therefore that we find many people wanting to see Lazarus after his resurrection. So we read later in chapter twelve:
"Much people of the Jews therefore knew that he was there: and they came not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead. But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus." (12: 9-11)
What would Lazarus tell us about the afterlife if he were here? What did he tell those who came to see him? No doubt many questioned him about it. Was the spirit of Lazarus in heaven for those four days, or in Hades or Sheol? Did Christ call upon him to leave heaven or Hades and to reenter his body, coming back to earth? Or, possibly, was his spirit still on earth, hovering near his grave as a ghost? I cannot say for sure which of these views, or another, represent the answer that Lazarus may have given to those who questioned him about his after death experience. There are hard things to accept and believe no matter what we may surmise that he may have said to them.
I know that Jesus, before this time, said in John 3 - "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man [b]who is in heaven." (vs. 13 nkjv) I take that to mean "no one has ever gone bodily to heaven AND returned bodily," not denying that some have gone to heaven (some in body and spirit, as Enoch and Elijah, and all the righteous in spirit upon death of the body), but only that no one has gone to heaven AND returned. It was an affirmation that no one had ascended into heaven in body and spirit and returned in body.
(Yet, it will not be the case when Elijah, and perhaps Enoch or some other, are the two witness prophets of Revelation chapter eleven; Christ was therefore only making a statement relative to time past, before the time of his speaking in John chapter three, and not for all time)
People had died in the old testament times and yet were brought back to life (none being dead so long as Lazarus, mostly for less than a day I presume). So, they possibly (or probably) went to heaven in spirit, having left their bodies, and then after having spent time there left heaven and returned to dwell in their bodies.
It does not appear that any who went to Hell proper, to the place of torment and punishment, in spirit after death, were ever brought back to life (in the scriptures). However, in today's numerous accounts of people's experiences in the afterlife (where the people were clinically dead for minutes, presumably not for hours or days) not all testify of going to Heaven (to comfort and joy) but rather to Hell (to misery and woe).
If we define Hell (OT "sheol" or NT "hades") generically as "realm of the dead" (which meaning does seem to predominantly exist in the bible), then we can say that in this sense everybody goes to Hell. Even king David and Jesus went to Hell. (See Acts 2) Sometimes the word refers strictly to the death and punishment of the wicked. (See for instance Psalm 9: 17-18) But sometimes it refers to the death of the righteous as well. In addition to this, we have two other words in the Greek NT that are also translated as "hell" and they are "gehenna" and "tartarus." The former speaks of the eternal "lake of fire" into which Hades along with death is cast (See Rev. 20: 14) Tartarus is the lowest part of "the underworld," or of Hades, being the place where the fallen angels are doomed to dwell. God does speak of "the lowest Hell." (See Deut. 32: 22 and Psalm 86: 13) Hades is a temporary place, like "jail," while Gehenna is permanent like "prison."
There certainly is "cognitive dissonance" in many people in regard to the knowledge that they will die, sooner or later. Such dissonance is defined as "the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change." A firm belief in the God of the bible and in his promises of salvation give the Christian freedom from such dissonance, though erring Christians may experience some bouts of it.
Theologians of the bible call this area of study and doctrine the "intermediate state." By this term they discuss what is the state of souls between the death of the body and the resurrection day. That there is such a coming universal resurrection is explicitly taught in holy scripture. Notice these texts:
"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt." (Dan. 12: 2)
"Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment." (John 5: 28-29)
"...having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." (Acts 24: 15)
Says the 1689 London Baptist Confession
"The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption;1 but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them.2 The souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness, are received into paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies;3 and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell; where they remain in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day;4 besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none."
1 Gen. 3:19; Acts 13:36
2 Eccles. 12:7
3 Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:1,6,8; Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23
4 Jude 6, 7; 1 Peter 3:19; Luke 16: 23,24
The intermediate state is a person’s condition between physical death and the resurrection. For the believer, it is a time of conscious bliss in the presence of the Lord; but for the unbeliever, it is a time of conscious torment.
According to the New Testament, death is the separation of the soul (or spirit) from the body. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (Jam. 2: 26) The spirit does not die as does the body. Death is the separation of the spirit from the body. The body requires the indwelling of the spirit for it to be living, but not so the spirit. This is what we think of when we think of "ghosts," a spirit that is without a corporeal existence.
Intermediate State
What will it be like to be in that interim state between death and resurrection? Paul likens it to being unclothed. When the soul has left the body it is naked, he says.
"For we know that if our earthly [a]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our [b]habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as [c]a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (2 Cor 5: 1-8 nkjv)
Greeks thought positively about leaving the body behind at death, but Jews did not. Salvation for the Greek thinking world came when the soul or spirit was released from the body. Thus, salvation was universal for death is universal. Even though torment or punishment in the afterlife was believed by some Greek thinking people, it was generally not viewed as eternal, but as ending in the reformation of the soul. There are exceptions. Sisyphus, for example, was eternally punished by having to roll a giant boulder up a hill in the underworld, in Tartarus, by the god Zeus, who forces him to roll the boulder up a hill for eternity. Every time he nears the top of the hill, the boulder rolls back down.
Said one writer (see here):
"Nothing sends a clearer message than an angry punishment handed down from the gods. In belief systems of cultures around the world deities have been disciplining their flocks since time immemorial, perhaps none more innovatively and famously than the gods of Greek mythology. The ultimate form of pain and misery was eternal punishment.
These over-the-top eternal punishments imposed by gods on fellow deities, demi-gods and common mortals were not just punitive measures against a sinner, they served as a warning to others not to repeat dangerous behaviors, such as hubris, greed, disobedience; basically anything that might challenge the gods or go against morality of the time. Here is a few of the more notable legends of eternal damnation in Greek myth:
Prometheus - "He was chained to a rock, and every day an eagle (which represented Zeus) would come to tear open his flesh and eat Prometheus’ liver. Every night the liver would regrow, only to be devoured again the next day. In this way his torture was never-ending.
Sisyphus and Arachne - Athena realized she had not only lost, but had been insulted, and flew into a rage. She touched Arachne’s forehead, forcing Arachne to feel guilt and humility. Arachne promptly hung herself, and Athena brought the weaver back to life as a spider, so that she might weave eternally...The word arachnid, for spider, comes from this myth."
He also mentions Atlas and his punishment and then mentions Tantalus.
Tantalus - "Zeus then punished Tantalus to an eternity of lack and desperation in Tartarus. The fallen king was made to stand in a pool of clean, cool water, with a fruit tree nearby, the branches always heavy with delicious fruit. The story goes that Tantalus had great thirst, but if he went to take a drink of the water, it would recede, leaving him nothing. He had ravenous hunger, but the fruit would always be just out of his grasp, infuriatingly close.
Even now we use the word ‘tantalizing’ to describe something that is desired but remains out of reach."
Said another writer (see here):
"Most ancient Greeks anticipated that the soul left the body after death and continued to exist in some form, but an expectation that good would be rewarded and evil punished in the afterlife was not central to their beliefs. Perpetual torment awaited only the most exceptional sinners, while just a select few—heroes related to the Olympian gods—enjoyed an eternal paradise. Yet, as this exhibition explores, individuals did seek ways to improve their lot."
Said the same writer:
"Initiation in the Eleusinian Mysteries, an annual festival in Greece based on the story of Persephone, ensured participants a good harvest and also a blessed afterlife. Outside of mainstream religious practice, devotion to the mythical singer Orpheus and the god Dionysos also offered paths to a better existence after death. The rites were shrouded in secrecy and remain little understood today, but one of the most intriguing sources of information are the so-called Orphic tablets. Named by modern scholars after the mythical poet Orpheus, whose descent and return from the Underworld made him one of the few who could impart knowledge of the afterlife, the Orphic tablets are Greek inscriptions written on thin sheets of gold. They were deposited in graves, and usually bear a short text proclaiming the deceased’s distinguished status and providing guidance for his or her journey into the Underworld. Three examples are on view in the exhibition, including one in the Getty’s collection."
Nearly all the polytheistic and pagan religions accepted the idea of the immortality of the soul and of an afterlife. They also all believed that people could improve their state in the afterlife by good works or by religious rites and ceremonies, by magical charms and incantations. The Egyptians, like the Greeks and Romans, also had elaborate beliefs about the afterlife. About those and other ancient peoples we will have more to say in chapters (postings) after the present.
Said the same writer:
"The Greek philosopher Plato (about 428–347 BCE) observed wryly that individuals “dismiss the stories told about what goes on in Hades” until they face death themselves. This exhibition examines some of the competing ideas and beliefs about the afterlife, and different strategies for ensuring everlasting happiness."
That is what we are looking at in this series, "competing ideas and beliefs about the afterlife." I firmly believe that the bible is the only source for the correct answer.
Wrote professor Walter E. Johnson (see - here emphasis mine):
"Some theologians have resisted this idea of a disembodied soul, claiming that it is unduly influenced by Plato, who believed that salvation consists of the soul becoming eternally liberated from the body that enslaves it. But although biblical Christianity and Platonism agree that the soul can exist apart from the body, Christianity, in contrast to Platonism, insists that human beings are incomplete without the body. Paul described humans in this disembodied state as “naked” and “unclothed,” implying that their condition is temporary and imperfect even while being at home with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:3-4, 8). Thus, Christians derive their beliefs concerning the intermediate state from the Bible, not from ancient Greek thought."
Notice that he said that the Greeks "believed that salvation consists of the soul becoming eternally liberated from the body that enslaves it." Again, that is true for most of them believed that eternal punishment was the fate of only a few of the race, much like what many in today's "Primitive Baptist" denomination believe, saying that most of the race will go to heaven and only a very few go to hell forever. It is not quite universal salvation, but close to it.
Said Professor Johnson:
"Other theologians deny the intermediate state altogether, claiming that in the biblical view humans are unified beings, having no components. That is, when the person dies, the total person dies. The resurrection will involve the total person. But while the Bible does present human beings as unified, the unity is not a radical, absolute one. Several biblical texts indicate that human souls survive the death of the body. (See, for example, Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:43, 46; Acts 7:59; Philippians 1:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Hebrews 12:23; and Revelation 6:9.)" (Ibid)
Agreed. The bible is clear on the intermediate state.
Said Professor Johnson:
"The doctrines of purgatory and soul sleep challenge the biblical concept of the intermediate state. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that during the period between death and resurrection, Christians who need further purification from sin before entering heaven will exist in purgatory, experiencing varying degrees of punishment."
The Catholic idea of purgatory is nothing but a pagan idea and has no support in the bible. Hell is not meant to reform.
Said Professor Johnson:
"Martin Luther, some Anabaptists in the Reformation, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Seventh-Day Adventists have advanced the idea of soul sleep — that the soul exists in a state of unconsciousness between death and the resurrection. Doubtless, the Bible at times likens death to sleep. Four times in 1 Corinthians 15, and three times in 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul used the imagery of sleep in reference to death. But several considerations suggest that the soul is not in a state of unconscious existence after death — including the many biblical passages presented above that argue for conscious existence after death."
Agreed. It is the body that sleeps and will be awakened in the day of the resurrection. The soul does not sleep. On this we will have more to say in the next chapter.
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