Most people believe that when we die we go to heaven, characterized by the never ending jokes about St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, waiting to admit the man of faith who has crossed the Jordan, and now in a vague state of disembodied blessedness, will dwell for all eternity with the immortals. However these popular ideas originate from Greek mythology, not Biblical theology, although we seem to have added a few details of our own... I doubt the Greeks were responsible for the clouds and harps. There are two problems with the above ideas. One being that Heaven is not an ethereal place situated in the outer limits of space, but very much here on earth. Secondly there is something called The Intermediate State, a useful phrase not found in the Bible, but coined to refer to the time between physical death and the final resurrection of our bodies. While it is true that this is a peripheral issue and not essential to the gospel, it is entirely natural for people to be intensely interested in a matter which concerns each one of us so personally. In fact, the subject goes well beyond mere curiosity to a matter of faith and hope for the Christian. It is a concept to be found in the pages of Scripture although, like many of the subjects concerning the future, not as a well defined doctrine. The subject of the location and nature of Heaven has been dealt with in another article so we shall concern ourselves with the Intermediate State, about which there are two points of view. One school of thought holds that during this time we are unconscious, or perhaps do not even ‘exist’, The second believes that our spirits continue living and are very much alive and conscious, while awaiting the return to a resurrected body and an eternity in the new earth. Most Christians seem to believe that the person is conscious, whether in hell or in heaven. The doctrine that the soul is unconscious until the body is resurrected, is taught by Seventh-day Adventists and is called "soul-sleep." The Jehovah’s Witnesses on the other hand believe that when someone dies [believers and non-believers alike] they cease to exist and that God will have to remake everyone from memory. (What the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach is not a resurrection of the body but the creation of a clone, who will then proceed to enjoy Heaven.)
Unconsciousness The idea of unconsciousness is usually based on several verses in the Old Testament, some of which are in The Psalms For in death there is no remembrance of thee: In Sheol who shall give thee thanks? [Psalm 6:5 ] Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? Shall they that are decreased arise and praise thee? Selah. Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or thy faithfulness in Destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? And thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? [Psalm 88:10-12] The dead praise not Jehovah, Neither any that go down into silence; [Psalm 115:17] His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish. [Psalm 146:4]
However one has to remember that the Psalms are poetry and given to all the freedom of expression and hyperbole characteristic of most poetry everywhere. This makes it very unwise to build a doctrine solely on isolated verses in the Psalms. For example Psalm 88:4-5 says .. I am reckoned with them that go down into the pit; I am as a man that hath no help, Cast off among the dead, Like the slain that lie in the grave, Whom thou rememberest no more, And they are cut off from thy hand.
It is obviously inaccurate to say that God is literally unaware of, or has forgotten the dead, which is what the verse states. Therefore When Psalm 6:5 says that people in Sheol do not remember God, we do not need to take it any more literally than Psalm 88:5, which says that God does not remember them. Psalm 115:17 tells us that the dead to not praise God, but the very next verse says, "We extol the Lord, both now and forevermore" (v. 18).
Again it is unlikely that Psalm 30:3 “O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; Thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit” is to be taken literally. Ecclesiastes Other verses that are used to support the belief that we are unconscious between our time of death and resurrection of our physical bodies are For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. [Ecclesiastes 9:5 ] Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, whither thou goest. [Ecclesiastes 9:10]
But verse 9:5 says that the dead will never have a reward. Moreover Verse 6 goes on to state that they will never more have a portion “in anything that is done under the sun”. Both of which put paid to the idea of Heaven all together. Ecclesiastes 3:19 even says that man has no more importance than animals. Isaiah For Sheol cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. [Isaiah 38:18]
While the above verse seems to say that the dead in Sheol are mute, Isaiah 14:9 gives us exactly the opposite impression, making it sound like the people in Sheol can be awakened. Sheol from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming; it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. [Isaiah 14:9]
Since one passage says that the souls in Sheol are silent and the other says they can be ‘stirred up’, it becomes pretty obvious that Isaiah is not outlining a blueprint for the fate of the soul after death, but speaking metaphorically. John These things spake he: and after this he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. The disciples therefore said unto him, Lord, if he is fallen asleep, he will recover. Now Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spake of taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus therefore said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. [John 11:11-14]
Although Jesus said that Lazarus was dead, Sleep was a common figure of speech used for death. But Jesus also said in verse 4 that Lazarus’ sickness was “not unto death, but for the glory of God”.
Consciousness The New Testament sheds little light on the state of the unrighteous dead. However there are verses in both the Gospels and the writings of Paul that very definitely lean towards the fact that is that believers are with Christ in the presence of God, awaiting the resurrection. [However the parable of Lazarus is not one of them. See Difficulties with the Traditional Interpretation of This Parable] Philippians 1:21 and 23 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better:
Paul speaks of death as a departure from the body, but it is hard to believe that he would consider unconsciousness, however temporary, as ‘much better’ than his present state. Paul’s passion was Christ which would make it seem unlikely that he would count unconsciousness as gain. It is entirely more feasible that what he considered a ‘better’ state was because he knew would be with Christ and completely aware of it. The wording in these passages lead us to the conclusion that the other choice besides life was extremely good. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord (for we walk by faith, not by sight); we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.
Again Paul states that he would prefer to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. The statement carries two implications. One confirms that the soul does continue existing after the death of the body and secondly that this state is preferable since we “at home with the Lord” and obviously aware of our existence. Luke 23:43 And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
I quote “The thief on the cross has been used to prove about every point in Christian theology, his case is still relevant here: "And He said to him, 'Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise'" (Luke 23:43). The Jehovah's Witness's New World Translation punctuates Jesus words as "Truly I say to you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise," giving the impression that "today" refers simply to the time of Jesus' statement. But the context demands that the "today" refer to when the thief on the cross would be with Jesus in paradise, because Jesus is responding to his request in the previous verse: "Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom!" The response, "Today you shall be with Me in paradise" can in this context only be taken to mean, "Not only will I remember you when I come in my kingdom, but already today you shall be with me in heaven."” [Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, chapter 41, "Death and the Intermediate State"]
Revelation 6:9-10 And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? [Revelation 6:9-10]
While all that is told us about these individuals is that they were martyrs, it is apparent that they are not asleep. They are conscious of time and able to speak [before the resurrection]. However Revelation is a highly symbolic book and this passage is unlikely to mean that these souls were literally under the altar. Hebrews 12: 22-24 but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant… [Hebrews 12: 22-24]
This paragraph conveys a sense of great and vibrant life and would not make any sense if it listed all those that are very much alive and conscious, then include unconscious spirits, which would be an anti-climax. If everybody is conscious then the spirits are probably conscious too. Conclusion In the absences of a clear cut and well defined doctrine on the subject of the Intermediate State, we have to rely on texts that seem to lean one way. While it is possible to draw different conclusions from these texts, another interpretation is unlikely and could even be forced. The arguments lean heavily in favour of the conscious view. However the Bible does not really give us a tremendous amount of detail on the subject of life after death and since the entire subject is completely out of the realm of human experience it is difficult to define, or even imagine, what it is like. Obviously, there is no way we are going to comprehend everything until we see it ourselves. In the final analysis the word Faith has an important part to play here. We know little or nothing about the Intermediate state or heaven after the resurrection but we have to trust that it will be good. That the Father has prepared a place for us that we cannot even imagine. but as it is written, Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, And which entered not into the heart of man, Whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. [1Corinthians 2:9 ] and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory, even us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles? [Romans 9:23 -24]
However, it is well to remember that this is an intermediate state, not the final one. There will be a resurrection of the body followed by life everlasting, which, in the long run, is all that is of any consequence. "Artwork © by Duncan Long. Used with permission. All rights reserved" | 
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