What happens to us when we die?

What happens to us when we die? As Christians we believe in the sure promise of the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. However there is some debate about what happens to a believer’s existence between her death and resurrection after the Final Judgement. This temporary period is known as the intermediate state.

There is a paucity of information in Scripture on the intermediate state. Some argue that this is due to the belief of the early church that the Second Coming was so imminent that it would be almost irrelevant to reflect upon the state between death and Final Judgement.

Salvation is ultimately the resurrection of a unified body and soul. So as to avoid the idea of a disembodied existence, some argue that when a believer dies she passes out of the whole time order, until her next conscious moment at the Final Judgement. Her resurrected body is created by God out of nothing, with God bringing forth a new life.

Other theologians propose the idea of soul sleep. According to this theory, a believer ‘sleeps’, in the protective care of God, unconscious until resurrection. Scriptural passages including Acts 13:36-37, 1Corinthians 15:5 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 which refer to death as sleep are used in support of this view. Whilst these theories overcome disassociation of a body and a spirit, a review of Scripture provides evidence for cognisance in the intermediate state. For example, in the appearance of Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:30 ff); the words of Jesus when questioned on marriage and the resurrection (Luke 20: 35-38); and the account of the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:55-56).

Alternative views of the intermediate state, incorporating conscious awareness have therefore emerged. The Roman Catholic Church holds to the doctrine of Purgatory. Purgatory is said to be a period of temporal punishment for sins after death and before heaven. The suffering is thought to cleanse and prepare the believer to be in the presence of Christ. Scriptural passages used in support of this doctrine include: 2 Maccabees 12: 42-46 purporting both punishment and forgiveness beyond the grave; Isaiah 4:4 and Malachi 3:2ff describing refining or cleansing; Matthew 12: 32 leaving open the possibility that sins are forgiven not only in this world but in world to come; 1 Cor 3: 15 supporting transient purification and punishment; and the parables of Matt 5: 26 and Matthew 18:34 where the prisoners, not released until the last penny is paid, are paralleled with the souls of those enduring time-limited punishment of Purgatory.

Purgatory is rejected by evangelical Christians based upon the weakness of the biblical basis for this doctrine (2 Maccabees is not part of the inspired canon of Scripture and the other Scriptural texts are used out of context or misinterpreted) . Furthermore, the doctrine of Purgatory deprives God of his freedom and majesty as Judge and denies the sufficiency of the cross. Purification from our sins was accomplished by Jesus Christ on the cross and no further cleansing is required (Hebrews 10:14; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:38-39).

The best evidence as to the nature of the intermediate state is to be found in the following Scriptural passages. Firstly, in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16: 22 ff), set before the Final Judgement, Lazarus is carried to Abraham’s side and comforted, whilst the rich man is suffering in hell. Secondly, in the moments before his death, Jesus tells the repentant sinner on the cross, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43). In Peter’s Pentecost sermon he refers to Psalm 16:10, to assure believers that they will not be abandoned to the grave (Acts 2:27). On several occasions, Paul refers to dying as being preferable to life because it means being with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5 has been interpreted by Calvin as meaning that after death, the condition of the soul changes, commencing the process of becoming the eternal building made by God, which will be completed at the final resurrection. Finally, Revelations depicts the martyred saints gathered around the throne awaiting the Final Judgement, crying “How long, Sovereign Lord?” (Revelations 6: 9-11).

From Scripture we can conclude that the believer does not cease to exist after death, but rather is delivered from the power of Hell. The intermediate state is not yet the gloriously resurrected life, but it is a fellowship with Christ in some incomplete, provisional form. The central hope of the Scriptures is not the mere continued existence of the soul, but the resurrection of the united body and soul. Therefore, speculation on the intermediate state should never detract from the certainty we have in the hope of the new creation.