The Soul Between Death and Resurrection (the Intermediate State). Section 2
Kairos Podcast Series 8: Biblical Anthropology, Death and Resurrection (BADR Part 4)
Question: In the light of the terrifying prospect of Sheol awaiting the dead, what led Israel to believe in the resurrection of the dead? What is the basis for Israel’s hope (Dan. 12:2-3)?
A. The OT gives two reasons. First, the OT affirms that Yahweh is the living God (Psa. 18:46; Jer. 23:36; Hos. 1:10). With the ever living God, death cannot be the sovereign power in the universe. Second, God’s reign of righteousness and justice extends even to Sheol (Job 26:6; Psa. 139:8; Prov. 15:11; Amos 9:2). Vindication will come at the final resurrection where the wicked will be punished and the righteous will be rewarded (Dan. 12:2).
B. The New Testament confirms that:
1) the righteous dead will receive a new heavenly dwelling to replace the earthly tent (body) which has been destroyed at death. To be away from the body is to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5: 1-8).
2). The righteous dead will receive “white robes” to cover their nakedness. This suggests a state of provisional blessedness (Rev. 6:9; 20:4).
3) For believers in Christ, this provisional or intermediate state after death is better and preferred to that of life on earth (Phil. 1:23; Heb. 12:23).
C. Conclusion:
The Bible affirms the conscious existence of both the righteous and the wicked in their disembodied existence after death. However, the biblical evidence is against any suggestion that the souls of both righteous and wicked share the same fate in the intermediate state. The wicked experience conscious suffering. In contrast, the righteous experience conscious joy in the presence of Christ (Phil. 1:23), even as they wait to receive the resurrected body. The final destiny for the Christian is not deliverance from corporeal existence (contra Plato), but attainment of perfected embodied existence in the presence of God.
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The Soul Between Death and Resurrection (the Intermediate State). Section 2
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The Soul Between Death and Resurrection (the Intermediate State). Section 1