71 - Death and the Intermediate State, Part 1

Death, the Intermediate State, and the Course Overview

Welcome to the striving for eternity Academy. This is a ministry of striving for eternity. We're glad to have you with us. This is a class that we are taking on our school of systematic theology. We are in our introductionary class book number four.

Which is God's program for the ages the doctrines of the church and the doctrine of last things. Today's lesson will be lesson number six. It will be death and the intermediate state. We are encourage you to go to the website.

It's striving for eternity org find out more about the ministry. You can also pick up a syllabus there. It is where how you can get all the notes follow along take your own notes. It is a helpful tool to have with you.

It is also a way of helping to provide for these classes to continue as we go through this. We're really at the kind of the tail end of our systematic theology when we do systematic theology. We go through different Areas that we are going to focus in on and this is the last one.

This is the lessons focused on the future things that which is to come. And so as we look at this, we want to look today at the doctrine of death. Primarily today. We're gonna look at death and next class.

False Views of Death: Soul Sleep and Purgatory

We'll look at the intermediate state. But when we discuss things like death in the intermediate state and we look at most religions who are trying to give and provide answers for the questions of what happens after death and what happens in the state between death and the Judgment, we see it.

There's differing views. We see the for example the that Jehovah Witnesses they believe for example in something called soul sleep it is the idea that there is a After death and in unconsciousness, we are unconscious.

We don't have an awareness of what's happening and in that they would claim in this soul sleep in this period that we go into a state of being Unconscious until the judgment then we wake up and we are judged.

This for example is a reason that they reject some of the biblical Views of heaven and hell that's your blanks. Heaven and hell when Jehovah Witnesses talk about heaven and hell it's different than the Bible's definition of heaven and hell their view of hell is a non-existence that someone who is judged gets judged and They wake up from the soul sleep.

They're judged and they can go into non-existence. That's their definition of hell very different than what the Bible describes as an eternal contempt in a place of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Now the other is the heaven because they have a differing view of heaven because heaven is a place where it's actually earth.

I mean, there's only a hundred forty four thousand that in they would say go to heaven the rest are in earth. The Roman Catholics also have some different teachings. They would teach that there is an intermediate state between heaven and hell Called purgatory.

That's your blank there purgatory. Purgatory is a place where people have to work off their sins those things that they have done on earth that still Require a little bit of help Still need a little bit more working to do and that is called Purgatory and they believe that you die and you go into purgatory and purgatory is a place where you work off the rest of your Sins, that's a problem, isn't it?

I mean don't you immediately see a problem? That's works based what happens. They say they're not a works based, but even after you have faith you die you go to purgatory to work off the rest of the consequence of your sin and You stay there for as long as necessary, but don't worry your family members can pay money and that reduces your time.

Doesn't sound like it's by faith but by moolah Moolah it's by works. It's by different things that earn you less time in purgatory. That's gonna we're gonna see that. It's very different than what Jesus said to the thief on the cross today.

You will be with me in paradise. There was no so sleep. It was immediate. In fact, as we see also see in Scripture, it is appointed unto man once to die and then a judgment. So once we die, we immediately face a judgment.

There is no second chances. There isn't as you know LDS would teach Latter-day Saints. There is no chance of going to a purgatory. It is heaven or hell. That's what it have what the Bible teaches about death in the intermediate state Of the soul will be the emphasis of this lesson now.

When we look at this, let's keep in mind that we're gonna talk about death. That's today's lesson. I See the Bible will talk about sleep and people say that's where soul sleep comes from. Talking of death in the mode of saying that it's sleep is no different than when we say someone passed away.

By saying they passed away. It's a polite way of speaking of just saying they're not with us anymore. They've died. We don't want to often say death. Death has a finality to it. And so often when someone's died We want to soften that by saying they are asleep or they are passed away or they're not with us any longer things like this to soften that harshness of the reality of the finality of death and.

So as we see things like souls or we see things like sleep. Just be aware that this is not saying that we are in a soul sleep, but that we are in a state that's called death and We politely call it sleep.

The Separation of Body and Spirit in Physical Death

So let's take a look at physical death the the biblical concept of death. We see in three passages that we're gonna have here first is gonna be Genesis 18 sorry Genesis 35 verse 18 Genesis 35 and verse 18 and as we look at this It says and her soul was departing for she was dying.

She called his name Bennett Ioni, but his father called him Benjamin. So here you have a case where you see her soul Was departing for she was dying. Now, let me just deal with one technical issue here the word soul.

There are some people that will view that we have three parts two parts. Whether we're body and soul or body spirit soul different ways of viewing it. So, let me give you my view and what how I understand this there's a material part of man of humans that is the body a Material part the material part of the human makeup.

The human being is always referred to as the body the immaterial part of man is always referred to as the spirit and Then we have this term soul which can refer to either It can refer to just the immaterial part of man or it could refer to both parts to the full being and so I often Think that when we look at this body refers to the material part.

Spirit refers to the immaterial part. Soul can refer to the whole being sometimes it refers just to the immaterial part. Okay, so as we look at the verse again, we see You be kidding. Did it freeze. No, it didn't freeze.

Okay. It's just my screen. All right, so What we have here is when we look at Genesis 35 18 We see here that her soul was departing. Now when you see there is the idea That there is this notion that She is her her Soul or her spirit it is Departing it's leaving.

What's it leaving? It's leaving the physical body. Why because she's dying. We're gonna see this in each of these the notion that when we talk of physical death We're speaking in the sense that the body and spirit Separate and so that's what you have here her soul or spirit that immaterial part of her was dying.

It was departing from the physical part of her because she was dying in Luke 33 and verse 46. We said Jesus called out with a loud voice and said father into your hands. I Commit my spirit and he said this and breathed his last.

This is him in Dying. What's he saying that his spirit will continue on his body is gonna be put in a in a tomb for three days and Then bodily resurrected from the dead. But what you see here is he's as he comes to physical death We end up seeing that his spirit Separates from the body.

We also see this with Stephen in Acts 7. Acts 7 59 and it says and as they were stoning Steve and he called out Lord Jesus Receive my spirit so you see there with each one of these that you see this idea of a Separating of the material from the immaterial part of man.

You see the separation that occurs When the at the death process from spirit and body. That's important because when we talk about death There's three types of death there's a physical death a Spiritual death and an eternal death.

So let's take a look at each one of these in turn first. We'll start with physical death. This is that the soul that spirit that immaterial part of us does not cease from existence but it does release and that's your blank there it does release from the body that's the idea of physical death that it is a release of the spirit or immaterial part of man from the body or material part of a mankind and so Physical death is the separating of immaterial from material the separating from the spirit From the body.

Okay, so physical death is the separation of the spirit from the body. Okay right now as long as we're alive We are jointed in one soul that is both body and spirit. But a time will come at physical death that our spirit will live on but our body will die decay and go into a grave.

The physical body returns to death. Okay, that is what's true in physical death. The remedy for physical death is the resurrection. That's your blank there the resurrection. That's the remedy. There is a day coming that just like Jesus Christ Bodily rose from the dead.

So you and I will one day Bodily raised from the dead and we look forward to that resurrection in newness of life and say well This is the this is the remedy to physical death. Now one of the things is that remember that the Catholic Church so hated Certain people like John Wycliffe because they had this belief that they would be bodily Resurrected that what they actually did was dig up his body and burn it as if God can't figure out How to put the body back together again.

I mean if they if you leave a body in the grave, the body is going to decay. That is the natural state. It's going to decay. I believe God is capable the God who created the universe out of nothing is capable of recreating our body.

What will it be my 24 year old version of my body, I don't know. I don't care. You won't care whether you have white hair or black hair. You won't care those vain things won't matter. You won't care if you have a big belly or small belly or no belly.

These vain things about our appearance will not be an issue in the eternal state. We won't care. So when we're we will have a resurrected body one day. That is the the remedy for Physical death so physical death again.

It's the separating of the material from the immaterial from the from the spirit is separated from the body. Okay spiritual death. This is the separation of the inner man from a relationship to God as in other words.

It's a separation of our spirit. From God we see this you can look in Ephesians 2 1 to 3 Ephesians chapter 2 Verses 1 to 3 and you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you once walked Following the course of this world Following the Prince of the power of the air.

The spirit that now is at work in the sons of disobedience among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body and The mind and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of Mankind so what he's saying here if you look in the beginning it says you were dead in your trespasses and sins the idea there is There is a death now.

This is not physical death but spiritual death. This is the spiritual death that occurred in Genesis 3 will look at in a moment. But at Genesis 3 when physical death when spiritual death occurred immediately Upon eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

So what you see as we look at this is we end up seeing That it mentions death and we often want to think of physical death, but it's not always physical death. There's different usages of the term death and in this case in Ephesians 2 it's referring to a spiritual death this Separation that we have between our spirit and God that we are born in a state of separation Spiritually from God, so we are born alive physically and One day we will die physically.

That's true for for all people. Except some there's a few that have not suffered death. But what we see is that we will have a physical death one day but Spiritual death is a condition. We're born into we're born spiritually dead.

We're born in this state and Being born in a state of separation from God. In our relationship to God we see that this was primarily the punishment assigned unto Adam. That's your blank there the pun the this is the primary penalty assigned to Adam in at in Genesis chapter 2.

Genesis chapter 2 verse 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day that you eat of it you will surely die now. You know as it says will surely die on that day Adam.

Well on that day Adam did die. He didn't die physically he died Spiritually now I know some people say well the death process began on the day He ate of that the physical decay of the body occurred. Well.

There is that notion where there is a death that started at that point. But he says here that we will die on that day, and I think that death is a spiritual death immediately. Adam knew he was separated from God.

That's why he tries to hide when he hears God's voice in the garden and so what you see is he immediately knew there was a separation between he and God and so when we see that that occurred immediately.

Did physical death eventually occur. Yes? Okay, it did and so as we look at this passage. We see it this was a punishment to Adam. And we see that this was something that Adam did partake of the fruit.

And he did die immediately now all mankind except Christ. That's your blank there except Christ experience visit spiritual death. Jesus Christ did not have a human father therefore he did not experience the sin nature.

He did not experience the separation from God the Father and himself. This is important. This is one of the things we talked about Roman Catholicism and they would argue that Mary had to be born sinless to give birth to a sinless being such as God that presents a problem because then Mary's mother had To be born sinless to give birth to Mary the reality is is Romans 5 12 to 21 Speaks of the fact that sin is passed on from Adam to his children from father to child.

Sin is past the sin nature is passed on this spiritual death is passed on from Adam and Therefore since Jesus Christ did not have a human father He did not have that sin nature and did not have the separation From his spirit to God so he didn't have spiritual death now the remedy I like I said the remedy for the physical death is resurrection.

The remedy for spiritual death is Salvation or regeneration. When we are regenerated we become a new creation. We have entered from death to life from spiritual death to eternal life. Now when we are in a state We're born in a state of spiritual death.

When we die physically in a state of spiritual death we suffer Eternal death and that's the next one eternal death. Eternal death is the spiritual death made permanent by rejecting Christ and suffering that eternal state.

That is what becomes eternal. It makes it eternal. We see this in Revelation 20 14 to 4 15 we see this in Revelation 21 to 8 where all liars will have their place in a lake of Fireworks burns with brimstone, which is called the second death that is a death forever.

This is a death that there is no remedy for that's your blank there. There is no remedy for eternal death. This is something that's permanent. We are all born in a state of spiritual death and one day we will suffer this the state of physical death and if We remain in spiritual death at the time of our physical death that will make permanent that eternal death.

There are no second chances. So the latter-day Saints Church of Jesus Christ. Latter-day Saints also known as Mormons. They have it wrong when they say you will have a second chance. That's not what the Bible says is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment there will be no purgatory.

Where we have a chance to work things off. There is no remedy for eternal death. And let me let me also talk about the origin of death. Where do we see this? Well, we already saw this in Genesis 2 7 man was not created mortal.

Man was not created mortal. That's your blank there man was created immortal. In other words the difference between eternal and immortal eternal means that something that had no beginning had no end. That's God.

He's eternal in both directions. He has no beginning and no ending. We were born like the angels immortal. In other words, we had a beginning and then we live forever. This is the natural state that we have when we look through Genesis chapter 2.

Genesis chapter 3. We see that the state that man was born into or created into was to live forever and the curse of man Affected mankind in such a way that Mankind suffered that they would have a physical death that they suffered a spiritual death immediately and that the curse would bring upon a physical death.

But man was not designed to live For a period of time and then die man was created by God to be immortal to live forever. And our spirit does live on forever. Our spirit does not die so when we looked at the spiritual death and we die physically we if we see that we are going to realize that there is a Physical death that is going to separate our body which goes into a grave from our spiritual part of us that immaterial part of us that lives forever and That's the point we will have a life or that spirit that lives forever it doesn't die and.

And that's why we can see it. It's a point under man wants to die and then a judgment. We're conscious of that. He can Jesus can say to the thief on the cross today. You'll be with me in paradise. You'll be conscious of it.

You will know it even though the body physically dies as the thief suffered that day He would know eternal life because of the fact that he would have a knowledge. Because his spirit continues now the first sin Brought death to mankind death to mankind.

That's your blank there the first sin brought death to mankind. Genesis 5 5 and then Romans 5 12. Genesis 5 5 we see thus all the days of Adam lived were 930 years and he Died. Well, he spiritually died the day he ate of that fruit, which was sometime between.

You know 9 well somewhere within 930 years, right? But you see that he physically died 930 years after he was created. Now as you look at Romans 5 12 It says therefore just as sin came into the world through one man and death Through sin so death spread to all men because all Sinned so you see here that this is that the first sin brought about death unto all of mankind.

When Adam and Eve sinned and specifically Adam when he violated God's law he suffered to death for all of mankind. Okay, so this is something that will we're gonna see as we look into the significance of death.

The Inevitability, Mystery, and Enmity of Death

So let's look at the significance of death first the significance of death for all of humanity. Death is Inevitable you can't avoid it. That's your blank there death is inevitable if we look at Ecclesiastes chapter 2.

Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verses 15 and 16 it says then I said in my heart what happens to the fool Will happen to me also why then have I been so Very wise and I stand in my heart That this also is vanity for of the wise as Of the fool there is no enduring remembrance seeing that in the days to come all Will be long forgotten.

How wise. How the wise dies just like the fool and so you see here is that? Everyone is going to die the wise the fool we can't avoid it the rich the poor you can't avoid it. Everybody is going to physically die one day now everyone's born spiritually dead, but this is speaking of a physical death.

Everybody is going to suffer a physical death. Why. Because of the curse of Adam that was brought into mankind so. This is the thing guys Sorry. But when you're if you're married, and you have children and your wife says these kids are misbehaving, and it's your fault it is.

You are the reason your children have a sin nature. It was passed on from father to child. This is why Jesus had no physical father. He was conceived of a virgin without a human father without human a human male conception.

And that is why he did not suffer spiritual death and did not have a sin nature. So death not only is inevitable. But death is according to Job a deep mystery in Job chapter 14 and verse 14. We see here in Job 14 14 if a man dies shall he live again All the days of my service.

I will wait till my renewal shall come there there is this mystery that occurs and Job is struggling with this. Where he ends up talking is what's going to happen? We don't have all the details and. And so one of the things is we know it affects all of human beings.

But we don't have the clear picture of what happens afterwards as much as we would like. But one thing we do know. Number three death is an enemy. That's your blank there death is an enemy look at it.

What it says in 1st Corinthians 15 verses 25 and 26. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Death is considered to be an enemy an enemy that God will ultimately Put away.

That's speaking of physical death. Now that's an encouragement to the heart of the believer because we look forward to that and say I can't wait Until the this death is gone. I don't have to worry about some of these things of human life.

But to the unbeliever death is scary because death makes permanent that eternal Punishment that eternal state of death that eternal separation from God spiritually. Now that is to all humanity. So every human being will suffer death.

Every human being will have a mystery not known Fully what's after death and every human being will see death as their enemy as an enemy that they look to her. That's true for all of humanity. Although things change when we become a Christian because as a Christian we no longer fear death.

We don't we no longer it loses its sting. We it loses its power over us because we can look forward to death by seeing that we get to be with Christ. But before we're a Christian it is an enemy. It is something that we look to avoid.

Death for the Unbeliever and the Hope of the Believer

Now, let's look specifically at the unsaved of humanity those that are not believers. When we look and when they look at death death means the loss of all that is good and Desirable those are your blanks there.

Death is the loss of all things that are good and Desirable we can see this in Ecclesiastes 5 verses 15 and 16 as He came from his mother's womb. So shall he go again? Naked as he came and Shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away from his hand this Also is a grievous evil just as it came.

So shall he go and What gain is there to him who toils in the wind? So what you see here is you you see this idea to an unbeliever. I Know there's that gentleman who wrote the book your best life now written to Christians.

That's not true. You see that's true only for unbelievers see to the Unbeliever, this is your best life now to the believer. This is your worst life now. But to the unbeliever this is as good as life can be and I hear these people that say I think This life is hell.

This is the punishment. No. There is a worse punishment coming as bad as you think life is here on earth if you die in a state without Christ a worse punishment is coming and So and that's not a fear tactic.

That's just explaining reality. The death means to an unbeliever the loss of everything good and desirable for in death. They will suffer punishment and consequences for breaking God's law. That's not good.

It's not desirable and it's not something that they should look forward to and that's why death is seen as an enemy. Now I want to look at the Old Testament saints Versus New Testament saints. Okay. I'm going to make a distinction here now the Old Testament saints.

So in other words people who in the Old Testament times were believers they they were regenerated. God had saved them and They but they lived in the Old Testament time before Christ because of the the Old Testament Understanding of life and death was limited.

We want to take a look at this death was regarded as a dreadful Experience that's your blank. They're a dreadful experience. Isaiah 33 verses 10 to 12 says now I will rise. Says the Lord now, I will lift myself up now I will be exalted.

You conceive chaff you give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will consume you and the people will be as if burned to lime. Like thorns cut down that are buried in fire. So you see this is not this is not something you look forward to.

Even to the Old Testament saint Isaiah is saying death seems to be a thing you want to avoid. I We understand that physical death is something we want to avoid. And that's kind of truth for the believer as well.

We want to serve God as much as we can here on earth, but it was a dreadful thing in the Old Testament. Another thing of the Old Testament saints is that the fear? Their fear of death caused Bondage their fear of death caused bondage.

Hebrews 2 14 and 15 says since therefore the children share in flesh and Blood he made himself likewise partake of the same thing that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death.

That is the devil and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong Slavery, so this is the idea that this was a to an Old Testament. Saint death was seen as a bondage. That's your blank there.

So not only was it dreadful, but it was also a bondage now God's Revelation that's your blank for letter C. God's Revelation Alleviated some of this bondage we see this in Job for example Job 19 verse 25 to 27 He says for I know that my Redeemer lives and at the last he will stand upon the earth and After my skin has been destroyed yet in my flesh I shall see God whom I see for myself and my eyes shall behold and Not another my heart faints within me you you see here that God reveals Something of death to alleviate the bondage to give even the Old Testament Saint though they didn't have the knowledge of Christ like we do, but they still saw That there was an alleviating of that bondage an alleviating of that dread in death and so it alleviates some of that but it wasn't as clear and this is something we saw if we see throughout scripture is that as God reveals more In that revelation we have a more Better more better.

That's bad English. That's a worse bad English. No. We have a better understanding of certain doctrines why because God has revealed more information. So when we look at the New Testament Saints different from the Old Testament Saints, what do we see?

We see a death is no longer to be feared. Death is no longer feared that's your blank there. No longer feared and we see this we could see this in in Romans chapter 8 in verse 2 Romans 8 2. And in Romans 8 2 it says.

For the law of the Spirit of Life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. So what you see here is that the Holy Spirit sets us free in Jesus Christ. From the law of sin and death sin and death had a fear it caused us to have a fear.

But that fear is alleviated we no longer have that fear. We're free from that fear because of the redemption of Jesus Christ first Corinthians 15 and verses 56 to 57. We see here. It says the sting of death is sin and the power of sin is in the law.

But thanks be to God who gives us the victory Through our Lord Jesus Christ. So what you see here is that there's a sting unto death and the power of that is in the law in other words. The law brings us to the realization that we are going to suffer a consequence for breaking God's law.

That brings a fear of death, but the redemption of Jesus Christ. It removes the sting. It removes the fear. We look forward to death because in death we get to be with Jesus Christ the one whom we love and.

So the fear of death the sting of death the power of death is removed in the New Testament believers life. Letter B is grief. That's your blank there grief is still associated with death though. They're still the issue of death and It's removed the sting is removed.

The grief is not John chapter 11 verses 33 to 35 when when Jesus saw her weeping this is speaking of Mary his mother and the Jews who had come with her also weeping he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled and he said Where have you laid him?

Sorry, this was not Mary. This is Lazarus. Sorry. And he said to him where have you laid him and they said to him Lord come and see and Jesus wept now Jesus knows very well in this passage that he is about to raise Lazarus from the dead.

He knows death for Lazarus is has no Lasting effect at this exact time. He knows he's gonna raise him from the dead. He knows Lazarus will die again, but you see even Jesus is grieved. We see that the widows are grieved over the death of a loved one and to a New Testament believer there is grief.

I Don't think it appropriate to say to New Testament believers that they should have no grief in the death of a loved one who knows Christ because that loved one is with Christ and that's true. The loved one that knows Christ is with Christ.

But it doesn't mean that you and I don't suffer the grief while here on earth. We suffer the loss. We suffer that grief of missing a person that we love and can't speak to again until we see them in the next life.

But that doesn't change the fact. Just because there's a grief doesn't mean that the fear is not removed. It doesn't mean that we should we should be grieving in such a way that we stop living for Christ.

No Christians do not grieve as if those who have no hope that's your blank there first. Thessalonians 4 13. But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers about who are asleep. That you may not grieve as others do who have no hope you see the sleep is the idea of death.

We do not want you to be uninformed brothers about those who are dead. But we don't grieve like them as if we have no hope and that's your blank. There is hope we have a hope we have the hope of an eternal life.

We have a hope that we will be with Christ one day. We have a hope that for those who are believers in Christ. We will see them again for eternity in eternal life. So we have that difference now you say but what about the believer who knows that his?

Unbelieving family or friends are died have died. Can we grieve. Well yes of course we're gonna grieve and we might grieve in a greater way because we know that if they do Not know Christ. They will have to suffer an eternal Consequence internal death and that does grieve us but in book of Revelation it says that God will wipe away every tear.

I think that when we are in the next life We will understand differently the judgment of God and we will understand and though we grieve and though we will clearly have tears Christ will wipe them away, and we won't have tears forever.

I Think we'll understand it. Do we grieve for them? Yes. And we probably grieve in a greater way than the unbelievers would grieve for a lost one. We have hope for us for our saved loved ones, and we have hope for ourself if we're saved.

But we also have a knowledge that those who die without Christ will suffer a consequence a judgment. And that causes us to grieve. But because we know that God is just our grieving is not like the unbelievers.

We do not grieve and and cause it to cause us to to dis To to speak out against God know. What it causes us to do is to realize that we should be a more evangelistic. We should share the gospel with our loved ones.

Remember when we said in the lesson previous lesson. Or two actually where we said that the study of in time should cause us to be more Evangelistically minded we should have more of a outreach to people wanting to tell them the truth of the gospel because we know Where they will spend eternity and this is an example of just that.

We should be mindful of the fact. That when we know they die without Christ. They will suffer a consequence for even more for their sake is the reason we go and we share with them the truth of God's Word and Lovingly and passionately try to can explain to them That they need to repent and let God do what God will do.