Well, all good things must come to an end, and thus it is with our series “Who Am I?” I hope you are better able to answer the question of this series for yourselves and to help others find their way to the correct biblical answer. Our previous post (Their End) in this series was dark and hard to write and read. We dealt with the destiny of the ungodly, both humans and spiritual beings. As you recall, it is one of eternal darkness, separation, and torment.
Yet unlike the Doors’ “The End”—a very strange, sad, and tragic song—we have a better answer for our end. This article is not a full look at end-times matters (eschatology). We will look at what is ahead for those of us in Christ briefly surveying our fate immediately after death, what the final judgment will be like—yes, there is a judgment even for the Saved—and what our final destiny will be.
As we saw in our previous post, the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades refer to the same place. Without reexamining all that we have already covered, remember that by the first century it came to be understood that Hades was divided into two sections. One section for the Lost and one for the people of God.
The parable (Lk 16:19-31) of the rich man and poor Lazarus (not Jesus’ friend who was raised from the dead in John 11) is again instructive. Lazarus “died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.” A brief time later, “The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment.”
Looking at the parable from the side of Lazarus this time, we see he is in the section of Hades reserved for God’s people (this is before Jesus’ resurrection and ascension). Some will call this section “paradise.” While this term is used of Heaven in the NT (Lk 23:43; 2 Cor 12:3; Rev 2:7), some will use it for this godly section of Hades to differentiate it from the side of torment. The section where the ungodly reside is also termed Hades, thus Hades refers to the whole place of the dead and also that portion of it reserved for the ungodly.
Lazarus is conscious of where he is, who he is (his self-identity) and that he is dead. There is no idea of “soul sleep” in the Bible, where a person after death is unconscious or disconnected from time so that the next thing he is aware of is the end times. There are numerous uses of “sleep” for death. Jesus and Paul refer to death as sleep (Lk 8:52; I Cor 15:6). There are also references to OT kings “sleeping with their fathers.’ These are synonyms for death. Their purpose is to emphasis death is not the end but a step into different temporary state of being before one enters their eternal destination.
Lazarus remembers the rich man and is comforted by Abraham. It is made clear one cannot go over to the place of the ungodly, nor can the ungodly come over to paradise. While the picture might make you think Lazarus has a physical body, this would be a misreading. Yet it does seem that a soul does have a type of “physical” form, but it is not a true physical body. The dead do not get a new body until the future resurrection. Whatever the soul is, it is not a formless vapor. Nor should we think of them as ghosts. It seems souls do have a form and structure, yet this may be a compromised view to help our limited understanding of that which is beyond our experience.
As Christ completes His work, He takes the OT saints with Him to Heaven. Those of us who have lived after Christ’s ascension now join Him in Heaven immediately upon our deaths. Paul tells us in Philippians 1:21-23 that to depart from this life is to be with Christ. Yet like Hades, the current Heaven is not our ultimate home, nor is the disembodied state deceased saints are in now.
As humans, God designs us to be both soul and body (some would include spirit, see our post, More Than Flesh and Bones. Humans are not souls trapped in bodies. We are innately both body and soul. To be just a soul without a body is to be “naked.” Even in this life, we know we are not complete. Paul compares our current condition to us being in a tent, for we do not yet have our complete, glorified body. “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked.” (2 Cor 5:1–3).
So, the first step for the Saved in the afterlife is our soul goes to Heaven immediately at our death. We are in heaven glorifying God with the rest of the deceased saints. As with most things related to the afterlife, the Bible gives us very little detail, especially about Heaven. It is interesting Jesus says much more about Hell than Heaven. It is our soul that is in Heaven. We will not have a new body until the resurrection. To be clear we do not get wings or become angels. Angels, both godly angels and fallen angels are a different order of creation. We stay human.
We will put aside the question of the rapture—that is a discussion for a more in-depth study of Eschatology—and go directly to the next major event: the resurrection. When Jesus Christ saved us, He saved all of us, body and soul. While this sin saturated body we live in now will be put aside, we await a new body like Jesus had after His resurrection.
I Thessalonians is most helpful in understanding our resurrection. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thes 4:16–18) also see 1 Corinthians 15:50–58. When God is ready, Christ will come, boldly and publicly (Matt 24:27; Rev 1:7). The resurrection of the saint has two parts that happen in quick succession.
First, the body of saints who have already died at that point will be brought together and changed to a new resurrected body. We are not told, nor does it matter, how God is going to do this. It does not matter if you were cremated, lost at sea, or donated your organs to help others. God is going to create a new body that will be perfect; yet, fundamentally we will look like ourselves. It will be our body, better but still ours. While imperfections will be remedied, it will not be a stranger’s body. As Jesus was recognized in His glorified body, so we will also be recognizable in ours.
Second, those saints who are still alive on earth at the time of His return, will be changed in a “twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor 15:52) into an imperishable, immortal, and incorruptible body. What was said above about the new bodies of the saints who had died before Christ’s return is also true for this group of saints. We will then be with Christ forever. No more sin, no more separation from saved loved ones who went before us and most importantly no more separation from God and Jesus. We will be forever in their presence!
Despite all this joy and celebration there is a judgment for the saints of God.
“For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Cor 3:11–15)
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Cor 5:10).
But this is not a judgment like the great white throne judgment of the Lost. Heaven does not stand in the balance. The reason we are at this judgment with God and other saints is that our destiny is assured in Christ. There is no question of our eternal destiny with Christ. Yet we will be judged for how we have lived our Christian life. What we have truly done for Christ, God will reward; what was done for self will be burned up, no reward, no credit. There will be sadness to realize who is not in Heaven with us and shame and disappointment over a deeper realization of the quality of life we lived.
There will be shame and hurt over the wasted life we lived, over those lost for eternity. But this is not the end of the story. Our future is not one of shame, guilt, or tears. “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”” (Revelation 21:4).
It is after this that we go to our final destination, a new heaven and new earth made for a new people, a resurrected people. I will conclude with John’s description of our final destination. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” (Revelation 21:1–3) (2 Pt 3:10). I have nothing I can add to that glorious picture!
Until the next time we see you here at CultivatingFaith.org, God Bless! #CultivatingFaithOrg