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BY THE AUTHOR
Dr. W. Robert Cook, Th.D
For those we love within the veil,
who once were comrades of our way,
We thank Thee, Lord; for they have won to Cloudless day;
And life for them is life indeed,
The splendid goal of earth's straight race;
And where no shadows intervene
They see Thy face.
William Charter Piggott (1872-1943)
The study of last things is usually considered under two broad sub-headings: individual and general eschatology. Individual eschatology, since it deals with matters of personal destiny, deals, in turn, with physical death, the immortality of the soul and the intermediate state.
I. Physical Death
Modern man has found many ingenious ways to mask, avoid, or even deny the reality of death. However, "An undeniable fact about the future of every person is the inevitability of death." [i] This is the common testimony of both the Old and New Testaments. God said to Adam, "... you are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen. 3:19), while the Epistle to the Hebrews (9:27) declares "... it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment."
A. Introductory Considerations
1. The use of the term "death" in scripture
The word "death" is used in several ways in the bible. It is frequently used to refer to:
a) Physical death
This usage is found in passages which describe a separation of the body from the immaterial part, of man (Gen. 35:18; Eccles. 12:7; Luke 23:46; John 19:30; Acts 7:59; James 2:26) and in passages which describe a departure from this life (Phil. 1:23-24; Luke 9:31; 2 Pet. 1:15). Note the use of exodus in the last two references. This Greek term means "a going out, a departure" and contemplates death as a way of going from one phase of existence to another.
b) Spiritual death
It is also used to refer to spiritual death (Eph. 2:1, 5, 12). This is the condition of the unbeliever, due to sin, whereby he is separated from God.
c) Eternal death
A related but distinct usage is when it refers to eternal death (Rev. 20:13-15; 21:8; cf. 2 Thess. 1:8-9). This is designated as a second death and confirms the destiny of the unbelieving in a state of separation from God and his life. The physical death of the spiritually dead is followed by resurrection to a permanent second state of death.
d) Practical death
Finally, it may be used to refer to practical death. The daily practice of the believer will give evidence of death in one of the following two senses.
1)He will be dead to sin (Rom. 6:6-7, 11; cf. Col. 2:20-3:4; Rom. 7:4-6)
According to these passages the believer is separated from sin when he is made alive to God in Christ. Thus, he is under no more obligation to serve sin.
2)He may be alive to sin (Rom. 8:6; cf. Gal. 6:7-8; 1 John 3:14)
This is the experience of the believer who is living in unconfessed sin, separated from the blessing (fellowship) of God. Since this aspect of death is non-eschatological it will not be developed further.
2. Comparisons and contrasts of the three (eschatological) kinds of death
a) The truth common to all: each involves separation of two things God intended to be joined.
b) Extent
i. Physical death is the usual experience of all mankind. Exceptions are Enoch, Elijah, and believers still living at Christ's return (see 1 Cor. 15:51-53).
ii. Spiritual death is the experience of all mankind. Jesus Christ is the only exception.
iii. Eternal death is the experience of all the unbelieving who depart this life unsaved. There are no exceptions.
c) Remedy
i. The remedy for physical death is resurrection.
ii. For spiritual death it is the gift of eternal life from God.
iii. There is no remedy for eternal death.
B. The Nature of Physical Death
Physical death is the separation of the material (body) from the immaterial (soul and spirit) part of man. This may be viewed from two standpoints.
1. The physical standpoint
Physical death is that point at which life in the body ceases (Matt. 10:28; Luke 12:4-5; John 13:37-38) and at which dissolution and decay begins (cf. John 11:30). It is when the body is vacated of the spirit (Eccles. 12:7; James 2:26).
2. The metaphysical standpoint
Physical death introduces man's soul and spirit into a condition of conscious existence as an interim between death and resurrection (Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 6:9- 11. This will be developed further below).
C. The Cause of Physical Death
Physical death may be rightly traced to three interrelated causes. It is most important to note that the following are not three separate or independent causes of death.
1. It is the result of physical or natural causes, (Ps. 90:10; 103:15-16)
Note the many recorded incidents of death in scripture where natural causes are identified, e.g., Job 1:13-19; Luke 13:1, 4.
2. It is the result of moral cause, namely sin, (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12, 21; 1 Cor. 15:21, 26, 56)
Hebrews 2:14 identifies the moral agent—the devil—who wields the power of death destructively (although within bounds established by God, Job 2:1-6). Romans 5:12 and 1 Corinthians 15:21 clearly establish the fact that physical death came from man's sin. This, in turn, demonstrates that physical death "was not part of God's original intention for humankind." [ii]
3. It is the result of divine cause, (Job 1:21; Luke 12:5; Rev. 1:18; see also 1 John 5:16-17)
That God is the ultimate cause of death follows from the fact that death is the punishment for sin as established by God, (Gen. 3:19; Rom. 1:32; Heb. 9:27). The gravity and importance of this interrelationship is so great that it is not even reversed for the believer. This, of course, leads to the question, Why do the justified die? A. A. Hodge answers as follows:
Justification changes the entire federal relation of its subject to the law, and raises him forever above all the penal consequences of sin. Death, therefore, while remaining a part of the penalty of the unsatisfied law in relation to the unjust, is like all the other afflictions changed, in relation to the justified, into an element of improving discipline. It is made necessary for them from the present constitution of the body, while it is to both body and soul the gateway of heaven. [iii]
God's dramatic statement regarding sin is allowed to stand and he meets that particular need for the Christian by deliverance through death rather than from it (John 11:25-26). See 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 for the exception, where Paul describes a whole generation of believers who will be "changed" instantaneously without passing through death.
The encouraging, word for believers, even though as justified ones they are yet susceptib1e to physical death, is that the aspect of punishment is gone in light of the fact that Jesus Christ has borne their penalty.
D. The Significance of Physical Death
1. Its significance for mankind in general
i. It is a part of man's appointment (Heb. 9:27) and we should plan for the future with this in mind.
ii. It is contrary to God's intended order since it is his enemy (1 Cor. 15:25-26)
iii. In Satan's hands it is the cause of enslaving fear (Heb. 2:14-15)
2. The significance for the unbelieving
i. It is the loss of their greatest good (Eccles. 5:15-16; 8:15; Isa. 22:13; Luke 12:16-21; 1 Cor. 15:32).
ii. Since unbelieving mankind is cut off from saving access to the grace of God at physical death they are likewise cut off from the only eternal good; that is from God himself. This life, then, no matter what it holds of good or ill, is the greatest good an unbeliever will ever know.
iii. It is an escape from the evils of life (Job 7:15; Rev. 9:6; cf. Job 1:7-9) to the evils of death and judgment.
iv. It is the entry way to divine judgment (Heb. 9:27; Rev. 20:11-15; cf. Matt. 7:13) and inexorable once experienced.
3. Its significance for the believing
a) Old Testament revelation
Prior to the first advent of Christ, revelation regarding physical death was limited in two ways.
1)As regards resurrection
The grave was feared because of limited revelation and understanding of resurrection. Compare Job 10:20-22 and 19:25-27; Isaiah 38:1-20 and 25:6-8; Psalm 6:1-5 and 16:7-11; 116:1-19. See also Hosea 13:14.
While there is ample evidence that Old Testament believers had some hope of blessedness after death (see e.g., Num. 23:10; Ps. 17:15; 49:14- 15; 73:24; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2-3, 13) the transition from death to blessedness by way of bodily resurrection was apparently not fully understood.
2)As regards God's redemptive purposes
The grave was feared because of limited revelation regarding God's plan to render Satan impotent (Heb. 2:14-15).
Why this limitation in understanding? Because it was only through the gospel that life and immortality would be brought to light (2 Tim. 1:10).
b) New Testament revelation
With the completion of revelation in the New Testament two important aspects of this doctrine are addressed.
1)The fear of death is removed
i. Because we are freed from its control (Rom. 8:2; 1 Cor. 3:21-23).
ii. Because it does not alter our relationship with Christ (Rom. 8:38-39; 14:8).
iii. Because its effect is only temporary (Rom. 8:23; John 6:40). We will all become incorruptible and immortal either by resurrection or rapture (1 Cor. 15:51-57).
iv. Because Jesus Christ has abolished death and supplanted it with life (2 Tim. 1:10).
v. Because he has delivered us from the slavery of the fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15).
vi. Because he has assured us of victory over man's last enemy (death) (1 Cor. 15:26, 54-57).
vii. By dying on the cross, being thus made a curse for us, he redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13).
2)The significance of death is clarified
i. Thereby God in some cases disciplines a church or an individual believer (1 Cor. 11:27-32; cf. Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 John 5:16-17).
ii. Thereby (except for the last generation of Christians) we are changed to incorruptibility and immortality (1 Cor. 15:52-53).
iii. Thereby we "gain" the presence of Christ (Phil. 1:21-23; cf. 2 Cor. 5:8).
Despite man's abhorrence for death, and all the charades through which he goes in trying to avoid its inevitability, it continues to force its stark reality upon his consciousness. It must be reckoned with, but since the sophisticated twentieth century pagan rejects the light of revealed religion he has come up with his own substitute in the form of thanatology.
This evidences itself in a variety of ways, often under the guise of scientific or social scientific experimentation or approval. Included would be such things as the justification of abortion on demand; euthanasia; certain forms of spiritism involving communication with the dead; and the case studies collected in recent years of debriefings from individuals who have purportedly returned to life after death.
As the tenets of humanism permeate our society more and more, there is increasing advocacy for and exercise of so-called "death with dignity." As Carl Henry observes, "since terminal suffering is considered foolish and cowardly, suicide may be preferred as a 'rational' option; 'death with dignity' becomes associated with euthanasia, that is with administering death to someone suffering with an incurable, distressing disease." [iv] Supposedly, the person who commits suicide or administers euthanasia because of the deterioration of the quality of life has performed a noble and praiseworthy act.
Henry continues,
To say either that fullness of life is to be measured by length of days or is attested by readiness to hasten death in times of affliction reflects, as Paul Ramsey observes, a naturalistic detachment of human life from the issues of good and evil; it betrays a failure to comprehend the unique and once-for-all significance of each person's span of earthly existence. [v] When the span of existence is shortened to exclude life beyond death, we are no longer dealing with human existence in its full sense. Ramsey warns that much of the contemporary "right to die" mood actually erodes human dignity under the bold claim of promoting it. [vi] Ramsey is saying that if the dying die with dignity, it must be largely so on the basis of their own character; stopping respirators, for example, will not do it, for suffering with dignity is as much a part of life as is death. [vii]
As serious as this misguided approach to death may be, however, the consequences for an unbeliever are far more serious than the prostitution of human dignity. As Henry warns, "For the prideful pagan, death with dignity... involves no reckoning with God and eternity; any thought of sin and judgment is deliberately pushed aside from conscience and the mind." [viii] This seems to be based upon the assumption that this life is the only reality and death is the end of existence.
The scriptures, however, reveal that "physical death does not mean human extinction or cessation of consciousness; far less does it mean an end to moral accountability. It means, rather, an end of spiritual decision making and the sealing of human destiny on the basis of life's choices: 'Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment' (Heb. 9:27, NIV)." [ix]
The question remains, is every form of euthanasia under any circumstance contrary to Christian principles? Before a reasonable answer can be given several factors need to be noted.
First of all, it is to be observed that there are four categories of euthanasia. It may be active, wherein some step is taken to terminate life, or passive, wherein the person is allowed to die by simply withholding or discontinuing any treatment that would prolong life. Furthermore, each of these may be experienced either voluntarily or involuntarily. [x] Active euthanasia is generally illegal, being viewed as either murder or suicide, while passive euthanasia, especially with the consent or prior consent of the sufferer, is increasingly exercised today.
Secondly, there are some biblical principles which have bearing on the issue which must be considered. It is quite clear in scripture that the unauthorized taking of life is proscribed. This means that murder (and by extension suicide) is contrary to biblical teaching, but that the exercise of the power of "the sword” by legitimately constituted government is not. See such passages as Genesis 9:5-6; Exodus 20:13, 21:12, cf. Matthew 19:18 and Romans 13:9; 13:1-4.
The Bible also teaches us that God is sovereign over all things, including the giving and taking of life (Job 1:21; Ps. 31:15; Rev. 1:18). Also, he who is sovereign in birth and death is sovereign as the provider of the means to sustain and prolong life (1 Tim. 4:4; 6:17). Sometimes he provides and sometimes he does not but his sovereignty must be respected in any case.
In light of this data it is quite tenuous to argue that in any given case the "sanctity of life" should prevail or that "natural causes" should be allowed to take their course. Also, it is seriously questionable as to whether active forms of euthanasia are ever appropriate (with the possible exception of a "lesser of evils" circumstance). While the exercise of passive euthanasia may well be legitimate in some circumstances the many variables involved should call for extreme caution on its use. The use of "heroic measures" is justified when 'the question of the prolongation of life under natural means remains unanswered. When "heroic measures” do no more than artificially sustain apparent signs of life they are seriously questionable.
The argument that euthanasia promotes "death with dignity" gains unmerited sympathy from recent efforts to prolong life artificially for texminal1y ill patients who can no longer recognize family and friends, cannot eat or drink, or even breathe, or carry on excretory functions independently, and for whose recovery no known medical hope remains. Where the terminally ill person continues to live beyond all medical prognostication under his or her own resources, the Christian family may with good reason hesitate to approve deliberate life-suppression measures, demonstrating thereby the compassion for the weak that distinguishes the Christian from the pagan community, and trusting the sovereign God who preserves life may intervene by way of special providence. But one is surely not called upon to sustain life artificially in the hope science may suddenly find a cure; we are responsible for what we know or could have known, but not for what we cannot know, even in our relationships with loved ones. The unbeliever can least afford to make a mistake in the matter of responsibility for taking a fellow unbeliever's life; the Christian, as one on speaking terms with God who forgives the failures of the contrite, knows that at death a fellow-believer passes to a better world and reward. [xi]
II. The Immortality of the Soul (Person)
A. The concept of Immortality
While this doctrine is presupposed throughout scripture (see below) it is only through the light of the gospel that it is brought into full view, (2 Tim. 1:10).
Initially, it may appear that immortality cannot be predicated of human beings in light of 1 Timothy 6:15-16 where Paul asserts that God "alone possesses immortality." A comparison of this passage with 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, however, shows that the statement in 1 Timothy 6:16 must be qualified in some sense. The same terminology is used in both passages (athanasia). Two views of immortality are being set forth. On the one hand, we are taught that God is immortal in the absolute sense of the term. This is a similar statement to that in John 5:26 which states that "the Father has life in Himself." On the other hand, the immortality of any creature, whether spirit or human being, is derived and contingent. [xii] Immortality is necessary and without qualification for God alone.
The consistent testimony of scripture is that the body is mortal and is rendered immortal only by way of death and resurrection (or by the rapture). The immaterial part of man, on the other hand, is created immortal. This is not an independent or intrinsic quality and does not render it superior to the body. Human beings are to be viewed as whole persons, not simply bodies or souls. Any rupture between the two, such as that brought by death, is unnatural and temporary.
This quality of immortality is variously designated for the just and the unjust. For the just, it is called "eternal life" (Rom. 2:7), a condition experienced only on the basis of personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ (see John 17:3). For the unjust, it is variously called “wrath and indignation” (Rom. 2: 8), "eternal destruction" (2 Thess. 1:9), and the "second death" (Rev. 21:8).
B. Biblical Evidence for Immortality of the Soul (Person)
1. Prohibition of consultation with the dead, (Lev. 19:31; 20:27; Deut. 18:11; Isa. 8:19)
It is implied that this is evil because it involves demonic activity and that there are conscious departed human beings with whom such communication may indeed be possible.
2. The translation of certain saints into God's presence alive, (Gen. 5:24; cf. Heb. 11:5; 2 Kings 2:11; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; 1 Thess. 4:15-17)
Enoch, Elijah and that generation of saints living at the rapture were or will be ushered alive into God's presence.
3. The God-given anticipation of eternity in the presence of the Lord, (Eccles. 3:11; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:21-24)
4. The doctrine of the resurrection of the body
Our Lord interpreted Exodus 3:6 in Luke 20:37-38 as teaching that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will be raised and therefore that God "is not God of the dead but of the living.” Thus the resurrection of the body is proof of the immortality of the soul, for the resurrected body is a living person rather than an empty shell. [xiii]
5. The continued conscious existence of the immaterial part of man following death, (Ps. 16:10; 49:15; Eccles. 12:7; Hos. 13:14; Luke 23:43)
6. The conscious experience of bliss or condemnation in eternity, (Isa. 25:8; Matt. 11:21-24; 12:41; John 14:3; Rom. 2:5-11; 2 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 20:12-15; 21:3-8)
III. The Intermediate State
A. Introduction
1. Definition
The intermediate state is that period of conscious human existence between death and the resurrection of the body.
i. Note carefully that it is a "state" not place that is intermediate. The righteous enjoy bliss (Ps. 16:10-11; Provo 15:24; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23) and the wicked experience punishment (Luke 16:19-24; 2 Pet. 2:9) in this state.
ii. It is an interim situation. This is proven by the fact that the resurrection is yet future (John 5:28-29; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13- 17; 2 Tim. 2:18).
2. Sources of information
The following are not necessarily mutually exclusive although reason and experience must always be evaluated by revelation.
a) Reason
It is very natural that many would ask, and attempt to answer, questions about the immediate as well as the ultimate destiny of those who die. Because man is imago dei this is a reasonable exercise and his answers should be noted. At the same time, even the most astute philosophers have fallen intellects. Consequently, their conclusions cannot be accepted as independently reliable.
b) Experience
Recently, carefully documented studies have been conducted of those who have apparently become clinically dead, have been revived and have described the intervening experience. The data are, however, conflicting and thus inconclusive regarding the experience between the two times of consciousness. This may be accounted for on at least two bases.
On the one hand, there is confusion on the part of the subject as to just what did happen and its meaning; on the other, the observer may easily misunderstand or misinterpret the described experience for a variety of reasons.
c) Revelation
The only reliable source of such information is divine revelation in propositional form. This alone is God-breathed and therefore free from error, pre-judgment, and misunderstanding.
B. The Biblical Teaching
1. The state of mankind between death and resurrection
i. The righteous consciously enjoy-God's presence and goodness (Ps. 16:10-11; Prove 15:24; Luke 23:43, cf. 2 Cor. 12:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 5:10; Rev. 6:9-11. See also Matt. 17:3; 22:32; Rev. 14:13).
ii. The wicked consciously experience torment (Isa. 14:9-11; Luke 16:23-25; 2 Pet. 2:9).
2. The use of the terms Sheol and Hades
This is a difficult area about which to be certain. There is much divergence of opinion about the significance of these terms.
a) The meaning of the terms
i. The Hebrew word, sheol, is of disputed derivation. It may derive from a term meaning depth or abyss although some lexicons connect it etymologically with a Hebrew verb meaning "to ask," suggesting that it is a place that is never satisfied with its numbers, always asking for more dead.
ii. The Greek term, hades, was apparently viewed by the translators of the Septuagint as an equivalent (cf. Acts 2:27 and Ps. 16:10) since "the word 'sheol' was translated into Greek by hadēs sixty-one times in the LXX." [xiv] It means “the unseen world.”
iii. An examination of usage shows that no one translation can capture every sense the terms are intended to convey. [xv]
b) References to the state of death
This seems to be an abstract sense, referring to the realm of death, which is experienced by both the righteous and the wicked without distinction (1 Sam. 2:6; Ps. 89:48, cf. Ps. 49:15; Hos. 13:14. See also Gen. 37:35; Ps. 9:17; 16:10; 31:17; Isa. 38:10; Jonah 2:2; Matt. 11:23).
c) References to a literal locality
This is more problematic, but it may be that some passages equate sheol with the grave (e.g., Gen. 42:38; 44:29; 1 Kings 2:6, 9; Job 14:13; Ps. 6:5). Perhaps these passages are best understood as also relating to the state of death. A stronger support for a second, more local sense, comes from passages which seem to indicate sheol as a place of sharp distinction as the abode of the wicked as over against the righteous. Compare such passages as Proverbs 5:5; 15:11; 27:20; Ecclesiastes 9:10 with Numbers 23:10; Psalm 16:11; 17:15; 73:24; Proverbs 14:32; 15:24.
d) The problem thus created
Because of the tenuousness of the second category of uses, and the apparent inclusion in Sheol/ Hades of both the righteous and the wicked together some resolution of this tension seems necessary.
e) Suggested solutions
1)Two compartments in Sheol/Hades
It is taught by some that prior to the resurrection of Christ there were within the one realm of the departed two distinct places and conditions. For the wicked this was the "lowest part of Sheol," Deuteronomy 32:22, which was a compartment of torment; while for the righteous it was Paradise or Abraham's bosom, Luke 16:22; 23:43, which was a compartment of rest and comfort. A similar concept was set forth in contemporary Jewish writings, as well (e.g., 1 Enoch 22:9).
This is based primarily on Luke 16:19-31. The incident described allows for sight and communication between two distinct abodes of the dead which are separated by "a great chasm."
Following the Apostle's Creed, it is also taught that after his death our Lord descended into Hades and made a proclamation to the dead regarding the completed work of redemption on the cross. This is said to be a message of victory for the righteous dead and of judgment for the wicked. Ephesians 4:9 and 1 Peter 3:18-19 are appealed to in support. Needless to say, these are both much disputed passages as to proper interpretation. Ephesians 4:9 in all likelihood refers to the incarnation and 1 Peter 3:18-19 probably refers to the events surrounding the Noahic Flood, only, and thus have no bearing on the issue at hand.
At this point, it is said that Christ emptied Hades of all the righteous and removed Paradise to heaven where all the departed righteous go immediately today (Phil. 1:23; 2 Cor. 5:8).
2)Sheol/Hades is a realm
Luke 16:19-31 may also be interpreted as describing the realm of death which for the righteous is bliss and for the wicked is torment. The term(s), then, is a general one describing the state between death and resurrection from the limited human standpoint, while the specific experiences of the departed are the divinely given details.
Erickson suggests "that upon death believers go immediately to a place and condition of blessedness, and unbelievers to an experience of misery, torment, and punishment."
He further proposes, acknowledging the lack of definitive evidence that "it is likely that these are the very places to which believers and unbelievers will go after the great judgment.... Yet while the place of the intermediate and final states may be the same, the experiences of paradise and Hades are doubtlessly not as intense as what will ultimately be ...." [xvi]
A. A. Hodge concurs with this latter statement as he notes that "this intermediate differs from the final state of the redeemed—(1.) Because of the absence of the body. (2.) Because redemption is not yet realized in its final stage." [xvii]
C. Errors Regarding the Intermediate State
1. Purgatory: Limbus patrum; Limbus Infantum
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the souls of those who are not perfectly pure of sin at death must experience an undetermined time of cleansing in purgatory before experiencing the beatific vision of God. [xviii]
This period may be shortened by papal indulgence, prayers for the dead, the good works of the faithful