QUESTION: Is there a purgatory or intermediate place we go to before heaven?
ANSWER: The essence of this question seems to be, do believers who die immediately go to be with the Lord or do they go into a state of slumber (unconscious waiting) or to a place that is not heaven -- purgatory or paradise -- to consciously wait before they go to heaven.
First, let's talk about purgatory. This is a Catholic doctrine that arose in the Middle Ages. The belief was that the wicked would immediately go to hell, but that only those of the righteous who were free from every stain of sin, were admitted at once into heaven (martyrs and a favored few fell into this catagory). The rest of the "normal" believers would need further purification and go to purgatory for as long as needed to be completely purged of their sin. The doctrine of purgatory is at odds with New Testament teachings that are summed up in Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast." We are not made righteous before God by our good works, but by the grace that we find in the cross of Jesus Christ and his salvation. Purgatory is not a biblical doctrine.
Second, let's talk about paradise. Some think that believers die and go to an intermediate state called paradise, based on a parable told by Jesus in Luke 16:19-31 about a rich man who dies and goes to hell and has a discussion with Abraham who he sees in paradise. The idea here is that after death Christians go to a place called paradise that isn't quite as good as heaven and the wicked go to place called hades that isn't quite as bad as hell. There, everyone waits until the Final Judgment where they go to their eternal destinies. There is really no scriptural evidence for this outside of this parable. It is dangerous to base detailed theolgy on parables which are nearly always fictional stories with a "moral of the story" point. The New Testament actually uses heaven and paradise interchangably. "I was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether my body was there or just my spirit, I don't know; only God knows. But I do know that I was caught up into paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be told." 2 Cor 12:2-4 (NLT). Revelation 2:7 also uses the word paradise as a synonym for heaven. There is no convincing evidence that paradise is anything other than another name for heaven.
Third, let's talk about the doctrine that after death the soul goes to sleep until the final judgment. The scriptural support for such a doctrine rests (no pun intended) in the times the New Testament uses sleep to describe death (Matt 9:24; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:51). Most scholars believe that sleep is used only as a euphemistic expression for death to emphasize the comfort, peace and hope in the resurrection we have as believers when we die. There is no evidence at all that believers move into an unconscious state of any kind after they die. Paul says, "Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord." 2 Cor 5:8 (NLT) In other words, immediately when our soul leaves our physical body it is at home with the Lord.
In conclusion, while there can be some real confusion over the idea of going to an intermediate state after death and before our final destination in heaven I believe that the overwhelming scriptural evidence supports the idea that upon death we immediately go to be with God.
-Kevin
Question: What is the resurrection of the dead at the "last day"?
Answer: Scripture teaches that there will be a resurrection of the dead during the events of the second coming (1 Cor. 15:23, Phil 3:20-21) and the Final Judgment (John 5:28-29, Acts 24:15, Revelation 20:13-15).
The obvious question is how can the dead not be raised until the "last day" if they have already gone to heaven or hell immediately upon their death?
This resurrection focuses on the physical resurrection of the body. In other words, the soul resurrects immediately upon death and goes either to Heaven or Hell (see above answer), but on the final day the physical bodies of the dead will be resurrected. This point about the physical resurrection is clearly taught in 1 Corinthians 15 where we are told that the bodies we get at this resurrection (at Jesus' 2nd Coming v. 23) will share the identity of our old bodies, but be much better - "Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power. They are natural human bodies now, but when they are raised, they will be spiritual bodies." 1 Cor 15:43-44 (NLT)
This may bring up a concern about what happens to our physical bodies after we die. If we need to use them again shouldn't we take great care to keep them in good condition? Fortunately, it appears that God is able to take disintegrated bodies and supernaturally raise them and transform them. I don't think Christians should be concerned about giving body parts to science or getting creamated. Afterall, even buried bodies eventually decompose.
There is a little disagreement about whether the bodies of unbelievers and believers will be raised at the same time. This depends on whether you believe the 2nd Coming of Jesus and the Final Judgment are at the same time or if there is a 1,000 year millinium in between. (Not going to explain the millinium here - it is a question for another time.) If the two events are at the same time the resurrection of all bodies will occur at once. If there is a gap between the Second Coming and the Final Judgment than the believers' bodies will resurrect at the Second Coming and the nonbelievers' bodies will resurrect at the Final Judgment.
-Kevin
Question: Are there really two judgments?
Answer: The first judgment has to do with our relationship with Jesus Christ and the second judgment - or Final Judgment has to do with our works.
The first judgment is probably referenced in Hebrews 9:27 - "Just as man is destined to
die
once, and after that to face judgment." I say probably because the emphasis on the statement is not that there is only one judgment, but only one death. In other words, the phrase "face judgment" may refer to both judgments after death and not one particular event. However, what leads me to believe that this verse is referring to the first judgment is because the whole context of the passage has to do with our relationship with Jesus and in particular his sacrificial death on our behalf. This is clearly not the same emphasis at the Final Judgment which deals with our works. Several theologians I read stated that this first judgment is private, immediately follows death, and pertains only to the soul and not to the body also. Again this judgment only is interested in the answer to the question: did you accept Jesus' death on the cross on your behalf and have a saving relationship with him.
The Final Judgment ("Final" implies that there was at least one judgment prior to it) clearly happens at the end of time as told in Matthew 13:40-43; Matthew 25:19-46; 2 Thess 1:7-10; 2 Peter 3:9-10 and Revelation 20:11-13. This judgment is for both the wicked and the righteous, will be public, will involve judment of both soul and body, and will be based on deeds. This idea may cause considerable discomfort for believers who thought their "sins" were paid for at the cross. There is a difference between judgment and condemnation. While the work of believers will be judged or evaluated at the Final Judgment, we won't be condemned or suffer any punishment for the times we messed up. That's because Jesus died for our sins. Perhaps at the Final Judgment believers will feel more gratitude for what Jesus did on the cross than at any other time. Conversely, at the Final Judgment good works will be recognized too. At least 25 times in the New Testament believers are told that there will be rewards in heaven for obedience. The Final Judgment will be much different for nonbelievers. They will be judged according to their works and will have no one to defend their sins. Jesus' sacrifical death will not be applied to them and they will indeed be condemned for their wicked deeds.
-Kevin
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