Out of the Wilderness and into the Promises of God
Out of the Wilderness of the Fear of Death And into the Promise of Eternal Life with Jesus (Part 1)
Where are they now?
“Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Promise of Jesus to the repentant thief; Lk. 23:43)
7 Stages of Existence:
- Foreknown (Jer. 1:5; Rom. 8:29)
- Conception (Ps. 139:13-16)
- Physical earthly life (Ps. 139:16)
- Body death—separation of material and immaterial (Heb. 9:27)
- Intermediate state (Pre-resurrection heavenly life* --Ps. 139:18; Lk. 23:43; Jn. 14:2; 2 Cor. 5:8)
- Resurrection of body (1 Cor. 15:50-54; 1 Thess. 4:16)
- Final eternal state on new earth (Rev. 21:1-4, 9-10)
When a person dies (stage 4), the soul goes to a place (stage 5); that place is an intermediate one.
When a person dies (Heb. 9:27)
...it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
- The immaterial (soul) separates from the material (body) (Jas. 2:26)
- The material dies and returns to dust because of sin (Rom. 5:12; 6:23)
- The immaterial (soul) lives (Lk. 12:4-5)
The Soul goes to a Place—the present heaven
“Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Lk. 23:43)
- Unbelievers go to a place of torment (Hell) (Lk. 16:19-31)
- Believers immediately go to “paradise”, “a place” (Jn. 14:2), a “heavenly dwelling” (2 Cor. 5:2), a “building from God” (2 Cor. 5:1); “the Father’s house” (Jn. 14:2); “at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8)
Where/what is paradise?
The ancient Greek translators of the OT use the word paradise to refer to Eden (Gen. 2:8; Ezk. 28:13) where God was with man.
Genesis 2:8
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
Ezekiel 28:13
You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz,
onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you
were created they were prepared.
And in Eden was the tree of life.
Genesis 2:9
...In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The apostle John saw the “tree of life” which is in the “paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7; 22:2) in the “new Jerusalem coming down from heaven” to the new earth (Rev. 21:2)
Revelation 2:7
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Revelation 21:2
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God
Revelation 22:2
...On each side of the river stood the tree of life,..
The apostle Paul spoke of the “Jerusalem that is above” in reference to heaven (Gal. 4:26)
Galatians 4:26
But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
The writer of Hebrews takes note of “the city whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:10), the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22)
Hebrews 11:10
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations , whose architect and builder is God.
Hebrews 12:22
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
Heaven—shamayim (Heb)—“to above/high” ; ouranos (Grk)—“to cover”
Based on these descriptions, it would appear that “Paradise” is a reference to Eden which was removed from the realm of physical man’s access (Gen. 3:23,24) and into the “universe next door”, invisible to us now and the abode of God, angels and the faithful departed (2 Sam. 12:23; 2 Kgs. 6:17; Acts 7:55-56; 2 Cor. 12:2)— within the heavenly Jerusalem, the present place of the departed believers.
The “Place” is an Intermediate State for the “Fallen Asleep” Believer.
“For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus...and the dead in Christ shall RISE first.” (1 Thess. 4:14,16)
- Without resurrected bodies until the trumpet of God to join their resurrected bodies and reunite with those still alive (1 Thess. 4:16-17;
1 Cor. 15:51f)
- An “intermediate state” continues until the new heavens and new earth (Is. 65:17-19; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21,22)
Bodies before the resurrection or not?
The only appearances we have from the other side have bodily forms—Samuel (1 Sam 28:14f—“what is his form? An old man...”); Moses/Elijah (Matt. 17:3,4-- “appeared”); angels (Matt. 22:30--“in the resurrection...like angels in heaven”); Lazarus and the Rich Man (Lk. 16:19-31--“torment, agony, thirst, sight, touch, comfort”)
The Martyrs of Revelation 6:9-11—
- Wear clothes
- Earthly events seem to be known by heavenly citizens—visual accessibility?
- Can call out
- Pray
- Remain as individuals –not different, just relocated
- Time aware—“how long?”
- Still learning from God who is sovereign over the scheduling of martyr deaths
- In God’s presence
What we know for certain when we die
- We remain conscious—our body and soul go separate ways—aware, interactive, sensory
- We go to a place—paradise/hell—until Christ returns to establish his eternal kingdom currently in the now, not yet phase. (1 Cor. 15:23-26)
- We are forever with the Lord or forever separated from Him (Jn. 5:28-29)
Are you ready to die?
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