2 What Happens When We Die

Overview

What Happens When We Die

When a believer dies, it is right to say, "They are with Jesus." Scripture, however, invites us to a fuller answer. Death itself is more than the cessation of biological function—it is the separation of the soul (or spirit) from the body. Ecclesiastes 12:7 describes the dust returning to the earth and the breath returning to God who gave it. James 2:26 reinforces this: "The body without the spirit is dead." Even Jesus, at the cross, "gave up his spirit" (John 19:30; Matthew 27:50). In Scripture "spirit" and "soul" are interchangeable terms for that immortal, invisible part of us—the seat of thought, desire, and feeling—that God created and that does not die when the body does.

The Interim State

Theologians use the term interim state to describe where the soul is between death and the resurrection on the Last Day. This is not the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory, which has no scriptural support. Rather, the interim state is the believer's conscious, joyful presence with the Lord in paradise—body still in the grave, but soul fully alive with Christ. Paul writes that he would prefer to be "away from the body and at home with the Lord" 2 Corinthians 5:8. Jesus told the dying thief, "Today you will be with me in paradise," and Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." There is no "soul sleep"—our loved ones who died in Christ are awake and with him now.

Resurrection and the Life to Come

The interim state is not the end of the story. When Christ returns, the dead in Christ will rise (1 Thessalonians 4:14–16; John 5:28), soul and body reunited. Job confessed, "In my flesh I shall see God" Job 19:25–26, and Paul promises that Christ "will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory" Philippians 3:20–21. Our resurrected bodies will be the same bodies, glorified—free from sickness, decay, and death. Scripture also speaks of the unbeliever's interim state as a kind of prison; into that place Christ descended, not to suffer (his work was already "finished"—paid in full) and not to offer a second chance Hebrews 9:27–28, but to proclaim his victory 1 Peter 3:18–22.

Pastoral Confidence

The certainty of heaven rests not on our worthiness but on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, received by faith Romans 3:23–25. Because of him, death for the Christian is not something to fear—it is a transition in living. God has the final word over his children, and his word is life. When we confess "He descended into hell" in the Creed, we proclaim Christ's triumph; when we commend our dying loved ones into his hands, we entrust them to a Savior who has already conquered the grave.

Transcript

We began last week the class understanding heaven and hell and we're going to deal with this 0s

subject for about about eight weeks or so. Last week we talked about that when you look at the 6s

reality of heaven and the reality of hell that the emphasis on scripture is really on the presence 15s

of God or the lack of presence of God. So often we'll focus on location and as we studied 22s

last week, we'll typically say, you know, heavens this way and hell is this way? Well, 29s

there's scriptural support for how it's talked about. There's really a different dimension. It's 36s

a spiritual dimension and really the emphasis is on the presence of God. If someone asks with regard 41s

to a believer, what happens when they die? A typical response is, well, they are in heaven with 50s

Jesus. Is that a correct response? Sure it is. Sure it is. But I want to explore with a little 63s

bit more of a sophisticated answer to that question of so and so there are believing the Lord 70s

Jesus Christ. Where are they? Specifically, I want to talk to you about what theologians talk 78s

about in terms of the interim state, the interim state. That is following death and before the 84s

resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Let me be very clear that the interim state when Lutheran Theologians 92s

talk about it, it is not the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. There's nothing in scripture that 101s

supports the Catholic doctrine of purgatory that you go there and you work off of your sins 110s

after baptism. Absolutely nothing. So the interim state is not purgatory but it's quite correct 117s

to talk about the interim state following the death of someone prior to the resurrection. That's 126s

what I want to focus with you today and get a little more sophisticated answer that comes to that 134s

question that we receive. So what is the interim state? Well, let's back up a little bit from there 141s

and talk about what is death? What is death? Let's start in the book of ecclesiastes. 148s

A good way to find ecclesiastes is to open up to the book of Psalms. It's right in the middle 156s

and you're going to land lands on one of the Psalms and then slowly work your way right. 161s

Proverbs and then ecclesiastes. You hit song of Solomon. You've gone too far. 169s

The ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 7. Ecclesiastes 12 verse 7. 175s

The first question I want to examine with you today is what is what is death? What is what is death? 185s

So ecclesiastes chapter 12 verse 7. And the dust returns to the earth as it was 192s

and the spirit returns or and the breath returns to God who gave it and the dust returns to the earth 202s

as it was and the breath returns to God who gave it. At death then you have the separation 210s

of the spirit, the soul from the body. The dust returns to the earth and the breath returns to 221s

God. Let's go to Luke the 12th chapter. Matthew, Mark, then Luke, Luke chapter 12, 232s

we'll pick up in verse 20. Luke 12 verse 20. 243s

And here's the parable here of the of the rich man. 257s

And verse 20 says, but God said to him, you fool this very night your life is being demanded of you. 264s

And the things that you have prepared, whose will it be? That word translated there for 273s

life actually in the Greek is the word soul. I'd prefer in the NRSV if they stuck with soul there 281s

because it's a much more literal translation with regard to the Greek. Let's go to second 289s

Corinthians chapter 5. So you're Luke, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Romans, 297s

and then first Corinthians and then second Corinthians. Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 8. 304s

Second Corinthians 5 verse 8. 319s

Yes, we do have confidence and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 324s

There once again it's it's the same concept there. What is death but it's a separation of the 334s

spirit, the soul from the body. Lastly, let's make the point here, I'll just go 340s

it even further, by going to the book of James. Book of James. So keep going toward revelation. 349s

You're going to cross over the tea books. You'll hit Hebrews and you'll land on James. James 356s

chapter 2 verse 26. 367s

For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. 376s

And remember there that understanding of the appropriate relationship between faith and works. 384s

Remember what Luther said about that? That faith is an active and busy thing. So where there is 390s

faith there's going to be there's going to be works. Faith will simply express itself. 394s

Notice for our purpose of this class, for just as the body without the spirit is dead. 403s

So someone says what is death? What what happens? The very first thing you can say is there's 409s

a separation of the spirit, a separation of the soul from the from the body. What happened when 415s

Jesus died? Let's go to Matthew chapter 27, Matthew chapter 27 verse 50. 423s

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. You might have a text note in 456s

your scriptures that says or gave up his spirit. Both legitimate interpretations there, but you see 464s

what's happening. Jesus died. There's a separation of the spirit from the body. Lastly, let's look at John 473s

19 verse 30 John 19 verse 30. 481s

There the scripture says when Jesus had received the wine, he said it is finished, then he bowed his head 505s

and gave up his spirit. So what is death? Separation of the soul, the spirit from from the body. 513s

Soul and spirit are interchangeable terms in scripture. They're interchangeable. 523s

The confusion comes in in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 23. So let's turn there. 529s

Keep going toward Revelation. 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians Ephesians, 537s

Philippians, Colossians, then you hit the tea books. 1st Thessalonians chapter 5. 543s

And this is where I can get a little confusing for folks because as you look at scripture, 554s

spirit and soul are interchangeable terms. Sometimes the spirit sometimes it's soul, it doesn't matter. 561s

Here, however, in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, 23, it says, may the God of peace himself sanctify you 569s

entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our 577s

Lord Jesus Christ. So you'll have some that will maintain that it's really a try, it's not a 586s

it's not a duel, but you can't divide the immaterial, which is the spirit and soul into two different 592s

segments. What Paul is doing here is he is stating the interchangeable terms and he is using as a 600s

statement of emphasis. That whether you call it spirit, whether you're whether you call it 608s

soul, it's the same thing. There is no division there between those terms here. It is one term. 613s

So the spirit, the soul, is that invisible part of us that God created. It gives us life. It's the 627s

center of our thinking, our desires, our feeling. It is immortal. And so when the spirit or the soul 635s

separates then from the body, that which is immortal goes on and we'll talk about where it goes on 644s

to in a moment and the body, it just decays. It just decays because there's the separation of the 651s

spirit from the soul. What the scriptures emphasize is is that death then is more than simply a 659s

biological function where you have the cessation here of biological functions and therefore the person 667s

dies. No death scripturally is not simply the heart failing or an organ failing or however you 677s

want to want to define that. But it is literally the separation of the spirit from the soul. 689s

The interim state has to do with the location of the spirit soul after death and prior to the 699s

resurrection. So that term, the interim state has to do with where does that spirit, where does that 709s

soul go prior to the Lord coming again and there's the resurrection of the body. So that's what is meant 718s

by the interim state. So let's look at heaven before judgment day. Heaven before judgment day. 727s

Heaven before judgment day you have the souls or the spirits of the believers that are with the Lord 737s

but not their bodies but not their bodies. So right now our loved ones that were in the Lord, 746s

they are with the Lord in the beauty of paradise itself. Do they have their resurrected body yet? 754s

No, they don't. But are they fully conscious where they are? Absolutely. They are. 762s

Are they in what is term soul sleep where they're not conscious of the reality until the 769s

resurrection? Nope, there's no support of that in scripture. So right now the believers that have 776s

gone before us, they are with the Lord. It's a conscious, it is a wonderful reality. Do they 781s

have yet their resurrected bodies? Nope, because the judgment day has not come. The Lord hasn't come 787s

come again. There hasn't been obviously the resurrection of the dead. What was it that Jesus said 793s

to the to the thief on the cross? He said, what? Today you'll be with me where? In paradise. Today 800s

you'll be with me in paradise. So when that thief who was converted there by the operation of 809s

God, there's a hangs on the cross. Today then immediately upon death he was with the Lord. 816s

Remember when we studied the stoning of Stephen, the seventh chapter of Acts and just before the 824s

separation of Stephen's spirit or soul from his body? Remember what Stephen said? Stephen said, 831s

Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. See my spirit. Pull again in 2 Corinthians the fifth chapter 837s

away from the body and at home with the Lord. So what happens in when his death comes? It's a 847s

separation of the spirit, the soul from the body and for the believer then that spirit, that soul 854s

simply goes to be with the Lord in paradise. You don't have your resurrected body yet. Well what's 863s

heaven after judgment day? Each believer will be in heaven, body and soul, body and soul, after 872s

judgment day. Let's take a look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 14. For since we believe 882s

that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 896s

For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive, who are left until 905s

the coming of the Lord will by no means proceed those who have died. For the Lord himself, 911s

with the cry of command, with the archangels call and with the sound of the trumpet, will descend 917s

from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise first or over in John the the fifth chapter. Matthew 922s

verse 28, John 5 verse 28. 942s

Do not be astonished at this for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 952s

and will come out. So it is the resurrection then of the dead and each believer will be in heaven, 960s

body and soul. And here's the thing we're going to have our same bodies. We have our same bodies. 972s

We resurrections, we resurrections, we glorified but it's going to be the same body. Let's take a 980s

look at the book of Job 19. A good way to find Job is to open up to the book of Psalms 987s

and nestled right before the book of Psalms is Job. Job 19 996s

and we'll pick up in verse 25. 1007s

For I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the last he will stand upon the earth. 1017s

And after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God. See, there's a separation 1028s

of the of the soul from the body. There's the decay of the body. There's the resurrected body then 1040s

that in my flesh I will see God. It will be glorified. It will be no longer subject to sickness or illness 1047s

or decay. It will no longer be subject to just wearing out. It's going to have it's going to have 1058s

none of that. Take a look at Philippians, a third chapter, New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, 1065s

Xan Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, Galatians Ephesians, and then Philippians. Philippians 1071s

chapter 20 verse, excuse me, Philippians 3 verse 20. Philippians 3 verse 20. 1084s

But our citizenship or homeland is in heaven and is from there that we are expecting a savior. 1096s

The Lord Jesus Christ, He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed 1105s

to the body of His glory by the power that also enables Him to make all things subject to Him 1113s

self. So after the 2nd coming, after the resurrection of the dead, the spirit and the soul are, 1122s

or the spirit and the body are reunited. We are given then our new bodies and we will live forever 1129s

then in heaven, body and soul. Our bodies will be 100% new nature. It will be 0% simple nature. 1137s

It's a 100% new nature. What's interesting also in Scripture is you have this emphasis, 1148s

I talk about it today in the sermon, but it's the use of community in a different sense. 1155s

There's an emphasis in Scripture on community. We'll hear in the Old Testament believers 1160s

is being called together into the community that have gone before. It's this beautiful picture 1165s

that indeed we are the family of God and there's this emphasis throughout Scripture even into 1173s

eternity with regard to our community. Well, what about unbelievers? What about unbelievers? 1181s

There's three terms in holy Scripture for hell. One is Gihanna. 1189s

The other is Haiti and the other is Tartarus. When the Greek term Gihanna shows up in in Scripture, 1203s

that is hell after the 2nd coming of Christ. When Haiti shows up in the Greek, 1216s

that is hell prior to the 2nd coming of Christ. Tartarus is kind of a bird. This is actually a term 1227s

that was borrowed from Greek mythology and it was incorporated there into the Scriptures. It 1237s

means the deep and the dark place. It only appears once in holy Scripture. You've got three different 1244s

terms. This is really hell with spirit and body. This is hell with the spirit and this is just a 1252s

general generalized reference to what hell is like, deep and dark. We're going to get more into 1263s

the description of hell in heaven in the weeks ahead. These two terms here, they're both referring 1272s

to hell. It's just how the Scripture is dividing before the spirit or without the body and with the 1284s

spirit alone. Interestingly, when you look at the Scriptures division with regard to heaven, 1292s

you've got two different terms that are used. You've got paradise and you've got heaven. It's 1305s

is this heaven? Yes, it's heaven. Interestingly, paradise corresponds with Haiti. That, remember what 1323s

Jesus said to the thief? Today, you'll be with me in paradise. He's talking about the spirit before 1333s

the body. When you see heaven, oranos, it's more of a reference in terms of the reality of heaven 1339s

with the body. Is that splitting hairs? Well, I guess you can make the argument. Because in the end, 1348s

if you say the unbeliever goes to hell or Haiti, one doesn't have to get too specific and 1358s

typically say, well, the unbeliever is actually in Haiti now before. That really doesn't serve 1365s

too much good. Or if somebody says that person and believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is 1371s

in heaven right now, it doesn't do much good to say, well, technically, it's actually paradise. 1376s

You don't want to get into that kind of stuff. But you'll see different words in Scripture, 1384s

and it's basically those two distinctions. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 3 because there's 1390s

another reference here to the spirit of those that have died prior to the second coming of 1398s

Christ and are in technically Haiti, right? But hell is a fine designation to put on it. So, 1410s

for Christ also suffered for sins once for all. The righteous for the unrighteous in order to bring 1430s

you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, made alive in the spirit. There's the resurrection 1439s

in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not 1447s

obey when God waited patiently in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few 1456s

that is eight persons were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured now saves you. 1463s

You hear the real sacramental emphasis there? Not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an 1472s

appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into 1479s

heaven, is at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him. 1486s

1 Peter the 3rd chapter is referring to what we confess in the creed when we say that he 1496s

descended into hell. Well, what did Jesus do that? 1 Peter the 3rd chapter answers that question 1503s

that you have the spirits. And here is Haiti described as a prison. Here you have the the spirits 1514s

in prison, the souls of the unbelievers. And remember, salvation for the Old Testament person was 1522s

the same as the New Testament person. Those who were saved in the Old Testament were looking 1529s

forward and trusting in the Messiah to come. It was salvation by grace through faith. 1534s

Why a person was saved did not change from the Old Testament to the New Testament. You have 1545s

simply those of us now, New Testament error that indeed trusts that the Christ has come. You had 1550s

those in the Old Testament error that were trusting in the Christ to come. Faith was still in the 1557s

Messiah. So the Lord Jesus here goes and he preaches to the souls in prison prior to the ascension 1564s

into into heaven. Did Jesus go to hell to suffer for our sins? The answer to that is no. No. 1574s

Why do we know that? Let's go to John chapter 19 Matthew Mark Luke and then John John chapter 19 1586s

verse 30 John 19 verse verse 30 1597s

when Jesus had received the wine he said it is finished. It's finished to tell the story is 1613s

is the literal word you use there in the ancient ancient language. It's paid in full. So when Jesus 1624s

says it is finished it's paid in full. You may have noticed that sometimes on good Fridays will 1632s

incorporate the seven last words and you may have noticed that I make an interpretive decision with 1642s

regard to how Jesus says that. Sometimes you'll see in movies or portrayed where Jesus kind of says 1649s

it is finished and he dies. Since the meaning of the word is to tell the story paid in full I 1658s

think it's a victorious shout from Jesus Christ from across. That it's not Jesus just kind of in the 1668s

barely with any strength. So I've interpreted it as it is finished paid in full to tell the story 1677s

that death has been paid. So when Jesus then went into the prison where the spirits were when 1688s

he went into hell did he go there to suffer for our sins? No. That has already been done. Did he 1696s

go there to offer a second chance at salvation? The answer to that is no. Let's go to Hebrews chapter 9, 1704s

Hebrews chapter 9. So cross over the the teabooks, Titus, Vilemen, then Hebrews the ninth chapter. 1717s

You've gone to James, you've gone too far. Hebrews chapter 9, verse 27. 1731s

And there we read, and just as it is appointed for mortals to die once and after that the judgment 1742s

so Christ having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time, not 1751s

to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. So for those in that die and 1757s

it's not an association with the second coming of Christ those that are alive there and then 1767s

obviously don't die. But if you die in the Lord it is immediate judgment in that sense where 1773s

you immediately go to either paradise or heady. So when Jesus went to the prison to speak to those 1780s

who were in prison, in other words those that had rejected the coming Messiah he didn't go 1789s

to offer a second chance. What was the purpose then of the descent into hell the purpose was to 1796s

declare victory. First is to declare victory that indeed death has been vanquished. The purpose 1804s

was to declare victory. So when we come to that part in the creed and we say and he descended 1814s

into hell I hope that we have in our minds this glorious proclamation then of victory that had 1821s

been one. So what happens in a death? There's the separation of the soul from the Spirit. 1833s

The soul either goes into paradise or for the unbeliever it goes into haady. 1843s

There'll be the resurrection of the dead when the Lord comes again and we will be joined 1851s

together to live with him body and soul forever in heaven. I want to end with our certainty of heaven 1856s

and let's go into Romans the third chapter please. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and then Romans. 1867s

Romans chapter 3 1875s

verse 23 1887s

Since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God they're now justified by his grace 1891s

as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice 1898s

of atonement by his blood effective through faith. One of the underlying themes of our times 1907s

together as we study this topic is I pray that we will come by the grace of God more and more 1919s

to the understanding that death for us is nothing to fear, nothing to fear. It is transition in living. 1928s

God's got the final word and God's word for his children is life, it's life. Next we 1942s

want to take a look with you at the topic the justice of God and the fate of the wicked. 1953s

I want to look scripturally at a description of hell and I also want to deal with the question 1958s

why would a loving God ever send anyone to hell? Why would a loving God ever send anyone 1964s

to hell? We'll explore that next week. 1975s

You 1995s