The Intermediate State
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Introduction
Introduction
Last week was the introduction to a subject that is both encouraging and difficult to understand. The concept of Heaven is a complicated subject that many Christians don’t truly understand. It’s sad that this subject is so misunderstood, because it’s actually the hope that we have through Jesus Christ!
The hope of a future that is free from pain, free from suffering, free from bills, free from stress. This future hope we call Heaven is the hope that one day we will be in the direct presence of Jesus. It’s actually really important that we have some understanding of what scripture teaches regarding our future, because our understanding of the future shapes how we live in the present.
The apostle Paul considered it vital for us to know what happens when we die:
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The majority of those who think about heaven, or have spent time studying Heaven in scripture tend to get confused by the language and mistakenly think of the heaven we go to after death as the final Heaven. When in fact this is not entirely correct.
The Temporary Nature of the Present Heaven
The Temporary Nature of the Present Heaven
When a Christian dies, he or she enters into what is referred to in theology as the intermediate state, a transitional period between our past lives on Earth and our future resurrection to life on the New Earth. Usually when we refer to “Heaven”, we mean the place that Christians go when they die. This is what I am calling the present or intermediate Heaven. When we tell our children “Grandma’s now in Heaven,” we’re referring to the present Heaven.
The apostle Paul teaches us about this in the passage I just read. He tells us not to worry about those who have passed before us. Because when Jesus returns he will bring them with him. That means that they are with Jesus right now, living with him in the present heaven. This is why we don’t grieve like those with no hope, because we understand that our loved ones have passed from our presence, but are still alive in Christ living with him right now. Then one day when Jesus returns, we will be reunited with our bodies, a perfect version of our bodies. Then be reunited with those who have passed from our world. This is what the prophet Isaiah and the apostle John call the New Earth.
“As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
The present Heaven is a temporary state that is in the direct presence of God, but is not the final destination of those who believe. This final destination, both those who are living and those who have past are eagerly awaiting. When we live with Jesus on the New Earth.
Randy Alcorn in his book “Heaven” gives us a great analogy to illustrate the difference between the present Heaven and the eternal Heaven. He says: “Suppose you lived in a homeless shelter in Miami. One day you inherit a beautiful house, fully furnished, on a gorgeous hillside overlooking Santa Barbara, California. With the home comes a wonderful job doing something you’ve always wanted to do. Not only that, but you’ll also be near close family members who moved from Miami many years ago.
On your flight to Santa Barbara, you’ll change plans in Dallas, where you’ll spend an afternoon. Some other family members, whom you haven’t seen in years, will meet you at the Dallas airport and board the plan with you to Santa Barbara. You look forward to seeing them.
Now, when the Miami ticket agent asks you, “Where are you headed?” would you say “Dallas”? No. You would say Santa Barbara, because that’s your final destination. If you mentioned Dallas at all, you would only say, “I’m going to Santa Barbara by way of Dallas.”
When you talk to your friends in Miami about where you are going to live, would you focus on Dallas? No. You might not even mention Dallas, even though you will be a Dallas-dweller for several hours. Even if you spent a week in Dallas, it wouldn’t be your focus. Dallas is just a stop along the way. Your true destination - your permanent home- is Santa Barbara.
Similarly, the Heaven we will go to when we die, the present Heaven, is a temporary dwelling place, a stop along the way to our final destination: the New Earth.
Alcorn continues, a more precise analogy but difficult one to imagine might go like this:
Imagine leaving the homeless shelter in Miami and flying to the intermediate location, Dallas, and then turning around and going back home to your place of origin, which has been completely renovated - a New Miami. In this New Miami, you would no longer live in a homeless shelter, but in a beautiful house in a glorious pollution- free, crime-free, sin-free city. So you would end up living not in a different home, but a radically improved version of your old home.
This is what the Bible promises us- we will live with Christ and each other forever, not in the intermediate, or present, Heaven, but on the New Earth, where God will be at home with his people.
We will be talking about this more next week, but feel free to read ahead. Isaiah talks about it several times in the Old Testament & Revelation 21-22 give us an amazing picture of this wonderful promise.
Distinguishing the Present & Future Heavens
Distinguishing the Present & Future Heavens
So what is the present Heaven like? and what will Heaven be like? There is two different answers to this question, although there are some similarities.
The present, intermediate Heaven is in the angelic realm, distinctly separate from Earth. By contrast, the future Heaven will be in the human realm, on the New Earth.
The present Heaven is where the New Jerusalem is, which gives us a picture that the present Heaven is a lot like the future New Earth. Scripture says the New Jerusalem will come down from the present Heaven. A literal place where God currently dwells.
Is the Present Heaven a Physical Place or Simply Spiritual?
Is the Present Heaven a Physical Place or Simply Spiritual?
To answer this question we must learn to think differently. We tend to think in our context of our Earth and reason up toward Heaven, when instead we should start with Heaven and reason down toward Earth.
We need to remember that God created Earth in the image of Heaven, just as He created mankind in his image.
The Language of “Paradise”
The Language of “Paradise”
During the Crucifixion, when Jesus said to the thief on the cross,
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jesus was referring to the present Heaven, But why did he call it paradise, and what did he mean?
The word paradise comes from the Persian word “pairidaeza”, meaning “a walled park” or “enclosed garden.”
It was used to describe the great walled gardens of the Persian king Cyrus.
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Greek word for paradise is used to describe the Garden of Eden.
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
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.
Later, because of the Jewish belief that God would restore Eden, paradise became the word to describe the eternal state of the righteous, and to a lesser extent, the present Heaven.
After the Fall, What Happened to Eden?
After the Fall, What Happened to Eden?
We are told after the Fall this:
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
It seems that Eden’s Paradise, with the tree of life, retained its identity as a physical place but was no longer accessible to mankind. It was guarded by cherubim, who are residents of Heaven, where God is “enthroned between the cherubim”
And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: “Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
Eden was not destroyed. What changed was mankind's ability to live in Eden. There’s no indication in scripture that Eden was stripped of its physicality and transformed into a “spiritual” entity. It seems to have remained just as it was, a physical paradise removed to a realm we can’t gain access to - most likely the present Heaven. And we know for certain that’s where the tree of life is right now.
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.
So could it be that the present heaven is Eden, which you and I have no access to but our loved ones are currently living with God, in the garden, in paradise.
What Does Scripture Tell Us About Life in the Present Heaven?
What Does Scripture Tell Us About Life in the Present Heaven?
We can learn a great deal about the present Heaven from three key verses in Revelation.
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.
This passage seems strange, yet it gives us a glimpse of the present heaven. The context is talking about those who have been killed for the sake of the Gospel. So these are people who are in the present heaven. Here are just a few observations from this passage:
When these people died on Earth, they relocated to Heaven (v.9)
Their identity as martyrs is maintained which tells us that they are the same people as they were on Earth, just relocated-made perfect (Hebrews 12:23).
“They called out”(v.10) means they are able to express themselves audibly. This could suggest they exist in physical form, with vocal cords.
People in Heaven can raise their voices (v. 10). This indicates they are rational, communicative, and emotional, even passionate beings, like people on Earth.
The martyrs are fully conscious, rational, and aware of each other, God, and the situation on Earth.
They ask God to intervene on Earth and to act on their behalf: “How long.....until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (v. 10).
Those in Heaven are free to ask God questions.
People in the present Heaven know what is happening on Earth. The martyrs know enough to realize that those who killed them have not yet been judged.
They clearly remember their lives on Earth.
Those in Heaven see God’s attributes (“Sovereign....holy and true”) in a way that makes his judgment of sin more understandable.
They are distinct individuals “each given a white robe” which again suggests physical forms. Disembodied spirits don’t wear robes.
God answers their question.
God promises to fulfill their request.
They are aware of time’s passing and eager for the coming day of the Lords judgment.
There is a strong connection with those on Earth, who are called their fellow servants.
This connection of us and those in Heaven is saturated through scripture.
When Babylon is brought down, an angel points to events happening on Earth and says:
“Rejoice over her, you heavens!
Rejoice, you people of God!
Rejoice, apostles and prophets!
For God has judged her
with the judgment she imposed on you.”
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
If they rejoice in Heaven when someone gets saved, they must know what is happening on Earth.
Can It Be Heaven if People Are Aware of the Bad on Earth?
Can It Be Heaven if People Are Aware of the Bad on Earth?
Many books on Heaven maintain that those in Heaven cannot be aware of people and events on Earth because they would be unhappy by all the suffering and evil; then, Heaven would not truly be Heaven.
I don’t think this is true, as I have already said I think the scriptures point to those in Heaven being aware of what is happening on Earth.
God knows exactly what’s happening on Earth, yet it doesn’t diminish Heaven for him. But the scriptures do talk about God grieving for us. In fact, angels in Heaven see the torment in Hell, but it doesn’t negate their joy in God’s presence (Revelation 14:10).
Randy Alcorn says, “Happiness in Heaven is not based on ignorance but on perspective. Those who live in the presence of Christ find great joy in worshiping God and living as righteous beings in rich fellowship in a sinless environment.”
It’s Connected to Our Need for Salvation
It’s Connected to Our Need for Salvation
I believe the key to their awareness is based on their ability to understand God’s attributes in a way that we can’t comprehend. As I pointed out earlier, in Heaven people see God to His fullest, they understand His judgment of sin better then we do.
Because of this I believe they are rooting for us to come to know Christ. Our loved ones know the truth, and they want the world to know the truth. This is why they rejoice when someone comes to faith.
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Heaven is very interested in people on Earth coming to know God as their Lord and saviour. They are rooting for it, praying for it.
The Urgency to Share Our Faith
The Urgency to Share Our Faith
As I was studying this subject I couldn’t help but feel the urgency of sharing my faith with those who don’t know Jesus.
When we think of eternity, it changes our perspective on how passive we can be regarding others coming to Christ.
The Heavens are rooting for us! God wants those who don’t know him to be saved.
Life is Short
Life is Short
Compared to eternity life is very short. If we change our perspective on life and focus more on things of eternal value, our perspective on life will change. We won’t wast moments, or take things for granted.
Tim Magraw said it best, “We need to live life like we are dying”
Live life hear on earth like it’s our last day, instead of living like we are going to be here forever. There is a place waiting for us, for some it’s Heaven, and unfortunately for some it’s not.
The apostle Paul gives us the formula:
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Big Idea: The present Heaven is a place where true joy is found in the presence of God. The Heavens are rooting for us here on earth, so that many will come to know this joy.