Anticipating Graduation
Most of us remember longing for and anticipating graduations of various kinds. In Middle School we looked forward to High School. In High School we longed for the end of our senior year. When in training we anticipated certification. In college we eyed the degree with eagerness. And so forth. It seems the Lord has created us for forward movement and growth, followed by a sense of accomplishment, affirmation, having “finished” something. The same is true for believers in Christ in this age. We live in anticipation of our inheritance in the next life, longing for it ever more intensely as we experience the effects of this fallen age. Jesus looked forward to the new world, what he called the “regeneration” (Matt.19:28). Paul lived with expectancy, not of fulfillment in this world, but of joy with the Lord (Phil.1:23). The Bible calls this “hope.” When you read that word in the scriptures, think “anticipation.” It means the confident expectation of something wonderful. The “hope of glory” (Col.1:23) is the confident expectation of sharing Christ’s risen life after being delivered from “this present evil age” (Gal.1:4). From the time we come to the Lord Jesus, we Christians live a life of hope, even when (especially when) things in this world show themselves to be hopeless and despairing (See Romans 8:18-25). We long for graduation…
The following is a pastoral letter to a friend who recently lost her beloved mother:
Dear grieving friend,
I was saddened to hear of your mom’s departure from us. We will miss her. She is a godly woman whose aged body simply could no longer sustain her vibrant life in this age. Thankfully, the Lord rescued her. She has graduated into the life she was longing for. Thank you for your questions regarding her current experience with him.
At least three things are beyond dispute biblically. First, based on Lk.23:43; John 11:25-27; 2 Cor.5:1-10; and Phil.1:23 it is clear that when Christians die, we go directly into the Lord's presence ("heaven", or "the third heaven" aka "paradise" see 2Cor.12:1-5). So, we are conscious, aware, and blessed. This means that the doctrines of Purgatory and Soul Sleep (two common misunderstandings) are not true. Second, we know that we will receive permanent, recognizable, eternal bodies, glorified versions of the bodies we now have, at the future resurrection when the Lord returns (Rom.8:11; Phil 3:20-21; 1 Cor.15:35-58). Third, the Bible says that the ultimate destiny of the cosmos and those who belong to God in Christ will be a new creation, a new heavens and new earth (see Rev.21:1-4). So, the current “heaven” is a real, but temporary, place where we go when we “die” (see Acts 7:54-56; 2Cor.12:1-4; Lk 23:43). The Lord is there and so are the many others who have graduated in faith. But it is not our final destiny. The goal is the complete renovation of the fallen creation. God created a good world, we screwed it up, but he intends to re-create it, vastly improved. We, along with our resurrected world, will share in God’s own tangible eternal life. All the symbolism of the last two chapters of the Bible points to this wonderful reality. Jesus called it the “regeneration” or the “new world” (Matt.19:28-30). It was what he looked forward to (Eph.1:10).
But of course the question arises, what happens to us now when we leave these old-model bodies? We go to be with the Lord in the intermediate dimension called “heaven.” Okay. Got that. But are we disembodied spirits? Like ghosts? Or is there some kind of recognizable spiritual/material pre-resurrection form between the time of our death in this age and the moment of the Lord’s return, something wonderful, but short of final resurrection glory? Can a departed human have a real material form in the intermediate heaven? I agree with Randy Alcorn in his book Heaven (Tyndale, 2004) that the answer to this question is yes. We are alive and well, really ourselves, in a recognizable material body of some kind. People sometimes balk at this because we have long assumed (based on tradition, informed by Platonism) that it is somehow “unspiritual.” Let me unpack this a bit with five thoughts.
First, there is no biblical reason that we should not have a tangible presence prior to final, permanent resurrection. Angels (spirit beings of course), whenever they are described either in heaven or on earth, seem to be discrete persons with individual features and specific names, gathering in groups, talking to the Lord in the spirit realm, appearing before him (for example Job 1:6-7). They do not have, as part of their creation, permanent terrestrial bodies like we have. In other words, angels were not created out of the dust and then “breathed into” like Adam was (Gen.2:7). Nevertheless, they have a real, recognizable, physical presence, and they often appear as humans. Why should a departed human not have something similar in the spirit realm prior to the final resurrection? The Bible does not forbid it. And as Alcorn points out convincingly, our intuitive resistance to such an idea is rooted not in biblical revelation but in platonic philosophy. Plato thought of physical life as unfortunate, a prison for the soul. God disagrees. In fact, so pleased with physical life was the Lord that he himself took on a complete human nature, including a terrestrial body, followed by an eternal, resurrected human nature and body in order to rescue his creation from damnation. The gospel begins with the incarnation. Amazing!
Second, we don’t know much about the spirit realm, how tangible it might be. And the Bible indicates it is more so than we might think. Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 informs us that there are such things as "heavenly bodies" (1 Cor.15:40, 44). He is referring to “spiritual bodies,” resurrection bodies. But the implication is that there is tangible, bodily presence in what we call “heaven” or the invisible realm. What if there is something about the physics of the heavenly realm that we have trouble imagining? Should this surprise us? Jesus’ transfiguration is related in Matthew 17, Mark 9, and Luke 9 (three times!). Here Jesus is “glorified” and talking with Moses and Elijah about his soon departure (Greek word, Exodus) from this world. This “departure” is a reference to his death on the cross, followed by his resurrection. Moses and Elijah? Aren’t they dead? Well…not exactly…they were so real that Peter thought it appropriate to suggest pitching tents for them so their discussion could continue. Interesting. Note too that the disciples recognized Moses and Elijah even though they obviously had never physically seen them. It seems that the “intermediate state” as theologians call it, is impressively tangible.
Third, there are other passages that seem to imply a kind of materiality where departed humans gather. In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells of Lazarus and the Dead Rich Guy. This description of the "afterlife" is clearly prior to the final resurrection because the Dead Rich Guy wants the Lord to send somebody back to talk to his brothers in this age, right now. So, the implication is that he and Lazarus are conscious, recognizable, aware, in some way "physical," and waiting for future events. We see the same thing in Revelation 6:9-11 where we find "the souls of those slain for the Word of God." Interestingly they are talking to the Lord (where did they get vocal cords?) and he gives them white robes to wear. Clothing? Perhaps there is a mysterious material manifestation of departed humans in the other realm, invisible (and unimaginable) to us, that allows talking and wearing robes. It would seem so.
Fourth, we all know that the resurrected Lord Jesus remains a risen human at the right hand of God the Father to this day—in heaven (see Acts 1:9-11; 7:56). If there can be a resurrected human in the heavenly realm, what prevents other manifestations of human life from appearing there?
Fifth, humans were not created to be disembodied spirits (contrary to the common platonic notion that humans are spirits "imprisoned" in physical bodies). In 2 Cor.5:1-5, Paul refers to the disembodied state as "unclothed/naked" and he obviously does not think it is a good thing for a human. Rather, he says that we will not be “unclothed.” If the Lord is pulling us out of this evil age (Gal.1:4), why would he not give us a bathrobe to wear until our new suit arrives?
Let’s shift the picture a bit. I have had a couple of root canals over the years. After each one, the dentist glued a temporary (stainless steel?) “tooth” in place until the permanent (gold?) crown arrived. Could the intermediate state be like this? It makes sense of all the verses on the subject, especially where Paul indicates immediate expectation and yet waiting for final resurrection. And the only reason to reject the idea is the platonic notion of "pure spirit." Plato, however, even though his thought shaped a lot of Christian metaphysical speculation for a thousand years, was no theologian. He was not a prophet of God. His ideas are not God's word. I am among those who find nothing in the Bible that forbids the anticipation a tangible, recognizable, joyful, bodily presence in the intermediate state.
I think your mom looks to be about 30 years old, healthy, smart, beautiful and waiting for her gold crown...
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Rick
