III. INTERMEDIATE STATE

Question 1

What do you mean by intermediate state?

Answer 1

The intermediate state is that state of the soul between physical death and the Resurrection. For the believer, the Resurrection will occur at Christ’s Coming: for the unbeliever, it will not occur until after the Millennium at the Final Judgment.

Question 2

What is the intermediate state of the wicked?

Answer 2

• When unbelievers die they go at once to Hades, which is the abode of the wicked dead. (Hell)
• Before Christ, the righteous and the wicked went to Sheol which had two compartments separated by an impassable gulf Luke 16:22-31

Question 3

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word Sheol is variously translated as

Answer 3

“hell” and the “grave”

Question 4

What is Hades in The New Testament?

Answer 4

Lowest part of Sheol

Question 5

The word in Hebrew for the final state of perdition or “lake of fire” was

Answer 5

GEHENNA, properly translated “hell.” (Mark 9:43)

Question 6

What does the name Gehenna mean?

Answer 6

The name GEHENNA was a figurative term borrowed from the perpetual fires that burned refuse in the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem.

Question 7

Are there people now in Hell?

Answer 7

As far as is known, no one is at present in Hell, which is the Lake of Fire.

Question 8

What is the intermediate state of the righteous?

Answer 8

• The intermediate state of the righteous is called “paradise.” Luke 23:43 (Heaven)
• When the righteous dies they go immediately to be in the presence of Christ Jesus. Phil. 1:23 2 Cor. 5:8

Question 9

Define Purgatory view of Intermediate State

Answer 9

• The Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches teach that those members who have lived imperfect lives must spend some time in “purgatory” in order that their sins and imperfections may be purged.
• Depending upon the seriousness of their offenses, the length of time spent in purgatory may last a few hours or centuries, terminated only by the Last Judgment.

Question 10

Disproof Purgatory

Answer 10

1. The doctrine was based upon a passage taken from the Apocrypha, found in 2 Maccabees 12:41-43. The Apocryphal books were not a part of the Canon of Scripture.
2. The concept of purgatory violates the plain teaching of Scripture of the sufficiency of the blood of Christ to cleanse sin, and of salvation by grace through faith.
3. Verses are: Heb. 10:10-23, Eph. 2:8-10, Rom. 3:24-28, Rom 5:12, Rom 5:9-10 , Rom 8:1, Rom 8: 31-39, Rom 10:8-11, 1 Jn. 2:1- 2, 1 John 3:1-2

Question 11

Define Soul Sleeping view of Intermediate State

Answer 11

• This is the teaching that after death the soul rests in an unconscious state until the Resurrection.
• This doctrine is held by the Seventh Day Adventists, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and several smaller groups.

THEIR ARGUMENTS
1. The Bible often refers to death as sleep 1 Thess. 4:13-14 Jn. 11:11-14
2. It is assumed that the soul cannot function apart from the body, and therefore, will not awaken until joined with the body at
the Resurrection.
3. It seems inappropriate that the righteous should enjoy heavenly bliss, or the unrighteous suffer in Hades until after the
Judgment Heb. 9:27

Question 12

Disproof Soul Sleeping view

Answer 12

1. The use of the term “sleep” to describe death is a figurative and euphemistic expression to emphasize the fact that the deceased person still lives.

The account given by Jesus of the state of the rich man and Lazarus immediately after death demonstrates clearly that their souls were not sleeping in unconsciousness. Luke 16:22-31

2. That the spirit of man can function apart from the body is made clear by Paul’s treatise on “death” in 2 Cor. 5:6-8

Being at home with the Lord: Absence from the body.
Furthermore, the Apostles’ ambition was to be pleasing to
the Lord, whether in the body or absent from it. If being
absent from the body meant “soul sleep,” why would Paul
be concerned about pleasing the Lord after death?

3.Answering the assumption that men must await the judgement before enjoying bliss or suffering punishment

Louis Berkhof: “The day of judgment is not necessary to reach a decision respecting the reward or punishment of each man, but only for the solemn announcement of the sentence, and for the revelation of the justice of God in the presence of men and
angels.” Jn. 3:18

There will be a Believer’s Judgment concerning rewards
for service, but not concerning his salvation; one’s
salvation is conditioned on faith in Jesus.

Question 13

Define Spiritism view of Intermediate State

Answer 13

• Spiritism teaches that the living may communicate with the dead and the dead with the living, usually through the
  agency of a “medium.”
• The Scriptures unequivocally forbit any attempt to do so (Lev 9:24)

1Chr. 10:13 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the
LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even
consulted a medium for guidance,

Question 14

Spiritism is produced by what?

Answer 14

• They are produced by deceptive manipulations, as has often been proved.
• They are produced by “lying spirits”: 1 Kings 22:22-23 1 Tim. 4:1