IS THERE AN INTERMEDIATE STATE AFTER DEATH?

2 Cor. 5:9

Morning Meditation 3/13/2014

Verse 8 says, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

There are many who teach that there is an intermediate state between the death of a Christian and the resurrection. Therefore, when you die, it will be kind of like going to bed and getting a good nights rest and waking up refreshed and ready to go. When you sleep well, you don’t know what happened to the time anyway. That would be ok if this is what the Bible teaches but it isn’t. Others believe that there is a place one has to go to be purged for sins committed. The Catholic’s call it purgatory. This place they call purgatory is not taught in the Bible. Wherever it came from, it did not come from the Bible. What does the Bible teach? Let’s examine Scripture.

Paul says, “We are confident.” ( tharrheo) is the translation of a word that means “to be of good courage, be of good cheer, to be bold.” It is a present active indicative verb. This means that we are continually confident, are presently cheered and constantly embolden by. The present tense represents action going on continuously at the present time. This was Paul’s attitude toward this truth at the time of the writing. Is there any indication in Scripture that he ever changed his mind? Since this is the Holy Spirit inspired Word, you can be sure that Christians today have the right to the same continuing attitude toward this same truth. Amen! You know it offends a lot of people for you to suggest that we can have absolute confidence in our salvation and destiny. To know you are saved, and know right now, based on the teaching of Scripture, that if you were to die you would immediately be in the presence of the Lord, offends a lot of people. The cross does offend. And our whole reason for our present confidence is that we believe He has obtained a finished salvation that we can possess in the present tense of our lives. As the hymn says, “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain - He washed it white as snow.” We ARE confident. We are CONFIDENT.

The words, “I say, and willing rather” (eudokeo) mean “it seems good to one, is one's good pleasure, if left to ourselves we would prefer.” Paul tells us in verse 4 that his desire was not to die but to enter that body that the Lord has prepared for His children. This represents Paul’s attitude toward death because he knew where he would go immediately after the death of the body. He tells us that he is “willing” and that “it seems good to me” and “left to myself, I prefer this.”

What did Paul prefer? He says, “to be absent from the body.” The words “to be absent” (ekdemeo) mean “to go abroad, emigrate, depart, to be or live abroad.” This word is literally made up of two words, ek, meaning “out of,” and demos meaning, “The people, the mass of people assembled in a public place.” We are emigrants from the sad mass of people in this world. Our emigration papers have already been filled out and approved to the extent that we have already been made citizens of another world (heaven). Someone hold my mules! Paul says in Philippians 3:20-21: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” The word “conversation” in verse 20 is politeuma meaning “a state, a commonwealth, the commonwealth of citizens.” Some have translated this “for our citizenship is in heaven.” This is exactly what Paul is saying here.

Paul does not mind being absent from the body.. He has just taught in Second Corinthians 5 that we are not our bodies. He teaches in verse one that our earthly house is a “tabernacle” i.e., a temporary dwelling. And he teaches that we, as registered citizens of heaven, have a “building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” The word “house” refers to a permanent building in contrast to the temporary tabernacle.

Paul also teaches this same truth in Philippians chapter 1:21: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And he says in verse 23: “For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” Paul is saying it is incomparably better. I wonder how many Christians feel this way about the death of a Christian? This is the reason that Christians are not to take the same view toward the death of their loved ones as the unsaved. Paul says, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13).

Then Paul says, “And to be present with the Lord.” The words “to be present” is endemeo. This is the same root word that is translated “to be absent.” The difference is the preposition that compounds this verb. Here it is “en” which means “in the presence of.” The word demeo means “the mass of people assembled in a public place.” So this means “in the assembled presence of the Lord.”

Notice it is “absent from the body” and “present with the Lord.” It doesn’t give time for a nap or purgatory does it? If the Lord wanted to put me to sleep between the time of my death and resurrection, I would be more than willing. I am not struggling again a willingness to accept the will of God. What we as Christians want is to know what God’s Word says on this subject.

Christians do not die. Jesus said, “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:26). There was a Christian Scientist preacher, or what ever they call them, preaching the funeral of one of his members. He said, “This man is not dead. He just thinks he is dead.” A man sitting by his friend leaned over and said, “I went by that casket and saw him. I would as soon be dead as to be in his condition!” The fact is that we are not our bodies. Paul said that we could be absent from our bodies.

John says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). The words “is passed” is the translation of metabaino and means “to pass over from one place to another.” It is a perfect active indicative mood. The perfect tense represents completed action in the past with the result of the completed action remaining in the present. This means that the believer has already passed from death to life and remains alive. Our BODIES WILL DIE if not prevented by the rapture. We will not die. We have already been raised from the dead.

Is there an intermediate state after death? No. A saved person goes immediately to be with Jesus when his body dies.

God bless each of you.

In Christ

Bro. White