What About the "Intermediate State"?
We used to take a dogmatic stand on the question of the "intermediate state," that is, whether a person is unconscious or conscious between death and resurrection. Our present teaching is summarized by the following:
The intermediate state is the condition of the dead until the resurrection of the body. Christians hold various viewpoints on the nature of the intermediate state based on their interpretation of relevant biblical passages. Some passages suggest a conscious intermediate state, and others an unconscious state. We believe both views should be respected. (Isaiah 14:9-10; Ezekiel 32:21; Luke 16:19-31; 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:1-8; Philippians 1:21-24; Revelation 6:9-11; Psalms 6:5; 88:10-12; 115:17; Ecclesiastes 3:19-21; 9:5, 10; Isaiah 38:18; John 11:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)
Throughout Christian history, the majority view has been that after death, people are consciously present with God or consciously experiencing punishment. The minority view is called psychopannychy, also known as "soul sleep."
In examining Scripture, we see that the New Testament offers no sustained reflection on the intermediate state. There are a few verses that seem to indicate that humans are unconscious after death as well as a few verses that seem to indicate that humans are conscious after death.
Most of us are familiar with the verses that describe death in terms of sleep, such as those in Ecclesiastes and Psalms. These verses are written from a phenomenological perspective. In other words, when you look at the physical phenomenon of a dead body, it appears that the body is asleep. In such passages, sleep is a metaphor for death, referring to the appearance of the body. When we read verses such as Matthew 27:52, John 11:11, and Acts 13:36, however, it appears that death is literally equated with "sleep" — even though the writers were well aware that there was a significant difference between death and sleep.
However, we should also take serious note of the verses that seem to indicate consciousness after death. In 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Paul seems to refer to the intermediate state as being "unclothed" in verse 4, and as being "at home with the Lord" in verse 8. In Philippians 1:21-23 Paul says that to die is "gain" because believers depart "to be with Christ." This does not sound like unconsciousness. This is also seen in Luke 23:43 when Jesus tells the thief, "Today you will be with me in Paradise." The Greek is clear and translated correctly.
Ultimately, the doctrine of the intermediate state is something God has not chosen to describe explicitly and dogmatically in the Bible. Perhaps it is beyond human capacity to grasp even if it could be clearly explained. This doctrine is certainly not an issue over which Christians should fight and divide.
As the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology states, "Speculation on the intermediate state should never diminish the certainty that flows from the cross or the hope in the new creation."
If we are conscious with God after death, who will complain about this to God, saying, "I’m supposed to sleep like Rip Van Winkle until Jesus returns — why am I conscious?" And, of course, if we are unconscious, we won’t be able to complain. Either way, at death, our next conscious moment is with God.
