The Original State of the Dead

.... Understanding the state of the dead is more complex than it may seem, because the death and resurrection of Jesus has changed things, His second coming will change them again, and the Day of Judgment will change them yet again. The best way to offer an adequate background is to follow the question chronologically, keeping Jesus Himself in view as the key to a proper understanding at each point. With that in mind, let’s start with the original state of the dead, as expressed by Jesus Himself:

.... "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores
.... "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
.... "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'
.... "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
.... "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'
.... "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'
.... "And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
.... "But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"

(Luke 16:19-31)

.... We should begin by noting that this story is not a parable, but an actual account. As such, it provides an actual glimpse of the world beyond, in the days before Jesus’ death and resurrection. This, then, is the original state of the dead.
.... The overall realm of the dead was called Sheol, and it was located in the heart of the earth. During the three days that Jesus was dead, He Himself was in this realm:

.... "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."

(Matthew 12:40)

.... "Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"

(John 20:17)

.... As we saw in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Sheol was divided into two compartments. One of them, called Hades, was and remains a place of torment and flames. It is also known as the waterless pit (Zechariah 9:11; Luke 16:23-24). Those who are interred there were called ‘prisoners’ in the Old Testament.

.... The other realm is called ‘Abraham’s bosom’, and it is almost certainly the same thing as ‘Paradise’ (Luke 23:43). Paradise, in contrast to Hades, was a place of great comfort and rest. And between the two realms a great gulf was fixed so that no one could pass from one realm to the other.

.... During His three days of death, Jesus would spend time in both realms (Acts 2:27; Luke 23:43). We will continue this discussion in future postings, to show how His death and resurrection changed this basic situation.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 1