Sheol As a Waiting Room

Sheol is a Hebrew term for the waiting place of the dead, distinct from Hell, and appears in the Old Testament. Both the righteous and unrighteous go there. The understanding of Sheol is often obscured by translations. Some believe it offers a second chance for salvation post-Judgment Day, but interpretations vary widely.

Many people are not aware of what Sheol is, so first let me give you a quick primer. Sheol is a Hebrew term used 65 times in the Old Testament. Its Greek equivalent “Hades” shows up another 10. It is not a reference to “Hell” as most people think of Hell. It is more the waiting room for Hell. It is not “purgatory” either. Though I would bet that an ancient misunderstanding of Sheol led to the development of the idea of purgatory.

Sheol has escaped many people’s understanding thanks to some lousy translating. Many versions of the English Bible cover over the word by translating it as “the grave” or “the pit”. This is garbage. Sheol is a place and a proper noun. Leave it as is.

In the Old Testament everyone expected to go to Sheol whether they were considered righteous or unrighteous. It was the place of the dead. Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19f) gives us the best glimpse into Sheol as it was.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 16:22-23 (ESV)

Notice that both the rich man and Lazarus are in Hades (Sheol) but in significantly different conditions. Lazarus is in “the bosom” of Abraham, and the rich man is in torment. He explains the torment as being because of fire. Thus the confusion with the post-Judgement Day “lake of fire”, which we think of as Hell.

Lazarus, Abraham, and the rest of the Old Testament righteous are waiting. For what? For Jesus to complete atonement for their sins on the cross and for Jesus to complete the Law in a way that they did not with His life. Timing actually matters. You didn’t suffer in this part of Sheol. The Roman Catholic Church refers to this place as “The Limbo of the Fathers”. Others prefer “Abraham’s bosom”. I like “the good neighborhood of Sheol. It reminds you where it is. What did they do there (some for millennia)? Don’t know.

When Jesus had completed His work, He set them free.

As for you, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
    I will free your prisoners from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope;
    even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.

Zechariah 9:11-12 (ESV)

You can see that they were rewarded for their patience and faith. Want to read more about Jesus’ descent into Sheol read here: https://afterdeathsite.com/2017/04/04/christs-descent-into-hell-part-4/

People like the rich man were/are waiting too. Without the forgiveness of Christ you are stuck in the bad neighborhood of Sheol until Judgment Day. Could actual Hell be any worse? Read this: https://afterdeathsite.com/2023/11/14/how-is-sheol-different-than-hell/

Those who now die connected to Jesus will never go to the “waiting room”. Eternal life in Heaven begins immediately.

Is there any hope once you find yourself in the bad neighborhood of Sheol. Many people and denominations say “no”. To be honest there is not a lot of Scriptural information on the topic. Those who say no are depending on one verse, which I think they misapply. It is Hebrews 9:27:

27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)

You can see that the context is about how many times Christ is sacrificed. The answer is one. Similarly, how many lives do we live before judgment–one. It does not say the final judgment is immediate. There is the waiting room. The one Bible passage that suggests some measure of hope is 1 Peter 4:6:

6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

1 Peter 4:6 (ESV)

“The gospel was preached to those now dead” is not a great translation. It is more like “for indeed the dead ones were evangelized (declared the good message)”. The context of “the dead ones” is found in 1 Peter 3:20. They are the disobedient people killed by Noah’s flood. They waited in the bad neighborhood of Sheol until Jesus declared the promise of salvation to them. Then some, if not all, were made alive to God.

How far does this second chance go? I don’t know. I hope far. It is clear that many make it through the waiting room all the way to their appointment at Judgment Day. Hell won’t be empty, and that is regrettable since what Christ did was big enough for all.

Angels and Demons

The text explores the nature of angels and demons, clarifying misconceptions about their existence and origins. It discusses how demons may be corrupted angels, influenced by Satan, while angels are distinct beings not derived from deceased humans. Both entities impact human life, with scripture referencing their roles in spiritual warfare and personal experiences of possession and intervention.

Most people, even if they are biblically illiterate, have heard of angels and Demons. They are known in other world religions as well, which is interesting. They are encountered by humans both in modern times, New Testament times, and ancient times. Are they real? And if so, what are they?

First, let’s say what they are not. Demons are not an ignorant understanding of mental illness. Mental illness is dysfunction of the brain. It can happen for a variety of reasons from genetics to trauma. I would not doubt that some trauma could be inflicted from spiritual (i.e. demonic) source, however. Angels, on the other hand, are not dead people. You do not die and become an Angel. Though the term, “angelus”, just means messenger, it is a term that is usually used to describe a certain species of being normally resident in Heaven. Angels are also not “Seraphim or Cherubim (in English: “burning ones” or “living ones”). These are synonyms for something of even higher capability than Angels.

It would appear that Demons are/were Angels. The information that we have is cryptic, but it appears that Satan (a Cherubim) managed to corrupt a large minority of Angels and turn them against God. Unlike humans where Satan was able to genetically corrupt the first set (Adam and Eve) and therefore corrupt every one of us, only a portion of Angels are corrupted. Perhaps this is because they don’t replicate, or that there were many Angels before Satan got to them.

What happened to Demons? This is very sketchy. Satan seems to have been able to hang on to residence in Heaven until Jesus’ victory on the cross. Nothing is said about Demons in this regard, except in Jude it says this:

6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

Jude 6 (ESV)

From this passage we learn that Judgment Day isn’t just for people. Angels and Satan will receive their final disposition on that day as well. This passage can’t be about all fallen Angels, because many are shown creating problems on Earth. How is the timing of Jude 6 connected to this passage?

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in Heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the Earth, and his Angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 12:7-9 (ESV)

Maybe these events are disconnected, maybe not. In the end, it would appear that we have both Angels and Demons among us. How do they contribute to our situations both positively and negatively?

On a personal level, the Bible records instances of demonic possession. There could also be lesser ways that a demon could affect a person. The most famous being the possession that inspired the book, “The Exorcist”. The Washington Post just happened to document this story back in the 1950’s. In that story the window that allowed the Demon to take hold was the dabbling in occultic practices by a “spiritualist” aunt and a boy’s use of a Ouija board to try to communicate to her after she died. I am not certain why and what occultic practices make this possible. They were also behind the scenes in all of the possessions encountered by Jesus. Pagan people lived very near or in Israel. People dabbled in these things and paid a price.

On a positive note, both the Bible and personal experiences account for angelic intervention. The most common being a helper that should not be there who assists someone in desperate need and then disappears.

There is also some interesting stuff about Angels and Demons at the national level, but I would like to briefly address our interaction with them after our death. First, Angels do not have wings and neither will you. My piece of art above in generated by AI. I cannot convince the “AI” that Angels do not have wings since there is so much garbage on the internet that shows that they do. This idea is an addition mostly from Renaissance artists. Cherubim do have wings. Angels will be a regular part of our existence in Heaven. Much like humans, they will seem like neighbors.

Demons will not be in Sheol, they will either remain on Earth or be contained in someplace called “the Abyss” until Judgment Day. After Judgment Day they will not be tormenting people in Hell. They will be suffering as well.

Do Humans Have a Body in Hell and Sheol?

I bet you were lying in bed wondering about this very question. I grant you that it is an obscure issue for which we have little information but it is a parallel to the important issue of whether we have a body in Heaven (to which I say yes), and it connects to same verse in Scripture, which is 2 Corinthians 5:1f.

5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2 Corinthians 5:1-4(ESV)

Our body that we have during this life is a “tent”. It houses our spirit, but it is a legitimate part of what we are. That is why there is a resurrection of the body. Paul says that we do not wish to be “unclothed”, which means without a body. Can such a situation even exist?

The Bible does not say where Heaven, Sheol, or the final Lake of Fire actually are. The ancients conceived of Sheol as the center of the Earth, and Heaven as being outside the furthest reach of the universe; but that does not make it so. Recent work in theoretical physics uses the concept of other dimensions. Albeit these dimensions are not observable because they are very small. There is no constraining reason why they must be small. What if they are unobservable just because we are constrained to live and observe in only three spatial dimensions. What if other dimensions do exist, explaining some of the odd behavior of gravity and quantum physics, but actually define the space of parallel universes. These universes would not have to be in lock-step with ours because they are only connected at the quantum level. This could define the space of Heaven, Sheol, the Abyss, and possibly Hell.

Going with this very unprovable theory, that would be why an “earthly” body is Earthly. It only can move in the dimensions of this space-time. And why a “heavenly” is Heavenly. It moves in Heaven’s dimensions. Could Sheol be its own space-time with a Sheol appropriate body. Not sure of the adjective for that one.

Descriptions of Sheol (please use the Search box if you are not familiar with this term to find posts about it) seem very physical. For example the rich man in Luke 16:

23 and in Hades (same as Sheol), being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Luke 16:23-24 (ESV)

Flame, water, cool, tongue all seem very physical. This would also connect to the general resurrection of the dead. The damned would need an earthly body to stand before God at Judgment Day on Earth. It would also connect to the destruction of those Earthly bodies:

“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 4:1-3 (ESV)

They won’t be needing those bodies where they are going next. Is the final Lake of Fire (i.e. Gehenna or Hell) also a “bodily experience”? Maybe it is not even connected to our multi-dimensional reality. Maybe “forsakeness” means total disconnection from creation? I think that is an interesting and disturbing thought.

One final thought. Paul speaks about being “unclothed”. The spirit of Samuel is “raised up” from the good neighborhood of Sheol by the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:13-15). He seems “unclothed” in the bodily sense. He appears “wrapped in a robe”. What about ghosts? I don’t know how they would fit in the model given us by Scripture. Are they figments of a person’s imagination? Are they demonic? Are they people “brought up” from Sheol and left here? Are they just part of a tired sit-com (I prefer the British version)? The disciples thought they were seeing a ghost when Jesus came to them walking on the water. From where did such an idea come? I don’t know.

Again, most of this post is unproveable and unstated by Scripture verbatim. But it does make sense to me. I hope you find it thought provoking and may be only find through experience about the Heavenly body and your Resurrected body.

How Will We Be Like Him?

The author contemplates the transformative experience of Heaven and the New Earth, focusing on how believers will resemble Christ in character and have new, indestructible bodies free from sin. They explore the uniqueness of individual personalities, potential cognitive abilities, recognition, and the non-divisive nature of gender and race in the afterlife.

I think that it is exciting to think about what I will be like in Heaven and the New Earth. It is not just our environment that will change, but we will be changed. The classic teaser passage about this is 1 John 3:2,

2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.

1 John 3:2 (ESV)

My question for this article is, “How will we be like Him”? Jesus is the incarnate Son of God. He became human and all indications is that He remains human to this day. I am human and when I pass I will remain human. I will not become an Angel. Angels are a separate yet similar species. I will be a human with a heavenly body (2 Corinthians 5:1). That will be a body very different than I one I now have. It will not have the genes or the structures formed by sinful nature. That is a big plus. It will be a body formed to exist in the dimensional space of Heaven and not this universe. That may not be noticeable to me. What else?

When Jesus rose from the dead, He had a resurrected, human body and also was the incarnation of the Son of God. I am not sure that I will have the same properties when I have a resurrected body that is built for this universe. What can we say about our heavenly body and our resurrected earthly body or just “our self” after death in Christ?

Our character will be like Christ, not just “sort of” like Christ as we are now? I will have all of the fruit of the Spirit to the full:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)

Beyond this there are many other personality qualities listed in the New Testament. These won’t make us into personality clones of each other. We will just be great people. I expect that we will retain certain personality traits that make us unique now–positive ones.

My body(ies) will be indestructible and eternal. No more sickness, aging, or death. I’m looking forward to that. Anything else? The rest is strictly hypothetical.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 speaks about the resurrected body, not necessarily the heavenly body:

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44(ESV)

I’m going to say “glory” in verse 43 means in part “beautiful”. Most of us will not leave pretty corpses. Some of have been unattractive even as babies. It will be equal, yet diverse, forms of beautiful. How will we know each other then? If you die looking awful. Will you be unrecognizable? I hypothesize that we will have a gift of recognition not based on seeing faces. This would be great for those who are currently “face blind”. Peter, James and John knew Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration. We are not told of introductions or name tags.

The quote above uses “powerful”. I expect both bodies to be “powerful”. But with what powers? No fatigue? Able to move fast? Able to lift heavy stuff? I am not really sure what “powerful” all entails. But we will in no way be feeble.

Will we retain gender or race? God desires people from every nation and Revelation 7 says:

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,

Revelation 7:9 (ESV)

I expect that the answer is yes, but it will in no way be divisive or diminishing.

What about cognitive abilities? Not sure. Muscle memory and athleticism? Exciting to think about, but I don’t know. Abilities that have no analog with our abilities now? I sure hope so. The resurrected Jesus seems to either blind people’s recognition abilities or to be a shape-shifter. That may be a God quality. Might we able to present as a child, adult, or good-looking senior? It’s an intriguing idea.

There is much to look forward to when you are connected to Christ and have God’s grace covering you.

Are There Levels of Hell?

In the classic poem, Dante’s Inferno, Dante pictures Hell as nine concentric circles of increasing suffering. Each based on a person’s predominate sin. Satan is at the bottom frozen into a lake. So there would be a “cold day in Hell” if Dante were correct.

The Bible has very little to say about the final place of judgment for the damned. Revelation describes it as a “lake of fire”. Jesus’ word for it, Gehenna, describes a burning garbage dump. Jesus describes it as a place of flames and where the worm does not die. “Eternal” suffering is also stated. We can also infer from Jesus’ suffering on the cross that the punishment for sin is both a physical death and a spiritual death, where spiritual death is being forsaken by God. That is enough to know that I don’t want a tour let alone to permanently end up there.

The only passage to possibly suggest a variation of suffering comes from Jesus:

20 Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Matthew 11:20-24 (ESV)

I think the key of understanding this passage is that it speaks of it being “tolerable” on the “day of Judgment”, and not after. The people in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum had seen Jesus do miracles. They will know that they had unrefutable proof before their eyes and still rejected it.

It is suggested that Tyre, Sidon, Sodom, and Gomorrah would have repented had they been able to see this. At least, many people in these cities would have repented. The other cities had their opportunity and blew it.

Will it be a similar situation for those who heard the Gospel? Maybe even had family members plead with them. They may have heard the considerable proof that comes with Christian apologetics. Still, they rejected the opportunity of salvation. There will be fear and regret, for sure, only too late.

These realizations have to arrive on a person long before Judgment Day. It should be evident at death if you find yourself in Sheol. https://afterdeathsite.com/2023/11/14/how-is-sheol-different-than-hell/

Is there another level of “tolerability” that comes with the possible hope that still exists in Sheol? The cities that Jesus condemns had their opportunity to see and believe. Many other cities, though very evil, had not. What does 1 Peter 4:6 and Jesus’ actions in 1 Peter 3:19-20 say about a possible witness and repentance post-mortem?

19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

1 Peter 3:19-20 (ESV)

In this part the people who were drowned in Noah’s flood get a witness from Jesus while in Sheol. They were not known for their virtue. All they could claim is ignorance. Then just a few verses later:

6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

1 Peter 4:6 (ESV)

This reads like a post-mortem opportunity to me. The use of Hebrews 9:27 to counterpoint this is clear misapplication of a verse. If opportunity did/does exist for Tyre, etc. or other people who die in ignorance, then it is certainly “more tolerable”. Faith is a strange thing, however. The reaction of the people who saw the miracles but still did not believe proves it. Even those who would receive witness in Sheol would not necessarily repent.

This topic only interests me because I care. I would rather that no one experiences Hell. I feel that way because God feels that way. But the Law is something that God doesn’t change. He fulfills it for us through Christ. To receive what He has done makes all the difference.

Purpose In the Kingdom of God

The content explores the concept of purpose in life and after death, emphasizing the importance of serving God and others. While earthly pleasures may seem fulfilling, true satisfaction comes from meaningful engagement. It highlights biblical passages about eternal life, suggesting that purpose exists beyond rest, with joyful, fulfilling activities in Heaven and the New Earth.

What would you do if money and health were not issues? If you had no other purpose than to enjoy yourself, would you be happy? I think I would be for awhile. I would travel, golf, hangout with my kids and grandkids, hike, explore, ski, and much more. Many people think of retirement like that, only to be disappointed by restrictions and a nagging need for purpose.

As a person who is already a part of the Kingdom of God. There is an enormous amount of purpose to be had. We glorify God through doing a great job at our job. We are to show kindness and forgiveness to others. We are to be good stewards of time, money, skills, our body, our planet, our knowledge of Scripture, our relationships and more. We are to make disciples. We are to counteract evil. If you can’t find something to do as a disciple of Jesus, you are not looking hard enough.

But what about after death? Eternity is a long time. Will we be able to experience new things and enjoy fun things we already enjoy? I expect so. Will there be purpose? While there is never enough information about our existence in Heaven and the New Earth for my taste, there actually is more about purpose than there is about entertainment.

But let’s start with this passage:

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Revelation 14:13 (ESV)

This passage has unintentionally put into people’s minds that eternal life is a bunch of naps. “Resting from labors” is not sitting around. It is no longer experiencing the physical drag of work. When I have something to do, even something I will enjoy, there is a part of me that doesn’t want to do it. My body doesn’t want to give up the energy. That experience will be done. Nothing will be laborious. There will be purposeful, comforting, exhilarating, entertaining, loving, bonding, but not laborious.

I am not sure about the experience of being damned. The Bible speaks of fire and decay(worms). Jesus’ experience speaks of being abandoned by God and hopelessness. I would expect purposelessness and maybe laborious activity.

Can we know anything more specific about the purpose of the redeemed?

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

Revelation 7:15 (ESV)

This is still rather vague. What type of “service” does God need? Honestly nothing. But just as we are allowed to be a part of God’s work here, we are also allowed to be in the direct presence of God and with purpose. Don’t read into this that direct worship is all that we do. Also, don’t pull into it visions of working a night shift here. This service is fundamentally different.

Another purpose section comes from Isaiah 65. Isaiah 65 is a hard passage to interpret in light of other Scriptures. See a bigger discussion here: https://afterdeathsite.com/2022/05/24/wrestling-with-isaiah-65/ But Isaiah, speaking of the New Earth, includes a number of familiar functions.

They shall build houses and inhabit them;
    they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
    they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
    and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They shall not labor in vain
    or bear children for calamity,
for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord,
    and their descendants with them.

Isaiah 65:21-23 (ESV)

This section is about the New Earth. It says so. Will we build and plant and have kids? Looking at other Scriptures, I can say that our days won’t be limited like a tree. We have eternal life. Will we go through cycles or does Isaiah 65 just compare the sorrows of current life to the absence of sorrows in the New Earth? It is hard to say, but I would not count out any of the purposes listed here.

Obviously, there is much we have left to discover about life in Heaven and the New Earth. It will be an experience that is “truly life”, and that includes purpose. Probably it includes familiar things and things that we have never imagined. None of it will be laborious. It will be joy.

The Praise We Owe Jesus

Who is the most positively influential person in the history of mankind? There is no contest–Jesus. What makes Jesus so important isn’t how he influenced views on politics, the sexes, or the poor; it is what He finished during the week we are celebrating this week, Holy Week.

It is easy to be impressed with Jesus’ teaching. It is influential to this day and it should be. It is easy to be impressed with His miracles, but His purpose wasn’t to end disease, feed people, or temporarily raise the dead. His purpose was much, much bigger.

God’s Law created a big problem for humankind. You could state His foundational Law like this: Anything that is a part or product of rebellion against me cannot be in my direct presence or a part of my re-created universes. We definitely fail this test. Sinful human nature, a genetic condition is inherited by all. The best of us fail to remain sinless in thought, word, and deed. We lack faith. We lack love. We lack positive actions. The judgment is this: We will all physically die and then be forsaken by God (in Hell). That’s the bad news. Very bad news.

The good news is that God also considered this His problem. He is not a being to just suspend or exempt from the Law. It still stands. The Good News is that He had a plan and that plan was Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God made human (incarnate). He is born irregularly via virgin birth. The outcome of that is no genetic sinful nature. He lives 35 years (I think 2 B.C. to 33 A.D.) God has a thing about the number 3 1/2. He never sins despite serious external temptation. It is sufficiently accomplished during Holy Week.

Then comes the harder part. Jesus needs to physically die and be forsaken. The second part being the critical part for us. This is not easy and Jesus didn’t relish the thought:

27 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

John 12:27 (ESV)

38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Matthew 26:38-39 (ESV)

Jesus is rightfully scared because being forsaken is the removal of all good things and we cannot even comprehend what that meant for the Trinitarian aspect of God. Still, Jesus does it because that is what the Father wants to do. The Father continues on because He loves people. He loves you.

Jesus experiences forsakeness. It is so emptying that He doesn’t seem to remember why it is happening:

46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Matthew 27:46 (ESV)

How long does this last? It doesn’t say. But a good guess would be during the supernatural darkness. It says this starts about the third hour. Again, going with 3 1/2 being significant, I would guess 3 1/2 hours. That is compared with eternally if we have to bear it ourselves.

The final aspect of God’s plan is that in order to have the obedience of Jesus apply to us we have to be joined to Him. This isn’t just a matter of God’s bookkeeping, though there is a Book of Life. This is a unity that God creates between Jesus and us that is somehow similar to the unity of the persons of the Trinity.

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

John 17:20-23 (ESV)

This is the part that fails to include all people. God wants all to be saved, but there is something about the majority of people that God won’t get past to create a bond with them. I don’t think it is merely informational or intellectual though in manifests in that way. I don’t know what it is. But I owe Jesus my all because it does include me.

I pray it includes you.

Biblical Stories of Being Raised from the Dead

The Easter story celebrates Jesus’ unique resurrection, contrasting it with other instances of being raised from the dead, like Lazarus and others. While Lazarus and others experienced repair or temporary returns, Jesus’ resurrection signifies a transformative experience, promising believers a future spiritual body and a restored existence in Heaven and Earth.

On Easter we celebrate Jesus being raised from the dead, but the Easter story is not the only story about being raised from the dead. The Easter story is unique, however, because Jesus isn’t just raised, He is resurrected. This is a very different thing. Perhaps in the course of your lifetime you might be clinically dead. You may even experience leaving your body. But modern medicine will bring you back. You will not come back as resurrected. You will merely be repaired, at least enough to get you by for a while.

The second most famous story is the raising of Lazarus in John 11. Jesus intentionally drags His feet on going to help His sick friend. The raising of Lazarus is going to be a powerful sign of what God can do. By the time Jesus arrives at the scene, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days. Everybody expects physical decay to have begun. Has it? Not beyond the ability of Jesus to fix it. Where was Lazarus these past four days? Technically, Lazarus dies (the first time) before the atonement for sins is complete. I would expect that he had a brief stay in the good neighborhood of Sheol (aka The Bosum of Abraham or The Limbo of the Fathers)https://afterdeathsite.com/2021/05/11/an-expectation-of-sheol/ . Would that be upsetting to be recalled? I am not sure about the quality of existence in this space. It is a sort of waiting room for Heaven and may not be that different than living here. Lazarus was no doubt honored to be such a powerful part of the ministry of Jesus. There was one definite downside:

9 When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

John 12:9-11 (ESV)

We are not given follow-up on this story. I would have to assume that Lazarus was later murdered. He would go through the process of dying twice, which tells me that it is not so bad on the relative scale of things. Lazarus’ resurrection is still pending.

Other people beside Jesus were given the ability to raise the dead. Elijah in 1 Kings 17:17f raises the son of a widow, and Peter in Acts 9 raises a beloved woman (Dorcas/Tabitha). The power of repair work can be given as a spiritual gift. Both are powerful signs. It is hard to say where the boy was for he was neither a Jew nor necessarily under grace. He may have come from the bad neighborhood of Sheol, and would have been overjoyed to get out. Tabitha would have been in Heaven. She had been dead for hours. Like Lazarus, I’m sure she was willing to fulfill God’s purpose in her existence. Also, like Lazarus she would die again.

Jesus raises the daughter of Jairus. This is similar to the boy raised by Elijah in the sense that the grief of parents is uniquely difficult. She is dead for less than a hour probably. It would be more like Near Death Experiences done by medical means. People who experience NDE’s of Heaven don’t want to return, but they continue to live with an excitement of getting back to Heaven.

One last non-resurrection “return”. The prophet Samuel is summoned by non-acceptable occultic means through the Witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28). Samuel is not pleased. Samuel says that he was “disturbed” and “brought up”. It doesn’t seem to be in physical form, so he remained dead but could communicate his displeasure.

What is different between being “repaired” and raised, Near Death Experiences, occultic summoning, and resurrection? A lot. We will receive a heavenly body for heavenly realms, but we are not complete until we receive a resurrected earthly body. This won’t happen until Judgment Day. The resurrected body exceeds our current body in every way. Paul describes it this way:

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 (ESV)

https://afterdeathsite.com/2024/12/10/pondering-the-properties-of-our-resurrected-body/Jesus was raised with all this plus being the incarnate Son of God, so the properties of His physical being are beyond our knowledge and all comparison.

While we won’t have some of the unique properties of Jesus, we will be vastly different than today, able to enjoy a restored Earth and Heaven. Easter joy is a celebration of a major mile post of the plan of God for our salvation. It also is a time to ponder what comes next for those who belong to Jesus.

Biblical Out of Body Experiences

Modern medicine has increased the frequency of Near Death Experiences (NDEs). Individuals often seek to replicate these experiences through psychedelics and meditation. The article explores Biblical accounts, specifically Isaiah and Paul’s encounters with Heaven, emphasizing the spiritual nature of these experiences and the caution advised regarding contemporary interpretations of NDEs.

Because of modern medicine, more and more people are having Near Death Experiences. Some, eager to repeat the experience, experiment dangerously with psychedelics, Transcendental Meditation, and occultic methodology.

Out-of-body and Near-Death Experiences are not something new. They are just more frequent. The Bible records a couple of these experiences that I would like to explore in this article.

The first is Isaiah’s experience of Heaven in Isaiah 6:

6 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!”

4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Isaiah 6:1-7 (ESV)

There is nothing in the story that indicates that Isaiah was near death. His body remained in some state in the temple in Jerusalem on Earth. How do I know this wasn’t a physical field trip? The main thing is Jesus’ comment in John 3:

13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

John 3:13 (ESV)

To this point, Heaven was strictly off limits to humanity. Our sinful condition made bodily access intolerable for us. I also think that the other dimensionality of Heaven would exclude our body prior to being resurrected.

Even without being bodily in Heaven, Isaiah feels the weight of being a sinner. The experience should have been pure joy, but he proclaims, “Woe is me!” The experience is given to Isaiah for the purpose of recruitment for a thankless job. If you go further in Isaiah, he volunteers to take the job of proclaiming to Israel words that will close their ears and harden their hearts. That is not a job I would want.

Still, he has this vision/OBE to remember. What he sees is a portion of Heaven–God’s throne room. He experiences atonement for his sins through the touch of coals from the altar. This would be the real altar that is represented by the bronze altar for sacrifice in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. Why does this work? It is prophetic of Jesus’ sacrifice and that His body touches our lips in the Lord’s Supper. Whether there is more to it is hard to say. It is important to remember that Isaiah is not physically there. This is not imaginary either. He experiences it in spirit only.

Isaiah says that he saw the Lord. Direct viewing of God is fatal for sinful flesh. Not being in the flesh protects him. Touching the coals of the altar protects him and allows him to stay and to speak. Once he receives his commission he is returned to his body in the temple on Earth.

Paul had a similar experience. He doesn’t say as much about it, but what he says is found in 2 Corinthians 12:

2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 (ESV)

He describes his destination as the “third heaven”. For people of that time the first heaven is our atmosphere, the second is the universe, the third is where God dwells or what we call “Heaven”.

Fourteen years ago would be about 40AD. Paul’s conversion would be around 36AD. Jesus’ crucifixion is likely 33AD. Perhaps this corresponds with an incident where Paul was stoned (the old sense of that word, with rocks) and left for dead. In that case this is an NDE. He doesn’t describe the throne room. He calls what he sees “paradise”. He is not sure of his bodily state. I’m pretty sure it is out-of-body.

Then the teaser. He hears things that He is not permitted to tell. God has a few more mysteries to reveal. What could these be? It could be about the full glory that God has prepared for us. Near Death Experiences are generally glorious if the person experiences Heaven, but I do not trust them fully. They can have a universalistic bent that clashes with what Jesus has said. I’m not sure if it is a misinterpretation of the person, or Satan can inject falsehood into the experience at times, or something else. I trust the Bible for details. The things Paul hears could also be about coming judgments on the Earth. The 70AD destruction of Jerusalem is still in front of Him, for example.

The Biblical out-of-body experiences are interesting and informative. It shows that God can use such an experience. These two are approved to be carried forward as God’s Word. Others need to be approached with caution. They may be accurate and real experiences, or not.

The Human Soul

The text explores the concept of consciousness, discussing its relationship with the body, spirit, and soul from both scientific and biblical perspectives. It argues that while natural materialism reduces humanity to the body, biblical teachings emphasize a multi-faceted existence. Death is viewed as unnatural, separating spirit and body, necessitating a heavenly counterpart.

From a scientific standpoint, we speak of such things as consciousness as being the mysterious part of the human experience. Is consciousness an illusion? Is it just the chemical and electrical activity among our neurons or is there something more?

The Bible talks about our spirit, soul and body. Natural materialism wants to reduce us to one thing–a body. The Bible speaks of three. The body is easy to identify. The spirit seems to be something not of this three-dimensional space, but rather something connected to the body during our lifetime. The “soul” is sometimes used as a synonym for the spirit like here:

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:28 (ESV)

This passage is interesting because it speaks of destruction, which apparently doesn’t refer to elimination. It also speaks of a body in Hell. Even the lost get a resurrected body, but it seems to be turned to ash according to Malachi 4. This must be a body for the space of Hell, the counterpart to a Heavenly body for the redeemed. The necessity of an accompanying body to our spiritual component is what is relevant to my blog today.

Paul says,

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (ESV)

Here Paul is either being redundant or he is making a distinction between soul and spirit. The soul seems to be the interaction of spirit and body. It may be what you see when you image a brain. The soul could include our consciousness or just be an element of it. Where do such things as cognition, memory, self-awareness reside? When we are as we are created to be, a body and spirit united, then the answer is all of the above. Our memories are stored in our brain (a part of the body). The soul is the functioning of spirit and body together.

Death is an unnatural thing when compared to how God designed us. It is because of God’s sentence on sin that spirit and body are torn apart. Cognition, memory, consciousness go with the spirit. Be we are not whole without a body. We are “found naked” .

5 For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

2 Corinthians 5:1-4 (ESV)

“Unclothed” must be a ghost-like state, lacking the benefits of spirit-soul-body. It is because of this passage that I am convinced we have a heavenly body. The idea that Heaven is a part of an other-dimensional space than Earth helps this to make sense. Our bodies that we possess now are constrained to occupy the three-dimensional space of this universe. A parallel universe, like Heaven could be, would require a different body. Perhaps Hell would require a different one yet.

With each body-spirit combination comes a soul. The interaction of body and spirit. The description of our resurrected, earthly body as being “spiritual” (1 Corinthians 15:44) may refer to the ability to unite them both–our spirit with both the resurrected, earthly body and the heavenly body.

How far can science probe this? Not very. It can measure the explosion of energy when the spirit and body disconnect-likely the temporary disappearance of the soul. But science is also constrained to examining these dimensions. It certainly points to the existence of others through quantum mechanics, but that is all.

Revelation from God, though sometimes cryptic, gives us a greater insight into ourselves–an exciting insight.