Information Related to "The state of the dead"
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Let's go back over the second part of Luke 16:22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;, which states, "The rich man also died and was buried." Let's pause once again to ask a fundamental question. What does the Bible reveal about the state of the dead? "For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing...For there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:5For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten., Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.).
The dead are completely unconscious. They are not cognizant of anything. When a person dies, all of his thoughts, knowledge and feelings come to a complete halt. Absolutely no awareness or consciousness continues in another location or state of being. The Bible likens death to sleep (Job 7:21And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.; 14:10-12). Daniel 12:2And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. describes dead individuals as "those who sleep in the dust of the earth." They will awaken later in a resurrection (Isaiah 26:19Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.). For much more information on this subject read the Bible study aid What Happens After Death?
We can now explore Luke 16:23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.. Speaking about the rich man it reads, "And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom." Again, we must be careful not to presume the story means that the rich man died and went to an ever-burning hellfire. This is an incorrect assumption and not stated in this passage. It directly contradicts other biblical teaching on the matter. Jesus used the Greek word Hades ("hell" in the King James Version), which simply means "the grave." The Expositor's Bible Commentary (vol. 8, p. 992) states: "In the New Testament Hades is never used of the destiny of the believer. Neither is it identified with Gehenna, which is usually connected with fiery judgment as in Matthew 5:22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire., Matthew 5:29-30 [29] And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
[30] And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
; Luke 12:5But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.)."
It's important to also understand that in the Greek language, there are two other words in the Bible often translated "hell." One is tartaroo, which is used only once and refers to the present condition of restraint or imprisonment of fallen angels or demons (2 Peter 2:4For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;). The other word is Gehenna, which is derived from the Hebrew expression Gai-Hinnom, or the Valley of Hinnom. This valley bordered Jerusalem on the south. One Jewish source relates that, in Christ's day, it was used as the city's garbage dump. When Jesus spoke of Gehenna His listeners understood that this "hell" was a destroying fire in which trash and even the bodies of criminals were reduced to ashes. He warned that this kind of fire would be the ultimate fate of those who remain unrepentant (Matthew 13:41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;). "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell [ Gehenna, or Valley of Hinnom ]; yes, I say to you, fear Him" (Luke 12:5But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.).
Continuing in Luke 16:23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. we read about the rich man: "And being in torments in Hades [the grave], he lifted up his eyes." Once again we must be alert to read exactly what the passage says. Just how could the rich man have "lifted up his eyes" after he died? The Bible reveals the only way this can happen is through a resurrection. It explains that the dead can be raised to either immortal (Luke 20:35-36 [35] But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:
[36] Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
; Romans 8:13For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.) or mortal (physical) life.
For example, Jesus raised another man named Lazarus to mortal life (John 12:17The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record.). Also, immediately after Jesus died on the cross many of His faithful followers who had died were raised to physical life (Matthew 27:50-53 [50] Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
[51] And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
[52] And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
[53] And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
). In the case of the parable we are studying, the rich man would be raised from the dead as a mortal man, just as he was before he died. Revelation 20:4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. explains that God's spirit-begotten children will be resurrected to immortal life at Christ's second coming. However, verse 5 continues by stating, "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished." So the rich man's resurrection to physical life would occur after that thousand year period (Revelation 20:11-15 [11] And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
[12] And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
[13] And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
[14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
[15] And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
).
Abraham and the other faithful individuals, including Lazarus, would have been raised as immortal spirit beings at the return of Jesus Christ. Since the rich man would be resurrected near the end of the thousand year timespan as a physical man, it would seem to him as if it is the very next second after he died. He would know absolutely nothing of the vast number of years since his death.
When the rich man "lifted up" or opened his eyes, he immediately "saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom" (Luke 16:23And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.). According to Bible language expert Dr. Lawrence Richards, writing in The Victor Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, Jesus employed contemporary Jewish thought about the afterlife in this parable (which by this time was influenced by pagan mythology).
Dr. Richards wrote that Hades, the abode of the dead, was "thought to be divided into two compartments" and "conversations could be held between persons" in the abode of the righteous and those in the abode of the unrighteous. The New Bible Dictionary (p. 388) says, "Probably the story of Dives [meaning 'rich' {man} in Latin] and Lazarus (Luke 16), like the story of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-9 [1] And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods.
[2] And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.
[3] Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed.
[4] I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
[5] So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
[6] And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty.
[7] Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.
[8] And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.
[9] And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
), is a parable which made use of certain Jewish thinking and is not intended to teach anything about the state of the dead."
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Keywords: death hell life after death heaven immortal soul hades
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