The state of the soul after death is a subject which deeply interests us all. Many dear believers have the vague idea of going to heaven, but this is not spoken of in Scripture, unless in the one case of the thief upon the cross going to be with Christ in paradise. Not that we do not go there, but the scriptural thought is always going to Christ. Since He is in heaven, of course we go there, but being with Christ is what Scripture puts forward, and this is important as to our spiritual affections. Christ is the object before the soul, according to the Word, not simply being happy in heaven, though we shall be happy and in heaven.
Immediate Happiness
My object now is to give a plain scriptural statement that there is immediate happiness with Christ for the departed Christian. It is an intermediate state, for the departing Christian waits for the resurrection of the body — and then only will he be in his final state in glory. The purpose of God is that we should be conformed to the image of His Son, that He may be the firstborn among many brethren. “It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:22The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. (John 3:2)). This, and to be forever with the Lord, is our eternal state, when Christ shall have come and received us to Himself, changed into His likeness, when our poor earthly body shall have been fashioned like His glorious body (Phil. 3:2121Who 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. (Philippians 3:21)). Two things belong to us: first, to be like and with Christ Himself; second, to be blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Him. Redemption has made this ours, but we are not in possession. We have only the earnest of the Spirit, though God has wrought us for that selfsame thing.
Heavenly Places
In addition, our portion is in heavenly places: It is distinctive of believers who have believed and suffered with Christ. God, we are told, will gather together in one, under Christ, all things, both which are in heaven and which are on earth (Eph. 1:1010That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: (Ephesians 1:10)). The time will come when not only all things in heaven and earth will be reconciled (Col. 1:2020And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. (Colossians 1:20)), but even things under the earth, infernal things, will be forced to recognize His power and authority. Every knee shall bow to Him, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ, the despised and rejected of men, is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:1011). For this we must wait. But in this gathering of all things in heaven and earth under Christ, our part is in heavenly places; as it is our portion now in spirit, so it will be our part in glory. Nor is there any real separation between these two. Of course, we are not in glory now, but that is our calling now, that which we are redeemed to and wait for. “Our conversation [citizenship, our relationship in life as Christians] is in heaven” (Phil. 3:2020For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20)); in the same chapter, verse 14, where you have “high calling,” the true force of the word is “calling above.” So also, in Hebrews 3, we are partakers of the heavenly calling. As united to Christ by the Holy Spirit, we are sitting in heavenly places in Christ — not with Him yet, but in Him; that is our place.
Hence, it is clearly and distinctly expressed that our hope is laid up for us in heaven (Col. 1:55For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; (Colossians 1:5)), and Peter tells us that an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled and that fades not away is reserved in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:4). All this clearly shows that our blessings are where our hope enters, where our forerunner is gone, that our glory is celestial, not terrestrial. We shall bear the image of the heavenly and shall be forever with the Lord. The whole object of the Epistle to the Hebrews is to show that our portion is heavenly, in contrast with Judaism, which was earthly.
The Intermediate State
But how far does the Word of God show us our intermediate state, between the time of our being in this tabernacle, in which we groan, and having it glorified, when Christ comes and shall change our vile body and fashion it like His glorious body? Once we have understood that our calling is heavenly, all is simple and plain. Our citizenship now and always is in heaven. When and if we die, will we enjoy it more, or less, than here?
We know that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live unto Him (Luke 20:3838For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him. (Luke 20:38)). Though dead for this world, for Him they are as alive as ever, and so for faith. Some teach that they sleep, but there is no ground for this whatever. Stephen fell asleep, that is, died; it was not that his soul fell asleep after death. Some had fallen asleep, that is, had died (1 Cor. 15:6), and this is the same word as “sleep in Jesus” in 1 Thessalonians 4. This is contrasted with being alive, in Thessalonians, and with remaining to this present, in Corinthians. It is just simply dying, and a beautiful expression to show they had not at all ceased to exist, but would wake up again in resurrection, as a man out of sleep. This is clearly seen in the case of Lazarus, in John 11. The Lord says, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” They thought it was taking of rest in sleep; then He said plainly, Lazarus has died. That is, sleep means plainly dying, and awaking is not waking the soul, as if it slept apart, but bringing back from the state of death by resurrection. A Christian’s falling asleep is neither more nor less than dying; a soul’s sleeping is a pure invention.
Absent From the Body,
Present With the Lord
Christians have Christ as their life, as they have Him as their righteousness, and as to death itself (2 Cor. 5:6), they are always confident, knowing that while they are at home in the body, they are absent from the Lord. They have eternal life in Christ, but here it lives absent from the Lord, in the earthen vessel; when it leaves the poor earthen vessel, it will be present with the Lord. Is that better or worse? Remember that Christ is our life; because He lives, we live. Have we lost our connection with Him when we die? Is it not perfectly evident that when Paul speaks of being with Christ and of its being far better than serving Him here (though that was worthwhile), he speaks of the joy of being there? The Lord declares to the thief who confessed Him that he should be with Him that day in paradise. Was it not happiness He promised him, being with Christ and in paradise? He was sure that He who hung upon the cross would come in (not into) His kingdom and prayed that Christ might remember him then. The Lord’s answer was according to the whole tenor of the gospel: You shall not wait for that. I bring salvation by grace; today you shall be with Me in paradise, the fit companion of Christ in blessedness. This, then, is the portion of the departed saint, to be with Christ in blessedness, absent from the body, and present with the Lord.
The intermediate state, then, is not glory (for that we must wait for our glorified body), but it is blessedness where no evil is. It is being with Christ Himself, the source of joy ineffable. The hopes and “always confident” of Paul and of Stephen were not disappointed, nor did the assurance given by the Lord to the thief fail of fulfillment. I ask if the bright hopes spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5, Philippians 1, Acts 7, and the Lord’s words to the thief, for any honest mind, can mean going fast asleep and knowing nothing? If 2 Corinthians 5:6-86Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6‑8) means being happy with Christ, it means being happy with Him when we die.
The Enjoyment of Christ
How a spirit enjoys Christ we cannot tell as to the manner of it, but there is no difficulty whatever. My spirit enjoys Christ now in spite of the hindrance of the poor earthen vessel it is in, and though now we see Him not, yet we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8). It is not my body which enjoys Him now, but my soul spiritually, with the hindrance of the earthen vessel and absent from Him; then it is without the hindrance of the earthen vessel and present with Him. The believer may rest perfectly assured that, departing from the body, he will be present with the Lord, and if His presence is joy to him, that joy will be his. No one would be more anxious to press the Lord’s coming and our waiting for Him and the importance of the resurrection. I would urge it, as I have urged it, on the saints, and indeed upon all, in its due place, but not to weaken the solemn truth that all live to God, even if they are spirits in prison, nor on the other hand, the excellent joy and blessedness of being with Christ when we depart, that to die is gain. It has justly cheered and shed heavenly light on many a dying bed, and yet will, if the Lord tarry. The Scripture is plain that for a saint to depart and be with Christ is far better than even the most successful service here; it is just as plain as to the happiness of the saint in that condition. The full and final state of eternal blessedness is when Christ will come and take all His saints to be with Him forever in glory, like Himself, when the marriage of the Lamb shall have come, and when we shall be forever with the Lord.
J. N. Darby, adapted