To This Point.
This post is the third installment of our exploration into the question of “What happens to our souls after death?” The first (Post 75, November 16, 2019) opened the question and introduced the Oblivionist, the Scripturalist, and the Universalist schools of thought on this topic. It also described the Oblivionist position.
Post 77 (December 6, 2019) began our exploration of the Scripturalist school and presented the first of the three basic theological “groupings” that I’ve associated with this school. This post will discuss the second and third positions. Please remember that these terms and groupings are my own and do not necessarily conform with more widely accepted terms and definitions. I use them here only out of expediency to give us a framework for our conversation.
Before we move on to the second Scripturalist position (what I’m calling the “Unawareness Thesis”), allow me some final thoughts on the first, the Purification Thesis.
The Purification Thesis continued.
- The Purification Thesis continued. This position seems, to me, to fly in the face of one of the basic tenets of Christian theology. Scripture tells us that the ONLY thing that is sufficient to expiate our sins is Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the cross.
Hebrews 10:1-18 contains, “…(sacrifices) can never…make perfect those who draw near (to God)…” and “…we have been sanctified through the offering…of Jesus Christ once and for all.” John 2:2 says, “…Jesus Christ…is the expiation for our sins…” These scriptures don’t say, “Jesus Christ is one of the ways our sins are expiated.” They say that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way our sins are purged.
And, if that is true, then Purgatory, or some other type of process that “purifies” our souls, seems to me, to be meaningless and unnecessary.
Of course, as always, I encourage the reader to draw their own conclusions. These are just my thoughts on this particular topic.
Now, let’s turn our attention to the second Scripturalist position. I’ve termed this second position “The Unawareness Thesis.”
The Unawareness Thesis.
2. The Unawareness Thesis. While there are a number of variants of this idea, the primary thrust is that all souls enter into some sort of “slumber” or “unawareness” after physical death. They remain in this state until the Day of Judgment when they will be awakened. Upon awakening, each soul will be judged either fit for Heaven or consigned to Hell.
This is a Protestant concept. Catholics continue to espouse the Purification thesis.
Although not the first to believe this, Martin Luther was a proponent of the Unawareness theory. He described the state of suspended awareness as “soul sleep.” His idea was that our souls will fall into slumber upon our death. Since we will be “asleep,” we will be unaware of the passage of time. Thus, when we awaken, it will be as though no time had passed from the moment of our death until our awakening, however long that interval may have been.
I am unable to locate any Scriptural support for this idea. However, many learned theologians have supported it. Besides Luther, John Milton is said to have advocated the concept. The idea appears to have been fairly widely accepted by Protestant thinkers during the 18th and 19th centuries. And the idea is reportedly promoted today by some Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Church of God attendees.
I have titled the third grouping of Scripturalist thought the “Paradise Thesis.”
The Paradise Thesis.
3. The Paradise Thesis. Of the three Scripturalist positions, the Paradise Thesis is probably the most popular today. It is endorsed by some “mainline” Protestant denominations and preached by a number of current theologians.
The Paradise Thesis broadly states that the souls of all those who have accepted Christ during their lifetimes go directly to Paradise to be with Jesus immediately after their physical death.
There is support for this view in Scripture. In Luke 23:43, Jesus tells the criminal hanging on the cross next to him, “…today, you will be with me in paradise.” In 2 Corinthians 12:3, Paul says, “…I know that this man was caught up into Paradise….” Other passages may also be used to support this position.
There are two major variants of this theme. The first is that “Paradise” and “Heaven” are used interchangeably, and that the souls who have gone to Paradise/Heaven are already with Jesus, and will stay there for eternity. They achieve their immortality immediately upon death, thus fulfilling Jesus’ promise that “…those who believe in me shall never die.” [John 11:26]
The second is that Paradise is an intermediate “way-point” between physical death and Heaven. The souls of the saved go to Paradise to live with Jesus when their physical life ends. But Paradise is not Heaven. It is a sort of “holding place” where they await the final Day of Judgment. They will exist in Paradise until that time, at which point, Paradise will end, and all will ascend into Heaven.
This variant also professes that the souls of those who rejected belief in Jesus during their lifetimes will be sent, upon their physical death, into another intermediate state of being (called by some “Hades”) that is separate and distinct from Paradise. Paradise is glorious. Hades, not so much. Although there is disagreement over the amount of suffering a soul in Hades will endure, souls there have no hope for salvation and will be sent to Hell after they are judged on the Last Day.
In all variants of this particular thesis, the souls of the dead remain conscious and aware. The death event is nothing other than a transition from one state of consciousness to another.
Common beliefs among Scripturalists are that (a) there is a God; (b) Jesus is God’s Son; (c) belief in Jesus is necessary for salvation; (d) those who believe and follow Jesus’ teachings will have everlasting life after death; and (e) those who reject a belief in Jesus will not see salvation or eternal life. Their areas of disagreement revolve around the type of existence the soul will have after death and when those souls will enter into Heaven.
Our exploration of the third “thought school,” the Universalists, will come at a later date.
As I’ve said before, it is not this site’s intention to tell the reader what he or she should or should not believe. Our purpose is to set out and explain the various positions and leave it to the reader to make up his/her own mind about these issues. I invite feedback and discussion regarding these topics, and I thank you for your support.
God’s Blessings On You All.
Richard
December 14, 2019
