What happens after physical death and before the future resurrection — often called the intermediate state? Assuming conscious existence after death (the standard view throughout church history), where do the departed go? And, what do they do during this period of time? What occupies their attention? Are they active and/or passive in existence?
The NT offers some clues depending on how we interpret the texts. Jesus told a parabolic story of Lazarus and a rich man in hades (Lk. 16:19-31) and Paul spoke of being with Christ (Php. 1:25-27). In the highly symbolic Revelation, martyred souls cry out from underneath the altar (ch. 6) and in 1 Peter we learn that following his death Jesus descended into the underworld and proclaimed his victory (1 Pet. 4:6). But these texts are quite vague and open to a variety of interpretations.
Wesley’s Sermon: On Faith, Hebrews 11:1
Sermon Link: On Faith
John Wesley reflected on the intermediate state and wrote down his thoughts less than two months prior to his passing on March 2, 1791. In some ways Wesley’s worldview in this sermon is in sharp contrast to what most of us believe today as Christians.
Wesley begins by asking a series of questions about life after death. With no physical body, how will he see, hear, and think (with no mortal brain)? How will the material universe appear to him? He then draws on several scripture texts to launch into his reflection on his life after death.
Wesley envisioned his soon departure as a release from the limitations of the human body, and expects a great increase in knowledge, holiness, and other natural capacities, like the ability to travel at the speed of thought.
As a Protestant by faith, Wesley rejected any notion of purgatory, which Catholicism teaches.
His most interesting comments are about how the departed serve alongside angels or demons, depending on their character and destiny. The righteous serve the heirs of salvation in this present life, while the unrighteous are the cause of all kinds of evils, including storms, earthquakes, meteor showers, diseases, mental illness, and various temptations to sin. In other words, the departed remain very engaged in the affairs of this world and in the eschatological battle between good and evil.
Influence of Science
As you read Wesley’s sermon you will notice an obvious difference between his 18th century scientific understanding of the world/cosmos and our perspective today in the 21st century. Many examples could be given, but one will illustrate the difference. In Wesley’s day comets were seen as fiery balls whose tails would devastate the earth if they happened to cross paths. Today, we know they are icy balls that offer no threat to our planet unless there is a direct impact.
Whether we want to admit it or not, scientific knowledge profoundly influences how we interpret the bible and our Christian faith — far beyond what we consciously realize. We naturally assume this knowledge in our everyday perceptions and how we construct our faith on many matters.
Looking back over two centuries, we can see how current science influenced Wesley’s perspective of the world, its creation, and his beliefs on the intermediate state.
An important lesson from his example is that we should remain humble and realize that we too are influenced by our current scientific knowledge in the construction of our beliefs and faith.
[This post was taken with permission from the Featured Monthly Resources Page on Mark K. Olson’s website.]
