The Sanctuary and the State of the Dead

September 6, 2003

When a person dies, what happens to him? Theologians argue at length about this. Texts are written to support various positions. One can even imagine that this debate occupied the educated members of Jewish society during the time of Christ. After all, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection (Matt 22:23), but the Pharisees did.

As we consider this question, it is unusual for anyone to step beyond the standard arguments from Ecclesiastes 9 in favor of soul sleep or Luke 16 and 2 Corinthians 5 in favor of the idea that one goes to be with Christ at death. But a different avenue of inquiry that promises a definite answer is available. And it comes directly out of the scene in which the Pharisees and Sadducees argued.

Temple Typology:

The center of Jewish life was the Temple. It was the scene of the daily sacrifices for sin, the ceremonies of the Festivals, and the annual Atonement. It is widely recognized that there are typological (acted-out prophecy) aspects of these events. Paul tells us that Jesus was sacrificed as our Passover (1 Cor 5:7; cf. Lev 23:5) and rose as Firstfruits from the dead (1 Cor 15:20, cf. Lev 23:10-14). The spring harvest festival of Pentecost was fulfilled in the harvest of souls after Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:41, cf. Lev 23:21-22). These prophetic functions of the sanctuary types should alert us to the possibility that other aspects of the sanctuary might have previously unappreciated applications.

Throughout each year, the Hebrew people brought sacrifices to Temple as personal atonement for sin. This sin accumulated through the year until the Day of Atonement. At that time, the High Priest performed an elaborate ceremony in which the sanctuary was cleansed of sin. At the end of it, the people were clean.

The routine sacrifices for sin are described as providing atonement for the individual (Lev 5:13, etc.). But it was not until after the Day of Atonement service was complete that the people were “clean.” And this provides our first clue. If the Old Testament types already fulfilled are any indication, the rest of the types will also be fulfilled.

Just as Jesus fulfilled the spring festival types in the First Advent, He will fulfill the fall festival types in the Second Advent. The Feast of Trumpets is seen in the seven trumpets of Revelation 8-9. The Day of Atonement is presented in the seventh trumpet, seal, and bowl judgment. And Christ will “tabernacle” (cf. John 1:14) with us in the New Jerusalem and the Earth made new (Rev 21-22).

Typology Applied:

The tabernacle pattern prepares us for what we will shortly see. No one ever entered the presence of God during the year. His presence in the cloud over the mercy seat (Lev 16:2) would kill anyone who entered the Holy of Holies. Only on the Day of Atonement could the high priest enter, and then only after a careful procedure of personal cleansing and atonement. But this was not enough. He still had to be screened from God’s presence by a thick cloud of incense (Lev 16:13). No fallen human could enter the immediate presence of God. Even Moses could not see the glory of God and survive (Exod 33:18-23).

God established the atonement as His usual orderly way of dealing with man’s confessed sin. This annual atonement on earth will meet its heavenly counterpart at the end of time. Every sin ever brought to God for forgiveness has been added to the heavenly sanctuary. After every person has made a final decision either for or against God, the heavenly sanctuary can be cleansed in the heavenly Day of Atonement. The ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the cross provides the means for washing heaven clean of this stain of sin. But no fallen human will be able to enter the presence of God until this process is complete. We must restate a couple of key points.

Since no person who dies can enter God’s presence, no one can go to heaven at death. Rather, the dead must go to another, intermediate place. In the Old Testament this is called Sheol, and in the New, Hades. These terms merely mean the place of the dead. The persons in Sheol/Hades are described in various ways. Some poetic descriptions have led certain writers to suggest that those in Sheol are aware. To evaluate this assertion, we must consider certain things that are not said in scripture.

In scripture, there is never a hint of any person in Sheol ever being converted. Rather, as exemplified by the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), the fate of everyone is decided before death. Once in the place of the dead, the final outcome is not changed. Rather, the place of the dead acts as storage for the dead.

Awareness in Sheol?

We must now consider the issue of awareness in Sheol. Poetic passages in scripture, if taken literally, can be read to suggest that the dead are aware (cf. Isa 14:9, Ezek 32:21, etc). But if one is aware, one has a functioning mind. And the presence of a mind implies the ability to choose. Therefore, if one is aware in Sheol, the choices made during life have the potential to be reversed. After all, our choices regarding faith do not depend on our hands and feet, but our mind (Rom 12:2, 2 Cor 11:3).

If one is able to choose in Sheol, then the fate of man is not firmly decided by his choices before the moment of death. But Job rhetorically asks if there is hope in Sheol (Job 17:12-16), implying that for the wicked, no hope remains once they are dead. The writer of Ecclesiastes also points out that the fate of man is determined before death (Eccl 9:7-12). Therefore, the ability to choose is absent in Sheol. And if there is no ability to choose, there is no awareness. Saints must sleep in death, just as Bible writers say over thirty times.

The Wicked in Sheol:

We have examined the fate of the just. They must sleep until the heavenly atonement is complete before they are able to enter the presence of God. But what about the wicked? Can they be sent to their punishment as soon as they die?

Just as God has a regular orderly way to deal with the saints, He also has a regular orderly way of dealing with those who have rejected His grace. This has been termed a “covenant lawsuit” by theologians. In essence, God’s covenant with man is a contract. The wicked have breached that contract, and God’s prosecuting attorney brings a lawsuit for breach of contract. The consequences are direr than in a civil lawsuit, but the procedure is fundamentally the same.

This has been God’s procedure from the first days of history. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God brought the first covenant lawsuit. It has all the elements of a normal lawsuit, except for the formalities of a courtroom.

These five elements are formally called the Preamble, Historical Prologue, Indictments, Witnesses, and Verdict. They perfectly parallel the procedures of a modern courtroom. The parties are noted to be present. The wronged party declares that he has done what was required of him by the contract. The other party is accused of malfeasance. Witnesses are heard, and the court renders a verdict.

This pattern is seen over 30 times in scripture, either in actual or threatened lawsuits. When David murdered Uriah so he could have Bathsheba (2 Sam 12), God sent Nathan as His prosecutor. When the probation of the Jews (Dan 9:24) was concluded, God sent Stephen as His prosecutor (Acts 6:15-7:60). The same sequence will occur in end times. Just as the sanctuary is the pattern for the atonement, these covenant lawsuits are the pattern for the final covenant lawsuit (Rev 20:11-15).

Because this guilty verdict will not be pronounced until the judgment at the Great White Throne, no wicked person can be sent to a place of punishment until then. Therefore, Sheol will receive them. And, for the same reasons listed in the discussion of the saints, the wicked cannot be aware. They must sleep.

The Reason for the Sequence:

We may ask why it is necessary to delay the covenant lawsuit until after the atonement is complete. A brief review of scripture shows us that all have sinned (Rom 3:23, etc.) and none are righteous (Psa 143:2, etc.). Thus, until the atonement, the charges of the accuser of the brethren (Rev 12:10) are true.

If the covenant lawsuit were to be prosecuted before the atonement, all of us would be guilty. We would stand in filthy rags (Isa 64:6, Zech 3:1-3). Unless God gives us clean garments (Zech 3:4-7, Rev 3:4-5), we would stand convicted, and would go to the second death. But the atonement will render us clean (Lev 16:30). Once cleansed, we will no longer be guilty. We will have been separated from the unrepentant wicked, who may then be tried in the grand covenant lawsuit at the Great White Throne.

Enoch, Moses, and Elijah:

At this point, an objection may be heard. “What about Enoch, Moses, Elijah, and the saints raised at the time of the cross?” We know, for example, that Moses and Elijah are in heaven, since they were seen with Jesus on the mount of transfiguration (Matt 17:2, Mark 9:2). How are they able to be in heaven, if the rest of us have to wait?

This is not an easy question. All three of the Old Testament saints in heaven went there before Jesus died on the cross. The heavenly atonement had not begun. Indeed, the atoning sacrifice on the cross was still future. What allowed them to be in heaven? I can only propose a solution.

The prophetic voice of the Old Testament is often heard in the past tense. Six centuries before Christ Isaiah says, “He was pierced through for our transgressions” (Isa 53:5). This “prophetic perfect” tense is an example of God’s foreknowledge. He was absolutely certain of the success of Jesus’ mission because He stands outside of time and saw it before it happened.

A similar situation arises when we examine our promise of eternal life. Jesus says that the believer “has eternal life” (John 6:47). This possession is stated in the present tense, but all believers die the first death. We only have eternal life in the sense that it is guaranteed to us. We will not suffer the second death. And this presents us with our solution.

God has the power to do anything He wishes. His scriptural examples and types make it clear that He normally operates through an orderly process. For the saints this is the atonement, and for the wicked the covenant lawsuit. But in a small set of specifically identified exceptions, God has worked outside of His normal procedure. We have not been told why this was done. Because the heavenly atonement is a guaranteed event, God is able to use it proleptically (a fancy word for “in advance”) in certain cases the He chooses. But the very listing of these cases points out that they are exceptions to rule. And those not specifically identified must follow the rule.

The Deeper Meaning:

The grand processes of atonement and covenant lawsuit do not serve only as an illustration of God’s orderly way of dealing with man. His “administration of the mystery” of the gospel (Eph 3:9) is a testimony to the “rulers and authorities in heavenly places” (Eph 3:10). Only when all beings in the universe are fully convicted of God’s righteousness that sin can be truly said to be abolished. And this “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) serves as a heavenly jury. God himself is on trial (Rom 3:4, cf. Psa 51:4)! When all the evidence has been reviewed, all will be able to shout the verdict, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God; because His judgments are true and righteous” (Rev 19:1-2).

Summary:

When we die, we will sleep in the grave, waiting for the voice of God to awaken us (1 Thess 4:16). This call to join Christ will come after the atonement in heaven is complete.

The wicked will slumber on until after the Millennium, when they will be awakened to come before God’s covenant lawsuit at the Great White Throne. After their conviction, they will meet their punishment, the second death (Rev 20:14-15).

God’s regular orderly methods of dealing with humanity are demonstrated in the atonement and covenant lawsuit. Both of these processes require that man wait in the grave, asleep. The atonement will cleanse man so that he can enter the presence of God (Jude 24). The covenant lawsuit will destroy the wicked by his presence (2 Thess 2:8).

If we die before Christ comes, we will sleep until we awake at the call of His voice.