Category: article-archive

“No longer will there be anything accursed…” (Rev. 22:3).

• Tomorrow will change all reality.
• This age we are living in today is limited.
• Christ will return, bringing change with him.
• Christ will redeem us from the ultimate curse – death itself.
• Christ promises new life.
• We should live up to that promise by living backwards.
• Our living the altered life is his plan for evangelism

The Bible teaches that Christ has done something for us that we could not do for ourselves. He was the sinless sacrifice needed to bring us forgiveness and restore our relationship with God. But the hope that we have expands beyond that of forgiveness. We believe that Jesus plans to change us, to transform us into the glorified beings that we were meant to be. He also plans to change the very fabric of reality, so that this universe as well will be free from the consequences of humanity’s rebellion. The LORD has revealed that in our future “any accursed thing will be no longer.”[1]

bondage to decay

When we think about all the accursed things that make up the universe around us, it becomes even more clear that a radical alteration will be necessary to fulfill this promise. The apostle Paul wrote of that future time when “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”[2] That bondage to decay is not simply a set of aberrations that plague the universe. It is built into the essence of what the universe is. Modern science cannot explain the universe without involving the principles by which things decay, break down, malfunction, mutate and die.

My wife and I travel to the Philippines occasionally, and each time we are amazed at how quickly things – new things – fall apart there as a result of exposure to the harsh tropical climate. We have learned to expect buildings and items which are comparatively new to not be the same as the last time we saw them. To their credit, the Filipinos take this reality in stride. They do not seem overly anxious when things stop working the way they should. They have learned not to expect perfection, but to make do with what life gives them.

In a way, all of us have learned that. As a result of the creation being “subjected to God’s curse,”[3] we have had to adjust to things not happening as expected. “Happily ever after” just does not happen. The best that we can hope for is some good things happening mixed in with all the bad things. We are not all pessimists, but most of us are realists, in that we have learned to expect a certain amount of disappointment.

The insurance and health care industries thrive on this realism. As much as we strive to live simply and remain healthy, we all live with the specter of a reversal in health, leading to at least a reversal of fortune, and at most a catastrophic injury or terminal illness. So, we invest in the potential or the likelihood of something going wrong in this world. So many of us do that because we know the odds are stacked against us. Of all the things that can possibly happen in a lifetime, it is rather likely that some bad things will happen.

The metaphor that the apostle uses to describe this reality is bondage. He says that God has subjected the universe to that curse of futility. This is where modern science gets it wrong. The popular scientific ideas suggest that the universe itself has somehow and for some reason brought upon itself its current state. Paul says, no. The current bondage to decay, malfunction, disease and death is God’s work. Because of what God has done, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”[4]

But the good news the apostle shares is that this bondage is only temporary. The future he predicts is one where the universe will be set free from this present state of bondage, and experience the new reality – a reality which he calls “the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”[5] The same God will has put together the world we are living in now has a future prepared for his children which will be dramatically different.

A famous, often quoted Bible verse comes in the context of this revelation. I have seen this verse displayed prominently in many people’s homes. Paul said “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”[6] What is that purpose? That purpose, ultimately, is the future in which we, the children of God are totally conformed to the image of his Son, Christ. We are called to conform to Christ, and all the good and bad things that happen to us in this life are being orchestrated by God to prepare us for that life. Paul does not say that everything that happens to us will be good. He says that God is at work in our lives in this temporary reality, getting us ready for the next reality, when it will all be good. Paul does not even promise that we will see the good that comes out of our complicated lives today. In fact, he teaches us to expect trouble and calamity and being persecuted , going hungry, becoming destitute, being in danger, and getting threatened with death.[7] Oddly enough, I have never seen that verse displayed prominently in anyone’s home!

freedom today

We can praise the LORD that there is already a great deal of freedom we can experience today when we come to Christ. Disciples who remain in Christ’s word are set free from their previous slavery to sin.[8] We have the freedom to live outside of the dominion of sin, and to enslave ourselves to God’s righteousness.[9] We have the freedom to reject legalism and religious bondage, and live as children of the free woman (Sarah), rather than the slave woman (Hagar).[10] We have the freedom of living with the veil removed from our hearts, so that the Spirit can transform us into Christ’s image from one degree of glory to another.[11] We are free to live as servants of God by serving others, even if that servanthood involves suffering, and includes pain and the occasional failure.

freedom tomorrow

But none of those freedoms we might experience today can be compared to the glorious freedom we can expect when our king returns. He has told us that he is making “all things new”[12] and that includes us. The freedom we will experience at the coming of Christ will be unlike any liberty we have ever experienced. It will be the freedom of metamorphosis. It will be the freedom of realizing for the first time what we truly were intended to be. All our present frustrations will suddenly make sense because we will have experienced the new selves that we always wanted, but could not attain.

It will be a freedom of universal potential. Today, I might say I have the freedom to write and perform a musical masterpiece. I do, but I lack the ability and the skills necessary. I cannot carry a tune in a bucket. Some people do have that skill today, but I am not one of them. Tomorrow, things will be different. The limits put upon me by my own present identity will have been stripped away. Today I am limited even in my potential. Tomorrow, I will be set free from that limitation.

One of the things that limit us now is pain. I have recently went through the ordeal of a tooth extraction, and my mouth is reminding me of that ordeal. I am finding it harder to concentrate as I write, and feel less confident of what I am writing. I am being tempted to stop – but I want to keep going. I want to say some important things, and I do not want my present discomfort to prevent those things from being said. Usually, when I set my mind to doing something, it is accomplished rather quickly. But I must confess that this article is taking longer than expected. Pain is keeping me from doing what I want. Tomorrow – when Christ returns – I will be set free from that limitation.

Worries and disappointments also weigh us down today, keeping us from being ourselves. Relationships, families, church fellowships, work environments – so many facets of our lives are prone to be messy, dysfunctional, and can distract us from living life the way we want to. Sometimes we bring those distractions upon ourselves by the choices we make. But many times that world of brokenness is thrust upon us. We cannot avoid it. It is what it is. Today Jesus encourages to reject those worries and concentrate on his kingdom.[13] Tomorrow – when Christ returns – we will be set free from that distraction.

freedom from death

Christ’s coming will redeem us from all the cursed things in this present age. This includes the ultimate curse, and the ultimate limitation — death itself. Deliverance from mortality is presently something that believers seek.[14] Christ has brought the potential for overcoming our present mortality to light through the gospel.[15] But, presently, only God is immortal.[16] We still die and rest in the grave until our redeemer comes again to restore us to life. But when he does come, he will be bringing our reward with him.[17] Part of that reward is the glorious freedom from the prison that presently awaits everyone: a dark, silent, unconscious wait for life in that grave which the Old Testament calls Sheol, and the New Testament calls Hades.[18] Jesus is the key to freedom from death and Hades, and he will be bringing that key with him when he comes.[19] He plans to empty this prison and then destroy it in the lake of fire.[20]

new life

Having been delivered from the curse of mortal existence, believers will enjoy a new life. This new life is the eternal life that Jesus promised.[21] The apostle Paul explained to his readers that this new life is not the present possession of believers, but part of the harvest at the end of the age which believers will reap. He spoke of believers seeking immortality today, but being given it by Christ at his return, in the same way that unbelievers are storing up God’s wrath for end-time judgment.[22] Just as sin is currently reigning in this life, leading to eventual death, so grace is reigning in this life, leading to a resurrection unto “eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”[23] This reward comes not at the beginning of our Christian life, but at the end of the sanctification process of this age, and is a gift given to us by God only to those who are in Christ Jesus.[24] At death, we reap what our ancestors sowed in the flesh, but at Christ’s coming, we will reap what we have sown to the Spirit.[25] We will put on this new immortal life like a new garment.[26]

The other side of the “new life” coin is emphasized by the apostle John. He agrees with Paul, but emphasizes the difference that the promise of eternal life has for believers now. He writes of this eternal life as a present possession, resulting in fellowship with the Father and the Son today.[27] He is not negating the truth that the new life will be given at the second coming. He still speaks of it as a promise.[28] But he shows how this promise inside us is going to make a difference within us. As a result of the promise of eternal life, believers are not going to hate their brothers, or seek to murder them.[29] As a result of the promise of eternal life, believers are going to want to tell others about Jesus, the giver of this hope.[30] Our confidence is not in some immortal element within ourselves. It is not in surviving death. Our confidence is in him. Because we have him, we have eternal life. Knowing him is the same thing as living forever, because he is the “true God” and the source of the promised “eternal life.”[31]

living the altered life today

We do not know a great deal about the life we will live then. But perhaps we know enough so that we can begin living the God-centered life that we can expect to live then. We can imagine that eternity is going to be lived in an unselfish way, as contrasted with the way we tend to live life now. It would not hurt us to pay more attention to the people around us. Jesus gave us some insight into living the life of the coming sky kingdom in his sermon on the mount. Here are some principles he taught there about living the new life:

• Seek God’s will for others, not my will for myself[32]
• Reflect the glory of God in my life before others.[33]
• Affirm the Law of God by how I live before others.[34]
• Prioritize a flawless relationship with others.[35]
• Be trustworthy in what I say to others.[36]
• Let God’s grace, not judgment, determine your relationship with others.[37]
• Love all others.[38]
• Do not criticize others.[39]
• Be genuine, producing real righteousness for others to see.[40]

The context of the sermon on the mount is this age, and this life. In eternity, there will be no sin or sinners to bump up against to identify us as true, compared to their false. But the words of Jesus challenge us to live – as it were – backwards. He lives in heaven, beyond space and time. He already knows us as we will be. He challenges us to live our present mortal lives with the same intensity and “newness” that we will experience in eternity. He wants us to prove who we will be by what we say and do now. He wants us to start living out the “not yet” in our “already.” That is his plan for drawing the world to himself. That is his plan for populating his future kingdom from the sky.

He has no plan “B.” If we fail to represent him as we should, eternity will be populated with fewer immortal beings. If we allow the world’s brokenness and sin to define us, it will make an eternal difference for those whom only we could have reached. Christ is drawing people to himself who are longing for the righteousness of the eternal kingdom. He is using you and me to show them the way. That is why it is absolutely essential to his plan that his people repent and live changed lives. He does not just want to gather sinners for heaven. He wants to bring his righteousness to the universe. He plans to alter all reality. Where do you fit in with those plans?

---

[1] a literal translation of pan katathema ouk estai eti (Revelation 22:3).

[2] Romans 8:21 ESV.

[3] Romans 8:20 NLT.

[4] Romans 8:22 ESV.

[5] Romans 8:21 ESV.

[6] Romans 8:28 ESV.

[7] Romans 8:35 NLT.

[8] John 8:31-32.

[9] Romans 6:7-18.

[10] Genesis 21, Galatians 4-5.

[11] 2 Corinthians 3:13-18.

[12] Revelation 21:5.

[13] Matthew 6:33; Luke 12:29.

[14] Romans 2:7.

[15] 2 Timothy 1:10.

[16] 1 Timothy 6:16.

[17] Isaiah 62:11; Revelation 22:12.

[18] Job 17:3; Psalm 6:5; 31:17; Isaiah 38:10-12; Revelation 6:8.

[19] Revelation 1:18.

[20] Revelation 20:13-14.

[21] Matthew 19:29; 25:46; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; John 4:14, 36; 5:24; 6:27,40,47,54; 10:28; 12:25,50.

[22] Romans 2:7-8.

[23] Romans 5:21.

[24] Romans 6:22-23.

[25] Galatians 6:8.

[26] 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.

[27] 1 John 1:2-3.

[28] 1 John 2:25.

[29] 1 John 3:15.

[30] 1 John 5:11.

[31] 1 John 5:13, 20.

[32] Matthew 5:1-12.

[33] Matthew 5:13-16.

[34] Matthew 5:17-20.

[35] Matthew 5:21-32.

[36] Matthew 5:33-37.

[37] Matthew 5:38-42.

[38] Matthew 5:43-48.

[39] Matthew 7:1-12.

[40] Matthew 7:13-27.

The prophet Isaiah had predicted that the northern territories, once the possession of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, would have a special place in God’s messianic plan. This land of Galilee, so surrounded by Gentiles and Samaritans that it was called “Galilee of the nations” would be the first to see the Messiah.[1] In their land of darkness, the light of Christ and his gospel would dawn first.

This light dawned in three phases. First, our Lord, Jesus grew up in Nazareth, a city in the region of Galilee. Second, when Jesus began his mission of preaching his coming kingdom, he chose Capernaum, another city in Galilee, as his headquarters.[2] Then, in a final attempt to get the message out to this region, Jesus appointed his twelve disciples as missionaries to them, and sent them out to permeate the region with the message about him.

Matthew 9:37 – 10:4

³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but those working at it are few; ³⁸ therefore pray for the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers into his harvest.” ^10:1 Then he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them the right to cast out unclean spirits, and to the right to heal every illness and every injury. ² The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew (who had been a tax collector); James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who later would betray him.

Jesus had a larger group of disciples who followed him, and a smaller group of disciples whom he had been training. He first commanded the larger group to pray for the Lord of the harvest (the owner of the field) to send workers who could complete the harvest in Galilee.

Next, as Lord of the harvest, he chose his workers – the twelve whom he had been training. He coached them in how to tell all the Galileans that the kingdom from the sky had approached, and that its king was here. Their evidence: deliverance from demons and healing.

• Jesus and John the Baptist had planted the seed.
• Jesus had trained the twelve harvesters.
• Jesus authorized them to deliver and heal.

All Jesus asked the larger group of disciples to do was pray.

These prayer warriors would back up the teams who went out to preach. We do not know if these evangelists went out in pairs, like the seventy-two he later sent out with a similar mission in Judea. [3] If they did go in pairs, that would make six teams, and Jesus himself would be a seventh.

Matthew 10:5-11

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Do not go to the Gentile regions and do not enter any town of the Samaritans, ⁶ but go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom from the sky has approached.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. ⁹ Do not purchase gold or silver or copper for your belts, ¹⁰ nor a bag for your journey, nor two tunics nor sandals nor a staff, because the worker deserves his food. ¹¹ And whatever town or village you enter, search for someone worthy in it and stay there until you leave.

These apostles had been prayed for, trained, empowered for service, and sent out with a specific target in mind. They were to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Now, they had to trust that the LORD who sent them on a mission would provide for them while serving him. During harvest, the Lord of the harvest feeds his workers.

So, Jesus tells the twelve not to weigh themselves down with extra provisions. They were to just go, find people to feed them where they went, and keep preaching Jesus until the job was done. These were not the instructions Jesus always gave to those he sent out, but they applied in this case. The Israelites had claimed that they were looking for their Messiah, now it was time for these Galilean villages to prove where their hope was.

Matthew 10:12-16

¹² As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³ And if the house is worthy, let your blessing of peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your blessing of peace return to you. ¹⁴ And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. ¹⁶ “See, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents as well as innocent as doves.

The twelve could expect rejection and opposition, even violence. That is why they had to be wise about who they approached. They had to be cautious like a serpent to whom everyone is deadly. Those who would not listen were to be left, and the LORD would judge them. But the workers needed to be innocent, honest, people of integrity. They were sheep sent out to witness to wolves. Without integrity, they would never win their lost neighbors to Christ. Those Galileans had plenty of experience with dishonest religious leaders. They needed to see the real thing.

Matthew 10:17-22

¹⁷ Be attentive of men, for they will send you to court and punish you in their synagogues, ¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, for the purpose of testifying before them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ When they take you to court, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ²⁰ For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. ²¹ Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will betray their parents and have them put to death, ²² and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

There is a difference between fearing someone, and being aware of what they might do. Jesus wants his workers to know what they have gotten themselves into. He wants them to know that although some will accept their testimony about him, others will oppose it, even violently so. It is possible that anyone going out to proclaim Christ might be going to his death.

What a pep talk! But Jesus was not going to sugar-coat this. He wanted them to know that there is always a possibility of betrayal, rejection and violent death when his missionaries go out to proclaim the word of life. Too much is at stake for the Adversary to allow our mission to succeed without retaliation.

And these are mostly Galileans – all except Judas! These men would be in danger from their own countrymen. Imagine then, what we should expect if we dare to tell foreigners of God’s word.

Matthew 10:23-28

²³ When they pursue you in this city, escape to the next, for honestly, I tell you, you will not have finished with all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. ²⁴ “A disciple is not over his teacher, nor is a servant over his master. ²⁵ It is sufficient for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they mistreat those of his household. ²⁶ “So do not fear them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷ What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear from the killers of the body (who are unable to kill the soul). Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

Even though Jesus knew that the Galilean mission would be somewhat successful, he wanted the apostles he sent out to know that there is always a possibility of betrayal, rejection and violent death when they go out to proclaim the word of life. Too much is at stake for the Adversary to allow our mission to succeed without retaliation. Yet, there is a fact that should cause us to check our fear of these body-killers. That fact is hell.

Oh, I am not referring to the hell that was dreamed up in the minds of pagans, where disembodied souls are tormented constantly for eternity. I’m talking about the hell Jesus talked about here — Gehenna. Gehenna is not a temporary place of torment that disembodied souls go at death. It is the final state of the lost — it is the lake of fire that follows the great white throne judgment.^[4] The purpose of Gehenna is not to inflict pain as punishment. It is to destroy – to utterly kill – to annihilate. This is something that only God can do.

The pagans thought that even God could not kill the soul, but they were wrong. They thought that souls continue to live after death, making death a lie. Jesus taught that death is real. He warned his apostles that when they dared to proclaim him, the world would treat them like they did him. We all know what they did to Jesus. But then something wonderful happened. He rose from the dead. They had killed his body, but his soul (his whole being) came to life again at his resurrection. He had no reason to fear the killers of his body, because God would raise his soul from that death.

The right fear is the fear of God. Jesus instructed his workers in the Galilean mission to choose this fear, and let it override their fear of persecution. Yes, they could be put to death. Over the centuries since this message was given, many a body has been killed for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. But the same God who raised Christ from the dead will also raise their souls to life again. Their death is real, but only temporary. The death we should all fear is the death without Christ, without faith, and without God. That death is destruction of both soul and body in Gehenna. It is what the Bible calls the second death.^[5] It is to be feared because it is permanent. When God destroys, he utterly destroys. The prophet Malachi said that “the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch.”^[6]

Fearing Gehenna hell, and fearing the God who can destroy people there, does not need to make us love him any less. Jesus is talking about putting our earthly fears in perspective. The dangers that await us for obedience to him need to be contrasted with the dangers that await those who reject and disobey him. We serve out of love. We proclaim his grace because we have been won over by that grace. Reality is that we might die for proclaiming that grace.

But Jesus teaches his disciples here that the gospel message and what is says about the future are all going to be revealed in the end. Nothing that is hidden is going to stay hidden. The enemies of the gospel are not going to destroy it. What the disciples hear Jesus saying in the dark, they can feel free to say in the light. What they hear whispered, they can proclaim on the housetops. Those truths are not going to go away, regardless of how fierce the opposition to them. Our confidence in the power of God can help us to overcome fear of man.

Matthew 10:29-33

²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion?^[7] And not one of them will fall to the land without your Father’s permission. ³⁰ But even the hairs of your head are all accounted for. ³¹ Do not fear, then; you are more valuable than many sparrows. ³² So everyone who admits knowing me in the presence of men, I also will admit knowing in the presence of my Father who is in the sky, ³³ but whoever denies knowing me in the presence of men, I also will deny knowing in the presence of my Father who is in the sky.

Jesus was sending his apostles out to preach the gospel of his kingdom to their neighbor towns in Galilee. Many of the people knew something about Jesus, but these apostles who already knew Jesus personally had the responsibility to represent him, providing truth instead of rumors. That is why it would be essential for the apostles to be honest about their relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Jesus had already warned them that they would face persecution, and to be prepared for violent, even fatal opposition. He had first told them to be true because not even death is as bad as forsaking God. Death at the hands of men is temporary, but the second death in Gehenna is permanent.

Now he gives them another reason why that reaction to their message should not deter them from proclaiming it. The Father in the sky values the lives of all his creatures, giving his permission before even a common sparrow dies. But a believer has a special relationship with God through Christ. For these special people, even the hairs on our heads must be accounted for.

The gospel message we now preach is the whole story of what Jesus Christ accomplished when he walked this planet, including the work he accomplished as our Savior by dying on the cross as an atoning sacrifice, and being raised from the dead as the firstfruits, guaranteeing our future resurrection and his future kingdom. The message of a future king and kingdom coming down from the sky was crucial to the apostles’ ministry in Galilee, so it had to be proclaimed only by those who had really enlisted in the kingdom. The apostles had to own up to their new relationship with God through Christ, or else Jesus would not own up to them in the presence of his Father.

Matthew 10:34-37

³⁴ “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the land. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. ³⁶ And a man’s enemies will be those within his own household. ³⁷ The one loving father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and the one loving son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Christianity is a family-friendly faith. Jesus does not call on believers to renounce membership in their families, or to declare their family members enemies because they do not accept his kingdom. That is not what he declares here. The gospel message of grace heals families, and reconciles the broken relationships within them caused by sin, shame, and selfishness.

Yet, Jesus did warn his apostles that as they set about proclaiming the gospel of his coming sky kingdom in Galilee, they will find that much of the opposition to their message will come from their own families. The message of peace that they bring will feel very much like a sword. It will divide the very families it is designed to make whole.

Their neighbors might have the distance that will allow them to avoid these religious fanatics, but the people in their households will not. They will feel the pressure both ways. The believers in the family will keep at it until the unbelievers make a decision, the unbelievers will urge them not to get carried away with this Jesus thing. Pressure produces friction, and the closer one is to the source of pressure, the more friction will be felt. That is why preaching the gospel can be a source of family upheaval and strife.

Curiously, Jesus does not give us a quick, five step program for resolving this conflict. But, to be fair, that is not the issue he is teaching about here. These words are instructions to missionaries who are sent to their own hometowns to share the gospel. Since that is true, he instructs them to make their love and loyalty to him a priority – even over their love for family.

There is a general application here for Christians who have unbelievers in their families. It is that Jesus wants our love for him to be our first love priority. If Jesus and his coming kingdom from the sky is not our first priority, then we are still on the outside of that kingdom, looking in. He taught us to “seek first the kingdom from God and desire his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you”^[8] A strong, healthy family is something we all want, but we have to get the priority right, or even that might become a curse rather than a blessing. On the judgment day, we all will appear before Jesus Christ as individuals. Of concern that day will not be how strong or unified our families were. What will matter will be our personal relationships with Christ.

Matthew 10:38-42

³⁸ And whoever does not take his cross and follow behind me, he is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds his soul will destroy it, and whoever destroys his soul for my sake will find it. ⁴⁰ “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. ⁴¹ The one who welcomes a prophet because he is a prophet will get a prophet’s wages, and the one who welcomes a righteous person because he is a righteous person will get a righteous person’s wages. ⁴² And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his wages.”

This final part of Jesus’ commissioning sermon for his apostles as they go out to their Galilean ministry focuses on their purpose as representatives of the Lord and his coming kingdom. It has two sections. In the first, verses 38-39, Jesus challenges his disciples to follow him fully. He is going to his cross; they should be following behind him with their crosses. If the apostles are not willing to risk their lives to preach Christ, they are not worthy of him.

It is in this context that Jesus tells them to destroy their souls. I know, it is usually not translated that way, but the translation is accurate,^[9] and fits the context. Of course, if one’s theology will not accept the idea of a destroyed soul, he will have problems accepting this translation. But practically all translations render the word psuché here as life, which is what Jesus means. A soul is a life. There is nothing immortal about this life. That is the point. To serve the Lord faithfully, workers must be willing to go to their crosses and destroy their souls, trusting that he can raise them to life again.

But along with the tremendous responsibility of representing Christ, there is also the tremendous blessing of representing him. In the second section, verses 40-42, Jesus tells his apostles that those who welcome them and accept their message will be greatly blessed. When they welcome the apostles, they are not just welcoming the apostles, they are welcoming the Lord they represent. When they welcome Christ, they are welcoming God whom he represents. As such, they participate in the LORD’s ministry, in the same way that someone who welcomes a prophet participates in that prophet’s ministry. Even a cup of water given to these faithful little ones who share their faith will be repaid by their master.

So, on the judgment day, those who dared welcome these itinerant evangelists into their homes, providing for their needs, and accepting their teachings – will find that they have earned the wages that these apostles earned. What are those wages? The wages of sin is death, bit the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.^[10]

After their evangelistic campaign in Galilee, the apostles returned and told Jesus what they had experienced,[11] but neither of the Gospel authors tell us what that experience was. All we know is that after this point, Jesus withdrew from those cities and concentrated his ministry elsewhere. We also know that a concentrated rejection of Jesus and his ministry happened in those Galilean cities immediately afterward.

Matthew 11:20-24

²⁰ Then he began to denounce the cities where most of his miraculous works had been done, because they did not repent. ²¹ “Tragedy is coming to you, Chorazin! Tragedy is coming to you, Bethsaida! Because if the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. ²² But I am telling you, things will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³ And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to the sky? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have stayed alive until this day. ²⁴ But I am telling you that things will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”

Was the harvest botched? Did the apostles fail their first major assignment? No, they did not fail. They successfully completed their assignment, sharing both Christ’s love and his power among their neighbors in Galilee. But the cities that heard that message still eventually chose to reject it. Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum had seen more proof of the power of Jesus than any other place. They had seen the Holy Spirit at work. Yet they were rejecting Jesus and his message. Jesus pronounced judgment upon them – a terrible destructive tragedy that they will experience on the judgment day. Even the three cities famous for being destroyed by God in the Old Testament (Tyre, Sidon & Sodom) will fare better on judgment day than them. It is a terrible thing to reject what the Holy Spirit is doing.

But the apostles did not lose their reward. They had remained faithful when their families and communities rejected their message, and persecuted them. They kept true to the promise of the coming kingdom from the sky. They were willing to go to their own crosses and destroy their own souls for the sake of that promise. They feared the permanent destruction of their souls by God in Gehenna more than the temporary killing of their bodies by men. When judged by the faithfulness of the apostles to the coaching they had received from Jesus, the mission in Jewish Galilee had been a success.

Some of us have been privileged to serve the LORD as missionaries on foreign fields, but all of us have had the call to share him among our friends, neighbors, and family. We have all been given a mission like that of the apostles to Jewish Galilee. When all is taken into account, it will not be the numbers that we have reached which will determine how successful we were. Like these apostles, our success will be measured by how well we followed Christ’s instructions. Our reward will be given based on the extent to which we were faithful in representing him.

---

[1] Isaiah 9:1-2.

[2] Matthew 4:13; 11:23.

[3] Luke 10:1-17.

[4] Revelation 20:11-15.

[5] Revelation 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8.

[6] Malachi 4:1.

[7] about an hour’s wage (1/16^th of a denarius, a day’s wage for unskilled labor).

[8] Matthew 6:33.

[9] The word apóllumi is rendered destroy in Matthew 2:13; 9:17; 10:28; 12:14; 22:7; 27:20. It is a better translation than the typical word “lose” in verse 39 because the cross (verse 38) is a method of destruction.

[10] Romans 6:23.

[11] Mark 6:30; Luke 9:10.

I’m involved in a translation project now, which will take me a few years. As I go from text to text of scripture, it gives me opportunity to test my presuppositions about the meaning of certain words. One of those words is “soul.” I trust the Bible to give me an understanding of what a soul is, and what it does. I do not trust the popular understanding of the term. I think the popular understanding draws from the wrong well. We will see.

The Hebrew word translated “soul” in the Old Testament is nefesh, and its Greek equivalent in the New Testament is psuché. The Hebrew term appears 757 times in 686 verses, and the Greek term appears 103 times in 93 verses. However, most of those references do not really help to define the word. They simply use the term in reference to people, either saying that so and so is a soul, or using the phrase “my soul” or “his soul” as another way of saying “me” or “him.” That is, they use the word pronominally.

Of particular importance to me are those instances where the terms are not translated “soul” by the ancient and modern translators. These texts where the terms are present in the original but “hidden” in translation are significant. Their numbers are significant as well. If one looks at the total occurrences of nefesh/psuché (860) compared to the number of times a translation renders it as “soul” this is what one finds:

None of the translations use the word “soul” exclusively to translate nefesh/psuché. The version that is the most literal is (of course) Young’s Literal Translation, but even it translates with some other terms besides “soul” 35% of the time. The older versions tend to use the term “soul” more readily than the newer ones do. But even the older versions had trouble translating a significant percentage of texts where nefesh/psuché appear utilizing the English word soul.

I am guessing that the problem these translators had related to their theological understanding of the word soul. If they assumed that a soul is an immortal, imperishable inner being of a human person, they would have trouble using the term if the passages they are translating rule out or do not suggest that idea.

My original question as a translator was “how shall I translate these terms?” I have decided to try to be consistent with a word-for-word approach, and see what happens. My theological understanding is that there is no immortal entity thriving inside each human body. For that reason, I assume that the word “soul” will not give me the translation problems others have struggled with. As I said, we will see.

Examples from Genesis

And God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living souls, and let birds fly above the land across the divider of the sky.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living soul that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. [1]

The very first instances of nefesh are indicative that the popular definition needs help. It appears before the creation of Adam, so does not refer to human beings at all. God uses the term to indicate fish and other sea animals. The Geneva Bible translates the plural of nefesh here as “every creeping thing.” Most translations simply render it as “creatures.” There is no hint of immortality here.

And God said, “Let the land bring forth living souls according to their kinds- livestock and creeping things and animals of the land according to their kinds.” And it became that way.[2]

The land was filled with living souls too, before humanity. Here again, most translators chose to render the word as creature or living thing. If having a soul makes one immortal, then the animals are too.

And to every beast of the land and to every bird of the sky and to everything that creeps on the land, everything that has a living soul in it, I have given all flora for food.” And it became that way.[3]

Anything capable of eating a salad has a soul in it. That hardly narrows the definition. It certainly does not exclude anything but humans.

And out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living soul, that was its name.[4]

Adam named every living soul. Of course, if only humans are souls, that would be easy. All he would have had to say was “Adam.”

But you shall not eat flesh with its soul, that is, its blood. And for the blood of your souls I will require the same: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require the same for killing the soul of man.[5]

Fast-forward to the story of Noah, and God is telling us not to eat animals with their souls still in them. In other words, do not eat anything that is still alive, with their blood still pumping through their veins. He also warns all his creatures that he will vindicate those who are murdered. He implies that such murder is killing the soul. Our translations could not handle this way of putting it, so they steered away from the idea of killing a soul.

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “See, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living soul that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the land with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the land. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the land.” And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living soul that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the land. When I place clouds over the land and the rainbow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living soul of all flesh. And the water shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul of all flesh that is on the land.”[6]

God establishes his covenant with Noah, his family, and every living soul on the planet. But there were no humans besides Noah and his family left alive. Who were those living souls? They were the animals who came out of the ark. Once again, the translators could not be consistent, but the texts are. They show that “living soul” refers to anything alive, not just humans.

So Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had accumulated, and the souls that they had made in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.[7]

OK, now it gets really interesting. The translators consistently interpret the reference to souls here as the servants acquired from outside the family, and added to Abram’s household while they were sojourning in Haran. But the verb they usually translate as “acquired” is the simple verb “to make.” It is translated that way numerous times in Genesis prior to this text.[8] But the translators must have had problems with the idea of Abraham’s clan making souls. So, instead, they translate the verse as if it refers to new servants being added to the clan. Actually, it seems to refer to new souls being born into the clan. If a soul is simply a living being, not an immortal essence given by God himself, there is no problem to speak of making that soul through the reproductive process. Chew on that for a while!

Say you are my sister, that things may go well with me because of you, and that my soul may be kept alive for your sake.[9]

Young’s translates the word soul, but all the others surveyed use the word life instead. Abram obviously was not in fear of losing his immortal essence (as if he had one). No, he was afraid that the Egyptians would see his life as an obstacle to getting what they wanted – his beautiful wife. So he asked her to tell them that she was his sister. Saving his soul meant keeping himself alive. That is all it has ever meant.

And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the souls, but take the property for yourself.[10]

The king of Sodom used the term soul consistent with how Moses uses it elsewhere in Genesis – in reference to a living being as opposed to a piece of property. But the translators of our Bibles (even Young, here) could not bring themselves to do so. For them, the word soul was a technical theological term describing the inward being, not a general term identifying a person. But it is clear that the king of Sodom is asking for the persons, not the property. So, all of the translators use the term persons or people for nefesh here.

Traditionalist theologians have grappled with this problem. They usually respond to it be saying that the term as used here is an example of metonymy: where a term indicating a part of a thing is used to signify the whole. Thus, they say, the souls are the inward beings of these men, but the king would ask for them, knowing that the bodies would come with them. That is inferring a great deal of modern theological understanding on the part of this ancient near eastern king. It is also an unnecessary assumption. The translators are right, of course, if by accident. Souls does mean persons in this case. But the translators’ refusal to use the term souls in this verse also shows that they probably have bought into an unproven theological premise about the nature of human souls.

Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that soul will be cut off from his people by death; he has broken my covenant.[11]

This is one of the many circumstances where reference to a person as a soul is simply taken by the translators as pronominal. But it is significant that the LORD refers to people’s souls being cut off – a metaphor for death. Parents who dare not circumcise their children are marking them for death. The soul dying is a reference to the whole person dying.

And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your soul. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, so you will not be swept away.” But Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. See, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my soul. But I cannot escape to the hills, or the disaster will overtake me and I will die. See, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there- is it not a little one?- and my soul will be saved!”[12]

The angels rescuing Lot from Sodom apparently felt that Lot’s soul was in danger of being destroyed, not just his body. This makes perfect sense if destruction kills the soul. If the soul is impervious to death – not so much. But translating this passage literally would entail giving an entirely unacceptable meaning to saving one’s soul, and that would never do. So, some of the translators hid the idea of soul using other language. Kudos for the ancient translations (Geneva and King James) and for Young’s, who kept the word soul, regardless.

And he said to them, “If your souls are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as property for a burying place.”[13]

Sarah has died and Abraham is negotiating a burial place with the Hittites. This use of nefesh is taken by all the translators as pronominal, and rightfully so. It was not necessary for them to exclude the term soul, but it is understandable. For so many, the term soul has an exclusive meaning that does not fit all of these generic uses. My point is that that exclusive meaning flies in the face of hundreds of times, like this, when it appears in the Bible. We should be taking our understanding of its meaning from its uses in the texts. Instead, translators have brought their understanding to the text, and so often avoid using the term soul if that understanding does not fit the text. That is a translation fault and is a product of eisegesis.

Examples from Matthew

The New Testament use of psuché is just as telling as the Old Testament use of nefesh is. How do the translators fare in their literal rendering of it, and in what circumstances do they find it necessary to use some other word? We shall see.

But after the dying of Herod, see, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, He is saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the soul of the child are dead.”[14]

Herod was doing a little soul searching of his own. Matthew described him as pursuing the soul of baby Jesus in order to kill it. It is quite obvious why traditionalist translators would steer away from a literal rendering here. It suggests that even Jesus had a mortal soul that could be killed by a soldier’s sword. This statement Matthew makes is consistent with Moses’ uses of the term in Genesis. The soul is a life that can be taken. That is what Herod wanted to do.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be distracted by your soul, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor by your body, what you will put on. Is not the soul more than what it eats, and the body more than what it wears?[15]

Wow, Matthew is confused. Could Jesus have ever made that mistake? Matthew has him saying that the body wears clothing, but it is the soul that eats food. Huh? The translators help Matthew with his embarrassment by consistently rendering the word psuché as life here. He really flubbed up there.

But, wait a minute. Luke records Jesus as saying essentially the same thing!

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be distracted by your soul, what you will eat, nor by your body, what you will put on.[16]

Could it be that Jesus himself did not know that souls are incorporeal, and cannot eat anything? Didn’t he read Plato in Rabbi school? It seems clear that Jesus is using the term psuché in a way that is consistent with the Old Testament usage of nefesh, but inconsistent with the way the Greeks conceived the soul. Plato regarding the soul as an incorporeal entity inside the shell of the body, destined to be set free from bodily restraints and appetites by death. But Matthew has told us (so far) two things about the soul that oppose that view: the soul can be killed by a sword, and the soul needs food to live.

Whoever finds his soul will lose it, and whoever loses his soul for my sake will find it.[17]

Here, Jesus is telling us that if we really want to find our souls, we have to be prepared to lose them. The Greek concept of psuché is quite clear on the subject: you cannot lose your soul. Even if you die, your incorporeal entity is going to hang around forever, being essentially you without an outer shell. So, this use by Jesus of the term psuché is problematic for the translators as well. They consistently substitute the word life for psuché, even though they all use the word soul for the same word eleven verses earlier in the same chapter.

Because whoever wants to save his soul will lose it, but whoever loses his soul for my sake will find it. For what would it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?[18]

This is essentially an elaboration on the previous text, six chapters later. The phrase appears four times in the two verses of text. Each version surveyed always uses the word life to translate psuché in verse 25. Five of the versions then consistently retranslate that same word as soul in verse 26! Three of the modern translations (ESV,NET, and NRSV) at least consistently use the phrase his life in all four occurrences. Why the consistent inconsistency? Well, one answer would be that the translators felt that it was possible to forfeit one’s soul (to hell), but not possible to lose it (because it stays alive even in hell). Their traditionalist theology prevented them from translating the same term consistently in four connected statements. However, eliminate the foreign presupposition of the soul’s immortality, and these two verses can be translated quite easily.

…just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give away his soul as a ransom for many.[19]

Here is another text in which the translators consistently use the word life instead of soul. Jesus said that he came for the purpose of giving away his soul as a ransom for the lost that his sacrifice will save. But traditionalist theology sees giving away one’s soul as an entirely negative thing. It is forfeiting one’s soul to burn in hell. Jesus did not do that. He was talking about his death on the cross. His bodily death on the cross was what he described as giving his soul as a sacrifice. The translators all recognize that, so they – again, consistently — translate the word psuché in the text as life. My point is that the fact that requires the translators to render psuché as life here is the theological misunderstanding of the translators. Rather than accept that Jesus was talking about giving away his soul, they purposely chose a term that they could use which would not challenge their understanding of the meaning of psuché.

Jesus anticipated his soul dying. In Gethsemane, he told his disciples that his soul was very sorrowful, “crushed with grief to the point of death.”[20] The translators did not mess with that one. But it, too, speaks of the psuché as potentially dying. Every reference to psuché in Matthew speaks of the soul as dying along with the body, with the apparent exception of Matthew 10:28.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

Traditionalist theology makes much of this verse, which appears to show a distinction between the body and the soul. At first glance, it seems to be saying what Plato said about the human soul, that it cannot be killed, and so will live on forever, no matter what it believes, or whom it fears. But, wait, that cannot be right either. The verse goes on to say that God can destroy the soul, and will do so in hell. That is why we should fear him, and not the people around us.

People are able to “kill the body” but only God can kill the soul. So, rather than saying that hell is going to be filled with undying souls, this verse teaches that it will be filled with dead souls – destroyed souls and bodies. It will be a lake of fire that consumes everything thrown into it.

Responding to this, traditionalists simply choose to redefine yet another word – the word destroy. They say that God will destroy souls in hell by keeping them alive forever in agony. Someone has already translated away all of those pesky passages for them that might indicate that souls can die, so they seem to have no choice but to hold this view.

Here are the words of Jesus as Luke recorded them:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who can only kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will advise you whom you should fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has the right to cast you into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him!”[21]

Matthew’s text is an abbreviation of what Jesus said, as recorded in Luke. Also, Luke, being a Gentile, and more acquainted with the Greek concept of the immortal soul, took pains not to give it credence. Jesus is contrasting not two parts of humanity, but two kinds of death. The death of the body is real, but not permanent. Death in Gehenna hell will be permanent. Therefore, fear God, not man.

Our soul searching has shown us evidence which has been hidden in many texts of scripture – evidence that the soul can be killed, lost, taken away, or given away as a sacrifice. That evidence contradicts the doctrine of humanity that many Christians believe. It contradicts, Plato, Augustine, Calvin, Wesley and many others. But it is right there in the texts of the Bible where those of us who dare to look can see. Will we dare to let the text triumph over tradition?

---

[1] Genesis 1:20-21.

[2] Genesis 1:24.

[3] Genesis 1:30.

[4] Genesis 2:19.

[5] Genesis 9:4-5.

[6] Genesis 9:8-16.

[7] Genesis 12:5.

[8] Genesis 1:7, 16, 25f, 31; 2:2ff, 18; 3:1, 7, 21; 5:1; 6:6f, 14ff; 7:4; 8:6; 9:6; 11:4; 12:2.

[9] Genesis 12:13.

[10] Genesis 14:21.

[11] Genesis 17:14.

[12] Genesis 19:17-20.

[13] Genesis 23:8-9.

[14] Matthew 2:19-20.

[15] Matthew 6:25.

[16] Luke 12:22.

[17] Matthew 10:39. {I have not forgotten 10:28. We will come back to that. This survey is of those passages which contain psuché but which the translators typically use some other term besides soul to translate it.}

[18] Matthew 16:25-26.

[19] Matthew 20:28.

[20] Matthew 26:38 NLT.

[21] Luke 12:4-5.

 

The Holy spirit has given us a masterpiece of precision in the Bible. Its words are crafted with such care that readers usually stumble upon the correct meaning of texts without much preparation and study. On the other hand, the human brain is a complex organ, and capable of creative interpretation. Sometimes we get rather creative in how we read the Bible.

1 Thessalonians 5:10 provides evidence of this proposition. Paul tells the Thessalonian Christians that Christ “died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”[1] Exegetes need to ask (at least) two questions of the text here: “What does ‘awake’ and ‘asleep’ mean in this context?” and “Is this verse an affirmation of dead believers consciously living with Christ before the resurrection?”

“awake” and “asleep”

The passage within which this verse is found is 4:13-5:11. The primary subject matter is the second coming of the Lord. Paul writes “we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.”[2] In that verse, those considered awake are alive, and “those who are asleep” have died. The question had begun to present itself to believers as to what is happening to their loved ones who died after Jesus’ ascension. Paul does not tell them that it is none of their business. He has an answer to their questions. He does not want his readers assuming (as the godless do) that the dead are gone forever. He wants them to have hope, and a specific hope – not just the anticipation of some kind of life beyond the grave.

The basis for the believer’s hope in life after death is the fact “that Jesus died and rose again.”[3] It is not based on something about human nature, or the existence of something essentially immortal within all human beings. If Jesus had not physically rose from the dead and walked out of his tomb, the hope would not be there. Jesus had been asleep in the tomb, and brought out of that sleep by a resurrection. Paul promises that Jesus will be the means by whom God will bring all the dead in Christ out of their sleep. Jesus said the same thing to Martha. He said that he is “the resurrection and the life.” He spoke of that coming resurrection day when he said that whoever believes in him, will live then, even if he is dead now.[4] He went on to promise that whoever is living at the time of that resurrection, and believes, will never die. So, for both Jesus and Paul, there are only two classes of believer, the living (or awake) and the dead (or asleep). Both await Christ’s second coming.

Paul assures his readers that Christ is not going to return and set up his kingdom on earth without first raising those asleep in him. He says that “that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.”[5] Perhaps someone had taught the Thessalonians that the dead would stay buried until after the millennial reign, or some other event. Paul says, no, when Jesus returns, raising the dead is the first thing on his list.

The second coming will be an unmistakable cataclysmic event. It will be preceded by three unmistakably loud sounds: a command shouted from the Lord himself, the voice of the archangel, and the trumpet call. Then, all the dead will burst from their tombs.[6] When God acts to raise the dead, everyone will know it. It has not happened yet, but we will know it when it does.

with the Lord?

Those believers who are “awake” at the second coming of the Lord will be caught up in the air, together with the resurrected believers. From that time on, all believers will be “with the Lord” always.[7] This is an interesting way for Paul to put it. Many today assume that all believers have to do to be “with the Lord” is to die. But for Paul, being “with the Lord” requires Christ’s return. Until then, neither the “awake” or “asleep” believers are with the Lord. The awake are alive “in the Lord” and the dead die “in the Lord” (en kuriō),[8] but neither are “with the Lord” (sun kuriō) until his return.

So, what did Paul mean when he told the Corinthians that he “would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord”?[9] He meant, simply, that he would rather be away from his present mortal body (his earthly tent) and, at the same time at home with the Lord (pros ton kurion). That is not going to happen until the resurrection, when this temporary mortal “tent” is replaced by his eternal “building from God”.[10] Since this resurrection does not occur until the return of Christ, Paul’s theology is consistent. The hope he speaks of to Corinth and to Thessalonica is the same: a reunion with Christ at his return.[11]

parousia

The New Testament describes the coming of the Lord as a “parousia,” his physical presence, as opposed to his physical absence. It is the combination of ousia, meaning substance or being, and para, meaning close proximity. It’s opposite is apousia, meaning absence.[12] This meaning is implied throughout the uses of parousia in the New Testament. It always applies to Christ’s physical reappearance at his second advent. This is made clear by the New Testament uses of the word when it do not refer to the second coming, but to someone else’s physical presence.[13] For Paul, the hope of the saints is not some spiritual presence at death, but the actual physical presence of Christ at his second advent. At this parousia, those who belong to Christ will be raised to life again.[14] At this parousia, Paul will rejoice over those he has won to Christ.[15] That is because the parousia will be the time when our Lord will appear “with all his saints.”[16] In this verse, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, the English word “coming” – the most popular word used to translate parousia – leads us astray. Popular teaching – based on this mistranslation – has Jesus coming from heaven with the disembodied souls of his saints. Then he reunites these souls with their resurrected bodies. Paul is not saying that Jesus will come with the saints. He is saying that Jesus will appear with the saints. One little word shows that this is the correct interpretation: the word all. All the saints includes those who are alive (awake) as well as those who are dead (asleep). At the parousia, these two groups will be reunited with the Lord.

alive or alert?

Midway in Paul’s description of the second coming, he starts using the words asleep and awake in a different sense. He teaches that Christ will come suddenly, like a thief. On the basis of that sudden coming, he instructs the Thessalonians “let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”[17] His contrast has changed. Instead of contrasting the two categories of believers (living saints and dead saints), he now contrasts unbelievers (those who will be caught sleeping at the parousia) and believers (who live in the light, and so will be ready when Christ comes.

This change in the use of the awake/asleep metaphors has some interpreters concluding that Paul is not referring to the death state at all. The New English Translation renders 1 Thessalonians 5:10 as “He died for us so that whether we are alert or asleep we will come to life together with him.” This translation takes Paul as rendering assurance to believers who are not ready for Christ’s return! One commentator writes “This destiny not only belongs to those Christians who are wide awake when Christ comes, but also to those who are sound asleep.”[18] But Paddison argues that even though the verb translated “to be awake” in 2 Thessalonians 5:10 can mean to be alert, the theological logic of Paul in the entire section argues that Paul is using it in reference to the alive in Christ.[19]

Christ will come for all believers, regardless of their spiritual condition at the moment of his coming. Yet, it is not clear that Paul is giving that assurance in this text. He is, in fact, warning the Thessalonians not to be caught sleeping. It would make no sense for him to turn around and say, in effect, that regardless of their obedience to this command, Christ will accept them anyway.

the intermediate state

What does this verse tell us about the intermediate state – the state of the dead between death and the resurrection at Christ’s parousia? It does not say that believers who are asleep in Christ are presently living with him. It affirms that Christ died “for us” – and that his death is applied equally to all believers, whether living or dead. But only (as the context makes clear) at the parousia will the subjunctive clause become indicative. Only then will both categories of believers live with him. The NLT puts it well: “Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.”

What this passage does affirm about the intermediate state is that there is a contrast between believers who are living and those who are dead. While both will live with Christ when he returns, only those who awake are living now. The dead in Christ are asleep. While their eternal inheritance is assured, their present walk has been cut short by death. They are unconscious, awaiting the parousia, when we will all be “gathered together to him.”[20] Those of us who have lost loved ones can take courage, because Christ’s death on the cross assures us that their rest is temporary, not eternal.

---

[1] 1 Thessalonians 5:10 ESV.

[2] 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ESV.

[3] 1 Thessalonians 4:14 ESV.

[4] John 11:25.

[5] 1 Thessalonians 4:15.

[6] 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

[7] 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

[8] Revelation 14:13.

[9] 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NIV).

[10] 2 Corinthians 5:1.

[11] For a more comprehensive treatment of 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, see “Away from the body” (http://www.afterlife.co.nz/2011/bible/away-from-the-body-2-corinthians-5-8/).

[12] In Philippians 2:12, Paul contrasts his presence (parousia) with his absence (apousia).

[13] 1 Corinthians 16:17; 2 Corinthians 7:6-7; 10:10; Philippians 1:26; 2:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:9.

[14] 1 Corinthians 15:23.

[15] 1 Thessalonians 2:19.

[16] 1 Thessalonians 3:13.

[17] 1 Thessalonians 5:6.

[18] Keith Krell, “No Sleep Walking” (https://bible.org/seriespage/no-sleep-walking-1-thessalonians-51-11).

[19] Angus Paddison, Theological Hermeneutics and 1 Thessalonians, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005), 186.

[20] 2 Thessalonians 2:1.

A friend recently posted a quote from Dave Hunt, who said:

“The choice we face is not, as many imagine, between heaven and hell.  Rather, the choice is between heaven and this world.  Even a fool would exchange hell for heaven; but only the wise will exchange this world for heaven.” – An Urgent Call To A Serious faith.

Hunt stated in another book:

“The real choice we must and do make – daily, hourly – is between heaven and this earth. … Our attitudes and actions continually reflect our unconscious answer to the question: ‘Am I willing to leave this earth right now for heaven, or is there something that holds me here and thus something on earth which stands between my Lord and me at this moment?’” – When Will Jesus Come, p. 250.

My response to that FB post will be perhaps confusing to my many friends who are not aware of my conditionalist theological position:

“This world is the place that Jesus died to redeem. This world is the place where Jesus is coming (from heaven) to rule. This world is the place that God and believers will inherit (Psalm 82:8; Matthew 5:5). The gospel is not a call for us to exchange the world for heaven. It is a call for us to accept the grace of the one who is coming from heaven to earth. A serious faith takes the Bible seriously. While Christians are called not to love the present world or the things in it (1 John 2:15), we are never called to escape it. We are called to conquer it (1 John 5:4).”

There is a difference between setting our affections on things above and setting our hopes on leaving the earth. Hunt and many others of the traditionalist view seek to blur that distinction.  They believe that the hope of the believer is to go somewhere else besides earth and be with God when they die. 

This is the Bible’s definition of the blessed hope:

“waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13 ESV).

When people imply that the hope of believers is going to heaven when they die, they are exchanging the biblical hope for something else.  Some have been so conditioned to believe that the goal of believers is to go to heaven that they never see the contradiction when they look at biblical texts.

What are you waiting for?  Are you waiting to die so that you can see Jesus in heaven, or are you waiting for the appearing of Christ on earth?  If you think your goal is to escape earth, why do you think that?  I challenge you to read the Bible again, and look for the hope and the inheritance it describes.  The only thing the Bible calls us to escape is hell.  We are called not to escape the world, but to conquer the world for Christ:

“…whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith” (1 John 5:4 NRSV).

You do not conquer something by running away from it, but by doing battle, defeating it, and claiming it for your king.  That is what conquerors do.  They overcome in battle, and claim new territory.  Biblical faith does not urge believers to want to die so that the battle will be over.  Biblical faith challenges believers to take this world back for the king it rightfully belongs to. 

When human beings were placed on this earth, God did not say, “It’s OK for a while, but what I really want is for you to be in heaven with me.” No, he looked on the two people in Eden and said that it was very good.  He called on them not to escape the earth but to have dominion over it, to fill it, and to subdue it (Genesis 1:26-28).  He never rescinded that command.

When Jesus taught his disciples about things to come, he promised them the Holy Spirit from heaven (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7, and he promised that he would return from heaven (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26-27; John 14:3). He never once promised them a trip to heaven before he returned. Why would he leave that out?

What Jesus promised us was a resurrection on the last day – the day of his return:

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:39 ESV).

“ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day”(John 6:40 ESV).

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44 ESV).

“Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:54 ESV).

Our king Jesus is the only human being who has ascended to heaven right now:

“No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man” (John 3:13 ESV).

The only biblical hope is that he will return to take his rightful place on this earth as its king.  It sounds right and biblical to talk about exchanging this world for heaven, but it is neither. The world is looking for answers.  The least we believers can do is get the answers right.