Five Minutes After You Die: An Intermediate State
by David Chadwick
The Christian faith is full of both certainty and mystery. Because of Jesus, we can be certain of our eternal salvation if we put our faith in him. Because of grace, we can be certain that his Holy Spirit resides in us and empowers us in this life of faith.
However, there are also mysteries that we must embrace. While the reality of heaven is a certainty, apparently there is somewhat of a mystery.
So, we die. We are now in Jesus’s presence. Then what? Evidently, there is an intermediate state. A place before Jesus’s Second Coming where we are with him. John 14:2 says he has prepared a mansion for us. Other translations call it a “dwelling place.” It is a place that Jesus has prepared for us. In this state, we will evidently have some kind of recognizable body, and we will be with our loved ones and others who have gone to be with the Lord.
Next? We await the Rapture in heaven with Jesus, where we will finally receive our eternal resurrection body. According to 1 Thessalonians 4, Jesus will call forth from everywhere the DNA of our earthly bodies. First for those who have died, then for those left on earth, he reassembles our earthly bodies into eternal ones. Our intermediate bodies are replaced with these resurrection bodies.
What will this be like? Someone once explained it like a promised trip to Hawaii, where we first must stop off at a glorious resort in California, where we will stay for a while en route to Hawaii. It’s not quite as glorious as Hawaii, but it will be beautiful, fun, and meaningful. A resting place while waiting for Jesus to finish the battle.
I really don’t know much more than this. Except to say that both the intermediate state and the eternal resurrection body WILL be glorious, beautiful, and exciting. I choose to lean into the mystery and get excited to fully realize the beauty of heaven one day.
As Christians, we should all be looking forward to this day! Like a perfectly planned trip for each one of us by our Lord. With him meeting our every need, supplying our every meal, overseeing every sightseeing adventure, and us being with those we love most in the world for this extraordinary trip.
Should Jesus tarry in his return before we die, we can all eagerly look forward to this intermediate state with endless excitement and anticipation!