In this session we shall begin to examine in detail what the Bible teaches about the resurrection of the dead.

  The first point which must be clearly established is that the part of man which is to be resurrected is his body – not his spirit or his soul. More precisely defined, the resurrection of which the Bible speaks is a resurrection of the body.

  In order to understand what this entails, it is necessary to analyse briefly the total nature of man as revealed in the Bible.

Man’s Triune Being

  Paul offered the following prayer on behalf of the  professing Christian’s in Thessalonica.

  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thess. 5:23).

  In the first part of this verse Paul uses the phrase “sanctify you completely.” This indicates that he is concerned with the total nature or personality of each of the  professing Christian’s for whom he prays. In the second part of the verse Paul enumerates the three elements which make up man’s total nature or personality: spirit, soul and body.

  Again, we read:

  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow (Heb. 4:12).

  This verse gives the same threefold division of man’s total personality into spirit, soul and body. In this instance the body is represented by the actual physical parts here mentioned – that is, the joints and marrow.

  For further understanding concerning the constitution of man’s total personality, we may turn to the original account of man’s creation, as given at the beginning of the Bible.

  Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Gen. 1:26).

  In this verse two words are used to express the relationship of man, the creature, to God, the Creator. The first of these words is image; the second is likeness.

  The original Hebrew word, here translated “image,” is in many other passages of the Old Testament translated by “shade” or “shadow.” In modern Hebrew the same root occurs today in the verbal form which means “to have one’s photo taken.” These other associations of the word indicate that its primary reference here in the creation of man is to man’s external form or appearance. Even in man’s external form there is a correspondence between man and God which is not found in the lower animal creation.

  However, the correspondence between man and God goes further than mere external form. The second Hebrew word used here, translated “likeness,” is much more general in its application. It refers to the total personality of man. It indicates that there is a correspondence between this total personality of man and the being or nature of God Himself.

  One important aspect of this correspondence between the nature of God and the nature of man is contained in the revelation of the three elements of man’s total personality – spirit, soul and body. Thus we may say that man is revealed as a triune being – one total personality, yet composed of the three constituent elements: spirit, soul and body.

  In a corresponding way, the Bible also reveals that the being of God is triune – that is, there is one true God, yet within this one Godhead we discern the three distinct Persons of the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

  Thus the Bible presents us with a likeness, or a correspondence, between the total personality of man and the total nature of God. Briefly, we may sum up this correspondence of man to God as follows: The Bible reveals a triune man, created in the likeness of a triune God.

  In Genesis we are given further details concerning the original creation of man.

  And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [soul] (2:7).

  Here we see that the total personality of man has its origin in two absolutely distinct and separate sources. The physical, material part of man – his body – is formed out of the dust of the earth. The invisible, immaterial part of man has its origin in the breath of almighty God. This invisible, immaterial part of man is here called “the soul.” However, as we have already said, in other passages of Scripture it is more fully defined as the combination of spirit and soul together.

  The Bible indicates that spirit and soul are not identical but are two distinct elements together making up the immaterial part of man. It is outside the scope of our present study, however, to attempt to draw a precise line of demarcation between man’s spirit and his soul.

  For our present purposes it is sufficient to say that the total personality of man has two different original sources: 1) The physical, material part of man (his body) is from below – from the earth. 2) The invisible, immaterial part of man (his spirit and soul) is from above – from God Himself.

  At death, the invisible, immaterial element of man (his spirit and soul) is released from its earthly vessel. Thereafter, by the process of burial, man’s material part (his body) is restored again to the earth from which it came and through decomposition returns again to its original elements. Even where there is no actual burial, man’s body, after death, is always subjected to some process of disintegration or decomposition, which ultimately restores it to its original material elements. Consequently, it will be man’s body also which, by resurrection, will be raised up again from the same material elements.

Man’s Spirit Separated From His Body

  There is no suggestion anywhere in the Bible that, after death, man’s immaterial part – his spirit and soul – will be subjected to the same processes of burial and decomposition that await his body. On the contrary, there is evidence in many passages of Scripture that the destiny of man’s spiritual part, after death, is quite different from that of his body.

  For the first such passage, we may turn to the book of Ecclesiastes. When considering the teaching of this book, it is necessary to bear in mind a definite limitation which the author, Solomon, sets to all the inquiries and conclusions contained in the book. This is clearly indicated by one particular phrase that is repeated again and again throughout the book.

  For example, in Ecclesiastes 1:3 Solomon asks:

   What profit has a man from all his labour

  In which he toils under the sun?

  This question, with slight variations in the wording, is repeated several times throughout the book. In all, the phrase “under the sun” occurs twenty-nine times.

  This particular phrase, “under the sun,” indicates a deliberate limitation which Solomon sets to all his inquiries and conclusions throughout the book. The entire book is concerned only with things under the sun – that is, with things which are temporal and material – things which belong to the realm of time and to this present world order.

  We may better understand this particular limitation by reference to the words of Paul.

  For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).

  Here Paul draws a clear dividing line between two different classes of things: the things which are seen and which are temporal; and the things which are unseen and which are eternal.

  If we now apply this twofold classification to the book of Ecclesiastes, we find that the whole material contained within the book falls within the first class of things – those things which are seen and which are temporal.

  In this book Solomon never seeks to pursue his studies beyond the boundary of the temporal realm into the eternal realm. Whenever he reaches this boundary, he stops and turns back to some new aspect of the temporal realm. This is indicated by the repetition of the phrase “under the sun.” Nothing in the book deals with the realm that is not subject to the sun’s influence – the invisible and eternal realm. However, this invisible and eternal realm is referred to in various ways by nearly all the other books and authors of the Bible – and also by Solomon himself in his other writings.

  The realization of this particular limitation of Ecclesiastes helps us better to appreciate the teaching of the book as a whole and also clears up apparent conflicts between the conclusions of Ecclesiastes and the teaching of other books in the Bible.

  With this in mind, we may turn to the particular passage in Ecclesiastes which indicates a difference between the destiny of man’s body at death and that of his spirit.

  I said in my heart, “Concerning the estate of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like beasts.” For what happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, which goes down to the earth? (Eccl. 3:18-21).

  In accordance with the whole theme of this book, Solomon lays his main emphasis upon the physical, material part of man – his body. Quite correctly, therefore, he points out that in this respect there is no difference between the destiny at death of man and of the lower animals. At death, the body of man, just like that of any other animal, is returned to the earth from which it came and there decomposes once again into its component elements.

  However, Solomon goes on to point out that this similarity between the destiny at death of man and of the lower animals ends with the physical body. It does not apply to man’s spirit. Man’s spirit – his immaterial part – has a different destiny from the spirit of the lower animals.

  . . . the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, which goes down to the earth? (Eccl. 3:21).

  Solomon introduces this verse with a question: “Who knows . . . ?” This is as if he were to say: “We recognize that there is a difference between man and the beasts, but it is outside the scope of our present studies. Therefore, we can only mention it briefly; we cannot pursue it any further.”

  What are we to understand by the phrase which Solomon uses concerning the spirit of man at the death of the body? He says: “the spirit of the sons of men . . . goes upward.”

  First of all we note that this is in accord with the account of man’s creation, which shows that man’s body came from below, from the earth, but that his spirit came from above, from God (see Gen. 2:7). Because at death man’s spirit is released from the body, the direction of his spirit is once again upward – toward God.

  Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it (Eccl. 12:7).

  Thus the teaching of Solomon in Ecclesiastes concerning the destiny of man’s spirit at death is brief, but clear, and agrees with indications given in many other passages of Scripture. At death, man’s body returns to the dust, but the destiny of his spirit is upward, toward God.

  What takes place when the spirit of man, at death, is released from the body and is brought before God, the Creator?

  There appears to be no definite revelation of Scripture concerning this point. However, Scripture does enable us to establish two definite principles in this connection. First, this appearance of the spirit of man before God is not the final judgement, which will take place only after the resurrection. Second, the spirits of the wicked and the ungodly can have no permanent access to the presence of God.

  We may therefore conclude that this appearance of the spirit of man before God immediately after death is for one main purpose: to hear the divine sentence appointing to each spirit the state and the place it must occupy from the time of death up to the time of resurrection and final judgement. Thereafter, each spirit is consigned to its duly appointed state and place and continues there until called forth again at the resurrection of the body.

The Righteous Separated From the Wicked

  What is the condition of departed spirits in this period that intervenes between death and resurrection?

  Doubtless there is much concerning this that God has not seen fit to reveal in the Bible. However, two facts are made clear: 

1. After death there is a complete and permanent separation between the departed spirits of the righteous and the wicked. 
2. The condition of the departed spirits of the righteous was different in the period before the death and resurrection of Jesus from their condition now, in this present dispensation.

  Over and above these two clearly established facts, the Bible does from time to time lift a corner of the veil between this world and the next, giving us a momentary glimpse of that which lies beyond.

  An example is the biblical account of God’s judgement upon the oppressing king of Babylon.

  Hell [Sheol] from beneath is excited about you,

  To meet you at your coming;

  It stirs up the dead for you,

  All the chief ones of the earth;

  It has raised up from their thrones

  All the kings of the nations.

  They all shall speak and say to you:

  “Have you also become as weak as we?

  Have you become like us?” (Is. 14:9-10).

  This account reveals certain definite facts about the condition of departed spirits. It does not indicate that they have any awareness of events currently transpiring on earth. It does, however, reveal that there is at least some recollection of events that have transpired during the earthly lifetimes of these departed spirits.

  Beyond this, it is clear that personality remains intact after death; there is recognition of one person by another; there is communication between one person and another; and there is awareness of present conditions in this place of departed spirits. Furthermore, there is a correspondence in some measure between a man’s state in this world and his state in the next. For those who were kings in this world are still recognized as kings in the next.

  We are given a somewhat similar picture of the descent into Sheol of the departed spirit of the king of Egypt (see Ezek. 32:17-32).

Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt,

  And cast them down to the depths of the earth,

  Her and the daughters of the famous nations,

  With those who go down to the Pit:

  “Whom do you surpass in beauty?

  Go down, be placed with the uncircumcised” (Ezek. 32:18-19).

  The king of Egypt was received by the spirits of other great men who went down into the pit before him.

  The strong among the mighty

  Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell [Sheol]

  With those who help him:

  “They have gone down,

  They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword” (Ezek. 32:21).

  A careful examination of this passage shows that it reproduces the same features already noted in the passage from Isaiah. There is persistence of personality; recognition of one person by another; communication between one person and another; and awareness of present conditions in this place of departed spirits.

  Let us now turn to the New Testament and see what further light this sheds upon the destiny of man’s spiritual part at death.

  The first New Testament passage that we shall consider is the well-known story of the beggar Lazarus who was laid daily at the rich man’s gate (see Luke 16:19-31). There is no suggestion that this story is a mere parable. It is related by Jesus Himself as an actual historical incident that had taken place at some time prior to that point in Jesus’s earthly ministry – that is, in the dispensational period prior to Jesus’s death and resurrection. Following is Jesus’s description of the destinies of Lazarus and the rich man after their deaths.

  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us” (Luke 16:22-26).

  There is much in this passage that confirms the conclusions we had already formed from the Old Testament. At death the body by burial is returned to the earth, but the spirit moves out into a new kind of existence. In this existence after death there is persistence of personality; there is recognition of one person by another; there is consciousness of present conditions. There is also some recollection of the previous life on earth. This is brought out by the words of Abraham to the rich man: “Son, remember . . .”

  All this agrees with the picture given in the Old Testament.

  However, this account in Luke adds one further, very important fact. After death the destiny of the spirits of the righteous is quite different from that of the spirits of the wicked.

  Both Lazarus and the rich man found themselves within the realm of departed spirits called in Hebrew “Sheol” and in Greek “Hades,” but their destinies there were quite different. The rich man’s spirit was in a place of torment; the spirit of Lazarus was in a place of rest. Between these two places was fixed an impassable gulf that could not be crossed from either side.

  The place of rest, set apart for the departed spirits of the righteous, is here called “Abraham’s bosom.” This title would indicate that this place is ordained for the spirits of all those who in their earthly pilgrimage followed in the footsteps of faith and obedience marked out by Abraham, who for this reason is called “the father of all those who believe.”