In this three-part series I will broadly explore the topic of the afterlife; first looking at the realm of the underworld, second the heavens, and third the resurrection.
The views presented below differ from some established theological teachings, including Reformed Theology as presented within Systematic Theology. Therefore, at the end of this article, I have written a short epilogue which summarises the teaching on ‘the intermediate state’ as presented within Systematic Theology and puts forward my scriptural basis for why I disagree with it on this topic.
In considering the underworld, I have written about the places that I believe Jesus visited during the three days between his crucifixion and resurrection. I have attested that the souls of those faithful to Yahweh resided in the underworld during the former covenant and that it was through Jesus’ death and resurrection that those faithful people were liberated from the underworld.
Before I describe my views on this further, I first want to explore how the idea of an underworld developed throughout scripture. Regarding life after death, it is not until Genesis chapter 37 that we are introduced to the realm of Sheol (שְאוֹל). The use of the word in Genesis 37 occurs when Jacob speaks of going into Sheol in mourning for his son Joseph when he thinks that he has died.
Although there is a certain relationship between the physical grave and Sheol, where Job, for example, asks if his hope (and ultimately himself) will “go down to the gates of Sheol, or will we descend together to the dust?” (17:16, HCSB), the Hebrew scriptures explain that the body returns to the dust of the ground (from where it was created, Genesis 3:19) but the soul or spirit, which is considered the essence of a person, descends into this underworld realm of Sheol (Finney, 2016; Philips, 2016; Christian, 2018). The two are separate places in the ancient Hebrew mind, as the Hebrew word ‘qeber’ (קבר) is already used within scripture for a physical grave or sepulchre. Unhelpfully, bible translations such as the KJV and NIV often mistranslate the word Sheol as grave (as well as also translating it as ‘pit’ and ‘hell’ in other places too), but the Hebrew word Sheol clearly refers to something other than the physical resting place of the body (Christian, 2018; Philips, 2016). In the word’s first use in Genesis 37, for example, Jacob believed that “a wild animal (had) devoured” Joseph, meaning that Jacob’s use of the word Sheol could not possibly mean grave - as there were no bodily remains (Philips, 2016).
There is no single passage which fully describes Sheol, instead, we find developing ideas and a progressively clearer revelation throughout the Hebrew Scriptures on this topic (Tabor, 2017; Philips 2016). It has been argued that the ancient Hebrews did not conceive of the “immortal soul (as) living a full and vital life beyond death” (Tabor, 2017; Finney, 2016), which is evident in scriptures that depict those who have died going down into a land of silence;
“The dead do not praise Yah, nor any descending into silence. It is we, we will bless Yah from now until forever. Praise Yah!”
(Psalm 115:17-18, LEB)
“If the Lord had not helped me, I would have gone quickly to the land of silence.”
(Psalm 94:17, GNT)
This is a place described as a deep and dark realm of the dead where Yahweh is not remembered (Psalm 6:5; Psalm 88:5-6) in which a person exists as a shadow or shade of their former self (Tabor, 2017; Finney, 2016). Somewhat akin, by contemporary comparison, to ‘the upside down’ from Stranger Things; not physically beneath the earth yet still somehow below it and shrouded in perpetual dusk (Bass, 2022).
It is from this place that Samuel is called up in 1 Samuel chapter 28 by the medium at Endor whom Saul consulted. Not only is Samuel said to be ascending (עלה) but he is clearly not in corporeal form as he is called an “elohim” (אלהים) which is most commonly translated as ‘god’ and is a clear reference to a spiritual being.
In the Greek New Testament, the word we see instead of Sheol is Hades (ᾍδης). We know this word refers to the same place because the Septuagint uses the term Hades in place of Sheol in the Greek language version of the Hebrew Scriptures, and when Psalm 16 is quoted in Acts 22 the word Sheol is again substituted for Hades. Additionally, the use of the word Hades also brings with it both a progression in the understanding of the nature of the underworld and an existing cultural context for the Hellenistic world (Philips, 2016). Hades in Greek mythology is both the name of a Greek god as well as the name of the realm he presides over; described as “the infernal regions situated beneath the earth” (Guerber, 1910, p.136). It was within this cultural context that the Greek-speaking audience of the New Testament writings found themselves, with personified enemies and powers of the underworld which needed to be overcome.
As well as having a Hellenistic cultural context, the understanding of Hades by the original audiences of New Testament letters and books would also have understood this realm through other Second Temple literature. For example, where the Hebrew Scriptures speak of a chamber or chambers in Sheol (Proverbs 7:27; Isaiah 26:20), this idea is developed in the book of 1 Enoch which describes Hades as having “four hollow places (…) deep and dark to look at (…). That all the souls of the children of men should assemble here. And that these places have been made to receive them to the day of their judgement”. Furthermore, where the Hebrew Scriptures record that the faithful who die go to be with their ancestors (Genesis 25:8, 25:17, 35:29, 49:33; Deuteronomy 32:50; Judges 2:10), other Second Temple literature develops this understanding by stating that those who are faithful to Yahweh would specifically go to be with the patriarchs. Such as in 4 Maccabees, which says “if we so die, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob will welcome us, and all the fathers will praise us.” Additionally, Jewish historian Josephus, writing in the years after the fall of Jerusalem, described the pre-existing pharisaical belief that under the earth there were both rewards and punishments awaiting the dead, according to how virtuously they had lived (Christian, 2018).
It is not surprising then that we find the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke chapter 16, where Jesus describes Hades as divided into sections, and that one of these sections he called the bosom of Abraham whilst the other he just called Hades. Jesus’ use of the term Abraham’s bosom demonstrates the ancient Near Eastern practice where a close guest would rest on the chest of the host (as John did with Jesus in John 13:25) showing that Lazarus, in contrast to his earthly position, was being treated as a guest of honour (Elwell, 2001; De La Cruz, 2021). Jesus also explains that between these two places there was “a great chasm” (verse 26). The Reformed or Systematic view argues that this chasm is a vertical one because Abraham’s bosom refers to heaven and the lifting up of the rich man’s eyes was him lifting his eyes towards heaven (Christian, 2018; Shedd, 1888). However, this view is incongruent with that which is presented within the Hebrew Scriptures and Second Temple literature. It also raises questions as to the nature of Jesus’ atonement for sin; how is it that Moses who was forbidden to enter the promised land because of the consequence of his sin was permitted to enter heaven prior to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross? For example.
Abraham’s Bosom, as a place within the wider realm of Hades (or arguably a separate region of the underworld entirely (Elwell, 2001)), is a development of ideas presented within the Hebrew Scriptures which gives us a deeper revelation as to the nature of the underworld. Jesus’ reference to Abraham’s Bosom, including the use of named characters in the parable, was a reference to a well-known cultural tradition and naming it in the parable confirms its existence as a specific place for the faithful within Sheol (De La Cruz, 2021).
Additionally, it is scripturally evident that Jesus visited these places during the three days of his death;
“Truly, truly I say to you, that an hour is coming—and now is here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and the ones who hear will live.”
(John 5:25, LEB)
“For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.”
(Matthew 12:40, LEB)
In Ephesians, Paul quotes Psalm 68, saying;
“Ascending on high he led captivity captive; he gave gifts to men.” Now “he ascended,” what is it, except that he also descended to the lower regions of the earth?”
(Ephesians 4:8-9 LEB)
Peter’s sermon in Acts does not describe a lack of descent but a lack of abandonment when in the underworld;
“By having foreseen this, he spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he abandoned in Hades nor did his flesh experience decay.”
(Acts 2:31, LEB)
Although not directly linked to the human afterlife, this brings us to the third location of the underworld that Jesus visited; Tartarus. The book of 1 Peter, as well as describing that Jesus spoke to those in Hades also tells us that Jesus;
“Went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, who were formerly disobedient, when the patience of God waited in the days of Noah”.
(1 Peter 3:19-20, LEB)
Whilst the book of 2 Peter states that;
“God did not spare the angels who sinned, but held them captive in Tartarus (ταρταρόω) with chains of darkness and handed them over to be kept for judgment”.
(2 Peter 2:4, LEB)
The Epistle of Jude also states that;
“The angels who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling place, he has kept in eternal bonds under deep gloom for the judgment of the great day”.
(Jude 1:6, LEB)
The reference to these angels who sinned and the days of Noah are arguably a reference to the events of Genesis 6 where the rebellious ‘sons of God’ sinned by having sexual relations with human women. And Tartarus is home to these original offending spiritual beings and the disembodied spirits (Rephaim) of what were their giant offspring (Nephilim) (Heiser, 2021; Utley; 2021). The book of 1 Enoch, which the Epistle of Jude quotes from, demonstrates the ancient Hebrew understanding of these events by giving an account of Enoch descending into Tartarus to speak to these imprisoned spirits. Therefore, it has been argued that the reference in 1 Peter was also eluding to this well-known book, yet this time with Jesus in the role of the one who descended and who proclaimed his victory to these same spirits (Heiser, 2015; Heiser, 2022).
We are clearly presented with images of Jesus visiting the realm of Tartarus during his descent into the underworld - a place the demons of Luke 8 feared to go. Peter’s use of the word Tartarus (when John in the book of Revelation instead uses the word Abyss (ἄβυσσος) to refer to the same place) would have brought to mind certain imagery familiar to his Greco-Roman audience that was part of the same cosmic geography as Hades (Bass, 2022). Greek mythology describes Tartarus as the “deepest gulf beneath the earth, the gates whereof are of iron and the threshold of bronze, as far beneath Hades as heaven is above earth” (Homer, n.d. p.108), in which the Titans (half-man and half-god giants who had rebelled) were “hurled into [the] dark abyss called Tartarus, and there chained them fast” (Guerber, 1910, p.6).
However the powers of the underworld are described, ultimately the book of Revelation demonstrates Jesus’ victory over all of them. In Revelation 1:17-18, Jesus says;
“I am (…) the one who lives, and I was dead, and behold, I am living forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of Hades.”
(LEB)
To be in the region of death meant to be in death’s power (Finney, 2016). But through Jesus’ own death and resurrection, this power was overcome so that the faithful who resided in the underworld might attain a new eternal rest and home.
Epilogue
The view put forward within Systematic Theology is that the souls of those faithful to Yahweh in both covenants proceeded upon death to be with him in heaven and that there is no scriptural basis to claim that the souls of the faithful went into the underworld during the old covenant (Grudem, 1994; Shedd, 1888). Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross that “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 22:43) is put forward as evidence of this. Where, for example, there is reference to the prophet Samuel “ascending out of the earth” (I Samuel 28:13 NKJV), it is claimed that this is figurative language which depicts a reanimated body rising from the grave (Shedd, 1888). It is also stated that when Jesus died, although his body went into the grave (or tomb) his spirit ascended to be with his Father (“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46, NIV)) (Grudem, 1994; Shedd, 1888). Again the presented view is that there is no scriptural basis that Jesus descended into the underworld during his death.
If the Old Testament saints had proceeded immediately to heaven when they died either (a) they never went to Sheol, or (b) only their bodies did (it being just the physical grave). Neither of these positions are supported by the scriptures below:
Genesis 37 - Jacob believes Joseph has gone to Sheol and expects he too will descend there. Refutation of (a).
Job 11:8; Isaiah 14:15 - it is the deepest point under the earth. Refutation of (b).
Job 14:13 - Job expected to go there. Refutation of (a).
Job 17:16 - It is a marked place with boundaries or gates. Refutation of (b).
Jonah 2:2 - a place a person can cry out from. Refutation of (b).
Psalm 6:5; 88:3 - the Psalmists expect to go there. Refutation of (a).
Psalms 16:10; Psalm 30:3 - a place where the soul goes. Refutation of (b).
Isaiah 14:9 - a place where the dead reside collectively. Refutation of (b).
Additionally, because the Septuagint uses the word Hades in place of Sheol, the following can also be applied:
Matthew 16:18 - it is again a marked place with boundaries or gates. Refutation of (b).
Luke 16:23 - it is a place of torment. Refutation of (b).
Acts 2:27 - a place where the soul goes. Refutation of (b).
Revelation 1:17-18 - It is a place separate from death that Jesus overcame through his victory. Refutation of (b).
Reference List
Bass, J. W., 2022. Naked Bible Podcast. Transcript Episode 440. The Afterlife, Part 1. Available from: https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NB-440-Transcript.pdf
Christian, E., 2018. THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS, ABRAHAM'S BOSOM, AND THE BIBLICAL PENALTY KARET ("CUT OFF"). Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 61(3).
De La Cruz, D., 2021. "What's the Difference - Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Hell?" // The Study w. Pastor David [Youtube.com]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/live/G3-xjw9n8UQ?si=-nGXNm5jtfLNo43m
Elwell, W.A. ed., 2001. Evangelical dictionary of theology. Baker Academic.
Finney, M., 2016. Resurrection, hell and the afterlife: Body and soul in antiquity, Judaism and early Christianity. Routledge.
Grudem, W.A., 1994. Systematic theology: An introduction to biblical doctrine. Zondervan Academic.
Guerber, H. A., 1910. Myths of Greece & Rome. George G. Harrap & Company.
Heiser, M.S., 2015. The unseen realm: Recovering the supernatural worldview of the bible. Lexham Press.
Heiser, M. S., 2021. Naked Bible Podcast. Transcript Episode 377. Revelation 9. Available from: https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/NB-377-Transcript.pdf
Heiser, M.S., 2022. Naked Bible Podcast. Transcript Episode 441. The Afterlife, Part 2. Available from: https://nakedbiblepodcast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/NB-441-Transcript.pdf
Homer. n.d. The Illiad & The Odyssey. Translation by Butler, S. 2011. Canterbury Classics.
Philips, R. 2016. Biblical truths about the afterlife. Available from: https://mbcpathway.com/2016/07/12/biblical-truths-about-the-afterlife/
Shedd, W.G.T., 1888. Dogmatic theology. Ravenio Books.
Tabor, J. 2017. What The Bible Really Says About Death, Afterlife, and the Future (Part 1). Available from: https://jamestabor.com/what-the-bible-really-says-about-death-afterlife-and-the-future-part-1/
Utley, B., 2021. The Dead, Where Are They? (Sheol/Hades, Gehenna, Tartarus) [Youtube.com]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/live/9efkpy5Ip2Y?si=9zc0pjNYjnjRpAjz