Chapter 10 – Did Christians Wait in Hades or Heaven?

While the scriptures state that many saints were resurrected at the time of the cross (Matthew 27:51-53), the majority would not be resurrected until the “last day” at Jesus’ return. Despite this, some scriptures are believed to support the idea that the disciples expected to be immediately with God in heaven without first waiting in Sheol. It is necessary to re-examine these passages to comprehend the necessity of the resurrection.

Consciousness in Sheol?

Some Christians mistakenly assume that while saints waited in Sheol, they were conscious in the Lord’s presence. They argue that since Ecclesiastes says their spirit returned to God at death, this meant they were conscious in God’s presence.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (WEB) and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

However, in Psalm 104, David says that when animals are given God’s spirit they live, and when the spirit (or “breath”) is returned to God they die, indicating no consciousness.

Psalm 104:27-30 (YLT) All of them unto Thee do look, To give their food in its season. 28 Thou dost give to them — they gather, Thou dost open Thy hand — they [are] satisfied [with] good. 29 Thou hidest Thy face — they are troubled, Thou gatherest their spirit — they expire, And unto their dust they turn back. 30 Thou sendest out Thy Spirit, they are created, And Thou renewest the face of the ground.

Consciousness is only achieved when the spirit is joined with the body, necessitating a resurrection.

James 2:26 (WEB) For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

Genesis 2:7 (WEB) Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Psalm 146:4 (WEB) His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.

Job 34:14-15 (WEB) If he [God] set his heart on himself, if he gathered to himself his spirit and his breath, 15 all flesh would perish together, and man would turn again to dust.

Ezekiel 37:5 (WEB) The Lord Yahweh says to these bones: “Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you will live.

Did Abraham Enter Heaven?

Many suppose that Abraham was taken to heaven when he died. They use the parallel passages Matthew 22:32, Mark 12:26-27, and Luke 20:37-38 to argue that God considered Abraham living, implying that Abraham was in heaven with God.

Matthew 22:32 (WEB) ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’Exodus 3:6 God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

However, the context of these passages reveals that Abraham would not be considered alive until the resurrection.

Matthew 22:28-33 (WEB) In the resurrection therefore, whose wife will she be of the seven? For they all had her.”

29 But Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like God’s angels in heaven. 31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, haven’t you read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’Exodus 3:6 God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

33 When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.

The Sadducees, who denied that there was going to be a resurrection (Luke 20:27), dared not question Jesus after his response (Luke 20:40) because it adequately proved there would be a future resurrection (Luke 20:39). This passage is an example of the “prophetic perfect tense.”

The prophetic perfect tense is a literary technique used in the Bible that describes future events that are so certain to happen that they are referred to in the past tense as if they had already happened.¹

Because the resurrection was certain to occur, its effect was described as already present, though it would not be fulfilled until a later date.

In Paradise That Day?

Some scholars believe in a future resurrection but argue that believers go to heaven today without needing to wait for a resurrection. To support this view, they may cite the passage where Jesus promised the thief on the cross that the thief would be with Jesus in paradise before the resurrection.

Luke 23:43 (WEB) Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

However, this argument relies on the placement of an uninspired comma, weakening its validity. When translated with the comma in its traditional position, it leads to a contradictory statement. The Bible states that Jesus descended into Hades when he died, not heaven (Psalm 16:10; Matthew 12:40; Acts 2:31; Ephesians 4:8-9). Everywhere else it is used, “paradise” always represents heaven, the Garden of Eden (Revelation 2:7), and the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-3). Jesus explicitly said he had not ascended to heaven when he spoke after his resurrection.

John 20:17 (WEB) Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me, for I haven’t yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

If Jesus was not in heaven on that day, the thief could not have been with him in paradise that same day. This contradiction can be resolved when one realizes that the original Greek text did not have commas, although it sometimes had pauses represented by dots. Translators added commas to the translation several hundred years later, and thus, they are not inspired. By moving the comma forward, as might be permissible, the passage reads as follows:

Luke 23:43 (WEB) Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise.”

(In the above WEB passage, the comma has been moved from before “today” to after “today.”)

Furthermore, the earliest Greek manuscripts contain a pause, equivalent to a comma, after “today,” making the phrase “Truly I tell you today [pause or comma]…”

In his article, “The Significance of a Comma: An Analysis of Luke 23:43,” Wilson Paroschi, Ph.D., makes this point and illustrates how placing the comma after “today” is highly consistent with Luke’s literary style.²

Greek scholar E.W. Bullinger, in his book The Rich Man and Lazarus: An Intermediate State?, also explains that “I say unto thee this day” was a well-known Hebrew idiom used to emphasize the seriousness and importance of the words.³ Luke used the phrase in the same manner in Acts.

Acts 20:26-27 (WEB) Therefore I testify to you today that I am clean from the blood of all men, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.

Acts 24:21 (BLB) other than concerning this one voice, which I cried out standing among them: ‘I am judged by you this day concerning the resurrection of the dead.’

Bullinger says that in similar situations (Luke 4:21; 19:9), when Luke wants “today” to belong to the following phrase instead of with the verb “say,” he separates the two words with “that” or in Greek, “hoti.”

Luke 4:21 (JST) And he began to say to them, That this day has this writing been filled up in your ears.

Luke 19:9 (JST) And Jesus said to him, That to day salvation has been to this house, as he is also a son of Abraham.

Luke 23:43 does not say “Assuredly I tell you [that] today you will be with me in Paradise” which Luke would have done if he wanted “today” to be connected to the following phrase.

The thief asked Jesus to remember him when his kingdom came (Luke 23:42), and Jesus wanted to emphasize that it would certainly happen. All indicators point to the fact that the thief was promised to ascend to paradise when Jesus returned with his kingdom, not immediately upon his death.

Until their resurrection came to pass, the dead saints could not ascend into heaven.

Did Stephen Enter Heaven Immediately?

Acts 7:59 (WEB) They stoned Stephen as he called out, saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”

When Stephen commended his spirit to God, he was expressing his trust in God to eventually raise him up. Jesus also commended his Spirit to the Father (Luke 23:46) before he went to Hades. Job also did the same thing when asking God to appoint him a set time and remember him (Job 14:13).

Would Paul Be With Christ at Death?

One passage suggests support for the idea that Paul expected to immediately be with Christ in heaven upon his death.

Philippians 1:23-24 (WNT) I am in a dilemma, my earnest desire being to depart and be with Christ, for that is far, far better. 24 But for your sakes it is more important that I should still remain in the body.

However, E.W. Bullinger, author of A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, believes Philippians 1:23 has been mistranslated. He argues it should properly be translated as follows:

Philippians 1:23-24 (E.W. Bullinger) Yet, what I shall choose I wot not, for I am being pressed out of these two, by a third thing, having a strong desire unto the Return (i.e. of Christ), and to be with Christ, which is a far, far better thing and to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account

Paul’s point was that although his death might help to invigorate the preaching of the gospel (Philippians 1:12) and honor Christ and himself (Philippians 1:20), living until Christ’s return was far better because he wouldn’t have to be apart from Christ in Hades and was more necessary for the Philippians. Therefore, it was better for him to stay in the body.

Bullinger provides a critical analysis of the Greek. On pages 13-14 of his article, “The Rich Man and Lazarus: An Intermediate State?” he contends that the word translated as “depart” actually means “return” and translators have ignored the definite article “the” which precedes it. Thus, Paul was not speaking about departing to be with Christ upon death but rather his desire for the return of Christ.

Even in verse 24, “but” would be better translated as “and” as the Young’s Literal Translation does:

(WNT) But for your sakes it is more important that I should still remain in the body.

(Young’s Literal Translation) and to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account,

The Greek language has a more specific word for “but” as in “otherwise, except, however” as seen in Romans 1:21, “alla.” However, the word used in Philippians 1:24 is “de,” which throughout the New Testament is most commonly translated as “and” or “moreover.”

With the proper translation of Philippians 1:23-24, one can see that Paul did not expect to go to heaven immediately upon his death and for this reason hoped to live until Christ returned.

Absent From the Body, Home With the Lord

2 Corinthians 5 (WEB) is often interpreted as a statement that believers immediately enter heaven upon death. This understanding is based on verse 8:

“We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

However, in this passage, Paul is expressing his longing to receive his heavenly, spiritual body while still alive. He acknowledges that this hope is not yet his current reality.

Verses 1-2:

“For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. 2 For most certainly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven”

In 2 Corinthians 4:7-17 and 11:23-27, Paul describes the dangers, suffering, and near-death experiences he constantly faces. His willingness to endure such persecution comes from his hope in the resurrection, knowing that God will one day provide him with an eternal, heavenly, spiritual body (as described in 1 Corinthians 15:44-49).

Verses 3-4:

“if indeed being clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”

Paul doesn’t fear death but longed to avoid the “nakedness” of disembodiment—death without a heavenly body. Before the resurrection, believers who died didn’t go straight to heaven; instead, they entered Hades, a state of unconscious waiting. Paul hoped to bypass this intermediate state by living to see Christ’s return, allowing him to be “clothed” with his heavenly body immediately and to enter God’s presence without delay upon his death.

The phrase “swallowed up by life” reflects Paul’s hope in the resurrection: the ultimate victory over mortality when believers are given their eternal, perfected bodies.

Verse 5

“Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.”

This verse emphasizes that God Himself designed believers for the resurrection and eternal life. The Holy Spirit serves as a “down payment,” a guarantee of the future transformation to come. As explained in 2 Corinthians 4:13-14, Paul places this within the context of resurrection hope—it is not a current reality but something he eagerly awaits.

Verses 6-8:

“Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

While he’s here on earth, Paul knows he’s away from the fullness of God’s presence (v. 6), but his ultimate hope is to leave this earthly body and be “at home with the Lord” (v. 8).

Importantly, Paul is not claiming that he will enter heaven immediately upon death. Instead, he acknowledges his preference for that outcome—being immediately with the Lord after death—but he recognizes that his current reality would place him in Hades if he died before the resurrection.

Verses 9-10:

“Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him. 10 For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Despite this, Paul resolves to please God in every situation, whether in life or death, knowing that he will ultimately stand before Christ’s judgment seat to receive his eternal reward. His hope lies in the assurance that, whether he lives to see Christ’s return or dies before, God will bring him into eternal life through resurrection.

Tying It Together:

Paul’s discussion in 2 Corinthians 5 reflects his understanding of the intermediate state and his deep hope for the resurrection. He acknowledges that death leads to a temporary separation from the fullness of God’s presence (in Hades), but he longs for the day when Christ returns, and believers are given their heavenly bodies. While Paul would prefer to skip Hades and go straight to being “at home with the Lord,” he focuses on living a life that pleases God, confident that his ultimate future is secure.

Would Christians Return with Christ?

Some Christians believe that the dead saints are already with Christ in heaven and will return with Him on the clouds when He comes to resurrect the dead. This understanding is derived from 1 Thessalonians 4:14, where Paul states, “God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-16 (WEB) But we don’t want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first.

However, in verse 16, Paul states that those who slept in Christ will rise from their graves, not descend from heaven.

The dead in Christ will rise first.

When Jesus returned, His purpose was to bring the resurrected believers to His Father’s house in heaven, where He had prepared places for them.

John 14:2-3 (WEB) In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

This context explains why Christ is said to bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. He was not bringing them back to earth from heaven but was instead bringing them from earth back to His Father’s house in heaven.

Conclusion

In summary, saints did not expect to be conscious in God’s presence until the resurrection. For this reason, the first-century saints hoped to live until Christ returned, so they would not have to taste death in Hades.

1. Despite the fact that the spirit returned to God at death, the saints would not experience consciousness until the spirit was reunited with their resurrected bodies.
2. Although God considered Abraham alive, He did so in the prophetic perfect tense because the resurrection was certain to occur.
3. By placing the comma in the correct location, it becomes clear that the thief on the cross was promised to eventually join Christ in paradise, but would not do so that very day.
4. When Stephen committed his spirit to the Lord, he was doing so in the tradition of others who had hopes of the resurrection while they waited in Sheol.
5. A proper translation of Philippians 1:23-24 reveals that Paul hoped to live long enough to see Christ return to avoid a wait in Hades.
6. Understanding Paul’s teachings on Hades provides important context for 2 Corinthians 5, where he expresses his longing to remain alive until the resurrection to receive his heavenly body.
7. Christians would only be brought to heaven and remain with the Lord in the air after Christ returned to resurrect them.

The resurrection was the only hope of escaping Hades, which is why only its past fulfillment offers peace in the assurance that believers today experience heaven upon death.

Footnotes