THE INTERMEDIATE STATE (Substance Dualism and Continuity of the Life of the Soul) Affirmative Statement #3

Excerpted from the book “Biblical Anthropology” 

by Bishop Jerry L Hayes

Reading time: 3.5 minutes

Propositional statement:

Be it resolved: The Scriptures teach that man is created with a material body and an immaterial soul (substance dualism). The body is mortal and returns to dust, the soul is immortal and continues to live after the death of the body; further, that the soul is conscious and active, though disembodied.

Affirmative Statement #3

In this affirmative statement #3 the narrative of the thief on the cross is offered as evidence of the continuity of the life of a cognizant soul after the death of the body.

The Theif Is With Christ In Paradise The Very Day He Dies: ~ Jesus is hanging on the cross between two thieves (Luke 23:39-43[1]), He turns to the one who has expressed faith in Him and assures him that they would be together in Paradise that very day (v43). Now, Jesus meant for His words to the thief to be words of encouragement. That could hardly have been the case if they were going to sleep the sleep of death in the grave for thousands of years. No. Jesus assured the man they would meet again that very day in Paradise. That, dear reader, was comforting to the thief.

Those who advocate for “soul sleep” are so shaken by this text that they attempt to neutralize it by challenging the grammar punctuation. They do this by moving the comma in the sentence. 

The Bible reads, and the Christian understands:

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. (KJV)

The heretic moves the comma from its place to after the word “today” and reads:

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise. (So reads no recognized version)

While it is true that koine Greek was written without punctuation or case differentials to mark the beginning of new sentences, it is dishonest in the extreme to move a punctuation mark in a text that is universally accepted as accurate in order to get a variant reading that is out of joint with every other text on the subject.

Bengei’s commentary[2] states:  “to-day, is not to be referred (joined) to the verb, I say, as if the robber should have to wait for his entrance into Paradise during I know not how long periods of time. That the words were spoken to him on that day, is of itself evident (without it being necessary to say so). Jesus never used the expression, To-day I say; whereas He repeatedly used the expression, I say. Therefore we must read the words thus, To-day shalt thou be with Me in paradise. Thus the power and grace of the Lord, and also His own ready and immediate entrance into Paradise, is openly declared.—V. g. That was indeed to save, Luke 23:39 (which the impenitent robber had taunted Him with, as unable to effect it).—Harm., p.  570].—μετʼ ἐμοῦ, with me) Much more then did Jesus Himself come to Paradise. [A fact which must have been very consolatory to Mary, wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene, against men’s bitter taunts, and to the Virgin mother and John, when communicated to them.—Harm., p. 570].—ἐν τῷ Παραδείσῳ, in Paradise) in which there are happier trees than in Golgotha (especially “the tree of life which is in the  Paradise of God”), associated with immortality; Revelation 2:7, … Jesus employs the most august appellation for the seat of happiness in the profoundest depth of His own suffering. Comp. … on ch. Luke 16:22, [The Jews called the good state of the dead the bosom of Abraham and the garden of Eden.] This departure to Paradise differs no doubt from the ascension to heaven, John 20:17  (“I am not yet ascended to My Father”), but yet it shows that His descent to ‘hell’ (the lower regions unseen) is to be explained in a good sense.”

Now it is certain that the body will remain in the grave (the dirt pit) but the soul goes some place else: a place of peace. Jesus said “paradise.” The “paradise” of which Jesus spoke was the abode of the disembodied souls of the righteous: an intermediate heaven, awaiting the final judgement and the final Heaven.  This compartment of the underworld Jesus emptied upon the event of His glorious resurrection. He lead the captive in a grand exodus (a journey) to a new paradise in Heaven. So, now, the souls that were the inhabitants of the old paradise are no longer in the underworld but are with Christ. 

The continuity of the soul is not only promised by Christ by His proclamation from the cross, but is demonstrated by Him by his mission to the spirits in prison during the time His body was in the grave.

Apostolically Speaking,

☩☩ Jerry L Hayes

End Notes

1. Luke 23:39-43,  And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. 40 But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

2. Johann Albrecht Bengel (June 24, 1687 – November 2, 1752), also known as Bengelius, was a Lutheran pietist clergyman and Greek-language  scholar known for his edition of the Greek New Testament and his commentaries on it.



Read more epistles from the Bishop on the subject of The Intermediate State of the Soul at the links provided here:

The Intermediate State of the soul, Part One; An Examination of Soul Sleep, aka Christian Mortalism
https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-intermediate-state-of-soul-part-one.html

Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/substance-dualism-and-immortal-soul.html

Intermediate State of the Soul (Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul #2)
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-substance.html

Intermediate State of the Soul (Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul #3)
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-substance_15.html

Intermediate State of the Soul (Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul #4) Jesus Preaches to Spirits in Prison

http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-substance_16.html

Intermediate State of the Soul #5 (The Theology of Paul the Apostle)
https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-theology-of-paul.html

Intermediate State of the Soul #6 (The Rich Man Is Conscious In Hell)
https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/intermediate-state-of-soul-rich-man-is.html

This essay is excerpted from the Bishop's book "Biblical Anthropology."
Biblical Anthropology is a study in what the Bible teaches concerning the origin, nature (ontology), history and destiny of mankind. Reviewed in this work is the debate over whether or not the human being is bipartite—such as only body and soul, or tripartite—such as body, soul and spirit. Biblical Anthropology addresses the question of whether or not the soul is mortal or immortal; that is, does the soul have existence apart from the body.  What, exactly happens at death? Will there be a resurrection of the body, and if so what nature will the resurrected body take?  These are important questions addressed in this book. Bishop Jerry L Hayes presents a very orthodox view of Christian biblical anthropology which relies heavily on holy Scripture with a generous sprinkling of quotes from the ancient churchmen such as Athenagoras, Tertullian, and Augustine to name a few. 
Order your personal copy of this classic work on biblical anthropology by clicking the link provided here:
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