(More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com)
It is written:
Philippians 1:6-being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Is death the end of learning for the child of God?
This is a question that caused me much concern when I was younger. I would ask myself, “What if, when I die, I am not yet ready?”
I am not talking about a person who has not obeyed the Gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10). I mean, what if there are still issues that I have in my heart and life that I have not resolved by the time I die? What if there are still things that I struggle with on a personal level? What if I struggle with unresolved anger? Lust? Greed?
Is death the end of learning for the Christian?
Whenever I think about this, I am reminded of one of my favorite books, The Shack. Mackenzie’s father had died years earlier, and Mackenzie meets with him in the spiritual realm.
““So then why”—Mack’s attention had returned to the troublemaker—“ why is that one having so much difficulty and why does he seem focused on us?” “Mackenzie,” Sarayu said gently, “he is not focused on us, he is focused on you.” “What?” Mack was dumbfounded. “The one having so much trouble containing himself—that one—is your father.” A wave of emotions, a mixture of anger and longings, washed over Mack, and as if on cue his father’s colors burst from across the meadow and enveloped him. He was lost in a wash of ruby and vermillion, magenta and violet, as the light and color whirled around and embraced him. And somehow, in the middle of the exploding storm, he found himself running across the meadow to find his father, running toward the source of the colors and emotions. He was a little boy wanting his daddy, and for the first time he was not afraid. He was running, not caring for anything but the object of his heart, and he found him. His father was on his knees awash in light, tears sparkling like a waterfall of diamonds and jewels into the hands that covered his face. “Daddy!” yelled Mack, and he threw himself onto the man who could not even look at his son. In the howl of wind and flame, Mack took his father’s face in his two hands, forcing his dad to look him in the face so he could stammer the words he had always wanted to say: “Daddy, I’m so sorry! Daddy, I love you!” The light of his words seemed to blast darkness out of his father’s colors, turning them bloodred. They exchanged sobbing words of confession and forgiveness, as a love greater than either one healed them. Finally, they were able to stand together, a father holding his son as he had never been able to before. It was then that Mack noticed the swell of a song that washed over them both as it penetrated the holy place where he stood with his father. With arms around each other they listened, unable to speak through the tears, to the song of reconciliation that lit the night sky. An arching fountain of brilliant color began among the children, especially those who had suffered the greatest, and then rippled as if passed from one to the next by the wind, until the entire field was flooded with light and song. Mack somehow knew that this was not a time for conversation and that his time with his father was quickly passing. He sensed that by some mystery this was as much for his dad as it was for him. As for Mack, the new lightness he felt was euphoric. Kissing his father on the lips, he turned and made his way back to the small hill where Sarayu stood waiting for him. As he passed through the ranks of children, he could feel their touches and colors quickly embrace him and fall away. Somehow, he was already known and loved here. When he reached Sarayu, she embraced him as well and he let her just hold him as he continued to cry. When he had regained some semblance of coherence, he turned to look back at the meadow, the lake, and night sky. A hush descended. The anticipation was palpable. Suddenly, to their right and from out of the darkness emerged Jesus, and pandemonium broke out. He was dressed in a simple brilliant white garment and wore on his head a simple gold crown, but he was every inch the King of the universe.” (William P. Young, The Shack, 234-236 (Kindle Edition): Calle Norte, Newbury Park, CA; Windblown Media)
Let’s study.
When the Apostle wrote to the Ephesians, he discussed what will be taking place after death and throughout eternity. He writes:
Ephesians 2:4-7-But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
In verse seven, Paul talks about “the ages to come.” This was a Jewish expression that referred to the age of eternity.
“The marvels of God’s grace will be resounded not only until the parousia of Christ, but in the ages beyond. In a Jewish framework, time was normally divided into two ages, this age and the age to come (see Eph 1: 21; see also Heb 1: 1–2). Some think the plural of “ages” in this context may simply be another way of referring to the age to come as influenced by the liturgical expression for eternity (literally, “to the ages of the ages” [εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων]; e.g., Phil 4: 20). 14 It is probably better to take it as a more general reference to the countless and unending periods of time that will comprise all of eternity. 15 This explanation does justice to the plural expression.” (Clinton E. Arnold, Ephesians, 225-226 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan)
Throughout eternity, God will continue to “make known,” i.e., to reveal or to teach, His people. There never will be a point where we know everything: throughout the ages of eternity, God will continue to teach us!
I find that thought exciting and helpful.
“I heard a pastor say, “There will be no more learning in Heaven.” One writer says that in Heaven, “Activities such as investigation, comprehending and probing will never be necessary. Our understanding will be complete.”[ 4] In a Gallup poll of people’s perspectives about Heaven, only 18 percent thought people would grow intellectually in Heaven.[ 5] Does Scripture indicate that we will learn in Heaven? Yes. Consider Ephesians 2: 6-7: “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace.” The word show means “to reveal.” The phrase in the coming ages clearly indicates this will be a progressive, ongoing revelation, in which we learn more and more about God’s grace. I frequently learn new things about my wife, daughters, and closest friends, even though I’ve known them for many years. If I can always be learning something new about finite, limited human beings, surely I’ll learn far more about Jesus. None of us will ever begin to exhaust his depths. Jesus said to his disciples, “Learn from me” (Matthew 11: 29). On the New Earth, we’ll have the privilege of sitting at Jesus’ feet as Mary did, walking with him over the countryside as his disciples did, always learning from him. In Heaven we’ll continually learn new things about God, going ever deeper in our understanding.” (Randy Alcorn, Heaven: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything the Bible Says About Our Eternal Home (Clear Answers to 44 Real Questions About the Afterlife, Angels, Resurrection, … and the Kingdom of God), 446-447 (Kindle Edition): Tyndale)
When Paul wrote Hebrews, he describes saints of God who are dead and who will be in Heaven.
He writes:
Hebrews 12:22-23-But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Notice that last phrase, “the spirits of just men made perfect.”
“The original language lends further support to our conclusion. The Greek transliteration for the verb “made perfect” in Hebrews 12: 23 is teleioo, which means to perfect something by “completing it” or “bringing it to an end.” Because it is a perfect past participle (literally, “having been matured”), this verb means that these souls have been perfected prior to their arrival in “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” Yet, because Paul is referring to the “spirits” of these perfected ones indicates that these souls were perfected after having left their bodies in death. In other words, the perfect past participle connotes that the “spirits” were perfected as spirits—that is, in eternity—and that the effects of their perfection continue in eternity. Thus, Paul’s usage reveals that the spirits of these just men have been perfected beyond the grave, but before reaching heaven: which means in purgatory. Paul uses this verb (teleioo) in regard to achieving perfection eight other times in his letter to the Hebrews. In each case, the “perfection” Paul describes is either connected to “suffering” 234 or to “sacrifices.” 235 It follows that the perfection of the “spirits of the just men” in Hebrews 12: 23 is also connected to suffering and sacrifice—the sufferings they have endured in purgatory and the sacrifices that were offered to deliver them. In fact, at the beginning of chapter 12, Paul repeatedly refers to how God “disciplines,” “punishes” and “chastises” his sons so that “we may share his holiness,” which is necessary to see God. 236 Paul also refers to God, who is doing the disciplining, as “the Father of spirits” (12: 9). These “spirits” in verse 9 are the same “spirits” in verse 23 who are made perfect by the Father’s chastisements in eternity. Finally, chapter 12 concludes by describing God as “a consuming fire”—the very fire that perfects the “spirits of the just men” in purgatory.” (John Salza, The Biblical Basis for Purgatory, 142-143 (Kindle Edition): Charlotte, NC: Saint Benedict Press, LLC)
Our Catholic friends believe that the suffering that Christians will endure after death is some kind of punishment to absolve them of sin, which leads to their belief in Purgatory. This is not the meaning that Paul uses, however, in this (and other) passages. The suffering that the Christian endures after death is not designed to atone for his sins, but to better learn and prepare himself for eternity. Only the suffering of Jesus on the cross can bring payment for sin (as Paul makes clear throughout the Book of Hebrews). Indeed, I am reminded of what Paul wrote to our brothers and sisters in Corinth:
1 Corinthians 3:11-15-For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Notice that the ones who are saved on “the Day” (i.e., the Day of Christ’s Return) may still suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet “so as through fire.” In other words, the process of salvation on that Day for Christians may still be filled with suffering of some kind.
Again, Paul is adamant that our learning continues even after we die in this world.
Finally, think with me about the realm of departed spirits, known in the Bible as Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek). Jesus teaches us that this realm is divided into two sections, one known as “Paradise” and another known as a place of “torments.”
Jesus says:
Luke 16:19-31-There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 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. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 “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.’ 25 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. 26 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.’ 27 “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ “
Speaking of the meaning of the word “paradise,” Barclay tells us:
“(2) There is the idea of paradise, and the very sound of the word is lovely. It may be that we do not attach any very definite meaning to it; but, when we study the history of the word, and when we see how the great thinkers of the Church have used it, we come upon some of the most adventurous thinking the world has ever known. (a) Originally, paradise was a Persian word. The Greek historian Xenophon wrote much about the Persians, and it was he who introduced the word into the Greek language. Originally, it meant a pleasure garden. When Xenophon is describing the state in which the Persian king lived, he says that he takes care that, wherever he resides, there are paradises, full of all the good and beautiful things the soil can produce (Oeconomicus, 4: 13). Paradise is a lovely word to describe a thing of serene beauty. (b) In the Septuagint, paradise has two uses. First, it is regularly used for the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2: 8, 3: 1). Second, it is regularly used of any stately garden. When Isaiah speaks of a garden that has no water, it is the word paradise that is used (Isaiah 1: 30). It is the word used when Jeremiah says: ‘Plant gardens and eat what they produce’ (Jeremiah 29: 5). It is the word used when the preacher says: ‘I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees’ (Ecclesiastes 2: 5). (3) In early Christian thought, the word has a special meaning. In Jewish thought, after death, all souls went to Hades–a grey and shadowy place. Early Christian thought pictured an intermediate state between earth and heaven to which all people went and in which they remained until the final judgment. This place was described by Tertullian as a vast cavern beneath the earth. But there was a special part in which the patriarchs and the prophets lived–and that was paradise. The Jewish philosopher Philo describes it as a place ‘vexed by neither rain, nor snow, nor waves, but which the gentle zephyr refreshes, breathing ever on it from the ocean’. As Tertullian saw it, only one kind of person went straight to this paradise, and that was the martyr. ‘The sole key’, he said, ‘to unlock paradise is your own life’s blood’ (Concerning the Soul, 55). Origen was one of the most adventurous thinkers the Church ever produced. He writes like this: ‘I think that all the saints [saints means Christians] who depart from this life will remain in some place situated on the earth, which holy Scripture calls paradise, as in some place of instruction and, so to speak, classroom or school of souls … If anyone indeed be pure in heart and holy in mind, and more practised in perception, he will by making more rapid progress, quickly ascend to a place in the air, and reach the kingdom of heaven, through these mansions [stages] which the Greeks called spheres and which holy Scripture calls heavens … He will in the end follow him who has passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, who said: “I will that where I am, these may be also.” It is of this diversity of places he speaks, when he said: “In my Father’s house are many mansions”’ (De Principiis, 2: 6). The great early thinkers did not identify paradise with heaven; paradise was the intermediate stage, where the souls of the righteous were prepared for entering the presence of God. There is something very lovely here. Who has not felt that the leap from earth to heaven is too great for one step and that there is need for a gradual entering into the presence of God?” (William Barclay, The Revelation of John, Volume 2 (The New Daily Study Bible Book 1), 1393-1425 (Kindle Edition): Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press)
There is plenty of work that we need to do as Christians in this life to try and become what Christ wants us to be. We must be diligent to that end (2 Peter 1:5-7), and avoid the works of the flesh that will lead to the purifying and consuming fires of Hell (Galatians 5:19-21; Mark 9:43-49). Yet we can take comfort in knowing that even after death, the Lord will continue to work with us and prepare us for the Day of His Return and for the New Heavens and New Earth in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:13-Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.