Why Is the Bible Silent About the Intermediate State?

Published On: October 22, 2025

In a world fixated on the afterlife—think ghost stories, near-death experiences, and endless debates about heaven—it’s striking how little the Bible actually says about what happens right after we die. If Scripture is our guide to eternal truths, why the brevity?

The “intermediate state,” as theologians call it, refers to the time between our physical death and bodily resurrection at Christ’s return. As Paul writes in Philippians 1:23, he longed “to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 5:8, he affirms, “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

These glimpses assure us: death isn’t the end, but a doorway. Yet the Bible doesn’t paint vivid pictures of this interim—no golden streets or family reunions detailed here. In this post, let’s explore why the Bible keeps details sparse. It offers just enough to comfort us without distracting us from the ultimate hope: a renewed creation where body and soul are reunited in glory.

GOD REVEALS WHAT WE NEED, NOT WHAT WE WANT

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1.6) teaches “the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.” Notice the emphasis: Scripture contains everything necessary—not everything possible, but everything needful.

God accommodates His revelation to our present capacity and spiritual needs. The intermediate state, while real, is temporary—a waystation, not our final destination. Scripture therefore focuses our attention on what matters most eternally: the resurrection body and the new creation (1 Corinthians 15; Revelation 21-22).

This is pastoral wisdom. Detailed knowledge of disembodied existence wouldn’t make us holier or prepare us better for eternity. It might actually distract us from gospel priorities—sanctification, mission, and hope in Christ’s return. God gives us what equips us for godliness, not what satisfies idle curiosity.

THE BIBLE’S FOCUS IS ON BODILY RESURRECTION, NOT DISEMBODIED SOULS

John Calvin wrote in his Institutes (3.25.6-7) that the intermediate state is merely a “temporary lodging”—the soul’s rest with Christ awaits its completion in bodily resurrection. This isn’t our ultimate hope; it’s a blessed interlude before the real thing.

Biblical anthropology sees us as psychosomatic unities. We’re not souls imprisoned in bodies (as Greek philosophy taught) but embodied souls. The separation of soul from body at death is abnormal—a consequence of the Fall—and awaits restoration at the resurrection.

WGT Shedd captured this well when he described the intermediate state as “heaven without the body.” While believers experience genuine blessedness in Christ’s presence after death, this condition is incomplete. Heaven in its fullest sense includes the resurrection body. The disembodied state, though far better than earthly life (Philippians 1:23), falls short of God’s ultimate intention for redeemed humanity. We were created for embodied existence, and we will spend eternity in glorified bodies on a renewed earth.

Consider how Scripture speaks of the intermediate state—always briefly, always in service of larger truths:

Paul says believers are “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8)—comforting, but offered without elaboration
“To depart and be with Christ” is “far better” (Philippians 1:23)—assurance without detailed description
Jesus tells the thief, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43)—promise without specification

Compare this brevity with the extensive treatment of resurrection glory throughout Scripture. Paul devotes an entire chapter (1 Corinthians 15) to resurrection bodies. Revelation’s closing chapters paint vivid pictures of new heavens and new earth. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones observed, dwelling on the intermediate state more than the resurrection reverses biblical priorities and distorts Christian hope.

PREVENTING SPECULATION AND FALSE DOCTRINE

God’s measured revelation serves another purpose: it guards us from error. Loraine Boettner argued that excessive curiosity about the intermediate state has historically bred superstition and theological deviation. The development of Roman Catholic purgatory demonstrates what happens when speculation exceeds revelation.

Medieval Christianity’s abuses—indulgences, masses for the dead, elaborate hierarchies of saints—arose directly from unauthorised elaboration beyond Scripture’s boundaries. When the church fills in what God left unsaid, error multiplies.

The Westminster Confession (32.1) strikes the biblical balance: the souls of believers “are then made perfect in holiness, and received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God.” They “neither die nor sleep” but immediately enter Christ’s presence. This is enough for comfort without providing fuel for speculation.

Scripture’s warnings against necromancy and spiritism (Deuteronomy 18:10-12; 1 Samuel 28) show God forbids the very things excessive curiosity seeks. Where Scripture remains silent, the church must practice humility.

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES REVEAL IS SUFFICIENT

Though brief, biblical revelation about the intermediate state provides everything necessary for confident Christian hope:

Conscious existence: The parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31) and Paul’s expectation to “be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23) confirm we don’t cease to exist or “soul sleep.”
Christ’s presence: Believers are immediately “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8), which is the essence of heaven in any state.
Rest and comfort: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord…that they may rest from their labours” (Revelation 14:13).
Personal identity continues: Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-3) retained their identities and consciousness.
Awaiting completion: The souls under the altar (Revelation 6:9-11) cry out for justice, demonstrating both consciousness and anticipation of resurrection and final judgement.

Believers can confidently rest in God’s presence without needing detailed descriptions of disembodied existence. The knowledge that we’ll be with Christ is sufficient for dying grace.

TRUST GOD’S SUFFICIENT REVELATION

God’s relative silence about the intermediate state isn’t a deficiency but purposeful design. The Reformed tradition teaches us to trust God’s wisdom in what He reveals and what He withholds. Our ultimate hope is not disembodied bliss but resurrection glory in the new creation—embodied, perfected life in Christ’s presence forever.

Like Paul, we can face death confidently knowing we’ll be “with Christ, which is far better,” while simultaneously “awaiting eagerly…the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23). This biblical balance protects us from both crass materialism (which denies any conscious existence after death) and gnostic spiritualism (which denigrates the body and sees heaven as purely spiritual).

The Bible tells us enough to die well and hope rightly. In God’s wisdom, that’s exactly what we need.

THE INTERMEDIATE STATE: RELATED FAQs

Did the Puritans believe in “soul sleep”? No, the Puritans uniformly rejected soul sleep (the idea that souls are unconscious between death and resurrection). Thomas Watson wrote the soul “goes immediately to God” and enjoys “the beatific vision.” Richard Baxter’s The Saints’ Everlasting Rest (1650) described the intermediate state as conscious communion with Christ, though he emphasised it remains incomplete without the body. The Puritan consensus aligned fully with Westminster’s teaching of immediate conscious existence in God’s presence.

What about the Eastern Orthodox view of Toll Houses? Eastern Orthodoxy claims souls pass through “toll houses” after death—demonic checkpoints where sins are examined before reaching heaven. The Reformed tradition rejects this entirely as lacking biblical warrant and undermining justification by faith alone. If Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers at conversion (Romans 5:1), no post-mortem examination or purgation is necessary. The thief on the cross went immediately to paradise (Luke 23:43) without any intermediate testing, demonstrating salvation is complete in Christ.
How does the Reformed view differ from Roman Catholic purgatory? Rome teaches purgatory as a place of purification where venial sins are purged through temporal punishment, which can be shortened by indulgences and masses. Reformed theology insists that Christ’s atoning work is complete (Hebrews 10:14)—believers are justified fully at conversion and sanctified progressively in life, but never through post-mortem suffering. The intermediate state is rest and joy, not purgation. Calvin called purgatory a “deadly fiction” that obscures the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice.

What was John Owen’s perspective on the intermediate state? Owen emphasised that while believers enjoy Christ’s presence immediately after death, their happiness remains “incomplete” until reunion with the body at resurrection. In The Glory of Christ, he described the intermediate state as real communion with Christ but stressed that the full “weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17) requires embodied existence in the new creation. This reflects the broader Reformed emphasis that humans are created for embodied, not purely spiritual, existence.

What do modern Reformed theologians say? Michael Horton argues Western Christianity (both Catholic and Protestant) has overemphasised the intermediate state. He attributes this to Greek philosophical influence that prioritises soul over body. He emphasises the biblical storyline moves from creation through fall and redemption to new creation—not escape to a spiritual realm. The intermediate state is real but provisional; our hope is resurrection and life on the renewed earth. This corrects the tendency to think of heaven as our final destination rather than the new heavens and new earth.
Why don’t Seventh-day Adventists accept the traditional Reformed view? Adventists teach “conditional immortality” and soul sleep—that the soul ceases conscious existence at death until resurrection. They cite texts like Ecclesiastes 9:5 (“the dead know nothing”) and the metaphor of death as “sleep.” Reformed exegesis notes Ecclesiastes describes earthly perspective (“under the sun”), not ultimate reality, and “sleep” is a euphemism for death’s appearance, not unconsciousness (supported by Jesus’ words to the thief, Paul’s desire to “depart and be with Christ,” and the conscious souls in Revelation 6:9-11). The consistent biblical testimony supports immediate conscious existence.

What about Abraham’s bosom and Paradise—are these the same as heaven? Jesus used “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22) and “paradise” (Luke 23:43) to describe the blessed intermediate state using imagery His Jewish audience would understand. Reformed theologians like Charles Hodge explained these aren’t separate locations from “heaven” but biblical descriptions of being in God’s presence. Paul uses “paradise” and “third heaven” interchangeably (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), and Revelation places paradise in the new Jerusalem (Revelation 2:7; 22:1-2). These terms all describe the same reality: being consciously with Christ while awaiting resurrection.

THE INTERMEDIATE STATE: OUR RELATED POSTS