Westminster Confession of Faith Adult Sunday School Chapter 32

1. Theology of the
Westminster Confession
Adult Sunday School
2017

2. The State of Men After Death,
& the Resurrection of the Dead
WCF
32
The Last Things

3. Of the State of Men After Death,
& the Resurrection of the Dead
After death, the bodies of men decay and return to
dust, but their souls, which neither die nor sleep,
having an immortal existence, return immediately to
God, who gave them. The souls of the righteous are
then made perfect in holiness and received into the
highest heavens, where they behold the face of God
in light and glory as they wait for the full
redemption of their bodies. The souls of the wicked
are cast into hell, where they remain in torments
and utter darkness as they are kept for the
judgment of the great day. Scripture recognizes no
other place except these two for the souls which
have been separated from their bodies. [WCF MESV
32.1]
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

4. Dust to dust
• WCF 32 begins a discussion of the state of human
beings after death with the grim reality of a phrase
from Genesis 3:19 pertaining to "till you return to the
ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return."
• This section of the WCF teaches:
• At death the physical bodies of all men alike shall return to
dust and see corruption
• The souls of all men then enter upon the intermediate state
• The intermediate state differs as respects the righteous and
wicked
• Purgatory is fiction
Intermediate state: fact; Purgatory: fiction
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

5. Living with death without
making peace with it
• Van Dixhoorn makes the distinction between the
reality of death insofar as never becoming
accustomed to living alongside death but being
accustomed to the fact of death
• The "reality" of death as an unnatural state for human
beings has statistical and emotional dimensions
• "Why is there no difference between believers and
unbelievers so far as physical death is concerned"?
• Because it has pleased God to delay the physical
benefits of Christ's redemptive work until the end of
time
Death is unnatural so don’t become accustomed to it
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

6. Waiting for redemption
• At the resurrection of the last day the physical aspect of
man will be reconstituted, and the righteous will have a
body changed into the glorious likeness of the resurrection
body of Christ
• Possible reasons for the "delay" in the redemption of the
body
• Since the physical benefits of redemption are delayed no one
is encouraged to be Christian for the mere sake of escaping
liberation from sickness, suffering and death
• Death, like sickness, adversity and weakness of body, is a
means of sanctification (remember our frame and wean us
from the pride of life and love of the present world)
• Death is also a means of attaining something better
• If there were no death for the righteous there would be no
world history
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

7. Immortal subsistence
• While the human body disintegrates for a time the
human soul does not. Van Dixhoorn describes an
“immortal subsistence” which continues to exist and
is never annihilated.
• The souls of believers and unbelievers at death enter
into entirely different estates
• For the believer our souls at death immediately become
sinlessly perfect and enter upon the joy of immediate
presence with God
• For the believer this intermediate state (soul with God
without resurrected body) is a more perfect development, a
more advanced phase of the new life which has its beginning
in the soul of the believer at regeneration.
The human soul is eternal; it will never be annihilated
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

8. Death for the unbeliever
• For the believer death merely marks an advance in
the progress of the soul in that eternal life which
began at regeneration
• But the wicked are already dead in this life, both in
body and soul
• The physical death of the wicked marks an advancement into
death as a more complete experience
• The soul of the wicked descends into hell, not a totally new
development but rather the complete manifestation, the full
development, of that condition of the soul which began with
a natural birth in a lost and sinful condition
For the unbeliever, there will be a second “death” in
hell
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

9. Why not just ignore “death”?
• Where is our home, in the body (away from the Lord)
but in a sense "homeless" in our temporary residence?
"The point is that our current temporary distance
from God should help us to think clearly about our
future temporary absence from our bodies."
• "Thinking about our absence from God, we gain
perspective. However, in thinking about the presence
of God, we gain courage.“
Contemplating your own death can be spiritually
profitable
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

10. Reserved for judgment
• The Scriptures teach that those who are merely remorseful,
rather than truly repentant, end up in their own place, a
place different from the place to which believers are
gathered. That place has a name: hell.
• A few frightening descriptions of hell:
• 1 Peter 3:19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in
prison,
• Jude 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities,
which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued
unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a
punishment of eternal fire
• Luke 16:23-24 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his
eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he
called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am in anguish in this flame.'
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

11. A third abode for the dead?
• The Bible does not mention any places for souls of
dead other than heaven or hell
• "Purgatory" is contrary to the teaching of Scripture,
which teaches the immediate departure of souls to
either heaven or hell upon death as a final destination
for the soul
• Purgatory is also contrary to the teaching of Scripture
because it undermines the sufficiency of the work of
Jesus Christ for the full satisfaction for all the sins of
his people
The place where God “purges” believers from
indwelling sin is earth; the idea of purgatory is
unbiblical, unnecessary, and anathema to the gospel
WCF
32.1
The Last Things

12. Of the State of Men After Death,
& the Resurrection of the Dead
At the last day those who are alive shall not
die but shall be changed. All the dead shall
be raised up with their selfsame bodies, and
no other (although with different qualities),
which shall be united again with their souls
forever. [WCF MESV 32.2]
WCF
32.2
The Last Things

13. Never to die
• This section of the WCF teaches us
• There will be a general resurrection at the last day
• Those who live until that day will be changed without the
usual process of physical decay
• It will be a resurrection of the same body (identical in
essence or substance, but with different qualities) that died
• This body will again be united to the soul, so to remain
forever.
"Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall
all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body
must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on
immortality". (1 Cor 15:51-53)
WCF
32.2
The Last Things

14. Ever to live
• The last "day" will be a redefining, and reconstituting,
moment for those who have died
• The dead shall be raised up, with the selfsame bodies
that they had while alive
• “It is because we baulk at this possibility that God
gave us the book of Job. There we see Job's
incredible confidence…in a future resurrection and
reconstitution of the body…The deliberate phrasing of
Job’s confession emphasizes his expectation of seeing
God in his own body" (Job 19:26-27).
The OT contains hints of the doctrine of resurrection
WCF
32.2
The Last Things

15. Living saints not privileged over
dead saints at Christ’s coming
• Paul writes that those who are alive and remain when
Christ comes will not "have precedence over" or "come
before" those who have been asleep (2 Thess 1:7-8).
• Reasons why the living will have no advantage over the
dead when Christ comes
• Christ's second coming will be at least a fearful a thing to
face as physical death could be
• The change that will occur in the believer who is alive and
remaining will be no less awesome a crisis than is death itself
or the resurrection of the dead
• It may be that believers who are dead do not have the same
time consciousness as by our present temporal boundaries
• There can be no disadvantage to those who sleep in Jesus
since it is far better to be absent from the body and present
with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8).
WCF
32.2
The Last Things

16. The imperishable, physical, and
spiritual body
• The resurrected bodies will have different qualities described
as "imperishable", characterized by "glory" and "power"
• The resurrected bodies will be real physical bodies even
though they are spiritual bodies characterized by the glory
and power of the spiritual realm (1 Cor 15:42-44)
• While this is a great mystery we can conclude from Scripture
that
• There will be a physical resurrection
• The resurrected body will be radically different from what it
was before not subject to corruption, glorious, great power and
completely and perfectly subject to the rule of God's Spirit.
The resurrected body will be the "old body" made into
a "new body"
WCF
32.2
The Last Things

17. Of the State of Men After Death,
& the Resurrection of the Dead
By the power of Christ the bodies of the
unjust shall be raised to dishonor. The bodies
of the just shall be raised to honor by his
Spirit and brought into conformity with
Christ's own glorious body. [WCF MESV 32.3]
WCF
32.3
The Last Things

18. Dishonor and honor
• The Scripture does not tell us nearly so much
about the resurrection of the unsaved
• We know that it will be at the same time as
the resurrection of believers
• It will also be in their case a resurrection of
the same body that was buried (Dan 12:2)
WCF
32.3
The Last Things

19. Radical commensurate changes
• While there may be radical changes in the
bodies of the unsaved they will not be such as
take place in the bodies of the saved
• Whatever changes there may be, they will
only be such as will be appropriate to shame,
contempt, dishonor and everlasting suffering
of pain and loss (Rev 20:14-15)
• Contrast the last day of the perfected souls
given perfect and honorable bodies and the
wicked persons be clothed with imperishably
dishonorable bodies
WCF
32.3
The Last Things

20. Summary of key points
WCF
32
• Intermediate state: fact; Purgatory: fiction
• Death is unnatural so don’t become accustomed to it
• The human soul is eternal; it will never be annihilated
• For the unbeliever, there will be a second “death” in hell
• Contemplating your own death can be spiritually profitable
• The place where God “purges” believers from indwelling sin is
earth; the idea of purgatory is unbiblical, unnecessary, and
anathema to the gospel
• The OT contains hints of the doctrine of resurrection
• The resurrected body will be the "old body" made into a "new body"
The Last Things

21. Consider and discuss
1. Are you afraid of death? Are you afraid of
dying? Why? Is there a difference?
2. How are the ideas of purgatory,
reincarnation, and nirvana incompatible
with the gospel?
3. Since the intermediate state is pre-
resurrection, what about it can the
believer look forward to?
WCF
32
4. “For the Christian, nothing good comes from viewing death
as natural and worthy of embrace.” Discuss.
5. What spiritual benefits have you discovered from
contemplating the death of loved ones? Of believers? Of
unbelievers? Your own death?
The Last Things

22. Memorize
And just as it is appointed for man
to die once, and after that comes
judgment, so Christ, having been
offered once to bear the sins of
many, will appear a second time,
not to deal with sin but to save
those who are eagerly waiting for
him.
Hebrews 9:27-28
WCF
32
The Last Things

23. Going deeper
Books
• Phillips, Richard. What Happens After Death? (Beginner)
• Powlison, David. Facing Death With Hope. (Beginner)
• Oliphint & Ferguson. If I Should Die Before I Wake.
(Intermediate)
• Milne, Bruce. The Message of Heaven and Hell.
(Advanced)
Articles
• Challies, Tim. 6 Very Good Reasons to Consider Your
Short Little Life.
• Thomas, Geoff. Christian Hope in Death.
• Articles on Death, Heaven, and Hell at Monergism.com.
WCF
32
The Last Things