Presumably God would have foreseen that the vagueness in the Bible about heaven and hell would lead to different interpretations and the arguments we see today about Infernalism, Annihalism and Universalism.
Did He have a good reason for keeping things so undefined?
Mark 4:11-12 seems to suggest so when it talks about why Jesus used parables:
11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything comes in parables, 12 in order that
‘they may indeed look but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’ ”
Is it a deliberate ploy intended to make us reflect on these things as honestly as we can?
Or was it because that Jesus didn't want us to think too much about heaven and hell but instead to focus on living a Godly life while on earth?
Would it have been impossible for Him to have been clearer because our natural fear of the unknown, of "that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns" (Shakespeare), would have led us to interpret His words to conjure up the infernalist vision of something like ECT whatever He had said? The purpose of such a vision would be to justify and authenticate our fears to ourselves.
Or are there other reasons?
This is quite a gloomy topic but the the Good News is that God comes to find us in our misunderstanding and fear and brings us home. This is the universalist vision.
Jesus and the Apostles were very clear about the afterlife and the 2 places where mankind will spend eternity.
We can see that there is conscious existence after physical death. Jesus John and Paul teach this in the passages below. Jesus here lets us know there is conscious existence in Paradise. Some may object by saying this is a parable. This would be the only time Jesus used actual names in a parable so this could be an actual event, but even if it is only a parable there are some simple basic truths to be mines from this story or event. We see Lazarus and Abraham identified in this place. What we learn is there is conscious existence with both pain and suffering as well as comfort and joy depending on which side one is on in Hades. So according to Jesus own teaching and authority there is conscience existence in Paradise.
Luke 16:22-31
22 "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.
23"In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and
*saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
24"And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.'
25"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
26'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and
that none may cross over from there to us.'
27"And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house —
28for I have five brothers — in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
29"But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.'
30"But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!'
31"But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"
Rev 6:9-11
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
10and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
11And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until
the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.
Philippians 1:23-25
23 But I am hard-pressed from both
directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for
that is very much better;
24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
2 Corinthians 5:8
8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
We can also see that in the OT both Elijah and Enoch were taken to be with the Lord.(Gen 5:24,2 Kings 2:1,11-14,Heb11;5) We also see the conscious existence of both Moses and Elijah during the transfiguration where they spoke with Peter,John and James(see Matt 17:3).
Matthew 17:1-9
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters — one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah."
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.
7 But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said. "Don't be afraid."
8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, "Don't tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."
These men still await the resurrection of the last day but yet they are conscious and communicated with Jesus and the disciples. This is in complete agreement with Lazarus above when he died and went to Paradise. We also see that Jesus told the thief on the cross that TODAY (after both of their deaths)you will be with Me in Paradise. Jesus said that He went to be with the Father immediately upon His death in
Luke 23:46
46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father,
INTO YOUR HANDS I
COMMIT MY SPIRIT." Having said this, He breathed His last. The above passage with Jesus is exactly what we see in the book of Acts and Stephens death.
Acts 7:59-60 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on
the Lord and said,
"Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"
60Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" Having said this, he fell asleep.
In Luke we see that Jesus said God was the God of the living not the dead. Jesus was letting the Pharisees know that even though these men died many centuries ago that they were alive in the presence of God. We also see that the author of Hebrews confirms this teaching as well. There is no passage as clear as this one about the believer going to be with Jesus upon his death. We can see in the book of Hebrews that it refers to the “spirits made righteous” who are in heaven. These souls are with Jesus in the heavenly Jerusalem. Here we see the souls of the departed (at death) are not sleeping but on the contrary are conscious and worshiping the Lord in heaven.
Hebrews 12:22-24
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,
23 to
the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of
the righteous made perfect,
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than
the blood of Abel.
Below we also have the example of Samuel speaking with Saul who was dead yet could speak and was conscious,
1 Samuel 28:14-20
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.
15 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"
"I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."
16 Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has turned away from you and become your enemy?
17 The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors — to David.
18 Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today.
19 The Lord will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."
20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
To sum up the conscious existence of man is irrefutable when one looks at the teaching of Jesus, John, Paul and the writer of Hebrews. There is no escaping the clear biblical teaching of the immortality of the soul.
