# The Intermediate State - Lazarus and The Place of Many Mansions



## Reformed Dutchman (Sep 21, 2015)

I was just curious how people in the broad reformed community understood the intermediate state. I also have a few questions: 1)When Jesus refers to the place of many mansions, is He referring to the intermediate state? and 2) what is a good explanation of Lazarus when when Jesus said first "he is only sleeping," and then "He is dead." - was Lazarus in heaven?


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## KMK (Sep 21, 2015)

First, the Reformed confessions are a good summary of what the Reformed think about the intermediate state.



> LBC Chapter 31: Paragraph 1. The bodies of men after death return to dust, and see corruption;1 but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them.2 The souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness, are received into paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies;3 and the souls of the wicked are cast into hell; where they remain in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day;4 besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the Scripture acknowledgeth none.



Secondly, I don't think disembodied souls have any need of 'mansions', so I think Jesus is referring to the eternal state.

Thirdly, 'sleeping' is a NT term that is sometimes used to describe the Redeemed while they are in the intermediate state.


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