State of the dead
We are told that in the last days that some will depart from the faith, giving heed to doctrines of devils. 1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils". One of these doctrines is the immortality of the soul. Many professed Christians believe, once a person dies, straightaway that person goes to heaven or hell, however does the Bible teach this? Are there scriptures which contradict this line of thought?
We must ask ourselves, is there a way to reach sound biblical doctrine? Yes, there is. Isaiah 28:10 “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little.” Our doctrines can’t contradict, once we have a precept (hypothesis), each new line we read on the topic must be in harmony with the last. If we find contradictions, then our doctrine is wrong.
Can the dead remember?
Psalm 6:3-5 “My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long? Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake. For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?”
If Christians go to heaven straightaway, then they can praise God right? Well let’s ask ourselves can the dead praise God?
Psalm 115:17 “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence”.
Can the dead think?
Psalm 146:4 “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish”.
Do the dead know anything? Or can they feel emotions?
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also, their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun”.
Once again, we ask; can the dead praise God?
Hezekiah when he was on his sick bed and about to die, a righteous king turned to the Lord in prayer and proclaimed Isaiah 38:18 “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth”.
From these five verses alone, we can conclude that; The dead can’t remember, they can’t give thanks, they can’t praise God, they can’t think nor dream, neither can the dead interact with the living as the scripture states “neither have they any more a portion for ever in anything that is done under the sun”.
What does the Bible call death?
Psalm 13:3 “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” The Bible calls death sleep. Are there more examples of the Bible calling death a sleep?
1 Kings 2:10 “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David”.
1 Kings 11:43 “And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead”.
1 Kings 22:40 “So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead”.
Why does the Bible call death sleep? It’s because one day everyone will wake up, some will wake to life, and some will wake up to face punishment for the sins in their life. John 5:28-29 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
It’s only when the dead hear the voice of Jesus can they resurrect. Not understanding this simple spiritual truth can cause you to not discern the spiritual lessons Jesus tries to teach. When speaking to his disciples Jesus told them John 11:11-12 “…Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well”. If Christ’s disciples understood the spiritual application of the word “sleep”, they would understand what Jesus was saying to them was; “our friend Lazarus is dead, but I go, that I may resurrect him”. His disciples thought Jesus was talking about literal sleep. Why go and wake up a man who’s asleep? Jesus had to speak to them as carnal men John 11:13-14 “Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” Martha understood the truth about the state of the dead. John 11:23-24 “Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Job himself understood this truth, Job 14:12 “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” This means that all those who go to the graves shall remain there till Christ comes. They will be either in the first resurrection or in the second resurrection.
When shall Job see God?
Job 19:25-26 “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.” This passage is in harmony with job 14:12, at the latter day is when Job shall see God.
Why does he say in my flesh he shall see God, even though the worms destroy his mortal body?
Philippians 3:20-21 “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”. When Jesus comes, he will give us a new body, which will be fashioned like his glorious body.
What is the order of the resurrection of the dead?
Christ is to be the first fruits (highest in value) of them that slept, 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.”
Can all be made alive before Christ? No. Everyone is waiting in the graves until Christ comes back. As Martha previously told us. “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day” John 11:24 Now there are some which have gone to heaven, but these people we know by the word.
The explicit exceptions
Enoch: Genesis 5:24 “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him”.
Elijah: 2 Kings 2:11 “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven”.
Moses: Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Elijah and Enoch never saw death, Moses was Resurrected by Jesus, that’s why Moses appeared at the mount of transfiguration. Matthew 17:4 "Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." Although Moses did die before Jesus came (Joshua 1:1), he was resurrected before Jesus’s death for a specific purpose, in the mount of transfiguration Moses symbolises those who will arise at the second coming of Christ, whilst Elijah symbolises those who will be taken to heaven alive. The group of Christians that are represented by Elijah are known as the 144,000 (Revelation 7:5-8), they will never taste death.
There were also those who resurrected with Jesus after his resurrection. Note, wouldn’t it be weird if they were all in heaven, then Jesus sends them back into their graves to resurrect them back to heaven? Matthew 27:52 “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many”.
How did this confusion of the state of the dead begin?
When speaking to the thief on the cross… Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” One would assume, when Jesus died, he went to heaven that day and the thief on the cross was with him. However, Jesus didn’t ascend to Heaven that day. After Jesus resurrected, he told Mary John 20:17 “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God”.
If Jesus hadn’t yet been to heaven after he died on the cross, why did he tell the thief “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise”? In fact, we know Jesus didn’t lie, “God is not a man, that he should lie…” Numbers 23:19 Jesus, who knows all things, should’ve known when the thief would die. He even knows what will happen ahead of time. John 14:29 “behold I have told you before It come to pass, that, when it come to pass ye might believe”. Wouldn’t this include knowing when the thief would die? John 19:31-33 “The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs.”
The thief on the cross didn’t die on the day Jesus died. So, what’s going on in Luke 23:43? The answer is punctuation! Punctuation was added in order to improve one’s understanding of the text. In old manuscripts, the punctuation was much simpler and not standardised. In Luke 23:43 the comma should be placed after the words “to day” resulting in: Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee To day, shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The word “to day” can also be defined as “this day” which translates from the word sēmeron in Strong’s G3588, it’s used in this verse for example Matthew 27:8 “Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day G4594”. This is to prove that Jesus was saying “Verily I say unto thee this day, shalt thou be with me in paradise”. He was referring to the time of his promise, not the time in which the thief was to receive the promise. Hence, why he also told Mary he hadn’t been to heaven yet.
The case of King David
Now to hammer this point home let’s take King David. Many believe him to be a heaven bound man. The Jews also believed this. Ask a Christian do you believe king David is in heaven? They will most likely reply yes. Then show them this passage. Acts 2:29-34 “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul (body) was not left in hell (grave), neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand”. As the scripture plainly tells us “For David is not ascended into the heavens”. The reason the Jews thought he was in heaven was because of the passage Psalm 16:10 “For thou wilt not leave my soul (body) in hell (grave); neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One (Jesus) to see corruption.” The Jews thought David was referring to himself as the Holy One. On the contrary, he was prophesying of Jesus’s Death, Jesus was not left in the grave. “He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.” In fact, who does scripture say is the “Holy One”? Mark 1:24 "…Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God”. There is only one Holy One.
What of the case of Lazarus?
The story of Lazarus was a parable. Now at this many unwilling to hear the state of the dead default to saying “but the Bible doesn’t explicitly say it’s a parable”. Within the same chapter Jesus gave another parable, without the Bible having to explicitly state it. It’s called “The parable of the unjust steward”. It starts in the same way as the parable of Lazarus. Luke 16:1 “…There was a certain rich man…”. The lesson of Lazarus is that although the Jews thought they had it all, in the judgement “the first will be last and the last will be first”, not due to arbitrary choice but due to their unrighteous deeds. Many say “why did he name the poor man Lazarus, no other parable has a name”. The rich man and his family represented the Jews, Listen to what Jesus says at the end of the Parable. Luke 16:29 “Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead”. Jesus already told the Jews had they believed on Moses they would’ve believed him. John 5:46 “For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me”. Jesus tells them if they can’t be convinced by Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced although one (LAZARUS) rose from the dead. What was miracle pushed the Jews to finally kill Jesus? John 11:11 “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep”. John 11:43 “And when he [Jesus] thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go”. After Jesus Resurrected Lazarus from the dead what was the result? John 11:45 “Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him. 46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done. 47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. 48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. 49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not”. Though Lazarus rose from the dead, did the Jewish leaders believe? Luke 16:30: “…but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent”. What did the Jews want to do to Lazarus? John 12:10-11 “But the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; 11 Because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus”. The Parable of Lazarus was also a lesson of the condition of the Jews and a prophecy on what would cause them to kill Jesus. Parables are lessons and prophecies. Like the wheat and the tares.
Why Abraham is still in the grave
In Hebrews 11 it lists men and women of faith, among these is Abraham. Hebrews 11:8 “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went”. Paul mentions that Abraham died in faith not receiving the promises Hebrews 11:13 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth”. Some may say here it’s talking about the promised land. No, the promise was heaven, Hebrews 11:16 “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city”. What’s mentioned at the end of the chapter is key, Hebrews 11:39 “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect”. This is Paul writing far after the cross of Christ and he’s still saying Abraham and all these people (some of which entered the promised land), are not yet made perfect? Why? Because they are still in the grave awaiting the return of Christ! Jesus couldn’t have meant Abraham is literally alive in that parable, because here we see Abraham is still awaiting the promise of the heavenly kingdom long after the cross of Christ.
Didn’t Jesus preach to dead people?
1 Peter 3:18-21 is commonly misunderstood. Many believe it shows Jesus preached to disembodied spirits and took them to heaven. What’s the real meaning?
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [invigorated] by the Spirit” Jesus suffered for our sins, him being the just, us (humanity) being the unjust. Jesus through the agency of the Holy Spirit preached to the spirits in prison. 1 Peter 3:19 “By which [The Spirit] also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison”
What is a spirit in prison?
Well, spirit represents your mind, and prison is bondage, hence Jesus preached by the Holy Spirit to the minds trapped in sin. Proverbs 16:2 “All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits”. Psalm 68:6 “God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land”. Through the Holy Spirit the Lord was warning the old world of the flood, whilst Noah was preparing the ark. Genesis 6:3 “And the Lord said, My spirit [Holy Spirit] shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years”. The Holy Spirit was upon the world convicting the old inhabitants of sin. Peter is speaking about the work of the Holy Spirit in the past. So the whole verse should be understood as 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just [Christ] for the unjust [humanity], that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [invigorated with power] by the Spirit: (Peter now switches to the ministry of the Holy Spirit) By which [The Spirit] also he [Jesus] went and preached unto the spirits [minds] in prison [bondage to sin]; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water”. Those who were disobedient were destroyed, they weren’t waiting in a holding place for Jesus to come and preach to them. The baptism is symbolic in one regard to the flood of Noah, not in the sense that we are washing dirt through water by in the sense that we Christians choose to be purified by the water. Peter 3:21 “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him”. Peter uses the flood as an analogy for baptism, but at the same time he was speaking of the past not the time of Christ, he pivoted to the ministration of the Holy Spirit.
A final question
If my friend is standing next to me and I asked you where is my friend? Does that make sense to ask? if prophets went to heaven straight after death would it imply the prophets are alive? If the prophets were alive in heaven, wouldn’t that imply they are in the presence of God? Wouldn’t God know where they are? Yet the Lord says Zechariah 1:5 “Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?” If it was a well-established fact that the prophets are in heaven, why is the Lord asking the children Israel where the prophets are? If both parties are aware of their location.
What death is like from the words of the Lord
The Lord clearly describes what death is like in the book of Job, it’s a complete darkness. Job 38:17 “Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?” The phrase “shadow of death” in the Hebrew is a complete darkness. Think of what it was like before you were born. That’s what death is like.
Why is this so important? – The case of Saul.
Soon Satan and his demons will masquerade as dead loved ones. The reason he needed to make sure everyone believes the soul can live on is because if you believe once your friend is dead, he has no part to play on earth, you can’t be deceived. However, if you believe that the dead can interact with the living then Satan can pretend to be that loved one. This wouldn’t be the first time Satan has done this. In the time of Saul, when Saul had completely left the Lord he went to a witch who practiced spiritualism. 1 Samuel 28:11 “Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee [from the dead]? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. 12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. 13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth”. Then a demon pretending to be Samuel said 1 Samuel 28:14 “And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. 15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do”. Now some people take this section as proof the dead live on as spirits. Firstly, can the wicked raise the dead back to life? We ascribe the power of resurrection to Satan if we think the witch really rose Samuel to life. Picture this for a moment, Samuel is allegedly in heaven or paradise, then a witch on earth who isn’t even allowed in Israel can call a man of God to her house by her own power? If the Lord wasn’t answering Saul through Samuel on earth, why would he allow Samuel to talk to Saul through a witch? Of course, it wasn’t Samuel. Demons have lived for a long time, they can impersonate well. Angels can transform so convincedly that they look like men. This is demonstrated by the angels who visited Lot. Is it therefore a hard thing for a demon to pretend to be Samuel? The Bible even clarifies this woman was using a familiar spirit. 1 Chronicles 10:13 “So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it”. The Bible makes it clear, Saul enquired by the spirit not of Samuel.
This will be repeated in our day but on a global scale! Matthew 24:24 “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. If there is any doctrine you certainly must understand and hold tightly it is this one. Lest you see your dead relative or friend come back to life and perform miracles in your sight, or believe in a fake apostle Peter, Paul or James.
In conclusion, I pray that the Holy Spirit convicts your heart to accept this truth as it is written Hebrews 3:15 “...To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts…” This doctrine is what opens the door for many people to accept the more lies from Satan! I pray your eyes have been opened by this study. Maranatha!
