The State of the Dead
All over television we see and hear of hauntings, ghosts and scary phenomena. Throughout different cultures and religions, there have been many who claimed to see their dead relatives and spirits speaking to them. Is there any merit to these claims? Can the dead really speak and manifest themselves to us? To find out more about the dead, study this article and see for yourself what the Bible says about the state of the dead!
WHAT ARE WE?
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Answer: Before we understand more about the dead, we first have to find out more about ourselves. The Bible teaches that we are living beings created by God.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON DIES?
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Answer: When a person dies, their bodies breakdown into the natural elements of the earth. The spirit goes back to God.
WHAT IS THE SPIRIT THAT RETURNS BACK TO GOD?
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Job 27:3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;
Answer: The spirit is the breath of life. The breath of life has no feelings, no wisdom and no understanding. It simply is the breath of life.
WHAT IS A SOUL?
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Answer: A soul is a living being that is the combination of body plus breath. When body and breath are combined, then we would be considered souls. Ezekiel 18:20 and Revelation 16:3 teach that people are mortal and will die. Job 4:17 says “Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?” The Bible teaches that only God is immortal. (1 Timothy 6:15,16)
WHERE DO GOOD PEOPLE GO WHEN THEY DIE?
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.
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. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Job 17:13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
Answer: The Bible teaches that when we die we rest in our graves until the resurrection.
DO THE DEAD KNOW ANYTHING?
Ecclesiastes 9:5,6 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, 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.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Psalm 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
Answer: The dead know nothing that goes on in the earth right now. All of their thoughts perish. They don’t think or feel anything. The dead do nothing, not even speak or make noises.
DO THE DEAD COMMUNICATE WITH THE LIVING?
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.
Job 14:21 His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.
Ecclesiastes 9:6 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.
Psalm 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Answer: The dead know nothing. It is as if they are sleeping. They don’t think, perceive, speak or do anything. The souls sleep until the following happens in this verse: “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SLEEPING RIGHTEOUS?
Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
1Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Corinthians 15:51-53 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
Answer: The dead will be rewarded based on what they have done. The righteous dead, who are raised back to life again, will receive immortal bodies and be caught up to meet Jesus Christ in the air at the His 2nd coming.
DO SATAN & HIS FALLEN ANGELS TRY TO DECEIVE US?
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Revelation 18:23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
Answer: Satan and those who follow him are deceivers. They want us to believe that the dead have immortality and that they can communicate with us. Devils work incredibly convincing miracles in order to trick us into believing lies. Some notable sorcerers or miracle workers are the Magicians of Egypt found in Exodus 7:11, the woman of Endor in 1 Samuel 28:3-25, the Sorcerers in Daniel 2:2 and a slave girl in Acts 16:16-18. Some deceivers will appear to be people of truth and light, but are false apostles and deceitful workers (2 Corinthians 11:13,14).
HOW DO WE AVOID DECEPTION?
Acts 17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
Answer: We avoid deception by studying our Bibles and testing everything we hear, see and read by the Bible.
WHAT DO THE RIGHTEOUS GET TO LOOK FORWARD TO?
Luke 20:35-36 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Answer: The righteous get to look forward to no more death and brand new immortal bodies. God will comfort them and they will experience no more sorrow and no more pain!
SWEET VICTORY
1Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
Victory over Satan and death will be a very sweet victory indeed. We can look forward to that blessed time of receiving new bodies and enjoying true holy happiness only if we today surrender our lives to God and seek after Him with our whole hearts. Unite yourself today with the Lord and bind yourself to Him with the chain links of truth and love!
