When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?
Isaiah 8:19
In today’s society, mediums and spiritiists do not whisper and mutter, they shout at us. Their voice is heard on the TV, Movies, and small homes along a busy street! The council from Isaiah is to inquire of God rather than looking to the dead for answers. Moses confirms Isaiah’s council,
“Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 19:31
These spirits lie and deceive people about life and death.
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A popular TV series called the “Walking Dead,” is based on a comic book series by Robert Kirkman. Should a comic book written by one man tell us more about the dead than the 40 writers of the Bible?
The walking dead (We use to call them Zombies) are those who have “died,” but somehow are able to walk, move, and eat human flesh. This is a contradiction in terms; dead VS alive. It echos of the first lie recorded in the Bible and told by Satan himself while disguised as a snake.
“You shall not surely die.”
Genesis 3:4
This was the first form of spiritualism meant to mystify and deceive the first couple.
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The “Walking Dead” is in its fifth season and has approximately 17 million viewers. It is the most watch drama series in cable history.
There have been other TV series about life and death such as “Resurrection” and many movies such as “What Dreams Might Come’ and “The Sixth Sense.” This is but just a few that give a writer’s view of death.
Unfortunately, this type of entertainment has contributed to confusion about Life and Death. It is one the Dirty Dozen that confuse people about the truth as found in the time-tested word of God. (“What to Do With Doubt-Dirty Dozen” from a previous blog.)
To further add to the confusion are well-meaning people and pastors who speculate that our dearly departed are “looking-down” at those who are still alive while enjoying the reward of heaven. How could that be heaven if they see the pain and suffering we go through on planet earth? God has a better plan even on the topic of death.
Then there are movies and experiences that tell of a person who died on the operating table and went to a light in the sky or walked the streets of gold. There is a popular movie about a young boy who died and saw heaven and family. It is called, “Heaven is For Real.”
This sounds good, but is it truth?
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The only source for truth about what happens at death is found in God’s word, Wouldn’t you agree? Anything else is speculation, deceit, misinterpretation of scripture, or perhaps the mind imagining things due to the chemical reactions taking place during life and death situations.
The following verse proceeds our opening verse. Not only are we instructed to consult God, but it is His word that is to be consulted for light and understanding.
“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”
Isaiah 8:20
Let us spend a few moments seeing what the Bible has to say about death that comes to all people, whether counted among the save or counted among the lost. _____________________________________________________________
The first recorded lie came through Satan disguised as a snake and it was about death! He said,
“You will not surely die.”
The lie directly contradicted the plain words of the Lord, cautioning them about disobeying,
“You will surely die.”
Ever since then, the lie and contradiction of God’s word has grown into man forms so that most people (even Christians) think that no one really dies. Their soul lives forever in one place or another. Some believe that the person is reincarnated and come back in another form.
Paul tells us because of this first seed of disobedience, it grew into a world full of sin, death and dying:
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
Romans 5:12
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Notice that death is the payment to all men because of the sin that began thousands of years before. It is not eternal life in another form or even eternal life in a place of torment.
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Death means exactly what it says and it comes upon all mankind whether wealthy or poor; king or servant; male or female.
There are many passages from inspired men in the Bible who underscore the fact that when death comes there is no more life nor activity:
Solomon, who was given great wisdom and wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and most of Proverbs described death as follows:
“Whatever you are capable of doing, do with all your might because there’s no work, thought, knowledge, or wisdom in the grave, which is where you are headed.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10 CB
“For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.”
Ecclesiastes 9:5 NKJV
Summary:
No work
No thought, knowledge or wisdom in the grave
Dead don’t know anything
After enough time, the memory of them is forgotten.
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David, the father of Solomon, wrote about death in this manner:
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Psalm 146: 3-4
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.
Psalm 115:17
For in death there is no remembrance of You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?
Psalm 6:5
Summary:
The thoughts of a person perish
No one praises the Lord while dead
The dead have no remembrance of anyone including God and the dead do not give God thanks.
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Job who spoke “what is right” about God (Job 42:7) described death in the same way as Solomon. But he also mentioned death as waiting for a change.
His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; They are brought low, and he does not perceive it.
Job 14:21
If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.
Job 14:14
He knew that one day he would be resurrected and see his Redeemer (Jesus) at the last day on earth…a very longtime after his skin is destroyed.
For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;
And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,
Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
Job 19: 25-27
When will his change come? Paul agrees with Job though they are separated by thousands of years:
“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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
1 Corinthians 15:50
Don’t you like the satisfaction of understanding something that has been a mystery? My wife and I enjoy mysteries on TV and in books. We are always guessing at how the mystery will be solved. In this passage and others, we see the mystery solved about death. Paul says, he is telling us a mystery that is now understood. Job understood that he would be in the grave until his change came. The change occurs “at the last trumpet.” When this occurs, the righteous dead will be raised incorruptible (no longer subject to death and decay) and or mortality (subject to death) will be changed to immortality (no longer subject to death.)
Paul further reveals the mystery of death when he wrote his letter to the church at Thessalonica. He was encouraging those who were waiting for the return of Jesus. This is the clearest picture of what happens to those who have died “in Christ”
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
Why do we not comfort each other with the words Paul encouraged us to do rather than the fanciful and imaginative scenarios of men? What a joy to know that one day Jesus himself will return to our sinful planet and there will be a loud sound of a trumpet and those who rise first will be those who have died “in Christ.” How about those who rise second? More on that later.
These along with those who are alive “in Christ” will meet them in the air and the Lord will take us to where He is now. They will never be a separated from the Lord again. What a comfort to know that those who died “in Christ” will be reunited with loved ones “in Christ” when Christ returns! What a grand reunion day that will be!
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Jesus also helps us understand death and the passage of time by referring to it as sleep. There is a real example of the experience of death. Lazarus, who was a friend of Jesus and brother to Martha and Mary, got sick and died. He was dead four days. At four days, the body will have had enough time to decay and smell. The story is in John 11.
Jesus told his disciples,
“Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.”
Why did Jesus refer to Lazarus’ death as sleep if it was not an important lesson for them (and us) to know?
Lazarus was truly dead. His spirit was not in heaven enjoying his reward. He was dead just like Job, Solomon, and Paul described.
Jesus gave Mary hope by reminding her,
“Your brother will rise again.”
John 11: 23
Mary had her understanding of death correct when she acknowledged to Jesus,
“I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
John 11:24
Her hope, as is Job, Paul’s, and all others is in the return of Christ and the resurrection. It is not that they are in heaven somewhere already enjoying the reward of being with Jesus.
Then Jesus tells her something that we all should know about the mystery of life and death,
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25, 26
Standing there before Martha is the one who will resurrect those “in Christ” at the “last day.” Although we die, we will live again and never die again.
This is not the case for those who are not “in Christ.” We will see in the next study that they will die like all do, but then they will “perish.” Perish is eternal death. It is the opposite of the reward of eternal life as described in the world’s favorite verse:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not PERISH, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16
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Another time, Jesus referred to the death of a 12-year old child as sleep. It is found in Mark 5: 35-43.
“Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
Mark 5:38, 39
This idea of resting or sleeping until Jesus returns is not a new teaching. It has been taught as such since the beginning of time. If you have ever been in an old grave yard, you will often see the initials RIP. This means rest in peace. When did all this change? Why do people believe we have an immortal soul that never dies and must live somewhere for eternity. We will explore more in our next study.
A few years ago, I had to go into the hospital for surgery. When the doctors and nurses put me to sleep, I knew nothing, felt no pain, and did not dream. I did not feel or have any worries about my chest being open up and repairs made to my heart. I was not aware of the passage of time. It had been almost 4 hours since they put me to sleep, but it felt like the passage of time was instant.
So it will be with Job and all those who died as believers. Whether it is a thousand years or just a few hours, the passage of time will be instant. So when your loved one dies in Christ, the next thing they will see will be the beautiful return of Jesus. They will be given flesh like Jesus gave to Adam when he created them of the dust of the ground. They will be changed instantly in perfect heath with the gift of immortality. Then they will rise in the air to meet Jesus and go to the place He has prepared for us.
“I (Jesus) go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
John 14:2, 3
Our hope is in the resurrection, not in dying so our soul can go to heaven. Until then, our body returns to dust and our Spirit returns to God who gave it. The passage of time is but for a twinkling of an eye then we shall be changed and begin eternity with those redeemed by the Lord Jesus.
But what about those verses that seem to paint a different story like “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” or the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus?
This we will study next time. Until then, put your hope and faith in Jesus who proclaims:
I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Revelation 1:18