A little speck. One of a kind. A beautiful blue planet, and yet it is the only cemetery in the whole universe. The planet Earth has been marred by sin, and since then Death rules mercilessly on its surface. None can escape it. Sooner or later he knocks at our doors. Why? The Bible tells us that “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. This isn’t really bad. Imagine if we had to live forever in the misery and sickness that prevails all around us. The really good news is that God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to humanity so that we may live eternally (John 3:16).
But when it comes to talking about death, we really do not like the topic. It is something with which we do not feel comfortable. This is only natural. For Death is our enemy—and who likes talking about unpleasant things? However, we have developed many ideas and philosophies. All of them basically reflect the lie that the devil spoke through the serpent to Eve, “Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4, 5. The serpent was right in some things. Our eyes were opened in the knowledge of evil, something that God did not intend for humans to know. However, “Ye shall not surely die”—well, you be the judge. Personally I have not met anyone that has ever talked with Adam and Eve.
Out of this basic lie, humans have developed many interesting theories and philosophies. Greek philosophers believed that the soul and the body are separate entities. When a person dies, the soul is freed from the prison of the body and lives forever. Therefore, Greeks did not take death seriously. Early Church fathers accepted many Greek philosophies, especially from Plato, including the concept of the soul leaving the body and living eternally as a separate entity. However, they added to it. If the soul lived forever, it had to go somewhere. If good, his/her soul would supposedly go to paradise, and if bad, he/she would go to ever-burning hell.
Hinduism and Buddhism advocate the law of karma. According to this law, a man dies and is born over and over again. He cannot escape this, but must suffer continualIy without any hope of relief. Buddhism offered escape from this kind of immortality. If a man achieve the state called nirvana, being perfectly serene, he could defeat the forces of karma and thus escape the continual cycle of being born again. The law of karma was not so bad if you were rich and lived in comfort. But if you were poor, living a miserable life, well—you can see a problem. This belief has attracted many followers in the West, especially in the United States.
Then we have spiritualists and psychics who would have us believe that since man really does not die when he dies, then we can communicate with the dead. And so it goes on and on. The devil continually comes up with new ideas in order to confuse us and try to make us leave the truth. So what does the Bible really teach about the immortality of the soul and the state of the dead? We should thank God that He has made these subjects so plain that even children can understand them. This is one of the truths that is clearly defined in the Bible. Thus there need be no confusion.
Let us go right back to the beginning of this world when God created man. “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.” Genesis 2:7. Therefore, according to this verse, God made man out of dust, gave him the breath of life, and he became a living person. When a man dies, God said, he will “return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Genesis 3:19. The writer of Ecclesiastes gives us a little more information. He says, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Chapter 12:7. The breath of our life ceases at death and God preserves our moral characteristics for the hour of judgment. Thus each of us will come out of the grave with the same characteristics as when we died. So there it is. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20. Since all of us are sinners, all of us must die.
It is futile to think that our souls are immortal when the apostle Paul clearly tells us that God “only hath immortality.” 1 Timothy 6:16. And why would Christ die for us if our souls were already immortal? In fact, He died that we can become immortal after the resurrection! “Our Saviour Jesus Christ, . . . hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2 Timothy 1:10. And why would the Bible talk so much about the resurrection of both faithful and wicked, if they were immortal already, living in eternal paradise or eternal hell? As you see, the theory of the immortality of the soul defies all logic and ignores the plain word of God. Yet, millions and millions believe these lies.
The apostle Paul gives us true hope when he talks about the translation of the living and the resurrection of the dead at the second coming of Christ. He says, “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. 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. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Corinthians 15:51–55.
We mentioned that Hindus and Buddhists believe in karma, that is, that a person dies and is born over and over again. To this belief Buddhists added “nirvana” or a state of serenity that, if reached, breaks the cycle of karma. But the Bible is clear on this point. God says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV). We go through this life only once. This is our only chance to prepare for eternal life or death. “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2. There will be no other life to redeem our lost time and lost opportunities that God gives us in our short lifetime.
As we have discussed, all of us must die sooner or later. So, what happens after we die? First of all, where are the dead? The cemeteries are full of them. We bury them in the grave or cremate them. That is exactly where they are. The patriarch Job put it nicely when he said: “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” Job 14:14. Where was he going to wait? In the grave, of course. He explains himself in chapter 17, verse 13: “If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.” Righteous or unrighteous, all dead go to the same place. “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.” Psalm 115:17. So even if you die in the hope of being saved, you still do not go to heaven when you die. You would agree with me that King David is counted among the righteous. Yet the apostle Peter clearly states, “For David is not ascended into the heavens.” Acts 2:34. And if he is not in hell, then he must be in a grave somewhere in or around Jerusalem.
The Bible compares death to sleep. While going to the house of Lazarus, Jesus said to His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” The disciples did not understand that He was alluding to his death, so Jesus plainly told them, “Lazarus is dead.” John 11:11, 14. When a person is dead, he/she is not aware of anything that is going on. He does not know anything (Ecclesiastes 9:5); he cannot love or hate anyone (verse 6); he does not know anything about his own family (Job 14:21); he does not even remember God (Psalm 6:5).
Since there is nothing that can be done by a person after his/her death, all work must be done now. If you think that you may change afterwards, forget it. You must decide for or against the God of heaven now. You must be in peace with your Creator before you die or perish for eternity. There is no more change of character after death.
As we have discussed above, all of us will resurrect one day for eternal life or eternal death. “There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” Acts 24:15. “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.” John 5:28, 29. “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.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16. So if the righteous are raised first, when are the unrighteous raised? In the book of Revelation chapter 20, verses 4 and 5, we read that the righteous will reign with Christ for a thousand years but the rest of the dead were not resurrected until the thousand years were finished. After they are resurrected, the Bible tells us that they will be devoured by a fire that comes from God (verse 9). In this group we can find Satan and his angels and all of those who did not give their life to God. “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers (sexually immoral), and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8. After all of these are destroyed, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:26. Praise the Lord for that.
God’s children will have no more fear of the old enemy, Death. “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.” Revelation 21:4.