The Afterlife of Life after Death...

[reddogs]

What happens after you breath your last do you instantly get transfered to heaven or is it as the bible says that it is as if you are asleep.

One of the most deceptive doctrines of eastern pagan religions is the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. This doctrine more than any other opens the door to spurious views regarding the afterlife, and it has permeated the religious world with its false promises and claims. Moreover, it offers promises of multiple choices that can be made in terms of one's salvation and multiple chances in terms of qualifying for salvation. Spiritism, reincarnation and necromancy (the worship and consulting of the dead) are only possible in the light of this doctrine.

The Word of God is very clear on this issue. None of these doctrines and practices were to be tolerated by the people of God because they were all rooted in a false perception of death.

According to the creation account, man received the gift of life from God:
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

God thus formed man of the dust of the ground, and then He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. This union then became a living soul.

The Hebrew word for "breath" in Genesis 2:7 is "neshamah" or the life-giving principle. The breath is equivalent to life itself (Isaiah 2:22). Another Hebrew word which is translated 28 times as "breath" in the KJV is "rûach" which can also mean "wind", "disposition" or "Spirit". It is translated 237 times as "Spirit" in the KJV. In Genesis 2:7, it is the breath of life from God that makes the inanimate material come to life, and transforms it into a living soul. The Hebrew for soul is "nephesh", and both the terms "rûach" and "nephesh" have frequently been misapplied to suit doctrinal positions not inherent in the Scriptures. Both the concepts of soul and spirit are used to describe spirit entities, which can exist independently of the body. Indeed, most religions in the world today teach that death is the transition of one state of consciousness to another state of consciousness. They propose that physical man is subject to death, but that the "soul" continues to live, and is indeed immortal. According to this doctrine, the soul is a separate entity, and resides in the body of the living. To make matters even more confusing, most Christian denominations believe that this dichotomy is to be found only in humans, and that animals do not have souls.

The text of Genesis 2:7 clearly states that God breathed into the formed man the "breath of life" and man became a living soul. He did not receive a living soul; he became one. The New King James Bible states that "man became a living being". Of the 1700 references to soul and spirit in the Bible, never once is either the soul or the Spirit declared to be immortal, imperishable or eternal. Indeed only God has immortality (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16). The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is a doctrine of false hope which negates the message of death. Moreover, if man continues to live, albeit in an altered state, then there is no need for a Saviour, or indeed the atoning death of Christ. Christ died to restore life to those who had forfeited it through sin.Job correlates the usage of breath and the spirit, saying:
All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils. Job 27:3

Moses reported that the breath of life was in Adams nostrils, whereas Job refers to both terms and says that the spirit of the Lord is 'in my nostrils.' Hence, the Hebrew terms of "neshamah" and "rûach" are used here in a similar context - namely life itself! According to the Scriptures, all living creatures received life in the same way from God, and are subject to the same fate.
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field . . . wherein is the breath of life. Genesis 2:19; 7:15

Both man and beast
...have all one breath, so that a man hath no preeminence above the beast. Ecclesiastes 3:19

Since man and beast have one breath, they also die the same way.
For that which befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts; ... as the one dieth, so dieth the other. Ecclesiastes 3:19.

Both man and animals were created from dust. So, when they die they then return again to dust; just the reverse of creation.
...for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return. Genesis 3:19

The second thing which happens when a man dies, is that the spirit, or breath of life, returns to God;
...and the spirit shall return unto God, who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7

Man was never meant to die, but death came into the world as a consequence of sin.
For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

As death is non-life, it merely means that God takes the life ("rûach" spirit, breath) that He granted on condition of obedience back and man ceases to live. It is the life that was given that returns to God, and not a transformed version of man in the form a spirit being. When God said that man would "surely die" (Genesis 2:17) if he transgressed God's requirements, He meant that man would cease to live, and would return to dust.

Far from being a conscious state, death is thus the ultimate state of non-being or unconsciousness, and is described as such in the Scriptures.
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Psalms 146:4
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything. Ecclesiastes 9:5

The dead are oblivious to what is happening on earth they know nothing. The next verse states:
Also their love, and their hatred and their envy is now perished. Ecclesiastes 9:6
For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give you thanks? Psalm 6:5 NKJV

So their feelings perish also.
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence. Psalms 115: 17

This state of unconsciousness is equated with sleep. Job says,
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 14:12.

Man lies in the sleep of death until the resurrection at the end of time. Then, and only then, will he awake and be raised out of sleep. David called it the 'sleep of death' (Psalms 13:3).

 

[reddogs]

The resurrection of Lazarus is a good example of what happens when you die.

While speaking to His disciples about Lazarus, Jesus said:
Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, if he sleep he shall do well. Howbeit, Jesus spoke 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. John 11:11-14

The disciples were confused and thought Christ meant natural sleep, but He meant the sleep of death.
Verse 17 of the chapter says:
On His arrival Jesus found that Lazarus had already been four days in the tomb.
While conversing with Martha, He tried to comfort her by saying,
'Thy brother shall rise again.' Martha saith unto him, 'I know that He shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.' John 11:23,24

Martha knew that life would be restored to Lazarus only in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus demonstrated through the resurrection of Lazarus that He was the One who could resurrect the dead according to His claim:
I am the resurrection and the life. John 11:25

The Scriptures in both Old and New Testaments are very clear on this issue. Life to the dead will be restored in the resurrection on the last day. (1 Corinthians 15:51-55, Job 19:25-26; Job 14:10-15; Psalm 17:15; Daniel 12:13) There will be separate resurrections for the righteous and for the wicked. John 5:28-29 states:
Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in 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.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.1 Thessalonians 4:16
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:5

That same voice that raised Lazarus from the grave will be heard on that last day of this world's history, calling forth those who have slept in the graves of the earth. Christ will recreate the righteous dead, or "dead in Christ", and breathe into them the breath of eternal life, and they shall enter Heaven. Revelation 20:6:
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.

The rest of the wicked dead remain as dust, to be raised after the Millennium in the resurrection of damnation.

 

[reddogs]

If the dead are in a state of unconsciousness or sleep awaiting the resurrection, how does one then explain the apparent communication with the dead that is commonplace in many modern religious movements of the past and the present? The worship of ancestors is common in many cultures, particularly African cultures, and the New Age Movement claims communion with spirit beings. In Biblical times, there is the story of King Saul, who consulted the witch of Endor, and supposedly communicated with Samuel who had been dead for some time.

Firstly, can the dead communicate with the living or return to their house to haunt it? We have seen that the dead know nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5) and that upon death the "thoughts perish" (Psalm 146:4). God, upon penalty of death, denounced the consulting of mediums or communication with the dead. (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:31; 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; 2 Kings 21:6; 23:24; Jeremiah 27:9-10). God has clearly defined the means of communication with Him. He communicates through His Word, and through His prophets.

If the spirits that are called up by mediums or channelers are not the spirits of the dead, then they must be spirits of demons who would deceive man and rob him of salvation. God admonishes through the prophet Isaiah:
And when they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah 8:19

A passage often quoted in support of communication with the dead is 1 Samuel 28:3-25 where Saul consults the medium at Endor who supposedly calls up Samuel to advise the King. The King had been troubled by spirits himself, and had through his own actions severed his connection with God. (Verse 25) Saul, however, remembered that Samuel's predictions regarding his life had all been fulfilled. In his panic, he asked for Samuel to advise him. In verse 14 he asks the medium "what form is he of?" indicating that he did not see Samuel himself. Moreover, the spirit taunted Saul by telling him that his crown would go to his rival. The messages of the spirit did not require visionary powers. David had already been anointed, and Israel had not humbled itself before the Lord, making it more than likely that they would be defeated by the Philistines. As the dead are in a state of unconsciousness, it is evident that the spirit of Samuel did not communicate with Saul. According to the Scriptures, Satan can communicate with man and present himself as an angel of light. (Matthew 4:1-11; 2 Corinthians 11:13)

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1
The doctrines of hell and purgatory are of pagan origin, and were adopted into the Christian culture by the Roman Catholic Church fathers.
Cardinal Gibbons writes about purgatory:

There exists in the next life a middle state of temporary punishment, allotted for those who have not satisfied the justice of God for sins already forgiven. The existence of purgatory naturally implies the correlative dogma, the utility of praying for the dead.

Hell is generally defined as a place or state where those who died in enmity with God suffer eternal torment, whereas the souls of the righteous go to heaven upon death.

The Hebrew "she'ol" and the Greek "Hades" are both translated as "hell", and refer to the world of the dead. The Greek word "geenna" denotes the "hell" of fiery punishment. The Biblical terminology is often used in a metaphoric sense and confusion can arise as to whether the terms are referring to a place or state in which the dead find themselves.

The Greek term "geenna" is used 12 times in the New Testament and is derived from the Hebrew "Ge Hinnom" the "Valley of Hinnom" where heathen rites of sacrificing and burning children to Molech were practiced. Jeremiah called this valley "the valley of slaughter". The valley of Hinnom or Gehenna became a place for burning rubbish and, with the development of a doctrine of a fiery hell where the wicked were punished, the valley served as a type of the fires of the last days.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refers to "geena" three times. He warned the Pharisees of the damnation of "geena". The nature and effect of the fire is described in the Bible as "unquenchable fire" (Mark 9:43-48; Luke 3:9) or "everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:41). This fire cleanses the earth (2 Peter 3:10-12; Luke 3:17) after the second resurrection (Revelation 20:5).

The word "everlasting" ("aiónios") is used to described the fate of the righteous as well as the wicked. If the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) then the punishment of the wicked is everlasting death. The final consequence of the fire is everlasting, not the fire itself. This principle is clearly demonstrated in the usage of the concept "everlasting" in the Scriptures. Jeremiah prophesied that God would kindle a fire in Jerusalem that "would not be quenched" (Jeremiah 17:27). When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, the city was burnt to the ground, and the fire could not be quenched until it had accomplished the destruction of the city, yet it is not burning today. Similarly, in Jude 1:7, we read:
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in a like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

This issue is also referred to in 2 Peter 2:5,6. The fires are no longer burning, but the consequences of the fires are everlasting.

The doctrine that the wicked dead are tormented forever and ever is repugnant and inconsistent with the character of God who demonstrated infinite love for the fallen race in the sacrifice of His Son. Pagan views had influenced the Jewish scholars in their thinking with regard to the afterlife. Josephus writes on this and shows the pagan Hellenistic ideas were being picked up by the Jews by this time, as he believed that the dead went either to heaven or to hell, whilst they awaited the resurrection. The righteous were assigned to a place which was called the "bosom of Abraham", whilst the wicked were separated from them by a deep chasm and were confined to a place where they could hear and see the fires of hell. These views are inconsistent with the clear teachings of Scriptures that the "dead know not anything". (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

Modern Christian churches likewise cling to the doctrine of an immediate afterlife in heaven or in hell, and they cite as evidence a number of Bible passages, particularly the promise of Jesus to the thief on the cross and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, who upon their death went to hell and "Abraham's bosom" respectively.

Nowhere in the Scriptures is there a doctrinal teaching of an immediate afterlife. The Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead did certainly not go to heaven or "Abraham's bosom" when he died. The New Testament teachings on this issue are plain. At Pentecost, Peter said:
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 you until this day, for David is not ascended into the heavens. Acts 2:29, 34

How about the Thief on the Cross, didnt the thief on the cross pass into Heaven when he died? The thief addressed Christ on the cross:
...Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. Luke 23:42

He was looking at a future event, asking to be remembered on the day of final rewards. He was looking forward to the Second Coming. Matthew 16:28 refers to Christ 'coming in His Kingdom' and in John 14:3 Christ Himself said: 'I will come again.' Jesus reply to the thief on the cross was:
Verily I say unto thee today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43.

Was the thief in Paradise with Christ 'today' on Friday afternoon or evening? The answer is no, as Christ Himself had not even ascended into Heaven by that time, as he states on Sunday morning.
Touch Me not for I am not ascended to My Father. John 20:17

If Christ had not ascended to Heaven by Sunday (resurrection morning), neither had the thief. The reason for this confusion is to be sought in the fact that the original New Testament was written in Greek unicals which had each word running into the next without spacing or stops or verses as we now have. It was only after 1557 that verse divisions were introduced to the Biblical writings. The correct placing of the comma in Luke 23:43 is vital to our understanding of the text. Placing the comma after the "today" renders the text as follows:
Verily, I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with Me in Paradise.
Harmony then exists between this text and the statement in John 20:17 that Jesus had not yet ascended to heaven. The thief merely received the promise on the day of his crucifixion that he would be in heaven when the Lord set up His Kingdom.

Then there is the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In the parable, the rich man represents the Jewish nation which was rich in spiritual truth, and the poor man represents the Gentiles. The rich man was "dressed" with the knowledge of the King of kings (purple is the colour of royalty) (Luke 16:19), and the means to attaining righteousness (white linen - Revelation 19:8) . The Gentile was covered in sores which represent sin (Isaiah 1:6) but no solution for his malady was offered him. Indeed, he was denied the very crumbs which feel from the spiritual table of the rich man. Jesus shattered this mold of Jewish thinking in his dealings with the Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28) who also requested crumbs from the "rich man's table". In that encounter, dogs were also mentioned and serve as a further type of the Gentiles, or those not favoured by God. Even the disciples requested Jesus to send the woman away, demonstrating the extent to which the teachings of the scribes had influenced their judgment.
As the parable unfolds, Jesus turns the viewpoint of the Jewish leaders on its head by placing the rich man in "hell" and the poor man in "Abraham's bosom". The whole of Matthew 23 laments the bigoted views of the scribes and Pharisees, and supplies the answers as to why the condition of the rich and the poor man are seemingly reversed. Moreover, the lesson is driven home to the disciples that case and status are no guarantee for salvation. The road is thus paved enabling the disciples to break with tradition and preach the gospel with power to the Jews and the Gentiles alike. Selfishness was at the root of Jewish beliefs, but God requires self to be lost and to "love thy neighbour as thyself".

The reliance on lineage was the next point addressed in the parable. The Jews claimed Abraham as their father (John 8:39) , but in the parable "Father Abraham" was unable to help the rich man. The New Testament states that those who are in Christ are Abraham's seed (Galatians 3:29), and Christ came to restore the wounded and brokenhearted. It is only those who realize their own spiritual poverty and need for Christ who can attain the blessings of Christ. In the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12), it is the poor in spirit, those who mourn, are meek, hunger and thirst after righteousness that can be filled and obtain mercy. In other words, one must acknowledge one's spiritual poverty, feel sorrow for one's sins, undergo a change of character with longing for the righteousness of Christ, to be filled.

Teachings based on tradition are next rebuked by Jesus. In Matthew 15:1-9, Jesus warns the scribes and the Pharisees that they nullify the Word of God by their traditions. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, no room is left for a second chance after death. A great gulf is fixed, and the rich man is denied the request to send warning to his brothers. The reason given is that they have Moses and the prophets or the Word of God. If we do not accept the teachings of Scriptures, then even a message from the dead would be useless for our salvation.

Each scene, as it unfolds in the parable, conveys a spiritual truth contrary to the mindset of the Jewish leaders. The modern trend of literalizing the parable to support the doctrine of hell does great injustice to the intent of the story, and would negate the beautiful message it holds.

Thus, according to the Bible, death is a state of unconscious sleep. This does not mean that there is no record in heaven of the sleeping saints. God has a perfect record of our being, our very nature, and when He calls forth the sleeping saints, they rise with imperishable bodies and the characters which they have formed under the guidance of His sanctifying power. The Biblical record of death, far from being disturbing, is comforting. Our ancestors are not watching our every mistake and feeling the pain of our wrong choices. They are blissfully unaware of unfolding events as they sleep till the day of the resurrection. If we are fortified with these Biblical truths, then the deceptive power of false miracles and apparitions can have no hold over us and we will be better prepared to stand against false doctrines and teachings which can lead us astray.