Hope of Life Beyond Death
We are currently working on updating this.
"If a man dies, will he live again?"
Job 14:14
"Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come forth . . ." -- John 5:28,29a
A
Restoration Light
Publication
By Ronald R. Day, Sr.
Quotations from other sources often abbreviate scriptural citations. We have expanded all abbreviated citations in order to make better use of digital searches.
This study has been the result of many years work; it is still not complete. Due to the manner in which this work has been compiled, sometimes discussions related to certain topics may be scattered. We are trying to put cross-references where possible. Please bear with us in this.
(1) For thousands of years people have been trying to answer the question of life after death. Today there are many viewpoints about what happens to a person when he dies. How can we know where our loved ones have gone? How can we know what will happen to us when we die? Some have sought the answer by seeing spirit mediums in an effort to contact their dead loved ones. But the disciple of Jesus does not need someone to come from the dead to tell him or her about death. (Isaiah 8:19,20) He has the Word of God, The Holy Bible, and, by faith, we believe that is all one needs. (2 Timothy 3:16,17) If you do not have faith in the Bible as being God's communication to His people, we cannot give you that faith. We do believe that if it is God's will for you to believe, he will provide what is necessary that you may attain such faith. Thus, we hope to prove to you that the Bible gives a complete and satisfactory answer to our question. Before considering the scriptural answer, however, let us see what human reasoning, without the aid the God's Word, can tell us. We will find that the answer from this source is incomplete. Whatever actual facts we obtain from science, however, will be found to agree with the Word of God. This is what we should expect for God is the author of the laws of the universe and reason, as well as of the Bible. Those who claim that scientific facts and the Bible do not agree with each other simply do not understand the one or the other. Nevertheless, often scientific hypostheses and theories are often presented as being facts, when the are not actual facts, so one may have dig deeper to determine actual scientific fact from scientific hypotheses and theories.
Science and the Human Soul
(2) What can we find out from science, related to the human body, soul and spirit? We do find that scientists will tell us that the human body consists of many elements, and that these same elements also exist outside of living beings all around us. Does the Bible agree with this? Yes, Genesis 2:7 informs us that God "formed man of the dust of the ground." It should be apparent that the expression "dust of the ground" signifies the elements of the earth.
***** below needs to be edited for grammar errors.
(3) However, many people believe that man has a "soul" or "spirit" that is a consciousness separate from the body of the dust. Some refer to the soul as the "ego", or that part of a man that thinks. What can we learn from scientists about such a soul? The popular conception is that the soul is a sentiency residing within and independent of our bodily organism. At death, the claim is that the soul is separated from the body and continues to exist forever. Science has never found such a being. According to the general hypotheis, a human soul is invisible, and thus it cannot be found by dissecting a human body. Nevertheless, science contends that human thinking is not from something separate from the body, since thinking is physically associated with the brain. Thus, science cannot offer any proof of the existence of a soul that consciously exists apart from the human organism. We should also note that the lower animals have the ability to reason to some extent, and that their ability to reason is associated with how complex and greater the structure of the brain is. The more complex and excellent the brain is, the greater the reasoning power the animal appears to have. Scientists have dound that man possesses the most complex brain, and thus, correspondingly, man has the greatest ability to reason. Furthermore, it is noted that a child's brain is not so developed as an adult's brain, and thus the child has less reasoning power than an adult. If a person's brain is diseased or otherwise damaged, that person's ability to reason is affected. All of this shows that the soul as the thinking part of a person is not separae from that person's organism.
(4) Some people say they've experienced "out-of-body" situations. Some Christian people assert that they have passed away, gone to heaven, and returned to share their experiences in their purported "death state." Others have reported that they returned to life after going to a hell of flaming flames. How trustworthy are these assertions? People of other religions have claimed to have had similar experiences, but the experiences are usually based on whatever religious beliefs they hold to concerning what happens when one dies. It is important to remember that these encounters are typically called near-death experiences (NDEs). This would imply that the person's body is merely "near death" rather than having truly passed away. How can someone who has had such an experience know if it was a hallucination, a delusion of Satan, or something real? Such claims should not be the basis for hope for a disciple of Jesus, but we believe the Christian should base his faith on what is presented in the Bible. Nevertheless, more frequently doctors see persons brought into hospitals unconscious through an injury to the head, who recovered after an operation, and remember nothing of the time between. After awakening, usually doctors find that the last thing the patient remembers is what occurred immediately before the accident. Although the duration till he regained consciousness may have been days and sometimes even weeks, months, years, yet to him, it has been a perfect blank. The near death experiences are rare and are actually exceptions to his general observation. So we are left with the question: If the soul is an entity that remains conscious without the body, where was the person's soul during the duration of unconsciousness? If it is separate from the body, why couldn't it remember what happened during the after the accident before regaining conciousness? This at least partially supports the idea that the human soul is reliant on an organism.
Science and the Human Spirit
(5) What about the spirit, though? Is it an internal entity? While acknowledging that the soul dies, some people maintain that humans have an immortal spirit that lives on after the body passes away. The spirit (energy, or vitality) of life is the only spirit acknowledged by science. It was once believed that a specific area of the body was home to life. According to science, the body is made up of countless cells. Each of these cells is animated by the spirit or energy of life. We also know that this life force depends on certain ongoing waste and repair processes.
(6) Your finger, for example, is composed of many cells in each of which is the spirit or energy of life. This life is dependent on processes of waste and repair. If these processes become hindered there is disease. If they stop completely there is death. If your finger is dead, in the course of time it shrivels up and drops off. Should your finger die, what becomes of the spirit or energy of life? We understand that the death of a finger and also of the whole body simply means the cessation of the life processes of waste and repair. It is the same in the case of the lower animals and of plants. They also are composed of innumerable cells in each of which is the spirit or energy of life. This energy of life is dependent on similar processes of waste and repair. We do not understand that their spirit [force] of life is a being that continues to have an independent existence after death. After life is completely gone, man is unable to give it back. That, briefly, is what Science can tell us regarding our question. Science knows nothing of a future state. And so we read in Ecclesiastes 12:7: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit [Hebrew transliterated, ruach, Strong's No. 7307, wind, breath, power] shall return to God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:7 does not say that spirit that returns to God is a living consciousness that survives the body. This verse simply reverses what is stated in Genesis 2:7. God willing, we will present more about Ecclesiastes 12:7 later in this study, but one can also see our related study: The Spirit that Returns to God.
The Answer of Philosophy
(7) This is where "philosophy" steps in. We human beings have considerable reasoning power, and also a conscience, that is, a feeling of right and wrong. Philosophy tells us that if we follow the right course we are good and virtuous and should expect a corresponding reward, and that if we follow the wrong course we are bad or vicious and should expect a corresponding punishment. Yet we find in reality that these reasonable consequences frequently do not follow in our present existence. In fact, the very reverse is generally the rule. Malachi 3:15 says: "Now we call the proud happy. Yes, they that work wickedness are exalted. Yes, they that tempt God are even delivered." How true this is! Pride is promoted almost everywhere we look, often even in schools, churches, political leaders, etc. On the other hand as the apostle Paul declares: "Yes, all that will live godly in Jesus Christ must suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12) Is it true that all the great ones of the earth, the kings, nobles, and leaders are the most righteous, and that the lower of the scale of position and honor the more vicious we find men to be? No! Is it not chiefly from among the poor of this world, rich in faith, that God is choosing the heirs of the Kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him? -- 1 Corinthians 1:26-28; John 7:48; Luke 10:21.
(8) Philosophy, therefore, reasons that there must be a future state where the virtuous will be rewarded, and the vicious punished. But philosophy cannot reach a solid conclusion as to what or where this future state will be, nor whether it is attained at the moment of death or after an interval. Thus any thoughts regarding the afterlife that the philosophers put forth are mere speculations at best.
Revelation By Spirits Unworthy of Credence
(9) There are thus many questions left unanswered by unaided human reasoning. If we cannot get the complete answer from Science or from Philosophy, where should we expect to obtain it? As we cannot get it from ourselves, evidently we must expect a revelation from without. Some profess to receive this revelation through spiritism. Space does not permit a full discussion of this subject, but we are convinced that spiritism, where it is not fraud or trickery, as much of it is, is a manifestation of evil spirits, the fallen angels. Jehovah God warns us very strongly against consulting those who have familiar spirits and declares that all who do these things are an abomination to him. -- Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Leviticus 19:31; Isaiah 8:19,20.
The Answer From the Word of God
(10) Where, then, must we look for this revelation? Our conclusion is that we should look to God himself, and expect to get our answers not through visions or peculiar manifestations, but through the Bible, the Word of God, "the faith once for delivered to the saints." -- Jude 1:3, A.S.V.; see our study: The Credibility of the Bible.
What is the Soul?
(11) To get a proper understanding of our subject we must begin with the question: "What is the soul?" A good place to start is to examine the scriptural description of the creation of the first human soul, Adam, which we find in Genesis 2:7: "Jehovah God formed the man, dust from the ground, and blew into his nostrils the breath (Hebrew, neshâmâh, Strong's No. 5397, wind, vital breath) of life, and man became a living soul." Let us reason on what is stated. We should not read the Bible without thinking over what God has to tell us. "Jehovah God formed the man of dust from the ground." From this, we can reaason that Adam's body was formed of the elements of the earth. He had eyes, ears, and a mouth, but so far no ability to see, hear or speak. But then we read that God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. Notice, the Bible does not say that God breathed into his nostrils a soul, as many claim. What the Word says is that God "breathed into his nostrils the breath (Hebrew, neshâmâh, Strong's No. 5397, wind, vital breath) of life," the spirit or power of life. And what was the result? Do we find the insinuation that Adam had now a soul in him? No, we find that the result of the breath of life having been breathed into Adam was that he "became a living soul (nephesh [Strong's #5315] ḥayyāh [Strong's #2416])" In other words, the soul is not the body, nor is it the spirit of life, but in order for there to be a living soul, it must possess both a body and the spirit of life. The scriptural forumla is: body of dust + neshamah = living soul. This is in agreement with what we have seen to be the conclusion of many scientists, namely, that the "Ego," the real person, the thinking part of man, is not independent of his organism. See also our study on Neshamah.
(12) Once Adam became a living soul, he gained the ability to see, hear, and speak. He could also think, walk, and work. He had become a living, sentient being capable of sensing and responding to his environment. Based on this, we conclude that the most accurate scriptural definition of a living soul would be a being that can perceive its own existence and surroundings. Some may argue that this definition would also include lower animals. However, such often do not realize that the Scriptures do mention lower animals in this manner, although it may not be obvious in the King James Version and many other translations, since the word for "soul" rendered by other words than "soul". When the Hebrew words "nephesh hhayyah" (living soul) are used to refer to lower animals, the KJV typically translates it as "life" or "living creature" instead of "soul," except for one exception in Numbers 31:28. However, the same expression is also applied to humans in the Hebrew text of the Bible. In these instances, the KJV usually (but not always) translates it as "soul" or "living soul." An example of this can be found in Genesis 1:21, where the KJV states: "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth." If you consult a Strong's Concordance, you will see that the phrase "living creature" corresponds to Strong's words 2416 and 5315, which represent the Hebrew expression "nephesh hhayyah." In the KJV, this same expression is also translated as "living creature" in Genesis 1:24 when referring to animals other than humans. In the same chapter, in the 30th verse, we find the following passage from the King James Version: "To every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth wherein there is life." This clearly indicates that the Bible and Science are in agreement when it comes to recognizing that lower animals possess a living soul.
Is the Human Soul Immortal?
(13) Now, let us move on to a crucial aspect of our discussion: the immortality of the human soul. The answer to this question holds great significance, as it has implications for our understanding of salvation. If the soul is indeed immortal, then those who are not deemed worthy of being in the presence of God would have to endure an eternity somewhere. This would lead one to the conclusion that either everyone will eventually attain eternal bliss with God, or some will be condemned to everlasting suffering in some form. However, if our compassionate heavenly Father has the power to destroy the soul, then he is not bound by these limited options. He would not be forced to disregard the freedom of human will, as the doctrine of "universalism" would suggest, nor would he be compelled to condemn the intentionally wicked to eternal misery.
(14) It takes some sincere reflection on God's Word and acceptance of its teachings, regardless of one's own upbringing or conventional beliefs, to comprehend the Bible's actual teaching on this topic. When they look for a scripture that affirms that the soul never dies, many people are taken aback. How is this demonstrable? It can be demonstrated with ease. All you need to do is obtain a comprehensive Concordance (like Strong's Exhaustive Concordance), look up the word "soul" and all its synonyms, then look up the word "immortal" and all its synonyms, and you will discover that not a single verse in Genesis through Revelation speaks of the soul as being immortal. Even better, look up Strong's Hebrew No. #5315 nephesh (the Hebrew word from which the word "soul" is translated) and Strong's Greek No. 5590 psukee (the Greek word from which the word "soul" is translated) in a Hebrew concordance (like The Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Testament) and a Greek concordance (like The Englishman's Greek Concordance of the New Testament). You'll see that the Bible mentions dead souls (Leviticus 23:30; Matthew 10:28) and that the soul dies (Numbers 6:6; 9:13; Mark 14:34; etc.); that the soul can be severed (Exodus 31:14; Leviticus 7:21; 19:8; 22:3; Acts 3:23; etc.); and that the soul can be destroyed; however, it never states that the soul is immortal or that it lives on after death.
(15) The author of the book, A Life's Thought on Christ, Dr. Thomas Clark, offered a thousand pounds to anyone who could locate the words "immortal," "never-dying," or "ever-living soul" in the English, Greek, or Hebrew Bibles. It was safe for Dr. Thomas Clark to make that offer. The money was never earned. "The natural immortality of the soul is a doctrine wholly unknown to the Holy Scriptures, and standing on no higher plane than that of an ingeniously sustained, but gravely and formidably contested philosophical opinion.... It crept into the church by a back door as it were," wrote the late W. E. Gladstone in response to this question (Studies Subsidiary to the Works of Bishop Butler, pp. 197-198). Consider this! The popular church adopted the idea of the soul's natural immortality through the back door of Greek philosophy, even though it is not taught in the Scriptures!
(16) People who believe in the immortality of the soul typically believe that God created it in such a way that He is unable to destroy it. However, Matthew 10:28 states that God has the power to destroy a person's soul, in addition to that person's body, in Gehenna (Valley of Hinnom). Gehenna is mistranslated as "Hellfire" in the King James Version and various other translations. We will clarify the meaning of "Gehenna" later. Let's move on to Ezekiel 18:4. We read there: "Look! All souls are mine. As the soul of father, so also the soul of the son is mine. The soul that is sinning will die."
(17) Since the soul, or being, is the one who committed sin, it is the soul that must pay the price for it, which is clearly stated to be death. Since "for the wages of sin is death," not eternal torment as many believe, the soul that commits sin will perish. Romans 6:23.
(18) The entire Bible becomes very clear once we comprehend this. Many previously obscure passages are now easily recognizable. The statement "The King of kings and Lord of lords... only has immortality" (Strong's #110, athanasia, deathlessness) appears in 1 Timothy 6:15–16. Only Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, had "put on immortality" when Paul wrote Timothy, since only Jesus had been raised to sit on the throne with his God and Father. (Ephesians 1:17-21; Philippians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3,13; 8:1; 10:12; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 3:21) According to the scriptures, there will be others who also "put on immortality" (Strong's #110, athanasia, deathlessness) in the resurrection. (1 Corinthians 15:53,54) Today, however, nobody on this planet truly "possesses" athanasia or "deathlessness".
(19) Let's look at example related to the idea that one has an immortal soul: Let's say your friend said, "I must put on my watch," after glancing at the watch already on his wrist. You would assume that your friend was having some sort of issue. Why? since he would be attempting to put on something that he already had on. However, many sincere Christians must put on immortality even though they claim to be immortal! The apostle states in 1 Corinthians 15:53–54 that "This mortal must put on immortality." However, if they were already wearing something, they couldn't put it on!
(20) Many must find it odd that this notion of the soul's immortality, which contradicts what the Scriptures teach, has become so widely accepted. Evidently, this Greek philosophers' teaching was quickly embraced by the mainstream church following the apostles' deaths. In the first century, Jews who believed in Jesus were severely persecuted. Thus, the majority of Jesus' Jewish followers had been murdered, leaving mostly "Gentile" believers in Jesus. In the second and third centurie, it appears that many of these Gentile disciples were, in effect, assimilating Roman religious beliefs and doctrines. These teachings were overlayed with Biblical termilogoy in such a way that suggested the Bible endorsed them. Thus, many of these adopted the idea idea that the human soul or spirit is immortal, that that is continues to be alive and conscious after the body dies.
(21) Some have claimed that Genesis 2:7 means that God breathed a part of himself into Adam, and that the soul is thus a part of God. Of course, there is nothing in Genesis 2:7 that says that God breathed a part of hismelf into Adam; such a thought has to actually reject what is stated and twist what is stated to conform to the claim. Those who theorize in this manner would soon realize that their argument is illogical if they would only follow it through to its logical conclusion. They should keep in mind that sin is committed by the soul, not the body. "The sinner's soul..." (Ezekiel 18:4–20) If the soul is a tiny portion of God, then sin is the result of this tiny portion of God in humans, and it would mean that portion of God would be under the condemnation of eternal damnation.
(22) Some people observe in contrast to the account of the creation of the lower animals, Genesis 2:7 states that God breathed the breath (Hebrew: neshâmâh, Strong's No. 5397, wind, vital breath) of life into man's nostrils. Accordingly, they assert that this neshâmâh, or spirit, is a tiny aspect of God rather than the soul and that it is the neshâmâh that is immortal because of this. The word neshamah is obviously used of both man and beast as recorded in Genesis 7:22. And Joshua "utterly destroyed all that breathed [neshâmâh]" as recorded in Joshua 10:40, suggesting that this neshâmâh is susceptible of destruction. (See also Deuteronomy 20:16, Joshua 11:11,14) Job 32:8 uses this word, where the KJV translates it as "inspiration." According to Job 37:10, frost is provided by "the breath [neshâmâh] of God." "Straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath [neshâmâh] left in me," Daniel stated in Daniel 10:17. These uses of the word make it clear that it is not a living thing that resides inside a person.
(23) The Word of God is consistent. It does not teach that immortality is the natural possession of man, whether that immortality is thought to be the spirit in man or a soul in man. Rather, it says: "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Some claim that Paul was speaking of spiritual death, not physical death. The fact is that the man, Christ Jesus, physically died to pay the wages of sin for all of us, thus eternally sacrificing his body of flesh with its blood. (Romans 5:8,15-19; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; Hebrews 10:10-12; 1 Peter 2:24) Although eternal life is not something that is innate in us, it is made available to us as a gift through Christ Jesus, who gave himself in sacrifice for our sins. -1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 2:6. For more related to spiritual death, see our study: The Wages of Sin -- Spiritual Death?
(24) Because God, in his mercy, has provided some other means of delivering man from his death state, it is clear that man will not be granted a future state because he is or possesses an immortal soul or spirit. Does this imply the removal of the basis for Biblical hope? Not at all! Scripture assures us repeatedly that the resurrection from the dead is what gives us hope for a future life. The scriptures no where present any idea that eternal life is due to any alleged innate immortality. -- Acts 24:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15.
(25) The best way to define the soul, according to what we find in the Scriptures, is as a living being that is conscious of its own existence and its surroundings. The most potent parts of a being are the mind and will, but they require an organism to function. Therefore, the ego requires a body of some kind to exist, even though the soul can be narrowly defined as the mind, will, or conscious ego. We have also come to the conclusion that, rather than asserting that the soul is immortal, the Bible makes it abundantly evident that the soul that sins will die. Ezekiel 18:4.
Do Good People Go To Heaven At Death?
(26) The idea most often presented by Christians is that "the souls of the believers are at death made perfect in holiness and do immediately pass into glory." This idea is based on the traditional teachings which are often expressed in the catechisms or various denominations.
(27) But is it accurate to say that everyone who died believing in God is now in heaven? Let's look at an example. What about David, a man after God's own heart and a favorite of Jehovah despite all his flaws? Is David in heaven? Most likely, a lot of people will say "Yes." Regardless, let's read what God's Word has to say. In Acts 2:34, we read: "David is not ascended into the heavens." That could not be more straightforward. Here's the question: Will you believe it? "That's odd," someone might say, "I assumed David would be in heaven, but I'm obviously wrong. He wasn’t as good as I believed him to be." However, let's not hastily reach such a conclusion! Look at what Jesus said. In John 3:13, we find it recorded: "No man has ascended up to heaven, but he who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man." Most ancient manuscripts do not contain the phrase "which is in heaven" that is used in the King James Version, thus many translations, such as the Revised Standard Version, do not add these words to what Jesus stted. "No man has ascended to heaven" so as to tell of heavenly things. (John 3:12) Jesus, however, descended from heaven to take on human form and live among us, and he could thus tell of heavenly things. We must be careful not to let human traditions cause us to reject what the Messiah has said. -- Matthew 15:3–9.
(28) According to Acts 26:23, Jesus was the first person to rise from the grave. He was "the first born from the dead," "the first fruits of them that slept." (1 Corinthians 15:20; Colossians 1:18) One might ask: "Does not this contradict the other Scriptural statements regarding the raising of Lazarus and others?" The answer is, of course, no, because Jesus was the first person to rise in full life, never to die again. After a few years at most, the others simply returned to the tomb after being awakened from the death-state to their previous dying state. They briefly awoke from their slumber before resuming their death-related slumber. They were not given the gift of eternal life as a result of it.
(29) But what all those who die in Christ since Jesus died and was raised? Did all of his devoted followers from the previous 1900 years receive their fair share of compensation when they passed away? Most Christians do not agree with the scriptural answer to this question. We learn what happens to the wicked in 2 Peter 2:9. Is it true that the apostle there asserts that God knows how to punish the wicked when they die? Actually, the scripture tells us that God "knows how to reserve the unjust until the day to judgment to be punished". Thus, Peter makes abundantly evident when the wicked are to punished. The scriptural conclusion, then, is that when Jesus returns on the day of judgment, that is when the wicked will be punished. Actuallly, the Greek word for punished would be more properly rendered as "chastised".
(30) According to popular Christian theology today, every believer dies instantly to be with Jesus. However, Jesus never said this to His disciples, whom He loved deeply. "I will receive you unto myself the moment you die" is not what Jesus said. What he did say was: "There are many mansions in my father's house; if it weren't so, I would have told you," he said. I'll get everything ready for you. And if I go and set up a place for you, I'll return and take you to myself so that you can be where I am." (John 14:2,3) Furthermore, Paul told the Colossians: "You are dead, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah who is your life appears, then you will also appear with him in glory." -- Colossians 3:3,4.
The Thief in Paradise
(31) Many object that the criminal, often presented as being a thief, who died with Jesus was promised to be with Jesus in paradise on that day. (Luke 23:43) The conventional wisdom holds that the thief who repented immediately went to heaven to be with Jesus. Jesus actually promised the thief that he would be with him in "paradise," not heaven, and Jesus made no mention of heaven. As we shall demonstrate later, paradise is not synonymous with heaven, although many people have been conditioned to associate "paradise" as being the same thing as "heaven". However, the Scriptures testify that all of the apostles, martyrs, and other saints — dedicated individuals — who have passed away are awaiting the Messiah's return in order to receive their reward. If the conventional wisdom regarding our Lord's response is accurate, then this thief must have been more important than the apostles and all of the holy martyrs, since nowhere do we find that they were to immediately be living with Jesus the moment they died. On the third day following his assurance to the thief, however, our Lord himself told Mary, "I have not yet ascended to my Father." Acts 2:27, where Peter again highlights David's words from the 16th Psalm, "You will not leave my soul in hades," demonstrates that David was not referring to himself but rather, as our Lord Jesus' prophetic spokesperson, he was predicting that Jesus' soul would go to hades, not heaven, but would not stay there. Furthermore, contrary to what some people teach, no scripture states that Paradise is a part of Hades. This topic will be covered later in this study. Investigating the issue reveals a straightforward explanation. The passage's difficulties are eliminated in Rotherham's translation (1904 edition). It's as follows: "Verily, I say unto thee this day: With me, shalt thou be in Paradise" Instead of putting a comma before "this day", he placed a colon after it. Is this appropriate, though? Many may wonder, isn't this changing the Bible? In actuality, doing so does not alter the Bible. Why? because commas were not used when the Bible was written. It wasn't until about five or six centuries ago that punctuation was created. To help the reader understand what is written, punctuation has been added, either by copyists, or by translators, at points where the scribe or translator thought such punctuation should be. If you want to have proof that the oldest Bible manuscripts lack punctuation, we suggest you go to the British Museum, where the oldest manuscripts are displayed in a glass case for public viewing. Alternatively, copies of these manuscripts might be found in a number of reference books at your neighborhood library. Whether you know Greek or not, you will notice that the entire manuscript lacks commas and that all of the words and sentences are written together without any breaks, Therefore, commas and other punctuation that are used in our English translations are not inspired; rather, they were simply added by the translators based on their own understanding of the text. Because the King James translators thought that "souls of believers do immediately pass into glory," they followed the word "thee" with a comma. However, we have discovered that Jesus and His apostles stated that believers would receive rewards and the wicked would receive punishments when He returned in the splendor of his Father with his holy angels. Consequently, "today" should have been followed by a comma. "Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise," was what Jesus actually said. "[Even though I am being put to death this day] What I say to you today is true: You will be with me in Paradise," is another way we could phrase this in ordinary English. As a result, it is clear that Jesus was not reversing his previous statements or creating an exception for the repentant criminal. The possibility that Jesus would ever rule as king must have seemed improbable on the day He spoke the words of our text. With the title "King of the Jews" written in derisively above his head and him hanging on a tree, dying like a criminal, it must have seemed impossible that he would ever be granted a kingdom. "Truly I say to you today," Jesus said, honoring the criminals's faith when he asked to be remembered by him when he entered his Kingdom. In effect, when Jesus said, "Today", it may have been that Jesus was saying: "This dark day, when I am dying a felon's death, and it seems like I was an imposter". Our Lord could have used the word "today"* for another significant reason: it was the day that the great sacrifice for the world's sin was to be completed, allowing for the establishment of his Kingdom. Regardless, it does not give reason to imagine and assume that the criminal to whom Jesus spoke went to paradise on that day that he died.
Footnote to Paragraph 31:
There are numerous examples given by some of Jesus' use of the phrase "Verily I say to you," where the comma is always placed after the word "you." Naturally, the word "today" is not used in any of these other instances, and there was no need to emphasize the day that Jesus was speaking because we only find the need for such in Luke 23:43.
Additionally, we discover that the word "today" is used in the Bible according to two general rules: if "today" comes after a verb, it is associated with that verb. This is relevant to the verse at hand. The words "say" and "today" are joined. Matthew 21:28 and Luke 22:34 are two more instances of this. "Today" is attached to the following clause when "hoti" is used to separate it from the verb. Mark 14:30, Luke 19:9, and Luke 4:21 are a few examples. In Luke 23:43, the word "hoti" is not used.
See:
http://www.godstruthfortoday.org/Library/bullinger/app173.htmlThe Greek word "semeron," which means "today," is used to emphasize the phrase "today." "Semeron" qualifies this preceding verb in the following references: Acts 20:26–26:29; Luke 2:11–22:34; 2 Corinthians 3:14–15. There are numerous instances in the Septuagint translation where the Greek phrase "I say unto you this day" is equivalent to the emphatic phrase "I testify unto you this day," such as Deuteronomy 6:6; 7:11; 8:1; 10:13; 11:8,13,28.
(32) "To be with Jesus means to be in heaven," some people will assert. We deny this. We do believe that the Bible teaches that when those who receive spirit bodies are raised from the dead in the last day, they will join Jesus in heaven. As co-heirs to him, they will stand atop heavenly Mount Zion. (Revelation 14:1; Romans 8:17; Hebrews 12:22) That being said, being "with Jesus" does not necessarily imply that the individual is in heaven. When Jesus comes back to earth, the time will come when he will be "with" people on the planet just like God. (Ezekiel 37:25–28; 43:7; Revelation 21:3,4) As a result, Jesus was able to tell the thief who died with him, "You will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:43 Thus, it is concerning the time when Jesus returned with his Kingdom to bless all the families on earth that Jesus spoke of when he told the thief that he would be with him. He was certainly not that the criminal would sit on the throne with him, as the joint-heirs do (Matthew 19:28; Revelation 3:21; Romans 8:16). "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I will be in their midst," Jesus said, indicating that he would be "with" his followers on earth, without meaning that they would be in heaven. (Matthew 18:20) Also we read: "Look, I am with you always until the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) Jesus was not speaking of taking them to heaven so that he could be with them, but he was speaking of being with his people here on the earth. Therefore, being with Jesus does not necessarily mean that one is in heaven.
The Intermediate State
(33) We believe that the scriptures teach an intermediate state, a period of waiting between death and the reward, as we have seen. Many Bible scholars have reached this conclusion, but regrettably, the majority of them continue to hold onto the false notion that the soul is naturally immortal. As a result, they think that the soul is conscious during this transitional state, that it has the ability to think and feel, and they usually claim that one in his alleged immortal gains even more knowledge after death. We will investigate these claims in the following paragraphs.
(34) Do we find that scriptures declare that soul of person lives after the death of the body so as to know even more than before the person passed away? Ecclesiastes 9:5 informs us: "The dead know not anything"; also the tenth verse: "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in Sheol (the realm of death -- Sheol will be discussed later), where you are going." We should also note the prayer of Hezekiah: "Sheol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you: those who go down in the pit cannot hope for your truth. The living, the one living, he shall praise you, even as I do this day." (Isaiah 38:18,19) The Psalmist also adds a similar thought as recorded in Psalm 146:4, that when a man dies, "he returns to his earth, and in that very day his thoughts perish." This does appear to reflect the thought that at death the soul lives on to know more than before the person dies. Let us also not what is said in Psalm 6:4: "Return, O Jehovah, deliver my soul: O save me for your mercies' sake." The Psalmist was praying that his soul be saved from death. The next verse shows what the Psalmist expected his soul to be like when dead: "For in death there is no remembrance of you; in sheol who shall give you thanks?" It should be clear from these scriptures that during the intermediate the soul is in a condition of unconsciousness, awaiting the resurrection in the last day.
The Sleep of Death
(35) Only when we comprehend what death is can we appreciate the beauty of the sleep of death, a figure that appears frequently in both the scriptures written before and after Jesus' arrival. When his disciples did not understand him, our Lord told them, "Our friend Lazarus is sleeping," and "then Jesus said to them plainly: Lazarus is dead." (John 11:11–14) Because death is a state of unconsciousness that is followed by awakening, it is compared to sleep.
(36) Like many of us, you may have experienced the situation of returning home exhausted and drowsy. You rest somewhere by lying down or sitting. You close your eyes and then open them again, reflecting, "I almost fell asleep." However, you are shocked to discover that you have been asleep for over an hour when you check the clock! You couldn't believe that any time had passed; you thought you had just closed your eyes for a moment. What caused that? Obvious, it is due to the fact that during the period you were asleep, you were unconscious. As a result of your fatigue, you were able to sleep soundly. It sounded like death. That is the state of the deceased. When someone passes away, they become oblivious, go unconscious, and a period of time passes. This period could be weeks, years, centuries, or even millennia, but to the person who has passed away, it is a blank slate. It is comparable to the aforementioned sleep duration. To put it another way, it will seem to everyone who is awakened on the day of resurrection that they have just closed their eyes and then opened them. That is the state of the deceased. They are not conscious at all. They "know not anything." -- Ecclesiastes 9:5.
(37) Many may insist that while the dead are active after death, they would have us believe that Jesus and others, when they compared death to sleep, merely meant that they were no longer active in this world. Nevertheless, the Bible doesn't contain anything like that! Such actually would deny the plain statements of scriptures that describe the unconscious in death (Psalm 30:91; 115:17; 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 38:18,19). However, many may claim: "Nowhere does Scripture say that the soul of the departed one falls asleep. It was the person who fell asleep, not necessarily the soul." As a result, they would differentiate the individual from the soul. Does the Bible do such? For instance, when is says "man became a living soul [Hebrew, nephesh, Strong's #5315]", is saying the soul is different the man, Adam. Actually, it is stated quite clearly in Genesis 2:7. This is in line with 1 Corinthians 15:45. Additionally, the Bible mentions the dying soul and "dead" souls (Ezekiel 18:4,20; see Leviticus 21:11; Numbers 6:6; 9:7, where the Hebrew word nephesh is translated as "body," in the King James Version, thereby concealing the Biblical mention of dead souls). The Bible does state that the soul dies, even though it does not state explicitly that the soul sleeps.
(38) In an attempt to maintain that we do not truly die, some people contend that after Lazarus passed away, the Lord kept his soul in an unconscious resting place because he knew that his friend would be raised from the grave in a matter of days. Such contend that this exception — as well as a few others of a similar nature — would not establish the rule. Another argument is that even though Lazarus and other people who were raised from the dead might have entered heaven, they were either denied entry or were unable to speak about their amazing experience.
(39) Naturally, this line of thinking does not negate a number of facts: 1) There is no mention of the soul going to heaven at the time one dies in the Bible. 2) The soul dies at death, according to numerous scriptures. 3) Death is characterized in numerous scriptures as a state of unconsciousness. 4) To develop such an argument that soul is conscious after death, one must create this assumption beyond what is written and then read the assumption into the scriptures.
(40) But what if Lazarus's death resulted in his going to heaven? If Jesus returned Lazarus to the current evil world, would he not have been doing more harm to Lazarus than good? Or what if, as has been proposed, although normally a righteous person would go to heaven when dies, Jesus had prevented Lazarus from entering heaven by keeping his soul unconscious? Wouldn't this kind of interference have been for Lazarus' good? In either case, such actions would have been unreasonable.
(41) But Jesus did promise that the "hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth." (John 5:28,29) Observe that Jesus stated, "all that are in the graves," who are in the state of death, rather than, "all that are in eternal bliss and in eternal torment.""Ah, yes," some will respond, "in other words, when Jesus calls, the souls of the saved and the lost will fly back and re-inhabit their bodies; it does not refer to their souls. Because only the bodies enter the death-state, it is the bodies that will rise." However, Jesus did not say that. Scripture and science both testify that the bodies will not be raised from the dead. According to science, when a person dies, their body is broken down into its constituent parts. After that, the elements could be recycled into plants or other materials. The plants can then be consumed by humans or animals, becoming a part of a new body, etc. Consequently, the same body cannot possibly rise. However, we don't have to rely solely on scientific evidence. In response to this query, the apostle Paul said, "How are the dead raised up? "And what body do they come with?" Paul did not state: "That is a strange question! Why do you ask, "What BODY do they come from, and how are the dead to be raised?" Are you unaware that only the body dies and needs to be resurrected, while the soul never dies? No! Paul did say, however: ""You foolish ones!...You do not sow that body that will be . . . but God gives it a body as it has pleased him, and to every seed his own body." (I Corinthians 15:35-38) What could be more straightforward than that? According to Isaiah 53:12, the Messiah's soul dies along with his body: "he has poured out his soul unto death." Therefore, it is the soul, not the body, that will be raised from the dead. God will assign each soul a body that suits it, based on the seed sown during this lifetime.(42) Psalm 73:24–25 is another passage that is occasionally cited to support the idea that the righteous receive their eternal reward upon death: "You will guide me with Your counsel, and then receive me to glory." You are the only person I have in heaven. " We presume that the contention is that the author of this Psalm, Asaph, went to heaven after passing away. But verse 23's first line, which is frequently omitted when quoting it, reads, "Nevertheless, I am continually with you." The apparent thought is that Asaph was seeking Jehovah in this life. There is no mention of Asaph going to heaven, even though Jehovah is undoubtedly in heaven. He would be received to glory, it is said. Paul clarifies that there are various types of glory. (1 Corinthians 15:40–41) Receiving glory does not guarantee that glory will be in heaven. Asaph will be redeemed "afterward" to the full crown of glory that became marred due to sin, but which will be regained during the last day. (Psalm 8:4-6; Hebrews 2:6-9) Once more, those who adhere to their traditional doctrines of men are merely searching for passages of scripture in which they hope to "read" something that does not exist.
John 14:2
(43) Since the Father's house is believed to be in heaven, John 14:2 is frequently cited as evidence that Jesus' disciples go to be with him after they die. Actually, Jesus did not say that he would prepare a place for his followers in heaven, even though we all agree that the Father's house is in heaven. More than likely, however, Jesus was referring to his close followers who were called to share in his heirship in the kingdom. (Romans 8:17) We know that these do -- in the last day during Jesus' parousia -- join Jesus on the throne atop Mount Zion in heaven. (John 6:39,40,44,54; 11:24; Revelation 14:1; Hebrews 12:22) Jesus says, "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," but they don't get this inheritance until he returns. (John 14:3) Therefore, Jesus did not inform them that they would be taken to heaven to be with him right away after they died. No, but he did assure them that they would accompany him when he returns. Revelation 20:6 mentions this as the first resurrection. John 14:2 fails to provide any evidence that one is taken immediately to heaven when they die.
"Conscious Sleep"? -- John 17:24, Romans 8:18, 1 Corinthians 13:12,13; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:21,23; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation, chapters 4,5,7,12; Revelation 5:9; 14:3; 6:10; 7:15; and 20:4
(44) Many quote or reference the above scriptures as alleged proofs of the conscious existence of the human soul after death. Nevertheless, none of these texts express what proponents of the "conscious sleep" theory would like them to. Jesus was talking about the day of his return in John 17:24, not the state of the dead, for he prayed that those whom Jehovah had given would be with him when he returned, not at the moment of their death. (John 14:3) When Christ returns, the sons of God will be revealed, according to Romans 8:18. In 1 Corinthians 13:12, the resurrection is mentioned; there is no mention there of souls remaing conscious the moment of death. The question of whether those who belong to Christ are at home, finding comfort in our current body of flesh, or present in spirit with God, that is, walking by the spirit, is addressed in 2 Corinthians 5:8 (see our links to related studies). Paul's wish to return—incorrectly translated as "depart" in many translations — in the resurrection so that he might be with Christ is mentioned in Philippians 1:21,23 (see links to related studies). Hebrews 12:23 says nothing about being in heaven while dead, only that the church of the first-born is recorded in heaven. The book of Revelation is given in symbols, and much said therein is figurative. Nevertheless, nothing about what happens to the redeemed during the sleep of death is mentioned in Revelation chapters 4, 5, 7, or 12. The saints — not merely God's heirs, but joint-heirs with Jesus — who participate in the first resurrection and sit on the throne alongside Jesus are mentioned in Revelation 5:8–10, 14:1–4, and 20:4. Again these verses are not about going to heaven at death, but rather of reward to be given in the last day when these are raised from the dead. (Revelation 20:6; 14:1-3) In Revelation 6:9–10, John witnesses the dead souls of those who were alive when the Lamb opens the fifth symbolic seal. These souls—not bodies—are dead, not alive, as evidenced by the fact that they have been slain. But figuatively the souls scream for retribution. They can't actually scream out if they're dead. However, they can do similar to the way that Abel's blood cried forth. (Genesis 4:10) In Revelation 7:15, we find a group of Christ's disciples being referred to who come out of the great tribulation -- the time of trouble at the end of the age; thier reward takes place during Christ's return. It says nothing about the condition of the dead while they are asleep in death. (Daniel 12:1; Revelation 7:14-17) As a result, we can observe that none of the scriptures mentioned indicate that the sleeping dead are conscious; rather, they all refer to the resurrection or the during the second coming of Christ.
(45) It should be clear from what we have seen thus far that the scriptural response to our query is straightforward: All of the dead, both good and bad, are in one location, sheol, which is the grave—not the actual grave, but the state of death. Although many attempt to explain away the straightforward statements, the Bible is quite clear about the state of the dead. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work, or planning, or knowledge, or wisdom in Sheol, there where you go." (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Green's Literal Translation) "All go into one place. All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." (Ecclesiastes 3:20) "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary [including the weary in well-doing] be at rest. There the prisoners [of death] rest together. They hear not the voice of the oppressor. The small and the great are there." (Job 3:17-19) Therefore, the scriptures teach that THE DEAD ARE DEAD -- they are living a conscious existence somewhere without their present body.
Immortality and the Believer
(46) Some people say they don't think human souls are inherently immortal, but they do think that Jesus' disciples become immortal through regeneration. According to some, "only God is immortal in one sense. Read 1 Timothy 6:11-16 to learn that he is the only one with immortality. " 1 Timothy 6:15–16, which speaks of Jesus, "the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, living in light that is unapproachable, which no man has seen, nor can he see." This, we believe, is not a reference to Jehovah God who spoke through the prophets of old (Hebrews 1:1,2), but rather to Jesus, the Son of Jehovah. Of the kings and lords mentioned here, only Jesus had attained immortality (Greek: athanasia, or deathlessness) at that time. He was then, and continues to be, living in the light that is invisible to and inaccessible to humans. This verse has nothing to do with the hypothetical notion that "only God is immortal in one sense." God is, of course, the only being who has ever been immortal from eternity past. He has always been and always will be without death, while everyone else had a beginning. and all created living things were made with the potential to die, even if they aren't actually under the death penalty, as Adam came to be and, through Adam, all of Adam's descendants. (Romans 5:12-19) But none of them could ever be condemned to death if God had given them inherent immortality. In other words, some claim that Adam was created immortality, but that he lost that immortality due to his disobedience. We believe that such confuses the Hebrew and Greek terms often rendered as "everlasting life" with the word "immortality". God certainly gave to Adam the life everlasting (ongoing life), as long he obeyed. If he disobeyed, he lost the everlasting (ongoing) life.
(47) Some, however, may ask: "What about 2 Timothy 1:10, though? This proves that the believer becomes immortal, doesn't it?" Although it is true that those who prove themselves worthy of the resurrection — who are Jesus' joint-heirs — will be granted immortality, this is not because God created all men "with immortal souls" or at death, but rather during the first resurrection. According to the King James Version, 2 Timothy 1:10 states: "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality [Greek, aphtharsia, more correctly render "incorruptiblity" -- not athanasia] to light through the gospel." Note that Jesus "abolished death". Death wouldn't need to be done away with if man were already immortal because it wouldn't be possible. The apostle alludes to those who aspire to immortality, honor, and glory in Romans 2:7. However, in contrast to 1 Timothy 6:15–16 and 1 Corinthians 15:53–54, the apostle Paul does not use the Greek word athanasia here. Aphtharsia is Strong's #861 in Greek. Another translation of this word in the King James Version is "incorruption." Jesus was the first human being to live a life fully incorrupted by sin. Thus, he brought incorruptiblity to light, thereby condemning sin the flesh. (Romans 8:3) However, what does it signify that Jesus as brought to light "immortality" and life with the Good News? Jesus had no sin whatsoever. Neither the influences of the demon (spirit) world nor anything in this world ever corrupted him. But of humanity, doomed by Adam's transgression, we read: "All flesh has corrupted his way upon the earth." (Genesis 6:12) "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) "In Adam all are dying." (1 Corinthians 15:22) By avoiding corruption (by committing sin) and offering his flawless life in exchange for Adam and his race, Jesus eliminated death and made for one to justified, counted as righteous -- for everyone. (Romans 5:18) All of this was revealed by the Gospel (Good News), which showed that a perfect man whose mind is in perfect harmony with God could live without corruption. In our present bodies, we cannot actually be without sin as he was, but through his sacrifice, we can become new creatures in Christ and thus God views us as without sin. Through the developement of perfect faith, we can "put on incorruptiblity". Eventually, however, all who will live forever will become without sin, in order to live forever. -- 1 Corinthians 15:53–54 (Also see our studies: Resurrection Bodies and With What Kind of Bodies Will We be Raised?) .
(49) Nevertheless, one expressed this idea: "As a result of the Messiah's atonement eternal death no longer exists for the believer. Spiritual death," we were told, "is vanquished more and more in this life and completely when the child of God departs from his earthly enclosure. And physical death has been turned into gain." It is true that, in Jehovah's view, the eternal death that was inherited from Adam is no longer for the believer if by "eternal death," one means that death. As far as God is concerned, that death ceases to exist once a person appropriates the benefits of Jesus' death for himself. After that, the individual is recorded as alive rather than deceased. While the Bible does not speak of "spiritual death", it does mention people who are either regarded as justified and alive in God's eyes or as dead because of sin. See also our study: The Wages of Sin - Spiritual Death?
(50) However, the claim has been presented that "man is immortal, but only in the sense that his existence never ends, and that only those who have everlasting life in Christ Jesus and are destined to glorify him forever as to both soul and body are called immortal in the Bible." This idea apparently holds that there is no need to provide scriptures that unequivocally affirms that man's existence is eternal. It is simply accepted be true. Those would make such a claim never cite a single scripture that says as much, and they would have come to the conclusion that all of the scriptures that assert that man's existence is temporary are not actually true, or that such scriptures only speak of the body, but not the imagined part of man that exists forever. Furthermore, it is not actually scriptural that "only those who have everlasting life in Christ Jesus are called immortal in the Bible." The Bible makes no mention of this. It mentions people who have to "put on immortality." At that time, they were not immortal. According to the scripture, they were alive [in God's sight], but this does not imply that they were actually immortal prior to the resurrection.
Are Any Conscious In Hell?
(51) Sheol is the name given to the grave, gravedom, or death-state in the Hebrew scriptures (generally referred to as the Old Testament) where all the dead are at rest (Strong's 7585). The Hebrew scriptures contain 65 instances of this word in total. However, the widely used King James Version does not consistently translate it as "grave." The translations are three times "pit," thirty-one times "grave," and thirty-one times "hell." In the King James Version of the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament), the word "hell" appears precisely thirty-one times; in other words, the only Hebrew word that is translated as "hell" is the word "sheol." The Greek word Hades, which also occurs in the "New Testament" to refer to the same state, the death-state, is equivalent to the Hebrew Sheol. This is demonstrated by the fact that the apostles Peter and Paul used the Greek word Hades to translate the Hebrew word Sheol into their writings in two different quotations. Compare Hosea 13:14 with I Corinthians 15:55, and Psalm 16:10 with Acts 2:27. In the last text, note that the word "grave" has the word "hell" in the margin next to it in KJV Bibles.
(52) It is crucial that we understand that the Bible's use of the terms Sheol and Hades does not include the idea of eternal torment related to those words. Let's examine Job's statement: "O that thou wildest hide me in sheol" — if Sheol were a location or state of perpetual agony, that would be an odd wish! "That thou wildest keep me secret" "Until thy wrath [the present time of sin and evil] be past, that thou wildest appoint me a set time, and remember me [in the resurrection day]!" is the true idea; Sheol is the hidden state or condition of death. "If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time [in death] will I wait, till my change [in the resurrection] come. Thou shalt call [John 5:28, 29], and I will answer thee [by being awakened from death]; thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands." -- Job 14:13-15 KJV.
(55) We have also been presented with the claim that at times Sheol is a place of torture for the wicked, (Deuteronomy 32:22; Psalm 9:17; 55:15; Proverbs 15:11,24; etc.), but also that Sheol probably refers to the grave in instance(Genesis 44:29,31; I Kings 2:6,9), and tthen that in some other instances it means "state of death," "disembodied existence" (I Samuel 2:6; Isaiah 38:10). Actually, we find nothing in these scriptures to actually gives reason to make such claims. We have examined the scriptures presented in our study, "Sheol and Hades in the Bible". The only reasons we can see to make such claims would be to support the idea that the dead are not really dead, and man's assumptions that the soul or spirit of bad people will eternally suffer after death. We have found, that the meaning of Sheol as "the realm [or state] of death" fits every instance of the word in the Bible. In every instance, Sheol could and should very properly be rendered "the realm of death." Ecclesiastes 9:5,10, however, plainly states the condition of those in the "state of death".
(57) "If Sheol is never a place of pain, how can Moses tell us that God's anger burns there (Deuteronomy 32:22)?" is another query that has been presented to us. However, Deuteronomy 32:22 does not say what is being read into the verse. It states that God's wrath will burn (against the people of Israel) to the point where they reach the lowest levels of death, not that it burns in the lowest hell. Such would depict that their demise would be of the most shameful kind, not merely a routine one. Scriptures make sense if we just consider what the context is saying; we don't need to supplement them with Jewish Hellenist ideas. -- Titus 1:14.
(58) Added to the above question is: "How then is it that believers faced death with joyful expectation (Numbers 23:10; Psalm 16:9-11; 17:15; 73:24-26) if the Law and the Prophets teach that everyone goes to the dreary abode of the sheol at death?" Let us look at these scriptures.
(59) Upon examining Numbers 23:10, we discover that Balaam did not anticipate death with joy, but rather that he wished to die the death of the righteous, evidently having a fear that his death would be considered a death of the unrighteous. We should look closely at the context. (Numbers 22:1–24:25) Balaam was actually in fear of loosing his his life because he knew he had sinned. Realizing that he had sinned, he prayed that his death not be counted with the unrighteous. (Numbers 22:4-7; 23:17-22; 25:1-3) However, we find that Balaam did not die the death of the righteous. Instead, he died with the Midianites, whom Jehovah had cursed. (Numbers 25:16-18; 31:8) When we consider the context, we can see that Numbers 23:10 does not give an example of a believer anticipating death with joy.
(62) Isaiah 14:9 is occasionally cited as evidence that the saints will be able to identify one another in heaven. As seen in Isaiah 14:4, this passage illustrates the end of Babylon's dominance over the world. The context makes it clear that neither the saints nor an alleged afterlife are being referred in this passage. Much that is written Isaiah 14 is figurative. Sheol is a symbol of devastation. Sheol's being moved to meet Babylon refers to the destruction of Babylon. The "dead"—that is, all of the earth's rulers — are roused when Babylon is destroyed. The kings of all the nations are metaphorically exalted to their thrones from a state likened to death. During Babylon's heyday, every other nation held little power; as if buried, the other nations had were in state of silence. As a nation, Babylon was not to be buried in the same manner as the other nations. Babylon would be treated different from the outside world. However, the fall of Babylon excites all other nations. (Isaiah 14:4–23). Babylon's destrcition was permaent, therefore, Babylon has long since vanished, even though we still have Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, and other nations with us today. Babylon did not simply fall into a slumber as the other rulers are depicted in sheol. The empire of Babylon has vanished forever! Therefore, Isaiah 14 makes no mention of whether or not the deceased who are supposed to go to heaven after death will be able to identify one another there. Isaiah 14 contains no evidence to back up Satan's false claim that we do not die. Therefore, it is clear once more that the Bible's hope is not in the purported immortality of a soul or spirit being that survives the body, but rather in the resurrection of souls from Sheol/Hades. "And the dead that were in the sea were released. The dead that were within them were brought up by Death and Hades. (Revelation 20:13) What a wonderful prospect!
(63) This passage's entire context makes it clear that it is a figurative. Otherwise, it makes no sense to conclude that we will never experience eternal bliss unless we are destitute beggars with numerous wounds; if we happen to dress in exquisite linen, wear purple, and eat lavishly every day, then we will be subject to torment in the future. Furthermore, if taken literally, the poor are taken to Abraham's physical bosom rather than to heaven. The passage's context, however, demonstrates that Christ was imparting a significant dispensational truth in this parable: the shift in favor from the Mosaic Law Covenant to the Covenant of Faith. (Luke 16:16-18; Galatians 3:6-29) If you carefully read the 32nd chapter of Deuteronomy, you will see that Jesus was just restating, in a story-like figurative manner, what Moses had said. Verses 20 to 29 are especially noteworthy, as is Paul's citation of the 21st verse in Romans 10:19, which demonstrates that Moses' prophecy alluded to Israel's destruction as a result of Jesus' rejection of that country.
Notes to paragraph 63:
It appears that Jesus was referencing the apostate Jewish belief system of his time, which incorporated Greek mythology into the Bible. While many Jewish leaders did believe in these myths, not all did. However, Jesus was addressing a group of Pharisees who were aware of these beliefs. Instead of endorsing their apostate mythology, he used their own beliefs to demonstrate the transformation he had just discussed: "The law and the prophets were until John." -- Luke 16:16.
Jesus' use of this parable to support the idea of eternal roasting after death is incompatible with God's justice, as justice requires that man's life be forfeited for sin (Genesis 2:17), because "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and because God says that "all the wicked will he destroy" (Psalm 145:20). Therefore, to think that God's would keep the wicked alive in order to witness their unending suffering would be a violation of not only his justice, but also his love. Additionally, such a idea would violate God's wisdom, for wisdom devises plans which useful ends are attained. There is surely no useful purpose in keeping the rich man eternally in a place of torture.
Revelation 20:13 plainly states that all in hades will be brought back for the judgment day, after which those who prove themselves to be disobedient will be destroyed in the lake of fire. Of course, the parable makes no mention of the rich man staying in hades for all eternity. -- See also Hosea 13:14; Revelation 20:14. The entire testimony of the rest of the Bible, which demonstrates that sheol/hades is a condition of oblivion, silence, and destruction, would have to be either disregarding or otherwise explained away if the rich man were actually in flames in hades. -- Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalm 6:5; 115:17; 146:3,4; Isaiah 38:18; 63:16; Job 14:21; etc. Our study, Sheol and Hades in the Bible, exams every instance in the Bible where these words are found.
God's declared intention to bless all the heathens in the coming era would also be in conflict with the notion that the rich man will literally suffer eternally in flames. -- Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; Psalm 72:11; 82:8; 86:9; 102:15; Isaiah 2:2; 25:7; 52:10; Galatians 3:8; Revelation 15:4; 22:2. -- See our study, "The Restoration of All Things".
It would also go against the foundation of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus, which is made abundantly evident in Hebrews 2:9, 1 Timothy 2:6, 1 Corinthians 15:3, 21:22, Romans 5:12-19 and other scriptures that teach that Christ died for our sins — not that he endured eternal torment. According to the prophecy of Isaiah 53:4–12, our Lord would pour out his soul to die in order to pay our penalty, which is death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23), without any thought that the wages of sin is eternal torment. All men dying in Adam will be saved as a result of this ransom, rather than the great majority suffering indefinitely, as many have supposed. (1 John 2:2; 1 Timothy 4:10) See our study, The Ransom for All.
(65) The Pharisees and Scribes would never even eat with anyone they deemed to be a sinner. (Matthew 9:11) They treated those whom they considered as Jewish sinners as though they were lawless Gentiles, including Jesus himself. Nevertheless, it was members of this lowly class who recognized themselves as being sinners who embraced the teachings of the Messiah. Some of his apostles were ordinary fishermen, while Matthew, one of them, was a tax collector. (Mark 1:16,19; Matthew 10:3) The religious elite of the day did not acknowledge Jesus or any of Jesus' discples. These lowly Jews who followed Jesues were despised and deemed to be not righteous to as were the revered Pharisees, learned Scribes, and Doctors of the Law. The Pharisees even concluded that Jesus, who was spoken of as friend of sinners and publicans, was a dangerous individual who should not be permitted to live. (Matthew 12:14) According to the Jewish leaders, Jesus and his followers were all outside the gates and were not entitled to God's special favors and blessings because those Jewish leaders considered them to not of the "righteousness" of the Law. The first members of the "Lazarus" classification were these humble Jewish disciples of Jesus, and Jesus himself, thus, the Christ, head and body. -- 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 3:6; 5:23.
(67) Only after being presented to the Jewish table (occupied by the rich man) and rejected by everyone but a remnant of the Jewish Lazarus class, who would pursue righteousness by faith, could the message, blessings, and opportunities reach the Gentiles. (John 1:11,12; Romans 1:15; 2:9,10; 11:5; Matthew 22:3-10) Note that, in accordance with the parable, the Syrophenician woman received some of the "crumbs," just as Lazarus did. She stated: "True, Lord. Yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." (Matthew 15:27; Mark 7:28) Jesus' response was: "'O woman, your faith is great. Let it be to you even as thou desire.' And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." (Matthew 15:28) This corresponds well with Jesus' illustration in his parable, showing the rich man was seated at the children's table when Jesus handed her the crumb of faith.
(69) In the context of his parable, Jesus also stated: "Whoever puts away his wife, and marries another, commits adultery: and whoever marries her that is put away from her husband commits adultery." (Luke 16:18) Again, this would see to many to be unrelated to the parable. However, we believe it is indeed related to what Jesus stated related to the death of the rich man, and death of Lazarus, as spoken of in his parable.
The Death of the Rich Man
(76) So the rich man speaks to Abraham to request that he should send Lazarus, the Messiah. The rich man wanted Lazarus to dip his finger in water and put a drop of water on rich man's tongue so that the rich man may recieve just a small relief from his torments. (Luke 16:24) Please note that the rich man did not request Lazarus for this water, but rather he requested that Abraham send Lazarus. The Jewish leaders were still not wanting to acknowledge that Jesus was their Messiah. Abraham had promised the Messiah, as the seed of Abraham. Thus, the Jews sought to have a Messiah sent from Abraham on their own terms. The rich nan is not here really wanting to receive help from the Jesus and the his followes -- who are represent by Lazarus. The rich man spoke, not to Lazarus, but to Abraham, and asked for water from Lazarus -- the Messiah. The Jewish leaders began to realize that something was happening. Nevertheless, they did not want to admit that they had missed the Messiah. They wanted Messiah to deliver -- save -- them, but on their own terms. (Romans 9:31,32; 10:3) They are depicted as seeing Lazarus from afar. They wanted a Messiah, someone to save them from the agony they had entered. They specifically wanted to be freed from the Roman yoke. The Zealots publicly rebelled against Roman rule in May of 66 CE, joining the Sadducees and Pharisees. Before giving up the fortress of Jotapata, the Jews repelled the Roman armies for 47 days under the command of a Pharisee named Joseph Ben Matthias, also known as Flavius Josephus. The Jewish leaders were telling Abraham to "send Lazarus over to us, that he may cool our tongue" by looking for salvation from a different source than faith in Jesus. Going back to the parable, Abraham reminded the wealthy man that while Lazarus had bad things in life, he had good things. The rich man had been favored with the Law and the Prophets. "To them were committed the oracles of God." (Romans 3:2) However, the death of both turned the matters around, so that Lazarus was in God's favor and, except for a small remnant who accepted Jesus, Israel had become desolate and hardened. (Matthew 23:28; Luke 13:35; Romans 11:5-8) On the other hand, as Lazarus was blessed after death, so those represented by Lazarus were comforted by the promises made to and concerning the Messiah. -- Luke 16:25; Acts 9:31; 2 Corinthians 1:3-6.
The Chasm
(77) Abraham then tells the rich man that he and the rich man are separated by a huge chasm (gap, canyon, gulf). In harmony with the scriptures, we conclude that this chasm stands for the distinction between seeking righteousness through the Law and having faith in Jesus. In an attempt to reconcile faith in the Messiah with the pursuit of righteousness by the Law, the rich nan, who stood in for those who adhered to the Law and rejected Jesus as the Messiah, were unable to cross thc chasm so as to be blended the other side. Similarly, Lazarus, who stood for people who are justified by faith in Jesus alone, independent of the Law's requirements, was unable to bridge the divide and unite the two opposed factions. Having become dead to the Law, any individual Jew who believes in Jesus would be represented in the Lazarus class. The rich man class would stand in for any individual Jew who persisted in pursuing righteousness in accordance with the Law. One or the other, but not both, may stand in for the Jew. In other words, seeking righteousness by the Law and accepting righteousness via faith in the Messiah are incompatible. Crossing the gulf would mean attempting to bring redemption by the deeds of the Law to Lazarus' side or attempting to bring salvation by faith in the Messiah to the rich man's side, but neither is possible. -- Galatians 2:16, 21.
NOTE to Paragraph 78: Some have wondered why Jesus spoke of "five" brothers. We note that there would actually be six brothers, if one includes the Rich Man. The number six in the Bible appears to often refer to imperfection, or a crooked [unjustified], sinful condition. We believe that it is possible the use of six brothers may refer to the unjustified condition of the six brothers who continued to seek justification under the Law, but which actually only brings one of the curse of the Law. -- Acts 13:39; Romans 3:20; 8:3; 9:30-32; Galatians 2:21; 3:10,13,21.
And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. -- American Standard Version.
For he looked for the city which hath the foundations, whose builder and maker is God. -- Hebrews 11:10, American Standard Version.But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. -- Hebrews 11:16, American Standard Version.
(84) Those who practice this active faith in Jesus are considered as having been made alive. (Romans 6:11; refer to John 5:24). They do not actually have life; rather, God, who calls things that are not as though they were (Romans 4:17), reckons, imputes, or counts (Greek: logizomai) justification to life to them since they have accepted the provision he has provided for them in Christ and since his justice has been satisfied by Christ's death. -- Romans 3:28; 4:5,6,11,23,24
(89) We conclude that all the justified who are pictured as being of the 12 tribes have become "dead in the Christ", but only the 144,000 who are sealed out of the 12 tribes obtain the prize of the high calling by be joint-sacrificers with Christ, sacrificing their reckoned "living bodies". (Romans 12:1) Those dead in Christ are reckoned, counted, as being dead to sin, as represented in his flesh condemned in Adam. (Romans 6:11; 8:10) This is not speaking of the joint-sacrfice with Christ as spoken of in Romans 8:17, but rather of being justified and made alive as sons of God, as was Adam before Adam sinned. We have thus concluded that there are groups spoken of in Revelation 7: (1) The twelve tribes a larger group of justified believers; (2) the 144,000 sealed out of the twelve tribes and then another grop that are spoken of as a great multitude. Nevertheless, that being dead in Christ is not speaking of the sacrifice with Christ can be seen from Romans 12:1, where the already justified and made alive sons of God, who are already dead to sin as represented in the condemnation of thier flesh through Adam, are entreated to present their bodies as a living sacrifice. Thus, while being made alive does make one dead to the sinful flesh, that is not the sacrifice with Christ that makes one a joint-heir with Christ. The 144,000 of Revelation 7 and 14 are They pictured as standing on the Mt. Zion in heavenly Jerusalem -- Revelation 2:10; I John 3:2; Philippians 3:21; Revelation 14:1. To understand more fully, we recomment that one prayerfully examine our studies revelated to the groups of Revelation 7.
And [God] will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering that covereth all peoples, and the veil [of blindness -- 2 Corinthians 4:3,4; Revelation 12:9] that is spread over all nations. He hath swallowed up death for ever; and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Jehovah hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is Jehovah; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. -- American Standard Version.
The Second Death
Hell traditionally denotes the place or state of being of unrepentant souls who are damned to eternal punishment after death. Derived from the Old Teutonic word hel, meaning "to conceal" or "to cover," the word hell is used in English translations of the Bible to represent both the Hebrew Sheol, an ethically neutral underworld for the departed, and the Greek Gehenna, the underworld for the punishment of the wicked from which the Christian concept of hell developed. -- "Hell", The New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia (TM) (c) 1991 Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc.
hell n. 1. The abode of the dead in ancient traditions; underworld. 2. Often Hell. In many religions, the abode of condemned souls and devils; the place of punishment for the wicked after death. 3. A place or situation of evil, misery, discord, or destruction: into the hell of battle. 4. a. Torment; anguish: went through hell on the job. b. Someone or something that causes trouble, agony, or annoyance: He's hell when a job is poorly done. 5. Hell. Christian Science. Mortal belief; sin or error. 6. A sharp scolding: gave him hell for cheating. 7. a. A tailor's receptacle for discarded material. b. A hellbox. 8. Used as an intensive: How the hell can I go? You did one hell of a job.- intr. v. helled, helling, hells. Informal. To behave riotously; carouse: out all night helling around.-interj. Slang. Used to express anger, disgust, or impatience.-idioms. hell or ( or and) high water. Informal. Troubles or difficulties of whatever magnitude: We're staying, come hell or high water. hell to pay. Informal. Bad trouble to be faced: If he's wrong, there'll be hell to pay. [ME helle < OE] -- American Heritage Dictionary, Copyright (C) 1982 by Houghton Mifflin Company All Rights Reserved.
The dictionary defines "hell" as "the abode of the dead," but we think that "the realm of death" would be a more accurate definition. Please note that according to the Grolier Encyclopedia, the English term "hell" is derived from the Tuetonic word "hel," which means "to cover or conceal." Consequently, it aligns with the Bible's description of Sheol as given in Ecclesiastes 9:10. One translation renders sheol as in Ecclesiastes 9:10 as "the realm of the dead": "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom." (New International Version) There is no scripture in the Old Testament that contradicts the description of sheol as given in Ecclesiastes 9:10.
The Meek Inherit the Earth
(116) During Jesus' millennial reign, those who are unjustified in this age will be taught righteousnes (Isaiah 2:2-4; 26:9) and given a full opportunity to prove themselves obdient to Jesus and righteousness. Not all will prove themselves to be righteoues in that day of righteousness (Isaiah 26:10; Revelation 20:13-15), but when Satan is released after the millennial reign, those who resist Satan and prove themselves loyal to God to righteousness, will depart to everlasting life while those who prove themselves unrighteous will depart be consumed by figurative destructive fire, and will be then that the wicked one will be no more. and the righteous will inherit the earth (Psalm 37:9-11; Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:7-9) The meek will then inherit the earth, completely free of death, sorrow, crying, and pain. (Psalm 37:29; Matthew 5:5; Revelation 20:1-5) These will have learned righteousness fully and thus will be able worship God in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) All of this is included when we pray for God's Kingdom to come, and for His will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:10) This is truly good news of great joy that will be for all the people! -- Luke 2:10.
The Dead In Sheol/Hades
(117) Before the day of judgment, however, the dead are spoken of as being in what is transliterated from the Hebrew as "Sheol". Job requested: "Grant that in Sheol you would hide me until your anger is past, that you would set a time for me, and remember me." (Job 14:13) He did not request that he be remembered when he died so that he could be taken to heaven (or, as some prefer, paradise) on the day he died. He was speaking of a time when he would be raised out of Sheol and brought back to life. Jesus spoke of the same time, when he said: "Do not be surprised at this, for the hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice: those who did good will forth to life; and those who did evil will come forth to judgement." Paul even shows that the resurrection is mankind's only hope for a future life: "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then the Messiah has not be raised either", "and if the Messiah has not been raised, your faith is pointless and you have not, after all, been released from your sins. In addition, those who have fallen asleep in the Messiah are utterly lost." (1 Corinthians 15:13,17,18, New Jerusalem Bible) While some present some scriptures which are claimed to refer to being alive at the time of the death of the a person's body, a examination of the scriptures presented actually does support the concept being read into those scriptures.
(119) We do learn from the Bible that the sould dies and goes into the oblivous condition of Sheol (Hades in the New Testament), and that it is the soul that is to be raised in the last day. "Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4, American Standard Version) "Death and Hades were emptied of the dead that were in them; and every one was judged as his deeds deserved." (Revelation 21:14, New Jerusalem Bible) Regarding the soul of Jesus, we read: "For you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you give Your Holy One to see corruption." (Acts 2:27; quoted from Psalm 16:10, New Jerusalem Bible) Jesus' soul, however, was raised three days after he died; he did not need to wait until the last day as everyone else does. However, it is important to realize that Bible never presents any idea that the human soul is immortal or that never dies, etc. The Biblical hope for future life is in the resurrection, not on the idea that when one person dies, it is only his body that dies and the soul (or spirit) continues to be concsious. Once the scriptures are understood properly, one can see that the heathen idea of the immortality of the soul is not found in the Bible.
(120) Scriptures pertaining the transfiguration of Moses and Elijah are often cited. The claim is that these scriptures prover that Moses and Elijah were still alive, and that thus it is thought to prove that the soul (or spirit) is immortal and continues to live after the death of the body. We have read several arguments presented by some who claim that these scriptures offer proof of the immortal soul, and prove that the dead are not unconscious but conscious. So far, we have found many who claim that tha the vesrses prove this or that, but this is simply speculation, based on their desire to believe that the soul is immortal, etc. What are these scriptures actually saying? Let us take a close look.
(121) There is no mention at all of the souls of either Elijah or Moses anywhere in these scriptures. Nothing is said about the soul or spirit of Elijah and Moses being in heaven or paradise, as many like to assume. So all this has to be assumed and read into what is stated. We read one who claimed that this was not vision, but a reality, and yet this same person later quotes Matthew 17:9, where Jesus told his disciples: :Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen from the dead." While the verse is quoted, the person evidently ignores the word "vision". It is highly unnlikely that Jesus would have chosen this word if he was not speaking of an actual vision. Some claim that the event proves that Elijah was literally taken to heaven where the angels are when he ascended a whirlwind. (2 Kings 2:11). We hope to discuss Elijah and the whirlwind later, but for now, we should note there is nothing in the scriptures that say when Elijah was taken up into the sky, that he went to the heavens where the angels are and that, due to his having an immortal soul, he already had everlasting life, which, of course, actually would mean that Moses had no need for Jesus to sacrfice his human soul on his behalf, since he was already immortal.
and be with Christ; for it is very far better. -- ASV.
{Philippians 1:21} For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.{Philippians 1:22} But if I live on in the flesh, this will bring fruit from my work; yet I do not know which I would choose,{Philippians 1:23} so I am in a dilemma between these two. I do have the desire to return and be with Christ, which is far better.{Philippians 1:24} Yet, to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake.
by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
King James Version
"The goad, according to that interpretation, would be that which perplexes the man who looks at things from the standpoint of the earth (under the sun'). Well as it looks from here, is it not true that men and beasts all die, and that when they die the lose all direct contact with this world? Are not all the same in that respect? But there is a nail, a solution. Viewed from the region of the sun, the author of Ecclesiastes knows that the lot of the righteous is not the same as that of the wicked (Ecclesiastes 2:26). Also he knows that there is, indeed, a life after death. Man's spirit does not go out of existence. On the contrary, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return to God who gave it.'" -- The Bible on the Life Hereafter, by William Hendricksen.
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight
wisdom, and knowledge, and joy:
but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up,
that he may give to him that is good before God.
(134) Not only this, but we find other statemetns in the Bible that agrees with Solomon's observations regarding man's subjection to vanity. "Surely every man standing is all vanity." (Psalm 39:5) "For the creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but through him subjecting it." -- Romans 8:20.
No comments:
Post a Comment