1 Corinthians 15:52
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
There are essential doctrinal questions that should bother Believers. Mankind has pondered the conundrum of Death. What happens when we die? Where are the dead and what are they doing if anything? Scripture addresses these questions head-on and is the only trustworthy source of information on which Believers can rely.
Please read John 11:11, and John 11:13-14. The Lord God states that dead believers are said to be sleeping. It does not say that souls sleep; but that the dead sleep. For instance, look at 1 Cor. 15:6, 1 Cor. 15:18, 1 Cor. 15:20, 1 Cor. 15:51. In these references, dead believers are said to be asleep. Use your concordance and find other examples in the Old and New Testaments.
If we are to believe The Scriptures, (and we most certainly do) we soon understand that mankind is a mere mortal. Man was not created immortal as were Angels and Principalities in Heavenly places. Therefore, we understand that the believing dead sleep, and this word sleep, is a euphemism for the word death or dead.
The correct nomenclature for a deceased Believer is, Asleep in Christ… awaiting that glorious day of Resurrection. In the original languages, the word sleep is not used of unbelievers. They die and stay dead until judgment 1 Cor. 15:22, Heb. 9:27.
Every false religion teaches that when a person dies, they are not dead; but live on in another form. Only The Bible teaches that when a person dies, they are dead until they are resurrected.
Now here is a shocker! The Bible says that dead believers know not anything, they are not conscious. Yet despite the clear verses of the Word of God, religious men (Traditionalists and the ungodly) will tell you that there is eternal conscious torment in hell for the unbelievers. If there was ever a lie, this is it. Read Psalm 146:4 and Ecc. 9:3-6. Are these verses not Scripture and are these verses not inspired?
In effect, when we die, it will be like going to sleep when we are very tired. One moment we are laying our head on the pillow, as it seems to us, and then we are waking up at the moment of our resurrection. Rest assured that Christ will call our name and we will hear it.
John 5:28, 29 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
That is why the Lord uses the euphemism, asleep or sleep in Christ. It is easy for mankind to understand as we all in one way lose conciseness and sleep each night and rise again the following day. There is not even a whisper in the Bible to indicate that folks raised from the dead could ever recount their experiences in the intermediate state of the dead, in so-called hell, which we now know to be the grave.
Note: The Scriptures everywhere speak of the dead as destitute of knowledge or speech:
Is King David to be believed? Were his words not God-breathed?
Psalm 6:5 declares that "In death there is no remembrance of thee'
In the grave (Heb. SHEOL) who shall give thee thanks?"
Psalms 30:9, “What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?”
Psalm 31:17, “Let them be silent in the grave (Heb. SHEOL).”
Psalms 88:11, “Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?”
Psalm 115:17, “The dead praise not the Lord; Neither any that go down into silence.”
Psalm 146:4 declares of man, "His breath goeth forth, He returneth to his earth; In that very day his thoughts perish."
Is Solomon to be believed? Were his words not God-breathed?
Ecclesiastes 9:4 For to him that is joined with all the living there is hope: for a living dog (unless man/gentile) is better than a dead lion (a King). For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything,
Ecclesiastes 9:6 “Their love, and their hatred, and their envy is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us plainly that “there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave (hell) where we all go at death.”
Isaiah 38:18, "For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth."
So is King David in hell/grave, (Hebrew Sheol) According to the Bible the answer is Yes! Will King David stay in hell/gravel? According to the Bible, the answer is No! Now if King David is still in hell/grave, even being one after God's own heart, then why would anyone else be raised other than Christ The First-fruits? David was the example whom every Israelite and most Christians look on as being a faithful and true servant. Now if he hasn't risen and gone to heaven why would other Christians think that they would? This is a doctrine where the Bible stands by itself.
Now to the question; when will we rise? The Bible supplies the answer:
The Scriptures tell us:
1Cor. 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Cor. 15:23 But every man in his own order: Christ the First-fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (His second coming)
This understanding of scripture, this doctrine, is a tremendous comfort and much easier to explain to young children. This understanding separates us from every Cult and False Religious system we encounter. It separates us from the commonly held understanding of godless mankind. Peter at the pearly gates comes to mind as does Hollywood movies. We now understand that hell is the grave and nothing to be feared and the grave is an undetermined period of time, between Death and Resurrection.
The Lord Himself has escaped from hell (grave) via resurrection and is the First-fruits of them that slept 1 Cor. 15:20, the firstborn from the dead Col. 1:18. He is the only one who has ascended to heaven John 3:13. The rest of the dead are still in hell (the grave) awaiting their time of resurrection.
Again, every false religion teaches that when a person dies, they are not dead, and live on in another form. Only The Bible teaches that when a person dies they are dead until they are resurrected.
Now when the Lord calls those that are His, will The Gates of Hell (the grave) be able to hold them? Do we have any assurance along this line of thought? What do the Scriptures say?
In Hebrews 2:14 the Scripture says ". . . that through death He (being Christ) might destroy him (the Devil) that had the power of death. His (the Lord's) servant Job was sure that he (Job) would answer when the Lord called Job. 14:15 and that resurrection (of the OT saints) happens at the end of the thousand years; what we call the millennium in the Book of Revelation see Rev. 20:6. Those in the dispensation of promise will arise at the coming of the Lord, each in his own order or group 1 Cor. 15:23. The believer can find many more Scriptures that refer to this hope. Use your concordance and look these verses up.
Secular booksellers have long touted near-death experiences but we have no evidence and never will have, that any of these stories are true!
When Christian Book Publishers print, and so-called Christian Book Stores merchandise; the reported experiences of men; further demonstrate the abject diminished understanding of the Word of God.
When Christian Television Networks showcase men and women claiming to have been in Heaven and Hell and further claim to be Prophets; yet they didn't see COVID-19 coming in 2020? These people are deceived and are deceiving others. Turn the channel. See Sid Roth's channel on YouTube. It is shameful what these people claim as their truth and shame on Mr. Roth for providing a platform.
Our Prayer: Heavenly Father thank you for Your Word and your wonderful Son Christ Jesus the Lord who came and died that all that believe might receive the gift of eternal life. Thank you Father in that Name which is above every name, the Name of Christ Jesus the Lord, Amen.
Additional Thoughts on the Subject of Death:
We have the Scriptures of truth: they reveal to us, in plain, direct, categorical, unmistakable words, that "the dead know not anything"; and that when man's breath goeth forth, "in that very day his thoughts perish." It is taken for granted, that we shall believe what God says in these and many other passages of His Word; and had we not been taught Romanist Tradition from our earliest years we should have at once seen that the popular interpretation of this passage is quite contrary to the whole analogy of Scripture. That it is unique, and stands out so isolated, by itself, that we should never for one moment think of accepting as truth, that which, if we know anything of His Word, we should instantly and instinctively detect as human tradition that has deceived millions into believing that Death is the gateway to Heaven. God calls death a curse and Tradition calls it a blessing. It denies the Power and the Necessity of Resurrection.
Unfortunately, we have been brought up for the most part on man's books, instead of the Bible. People draw their theology from hymns written by men who were saturated with tradition; who, when they did write a good hymn generally spoiled it in the last verse, by setting "death" as the church's hope, instead of Christ's coming. Hence hymns are solemnly sung which contain such absurd, paradoxical teaching as the singing of God's praises in Heaven, while our tongues see corruption, and "lie silent in the grave."
All these Traditions of Men passed into Romanism. This is why we read in the note of the English Romish Version (the Douay, Catholic Bible) on Luke 16: "The bosom of Abraham is the resting place of all them that died in the perfect state of grace before Christ's time - heaven, before, being shut from men. It is called in Zachary a lake without water, and sometimes a prison, but most commonly, of the Divines, 'Limbus Patnma,' for it is thought to have been the higher part, or brim, of hell", etc. Our Protestant friends do not recognize this fact; hence they have not wholly purged themselves from Romish error.
The Jews corrupted their religion by adopting the Pagan teachings of Greek Mythology. Romanism adopted these Jewish Traditions of prayers for the dead and added others of her own. The Reformed Churches took over Romish Traditions of Men, associated with the so-called Intermediate State, which they should have purged out. Instead of completing the Reformation with respect to such heathen traditions, most Christian Denominations’ are still clinging to them today. So tenaciously, they give Romanists, New Agers, Hinduism, and Spiritualists validation of their false teachings. All the while they reserve their wrath for those who, like ourselves, reject these false Traditions of Men.
The first promised judgment of God is Genesis 2:17.
KJV - for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Young’s Greek Translation
Gen 2:17 and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it dying thou dost die.'
The Original Hebrew also states dying thou dost die.
Note: Scripture does not say dying you will be alive in another form as does the Traditions of Men.
The first Lie recorded in Scripture is still accepted 6,000 years later:
Genesis 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, “God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”
Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die.”
But seeing the truth of God's word: that death means death, and cease to read the word as meaning life in another form and God's Word dismantles the central foundational dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. Gone is the worship of the Virgin Mary, the invocation of saints, prayers to or for the dead; and all the lies and falsehoods of "lying spirits" and "teachings of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1, 2), who would deceive, by personating deceased individuals of whom God declares their thoughts have perished.
2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Why? Because an entrenched, incontrovertibly taught Dogma, (Tradition) trumps a correct Exegesis every time. A simple rule for discernment is this. Does the teaching make God look foolish? i.e. Torturing nonbelievers for eternity? Does that sound like something Christ would do? The penalty for nonbelievers is Death. Many scriptures convey this truth; that the wages of sin is Death. Where in Scripture did God add the additional penalty of eternal torment? We have yet to lay our hands on those passages.
We do know the genesis of this false Doctrine. One misunderstood passage is Luke 16:19; The Rich Man and Lazarus. Jesus is NOT speaking a parable of his. He is repeating a Parable of the Pharisees. This subterranean place called Abraham's Bosom is 1st-century Sanhedrin nonsense and is what the Pharisees taught, and Christ is repudiating their teachings. He is mocking them. Does Lazarus (the beggar) fit the profile of a righteous Jew? Does the Richman deserve eternal torment just because he received his good things in life? How does this adhere to the teachings of the Law of Moses and the prophets?
Is The Lord teaching that there is a piece of real estate (in the Netherworld) called Abraham’s Bosom? Is he teaching that poor people go to Paradise and rich men go to Hell? Not for a minute… Not at all.[i]
Please read Luke:16:29-31 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, Father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. Christ’s point was the Pharisees did not…would not hear Moses and the prophets and when Christ raises a man named Lazarus the Sanhedrin decided to murder both Lazarus and the one who raised him!
Weeks later, Christ raises his friend Lazarus from the Dead. Please read John 11:45-57 The Plot to Kill Jesus and Lazarus.
John 11:11 Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
FYI: Jesus did not say that Lazarus was awake and in Heaven because Lazarus was Dead and starting to decay. He stinketh.
Paul's Warning Against Apostasy
Hebrews 5:11-14 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain since you have become dull of hearing. Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, those with powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
Just One More Thing: Actually nine more things.
Why has Christendom embraced these false Traditions of Men?
1. Virtually every religious radio and television Christian Ministry teaches the Traditions of Men; they proclaim that Death is the gateway to Heaven; not the resurrection from the dead, not the coming of Christ; the Believer’s blessed hope.
2. Most seminaries embrace these Traditions of Men and teach their students to do the same.
3. Bible illiteracy is at it’s zenith. Most Believers don't study or are at best, casual readers of the Bible.
4. The End Times falling away and the proliferation of False Teachers.
5. The Ecumenical Movement promotes unity between the different denominations thereby setting aside or ignoring things that differ.
6. Lack of faith. Many do not trust God to resurrect them with all their faculties intact that is their mind, will, emotions, memories, and abilities. God needs nothing of the Old Man's nature! It is corrupt!
7. People cherish the notion that their loved ones are in the arms of Jesus and not dead (as scripture teaches) in a cold, damp grave.
8. People believe what they want to believe regardless of evidence to the contrary.
9. The truth will split a church in two and get the Pastor fired.
Note: The Catholic doctrines of Intercession and Invocation were set forth by the Council of Trent, (1545-1563) which teaches that the saints who reign together with Christ, offer up their own prayers to God for men. Therefore, praying to the Virgin Mary and other saints availeth much. Note: Catholic saints who reign together with Christ (in Heaven) like Mary and Peter etc.; not the saints that are alive and still residing on the earth. Catholicism teaches that to be a saint, there must be three miracles attributable to you as a result of your prayers. Every time a Pope dies, a worldwide search for his miracles begins. Apparently, a high bar to be declared a saint in the Romanist Tradition.
Our Prayer: May we all prayerfully consider the testimony of God's Word concerning death and when the dead will live again. Thanks be to God that we have victory through Jesus Christ our Lord and that victory is in Him for He is the Resurrection and The Life.
[i] Flavius Josephus - Antiquities of the Jews
