What the Bible teaches about Death
Steven
V. Kroll
A subject that most people don’t even
want to think about but which surprisingly carries with it great fascination is
death. Death happens everyday. It is a fact of life. “Death” and “taxes,” as
the saying goes, “are two sure things in life.”
The truth is, many are scared to die.
Almost all people will go to great lengths to try and avoid death. If there
were only a pill that would give eternal life, most people would exert great
effort to earn enough money to buy such pill.
There are so many question about death
that people seek answers to. Our Creator, the Almighty God, has the answer to
these questions. Since it is He who gave us our life, He knows what will become
of us. If we want to know the way to life, then God is the One to teach us
through His words written in the Bible.
So let us set aside any pre-conceived
notions and let the words of God be our guide.
The
Uncertainty
One of the truly fearful things
regarding death is how it makes life so uncertain. Even if we have made plans
for the future, all can end in moment:
“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For
what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then
vanishes away.” (Js. 4:14, New King James Version)
Life is like a vapor that appears for
a little while and then vanishes away. It is uncertain as is the morning
fog-now you see it, soon it is gone.
What truly strikes fear in the hearts
of man is not so much that death will come, but the uncertainty of it all. Do
we really know what will happen tomorrow? We have so many plans for our life.
We plan to take vacation or to buy a new car. We have decided to go to school
we have always dreamed or see the world. Then, death comes-and what will become
of all those things which we have planned for? All these will end. This truth
is iterated in the following biblical passage:
“For every man must die. His breathing stops, life ends,
and in a moment all he planned for himself ended. (Ps. 146:4, Living Bible)
Where
are the dead?
Catholicism upholds the belief that a
person who dies immediately goes to heaven, hell or purgatory. Many believe
that we are either being guarded or threatened by the dead. Stemming also from
this view is the belief in haunted houses and ghosts which continue to be the
subject of books, movies, television shows, and even everyday conversations.
What happens to a person when he dies?
Where do the dead go? Can they help us? Can they harm us? The Bible makes it
very clear that the dead are in the grave:
“Adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the
grave, whom You remember no more, and who are cut off from Your hand.”
(Ps. 88:5, New
King James Version)
So, when a person dies, he does not go
immediately to heaven or hell but to the grave.
While the aforementioned verse does
not specify the soul, could it be possible that only the body is in the grave
and not the soul? God Himself declared:
“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as
well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die.”
(Ezek. 18:4, Ibid.)
The Bible makes it clear that the soul
dies. Not only does it die, but is also goes to the grave together with the
body:
“For our soul is bowed down to the dust; our body clings
to the ground.” (Ps. 44:25, Ibid.)
So, when a person dies, both body and
soul go to the grave and stay there not for just for a short period of time. In
other words, not just for three days, as some superstitiously believe. When a
person dies, he will stay in the grave until Judgment Day.
“But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his
last and where is he?
“So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are
no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep.” (Job 14:10,
12, Ibid.)
Notice
the question, “…and
where is he?” The answer that we seek is right in the passage: “…man lies down
and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more.” There is a
definite time given by the Bible and that time is when “the heavens are no more.” The
Scriptures clarifies the time when the “heavens shall pass away”:
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the element
will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will
be burned up.
“But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in
store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
(II Pt. 3:10, Ibid.)
The time when the dead will come out
of the grave or be resurrected is on Judgment Day. This is not only biblical
but also logical. Imagine for a moment, for the sake of argument, if it were
true that all the dead are in heaven, hell, or somewhere else-why would
there still be a need for Judgment Day? All the dead would have already been
judged and gone to their destination. But since all the dead are in the grave
after they die, there is still a need for Judgment Day. Then and only then will
the dead come out of the grave. This was taught by Christ Himself:
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which
all who are in the graves will hear His voice And come forth--those who have
done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the
resurrection of condemnation.” (Jn. 5:28-29, Ibid.)
Christ, referring to the dead or those
in the grave, said, “the hour is coming,” which tells us that this
is not in the present but rather in the future. Judgment Day is what Christ is
referring to here when the dead will come from the grave—not from hell, not
from alleged purgatory, but from the grave.
Thus, the Bible clearly teaches that
when a person dies, he will go to the grave and remain there until Judgment
Day. Let us not be deceived by those who would say or teach that our loved ones
are somewhere else besides the grave or the place where they have been buried.
The aforementioned verses of the Bible
should make us realize that the two basic beliefs of the Catholic Church
regarding purgatory and their so-called saints are unbiblical. By Catholic
definition, a saint is someone who had died and it in heaven and can mediate or
intercede in behalf of the living. What we would like to point out is that the
belief that there are people who had died and who are now in heaven, aside from
our Lord Jesus, is unbiblical. Remember that all dead, whether good or evil,
are in the grave and will remain there until Judgment Day. In like manner, not
only is purgatory never mentioned in the Bible, but even the belief that there
are dead people in a so-called middle state being “purged” from their sins goes
against biblical teachings.
Ghosts?
As mentioned in the first part of our discussion,
there are also many superstitious beliefs concerning the dead. Foremost is the
belief that the dead come back to visit the living. Many people believe in
ghosts and haunted houses. But what does the Bible say abut this? Will the dead
still go back to their house?
“As the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes
down to the grave does not come up. He shall never return to his house, nor
shall his place know him anymore.” (Job 7:9-10, Ibid.)
Here, we can see very clearly that the
dead will not return to their houses. Some may argue that they have had
so-called experiences of the dead returning to their house. But, remember that
the word of God in Holy Scriptures makes a very definite statement --- “He shall never
return to his house.”
Others might say that it is not the
physical body of the dead that returns but his spirit. The Bible testifies
about what happen to the spirit:
“Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the
spirit will return to God who gave it.” (Eccl. 12:7, Ibid.)
Remember that the dead cannot do
anything to us; neither can they do anything for us.
On the other hand, can the living do
anything for the dead for whom the latter can benefit? We know that there are
many who believe that by saying prayers, lighting candles, and performing
certain rituals, the living can help the dead. In some cases, they even believe
that actions or works done by the living can help the dead reach heaven. But
this is not true. According to the Bible, the living can do nothing to help the
dead:
“For the living know that they will die; but the dead know
nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
Also, their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore
will they have a share in anything done under the sun.” (Eccl.
9:5-6, Ibid.)
Notice the last part of the verse
which states, “Nevermore
will they have a share anything done under the sun.” What does this
means? Exactly what it says. The dead will never have a share in anything done under
the sun. This includes lighting of candles, saying prayers, saying Mass, doing
rituals, and all others.
Of
course, we remember the dead. There are friends and loved ones who have passed
away but whom we can never forget. But, we must remember that once a person
dies, there is nothing more that we can do to help him go to heaven. Biblically
speaking, when the reward is to be given, it will be based on what each individual has done not on what the living
have done for the dead:
“And
behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one
according to his work.” (Rev. 22:12, Ibid.)
So, the living should prepare them
selves for the life to come. We should not wait until it is too late or until
death claims our life.
The
dead who are fortunate
Time will come when we will die. We
will leave behind everyone and everything. Our hopes and dreams, our desires,
our loved ones, everything, in a moment, will come to an end. Who does the
Bible consider as fortunate or blessed at the moment of death?
“Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, ‘Write:
“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on’”. Yes,’ says the
Spirit,” that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them’.”
(Rev. 14:13, Ibid.)
Not all the dead will be considered
fortunate. The Bible is very specific---“the dead who die in the Lord” will be among
the fortunate ones.
Those who die in the Lord are very
fortunate or blessed because those in the Lord or those “in Christ” will no longer be
condemned:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are
in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 8:1, Ibid.)
Apostle Paul concluded that there is
no condemnation for those in Christ. Remember, not all the dead have this
promise; only those in Christ or those “in the Lord.” Thus, before Judgment Day comes, we should make sure that we are “in Christ.”
The phrase “in the Lord” or “in Christ”
refers to those who are in the “body of Christ.”
No one can truly be in Christ if he is not in the body of Christ. Apostle Paul
proves this:
“For as we have many members in one body, but all the
members do not have the same function, So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one
another.” (Rom. 12:4-5, Ibid.)
Those in Christ are in His body or are
“members”
of the one body, which is the Church:
“And He is the head of the body, the church.”
(Col. 1:18, Ibid.)
And this is the Church where Christ is
the head:
“Take head therefore to yourselves and to all the flock
over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of
Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts. 20:28, Lamsa
Translation)
If a person is a member of the church
of Christ, he is a member of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is the head of
the body, so He is the head of the members of the church of Christ. Therefore,
those who are members of the church of Christ are “in Christ” and, as such, will no
longer be condemned. This is one reason why it is stated in the Book of
Revelation that “Blessed
are the dead who die in the Lord.”
Rest
from their labors
There are other reasons why members of
the Church of Christ are considered fortunate or blessed. The Bible says, “they may rest
from their labors, and their works follow them.” (Rev. 14:13). How
can someone be given rest if he is already dead? How can we say that the
members of the Church of Christ are blessed if they are dead “in Christ,”
or the members of the Church of Christ who have died, will be resurrected
first:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the
dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And
thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (I Thess. 4:16-17, New King James
Version)
In the first resurrection, the dead in
Christ will come out of the grave and those who are alive in Christ will be
caught together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Notice
that not all the dead will join the first resurrection---only those who have
died in Christ---the members of the Church of Christ. If we desire to be
included in the first resurrection, then we should enter or join the Church of
Christ. This cannot be done after we die; it must be done now, while we are
alive.
The Bible teaches that after the first
resurrection, there will be a second resurrection. There is a great difference
between the first resurrection and the second resurrection. Those who will be
resurrected first are “greatly blessed”:
“Happy and greatly blessed are those who are included in
this first raising of the dead. The second death has no power over them; they
shall be priest of God and of Christ, and they will rule with him for a
thousand years” (Rev. 20:6, Today’s English Version)
The
second death will have no power over those who will rise first. The second
death referred to is the death in the lake of fire:
“Then death and the world of dead were thrown into the
lake of fire. (This lake of fire is the second death).” (Rev. 20:14,
Ibid.)
Thus, the members of the Church of
Christ will overcome not only the first death, but also the second death or the
punishment in the lake of fire. On the other hand, those who will be included
is the second resurrection will be condemned to eternal punishment (Rev.
20:5-10).
It is the desire of all to reach the
heavenly kingdom. No one wants to be punished in the lake of fire. Therefore,
we should make certain that before Judgment Day comes, we must have been
members of the Church of Christ who will be resurrected and thereafter be with
the Lord.
This is the fulfillment of the promise
of the Lord Jesus Christ when He established his Church. He made this promise
concerning His Church and the problem of death:
“And so I tell you, Peter; you are a rock, and on this
rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to
overcome it.” (Mt. 16:18, Today’s English Version)
If the Church were not necessary, why
then had Christ said, “not even death will ever be able to overcome it.”?
Death will come to our life someday. And
we prepared for it? Let us be found in Christ as members of the Church of
Christ. Let us honor the invitation of Christ Himself:
“I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved.”
(Jn. 10:9, New
King James Version). (: