Most people believe that when we die we go straight to heaven or hell. The Bible, however, teaches something quite different. Understanding this truth is vital in guarding us against spiritualism and the delusions Satan will use to deceive us as we enter the final crisis.
The first basic principle to understand is what makes a living soul. In Genesis 2:7 God explains how he formed man from the dust of the ground.
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
The basic formula presented here is body + breath of life = living soul. So the concept that the soul is an independent entity that can think and operate independent of the body is not presented here in scripture. We are living souls, we do not have souls.
This same formula is reversed when we die.
The body returns to the dust and the spirit returns to God, the living soul is now dead. Many people interpret this text in Ecclesiastes to be proof that some living part of man (the spirit) goes straight to heaven to be with God at the time of death. However, when we look at the Hebrew word for spirit we find the word ‘ruach’ which literally means ‘breath’ or ‘life’. This word has the same meaning as the breath of life that God originally gave to make man a living soul. This breath is the life force that keeps us breathing and our heart beating. When God withdraws this life from us, we die. What we do not find here, is any evidence that the spirit is a living, thinking entity. As a matter of fact, you will not find any evidence in the Bible that there is a part of man that goes on thinking and feeling after the body dies. Psalms 104:29 provides this same clarification by explaining the same process that occurs at death.
“You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.” Psalms 104:29
Not surprisingly the word breath in this passage is the same word ‘ruach’ that was used in Ecclesiastes 12:7. The spirit God gives to man is the breath of life.
The Bible provides a number of very straightforward texts that clearly describe our state in death.
“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.” Ecclesiastes 9:5
“His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.” Psalms 146:4
“For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?” Psalms 6:5
“The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” Psalms 115:17
If the dead know nothing how can they go on thinking and experiencing new and wonderful things in heaven? They cannot! This is why in death no one is able to praise God or give Him thanks.
Jesus called death a sleep.
“These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead””. John 11:11-14
Jesus also referred to death as a sleep when he raised to life the young girl who had died in Matthew 9:18 & 24.
King David likewise saw death as a sleep.
“Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;” Psalms 13:3
In sleep, there is no conscious awareness of what is going on around us. This is the experience of those who have died. There is no pain or joy, no new experience in heaven or hell, only nothingness as they rest in the grave. This is where we get the idea to ‘Rest In Peace’ (RIP).
Thankfully, just as Jesus conquered the grave, He has the power to bring us back to life as well. When Jesus comes the second time He will call His sleeping saints from their graves.
“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.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Job considered what takes place at death and looked forward to this same change to immortality that Paul said would take place in Corinthians 15.
“But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he? As water disappears from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dries up, so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep. Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes.” Job 14:10-14
Job saw things in the same way as Jesus, King David, and Paul. Death is a sleep from which we will not awaken until Jesus calls us from the grave and changes us to immortality.
Why is this truth so important for us to understand? The Bible warns us that in the last days many will be misled by listening to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” 1 Timothy 4:1
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
In the final conflict when the worship of the beast and its image is enforced, it is these delusions and deceptions that will convince people to comply with such worship. Regardless of your beliefs now, if you are faced with convincing supernatural experiences you will naturally believe what you see and experience.
“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” Revelation 13:13-14
"For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Revelation 16:14
Our war is with spiritual forces of evil.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12
Jesus warned,
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24
What is this deception that will come upon us and lead the world astray? When we hold to the belief that the dead are not truly dead but are now living in the presence of God and watching over us from above, we open ourselves up to the belief that these departed loved ones may come back down to guide us. If the dead are admitted to the presence of God and holy angels, and privileged with knowledge far exceeding what they before possessed, why should they not return to the earth to enlighten and instruct those of us still alive? And so Satan now has a powerful way to deceive us. It is within the power of fallen angels to impersonate the dead and appear to the living performing miracles and bringing with them a false gospel that will be readily accepted by all who have not fortified their minds with the truth.
During old testament times, the Israelites were notorious for turning away from God to give sacrifices to the dead and worship pagan gods.
“They joined themselves also to Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices made to the dead.” Psalms 106:28
Paul likened sacrificing to the dead to be the equivalent to sacrificing to demons.
“Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons.” 1 Corinthians 10:20
God is completely aware that it is not the dead that people are communicating with but demons masquerading as the spirits of the deceased. Knowing that by communicating with evil spirits we will bring definite ruin upon ourselves, God has forbidden us from communicating with them.
“There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.” Deuteronomy 18:10-12
Today many go to psychics and mediums looking for answers to life’s problems or a prediction for the future. In many instances these spiritualists fraudulently claim the power to communicate with the dead, but among them are some with open connections to Satan’s host of evil. If we were truly talking with the spirits of the dead who have been living in the joy of the presence of God in heaven, why would God forbid us from communicating with them? Surely this would be a good thing for they would bring us tidings of truth straight from the throne of God. However, this is not the case as we have seen. Satan seeks only to steal, kill and destroy. He takes every opportunity to bring ruin upon those who place themselves on his ground.
Now is the time for us to fortify our minds with the truth. We must study God's word so that we can know how to stand firm when the world is following after deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. Satan will employ every art of deceit he can to secure as many as possible for destruction. Take hold of the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God so that you might be able to stand firm against all of the fiery darts of the Devil. Not a single soul who places their trust in God, and stands firmly upon 'thus saith the Lord' will be deceived. Nothing can pluck us out of God's hand. The only way we can separate ourselves from God is if we choose to believe a lie.
"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
Galatians 1:8
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