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Where are the dead? Part 1

Feature Article State of the dead
FEB 20, 2018 LISTEN
State of the dead

In the Akan parlance, when someone passes away, most people tend to say soothing statements to ease the pain of the bereaved family. One which is commonly said even by the clergy is; ‘’Nyame mmfa no Kra 3nsie yie’’ to wit ‘’God should keep the soul safe’’ or ‘’Nyame 3mfa ne kra 3nsie Abraham Kukumu’’ to wit ‘’God should keep the soul in Abraham’s bosom’’. Both statements are unbiblical and are in contempt of the scriptures. The later I shall elaborative further in another article but in this article I shall disambiguate the former. The state of the dead is one of the most misunderstood subjects in todays’ Christianity. For many, death is shrouded in mystery and evokes dread, uncertainty, and hopelessness. Others believe that their deceased loved ones are not dead at all, but instead live with them or in other realms. Many are confused about the relationship between the body, spirit, and soul. What one believes about the dead will have a profound impact on what happens to them in the near future. There’s no room for guessing! This real eye-opener is exactly what God says on this subject.

In Genesis 2:7 we are told; “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 being”. Other translations use ‘’soul’’ in place of ‘’being’’. Since there is no argument concerning how God made man, so then what happens when a person dies? Ecclesiastes 12:7 gives us the answer; “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it”. Simple put the body turns to dust again, and the spirit goes back to God, who gave it. The spirit of every person who dies—whether saved or unsaved—returns to God at death. The spirit that returns to God at death is the breath of life. Nowhere in all of God’s book does the “spirit” have any life, wisdom, or feeling after a person dies. It is the “breath of life” and nothing more. The body without the spirit is dead (James 2:26).So what is happens to the "soul"? Genesis 2:7KJV reads; “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”. Therefore a soul is a living being and the combination of two things: body plus breath. A soul cannot exist unless body and breath are combined. These are inseparable. God’s Word teaches that we are souls—not that we have souls. Do souls die? Yes According to God’s Word, souls do die! We are souls, and souls die. Man is mortal. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20 KJV). Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:15, 16). Therefore the concept of an undying, immortal soul is not found in the Bible, which teaches that souls are subject to death. So what happens to ‘’good people’’ when they die; do they go to heaven? No. People do not go to heaven or to hell at death. They don’t go anywhere—but they wait in their graves for the resurrection. John 5:28, 29 reads; “All who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth”. “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. … There is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10).The dead know absolutely nothing and cannot communicate with the living. “Man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep...…His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; they are brought low, and he does not perceive it” (Job 14:12, 21). Jesus referred to the unconscious state of the dead “sleep” in John 11:11–14. Therefore the dead will sleep until the great day of the Lord at the end of the world. In death humans are totally unconscious with no activity or knowledge of any kind.

By Dr Ernest Aggrey, 0543999776/[email protected]

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