Where are the dead? Part 2

So what happens to the righteous dead at the second coming of Christ? Revelation 22:12 reads; “Behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every one according to his work”. The righteous dead will be rewarded; raised and given immortal bodies, and caught up to meet the Lord in the air. “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout. … And the dead in Christ will rise. … And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). There would be no purpose in a resurrection if people enter heaven and hell immediately after death. 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 amplifies that better; “We shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye … and the dead will be raised incorruptible. … For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”. What was the devil’s first lie on Earth? Genesis 3:4 reads; “The serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die’ ”. Revelation 12:9 identifies the serpent as Satan; “That serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan”. The devil’s lie to Eve transcends all generations and is one of the pillars of his false teachings. For thousands of years, he has worked powerful, deceptive miracles to trick people into thinking they are receiving messages from the spirits of the dead. (Examples: Magicians of Egypt—Exodus 7:11; Woman of Endor—1 Samuel 28:3–25; Sorcerers—Daniel 2:2; A slave girl—Acts 16:16–18.)

In the near future, Satan will again use sorcery—as he did in the prophet Daniel’s day—to deceive the world (Revelation 18:23). Sorcery is a supernatural agency that claims to receive its power and wisdom from the spirits of the dead. Posing as godly loved ones who have died, saintly clergymen who are now dead, Bible prophets, or even the apostles of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13), Satan and his angels will deceive billions.

Those who believe the dead are alive, in any form, will likely be deceived. Yes indeed! Devils work incredibly convincing miracles (Revelation 13:13, 14). Satan will appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and, even more shocking, as Christ Himself (Matthew 24:23, 24). The universal feeling will be that Christ and His angels are leading out in a fantastic worldwide revival. The entire emphasis will seem so spiritual and be so supernatural that only God’s elect will not be deceived. “For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles” (Revelation 16:14, KJV). Matthew 24:24 reads; “False Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect”. So why will God's people (the elect) not be deceived? Acts 17:11 reads; “They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so”. God’s people will know from their study of His book that the dead are dead, not alive. They will know that a “spirit” claiming to be a deceased loved one is really a devil! God’s people will reject all teachers and miracle workers who claim to receive special “light” or work miracles by contacting the spirits of the dead. And God’s people will likewise reject as dangerous and false all teachings that claim the dead are alive in any form, anywhere. “If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).

Almost half the people on earth believe in reincarnation, a teaching that the soul never dies but is instead continually reborn in a different kind of body with each succeeding generation. This teaching, however, is contrary to Scripture. After death a person returns to dust (Psalms 104:29), knows nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), possesses no mental powers (Psalms 146:4), has nothing to do with anything on earth (Ecclesiastes 9:6), does not live (2 Kings 20:1), waits in the grave (Job 17:13), and continues not (Job 14:1, 2). Satan invented the teaching that God safe keeps the soul of the dead. Reincarnation, channeling, communication with spirits, spirit worship, and the "undying soul" are all inventions of Satan, with one aim to convince people that when you die you are not really dead or the soul wanders about after death(Ghost) or returns to God for safe keeping. One may ask didn’t the thief on the cross go to paradise with Christ the day He died? No. In fact, on Sunday morning Jesus said to Mary, “I have not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17). This shows that Christ did not go to heaven at death. It’s important to note that the punctuation we see in the Bible today is not the original, but added centuries later by translators. The comma in Luke 23:43 would be better placed after the word “today” rather than before, so that the passage reads, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise.” Another way to put this verse that makes sense in the immediate context is: “I’m telling you today—when it seems that I can save no one, when I Myself am being crucified as a criminal—I give you the assurance today that you will be with me in Paradise.” Christ’s kingdom of glory will be set up at His second coming (Matthew 25:31), and the righteous of all ages will enter it at that time (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17) and not at death.

Another may ask; at death the body returns to dust and the spirit (or breath) returns to God. But where does the soul go? It goes nowhere. Instead, it simply ceases to exist. Two things must be combined to make a soul: body and breath. When the breath departs, the soul ceases to exist because it is a combination of two things. When you turn off a light, where does the light go? It doesn’t go anywhere. It just ceases to exist. Two things must combine to make a light: a bulb and electricity. Without the combination, a light is impossible. So with the soul; unless body and breath are combined, there can be no soul. There is no such thing as a “disembodied soul.” Soul may mean also life itself, or the mind, or intellect. No matter which meaning is intended, the soul is still a combination of two things (body and breath), and it ceases to exist at death. Some have also alluded to John 11:26: “Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” to teach and believe in the immortality of the human soul. But this refers not to the first death, which all people die (Hebrews 9:27), but to the second death, which only the wicked die and from which there is no resurrection (Revelation 2:11; 21:8).

How about what is said in Matthew 10:28; “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.” Doesn’t this prove that the soul is undying? No. It rather proves the opposite. The last half of the same verse proves that souls do die. It says, “Rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The word “soul” here means life and refers to eternal life, which is a gift (Romans 6:23) that will be given to the righteous at the last day (John 6:54). No one can take away the eternal life that God bestows. (See also Luke 12:4, 5)

By Dr Ernest Aggrey, 0543999776/[email protected]