Perhaps you are reading this article now and maybe you are experiencing strong emotions. Someone close to you is dying or they have already died. Did you know there is assurance in God’s Word about this topic that can make you happy, grateful, joyful even “in the valley of the shadow of death?” Your loved one may die soon, or maybe has already died. Yet, our happiness in Christ can’t be erased by any earthly sorrow. Jesus expressly stated, “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25) which means you will see your loved one again.
“the dead in Christ shall rise”
As the Scriptures say
“For you we are in danger of death all the time. People think we are worth no more than sheep to be killed. But in all these troubles we have complete victory through God, who has shown his love for us. Yes, I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not death, life, angels, or ruling spirits. I am sure that nothing now, nothing in the future, no powers, nothing above us or nothing below us—nothing in the whole created world—will ever be able to separate us from the love God has shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:36-38, ERV)
Psalm 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
I lost my wife to cancer a few years back and have lost many other people I have known to death. It is times like this when I think our Shepherd’s staff is of relevance. Supporting us. Giving us a living Hope. His promises are our special comfort. We ride all of the waves in this life on the wings of God’s promises.
1 Thes 4:18 says “comfort one another with these words.”
“Those words” are the Shepherd’s staff that we may lean on for support when a loved one is dying or has died already. Those words, that we are to comfort one another with are the promise of the resurrection. “Those words do not say “your loved one is happy in Heaven now. That tradition does not come from the Bible. The Bible does not say anywhere to comfort one another by saying your loved one is in Heaven, but to comfort one another with this promise of the resurrection. (1 Thes 4:13-18) If our loved ones are promised the resurrection, how can it be that they would go to Heaven as soon as they die? Waiting for the resurrection must mean that a person has died! The Christian should not be in ignorance of the blessed hope, the return of Christ to resurrect the dead in Him, and to translate living believers, together with those who have died in Christ to meet together with Jesus in the air. (1 Thes 4:15, 17). This “precious promise” (2 Pet 1:4) is designed to be the greatest comfort for all believers, of all times.
Fear not my friends. You are not really going to lose your loved one. At least not permanently. You will see them again. The next thing they will know after they die will be meeting us all together with the Lord in the clouds. (1 Thes 4:17, Rev 1:7). “At the last day.” (John 11:24). At the resurrection! (John 6:40)
In Heaven, I can see my mom being so surprised and laughing when she sees her David finally realizing his childhood dream of flying. I tried so hard as a kid to make myself artificial wings so I could fly. And I would hit the ground every time with a polite but surprised thud. The thing my mother taught me about God is His patience and love for us. She didn’t realize it at the time, but she had set the foundation for me to accept the resurrection truth (1 Thes 4:13-18) later in my life.
I remember the day well. It was a cold winter day, and I was only 5 yrs old. I got mad one day and said to her “I’m leaving home!” I remember the sweet smile she had as she helped me pack a little suitcase with a few things. I remember wondering about that grin.
And then out I stomped angry as can be. I started marching through the snow and down the street. I got about a block away and realized
“O my. It’s like minus 20 out. Now what do I do?”
So of course I went slinking back home, tail between my legs, and Mom was standing at the door, arms crossed, with that same grin on her face.”
The lesson I learned from that was that something like my mom, God knows us and loves us anyway. God will always be there for us. I can never doubt the love of God again because of my mom. And because God keeps telling me everyday that He loves me through all kinds of people that remind me of her. Suddenly, I have this urge to go out and try again to make me a pair of wings so I can practice my flying. I have no doubt that God will still love me, no matter what kind of stunts I pulled.
Thank you, God, for my mom. It’s not hard to think of God’s promises when I think of her.
The Bible assures us:
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus (back to Heaven) those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up TOGETHER with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thes 4:13-18)
Now, of course, everyone’s light in that cloud of 1 Thes 4:17 will be Jesus!
Sadly, many people have gone with false theories on what happens when we die. Many have said to me that Jesus told us “We would never die” in John 11:26 Here is the exact wording of what Jesus said:
“And whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
At first their explanation sounds true but when we look at the context of John 11:26 we soon realize that this idea of going to Heaven as soon as we die cannot be true, based on John 11:26. The context of that verse is shown clearly by John 11:25
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”
According to Jesus people die first, just like Jesus did. Then we await the resurrection after we die. There would be no need for the resurrection if we went straight to Heaven when we die. And if we don’t need the resurrection then what do we need the cross for?
We must keep in mind that God never contradicts Himself (Numbers 23:19) and that God never lies. (Heb 6:18) God is never the author of confusion. (1 Cor 14:33) When we study any given subject in the Bible it is never right to use just one verse to try to negate several other verses that seem to say differently. It is important to use the Bible text to identify the context and to reconcile what we think are differences. They are just a paradox. If many verses say that the dead know not anything or that we die first before the resurrection and that we don’t go to Heaven as soon as we die, then why would it be OK to try to use just one or two texts to dismiss or negate all of the many verses that clearly say differently?
The Bible says that if anyone negates or lessens our need for “the cross” then they are the spirit of antichrist.
Every spirit who doesn’t confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God, and this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of whom you have heard that it comes. Now it is in the world already. (1 John 4:3, WEB)
There simply is no need for Jesus to “come in the flesh” and to die on the cross if there is no need for a resurrection if we go to Heaven as soon as we die. Sadly, anyone who teaches different than what the whole Bible actively teaches on this subject is teaching antichrist doctrines, no matter how many Bible verses they quote. (1 Tim 4:1-2)
Now if Christ is preached, that he has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith also is in vain. 15 Yes, we are found false witnesses of God, because we testified about God that he raised up Christ, whom he didn’t raise up, if it is so that the dead are not raised. For if the dead aren’t raised, neither has Christ been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. (1 Cor 15:12-17)
When I was a little boy, I always drove my mom nuts because I was constantly asking questions. My most common question was just “WHY?” WHY Mom? WHY?
I think I was only 5 years old when Great Grandpa died. I remember my mom standing at the kitchen sink preparing supper when she told us. She said several times that Great Grandpa was in Heaven now and that he was finally very happy with no more pain. Even as a young child I had questions about this. No one had yet had a chance to brainwash or indoctrinate me yet. All I knew was how grossed out I was at the funeral when the adults told us kids, we all had to file past his body in the coffin and kiss him. I was so disgusted, and I started wondering how the adults could say that Great Grandpa was alive and in Heaven now. As a little boy, he looked dead to me.
I remember after the funeral asking my mom another one of my many whys. I said “Mom. They said at the funeral that there would be no tears or sadness in heaven, (Rev 21:4) right? Well, how can Great Grandpa be happy up there if he is looking down on us and sees me crying and so sad that he is gone? How could he ever be happy there when he sees what’s happening to us down here?” I didn’t get any answers as a boy. The answers to that why came later when I was an adult.
The Bible a provides penetrating insight into the future. It reveals the plans of God. It unmasks the plans of Satan and his schemes against the people of God. One of the devil’s greatest deceptions has to do with spiritualism. It has to do with the impersonation of our dead loved ones by evil spirits. My friends, today’s topic is about how The Word of God reveals the deadly delusions of end time events that we will all face soon.
One of Satan’s deadliest delusions has to do with what happens when you die. The very first lie ever told by “the father of lies” (John 8:44) was about this very subject. On the one hand God says, “You will surely die,” (Gen 2:13) and on the other hand Satan says, “You will not surely die.” (Gen 3:4) The very first lie will also be the very last lie in the time of the end spoken of in Bible prophecy.
There are many different ideas about what happens when a person dies. The question arises
“Can we find hope beyond the grave?” A hope that goes beyond the tomb. A hope that pierces the darkness of night. A hope that can rise above the many false, hopeless theories that are being proffered, even by many churches?”
What really happens when you die? What takes place five minutes after death? Is it heaven? Is it hell? Is it nothingness? If we went out and took a survey about what happens when you die, and if we asked five different people, well, one might say, oh, when you die, nothing, that’s it, it’s the grave. You go into the grave, the ground, and you stay there. Somebody else might say, well, you’re reincarnated to a variety of life forms. Somebody else might say, well, when you die, you do not die. You just go immediately to heaven, or you go to hell.
Yet others will say, when you die, you rest until the coming of Christ. In the most pejorative ways possible, many professing Christians will label this as “soul sleep.” It is a sad fact that many of our churches have swallowed the lie that death is some kind of friend and will bring peace to us somehow. But the Bible doesn’t call death an enemy for no reason. (1 Cor 15:26) The fact is, is that the Bible says how death should be viewed:
“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (1 Cor 15:26)
Why do so many churches repeat the first lie in Eden that ‘we will not surely die” but we will just go to Heaven right away as soon as we die? How can such a death be “the last enemy” (1 Cor 15:56) if that first lie in Eden was true? (Gen 3:4) If death is in fact the last enemy to be destroyed, then it would have to take place at the resurrection when Jesus comes again. Only then would death truly be
“The last enemy to be destroyed.”
The real answer to the problem of death, of course, must be found in the Bible. We have a variety of opinions about death, but what Scripture says is authoritative, because the author of life reveals secrets about death. Are the dead asleep, waiting for the resurrection when Jesus comes, or are they in Heaven already? Many Christians are quite confused about that point. many false prophets are teaching them anti Christ doctrines on this point.
Sometimes when we go to a funeral, the preacher will say,
“Well, your dead loved ones are up in heaven looking down upon you now. Don’t worry. They are very happy there now.”
Then a few paragraphs later in the same sermon, they will say,
“Well, your dead loved ones will be resurrected when Jesus comes.
And people will be quite confused because of such contradictions. Where are our loved ones who have died?” Are they already in Heaven, or are they waiting for the resurrection? How can it possibly be both?
Some say, well, when we die, there is kind of a spirit being that goes up to Heaven, but that spirit being has to be somehow reunited with the body when it’s resurrected. Then we must ask, if the spirit lives in Heaven, what is it? Does it have eyes? Does it have hands? And why does it need to be reunited with the body if it’s already been up there for hundreds of years? The Bible is much simpler than that, much clearer and definite than that, and much less confusing. We must recall here that “God is not the author of confusion.” (1 Cor 14:33) The Apostle Paul raises some startling points about this very thing: he says
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Cor 15:16-19)
If it’s true that we go right to Heaven when we die, then there is no need for the resurrection, or the cross for that matter. Anything that lessens or negates the need for Christ and Him crucified is clearly the voice of the Antichrist speaking. (1 John 2:18-19, 1 John 2:21-22)
To understand death, we really have to understand this idea of immortality. Is the soul immortal, or is there a resurrection? If you have an immortal soul that wings its way to Heaven after you die, why would you need a resurrection of the body? So, we have to look at what does the Bible teach about immortality? Do we have it now? Will we have it in the future? Do we have an immortal soul? Is this thing called the soul immortal? What is the soul? And what about the resurrection that the Bible teaches about? Where can we find answers? The truth of the matter is we can find answers. We find answers deeply embedded in Scripture. We find answers in the Word of God. The Bible helps us to understand the mystery of death.
In Rev 1:18 we read:
” And behold, I’m alive for evermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death.
Christ was alive, crucified on the cross, went into the grave, but was resurrected from the dead. It was at that point that he said, I’m going to my father. Remember, Mary tried to cling to his feet and Jesus said,
“Touch me not, I have not yet ascended to the Father.” (John 20:17)
So now we have the basic idea of death. Rest in the tomb over Sabbath. Resurrection. Jesus ascending to heaven. But notice what Jesus says.
“I have the keys of Hades and death. Hades, the grave.” (Rev 1:18)
This is incredibly good news. Why? Death is not some locked up tomb or prison in the earth. Jesus said, I have the keys. You need not fear death. Why don’t we need to fear death? First, Jesus already experienced it. And he already conquered the grave. Death is a defeated foe. Every time Jesus faced death, Jesus won and death lost. Every time Christ faced the grave, he came out victorious. And he demonstrated his power over the grave by raising from the dead people who had died in New Testament times.
Why don’t we need to fear death? Because Christ has conquered the grave. He went into the grave and came out. And because he has the keys to the grave, death is an unlocked mystery through Jesus. The Bible teaches that one day Jesus will come again. And one day the dead in Christ will be resurrected. Check out
1 Thessalonians 4:16. It talks about the second coming of Jesus.
“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first.”
If the dead in Christ “rise first” then how can it be possible that they are in Heaven as soon as they die? We can see already that it is quite impossible that we go to heaven as soon as we die, short-cutting on the resurrection promised for all who love Jesus. We are told to not fear death because Jesus is coming again. (Rev 1:7) We can see our loved ones again!
What then, does the Bible teach about the idea of the immortal soul? Does the Bible teach that the soul is immortal? In our study for next week, we will go back to the book of Genesis because if we understand how God created humanity, in the beginning we can also understand about what happens when we die.
Until then, may we all say and believe with the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus Christ our Lord
I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all these things, and now I know that they are all worthless trash. All I want now is Christ. I want to belong to him. In Christ I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in Christ to make me right with him. All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. I want to share in his sufferings and be like him even in his death. Then there is hope that I will somehow be raised from death. (Phil 3:8-11, NIV)
In Christ all the fullness of the Godhead dwells. Jesus teaches us to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord. This knowledge is the highest science that any person could ever reach. It is the sum of all true science.
“This is life eternal,” Christ declared, “that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3)
Stay tuned for next week’s study on Immortality. May God add His blessing to the reading of His Word.
