One of the most terrifying prospects we have to grapple with as human beings is death. Death comes with such finality that we simply plunge into unfathomable depths of loss, pain and despair. With all our vaunted wisdom, technological progress and galactic leaps in the accumulation of knowledge, we humans have yet to come to terms with this scary, yet inevitable phenomenon. This biological universal is so frightening that literally all cultures have invested (in one form or another) in ways and means of trying to cope or deal with its aftermath. The finite human suddenly comes upon the realization that they have lost a spouse, a parent, a sibling, a dear friend, a leader, a colleague, a child or relative in such a final manner that there is simply no recourse! It is a hard-hitting, difficult to accept, or comprehend experience. The situation is even worse if the departed is a close person to the bereaved. In this piece we attempt to look at the origin of death, how we may understand it, how we may deal with it, its eventual fate (for lack of a better term), all from a scriptural perspective.
First, what is death? Some have defined death as: "...the cessation of all biological functions of a living organism." An organism therefore ceases to exist, to function, move about, to breathe, eat, drink, grow, socialize, etc. It is the nadir of existence.
So where did it originate from? Our first father was in Gan Eden (the Garden of Elohim). He and his wife had a free run of all good things. The whole earth was at their disposal. There were only two divine commandments. The first was: "...be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and the animals on land..." (Genesis 1:28). Adam and his progeny were therefore to replicate the beauty, serenity, and abundance of the Garden of Eden onto the rest of the world. The second commandment was: "...you are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must NOT EAT from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, YOU WILL SURELY DIE..." (Genesis 2:16-17, full caps mine). Well, our first father sinned (Isaiah 43:27). He and his wife were unable to stick to one of the ground rules set by their Maker! They literally ate the Forbidden Fruit! Fast forward six thousand years and humankind is still reeling from the adverse effects of that initial transgression. As their progeny, we inherited sin and with it, corruption. The terse divine verdict was: "...by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust YOU WILL RETURN..." (Genesis 3:19). Death is thus the wages we must all receive for our sins, this side of Eden (cf Romans 6:23). And since death came into the world via the transgression of one man, the solution to dealing with it also comes through one man - the Second Adam - our Saviour Yahshua ha Maschiakh (cf Romans 5:12-21).
So what happens when a man dies? Do they remain conscious of what is happening among the living? Do they go to some place of torture, or immediately gain access into Paradise (if they were "good" people)? Does humanity need all the elaborate rituals (some quite bizarre, costly and time consuming) associated with death? Should some Papua New Guineans continue smoke drying their dead and carrying them in procession in regular annual rituals? Should the Nepalese continue with their sky burials high up on the Himalayas? Should the Luo of East Africa continue with their "tero buru"? Why does death remain such a grim, gripping, morbidly fascinating subject for all humans sojourning on planet earth?
The Preacher, son of David, one time king of Israel ruling from Jerusalem, had much to say on this subject. First he tells us that there: "... is a time to be born and a time to die..." (Ecclesiastes 3:2). He further tells us that death is the destiny of every man and that the day of death is actually better than the day of birth (cf Ecclesiastes 7:1). He thus advises that the living had better spent their time in a house of mourning as opposed to one of feasting (verse 2). According to him this allows time for reflection about one's own eventual demise and its aftermath (verse 3).
Death is: "...the way of all the earth..." (cf 1 Kings 2:2, Joshua 23:14, etc). Yahshua's advise is that we should: "...settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way..." (Matthew 5:25). In other words, the living should live in such a way that death no longer has a stranglehold of fear over them - for a time will come when we must all stand before the Judge (cf Genesis 18:25, 1Corinthians 5:10). Indeed, if death - the adversary - should pounce before one has examined his or her ways and taken remedial measures, there remains nothing anyone can do - except an awful expectation of retributive judgment and hellfire (cf Hebrews 9:27, 10:26-27).
So what happens at death? According to the Bible, the dead are "asleep" (Daniel 12:2; John 11:11-15). And so, just as in the case of normal sleep, the resting person is wholly unconscious of his immediate surroundings. The Preacher puts it this way: "...whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave where you are going, there is neither working, nor planning, nor knowledge, nor wisdom..." (Ecclesiastes 9:10). He adds further that: "...a living dog is better off than a dead lion..." (Ecclesiastes 9:4). The living still have hope - to seek a change for the better, to make amends with Elohim, etc. The dead, on the other hand, have no such recourse. In the words of the prophet Daniel: "...multitudes who sleep in the dust will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt..." (Daniel 12:2). No, the dead are certainly not "dancing with the angels" in heaven or anywhere else for that matter. Neither have they been "promoted to glory", or been ushered through the pearly portals of Paradise by the apostle Peter, as some are wont to claim! No, they lie in the dust of the earth awaiting the resurrection. According to the Psalmist: "It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down into silence...." (Psalm 115:17).
By its very definition, death is the antithesis of life. The two cannot exist simultaneously in the same entity. One is either alive, or dead. There is simply no middle ground! The above truth thus puts paid to the teaching about reincarnation that is so prevalent in oriental religions. People do not die then get reborn in another life form. It is a teaching from the arch-deceiver himself: "...you will not surely die..." (Genesis 3:4). This erroneous assertion is so deeply ingrained in human life that a large section of human society just believe that there is "life after death".
It is therefore folly to try and involve the dead in the lives of the living. The Hebrew prophet Isaiah son of Amoz asks: "...why consult the dead on behalf of the living?" (Isaiah 8:19). The scriptures warn against such dark practices like consulting with familiar spirits, necromancy or any form of communication with the dead (cf Leviticus 20:5-7, Deuteronomy 18:10-14, Leviticus 19:31, etc). Such practices as praying for the dead, or reciting "the litany of the saints", conducting requiem masses, carrying dead bodies into mosques or churches before interment are therefore in error. Yahshua stated quite bluntly: "...he is not a God of the dead but of the living, you are therefore badly mistaken..." (Mark 12:27).
Neither are the dead in "purgatory" doing penance for their sins before admittance into heaven as is commonly taught in some circles. No, both the righteous and the unrighteous dead lie in their graves awaiting to be resurrected. In the first resurrection, the righteous are raised at Yahshua's Second Coming (cf 1Corinthians 15:20-23, 1Thessalonians 4:16). They then rule together with Yahshua in his 1000 year Kingdom, right here on earth (Revelation 11:15, Daniel 7:27, etc). Satan will by then be "doing time" in the bottomless pit (cf Revelation 20:2). In that Millennial dispensation, Yahshua (the Second Adam) restores the entire planet back to the Edenic state. It is the peaceful kingdom that all humanity has yearned for in its six thousand year history (cf Isaiah 11:1-9), Habakkuk 2:14, Matthew 6:9-10, Matthew 5:33-35, etc). It is the time to "restore all things" (Acts 3:21) Yahshua's reign is also about putting all his enemies under his feet (1Corinthians 15:25).
The first resurrection therefore takes the sting out of death, believers are totally freed from the fear of this mortal enemy of mankind. After all, no one is ever afraid of going to sleep! Our frail, mortal bodies will - at the first resurrection be clothed with immortal, imperishable bodies, so that we are able to proclaim: "Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" (1Corinthians 15:55). Thanks to our loving Abba, we have the final victory through Yahshua our Redeemer!
The rest of the dead will be resurrected after the one thousand years are over (Revelation 20:5). According to the Apostle Shaul: "It is appointed for man to die, after that, the judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27). Says the Apostle John: "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it...And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15).
It is clear that all the dead having been "given up", either by the sea, or the Grave/Hades/Sheol/Kuzimu, and then subsequently thrown into the lake of fire. This is the "second" and final death. Henceforth, death itself ceases to exist. It is therefore the final enemy to be dealt with before Yahshua hands over the Kingdom to his Father (1Corinthians 15:24). Blessings.
Pastor JK Changandu
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