"Gone To Rest"

It is Jehovah's purpose to rescue us and our dead loved ones from Adamic death. Therefore, God's Word refers to the dead as being asleep. For example, upon learning that his friend Lazarus had died, Jesus Christ told his disciples: "Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep." Since the disciples did not immediately grasp the meaning of his statement, Jesus said plainly: "Lazarus has died." (John 11:11,14) Jesus then went to the town of Bethany, where Lazarus' sisters Martha and Mary were mourning their brother's death. When Jesus told Martha, "Your brother will rise," she expressed her faith in God's purpose to reverse the effects of death on the human family. She said: "I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day." John 11:23,24.

Martha expressed no thought about an immortal soul living on elsewhere after death. she did not believe that Lazarus had already gone to some spirit realm to continue his existence. Martha had faith in the wonderful hope of a resurrection from the dead. She understood, not that an immortal soul had departed from the body of Lazarus, but that her dead brother had ceased to exist. The remedy would be the resurrection of her brother.

Jesus Christ is the one empowered by Jehovah God to redeem mankind. (Hosea 13:14) Hence, in response to Martha's statement, Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He that exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life." (John 11:25) Jesus demonstrated his God given power in this regard when he went to the tomb of Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, and restored him to life. (John 11:38-44) Just imagine the joy of those who saw this resurrection or others performed by Jesus Christ! -- Mark 5:35-42; Luke 7:12-16.

"Pause for a moment to consider this: Nobody would need to be resurrected, or brought back to life, if an immortal soul survived death. In fact, it would be no kindness to resurrect someone like Lazarus back to imperfect life on earth if he had already passed on to a wonderful heavenly reward. Actually, the Bible never uses the expression "immortal soul." Instead, the Scriptures say that the sinning human soul does die. (Ezekiel 18:4,20) So the Bible points to the provision of a resurrection as the real remedy for death.

Next time: "All Those In the Memorial Tombs"