Where Are the Dead?

KNOWING THE TRUTH ABOUT DEATH IS BENEFICIAL

What the Bible teaches about the condition of the dead is comforting. As we have seen, the dead do not suffer pain or heartache. There is no reason to be afraid of them, for they cannot harm us.  They do not need our help, and they cannot help us. We cannot speak with them, and they cannot speak with us. Many religious leaders falsely claim that they help those who have died, and people who believe such leaders give them money.  But knowing the truth protects us from being deceived by those who teach such lies.

Does your religion agree with what the Bible teaches about the dead?  Most do not. Why? Because their teachings have been influenced by Satan. He uses false religion  to get people to believe that after their body dies, they will continue to live in the spirit realm. This is a lie that Satan combines with others to turn people away from Jehovah God. How so?

As noted earlier, some religions teach that if a person lives a bad life, after death he will go to a place of fiery torment to suffer forever.   This teaching dishonors God. Jehovah is a God  of live and would never make people suffer in this way.  (1 John 4:8) How would you feel about a man who punished a disobedient child  by holding his hands in a fire? would you respect such a man? In fact, would you even want to get to know him?   Definitely not!  You would likely think that he was very cruel. Yet, Satan wants us to believe that Jehovah tortures people in fire forever-for countless billions of years! 

Satan also uses some religions to teach that after death people become spirits who must be respected and honored by the living.  According to this teaching, the spirits of the dead can become powerful friends  or terrible enemies. Many people believe this lie.  They fear the dead and give them honor and worship. In contrast, the Bible teaches that the dead are sleeping and that we should worship only the true God, Jehovah, our Creator and Provider. - Revelation 4:11. 

Knowing the truth about the dead protects you from being misled by religious lies. It also help you to understand other Bible teachings.  For example, when you realize that people do not pass on to the spirit realm at death, the promise of everlasting life on a paradise earth takes on real meaning for you.

Long ago, the righteous man Job raised this question:  "If an able-bodied man dies can he live again?" (Job 14:14) Can a lifeless person who is sleeping in death be brought back to life?  What the Bible teaches about this is deeply comforting, as the next chapter will show.

Next time: CHAPTER SEVEN;  Real Hope for your Loved Ones Who Have Died 

From the book: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY TEACH?