“Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7
Answer: God created us from earth.
“...and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7
Answer: The body returns to dust and the spirit returns to God who gave it. The spirit of everyone who dies - whether believer or unbeliever - returns to God at death.
“For just as the body without the spirit is dead...” James 2:26 ” ... yes, as long as my breath is in me and the breath of God is in my nostrils...” Job 27:3
Answer: The spirit that returns to God at death is the breath of life. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the “spirit” has a life of its own or has feelings after a person has died. It is simply the “breath of life”.
“Then the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.“ Genesis 2:7
Answer: A soul is a living being. A soul is always a combination of two components: Body plus breath. A soul cannot exist without body and breath being combined. God's word teaches that we are souls.
“The soul that sins shall die!” Ezekiel 18:20 “... every living soul died in the sea.” Revelation 16:3
Answer: According to God's word, souls die! We are souls, and souls die. Man is mortal (Job 4:17). Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:15.16). The doctrine of an immortal soul contradicts the Bible, which teaches that souls are subject to death.
“For the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and they will come forth ...” John 5:28.29 “Progenitor David: He is dead and buried, and his grave is among us to this day.” “For David did not ascend into heaven...” Acts 2:29.34 “Yet I expect that the realm of the dead will become my dwelling place and that I will have to camp in darkness.” Job 17:13
Answer: No, people do not go to heaven or hell after death. They are laid in the grave and wait for the day of resurrection.
“For the living know that they must die, but the dead know nothing, nor will they be rewarded, for they are no longer remembered. Their love and hatred, as well as their zeal, have long since passed away, and they have no more share in anything that happens under the sun for ever. “... for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is no more work or planning, no more science or wisdom!” Ecclesiastes 9:5.6.10 “The dead do not praise the LORD, no one.” Psalms 115:17
Answer: God says that the dead know absolutely nothing!
“So man also lies down and does not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they do not stir and are not awakened from their sleep.” “He does not know whether his children will be honoured, and when they come down, he does not notice.” Job 14:12.21 “... and they will have no part in anything that happens under the sun forever.” Ecclesiastes 9:6
Answer: No, the dead cannot make contact with the living and they do not know what is happening here on earth. They are dead. Their thinking is extinguished (Psalms 146:4).
“So man also lies down and does not rise again; until the heavens are no more, they do not move nor are awakened from their sleep.” Job 14:12 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night; then the heavens will pass away with a crash, and the elements will be dissolved with heat, and the earth and the works on it will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10
Answer: The dead will sleep until the great day of the Lord at the end of the world. In death, people are completely without consciousness, without activity and without any perceptive faculty.
“And behold, I am coming soon, and my reward with me, to repay each one according to his work.” Revelation 22:12 “After this we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.“ 1 Thessalonians 4:17 “... Behold, I tell you a mystery: though we shall not all sleep, we shall all be changed suddenly, in a moment, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Answer: They will be rewarded. They will be resurrected, given an immortal body and taken up to meet the Lord in the air. A resurrection would be meaningless if people had been taken up to heaven at death.
“Then the serpent said to the woman, ”You will by no means die!” Genesis 3:4”... the serpent of old, called the devil and Satan." Revelation 12:9
Answer: Satan told Eve that sin would not result in death. “You will by no means die,” was his statement.
Answer: This is one of the cornerstones of Satan's kingdom. He had worked mighty miracles throughout the ages through people who claimed to have received their power through the spirits of the dead. (Examples: Sorcerer of Egypt - Genesis 7:11; Witch of Endor - 1 Samuel 28:3-25 ; Sorcerer - Daniel 2:2; a certain handmaid - Acts 16:16-18).
A serious warning
In the end times, the devil will once again use sorcery - as he did in the days of Daniel - to deceive the world (Revelation 18:23). Sorcery is a supernatural means and claims to receive its power and wisdom from the spirits of the dead.
They pretend to be followers of Jesus
They pose as pious relatives who have died, as holy ministers who are dead, as biblical prophets or even as apostles or disciples of Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:13). This is how Satan and his angels will deceive billions. Those who believe that the dead live on in some form will certainly be deceived.
“For they are demonic spirits performing signs...” Revelation 16:14 “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and will perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24
Answer: Yes, indeed! The devils work incredibly convincing miracles (Revelation 13:13.4). Satan and his angels will appear as angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and - even more shocking - Satan will impersonate Christ (Matthew 24:23.24). The general view will be that Christ and his angels are leading a fantastic, worldwide revival. The whole thing will appear so spiritual and so supernatural that only God's elect cannot be deceived.
“... and they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” Acts 17:11 “To the law and to the testimony!« - if they do not speak this way, there will be no dawn for them.” Isaiah 8:20
Answer: God's people will know from their diligent study of the Bible that the dead are dead and not alive. There are no spirits of the dead. Therefore, God's people will reject all miracle workers and teachers who claim to have special “light” or empowerment through contact with the spirits of the dead. God's people will also reject all dangerous and false teachings that claim that the dead live on in any way, anywhere.
“If there is a spirit-interrogator or fortune-teller spirit in a man or woman, they should be killed at all costs. They shall be stoned to death...” Exodus 20:27
Answer: God insisted that soothsayers and others who claimed to have contact with the dead would be stoned to death. This shows how God judges the false teaching that claims that the dead live.
“... but those who are worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, for they can no longer die.” Luke 20:35.36 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Answer: No! Death, suffering, screaming and pain will no longer exist in God's new kingdom.
“For the living know that they must die, but the dead know nothing... and they have no more part in anything that happens under the sun forever.” Ecclesiastes 9:5.6
Answer: Almost half of the world's population believes in reincarnation - a doctrine that says that the soul never dies, but is constantly reborn from one generation to the next in a different body form. However, this teaching contradicts the Holy Scriptures.
The Bible says
That after death a person turns to dust (Psalms 104:29), knows nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), has no spiritual powers (Psalms 146:4), has no part in anything that happens on earth (Ecclesiastes 9:6), does not live (2 Kings 20:1), waits in the grave (Job 17:13), and no longer exists (Job 14:1.2).
Satan's invention
We learnt in questions 11 and 12 that Satan invented the doctrine that the dead live. Reincarnation, channelling, contact with spirits, spirit worship and the “immortal soul” are all inventions of Satan for one purpose: to convince people that they are not really dead when they die. If people believe that the dead are alive, “spirits of devils working miracles” (Revelation 16:14) and pretending to be spirits of the dead will surely deceive and mislead them (Matthew 24:24).
