1. Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth,…
6. Before the silver cord be loosed,
or the golden bowl be broken,
or the pitcher be broken at the fountain,
or the wheel broken at the cistern.

Ecclesiastes 12:1,6

For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James 2:26

The four causes of death of the mortal body which are represented metaphorically in this verse, are from this point onward humanly irreversible. There are differing thoughts on what each one of these causes specifically represent, but essentially they are depicting cessation of the life of the body, and the first one may also reference the person in Spirit by depicting the link and subsequent unbinding of the union of Spirit and body when the “silver cord” is “loosed“. Ecclesiastes 12:7 refers to the person immediately after this particular time, as “the spirit” which “shall return to God who gave it“, whereas the body which was originally formed from the dust of the ground when God made Adam (Gen 2:7), is referred to again as dust which “shall return to the earth as it was,”. From the time of death, the body in its lifeless state is often spoken of by God as “sleeping”, this term is used regardless of its physical state whether that be deteriorating in a box 2 meters below the surface of the ground, distributed as ashes into the air over the mountains, deserts or waters…, or whether consumed by creatures or displayed in museums around the world. As with all Bible text, the term “sleep” has been used with specific purpose, as it conveys that there will be a subsequent “awakening” when God who created everything when there was nothing, will resurrect and change the earthly body into an immortal living body, reunited with the Spirit.

In the following verse, the apostle Paul is specifically speaking to believers in Christ who he refers to including himself as “we”, then he uses the term “sleep” to express the condition of the bodies which have died and are dormant until the first resurrection, when both the living (awake) and the “sleeping” bodies of believers will be changed into immortal bodies.

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53

This term”sleep” is also used to tell of the condition of the bodies of saints who were resurrected at the time of Christ’s death, note again that is not the Spirit that is said to be “sleeping”, but it is the body. To clarify that the verse is speaking of their bodies, the OGNT translation tells us that “…the bodies of many saints who had died were raised” and we know from scripture that God is not the God of the dead but of the living, so He’s telling us here about the body not the Spirit.

And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, Matthew 27:52

Jesus also used the word “sleep” when He spoke to the disciples about Lazarus’s dead body before He resurrected him, but because of their lack of understanding of Lazarus’s condition, He made it plain to them that Lazarus was dead:

He said these things; and after that He said to them, Our friend Lazarus sleeps.
But I go so that I may awaken him out of sleep.
Then His disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get well.
But Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He had spoken of taking rest in sleep.
Then Jesus said to them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

John 11:11-14

Lazarus’s body was dead but not his spirit, so where was Lazarus while his body was dead and decaying? We’re not told what he experienced while he was separated from his body, and the reason for this may be provided by reference to 2 Corinthians 12:4 where Paul tells us of his experience when “he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.“.

Another occasion of the use of the term “sleep”, is given in Acts 7:60 where it is used to impart that Stephen died, “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.“. We know this “sleep” is also only referring to his body because in the previous verse Stephen committed his Spirit into God’s presence, not into the body, the earth or the tomb: v59 “And they stoned Stephen, calling on God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”. While Stephen in the form of an “unclothed” spirit was in the presence of God, his body was still referred to as “Stephen” because it was the visible “home” of his spirit, so it was respectfully cared for as “devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.“. If you’ve seen the deceased body of a person after it’s passed the point of resuscitation, you’ll notice that the body is still identified by the name of the person who occupied it and even though out of respect, the plaque or headstone at the cemetery sometimes states “here lies…”, the person is not in the grave, but only their body, which was their “earthly home“.

The Word of God doesn’t teach of an interim place for the spirits existence on earth after death of the body, or of a place called purgatory, or of a condition of spiritual sleep, or of a cessation of existence of the spirit. The following verses tell of the path of the spirit after the body dies, God teaches in His Word that there is continuity of spiritual existence and awareness for both the saved and those who rejected God during their earthly life:

  • Regarding the death of Rachael after the birth of Benjamin:
    Genesis 35:18a “And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni:…“
  • A Psalm from the son’s of Korah:
    Psalm 49:15 “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.“
  • A Psalm of Asaph who was chief of the singers appointed to King David:
    Psalm 73:24 “You shall guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.”
  • From the writings of King Solomon:
    Ecclesiastes 12:5b-7 “…for then man goes to his eternal home and mourners walk the streets. Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed,
    Or the golden bowl is broken,
    Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
    Or the wheel broken at the well.
    Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
    And the spirit will return to God who gave it.“.
  • Jesus speaking to the disciples and Pharisees:
    Luke 16:22-23 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.“
  • Jesus and the thief on the cross conversing at their crucifixions:
    Luke 23:42-43 “Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”
  • The Apostle Paul writing in the company of Timothy, to the Christians in Corinth:
    2 Corinthians 5:6-9 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
    We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.“
  • The Apostle Paul writing to the Christians in Philippi:
    Philippians 1:20-23 “According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
    But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I can not tell.
    For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ;
    which is far better:“
  • The Apostle Paul writing to the Christians of Thessalonica in the company of Sylvanus & Timothy:
    1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 “For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep (die), we should live together with him.”

The term “death” expresses the cessation of a persons earthly life, which as we’re told in Romans 5:12 comes about because of sin, but contrary to the teaching of some sects, death of the body doesn’t infer or state the cessation of a person’s existence, but instead it is the time when the spirit of the person departs from the body. When this occurs, those who denied Jesus being God manifest in flesh enter a place of cognitive torment referred to as Hades or Hell:

John 8:21&24

Then Jesus said again to them, I go away, and you shall seek Me and shall die in your sins. Where I go, you cannot come.

Therefore I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I AM, you shall die in your sins.

But for the child of God death of the body marks the beginning of their eternal sinless existence in the place that Jesus has prepared for those who love Him (John 14:2-3), the grave has no victory over God’s children, it’s not an end to life or a gateway to darkness or grief, but instead it’s a gateway to freedom from sin and its result, it’s entrance into eternal joy in Jesus’s presence, where there is only light and contentment and eternal holy purpose:

Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where [is] your sting?
O grave, where [is] your victory?
The sting of death [is] sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:54b-57

The victory spoken of here is what Christ has bought for God’s children through His blood; it’s the condition of eternal existence in God’s presence with freedom from sin and its relationship to decay and death. But for those who never acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Savior, having never submitted to God’s will during their life, they will firstly be in Hades then after the final judgment spoken of in Revelation 20, they will be thrown into the lake of fire where they will exist eternally separated from God’s blessings of peace and contentment which they had partially experienced on earth where “he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45.

Through consideration and comparison of scripture with scripture, we get a clearer picture of the continuity of life, such as by the words of Jesus when He said in:

  • Mat 22:31-32 “…have you not read what God said to you: ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”.
    If we were to interpret Jesus’s words in the earlier mentioned verses of John 11 regarding Lazarus, as Jesus saying that the spirit of Lazarus was dead, rather than only his body, then Jesus would be contradicting Himself when He said “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”, and also in Luke 16:23 where Jesus told the disciples and the Pharisees of another Lazarus and a rich man: “In Hades, where he (the rich man) was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.”, but God never contradicts Himself.
    • Regarding Luke 16:19-31, some have said the story of the rich man, Lazarus and Abraham is a parable; but the content and context of this text and of other situations where Jesus taught the disciples, show that this is not the case:
      • The nature of this story which includes the names of known persons as well as clearly defined events and places show that this is not an allegory, simile or parable which have hidden moral meanings, such as Jesus used for the purpose of hiding truth from those who would not receive salvation, as we’re told in:
        • Matthew 13:1-3, 10-11 “On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.“
        • Mark 4:1-3, 33-34 “And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. …
          And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear           it. But without a parable He did not speak to them.
          And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.“
      • But the story of Lazarus is delivered in a more personal context as shown in the opening statement: “He also said to His disciples:”, then after the first story is told, He informs us that some Pharisees were present. He commences speaking to them by telling of a certain rich man who had a steward who wasted his goods, Jesus then continued teaching from this story regarding the love of money, and that what we possess on earth is not our own but is God’s, then the Pharisees who loved money scoffed at Him, so He told them and the disciples the story of Lazarus, the rich man and Abraham, which while teaching about accountability to God, is inclusive of showing the location of the spirit after death. On this occasion, Jesus spoke to them distinctly differently in clarity compared to when He spoke “by the sea” in parables; Here in Luke 16 He was teaching the few gathered disciples and Pharisees, in contrast to Matthew 13 & Mark 4 where He was teaching the multitudes. In Luke 16 He wasn’t hiding understanding from them but was speaking clearly and personally to them of the reality of their pending future, which will require accountability or reward for their earthly words and actions:
        Jesus telling of “a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.” and “a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate,”, also included mention of Abraham, Moses, the Prophets and the rich man’s 5 brothers, these persons actually exist they’re not metaphorical or fictitious, neither are the places where they’re described as living, which include the rich man being tormented in hades, while Lazarus is in a place of comfort with Abraham, neither the deceased rich man, Lazarus or Abraham are described by Jesus as being in their bodies in a grave: v22-25 “And it happened that the beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. The rich one also died and was buried. And in hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
        And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.“.
        • The locative noun Hades is translated from the Greek word ᾅδης which is pronounced hah’-dace, it is also interpreted in some Bibles as Hell.
          • The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT) definition:
            Usually Hades is just the abode of the wicked, Luk 16:23, Rev 20:13, 14; a very uncomfortable place.
          • It is also referred to as “The common receptacle of disembodied spirits“. This application then requires consideration of another passage of scripture where David writing prophetically of Jesus in Psalm 16:10 states “For you will not leave my soul in hell; neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption.“, I believe that the first portion of this verse can be understood in terms of similar dynamic to parents saying to their child: “We won’t leave you at someone’s place while we go on holiday, we’re taking you with us!”, the parents love for the child is so great that they wouldn’t leave them in any place where they in their love and care are not present, but The Fathers love for His Son is infinitely greater than any created beings love so no comparison does it justice; but Jesus knowing He is His Fathers greatest love said “… you will not leave my soul in hell…”, where there is none of the Fathers love, inclusive of peace, contentment, joy, hope and satisfaction, then He gave up His Spirit and went immediately into the Fathers presence. Luke 23:46 “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’  Having said this, He breathed His last.“.

Job like many others who lived before Jesus incarnation, knew through revelation from God that because of Jesus self sacrificial obedience, he would be taken into God’s presence and see God when his body ceased to live, it was also revealed to him that he would occupy an immortal resurrected changed body which will be formed from the earthly one which had succumbed to destruction in the grave:

For I know that my redeemer lives, and that he shall stand at the latter day on the earth:
And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins (kidneys [organs]) be consumed within me.

Job 19:25-27

1 Corinthians 1:14 and Job 19:25-27 are speaking about believers in Christ, whose earthly bodies are “sleeping” until the day the body is resurrected and changed to be immortal & incorruptible, at which time it will be simultaneously reunited with the Spirit when Jesus appears. Whereas Revelation 21:8 tells of the Spirits of those who had rejected God during their earthly lives, “But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, will have their part in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.“, these ones are presently tormented in Hades until the resurrection of their bodies and the judgment that results in “the second death”. when they will be cast into the lake of fire where they will exist suffering eternally.

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
And shall come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life;
and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.

John 5:28-29

Eternal separation from God is a condition that is sometimes metaphorically represented by the terms “fire” or “flames”, which portray an environment where the residents experience eternal torment of the nature including but not limited to discomfort, discontentment, sadness, loneliness, grief, hunger and regret. While they were on earth they received blessings from God in many forms, but in the place of separation from Him, there is only torment.

The Word presents 3 aspects of an earthly persons identity, they are Spirit, soul and body. The soul aspect of the person is occasionally but not only used as expressing desire, passion, emotion, disposition or personality (e.g. Gen 34:3,8, 42:21,), but it’s most often used in the Old Testament in the same tense as Spirit, which most often refers to the personal entity apart from the body they occupy (e.g. Gen 35:18 “And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died)”)

__________

All who believe in and submit to God through Jesus Christ, have no need to fear death or the grave because they’ve been assured in His Word that on the death of their body they’ll go to the place that Jesus has prepared for those who love Him, while the body “sleeps” until the resurrection.

John 14:1-3

Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me.

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

There are many stories told of “near death” and “return from death” experiences, and there are sects who teach heresy on this matter, but false teachers and subjective stories aren’t where hope rests, the only fully reliable source of truth is God’s Word, hope needs to be based on Him.
The theory of a “temporary holding place” called Purgatory, is taught by the Roman Catholic Organisation for the purpose at least of obtaining financial gain from their followers, and as well as them, the devil has provided corrupt doctrine on this matter to many “religious” groups and “teachers” also. But those who hold to The Truth, are instructed to hold and deliver it in love, just as God also works to lead the lost to Himself through His kindness:

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. 
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, 
so that they may know the truth, 
and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

2 Timothy 2:23-26

God will transform us from corruptible to incorruptible, He’s already begun this work by Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and the process will be completed when the body is changed and reunited with the spirit at the resurrection, as spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.

And God has both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 

1 Corinthians 1:14

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you.

The “quickening” or bringing to life of the mortal body is for the purpose of it being reunited with the Spirit that had returned to God who gave it. So that the Spirit will then be eternally housed in an incorruptible changed body, just as Elijah and Enoch had already received.

God is to be glorified in His Word through It’s effect in our lives as we learn more of Him, living as lights in this world, sharing the hope of our salvation through the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, until we are taken into His presence looking forward to the day of being housed in perfected sinless bodies.

_________

Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.

Psalm 119:35

For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

__________

APO23Jul2018, 10May2020, Feb2025