The State of the Dead - Answers to Difficult Questions

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9. THE STATE OF THE DEAD – ANSWERS TO DIFFICULT QUESTIONS DIDN ’ TJ ESUS TELL THE THIEF ON THE CROSS THAT HE WOULD BE IN PARADISE THAT SAME DAY?

 Luke 23:42-43 This text is usually used to support the immortality of the soul: it is generally believed that the soul of the thief on the cross was transferred in heaven that very same day.

The first thing to notice is that the thief on the cross did not believe in an immortal soul. He asked Jesus to remember him when He would come into His kingdom (he most probably believed in an earthly kingdom in which the Messiah would rule sitting on David’s throne). He probably believed in the final resurrection as other people did, for example the Pharisees (see Acts 23:6-8) and Martha (see John 11:21-24).

On resurrection day, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and told her: “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17). Jesus had spoken to the thief on Friday and on Sunday He said He had not yet ascended to the Father. Jesus could not have been in heaven with the thief on Friday. Neither Jesus neither the thief went to heaven that day (see Matthew 12:40).

“Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (v. 43): there was no punctuation in Greek so this phrase can be translated as it follows: “Assuredly, I say to you today: you will be with Me in Paradise”. The word today was not referred to the day they would be in heaven together but to the day Jesus made the promise.

DIDN ’ TJ ESUS GO TO THE SOULS IN HELL TO PREACH TO THEM?

 1 Peter 3:18-20 There are some Christians who believe Jesus went to hell after His death for the purpose of preaching to the souls there (the spirits in prison).

Peter was talking about what happened in the days of Noah. Jesus, through the Spirit, preached in Noah’s days before the flood (see Genesis 6:3). The Holy Spirit used Noah to preach Jesus’ message for that time.

Who are the spirits in prison? They are people in bondage to sin (see Isaiah 61:1).

DIDN ’ TP AUL SAY THAT AT HIS DEATH HE WOULD BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD?

 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 9. The State of the Dead – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 5 “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (v. 8) this verse is used to teach that the dead go to heaven immediately after death.

There are 3 different conditions described in the passage: the earthy house or tent represents the earthly body. Also, Peter referred to his body as a tent (see 2 Peter 1:13-15). The heavenly habitation represents the glorified body that the redeemed will receive at the resurrection.

Nakedness represents death.

Paul said that he was not worried about his earthly body because he was confident to receive a new body. He would have liked to receive a new body without passing through death: “For we who are in this tent [earthly body] groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed [to die], but further clothed [receive a glorious body], that mortality may be swallowed up by life” (v. 4).

While we are on this earth, we cannot be physically with the Lord: “…knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord” (v. 6). Paul simply expressed his longing to be with Jesus knowing that this would happen at the second coming (see 2 Corinthians 4:14).

DIDN ’ TJ OHN SEE THE SOULS OF THE MARTYRS SPEAKING IN HEAVEN?

 Revelation 6:9-11 This text is used to teach that the souls of the righteous are in heaven before the second coming.

The souls John saw are the martyrs.

In Genesis, we read about Cain killing Abel for the faith of the latter: Abel was the first martyr.

God said to Cain: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground” (Genesis 4:10). Abel’s blood didn’t actually speak: this literary device is called personification. The meaning of God’s words is that Abel’s innocent blood was “crying” for justice.

In Revelation 6, we find the same thing: the blood of the martyrs cries for justice. God answers the cry “How long?” (v. 10) saying that they needed to rest a little longer; He meant that the martyrs had to continue to rest in the sleep of death.

DIDN ’ TS AUL SEE THE SOUL OF THE PROPHET SAMUEL?

 1 Samuel 28:3-15 Saul was in battle against the Philistines; he had asked the Lord for guidance with no success, because God had already rejected him.

Saul went to a medium. In the Bible we find a striking condemnation of sorcery, witchcraft and speaking with the dead (see Deuteronomy 18:10-14 and Leviticus 20:6) and even astrology (see

Isaiah 47:13-14). 6 9. The State of the Dead – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 Since the Bible clearly teaches that the dead cannot communicate with us (see Ecclesiastes 9:6), who was the spirit the Saul saw? The medium said: “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth” (v.

13). The Hebrew word translated with spirit is'elôhîym which literally means gods.

The medium did not see Samuel’s soul, but a demon. The Bible says that: “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).