Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce, is directed by Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough, Coal Miner's Daughter) from an original screenplay written by Academy Award® nominee Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things).The film stars Ioan Gruffudd (Black Hawk Down), Albert Finney (Erin Brockovich), Romola Garai (Vanity Fair), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), Benedict Cumberbatch (Hawking), Rufus Sewell (Legend of Zorro), Ciaran Hinds (Rome) and introduces Youssou N'Dour.Executive Producer is Jeanney Kim, with Mark Cooper as co-producer. Producers on the film are Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line) and Ed Pressman under their Sunflower Productions banner, Patricia Heaton and David Hunt for FourBoys Films, and Ken Wales.Gruffudd plays Wilberforce, who, as a Member of Parliament, navigated the world of 18th Century backroom politics to end the slave trade in the British Empire. Albert Finney plays John Newton, a confidante of Wilberforce who inspires him to pursue a life of service to humanity. Benedict Cumberbatch is William Pitt the Younger, England's youngest ever Prime Minister at the age of 24, who encourages his friend Wilberforce to take up the fight to outlaw slavery and supports him in his struggles in Parliament.Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21, and on his way to a successful political career, Wilberforce, over the course of two decades, took on the English establishment and persuaded those in power to end the inhumane trade of slavery.Romola Garai plays Barbara Spooner, a beautiful and headstrong young woman who shares Wilberforce's passion for reform, and who becomes his wife after a whirlwind courtship. Youssou N'Dour is Olaudah Equiano. Born in Africa and sent as a slave to the Colonies, Equiano bought his freedom and made his home in London, where he wrote a best-selling account of his life and became a leading figure in the fight to end the slavery of his fellow countrymen.

Amazing Grace movie trailer

Elvis Presley - Amazing Grace

Aerosmith Steven Tyler Singing Amazing Grace

A Life of Clay

Jer 18:1-6 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,2 Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.3 Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

Jeremiah 18:1-6 is the classic biblical story of clay in the hands of the Master Potter. That analogy is used throughout the Bible.

As in dealing with pottery, the “throw” has been made, and the clay is on the wheel.

The Old and New Testaments represent separate “throws.” The first “throw” resulted in a marred effort. The marring was not in what God did. Instead, it was in how the clay reacted to the Potter’s molding process.

The Old Testament clay demanded “free will.” Clay cannot mold itself. Free will is an effort in the direction of self-molding. Such efforts will always fail. But God, Who is patiently molding creation, allows us to fail in order to show us that His way is the best.

In Verse 6, God asks Israel, “Can’t I do with you as the Potter in the story has done with his clay? After all, you are My clay, in My hands, even as the physical clay is molded in the hands of the human potter.”

The response to God’s inquiry is obvious! Both Israel and the Church of Jesus Christ represent clay in the hands of the Master Potter and can be done with as He pleases.

In a manner, all mankind represents the clay in His hands. And as we shall see, the Potter, God does as He pleases in the molding process.

Isa 41:25 I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.

The world is similar to a lump in the hands of a Master Potter. As long as the world is in the process of being molded, it will always be in a state of flux.

Again, clay does not mold clay! The Potter molds the clay! Unfortunately, far too many “Christians” want to be self-molded. They reject the pulling, stretching, and seeming inconveniences of being molded by God.

Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

This verse is plain, blunt, and obvious to even the casual reader. We are the clay! God is the Potter! We are the work of His hands! Human ego rejects any such view.

As Isaiah wrote, “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). We have attempted to mold ourselves and it simply did not work. We went astray. In fact, our work will never work!

Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

In the Old Testament, the clay was marred! The Old Testament of a works oriented salvation, or molding proved to be impractical. So, the Potter made another “throw” and began to remake the vessel.

Did you read that phrase that says, “As it seemed good to the Potter”? Do you believe it? Do you trust the Potter?

This time (the New Testament throw), the clay was made in the form of grace! Works were discarded as a means of salvation! The Church was formed as a result of the second “throw.”

Jer 18:6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

This verse represents a re-statement of the preceding verse. It maintains the obvious. God is in control!

Isa 48:11 For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.

Lam 4:2 The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

The sons of Zion are comparable to Gold. Gold is molded by heating and melting in a furnace and poured into the mold. Clay is molded and then placed in the kiln. Both require heat to bring forth a finished product. Both are the work of the Master Craftsman. And, neither is self-molded.

Zech 11:13 And the LORD said unto me, Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter in the house of the LORD.

Zech 11:13 And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"-- that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD for the potter. (NKJV)

Here we find the betrayal.

The Hebrew word translated “prised” in the KJV, means to make a rare exhibit of something, or someone. On the cross, Christ Jesus was made a “rare exhibit” for our benefit.

The price of Christ being treated in that manner, for our iniquity, was thirty pieces of silver. Traitors are very rarely well paid.

Jesus’ life was worth all, and He willingly gave it for all!

I John 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

His crucifixion began the second “throw!” Grace and truth came to us through Him. There on the cross, salvation by works was eliminated!

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

God’s molding through grace is the only way we will ever find success! Our works do not gain or maintain salvation!

Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?

Even Paul the Apostle of grace, the Apostle to the Gentiles readily recognized that we are just lumps of clay, and God may make of us into whatever He wills.

Many want to compare us to robots, but we have never reached the “robot” status. We are just lumps of clay in the process of being molded.

I John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Are you content within the molding process? Are you content in the destiny for which you are being molded?

Phil 4:11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

Are you content?

Rev 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Let me tell you something that has gone passed many. We may become rulers under Christ, but we will always be “under” Christ! He shall rule!

John 10:10b I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I John 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

The goal of His molding is for our benefit. In His molding, we have life “more abundantly” and our Joy is “full.”

Valentine's Day? Of Course Its Pagan

LUPERCALIA

When Rome was first founded it was surrounded by a wilderness. Great packs of wolves roamed over the countryside. Among their many gods the Romans had one named Lupercus who watched over the shepherds and their flocks. In his honour they held a great feast in February of each year and called it the Lupercalia. The Lupercalia festival was an echo of the days when Rome consisted of a group of shepherd folk that lived on a hill now known as Palantine. On the calendar used back in those days, February came later than it does today, so Lupercalia was a spring festival. Some believe the festival honored Faunus, who like the Greek Pan, was a god of herds and crops, But the origin of Lupercalia is so ancient that even scholars of the last century before Christ were never sure.

There is no question about its importance. Records show, for instance, that Mark Antony, an important Roman, was master of the Luperci College of Priests. He chose the Lupercalia festival of the year 44BC as the proper time for offering the crown to Julius Caesar. Each year, on February 15, the Luperci priests gathered on the Palantine at the cave of Lupercal. Here, according to legend, Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, had been nursed by a mother wolf. In Latin, the word lupus is the word for wolf. Some of the rituals involved youths of noble birth running through the streets with goatskin thongs. Young women would crowd the street in the hope of being lashed with the sacred thongs as it was believed to make them better able to bear children. The goatskin thongs were known as the februa and the lashing the februatio, both coming from a Latin word meaning to purify.

The name of the month February comes from this meaning. Long after Rome became a walled city and the seat of a powerful empire, the Lupercalia lived on. When Roman armies invaded France and Britain, they took the Lupercalia customs there. One of these is believed to be a lottery where the names of Roman maidens were placed in a box and drawn out by the young men. Each man accepted the girl whose name he drew as his love - for a year or longer.

ST Valentine, how many?

Also known as Valentine of Terni, Valentine of Rome Confusion surrounds exactly who St Valentine was. According to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, at least three Saint Valentines are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February. One is described as a priest at Rome, another as a Bishop of Interamna (now Terni in Italy) and the other lived and died in Africa. The Bishop of Interamna is most widely accepted as the basis of the modern saint. He was an early Christian martyr who lived in northern Italy in the third century and was put to death on 14 February around 270AD on the orders of emperor Claudius the Second for flouting the ban on Christianity. However, though Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Rome have separate entries in martyrologies and biographies, most scholars believe they are the same person.

After Christianity was firmly established the priests wanted the people to forget the old heathen gods. But they did not wish to do away with all their feasts and sports. So they kept the Lupercalia and called it Valentine's Day.

It was not until the reign of Pope Gelasius that the holiday became a "Christian" custom. " As far back as 496, Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia on February 15 to St. Valentine's Day on February 14." (p. 172 of Customs and Holidays Around the World by Lavinia Dobler).

But how did this pagan festival acquire the name of "St. Valentine's Day"? And why is the little naked Cupid of the pagan Roman so often associated today with February 14? And why do little children and young people still cut out hearts and send them on a day in honor of Lupercus the hunter of wolves? Why have we supposed these pagan customs in honor of a false god are Christians?

Who Was the Original "St. Valentine"?

Valentine was a common Roman name. Roman parents often gave the name of their children in honor of the famous man who was first called Valentine in antiquity. That famous man was Lupercus, the hunter. But who was Lupercus? - and why should he have also borne the name Valentine among the heathen Romans?

The Greeks called Lupercus by the name of "Pan". The Semites called Pan "Baul," according to the Classical Dictionaries. Baal - mentioned so often in the Bible - was merely another name for Nimrod, "the mighty hunter" ( Genesis 10:9) It was a common proverb of ancient time that Nimrod was "the MIGHTY hunter before the Lord." Nimrod was their hero - their strong man - their VALENTINE!

How plain that the original Valentine was Nimrod, the mighty hunter of wolves. Yet another of Nimrod's names was "Sanctuc" or "Santa", meaning Saint. It was a common title of any hero-god. No wonder that the Roman Lupercalia is called "St. Valentine's Day"!

But why do we associate HEARTS on a day in honor of Nimrod - the Baal of the Phoenicians and Semites?

The surprising answer is that the pagan Romans acquired the symbol of the heart from the Babylonians. In the Babylonian tongue the word for heart was "bal" (Strong's Concordance Number H1168). The heart - bal - was merely a symbol of Nimrod - the Baal! or Lord of the Babylonians!

Executed at Rome

Nimrod - the original St. Valentine - was also known as Saturn, the Roman-Babylonian god who hid from his pursuers in a secret place. The Latin word Saturn is derived from the Semiticspeaking Babylonians. It means "be hid," "hide self," "secret," "conceal." The original Semitic (Hebrew) word, from which the Latin Saturn is derived, is used 83 times in the Old Testament (see Young's Concordance under "Sathar," also "sether").

According to ancient tradition, Saturn (Nimrod) fled from his pursuers to Italy. The Apenine mountains of Italy were anciently named the mountains of Nembrod or Nimrod. Nimrod briefly hid out at the site where Rome was later built. The ancient name of Rome, before it was rebuilt in 753 B.C. was Saturnia - the site of Saturn's (Nimrod's) hiding. There he was found and slain for his crimes. Later, professing Christians in Constantine's day made Nimrod - the St. Valentine of the heathen- a Saint of the Church and continued to honor him under the name of a Christian martyr.

Why February 14?

But why should the Romans have chosen February 15 and the evening of February 14 to honor Lupercus - the Nimrod of the Bible? (Remember that day in ancient times began at sunset the evening before.)

Nimrod - Baal or sun god of the ancient pagans - was said to have been born at the winter solstice. In ancient time the solstice occurred on January 6 and his birthday therefore was celebrated on December 25 and now called Christmas. It was the custom of antiquity for, the mother of a male child to present herself for purification on the fortieth day after January 6 - Nimrod's original birthdate - takes us to February 15, the celebration of which began on the evening of February 14 - the Lupercalia or St. Valentine's Day.

On this day in February, Semiramis, the mother of Nimrod, was said to have been purified and to have appeared for the first time in public with her son as the original "mother and child."
The Roman month February, in fact, derives its name from the februa which the Roman priests used in the rites celebrated on St. Valentine's Day. The febru were thongs from the skins of sacrificial animals used in rites of purification on the evening of February 14.

Cupid Makes His Appearance

Another name for the child Nimrod was "Cupid" - meaning "desire" (Encyclopedia Britannica, article "Cupid"). It is said that when Nimrod's mother saw him, she lusted after him - she desired him. Nimrod became her Cupid - her desired one - and later her Valentine! So evil was Nimrod's mother that it is said she married her own son! Inscribed on the monuments of ancient Egypt are inscriptions that Nimrod (the Egyptians called him Osiris) was "the husband of his mother."

As Nimrod grew up, he became the child-hero of many women who desired him. He was their Cupid! In the Book of Daniel he is called the "desire of women" ( Dan. 11:37). Moffatt translates the word as Tammuz - a babylonian name of Nimrod. He provoked so many women to jealousy that an idol of him was often called the "image of jealousy" ( Ezekiel 8:5). Nimrod, the hunter, was also their Valentine - their strong or mighty her! No wonder the pagans commemorated their hero-hunter Nimrod, or Baal, by sending heartshaped love tokens to one another on the evening of February 14 as a symbol of him.

Nimrod, the son of Cush the Ethiopian, was later a source of embarrassment to the pagans of Europe. They didn't want an African to worship. Consequently, they substituted a supposed son of Nimrod, a white child named Horus, born after the death of Nimrod. This white child then became a "fair Cupid" of European tradition.

It is about time we examined these customs of the pagans now falsely labeled Christian. It is time we quit this Roman and Babylonian foolishness - this idolatry - and get back to the faith of Christ delivered once for all time.

Let's stop teaching our children these pagan customs in memory of Baal the sun god - the original St. Valentine - and teach them instead what the Bible really says!

Lesson in Lent

What is Lent? Why is it so widely practiced by “Christians” of this world? Is it because the Bible commands it? Did Christ or any of His apostles observe Lent? What about the first century Church? What does the Bible teach about Lent?

Unlike New Year’s, Christmas, Halloween, St. Valentine’s Day and other pagan holidays that are celebrated by the secular, non-religious world, the Lenten season is observed by dedicated religious believers.

From Ash Wednesday to Easter, many solemnly mark their foreheads with ash, “fasting” (or abstaining from certain foods or physical pleasures) for 40 days. This is done to supposedly imitate Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-2). Some give up smoking. Others give up chewing gum. Still others give up over-eating or cursing. People vow to give up anything, as long as it prepares them for Easter.

People who observe Lent may be religious, dedicated and sincere—but they are sincerely wrong.
Let’s examine Lent, its practices and customs, its historic and religious origins, and its true meaning from the Bible’s perspective, not from the “traditions of men”

Examining Lent’s Purpose

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “the real aim of Lent is, above all else, to prepare men for the celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ…the better the preparation the more effective the celebration will be. One can effectively relive the mystery only with purified mind and heart. The purpose of Lent is to provide that purification by weaning men from sin and selfishness through self-denial and prayer, by creating in them the desire to do God’s will and to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts.”

On the surface, this belief sounds sincere. However, it does not agree with the Bible, God’s Holy Word, the only source of true spiritual knowledge and understanding (John 17:17). God, through the apostle Paul, commands Christians to “continue you in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Tim. 3:14-17).

First, understand that the “celebration of the death and Resurrection of Christ” to which the preceding quote refers is so-called “Good Friday” and “Easter Sunday”—holidays deeply rooted in ancient paganism. They were instituted by mainstream Christianity in order to counterfeit and replace the Passover season. Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread were observed by Christ, the original apostles and the New Testament Church—including Gentiles. God commands His people to observe them today (I Cor. 5:7-8).

Second, the Bible says that we are purified—cleansed, set apart and made pure in God’s sight—by the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:11-14, 22; 13:12). This, along with faith (Acts 15:9) and humbly submitting to and obeying God (James 4:7-10) through His truth and prayer (John 17:17; I Tim. 4:5), makes us clean before God. No amount of fasting, abstaining from physical pleasures or any other form of self-denial can purify us.

Third, you cannot, of and by yourself, create within you “the desire to do God’s will.” True, God has given mankind free moral agency. But the carnal, natural mind cannot—will not—submit to God. “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit…Because the carnal mind is enmity [hostile] against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:5, 7).

Only through a converted mind, actively led by the Holy Spirit, can God work “in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).

And fourth, “to make His kingdom come by making it come first of all in their hearts” is a false tradition taught by this world’s brand of Christianity. It is not taught in the Bible. God is not setting up His kingdom in the hearts of men.

So where did Lent originate? How did it come to be so widely observed by mainstream Christianity?

Approved by Official State Religion

Believe it or not, Lent was never observed by Christ or His apostles. He commanded His disciples to “Go you therefore, and teach all nations…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). Jesus never commanded them to observe Lent or Easter. He did, however, command them to keep Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. In fact, during His last Passover on earth, Christ gave detailed instructions on how to observe the Passover service. He also instituted new Passover symbols (John 13:1-17).

Notice what Alexander Hislop wrote in his book The Two Babylons: “The festival, of which we read in Church history, under the name of Easter, in the third and fourth centuries, was quite a different festival from that now observed in the Romish Church, and at that time was not known by any such name as Easter…That festival [Passover] was not idolatrous, and it was preceded by no Lent. ‘It ought to be known,’ said Cassianus, the monk of Marseilles, writing in the fifth century, and contrasting the primitive [New Testament] Church with the Church of his day, ‘that the observance of the forty days had no existence, so long as the perfection of that primitive Church remained inviolate.’”

Lent was not observed by the first century Church! It was first addressed by the church at Rome during the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, when Emperor Constantine officially recognized that church as the Roman Empire’s state religion. Any other form of Christianity that held to doctrines contrary to the Roman church was considered an enemy of the state. In A.D. 360, the Council of Laodicea officially commanded Lent to be observed.

Originally, people did not observe Lent for more than a week. Some kept it for one or two days. Others kept it for 40 consecutive hours, falsely believing that only 40 hours had elapsed between Christ’s death and resurrection.

Eventually, it became a 40-day period of fasting or abstaining from certain foods. “The emphasis was not so much on the fasting as on the spiritual renewal that the preparation for Easter demanded. It was simply a period marked by fasting, but not necessarily one in which the faithful fasted every day. However, as time went on, more and more emphasis was laid upon fasting…During the early centuries (from the fifth century on especially) the observance of the fast was very strict. Only one meal a day, toward evening was allowed: flesh meat and fish, and in most places even eggs and dairy products, were absolutely forbidden. Meat was not even allowed on Sundays” (Catholic Encyclopedia).

From the ninth century onward, Lent’s strict rules were relaxed. Greater emphasis was given to performing “penitential works” than to fasting and abstinence. According to the apostolic constitution Poenitemini of Pope Paul IV (Feb. 17, 1966), “abstinence is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and on all Fridays of the year that do not fall on holy days of obligation, and fasting as well as abstinence is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday” (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Today, Lent is used for “fasting from sin and from vice…forsaking sin and sinful ways.” It is a season “for penance, which means sorrow for sin and conversion to God.” This tradition teaches that fasting and employing self-discipline during Lent will give a worshipper the “control over himself that he needs to purify his heart and renew his life.”

However, the Bible clearly shows that self-control—temperance—comes from having God’s Holy Spirit working in the life of a converted mind (Gal. 5:16, 17, 22). Fasting—of and by itself—cannot produce godly self-control.

Paul warned against using self-denial as a tool to rely on your own will. He called it “will worship.” “Wherefore if you be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to ordinances, (touch not; taste not; handle not; which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honor to the satisfying of the flesh” (Col. 2:20-23).

God did not design fasting as a tool for penance, “beating yourself up” or developing will power: “Is it such a fast that I have chosen? A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? Will you call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to deal your bread to the hungry, and that you bring the poor that are cast out to your house? When you see the naked, that you cover him; and that you hide not yourself from your own flesh?” (Isa. 58:5-7).

God’s people humble themselves through fasting in order to draw closer to Him—so that they can learn to think and act like Him—so that they can live His way of life in all things. Notice what the prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, says the Lord” (9:23-24). Fasting (and prayer) helps Christians draw closer to God.

Lent’s Ancient Roots

Coming from the Anglo-Saxon Lencten, meaning “spring,” Lent originated in the ancient Babylonian mystery religion. “The forty days’ abstinence of Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess…Among the Pagans this Lent seems to have been an indispensable preliminary to the great annual festival in commemoration of the death and resurrection of Tammuz” (The Two Babylons).

Tammuz was the false Messiah of the Babylonians—a satanic counterfeit of Jesus Christ!
The Feast of Tammuz was usually celebrated in June (also called the “month of Tammuz”). Lent was held 40 days before the feast, “celebrated by alternate weeping and rejoicing.” This is why Lent means “spring”; it took place from spring to early summer.

The Bible records ancient Judah worshipping this false Messiah: “Then He brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord’s house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz” (Ezek. 8:14-15). This was a great abomination in God’s eyes!
But why did the church at Rome institute such a pagan holiday?

“To conciliate the Pagans to nominal Christianity, Rome, pursuing its usual policy, took measures to get the Christian and Pagan festivals amalgamated, and, by a complicated but skillful adjustment of the calendar, it was found no difficult matter, in general, to get Paganism and Christianity—now far sunk in idolatry—in this as in so many other things, to shake hands” (The Two Babylons).

The Roman church replaced Passover with Easter, moving the pagan Feast of Tammuz to early spring, “Christianizing” it. Lent moved with it.

“This change of the calendar in regard to Easter was attended with momentous consequences. It brought into the Church the grossest corruption and the rankest superstition in connection with the abstinence of Lent” (The Two Babylons).

Before giving up personal sins and vices during Lent, the pagans held a wild, “anything goes” celebration to make sure that they got in their share of debaucheries and perversities—what the world celebrates as Mardi Gras today.

Abomination Masked as Christianity

God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33). He never instituted Lent, a pagan observance connecting debauchery to the supposed resurrection of a false Messiah.

God commands His people to follow Him—not the traditions of men. God’s ways are higher, better than man’s (Isa. 55:8-9). Men cannot determine for themselves right from wrong or how to properly worship God. Why? Because “the heart [mind] is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9), and “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (10:23). God designed us and gave us life. He knows how we are supposed to worship Him.

To be a Christian and properly serve God, you must live “by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4), recognizing that His Holy Scriptures “cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

God commands Christians to flee from the pagan traditions and customs of this world (Rev. 18:2-4), currently led and deceived by Satan the devil (II Cor. 4:4; Rev. 12:9).

Lent may seem like a sincere, heartfelt religious observance. But it is deeply rooted in pagan ideas that counterfeit God’s plan.

God hates all pagan observances (Jer. 10:2-3; Lev. 18:3, 30; Deut. 7:1-5, 16). They cannot be “Christianized” or made clean by men. That includes Lent.
Now you know the true meaning of Lent.

Must New Covenant Believers Tithe?

The subject of this writing is one of the laws of Moses and the old covenant -- the law of tithing. I hope this doesn’t step on any toes, but it is an excellent, concrete example to use in a discussion on the applicability of the laws of Moses to New Covenant believers.

Giving is a powerful New Testament (Covenant) principle. We are exhorted to give. We are told that if we give, we shall receive, and what we sow, we reap. The New Covenant does not relieve us from giving. In fact, the demand for giving of oneself is far greater -- actually total. We are commanded to die to self, and present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

BUT SHOULD OUR GIVING BE UNDER THE MOSAIC LAW IN THE FORM OF TITHING AS PRACTICED BY THE ANCIENT ISRAELITES?

Many pastors support the idea that with the New Covenant we are not under the law, but in contradiction at "collection time" they still put the congregation under the law in strong terms. At a church I once visited the pastor even shockingly said that anyone who did not tithe was "cursed" because of Malachi 3:9. It was a requirement for church membership there that a prospective member "pledge" to tithe. At least for fund-raising purposes, he ignored the glorious truth that Jesus became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Such pastors show either that they do not really understand the New Covenant or else they are disingenuous. I suspect the former in most cases. But many of them "use" the law as a coercive fund-raising tool, as they are taught such in seminary or in Bible college, plus it is a tradition of men they have seen practiced all their lives. It is so entrenched they may be fearful of not doing it and simply trusting God for church finances.

(I cringe when I think of some poor lost, hurting soul who knows nothing about the Bible wandering into a typical church on Sunday morning seeking God. Before he hears the gospel, if it is preached there, he is told in no uncertain terms that 10 percent or more of his income is demanded, which, in his uninformed perception, is a steep price for "joining" that organization! No wonder people stay away in droves.)

However, if one gives as under the law, there are other things one must do, which are never told. We cannot pick and choose which parts of the law we like or want to obey. No pastor has the authority to delete some parts of the law and include other parts. It is either all or nothing. No human can change God’s law. And remember: "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law’" (Galatians 3:10, NIV). (Maybe the pastor was right about the "curse" but for a reason he did not intend!)

If one decides to tithe under the law, he must:

1. Give ALL the tithes required by the law. Some count 3-4 different tithes under the law of Moses. One tithe will not satisfy the law. (Remember, no human can change God’s law.)

2. Give your tithes to a Levitical priest. The problem here is that there is no more Levitical priesthood. Modern pastors are not Levitical priests. (Remember, no human can change God’s law.)

3. Give tithes in the form of agricultural produce and livestock. This will not work for urban dwellers -- unless you have a very big garden! (Remember, no human can change God’s law.) As to Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees that they tithe mint, dill and cummin (Matthew 23:23), remember that the New Covenant did not begin until the cross.

4. Bring your tithes to the storehouse, or temple. You will have to go to Jerusalem, but when you get there you will not find the temple. The problem here is that there has been no temple since A.D. 70. Modern church buildings are not the temple. Individual believers are God’s temple. (Remember, no human can change God’s law.)

Therefore, giving under the law today is actually impossible, plus it brings condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:9). If you try to do it, you flunk before you begin.

How then does one give under the New Covenant?

NEW COVENANT GIVING PRINCIPLES

New Covenant giving does not bring condemnation, as does Old Covenant giving. Instead, it brings joy and peace.

Under the New Covenant, we have the indwelling Spirit. As with all things under the New Covenant, we give as we are led by the Spirit. He may say to give 10 percent, or 20, 30, 40, 70, 90, or even 100 percent! Or He may say 5 percent, or less. We give not as under the law, but at the Spirit’s direction. The ancient Israelites did not have the indwelling Spirit. They gave as a legal requirement, which may have been easier in some respects. The indwelling Spirit may require more sacrifice from us. We are not off the hook! But the fruit of the Sprit is love, joy and peace! It may be sacrificial, but it will be fun and cheerful!

Here is the main passage for guidance in New Covenant giving (EMPHASIS SUPPLIED):
"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. EACH MAN SHOULD GIVE WHAT HE HAS DECIDED IN HIS HEART TO GIVE, NOT RELUCTANTLY OR UNDER COMPULSION, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. "As it is written: ‘He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.’ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God" (! Corinthians 9:6-11, NIV).

What about using "10 percent" as only a model, from Old Testament example, a "suggested" rather than a "legal" amount? That may be okay but it is easily misunderstood and taken as law. It is better to preach Jesus and the principle from 1 Corinthians 9:6-11 above, then instead of just 10 percent the people may give more! Whichever, it will be from the heart.

In Virginia, back in the 1970s, I once had a pastor of a dynamic, non-denominational church, ironically called "New Covenant Church," where the gifts of the Spirit flowed freely, along with signs and wonders, healings and deliverances. Pastor Tom never gave a tithing sermon and never took a collection. There was a box at the back of the church, and people put donations in it as they left (as they were led by the Spirit). I once asked him about that, how the church got by that way. He replied simply, "If Jesus has your heart, He has your pocketbook." I was stunned by the profundity of that theological truth so simply and beautifully expressed. Pastor Tom preached the love and grace of Jesus and didn’t want people to give "under compulsion," or intimidation, but only out of their love for the Savior. (That church always had plenty, had an active building program, and supported several missionaries!) In this case, the church actually lived by faith -- by example -- instead of just telling the congregation to live by faith in their giving. In some churches, Jesus does not have the hearts of everyone, so to extract the funds from them they must be put under the law and coerced to give. People may then consider themselves "religious" for doing this, but I do not believe God blesses that kind of giving, nor does He need or want it.

The subject of giving concisely demonstrates the difference in the Old Covenant vs. the New Covenant; that is, giving as a legal requirement vs. out of the heart. The New Covenant is all about the heart, in which Christ dwells.

Are The Dead Really Alive?

ARE THE DEAD REALLY ALIVE?

GENESIS 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will NOT surely die." (NKJV)

That serpent of old, Satan, is the father of lies and there is no truth in him (John 8:44). However, today mainstream Christianity believes and tenaciously clings to Satan's original lie to Eve. The idea that the dead don't really die, but instead remain conscious after death, is one of the fundamental beliefs of most Christian denominations. Funeral services for the religious are routinely filled with platitudes about the dearly departed watching over their still-living loved ones from heaven. Any who dare contradict this belief in the status of the dead are generally vilified and said to be part of a truth-twisting cult.

But we, as believers, should be guided by the Scriptures and not by satanically-inspired human tradition. This article is going to examine what the Bible clearly and repeatedly says about death, the status of the dead, and the only hope for the dead (the resurrection). Additionally, it will address some commonly misunderstood verses used to support the position that the dead are conscious after death.

First, let's understand that humans could have avoided physical death if they had obeyed God from the beginning. If Adam and Eve had followed God's instructions and not partaken of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they could have remained in the Garden of Eden. There they would have been able to eat from the tree of life (a tree which was not originally forbidden to them) and they would have lived forever. But when they disobeyed and believed Satan's lie (Gen. 3:4), physical death became part of the human experience.

ROMANS 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned -- (NKJV)

The Bible teaches that there are three distinct parts to man: (1) body, (2) spirit, and (3) soul (I The. 5:23). These three are interrelated, but different.

(1) The body is the fleshly part of man: skin, bones, and organs. The body is composed of the same physical elements that make up the earth; that's why it is called "dust" (Gen. 2:7). When a person dies, their body eventually decays and reverts back to its component elements (Gen. 3:19). In the Old Testament, the Hebrew noun basar is the primary word translated "body" or "flesh," while the Greek words soma ("body") and sarx ("flesh") are most commonly used in the New Testament.

Through the miracle of resurrection, God brings back to life those who have died. The Bible tells us that the bodies of those resurrected will be of two kinds: renewed mortal bodies such as that of Lazarus (John 11:1-45) and the host of Israelites (Eze. 37:1-14), or enhanced spiritual bodies such as the one Yeshua received at his resurrection (I Cor. 15:39-54).

The difference in these two types of bodies is one of quality. There are six instances of resurrection recorded in the Bible prior to Yeshua's: the widow's son from Zarephath (I Kings 17:17-23); the Shunammite's son (II Kings 4:17-37); the widow's son from Nain (Luke 7:11-16); the daughter of Jairus (Matt. 9:18-25; Mark 5:22-42; Luke 8:41-55); Lazarus (John 11:1-45); and the saints raised in Jerusalem when Yeshua died on the cross (Matt. 27:50-53). However, although they all preceded Yeshua, he is called the firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5) and the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (I Cor. 15:20). This is because he is the only human ever to be brought back to life and given an immortal body. This won't occur again until the resurrection of the saints at the last trumpet (I Cor. 15:50-54).

(2) The human spirit is the nonphysical part of man. It is the human counterpart to the Holy Spirit, which is God's mind (I Cor. 2:9-16). Combined with the brain, the spirit gives us consciousness. It is referred to in the Scriptures as the "mind" (Deu. 30:1; I Chr. 22:7; Psa. 26:2; 73:21) or "heart" (Gen. 6:5; Job 17:4; Dan. 2:30; Mark 7:21; Heb. 4:12). "Spirit" comes from the Hebrew word ruach and the Greek word pneuma. These words can also mean "breath" or "wind," things which, like the spirit, can be felt but not seen (John 3:8).

A good way to picture the relationship between the body and the spirit is to draw a comparison to a computer system. The human body is like computer hardware (CPU, motherboard, hard drive, speakers, monitor, etc.) and the human spirit is like computer software (operating system, word processing, spreadsheet, web browser, etc.). Just as computer hardware without software is worthless, computer software can only function when working in combination with the hardware.

So also it is with the human body and spirit. When a person dies, their spirit returns to God who gave it (Ecc. 12:7; Matt. 27:50; John 19:30; Acts 7:59). The body without the spirit is dead (Jam. 2:26). Without a living human body (either mortal or spiritual) to interact with, the human spirit is unconscious, in a state similar to sleep. This is why the Bible so often speaks of death being like sleep. At the time of resurrection, God sends the spirits of the dead back to inhabit their bodies once again (Eze. 37:10; Luke 8:55).

(3) The soul is the combination of flesh and spirit. It is the whole person; their character, nature, disposition, temperament, and personality. Man does not have a soul, man IS a soul, as the Scriptures clearly tell us:

GENESIS 2:7 And 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 [nephesh]. (RWB)

I CORINTHIANS 15:45 So also it is written, "The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL [psuchen]." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (NASB)

The word most commonly translated "soul" in the Old Testament is the Hebrew noun nephesh and its variant forms. This word is also often translated "life." The corresponding Greek word psuche is translated "soul" in the New Testament.

A soul is not something that can be separated from a person. Man is a soul. God creates a human spirit within every man (Zec. 12:1). When God puts a spirit within a person, they become a living soul. When a person dies, that spirit is taken back by God (Ecc. 12:7; Psa. 104:29).

The Bible plainly teaches that souls can die:

EZEKIEL 18:4 "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul [nephesh] who sins shall die. (NKJV)

EZEKIEL 18:20 "The soul [nephesh] who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. (NKJV)

NUMBERS 31:19 "And as for you, remain outside the camp seven days; whoever has killed any person [nephesh], and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day." (NKJV)

EZEKIEL 13:19 And will ye profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls [nephashot] that should not die, and to save the souls [nephashot] alive that should not live, by your lying to My people that hear your lies? (RWB)

I PETER 3:20 . . . When once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls [psuchai], were saved through water. (NKJV)

Most Christians accept the Greek belief that man has a dual nature; spiritual and physical. To these dualists, death is the separation of the immortal soul from the mortal body. However, the Scriptures above and many others clearly show that both the soul and the body are mortal and can die. The soul is extinguished at death, and the body begins to decay. The spirit, which was initially given by God, returns to Him. But since the spirit cannot function without the body, the spirit has no consciousness in death.

Many of those who teach that man remains conscious after death ridicule and mock the doctrine of the dead being unconscious, which they commonly call "soul sleep." They claim that only the body sleeps in death, while the soul is awake in either heaven or hell. A review of their position shows that they generally misunderstand the nature of the three components of humans. They often use soul and spirit interchangeably, even though the Scriptures clearly show there is a difference in the two.

HEBREWS 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.(NKJV)

Now that we are armed with the basic scriptural knowledge of what the body, spirit, and soul are, let's see what the Scriptures really teach about the status of the dead.
Let's begin in the book of Job. Job has quite a lot to say about death. After the physical and material misfortunes brought by Satan befell him, Job cursed the day of his birth and wished that he had died at birth. Here is what he says about the dead, a group that he longs to be among:

JOB 3:11 "Why did I not die at birth? Why did I not perish when I came from the womb? 12 Why did the knees receive me? Or why the breasts, that I should nurse? 13 For now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; then I would have been at rest 14 With kings and counselors of the earth, who built ruins for themselves, 15 Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver; 16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like infants who never saw light? 17 There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary are at rest. 18 There the prisoners rest together; they do not hear the voice of the oppressor. 19 The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master. (NKJV)

Job tells us quite distinctly about the status of the dead. He informs us that the dead are asleep, a condition death is compared to numerous times in the Scriptures. Job further discloses to us that ALL the dead, both distinguished and insignificant, are in this state.

JOB 7:21 And why dost Thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and Thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be. (RWB)

Job continues on later with his contemplations on death, but he adds a significant detail:

JOB 14:10 But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he? 11 As water disappears from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dries up, 12 So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep. 13 Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, that You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, that You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14 If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, till my change comes. (NKJV)

Here we see that Job had some knowledge of the resurrection. A little further on, he speaks of the resurrection in more detail:

JOB 19:25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (NKJV)

Job knew that even after his body decayed in the grave, he would see God in his flesh. He knew of the resurrection of the dead and was anxiously looking forward to it. Why? Because he understood that the resurrection was mankind's only hope of defeating death. If there were no resurrection, the dead would continue to sleep in their graves forever.

King Solomon shared the same understanding that Job had regarding the fate of those who were dead. Solomon, the wisest man in the world during the time he lived (I Kings 4:29-31), clearly comprehended the finality of death.

ECCLESIASTES 9:2 All share a common destiny--the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. As it is with the good man, so with the sinner; as it is with those who take oaths, so with those who are afraid to take them. 3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope--even a live dog is better off than a dead lion! 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. (NIV)

ECCLESIASTES 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. (NIV)

The meaning of these words of Solomon is pretty obvious, if taken at face value. Unfortunately, those who believe and teach that immortal souls consciously continue on after death do not accept these clear comments written by Solomon. Instead, they attack the inspired nature of his words in this passage and claim that Solomon, the wisest man in the world, did not know what he was talking about.

The weight of numerous other plain Scriptures support Solomon's words about the state of the dead, however. Let's look at some passages from the book of Psalms to see if Solomon was speaking contrary to the Scriptures regarding death and the state of the dead.

PSALM 6:5 No one remembers You when he is dead. Who praises You from the grave? (NIV)

In Psalm 6, David makes the clear statement that no one remembers God when they are dead.

PSALM 13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; (NKJV)

David compares death to sleep in Psalm 13.

PSALM 17:15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness. (NKJV)

In Psalm 17, David speaks of awaking from death in the likeness of God at the resurrection. This parallels Job's comments about the resurrection (Job 19:26-27).

PSALM 30:2 O LORD my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me. 3 O LORD, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. 4 Sing praise to the LORD, You saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. . . . 9 "What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your truth? 10 Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; LORD, be my helper!" (NKJV)

In this song for the dedication of the house of David, the psalmist gives God thanks for saving his life. The questions he asks in verse 9 emphasize that if he were dead, he would not be able to praise God for His works and declare His truth.

PSALM 88:1 O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. 2 Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave. 4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, 5 Adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom You remember no more, and who are cut off from Your hand. 6 You have laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the depths. 7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah 8 You have put away my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an abomination to them; I am shut up, and I cannot get out; 9 My eye wastes away because of affliction. LORD, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You. 10 Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah 11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? 12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? (NKJV)

In Psalm 88, Heman the Ezrahite speaks of the affliction he has suffered. He pleads with God to save him before he dies, because he knows that if He doesn't, he has no hope. His rhetorical questions (vv. 10-12) are designed to rouse God to action before he dies and all hope is lost.

PSALM 115:17 The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence; (NASB)
The psalmist here flatly states that the dead do not praise God. "Silence" here is used to describe the grave, just as it also does in Psalm 94:17.

PSALM 146:3 Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. (NASB)
Here the psalmist tells us that a mortal man's thoughts perish on the day that he dies.
As we have just seen, the Psalms are full of insight into the state of the dead. In every case, the dead are portrayed as being asleep in the grave, unconscious and unable to do anything.
God told Moses of his impending death before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, describing it as sleep:

DEUTERONOMY 31:16 And the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, you are about to sleep with your fathers; then this people will rise and play the harlot after the strange gods of the land, where they go to be among them, and they will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them. (RSV)

The language used to describe the deaths of the kings of Israel and Judah also supports the view that the dead are asleep and at rest in their graves.

II SAMUEL 7:12 And when your [David's] days are over and you fall asleep with your ancestors, I shall appoint your heir, your own son to succeed you (and I shall make his sovereignty secure). (NJB)

I KINGS 2:10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. (NASB)

The apostles Peter and Paul confirm this understanding in the book of Acts, going so far as to say that David did not go to heaven when he died.

ACTS 2:29 "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. . . . 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens" . . . (NKJV)

ACTS 13:36 "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;" (NKJV)

The phrase "slept with his fathers" is used 36 times in the Tanakh to describe the death of the kings of Israel and Judah. It is applied to both the good kings and the wicked kings alike. There is no differentiation between the fate of the kings, whether good or evil. All are said to be sleeping with their forefathers in death.

The New Testament speaks of death as sleep many times also:

JOHN 11:11 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." 12 Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead." (NKJV)

ACTS 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (NKJV)

I CORINTHIANS 11:29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (NKJV)

I CORINTHIANS 15:6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. (NKJV)

II PETER 3:3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." (NKJV)

The angel who revealed end-time events to Daniel (Dan. 10-12) confirms the scriptural understanding of the status of the dead with his words to him regarding his fate:

DANIEL 12:13 "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days." (NKJV)

Daniel is told by the angel that he will rest in death until the time of the end, and then he will arise in the resurrection to claim his inheritance. This awakening from the sleep of death at the resurrection is spoken of many times in the Bible:

DANIEL 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. (NKJV)

ISAIAH 26:19 Your dead shall live; together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. (NKJV)

JOHN 5:28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. (RSV)

EPHESIANS 5:13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." (NKJV)

As we have seen over and over, the Bible speaks of death as a condition of unconsciousness similar to sleep. Many quote the apostle Paul's writings (Phi. 1:20-24; II Cor. 5:1-9) to supposedly disprove "soul sleep." However, it is from Paul that we receive the most emphatic declaration of the resurrection from the dead as the only hope for those who have died.
Let's examine Paul's comments about the resurrection from the 15th chapter of I Corinthians in detail:

I CORINTHIANS 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised [egegertai] from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? (NKJV)

Here Paul begins to dispute a teaching brought to Corinth that denied the bodily resurrection of the dead. This heresy likely took root among the Corinthian church due to the strong cultural influence exerted by the dualistic Greek view of human nature. The Greek view that the body and soul are separate, and that the soul lives on after the body dies, has influenced Christian doctrine since the first century. This view apparently had caused some Corinthian believers to falsely conclude that a resurrection from the dead was not necessary, since the souls of departed believers were already with Christ in heaven.

However, Paul, coming from a Pharisaic Jewish background (Acts 23:6; 26:5; Phi. 3:5), viewed the afterlife in a completely different way. The Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (DPHL) has this to say about Paul's beliefs regarding the resurrection:

Paul's teaching about the bodily resurrection arises out of a Jewish anthropology in which the "soul" (Heb nephesh, Gk psyche) is the animating principle of human life. In mainstream Jewish thought human beings do not have souls, they are souls. . . . Given this background it is perfectly understandable how in Romans 8:23 Paul describes the effects of the resurrection in terms of the ultimate "redemption of our bodies" . . . (p. 810)

As a side note, the Greek word egegertai ("raised") found in verse 12 is a form of the Greek verb egeiro. The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament states: "The basic meaning of egeiro is (trans.) to wake from sleep . . . or (intrans.) awaken, rise . . . (p. 372, vol. 1). Literally, Paul's comment could be translated: "He has been awakened from the dead . . ."

I CORINTHIANS 15:13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen [egegertai]. 14 And if Christ is not risen [egegertai], then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up [egeiren] Christ, whom He did not raise up [egeiren] -- if in fact the dead do not rise [egeirontai]. (NKJV)

Paul attacks the very heart of this false doctrine in verse 13. He firmly links the future resurrection of the dead with the past resurrection of Christ. If the dead aren't going to be awakened from their sleep at the resurrection, then Paul says that neither has Christ been awakened from death. If Christ has not been awakened from death, then their hope is in vain. Additionally, Paul and the other apostles have been spreading a false message!

I CORINTHIANS 15:16 For if the dead do not rise [egeirontai], then Christ is not risen [egegertai]. 17 And if Christ is not risen [egegertai], your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! (NKJV)

For emphasis, Paul again states in verse 16 that if the dead are not going to wake up from the sleep of death in the future, then Christ has not already been awakened. If this is the case, Paul tells them that their faith is useless and there has been no forgiveness for their sins.

I CORINTHIANS 15:18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (NKJV)

Now Paul takes his case a step further. If there is no resurrection, then those believers who have died while believing in Christ have ceased to exist! If there is no resurrection, then believers only have hope in Christ during their mortal life on this earth.

There is no ambiguity in Paul's argument. He clearly states that the only hope for life after death is the resurrection. Paul's position here totally negates the Hellenistic belief that the disembodied souls of the dead saints are in heaven with Christ.

I CORINTHIANS 15:20 But now Christ is risen [egegertai] from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (NKJV)

After laying out the ultimate consequences the rejection of the resurrection had on their theology, Paul goes on to state the facts to the Corinthians. Yeshua had indeed been awakened from the sleep of the dead. When God roused him from the sleep of death to glorious eternal life, Christ became the firstfruits of all those who will be awakened from death later on. Since death originally entered the human race because of Adam's sin, the resurrection of the dead to immortality came by way of a man's perfect obedience. But there is to be an order to the resurrection to immortality: Yeshua the Messiah first, then those messianic believers at the coming of Christ. More detail than this we are not given, but Paul does tell us the end result; Christ will reign until the last enemy, death, is destroyed.

Paul sums up his dissertation on death and the resurrection toward the end of chapter 15:

I CORINTHIANS 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed -- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 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." (NKJV)

Paul begins here with a statement that is often overlooked; flesh and blood mortals cannot INHERIT the Kingdom of God. As numerous other Scriptures show, however, they will be in the Kingdom of God. He goes on to say that not all believers will die before Messiah Yeshua returns. But when he returns, all believers will be changed instantly at the sounding of the last trumpet (Rev. 11:15-18). At the sounding of this trumpet, the dead saints will awake from their sleep in new, spiritual bodies, and the bodies of those believers then living will be changed to spirit. When this happens, "death is swallowed up in victory!"

Paul spoke of this same event in his first letter to the Thessalonians:

I THESSALONIANS 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. (NASB)

In verse 13 he defines for the church at Thessalonica why he is writing; to give them comfort and hope regarding the fate of those believers who had died ("fallen asleep").

I THESSALONIANS 4:14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. (NIV)

Verse 14 is an affirmation of faith in the resurrection. Paul says that just as we believe God raised Yeshua from the dead, so also we believe that God will resurrect those who died believing in Christ at his return.

There are those who say this verse teaches that Jesus will bring the conscious souls of the dead believers with him from heaven to be reunited with their resurrected bodies at his coming. However, this interpretation of verse 14 totally misses the point of what Paul is saying. If that understanding of the state of the dead was to be the Thessalonians' consolation and hope, Paul would have had no need to address the resurrection at all. He simply could have stated that the souls of the dead believers were at that time alive and with Christ in heaven. What more consolation would they have needed regarding the fate of their dead brothers and sisters?
But that is not at all the message Paul presents. The hope for the dead, as Paul presents it to the Thessalonians, is the resurrection of Christ. Just as he told the Corinthians, Paul emphasizes that Yeshua's resurrection is the guarantee of the future resurrection of the "sleeping" saints, who will awake at the time of his return.

I THESSALONIANS 4:15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words. (NIV)

Paul's consolation to the Thessalonians is the expectation that they will be reunited with their sleeping brethren at the resurrection of the dead. This resurrection will occur when Yeshua comes down from heaven as the last trumpet is blown. The dead will rise from their graves first, and together with them those believers who remain alive will be changed into spirit and will ascend to meet Yeshua in the air (Matt. 24:31). Paul is telling the Thessalonians to have hope in the resurrection, not to have hope in being a disembodied, conscious spirit in heaven.

In I Corinthians 15 and I Thessalonians 4, Paul speaks specifically about the resurrection to immortality. But as we mentioned earlier, the Bible also shows a resurrection to mortal life. The prophet Ezekiel speaks of this resurrection, which will be like the physical resurrections of the widow's son from Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-23); the Shunammite's son (II Kings 4:17-37); the widow's son from Nain (Luke 7:11-16); the daughter of Jairus (Matt. 9:18-25; Mark 5:22-42; Luke 8:41-55); Lazarus (John 11:1-45); the saints raised in Jerusalem when Yeshua died on the cross (Matt. 27:50-53); Tabitha (Acts 9:36-41); and Eutychus (Acts 20:9-12).

EZEKIEL 37:1 The hand of the LORD came upon me, and He led me out in the spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones. 2 He made me walk among them in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain. How dry they were! 3 He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? "Lord GOD," I answered, "you alone know that." 4 Then He said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life 6 I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD. 7 I prophesied as I had been told, and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise; it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone. 8 I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them. 9 Then He said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. 10 I prophesied as He told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army. 11 Then He said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They have been saying, "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off." 12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! 14 I will put my Spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD. (NAB)

Just as her spirit returned to Jairus' twelve-year old daughter when Yeshua resurrected her to life (Matt. 9:18-25; Mark 5:22-42; Luke 8:41-55), so also we see here that the spirits of the dead Israelites return to their reconstituted mortal bodies to bring them back to life. These Israelites will live in the land of Israel during the millennial rule of Yeshua. They will be subjects of the Kingdom of God, but unlike resurrected believers, they will not have inheritance in the Kingdom at this time (I Cor. 15:50).

Now that we have thoroughly covered what the Bible says about the state of the dead, I'm going to attempt to explain some Scriptures used by those who believe that souls live on after death to support their contention.

Probably the biblical text most used to "prove" that the soul survives death are the words of Yeshua to the thief on the cross.

LUKE 23:42 Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." 43 And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (NKJV)

"Case closed!" say the conscious soul advocates after quoting this passage. But is it really as cut and dried as appears?

There are several factors that should cause one to pause and reconsider what this passage appears to say. The first is the request made by the thief. He asked Yeshua to remember him WHEN he came into his kingdom. The thief apparently understood the messianic kingdom in the same way most first century Jews did; he knew that it would be a physical kingdom ruling on the earth.

When will Yeshua come into his earthly kingdom? When he returns from heaven and rules over all nations from Jerusalem with a rod of iron (Psa. 2:7-9; Rev. 2:26-27; 12: 5; 19:15), as the prophet Isaiah foretold:

ISAIAH 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. (NKJV)

Since Yeshua has not yet established the Kingdom of God in Jerusalem, he cannot yet have granted the thief his request.

Also, for Yeshua's statement to be literally true the way it is presented by the dualists, the thief had to follow Yeshua to "Paradise" the very day they died. As other Scriptures clearly show, Paradise is located in heaven (II Cor. 12:2-4), where the tree of life is (Rev. 2:7). However, we know from Christ's own words that he did not go to heaven at his death:

JOHN 20:15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.' " (NKJV)

After his resurrection, Yeshua told Mary not to cling to him, because he had NOT YET ascended to heaven to his Father. Instead, he had just spent three days and three nights dead and asleep in the garden tomb. The Scriptures show that he didn't go to heaven until 40 days later (Acts 1:3, 9-11). If Christ didn't ascend to Paradise until 40 days after his resurrection, there's no way the thief could have joined him there that same day they died on their crosses.

If Yeshua and the thief did not ascend to heaven the day of their death, what did Yeshua mean by his statement? There is no punctuation in the original Greek text of this passage. When the King James translators placed a comma before "today," they did so because of their belief (influenced by the traditional teachings of the Roman Catholic Church) in the immortality of the soul. For the same reason, modern translators have followed suit.

Grammatically, this sentence in Greek can also be read as: "Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise." Since this understanding removes numerous difficulties and apparent scriptural contradictions, it should be the preferred rendering. Unfortunately, the traditions of men die hard.

If Yeshua's words to the thief on the cross are most often used to support a conscious existence after death, the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man runs a very close second.

LUKE 16:19 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' 25 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. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' 27 Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29 Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' " (NKJV)

All who cite this narrative as evidence for the existence of consciousness after death staunchly assert that it is a true story. However, a close examination will show that this tale is a parable, not the account of a real occurrence.

But even if we accept the untenable position that the account of Lazarus and the rich man actually happened, this story presents conscious soul advocates with several problems. First, the position of dualists is that all the Scriptures referring to the dead sleeping are actually speaking ONLY of their bodies. So dualists believe that the bodies of the dead sleep, while their conscious souls are either in heaven or hell.

If that is the case, then how could the rich man lift up his eyes in Hades (which literally means "hidden" in Greek)? Additionally, if this rich man's body was asleep while his soul was being tormented, why did he need Lazarus to put a drop of water on his tongue to cool it? Does a disembodied soul have a tongue? Also, would physical flames cause pain to a nonphysical entity? And would the disembodied soul of Lazarus have a finger to use to dip the requested water with?
In truth, Yeshua was using a common first-century misconception about the afterlife to make a point to the Pharisees he was addressing.

The timing of Lazarus' reward and the rich man's punishment is another serious problem with taking the account literally. In this story, we see that Lazarus obtained his reward and the rich man received his punishment right after their deaths. But the Bible clearly teaches that rewards and punishments will be given after the Messiah's return from heaven.

ISAIAH 40:10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (NIV)

ISAIAH 62:11 The LORD has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'" (NIV)

MATTHEW 16:27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works." (NKJV)

I CORINTHIANS 3:11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (NKJV)

REVELATION 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: "We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy those who destroy the earth." (NKJV)

REVELATION 22:12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work." (NKJV)

Finally, some will vehemently argue that Yeshua would certainly not have used an untrue story to teach the Pharisees a lesson because it would have amounted to an endorsement of that position. However, Yeshua was referencing a Hellenistic belief about the afterlife that had found its way into Judaism by the first century. This belief, despite the fact that it was not scriptural, would have been well known by the Pharisees. Immediately before he told the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Yeshua recounted the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-12). He clearly did not endorse the specific actions of this unscrupulous manager, but Yeshua was able to use the story to teach a spiritual lesson. So also did he do with the parable of Lazarus and the rich man.

Three Scriptures from Paul are likewise often cited as "proof" that souls live on after the body dies. First, let's look at a passage from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians:

II CORINTHIANS 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. (NKJV)

If we simply go back to Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, we find that "our earthly house" (v. 1), our physical body, will be "swallowed up by life" (v. 4) at the resurrection (I Cor. 15:50-54). This is the context in which Paul writes here. When Paul says that "while we are at home in the (physical) body we are absent from the Lord," he is simply saying that we can't be with the Lord until we receive our immortal bodies at the resurrection (I Cor. 15:50).

When understood correctly, Paul here confirms that it's only at the resurrection that the saints will be alive with Christ. When Paul speaks of being "absent from the body to be present with the Lord," he is speaking of the resurrection of the dead, when his mortal body will be replaced by the "building from God" (v. 1).

Biblical scholars have attempted many explanations for Paul's apparently contradictory teaching about the intermediate state of the believer between death and the resurrection. They postulate that Paul came to grasp more about the state of the dead as his eschatological understanding increased. This supposedly explains the difference in views between his earlier writings (I The. 4; I Cor. 15) and those later on (Phi. 1, II Cor. 5). However, some scholars conclude that any perceived deviations are simply due to differences in emphasis caused by the different circumstances under which each letter was written.

In DPHL, we find this insightful comment regarding Paul's apparent change in position from I Corinthians to II Corinthians:

. . . Both letters assert a transformation of the believer in Christ; but what of the timing of that transformation? F.F. Bruce remarks wisely on this matter: "The tension created by the postulated interval between death and resurrection might be relieved today if it were suggested that in the consciousness of the departed believer there is no interval between dissolution and investiture, however long an interval might be measured by the calendar of earthbound human history." (p. 440)

In other words, a believer whose consciousness ended at death would not be aware of the passage of time on the earth upon awakening in the resurrection. This would allow Paul to say that he would rather be absent from his mortal body and present with the Lord and still not invalidate those things he had earlier written about the dead being in a state of sleep.

Now let's examine a passage from his epistle to the church at Philippi:

PHILIPPIANS 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. (NKJV)

Based on Paul's understanding as presented earlier in I Corinthians 15 and I Thessalonians 4, why would he say that it would be gain for him to die? How would departing allow him to be with Christ?

Based on Paul's view of the state and resurrection of the dead as outlined in the passages we've already covered, it would be gain for him to die because he would be asleep and would no longer be suffering in the flesh. In the sleep of death, there is no comprehension of the passage of time. The next moment of consciousness for Paul after his death would be at his resurrection, when Yeshua returns for the saints. In view of these considerations, it's easy to see what Paul meant here.

Finally, let's examine another passage from Paul's first epistle to the Thessalonians:

1 THESSALONIANS 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. (NKJV)

The only way to use this text to support the conscious soul theory is to ignore its context. Remember, only a few short verses earlier, Paul is speaking about the awakening of the dead from sleep at the resurrection (I The. 4:13-17). In this verse, Paul is merely saying that whether a believer is awake (alive in the flesh) or asleep (dead in the grave), eventually we will live with Yeshua the Messiah after the resurrection.

Conscious soul advocates prominently use these three passages by Paul to try and substantiate their claim that the righteous dead are alive in heaven with Christ. In doing so, they have to discard or explain away many clear Scriptures, from Paul and others, which refute this position. One such obvious Scripture is found in Paul's second letter to Timothy, written just before his death:

II TIMOTHY 4: 6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (NIV)

Here Paul plainly tells Timothy that he is about to die, and his reward won't be received from the Lord until the day of his appearing - the day Yeshua returns from heaven to resurrect the saints. That's about as direct a statement as you will get from the apostle Paul on any topic, and it refutes the belief that the saints are rewarded at death by being consciously present with Christ in heaven.

Now let's examine the account of the transfiguration, which is commonly held up as proof that souls remain conscious after death.

MATTHEW 16:28 "Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." 17:1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!" 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid." 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision [horama] to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead." (NKJV)

Dualists claim that the only way Moses and Elijah could have appeared on the mountain with Yeshua is if they were alive in heaven and came down from there. Unfortunately, that claim is not substantiated by the Scripture. In fact, the Greek text of verse 9 literally invalidates that belief.

First, we must understand that this event took place to fulfill Yeshua's promise that some of the apostles would "not taste death until they saw the Kingdom of God after it had come with power" (Mark 9:1; Matt. 16:28). It has been (+/-) 2,000 years since Yeshua walked the earth as a man, and the Kingdom of God still has not come in power. It will not come in power until the Messiah returns from heaven to rule the nations with a rod of iron. So how could any of the twelve apostles see that event before they died?

The key to properly understanding this passage is to realize that what Peter, James and John saw was a supernatural vision of the future, not a present reality. The word translated "vision" in Matthew 17:9 is the Greek noun horama. Regarding the meaning of this word, Friberg's Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament says: "in the NT, [horama is] a supernatural vision, given as a means of divine communication . . ."

This same word (horama) is used to describe Peter's vision of the great sheet filled with all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air (Acts 10:9-17) and Paul's vision of the Macedonian man pleading for the gospel to be preached to them (Acts 16:9-10). Additionally, in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament, horama is used to describe the supernatural visions of the future given to Daniel (Dan. 7:1; 8:13; 10:1), as well as others.

Clearly the transfiguration on the mountain was a vision of the future Kingdom, given to Peter, James and John to fulfill Yeshua's pledge. They were granted a glimpse of the Messiah in his glory, with two of the saints who will be there with him in the Kingdom (Moses and Elijah). Scripturally, it's very difficult to make a convincing case that Moses and Elijah had to be alive at that very time in order to be seen in a vision of the future.

Next, let's examine Yeshua's claim that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not the God of the dead but of the living. Some proponents of the conscious soul theory claim that this statement is proof that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were alive at the time Yeshua said this.
First, we need to realize that the premise for Yeshua's statement was to disprove the Sadducees contention that there is no resurrection. With the understanding of why Yeshua said this, let's look at what the Scriptures really say:

MATTHEW 22:31 "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, 32 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (NKJV)

MARK 12:26 "But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? 27 "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken." (NKJV)

LUKE 20:37 "But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' 38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." (NKJV)

Clearly, Yeshua was pointing out to the disbelieving Sadducees the reality of the resurrection in these parallel passages. Even though Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were dead at the time Yeshua made this statement, God had promised to resurrect them. God gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did (Rom. 4:17). Therefore Yeshua could confidently state that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were alive, because he knew that God would keep His promise to resurrect them.

The book of Hebrews twice clearly tells us that these three (as well as all the other Old Testament saints) are dead, awaiting their perfection and reward at the resurrection of the righteous.

HEBREWS 11:13 These all [including Abraham-v. 8, Isaac-v. 9, Jacob-v. 9] died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (NKJV)

HEBREWS 11:39 And all these [including Abraham-vv. 17-19, Isaac-v. 20, Jacob-v. 21], having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, 40 God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. (NKJV)

Some try to use the words of the "souls under the altar" in Revelation 6 to support their belief in conscious souls in heaven.

REVELATION 6:9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. (NKJV)

First and foremost, we have to realize that the book of Revelation was written in symbolic language. No scholar that I know of expects four horsemen to literally ride throughout the world at the time of the end, wreaking havoc when the first four seals are opened (Rev. 6:1-8). These horsemen and their mounts are understood to be allegorical representations of events that will take place. So why would we interpret the fifth seal in a literal sense when the first four are clearly symbolic?

The altar is the place where sacrifices are presented. Its appearance here is representative of those martyrs who sacrificed their lives in the service of God. The question asked by these "souls" is used to symbolically introduce the final great martyrdom of believers at the end of this age.

Even this illustrative event shows the true status of the dead. These slain saints are told to REST a while longer, until the last massive slaughter of believers is finished. They are to return to resting in the sleep of death until the resurrection of all believers occurs at the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15-18).

Lastly, let's examine the account of Saul conjuring up the spirit of Samuel. Saul was facing the Philistine army, and because of his disobedience, God had forsaken him. Since he was afraid of the Philistine army and God would not answer his inquiries about the coming battle, Saul resorted to the use of a medium to contact the dead prophet Samuel. The account is found in I Samuel 28:

I SAMUEL 28:11 The woman asked, 'Whom shall I conjure up for you?' He replied, 'Conjure up Samuel.' 12 The woman then saw Samuel and, giving a great cry, she said to Saul, 'Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!' 13 The king said, 'Do not be afraid! What do you see?' The woman replied to Saul, 'I see a ghost [Heb. 'elohim, lit. "god"] rising from the earth.' 14 'What is he like?' he asked. She replied, 'It is an old man coming up; he is wrapped in a cloak.' Saul then knew that it was Samuel and, bowing to the ground, prostrated himself. 15 Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed my rest by conjuring me up?' Saul replied, 'I am in great distress; the Philistines are waging war on me, and God has abandoned me and no longer answers me either by prophet or by dream; and so I have summoned you to tell me what I ought to do.' 16 Samuel said, 'Why consult me, when Yahweh has abandoned you and has become your enemy?' 17 Yahweh has treated you as he foretold through me; he has snatched the sovereignty from your hand and given it to your neighbour, David, 18 because you disobeyed Yahweh's voice and did not execute his fierce anger against Amalek. That is why Yahweh is treating you like this today. 19 What is more, Yahweh will deliver Israel and you too, into the power of the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me; and Yahweh will hand over the army of Israel into the power of the Philistines.' (NJB)

Those who believe that souls continue to live after the body dies sometimes use this passage to try and prove their point. However, if they really considered what "Samuel" says here, they might choose to ignore it.

One school of thought holds that this appearance by "Samuel" was only a demon disguised as the dead prophet. However, since the text seems to treat this 'elohim which appears as the actual Samuel, we will analyze the passage in that light.

Notice the very first thing Samuel says to Saul through the medium: "Why have you disturbed my rest by conjuring me up?" (v. 15). It certainly sounds like the dead Samuel was asleep in death, and wasn't too keen on being bothered by Saul and his medium.

From the Scriptures, we know that Samuel was a righteous man, a servant of God who judged Israel all his life. We also know that Saul was originally selected by God to be the king of Israel, but was later rejected by Him because of rebellion and disobedience (I Sam. 15:23).

Dualists believe the souls of saints go to heaven upon death, while the souls of those who reject God go to hell. Surely then, Samuel would have been in heaven and Saul would have gone to hell after his death under that scenario. But let's look at what Samuel tells Saul about his fate: "Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me" (v. 19).

If we assume the entity conjured up was actually Samuel and not a deceptive demon, it's apparent that Samuel was called up by the medium from the sleep of death. He wasn't happy about having his rest disturbed. He told Saul that he and his sons would be dead after the next day's battle with the Philistines, and then they too would be asleep in sheol ("the grave") with him.

There is nothing in this encounter to suggest that souls remain conscious after death. In fact, the words of Samuel seem to clearly contradict that position. The best use for this passage of Scripture is to reiterate why God condemns mediums (Lev. 20:27; Deu. 18:11) and outlaws consulting the dead through them (Isa. 8:19).

CONCLUSION

Satan's first lie to Eve is still alive and well here on planet earth. However, a review of all pertinent Scriptures clearly shows that the dead are unconscious and "asleep" until they are resurrected. Their souls are not conscious in heaven or hell. All passages touted by dualists as showing otherwise can be reconciled to this understanding so that the Scriptures are in harmony.

Death is the end of life. If it weren't for the promises of God, we would have no hope. But our heavenly Father has promised to raise us from the dead and give us eternal life in His son, Yeshua haMashiach. Baruch Hashem!