Do a quick Google search on the internet and you will find scores of definitions and ideas concerning death. Some things advanced are from “scientific” view. Some thoughts are from political opinion. And, you will find many thoughts and opinions put forth by numerous Bible teachers and believers. Even those ideas vary. Here are a sampling.
“Death, dying, and the afterlife are all shrouded in deep mystery, cloaked in darkness and generally surrounded by fear and apprehension. The very idea of death strikes fear into many people’s hearts.”
“Death is the cessation of the connection between our mind and our body. Most people believe that death takes place when the heart stops beating; but this does not mean that the person has died, because his subtle mind may still remain in his body.”
“Death may be the most misunderstood subject in the world today.”
“Death, the total cessation of life processes that eventually occurs in all living organisms. The state of human death has always been obscured by mystery and superstition, and its precise definition remains controversial, differing according to culture and legal systems.
“Although there is no universally accepted definition of death, a 1971 Kansas statute comes close: ‘A person will be considered medically and legally dead if, in the opinion of a physician, based on ordinary standard of medical practice, there is absence of spontaneous brain function.’”
Let us view a few of the thoughts and opinions of some Bible teachers and believers.
“Death is inevitable to whatever is born. The Soul is free from the bondage of birth and death. It is eternal; it has no death. Anything that is born has to die, and because there is death, there will also be birth. So death is connected to birth. Wherever there is birth there is death.”
“According to the Bible, death is not the end of life but the separation of the soul from the body. Scripture clearly speaks of both eternal life with God in heaven and eternal separation from God in hell.”
“The Biblical definition of death - whether physical or spiritual - is not non-existence, but separation.”
“Physical death is the separation of body and soul.”
Okay, the subject of death is something that apparently there is no universal agreement on. There are many opinions, beliefs and thoughts. But, is there an authoritative source we can go to get some answers? Yes, thankfully there is. And, I’m not going to start off saying, as some of the views we looked at did, “the Bible says...” Yes, we are going to see what the Bible says by first looking at what Jesus taught. He was God in the flesh, by whom all things were created. It was He that created and set in motion life and death. He, I believe, knows where of He speaks.
We will begin by looking at His words in John 11 and 12. You are familiar with the story, of Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, being raised from the dead by Jesus. There is SO-O-O much in this account and we won’t be able to cover every bit of what is there, but, we will look at what Jesus has to say about death.
Beginning in verse one John gives us a bit of the back story. Martha, Mary and Lazarus were friends of Jesus. John in verse two recounts the event of Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with ointment and wiping His feet with her hair. John gets right to the heart of the story by telling us that Lazarus was sick. This was a very serious illness and the sisters sent a messenger to Jesus informing Him. All indications are that Jesus was at Bethabara, beyond the Jordan, approximately 20 miles away from Bethany, perhaps a days journey for the messenger. (See John 1:28 and John 10:40.)
In verse 4 we read Jesus’ response, which was most likely carried back to Martha and Mary by the messenger. There has been much discussion over what Jesus said. Our English King James Version renders His words thus, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
We have the benefit of the rest of the story that John gives us and can gain understanding. Those standing there at the time, including Jesus’ disciples, missed what He was saying. He knew by a Word of Knowledge that at the moment He was speaking Lazarus had already died. The text tells us that word came to Him of Lazarus’ sickness, which as we mentioned above, would have taken a day for the messenger to arrive. In verse 6 we are told that Jesus remained where He was for two days. After this He and His disciples made the trip to Bethany, a full day’s journey. When they arrived, we are told in verse 17, that Lazarus “had lain in the grave four days already.”
So, what was Jesus expressing in verse 4? What did He mean, “This sickness in not unto death,” when He was aware that Lazarus was already in the grave? Knowing, as we do from John’s account we could possibly state it in a clearer fashion. Jesus could have as well, but, He wanted His words to be a bit cryptic, keeping the meaning hidden and concealed.
To understand what He was saying, maybe we could word it in a number of various ways. For example, “Death, resulting from this sickness, is not the last word!” “Although this sickness may bring death, that is not the conclusion to this situation.” “Lazarus’ sickness will result in great glory to God. He may die but it won’t hold him.” “This sickness will not end in a death lasting until the great resurrection of all, But will be one to bring glory to God and to His Son.”
After making this statement John tells us a couple of things important to the story. He tells us in verse 5 that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He had a very special connection with them. Now, John tells us, that when Jesus got the message that Lazarus was sick He didn’t go rushing off to Bethany, BUT He “abode two days still in the same place where He was.” Now, as we rehearsed above, Jesus was fully aware of the situation and knew what He was doing.
Then, in verse 7, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us go into Judea again.” He didn’t make mention here of Lazarus. And, His disciples responded, saying in essence, “What are you thinking? The Jews recently were seeking you to kill you and you want to go back there?”
We won’t try to go into His whole response, given in verses 9 and 10, but let us look at verse 11. Notice His words, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” When the disciples heard this they said, “Hey, if he is asleep he’ll be fine.” Now, let us hear what Jesus said to that, verse 13. “Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of taking rest in sleep.”
Did we catch what Jesus says? He equates death with sleeping. And, this was not a new concept to those there with Him. In the Old Testament Scriptures we find this expressed over and over. In fact we find an interesting expression, mentioned in connection with various individuals, “slept with his fathers.” This expression is used over 35 times and is clearly speaking of death. Let us look at one account, 1 Kings 2:10, “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.” One isn’t buried if he is taking rest. As we read of Jesus’ disciples thinking His statement that they would go to wake Lazarus from sleep was referencing “taking of rest in sleep.” Jesus make it quite clear that He was speaking of death, verse 14 of John 11, “Lazarus is dead.”
Jesus says two things, meaning the same. “Lazarus sleepeth;...” and “Lazarus is dead.” This study won’t get into all the scientific research into sleep but I believe we all know what sleep is. We sleep every night (or day) and we may not know all that research goes into, but we know the basics. We sleep. We are unaware of anything happening around us. We are unaware of the passage of time. We look at a clock and mentally calculate “how long we slept.” I’d like to quote from a short article I found on the internet concerning sleep. “In other words, a sleeping person is unconscious to most things happening in the environment.” A bit later in the same article, “a sleeping person can be aroused if the stimulus is strong enough.” It is stated that not only man but reptiles, birds and mammals all sleep. And quoting again, “That is, they become unconscious to their surroundings for periods of time.”
When we are asleep we are unaware of what is taking place around us. We are unconscious to what is happening. Jesus is affirming what was known and understood by the writers of the Old Testament and by those around Him at the time, sleep is a shadow of death. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, knew and understood sleep and death. Notice what he writes in Ecc. 9:5, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing,...” Just as in sleep, we are unconscious, not knowing anything that is happening around us. When we are dead, we do not know anything. David, Solomon’s father, also knew this truth. In Psalms 146 and verse 4 he writes, “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.”
Back a few pages we read another verse that David penned expressing much the same thing. Psa. 115:16, “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.” Earlier in the Psalms David makes another statement along the same line. Psa. 6 and verse 5 he is in context speaking to God and says, “For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” No, the dead have no memory, no thoughts, are not praising God and giving Him thanks. They are “asleep!”
Isaiah, the prophet, tells us the same things we read from Solomon and David. Notice Isa. 38:18-19, “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day:...” Plainly it is only the living that is able to praise God. The dead are asleep, unconscious, to any and everything. They are not able to praise and celebrate God. Their thoughts have perished.
Job, who lived long before David, Solomon or Isaiah, understood about death. Let us look at what he expressed while he was going through his trial. In chapter 14 of Job we read, beginning with verse 10 and through verse 14. “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me in secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”
Did you notice that Job knew and understood that death was equated to being asleep. Look again at the words he used. “But man dieth, and wasteth away; “ ”So man lieth down, and riseth not:” “they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” “All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” Yes, he knew that in death he would be asleep awaiting a resurrection.
Daniel also speaks of death as sleep, Dan. 12:2. The prophet Jeremiah speaks in Jeremiah the 51st chapter about those who sleep a perpetual sleep. BDB gives as the first definition of the word perpetual, “long duration.” But, all of these men of God also knew and spoke of a time of awakening from the sleep of death, of a resurrection.
The resurrection was paramount in Jesus’ miracle and teaching about death and sleep in John 11. When Jesus spoke to Martha as He came into Bethany He told her that her brother would “rise again,” verse 23. Martha believed in the resurrection of the dead and responded that she knew that Lazarus would rise again at the last day, verse24. But, Jesus made His point, verse 25, “I am the resurrection...” He knew what He was going to do in just a short time.
As I said earlier, there is so much in this account. Jesus taught about death, but, also about resurrection. And, in all of this we also understand that He was showing that He would soon die, be put into the grave and would be resurrected. But, let us notice again what He says about Lazarus.
In verse 39 of John 11 we find Jesus at the grave and He speaks to Martha. Look at how it refers to her, “Martha, the sister of him that was dead,” Lazarus was dead. He had earlier said that Lazarus was asleep. Verse 44, after calling for Lazarus to come forth, we read that “he that was dead came forth,...” Continuing the story in chapter 12 we are told that six days before the passover Jesus came to Bethany “where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.” The resurrection of Lazarus, the raising him from the dead was, as Jesus had said in verse 11 of chapter 11, was the act of awakening him out of sleep.
We have read what Jesus said, what many of the Old Testament prophets and writers have written regarding death equated to sleep. Let us now notice what is written and recorded by Paul and other New Testament writers.
Luke wrote both the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. In chapter 13 of the book of Acts, verse 36, he speaks of King David. “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption.” Slightly different wording but exactly what we read earlier, “David slept with his fathers and was buried...”
The apostle Paul gave us a great amount of teaching on death and the resurrection. We’ll look at a few passages. In his discussion of eating the bread and taking of the cup, what has been called communion, in 1 Cor. 11:30, he speaks of those who eat and drink without proper discernment of the Lord’s body. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.” His reference to sleep is indicating that many had died when they should have been receiving healing.
We’ll turn to the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians in a moment, to what is referred to as “the resurrection chapter” but let us first look at Paul’s words in 1 Thes. 4.. Beginning with verse 13, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep,...” As we continue reading it becomes quite clear that he is speaking of those who have died, not just taking rest. Verse 14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even them which sleep in Jesus...” Let us continue, verse 15, “...that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.” He repeatedly calls death sleep. Now, we come to verse 16 where Paul makes it very clear that the sleep he has been speaking of is death. “...and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” (I didn’t quote every word Paul wrote here as there would be a dozen studies or sermons generated.)
Now, to 1 Cor. 15. Once again, there is so much that could be covered, but we’ll look specifically at his statements correlating sleep and death. He begins teaching about death and the resurrection in verse 12, speaking of Jesus rising from the dead. Let us drop down to verse 18, “Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ...” Verse 20, “...and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” We know that his references to sleep is equated to death, as he continues in the following verses. 21, “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” 22, “For as in Adam all die,...” 26, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
Going down to verse 51, Paul tells us, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” 52, “and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 55, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”
From one end of the Bible to the other the words and teaching of Jesus is repeated by the writers of Scripture, death is over and over again referred to as sleep, an unconscious state, in which one is unaware of what is going on around them. Thoughts have perished. It is a period of awaiting being “awakened” at the resurrection.
I know that “religion,” has told us much that is contrary to what we have been reading. I hear many, without Scriptural support, state that when a person dies that he has “gone home,” or has “gone to heaven,” or is now “with Jesus.” One individual that I have learned a lot from and who I appreciate, recently made a statement on a live-streamed study, that David had gone to heaven and was with Jesus. I wanted to shout out through the internet, “That isn’t what Scripture says!” Let us read what the Bible tells us about David. Acts 2:29, this is Peter’s message on the Day of Pentecost, “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David , that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day.” He says David is dead (asleep) and is buried. But, wait! Let us read further. Notice, please, verse 34, “For David is not ascended into the heavens:...” This is plain and tells us exactly what we have been reading. David, along with all who have died, fallen asleep, are sleeping in their graves awaiting the resurrection, waiting to be awakened.
But, I know some of you are thinking and saying, “But doesn’t the soul and spirit leave and go to God?” We read some of Solomon’s statements earlier concerning death and he also makes a statement regarding this question. Ecc. 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Is he saying, as many teach, that the spirit goes to heaven and is dwelling with God and all the saved who have died? How does that fit with the numerous Scriptures we have just read about “sleeping” in the graves until the resurrection? Let us look at something else that Solomon said, Ecc. 3:21. “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” A few other translations make this question a bit clearer. Let us look at a few. Bible in Basic English, “Who is certain that the spirit of the sons of men goes up to heaven...?” Contemporary English Version, “Who really knows if our spirits go up and the spirits of animals go down into the earth?” New Living Translation, “For who can prove that the human spirit goes up...?”
Solomon, who was the wisest man who ever lived because of God’s great gift, understood that the breath and the spirit left the body at death, that it “returned to God,” BUT he didn’t know and he asked how any knew just where it went, did it go up to heaven? There is no revelation on that. We know that it goes to God for safe keeping until the resurrection.
One of the greatest revelations we have came from the Apostle Paul. It is recorded for us in 1 Thes. 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Several translations make this a bit clearer by stating “your whole being–spirit, soul and body.” Thayer’s Greek Definitions defines the Greek word, holokleros, Strong’s G3648, here translated ‘whole,’ as “complete in all its parts, in no part wanting or unsound, complete, entire, whole.” Without all three components we are not a “whole being.” Not a perfect analogy, but your car is not whole if you just have the body but no engine and transmission. You might have an engine and transmission but without a body to put them into you don’t have a car.
We can get a bit of the picture of what death is like, again, from the reference to sleep. When we are asleep, the body is in a bit of a slowed down, suspended state. The soul and spirit, where our thinking, our emotions, etc. are located, also are inactive. When we are sound asleep we are not thinking, planning, or expressing emotions. The instant we wake up we may immediately recall what we were thinking before we “fell asleep.” or if we were sad, happy, etc. our emotions come back immediately. But, during sleep, as during the time we are dead, there are no thoughts, we are not praising God, or cursing anyone, etc.
There are so many related studies that cry out to be done after reading many of these passages, but it isn’t the scope of this study. But, let us just look at a few more verses. We read much of what Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15. Let us review a few things before we turn to our final verses. Paul stated, in verse 22 that in Adam all die and even so, in like accord, in Christ shall all be made alive. Note, the dead aren’t alive, just off somewhere else, as is often taught. In verse 23 he tells us that all will be made alive “in his own order.” And, he gives us a bit of that order, Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Paul tells us plainly who these are over in 1 Thes. 4 that we read earlier, verse 14, “which sleep in Jesus.” In verse 15 he refers to them as “them which are asleep.” Verse 16 he again refers to the “dead in Christ” rising first.
Okay, let us turn to our final passage over in the book of Revelation. Let’s read chapter 20 and we won’t attempt to explain all that is there in this study. In verses 1-5 John speaks of the devil being bound and then of seeing thrones and those sitting on them being given judgment. The description is of those that were martyred, that hadn’t come under the deception of the adversary. He tells us that these would live and reign with Christ a thousand years. And, in verse 5 we are told that the rest of the dead didn’t live again until after the thousand years. Then he tells us what he has just written is the first resurrection, it is of those that Paul called the ones that are in Christ, those that “sleep in Jesus.”
John, here in Revelation 20, tells us about those that are a part of the first resurrection, verse 6, and of the devil being loosed for a short period after the thousand years. Now, to the verses that are most pertinent to our study. Verse 11 speaks of a great white throne and then in verse 12 he sees “the dead, small and great, stand before God...” This, in light of verse 5, is the rest of the dead, those who were not the dead in Christ, those who did not sleep in Jesus. Note, he says they were the dead. Verse 13 says they were resurrected from the sea and “death and hell delivered up the dead.” Verse 14 also speaks of “death and hell.” There are all kinds of teaching about this but simply put he is saying “those that are in the grave,” be it a watery grave or anywhere they may have been buried.
Another time and another place it can be discussed about judgment, the casting of death and hell into the lake of fire. But, the point for now is that all of these were dead, they were raised to life. They were resurrected, not at Jesus return when the “dead in Christ,” those that were “asleep in Jesus,” were resurrected, but in their order, as John said, after the thousand years.
This was not “spirit and soul” coming from heaven to be put back into a body and then to enter a period of judgment. A common teaching precludes that there has been a judgement at death for them to have been “sent upward or downward.” No, based on all the numerous Scriptures we have looked at, when they died they were asleep, unconscious awaiting this moment being described, being delivered from the sea and their graves. All the dead, not in Christ, small and great, young and old, from all time periods, each “in his own order” will awake from this sleep of death to stand before God.
Although there is so-o-o-o much more we could look at, I believe the Scriptures we have looked at tells us plainly that death is pictured by sleep. It isn’t something unfathomable, something all that difficult to understand. Sure, there are aspects we may not totally grasp but we don’t have to be confused by the many and varied teachings given by religion.
September 2019
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