An encounter with Bible truths.
By Martin Raj
11.13.2023
For several weeks, I have encountered different verses in the Bible related to death. I have been wondering why God has been showing me these verses, and I also shared this with my wife, Debbie. During the final week of October, I came across a movie ad on Facebook titled “After Death.” Just by watching the trailer, I understood its purpose.
It is essential for me to point out that when Angel Studios released the movie “Sound of Freedom,” I was very appreciative of how openly they were speaking about human trafficking and how it opened my eyes to the terrible reality of child trafficking in plain sight. This made me extra cautious about my surroundings. However, after watching the trailer for “After Death” by Angel Studios, I made the connection of why God had been showing me several verses regarding death.
People around the world are in a constant search for the truth, and, of course, Satan has mixed up the truths of the Bible with his false teachings. One of several false teachings is about death. This is an attempt to share the burden that I believe God has placed on me, to present in simple words what the Bible says about death.
R.I.P
When my mum passed away in 2009, I was 23, and I cried bitterly because of the loss. My brother and I had lost the one who was our everything. She raised us as a single parent because our dad left us before I was born, and she never remarried. Thinking of living a life without our mum was unimaginable, but we had to learn to live without her.
I knew my mum could come back as a spirit. I’d heard people talk about their loved ones who came to visit them, telling them how beautiful heaven was, and, of course, several movies support that concept. Since my mum was a great and loving lady, I was hoping she would come back as a good spirit or a good angel to be with me and my brother, to comfort and protect us from evil spirits.
Up until the time she was buried, I was hoping she would be resurrected, just as Jesus resurrected Lazarus or some people who died, went to heaven (as I thought), and came back to earth resurrected. I didn’t see any sign of that. I finally kissed her goodbye on that cold and dry forehead with a broken heart and teary eyes. We slowly lowered her into the grave, and I was very attentive to hear if she knocked on the coffin, but it didn’t happen. I resorted to finding comfort in seeing her spirit. That was the only thought that could give me peace.
The night after we buried our mum, I vividly remember one of my friends said, “Guys if you see a spirit like your mum, don’t answer or respond because it is not your mum.” I was kind of upset with him because he was talking against what I was hoping and longing for. Don’t we all want to see and know that our loved ones are safe in heaven and are assigned to comfort and protect us? Won’t that give us hope in a good God when we see someone dead come back and give us confirmation?
A few months passed by as my brother and I were getting adjusted to a new life without our mum. I remember when I came home, I would look at the bed she used to sleep in and cry but then console myself with hopes of seeing her again. Soon, my brother and I moved to a different location and started attending a local church. We got involved in church activities and sincerely started studying the Bible. As we studied the Bible at this church, I learned that the Bible does not support the idea that people go to heaven or hell after they die.
I didn't like knowing that my mum wasn't in heaven, that she wasn't watching over us even though I hadn't seen her in years, and that she couldn't guide us in our Christian faith. I also didn't want to believe it because, up until that point, some people (not from that church) had taught about life after death for everyone.
Then a thought came to my mind: Your mum suffered all her life, and now you want her to worry about you and your brother's struggles as well? Aren't you happy that she is resting in peace? That thought was mind-blowing! My mum suffered injustice when she was in primary school. She was deceived and heartbroken because my father cheated on her.
As a single parent, my mum had to endure several men trying to take advantage of her. She received death threats because of her work as a lawyer. She suffered from an undiagnosed illness that could have been helped with treatment. She suffered all her life, and now she is gone. What if she is beside my brother and me, continuing to suffer because of our struggles in life? Can she be resting in heaven while watching over us? What if she is in hell, burning endlessly? This is definitely not resting in peace!
Then what's the purpose of writing “Rest In Peace” on her gravestone? Have you ever wondered who came up with this epitaph, “Rest In Peace”? Can the deceased come as spirits and see that writing on their gravestone and be like “thank you”? All the people who have died in the Holocaust, are they watching what's happening in the world today? Are the people who died in wars in Russia, Ukraine, Gaza, Palestine, Israel, or elsewhere coming back as spirits and watching over their loved ones being tortured?
Is it even a peaceful thing to watch their ignorant loved ones suffer the consequences of terrorism or see their little ones become orphans and cry in the streets? If people die and come back as spirits to this world, they are definitely not at peace. If people die and go to heaven while their loved ones are suffering here, they are definitely not at peace. If people die and go to hell, of course, they are definitely not at peace. Then, what is the purpose of engraving “Rest In Peace” on gravestones?
Job 3:11‒19 NKJV
[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.
In this passage, Job makes several vital points that we must observe to gain an understanding of the dead.
Job states that if he had died at birth, he would have been still, quiet, and asleep, indicating he would be at rest meaning there would be no movement if he had died.
He compares death to being asleep, and when someone is asleep, they are not awake, working, observing, or consciously doing anything (see John 11:11‒14).
Job goes on to explain that stillborn children or infants do not see the light. Not seeing the light suggests that they are not in heaven because we know that heaven is where Jesus is, and His presence is brighter than the sun (see Revelation 22:5). Thus, they cannot miss the light.
Job also mentions that when the wicked people die, they will stop troubling others, the weary will find rest, prisoners will rest together, and they won't hear the voice of the oppressor anymore. Servants will no longer serve their masters. This raises the question: How did we come up with the idea that bad people will come back as bad angels or bad spirits? If servants return as spirits, they would still hear the voice of their master, wouldn't they?
These points are crucial for reflection and evaluation of our beliefs. Should we believe what is given in the Bible, or should we blindly accept what people or even preachers believed for centuries? Eve was deceived when she believed what Satan said instead of what God said. Thus, we should turn to the scriptures to learn what God has said because He does not make mistakes, while humans, even scholars, can.
Till Death Do Us Part
On my wedding day, I looked into my wife's eyes as I shared my wedding vows. I remember how I choked up at that moment while quoting her words, “If anything happens to me and I die, remember that I loved you more than anyone in this world.” I couldn't imagine a life without her. I want her to be by my side until Christ returns, and thus, I didn't want to say, “We will be together till death do us part.”
When we say “till death do us part” in the wedding vow, it means that the husband and wife will be one (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:4‒6) mentally, physically, and spiritually. The physical distance, health (mental and physical), finances, differences, or whatever will not change the fact that the husband and wife are one. It is a command from heaven.
There is only one act that can break such a bond, and that is adultery (Exodus 20:14; Matthew 5:27-28; Matthew 19:9; Luke 16:18). The act of adultery makes one person a sinner and their spouse free from that marriage bond. But there is one more thing that can break the marriage bond. Can you guess what it is?
Romans 7:2–3 NKJV
[2] For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives. But if the husband dies, she is released from the law of her husband. [3] So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.
Apart from the act of adultery, death has the power to break the marriage bond. Death separates the spouses from being mentally, physically, and spiritually one. The breaking of this marriage bond through the natural cause of death is a consequence of sin.
Now, what is the purpose of discussing marriage in relation to the subject of death? It's very simple. If my spouse passes away and comes back as an angel or a spirit, the tie or bond is still present and continues to be strong. We can still see each other, make memories, and build a relationship together. In this case, “till death do us part” will truly be nullified.
“Till death do us part” is a hard thought to accept, but it's a beautiful promise to make to your spouse. When you truly understand the power of this promise, you will live a life that is a blessing to your spouse to the fullest before death separates you both. However, when the unfortunate event of death occurs, the bond of being one—mentally, physically, and spiritually—is broken because the spouse is no longer alive, even in a different form.
You may argue that you are connected mentally with your deceased spouse, and while it can be true to you because you have beautiful memories to cherish if it doesn't come from the deceased person, there is no bond, and you cannot claim that you are still one. The Bible doesn't support such assumptions. The next time you hear someone say it, or you tell your spouse on your wedding day, “Till death do us part,” remember that it is a literal promise you make in the presence of God.
Not Surely Die
Genesis 3 begins with the account of Satan deceiving Eve. Many of us have studied this story several times, and we may have even criticized Eve for making a horrendous mistake. But did you ever understand what tactics Satan used to deceive her? Let's compare the words of God with the words of Satan.
God told Adam that he could freely eat from all the trees, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17 NKJV). God made it clear that the consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). It's a simple concept to grasp, right?
But what does death mean? It signifies the cessation of something that was once active. When you say the fire died, it means there is no more fire; it is not active in a different form. Similarly, when you say your phone or car is dead, it means they have stopped working. It doesn’t mean that it is working in a different form. It ceased to work!
Now, consider what Satan told Eve about the fruit. Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4 NKJV). In other words, according to Satan, after Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they would remain alive in some shape or form. This statement directly contradicts what God told Adam. This is why we say that Satan deceived Eve; he did not tell her the truth. The deception here lies in “you will not surely die” because Satan knew the truth, which is “you shall surely die.”
Do you believe that you or your loved ones “will not surely die”? I ask this because if you believe that you are alive as a spirit, an angel, or present in heaven, then you are still alive, just in a different form or place. Are you still under the same deception that Eve fell victim to, perpetuated by Satan's ideology? Think about it!
NDEs
For centuries, people have been sharing their accounts of dying, going to heaven or hell, and returning to life. They genuinely believe there is a purpose for these experiences, and they share them with all their heart. Near-death experiences sound fascinating and powerful, offering a glimpse into what heaven or hell might be.
Common experiences in NDEs include becoming pain-free, seeing a bright light at the end of a tunnel, feeling detached from their own body, and floating above it or flying away. Of course, there are hundreds of Christian movies, documentaries, and even commercial films that depict these exact experiences.
I've also heard people say, “I died and went to heaven, and an angel there told me it was not my time yet and sent me back to earth.” Can there be mistakes in heaven? I highly doubt that! Heaven is described as a perfect place in the Bible, but because of our human assumptions and reasoning, we sometimes make it sound like a flawed place as well. In 1 Corinthians 14:33 (NKJV), Paul says, “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
In Revelation 21:4 (NKJV), John notes, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.'” So, there is no pain, suffering, or mistakes in heaven. To claim that people went to heaven by mistake and were sent back to earth is flawed human reasoning.
When something of vital importance is meant to be conveyed, it is recorded in the Bible. Has the 'dying twice' experience been recorded in the Holy Scriptures? What is the purpose of NDEs in the first place? How can we call it a Near Death Experience when people proclaim that they died already?
For example, if someone says they had a close brush with death in a bad accident, that could be considered a near-death experience. Many mothers go through excruciating pain during labor, and by the time the baby is delivered, the experience can be considered a near-death experience. When a person experiences cardiac arrest and survives it, the experience can be termed as a near-death experience. But if you die and are raised to life, it’s not a near-death experience; instead, it is called resurrection in the Bible. You get the point.
In the Bible, there are several accounts of individuals being raised from the dead. Some of the notable instances include:
The Shunammite woman’s son: Elisha, a prophet in the Old Testament, raised the Shunammite woman’s son from the dead in 2 Kings 4:8‒37.
The widow of Nain’s son: In Luke 7:11‒17, Jesus raised the widow of Nain’s son from the dead.
Jairus’ daughter: Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, as recounted in Mark 5:22‒43 and Luke 8:41‒56.
Lazarus: In the New Testament, the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead is found in John 11:1‒44.
Dorcas (Tabitha): In Acts 9:36‒43, the apostle Peter raised a woman named Dorcas, also known as Tabitha, from the dead.
In all these historical incidents, not a single person describes heaven or hell. They don't even mention having an out-of-body experience. If they had truly gone to heaven, they might have been upset with Elisha, Jesus, or Peter for bringing them back to earth. However, there is no record of such sentiments.
Furthermore, there is no evidence that those who were raised came back and described the horrors of hell. They didn't thank Elisha, Jesus, or Peter for bringing them back to earth either. The Bible doesn't speak about an afterlife in these instances, but, on the contrary, it does suggest that when people die, they are asleep (John 11:11). Let's now explore what Jesus said after His resurrection.
John 20:15–18 NKJV
[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.'" [18] Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
After His resurrection, Jesus initiates a conversation with Mary, and at first, she doesn't recognize Him. However, when she finally identifies Him, she addresses Jesus as “Rabboni.” But immediately, Jesus tells her not to cling to Him. What was the reason for her to not cling to Him? You got that right! Jesus had not yet ascended to His Father in heaven.
Now, let's reason together. If Jesus had died and gone to heaven, being with His Father until Sunday morning, why would He tell Mary that He had not ascended to His Father? He could have very well said that He had just come back from heaven. On the contrary, He clearly stated that He was ascending to His Father and asked Mary to share this message with the brethren—that He was ascending to His Father, their Father, His God, and their God. Jesus made it clear that after His death, He did not go to heaven. Therefore, after His resurrection, He ascended to His Father in heaven.
Some might wonder if Jesus, bearing all the sins of the world and dying, went to hell in that case. The Bible does not support that. While Acts 2:24 mentions that God raised Jesus from the dead, there is no mention of Him being brought up from Hell. Even though the Anglican creed suggests that Jesus descended into Hell based on 1 Peter 3:19, this interpretation is incorrect. In fact, within the context of the passage, Peter is not referring to Jesus preaching to the spirits of dead people in Hell but rather pleading with the antediluvians to change their ways while the ark was still being built. Peter goes on to explain in verse 20, that only eight souls were saved by water during the flood. It's always helpful to use a concordance to clarify statements that might be misunderstood.
Moreover, when Jesus prophesied about His death, He said in Matthew 12:40 (NKJV), “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Neither hell nor heaven is mentioned by Jesus in this context.
It's important to acknowledge that some individuals may have truly encountered heaven or hell through a dream, vision, or hallucination. In addition, many people may have been wrongly diagnosed with illnesses, leading to incorrect presumptions about their death. With recent studies revealing the complexity of death, it's becoming increasingly difficult to define when a person has truly passed on, as there are varying types of death. These include brain death, clinical death, and biological death. Neuroscientists who examined the brain activity of a dying person discovered rhythmic brainwave patterns that are similar to those found during dreaming, memory recall, and meditation.
More than 150 years later neurosurgeons are able to induce such ecstatic feelings by electrically stimulating part of the cortex called the insula in epileptic patients who have electrodes implanted in their brain. This procedure can help locate the origin of the seizures for possible surgical removal. Patients report bliss, enhanced well-being, and heightened self-awareness or perception of the external world. Exciting the gray matter elsewhere can trigger out-of-body experiences or visual hallucinations. This brute link between abnormal activity patterns—whether induced by the spontaneous disease process or controlled by a surgeon’s electrode—and subjective experience provides support for a biological, not spiritual, origin. The same is likely to be true for NDEs (KOCH, What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about the Brain, 2020).
God can and will use different experiences to draw people closer to Him, but He wouldn't do it in contradiction to His established principles.
Dead Spirit or Evil Spirit
When Moses died, a contention arose between Michael the archangel, and the devil, as mentioned in Jude 9. But why would Satan want to fight over a dead body if Moses' spirit was already in heaven with God? It would appear that Satan gives more importance to the dust (Genesis 2:7) than to the spirit. Why didn't Satan fight for the spirit of Moses, which was awake, but instead contended for the lifeless body? If Satan is contesting something, there must be an evil purpose behind it.
Satan's contention was not merely about Moses' lifeless body but about the soon-to-be resurrected, living Moses. The Lord rebuked Satan and resurrected Moses, taking him to heaven. This shows that the devil lost the battle over Moses. How do we know that Moses was taken to heaven? To understand that we need to read the account of the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–3).
But do you notice a disconnect here? Why was it important for Satan to secure Moses' body rather than his spirit? The answer lies in the fact that there is no such thing as a spirit that leaves the body and wanders after death.
Satan recognized the power of resurrection and sought to claim Moses when he would become a “living soul.” What is a living soul? Genesis 2:7 tells us that a living soul is formed with two factors: 1. the dust of the ground and 2. the breath of life that God breathed into it. There is no additional factor mentioned for bringing someone to life. So, where did the concept of a wandering spirit after death originate? You can search the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and won't find a verse stating that man becomes a living soul because God put a living spirit in him.
As we read the accounts of the Mount of Transfiguration in the writings of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, they plainly state that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus. They don't say “the spirits of Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus. This clarifies that after the contention between Michael the archangel and Satan, Moses was resurrected and taken to heaven. Later, Elijah was taken to heaven without dying (2 Kings 2:11). They both were in heaven because of special circumstances and not because everyone goes to heaven when they leave this life. I hope this point is clear.
Furthermore, Matthew 27:52, 53 mentions that some were resurrected when Jesus was resurrected. During this event, all their graves were opened so that they could come out. If they were dead and their spirits had gone to heaven, why would they need to be resurrected along with Jesus? If they were resurrected as spirits, what would be the purpose of moving the gravestones? Couldn't they just pass through their graves, as is often depicted in movies? Isaiah 26:19 NKJV 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.
Matthew 8:28-32 NKJV
[28] When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. [29] And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" [30] Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. [31] So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." [32] And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
Did you notice that demons or evil angels are not burning in hell, but they have been possessing people? If dead people are burning in hell, how come demons are wandering on Earth? Shouldn't demons be the first ones to burn in hell before the evil people who died? Also, don't miss out on some key points that these demons bring up:
1. Have you (Jesus) come here to torment us before the time? It's an interesting statement, isn't it? They know that they will be tormented in hell, but they also know it's not the right time, so they ask if Jesus has come to torment them before the appointed time.
2. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go into the herd of swine." The demons plead with Jesus to be allowed into the herd of swine, not into hell, but into the swine. Take some time to digest this fact.
What does the Bible explicitly say about dead people? Verses like Genesis 37:35; Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:4‒6, 10; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Daniel 12:2; John 5:28, 29; and many more, portray death as a state of sleep with no consciousness in any form.
The next question that might arise is if it is not the spirits of the dead people, then whose spirits, are they? What does the Bible say about it? Numerous verses in the Bible, such as Leviticus 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:10‒12; 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14; Isaiah 8:19, 20; Matthew 8:16, and many more, contain warnings from God to His children not to communicate with 'dead' spirits. This was a common practice in heathen nations, and God equates it to witchcraft and dealings with mediums. This indicates that the spirits people talk to are evil spirits impersonating dead people, not the spirits of the deceased.
Imagine the chaos that would ensue if the spirits of the dead are actually true and wandering about. We would not be able to distinguish between good and bad spirits. But Satan wants us to believe in the spirits of the dead so that he can further his plans, using the supposed spirits of our loved ones to deceive and bring destruction upon us and our living loved ones. Imagine if my mom’s “spirit” comes and tells me to do things that go against what God has warned me about in the Bible.
King Saul, the first king of Israel, was stripped of his kingdom due to his disobedience to God's commandment, which prohibited him from engaging in spiritualism (1 Samuel 15:23; 1 Chronicles 10:14). When the Apostles came across individuals who possessed the spirit of divination, they would expel those spirits as if they were demons (Acts 16:16-18). People don't become spirits after dying, as Satan would want us to believe. Thank God, He has given us clear principles for our guidance against Satan’s deception.
Receive You
While Jesus does not speak about going to heaven or hell during His time being dead, He does give a beautiful promise. A promise that gives us hope for the future. A hope that will help us live a faithful life in Him.
John 14:1-4 NKJV
Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. [2] In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. [4] And where I go you know, and the way you know.
Here Jesus comforts the disciples by giving a promise. He says that He is going to His Father’s house to prepare a place for His disciples. Since we are His disciples as well, this promise applies to us too. And He continues, if He goes and prepares a place for us all, He will come again and receive us all to Himself. So, where He is, there we will be also.
As you noticed, Jesus is coming to the earth again to receive His disciples to Himself. This is a beautiful promise that Jesus has given to all who believe in Him. Does this passage make you wonder why would Jesus want to come to earth if all the dead disciples were in heaven? Something for you to prayerfully think about and continue reading as you will find the answer in the next section.
Last Day
Jesus had said that He will go and prepare a place and then come and take His disciples to be with Him in His Father’s house. Does the Bible say when will this happen? Absolutely! Based on what we have been seeing, Jesus will come, resurrect His disciples from the dead, and take them to be with Him. Follow along:
John 11:20-26 NKJV
[20] Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. [21] Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." [23] Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." [24] Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." [25] Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. [26] And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
When did Martha say that Lazarus will rise again? “In the resurrection at the last day.” Martha didn’t say that her brother was in heaven. Jesus goes on to comfort her saying that those who live and believe in Him will have eternal life after resurrection.
Here are some other Bible verses that show the resurrection as a specific event:
1. Daniel 12:2 NKJV And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
2. John 5:28, 29 NKJV Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves 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 condemnation.
3. 1 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
4. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52 NKJV 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.
Several verses in the Bible speak about death and resurrection. If one dies and goes to heaven or hell right away then why does the Bible say people are asleep in the dust of the earth or the grave, and why does the Bible speak about resurrection? Something to think about. Below is one of my favorite passages: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. [15] For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. [16] For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. [18] Therefore comfort one another with these words.
This is one of my favorite passages because it gives me confidence that my mum is resting in Jesus. She is peaceful there without any struggles, temptations, burdens, or sickness. If I am alive and faithful to Jesus Christ till the end, then when He returns or descends from heaven, I will be able to see my mum resurrect from the dead or awake from her sleep.
Then my brother, my wife, and I will be caught up together with our mum to meet the Lord in the air. I will be able to introduce my wonderful wife to her. That day when we unite with all our loved ones to meet Jesus, it will be so glorious that none of us will be able to explain it in human words.
While viewing "After Death" from Angel Studios, it's important to keep in mind that the experiences portrayed may have been in the form of dreams or visions. While the storytellers may have genuinely shared their NDEs, it's important to view these experiences through the lens of the Bible. The Bible does not support after-death experiences as depicted in movies. Medical science also cannot provide insight into what happens after death. The Bible is clear that death means sleeping, and aside from special resurrections, all individuals who have passed away and will continue to do so will remain asleep until God resurrects them.
I hope this article has provided valuable insights into life after death from a biblical perspective. I recommend studying the Scriptures with a sincere heart and prayer, as this will help you to gain a deeper understanding of the topic. Using the knowledge gained from this article, search for other verses in the Bible related to death and see if they align with what you have learned. Remember, everything that God does has a purpose. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this topic further, feel free to email me at nathealingproject@gmail.com and I will be happy to respond to you.
Bibliography
KOCH, C. (2020, June 1). What Near-Death Experiences Reveal about the Brain. Retrieved 11 13, 2023, from www.scientificamerican.com: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-near-death-experiences-reveal-about-the-brain/