WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE
Psalm 6:3-5
In the past few months we have had several funerals and as it always does, when death comes into our lives it causes people to think of their own mortality, and one of the most frequent questions that arises is “Where do we go from here? When you die, what happens? Do you go straight to heaven, or hell?”
- When a loved one dies we often hear people say, “They are now in heaven” or “they have gone to be with Jesus.”
- And we hear things said like, “Daddy was probably the first one to meet her when she got there.” “She and uncle Billy are probably playing dominoes right now.”
- We have all heard comments like that and I understand they are meant to encourage and give comfort in a time of sorrow. But is that true?
When this life comes to an end, where do we go? What is the state of the dead? What does the Bible say?
Now, let me give you my disclaimer. I know what has been taught and I know that what we are going to see may challenge what you have always been led to believe.
- Before you get upset and accuse me of teaching that which is false, please remember what the apostle Paul says in 1 Thess. 5:21 and “examine everything.”
- Study this for yourself. Prove or disprove what I say with the scriptures.
- I will tell you that I have in the past taught or at least implied the common view of “where we go when we die”, and in the last several years I have changed my view. So, if I am wrong with what I say please correct me.
Also, I am not dealing with the issue of salvation. I am not going to tell anyone that their loved ones are saved or lost. That is not the issue that I am going to deal with. I am simply going to present to you what the Bible seems to say in reference to “the state of those who die.”
Let’s begin with the passage that was read: Ps 6:3-5
3 And my soul is greatly dismayed; But Thou, O LORD– how long? 4 Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Thy lovingkindness. 5 For there is no mention of Thee in death (the KJV says, “there is no remembrance of Thee in death); In Sheol who will give Thee thanks?
Contrary to what many have been led to believe, David here in this psalm indicates in vs. 5 that he won’t remember anything after he dies, nor can he give thanks from the grave.
Ps 115:17 The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor do any who go down into silence;
Ps 146:4 (Speaking of mortal man) His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
Eccl 9:5-6 For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. 6 Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.
And then in Isaiah 38, King Hezekiah was sick and Isaiah told him he was about to die. After being told that he was going to die Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed and look what he says in his prayer starting in vs. 18:
18 “For Sheol cannot thank Thee, Death cannot praise Thee; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Thy faithfulness. 19 “It is the living who give thanks to Thee, as I do today; A father tells his sons about Thy faithfulness.
Here is the reason I mention these verses to you. Today, many religions claim that prayers to the dead are acceptable and should often be offered if the dead are in fact considered to be saints.
- And those dead saints will hear their prayers and grant their request.
- For many it is a common practice to offer prayer to the Virgin Mary…or to any others who have been canonized as saints.
Others have the idea that the dead can be contacted in a séance or by prayer and can relay information from the grave.
And many have just celebrated the Day of the Dead in which they have a festival and leave food for those who have died as well as ask the gods to help the dead.
But these verses that we have looked at indicate that the dead are just that…they are DEAD!
- They can’t remember; they can’t thank anyone; they can’t praise God; they can’t think; they can’t even dream because vs. 4 of Psalm 146 that their “thoughts perish.”
- All of their abilities have perished and the “dead no longer know nothing; and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”
So, what is the state of the dead? What is the state of those who have died? Well, again let’s let the Bible give us insight on this. Look with me at Psalm 13:3.
3 Consider and answer me, O LORD, my God; Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
- The KJV says, “Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep in death.”
- In several places the Bible refers to death as “sleep.”
- When you are asleep what is it that you are aware of? Are you aware of anything? Time? Events going on around you?
Look at what Jesus says in John 11 starting in vs. 11: This He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, that I may awaken him out of sleep.” 12 The disciples therefore said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. 14 Then Jesus therefore said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
The disciples thought that when Jesus said Lazarus was sleeping that he was just asleep and that he would be ok.
- But Jesus plainly says that “Lazarus is dead.”
- Why would Jesus say that Lazarus was “sleeping” when He knew that Lazarus was dead?
- It is because Jesus knew that everyone will awaken one day out of death just as we awaken each day from sleep.
In fact, look what Jesus says in John 5:28-29: 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice 29 and come out — those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.
- Jesus said that Lazarus was only “sleeping” because a day will come when those who are “asleep” or who have died will be raised.
And back in John 11 we learn just how long Lazarus would have been asleep if Jesus had not called him from the tomb. Look at vs. 23: Jesus said to her, “Your brother shall rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
- Lazarus’ sister understood the biblical truth about the state of the dead.
- She knew that Lazarus wasn’t going to waken until the last day when the Lord comes again.
The book of Job also mentions the length of sleep for the dead. Look at Job 14:12:
12 So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens be no more, He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.
- Notice the word “until.” The indication is the dead will not, or cannot awaken until “the last day” as Martha calls it in John 11.
Look at this found in 1 Cor. 15:20-24:
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.
- According to these verses there will be an order to the resurrection and the dead in Christ, or those who belong to Christ, will remain in their graves until the Lord comes at which time they will be resurrected.
And the apostle Paul indicates the same thing in 1 Thess. 4 starting in vs. 13. Look what he says. He is speaking to those who are IN Christ and he says, But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep 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, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall 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.
The indication from these passages is that there is a grave for each of us that see death before He returns on the last day. In that grave we “sleep” until the Lord returns.
- We do not go to heaven immediately at death for if we did there would be no need for a resurrection.
And those who have died are not wandering in some unknown landscape looking for other deceased loved ones or being scared that they are all alone in a vast emptiness.
- Or worse yet, they are floating in the flames of Purgatory.
The indication from the scriptures that we have looked at is the dead are sleeping, totally unaware of what is going on around them until the Lord returns.
- And I know that in Mark 9, the account of Jesus’ transfiguration that Elijah and Moses appeared with Jesus but their appearance was intended to show the disciples that Jesus was not just a prophet like they were, but that Jesus was the Son of God.
So there are examples of those who were raised from the grave when Jesus was on this earth 2000 years ago.
- In Matthew 27:52, when Jesus died on the cross “tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and after Jesus was resurrected they (those raised from the tombs) entered the holy city and appeared to many.”
- Again, notice that those in the tomb were “asleep”…they were not already in heaven…if they had been there would be no need for them to be resurrected.
- And again, this raising of those who were “asleep” was to show that Jesus was truly the Son of God.
So there are examples of some who were raised from the dead when Jesus was here on this earth…but the vast majority who have died are “asleep” in the grave until the Lord returns.
- And then when He does return, according to 1 Cor. 15 starting in vs. 42, speaking of those who are in Christ: “the perishable body is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
- And then vs. 49: And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
And look at what the apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:20-21: For our (those who are in Christ) citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
What kind of body will it be? John tells us in 1 John 3:2 that “We are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.
- From what John says we don’t know exactly what our heavenly body will be like.
- But what we do know is it will be an “imperishable body, raised in glory, raised in power, a spiritual body.”
Now, I don’t know how God will do all of this. It is more than my finite mind can comprehend.
- What I do know is He will do it because according to Romans 1:4, He has the power to raise the dead just as He did His own Son.
So, to me, how God will do all of this is not the important question. To me, the important question goes back to what Jesus said in John 5. Look again at what He says starting in vs. 24:
“I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 25 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself. 27 And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice 29 and come out — those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.
The important question is not “How will God resurrect all those who are in the grave? The important question is, “When He comes and the resurrection takes place will you and I be raised to life, or will we be raised to condemnation?”
- We do not know when the Lord will return. But it may be that some here this morning need to hear the word of our Lord and obey what He commands so that when He does return we will be with Him forever.
So, why do I mention any of this? Does it really matter if you understand that the dead are “asleep” until the Lord comes again…or does it matter if you believe that those who have died in Christ are already in heaven?
- The apostle Paul in 1 Thess. 4:13 said that he “didn’t want us to be uniformed.” So he thought it mattered.
- And it is something that a lot of people ask about and we, as God’s people should know what “the state of the dead is”…so that perhaps we can comfort others as they wonder about their loved ones who have passed away.
- So we can teach against false doctrine like the doctrine of Purgatory; the Day of the Dead; and prayers to the Saints.
- So we can teach people about the foolishness of participating in séances to contact the dead.
- Perhaps more than anything, we need to understand that the grave is not the end; a resurrection will take place when the Lord comes, and we each will be raised either to life or condemnation.
- Are you ready?