YOU SHALL NOT SURELY DIE!

What happens to us after we die? First of all ,this subject is NOT a salvation issue and you may or may not agree with what I am about to show you and that is okay. This is just a subject where I wanted to connect all the scriptures together to see what is being said about each of these subjects and to clear God’s Character once again as truly a loving God. If you do not agree with this teaching, just place this teaching on a shelf and move on. No harm done. Fair enough?

(Rev 12:7-9) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven…………And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

All the angels that follow Satan were cast out.

(Heb 1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Good angels are ministering Spirits. There are good angels and bad angles.

The New age movement believe that your sole is immortal. Channeling or talking to the dead like Shirley Mcklain, Jean Dixon, Ruth Montgomery, Edgar Cacee Those people find themselves in conflict with God. It turns them away from God's word. We have to understand clearly what God says about the dead. Do they see, hear, experience pain etc. Do they know Gods plan and what is going to happen to each one of us? Once we understand what God's word says about it, then we will understand which way God wants us to go and not be deceived.

What does the bible say about immortality? What is the state of the dead?

Do the dead hear? Do they see? Can they talk to Aunt Sally? Are they on tour with Jerry Garcia? Are we Immortal?

(2Ti 1:10) But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

(1Ti 6:14-16) That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in His times He shall shew, Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;…………Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Who alone has immortality! The Bible does not teach that we are immortal. It does not teach that we automatically live forever. We are subject to death. God alone has immortality! You see, this was one of Satans first lies and it worked the first time so he keeps repeating it.

The continuous lie!-The serpent said to the woman, “Ye shall not surely die”

Satan told the first lie and has been telling the same lie ever since. He is not creative. It worked once and so he continues to use the same method to deceive us.

(Gen 3:22) And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

(Gen 3:24)  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Eat and live forever. Adam was banned from the tree of life so he could no longer live forever while in the sinful state. It is only the tree of life that gives us immortality. Who is the tree of life? Jesus!

(Rom 5:12) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Death means the absence of life. Death passes to ALL (not some) but all men.  All of us are under a death penalty.  Some have you believe that we are under a life penalty but it is a choice where you spend it. That is NOT what scripture tells us. It tells us that we are all mortal, subject to death.

(Rom 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Rom 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Wages of sin is DEATH (not life) The GIFT of God is eternal life. You cannot get life in death. The ONLY place you can get life is through Jesus.

Sin is the transgression of the law (1Jo 3:4) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  The wages of sin is death. Sin is the transgression of the Torah.

sin = death          Jesus= life

(Rom 6:23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Joh 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The definition of Perish means to die or be destroyed, especially in a violent or untimely manner; to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist. He gave us a gift of eternal life. For those who believe they are immortal, How can they accept a gift that they already have?

(1Jo 5:12) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

No life means death! It does not mean life in a dying state. It means life or no life.

(Joh 11:25) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

So When can we have immortality?

Even though we do not have immortality now, we can get it.  But let us look at when we can get immortality

(1Co 15:51-54) Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory……

We get immortality (eternal life) at the Last Trump.   What are the dead doing now? Where are the dead?

Do the dead Hear? Do the dead see? Do the dead know everything? Or are the dead simply asleep in the grave awaiting the resurrection?

(Job 14:10) But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?

The dead do not remember.

(Psa 6:5) For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

(Psa 115:17) The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

No remembrance in death. When we die, we do not suddenly know all the mysteries of the universe

(Ecc 9:5-6) For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

They don’t know anything.

(Job 14:21) His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.

The dead are asleep.

(Psa 13:3) Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

Even Jesus called it sleep

(Joh 11:11-12-14) These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

(Joh 11:17) Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.

(Joh 11:43) And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

(Dan 12:2) And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Sleep in the dust.

(Job 19:25-26) For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day, upon the earth: And though after my skin, wormes destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

(Gen 3:19) by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou art , and unto dust thou turnest back.'

(Ecc 12:7) Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

(Jam 2:26) for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.

(Job 27:3) For all the while my breath is in me, And the spirit of God in my nostrils.

Dust + Breath of life = living soul.

(Gen 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.

(Heb 4:12) For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

(Luk 8:52-55) And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

(1Th 4:16-17) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

(Isa 26:19) Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

(1Co 15:53-55) For this corruptible must put on in corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality So when this corruptible shall have put on in corruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Controversial text is as follows:

(2Co 5:8) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

This is the text that everyone uses to show that once we die, we immediately go to be with the Lord. But wait, there is more to the text. Let us read the passage immediately before to place context on this sentence and also the on the texts immediately after.

(2Co 5:5)  Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit.

Down payment is the Greek word G728 which means pledge or promise. It is the Spirit of God that is our pledge, promise or SEAL of God that will raise us up at the resurrection. And so it goes on…. Because we have the seal or pledge

(2Co 5:6-10) Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

This verse is all about the pledge, or seal that God has given us and that because we have this pledge, we are confident in our walk on earth or after death. This verse has been twisted to make a different point that isn’t even discussed anywhere in scripture.

They know, that when we are present with the Lord it has to be at His return or judgment. It is at His coming

We are mortal beings. Immortality is a gift from God through Jesus. When we die we sleep and await the resurrection at His coming. Some to everlasting life and  will receive their immortal bodies some to everlasting destruction.

Amen