Eve chose to listen to the enemy of God. Where is she now? Do you have any ideas? Do you think the enemy of God was right and she just left her mortal body and continued to live in a spiritual one in Heaven? Did she leave her mortal body and continue to live in what some people call hell? Is she still alive in what some people call purgatory until she has collected enough merit points or prayers on her behalf so she can finally ascend into Heaven? Is she still alive somewhere…anywhere at all?
If she is still alive somewhere then the father of all lies was right and God is the one who is the father of all lies. Is my reasoning faulty on this one? If so, then please tell me where I went wrong.
God said that the final state of humanity, after their life on Earth was over, was death. The word die, as in “…you will surely die.” is the Hebrew word muwth (müth) and it means just what it is translated to mean, to die, to cease to exist and to exist in a condition where there is no memory, thought or consciousness.
The writers of the Old Testament understood very well what condition a person was in when they died. Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, as well as the New Testament, humanity's condition in death is very and sometimes brutally clear. We will see that as we proceed. You are going to find, if you believe in life after death, that you have believed a lie handed down to us through the centuries by a deceptive “church” leadership. They have also used the lie of life after death to create other lies; such as an eternally burning hell where the wicked are tormented throughout the ceaseless ages. They also created the lie of purgatory. Why?
The greatest fear someone could possibly have is that of believing that they will be punished with eternal burning throughout the ceaseless ages. The lie of an eternally burning hell was created by that "church" leadership so they could control people through fear instead of love and reason. Fear of a future eternal punishment after death will keep even those who are not sure of the existence of God in line because...well…you just never know.
The scriptures say that God is love. Anyone who tries to present him in any other way is just like the one who is also known as the father of lies. Keep reading, we will get to the truth of it all before this book is finished.
When God created human life in the first place we are told, "The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (soul)."– Genesis 2:7. God used the elements of this Earth and put them together in such a way that they became cellular in nature. Yes, as Carl Sagan so rightly said, we are all made from star stuff.
After creating this cellular being, he then breathed into his lungs “the breath of life”. What was this “breath of life” and what made it so special?
Here is a little lesson in Hebrew. I am not a Hebrew scholar by any strain of the brain but I do have an excellent Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
The Hebrew word translated breath in this instance is neshamah (nesh·ä·mä'). Neshamah, according to the Hebrew translation, is nothing more than air. It is also sometimes translated as soul, or spirit.
The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh (neh'·fesh). Nephesh means breathing creature.
The Hebrew word for spirit is ruwach (rü'·akh). Ruwach means air or breath.
When God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s lungs, he “became a living soul”. Remember, soul is nephesh, or a living, breathing creature. The breath is not an entity that continues to live after it leaves the body at death anymore than it was a living entity before it entered the body. It was, is and will continue to be nothing more than air, the breath of life that turns an inanimate body into a living, breathing creature. In other words, when God breathed the breath of life into Adam's lungs he became a living soul, a living, breathing creature.
BREATH = neshamah = air and is also sometimes translated as soul, or spirit. SOUL = nephesh and is translated as a breathing creature. SPIRIT = ruwach = air and is translated as breath.
All three of these words deal only with air or the act of breathing. The only relation they have with life within a breathing creature is by the fact that without breath there would be no life. Take away the breath, or oxygen, from a breathing creature and there is no life.
Look at it this way; God took a lifeless body, breathed air into it and it became a soul, or living, breathing creature. Take the air away from it and the soul, or breath of life, goes back to God who gave it and the living breathing creature ceases to live. It is dead.
Here is another way to look at it. Say you are in your house reading this book and it is getting too dark to be able to read comfortably. You want to create light so you can continue reading, so what do you do? All you have to do is flip a light switch to the on position. What you did when you flipped that switch was combine electrical energy with the correct material, in this case a bulb with a filament inside of it. Light was produced as a result. When you turn the switch to the off position you then prevent that energy from reaching the bulb and filament and the light goes out. What happens to the light? Does it now go to some “special” place because it was created? No, of course not; it just goes out. It ceases to exist.
When a person dies it is the same way. Scripture tells us that the body returns to the dust it was formed from and the soul, or breath, which is nothing more than simple air, returns to God who gave it. - Ecclesiastes 12:7. You go out like a light bulb.
Man, I would imagine I have a few people thinking on this one. Haven’t we always been told that we go to Heaven or hell when we die, that we all have an eternal soul that continues to live after we die? Also, what about those who have seen ghosts, encountered a dead friend/relative, or gone through a life after death experience. Like I said, if that is the case and we continue to live after we die, in any kind of state you care to call it, then God is a liar and Lucifer was right. My question is this: If God tells you are going to die and the enemy of God says you are not going to die who are you going to believe?
If, after understanding the scriptural teaching of death, I have a “life after death” experience, encounter a dead friend/relative, or see a ghost, you can be sure that I am going to be looking for the real reasons behind those experiences. I’m not going to argue with God.
I am sure you would love some further proof on this one because you probably have a few biblical texts that support your belief that we continue to live after we die. I would like to put things into context and answer those questions that I know you have. I had the same questions at one time.
I want you to understand, I am not even trying to be argumentative here. You might believe one way and I believe another but arguing over who is right is nothing short of childish. I will not argue. Like a mature adult I will present my case with the evidence I have come to understand as truth. I will also present evidence I have come to understand as truth in regards to the questions that I know you have. As I said, I had the same questions at one time myself. Truth, even in the most honest of lives, can sometimes be misunderstood.
First, I would like to list some of the texts that will substantiate what I have already said. Then, I am going to list the texts that I am sure you will have that support what you believe. To clear up any possible confusion I will add little notes here and there.
“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 being.” - Genesis 2:7.
As mentioned earlier the Hebrew word for breath is neshamah and is translated as air, soul or spirit; the term, living being is actually the same word translated as soul in other places. As already noted, the word soul is nephesh and means “a breathing creature”.
“The soul who sins shall die.” - Ezekiel 18:20.
Once again, the word soul is nephesh, which is Hebrew for “a breathing creature”. In all instances that will be the case. I will stop repeating myself.
“And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.” - Genesis 7:21, 22.
“For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them; as one dies, so dies the other. Surely they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all return to dust.” - Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20.
“Can a mortal be more righteous than God?” - Job 4:17.
Human beings are mortal. What does the word mortal mean? It is the complete opposite of the word immortal. Immortal means “one exempt from death”. Therefore, mortal means “one subject to death”.
“…keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which he will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who ALONE has immortality…” - 1 Timothy 6:15, 16. God alone has immortality...man is mortal, therefore he does not have an immortal soul, as some like to believe.
“But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he? As water disappears from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dries up, so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep.” - Job 14:10-12.
The Hebrew word that is translated as sleep is shehah (shā·nä'), and is a true and accurate translation. This is a dreamless, unconsciousness sleep. When I am asleep I am unaware of anything that is going on around me at the time. When I am sound asleep you might say that I am dead to the world.
“If I wait for the grave as my house, if I make my bed in the darkness, if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘You are my mother and my sister,’ where then is my hope? As for my hope, who can see it?” - Job 17:13-15.
The word translated as grave is the Hebrew word sheol (sheh·ōle'). Sheol is another word for hell. The true translation of the Hebrew word sheol is pit. It is a place where dead bodies are placed and it is nothing more than a grave.
“For I know that You will bring me to death, and to the house (of sheol) appointed for all living.” - Job 30:23.
“For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave (shehol) who will give you thanks?” - Psalm 6:5.
“The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence.” - Psalm 115:17.
“Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish.” - Psalm 146:3, 4.
“For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave (sheol) where you are going.” - Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10.
I do not believe that there could be any more definitive verses then the ones just quoted from Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6 and 10 when it describes the condition of a person in death…well, maybe this next verse could be considered just as definitive.
“Men and brethren, let me speak free to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. He, (David) foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades (the grave), nor did His flesh see corruption. For David DID NOT ASCEND INTO THE HEAVENS, but he says himself: 'The Lord said to my Lord,' "sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool."” - Acts 2:29, 31, 34.
Where is David? It said that he is not in Heaven, so the only place he can be is sleeping in the grave (Hades).
“These things He said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’” - John ll:ll-14.
Jesus did not say that Lazarus was in Heaven, or Paradise; he said that Lazarus was sleeping, that he was dead. Everyone on this Earth goes down to the grave eventually. There they sleep the unconscious sleep of death.
Is that all there is then? No, Jesus is the resurrection and the life. He is God and death could not hold him captive. He has promised that he will return to this Earth a second time and will raise all of his believers to a new life.
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” - John 5:28, 29.
“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. 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." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
“Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will 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 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.’” - 1 Corinthians 15:51-54.
The previous two texts shoot rather large holes in the belief that the living and the dead are taken from this world in a secret rapture. There is nothing secret about the Lord descending from the heavens with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. It also says, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” – Matthew 24:27. It sounds rather eye and ear opening to me; nothing secret at all.
Showing from the Bible that when we die we cease to exist in a conscious state is rather straight forward; what I have presented so far has been the truth from the word of truth. I have also shown the truth concerning the resurrection in the few scriptures I have quoted. There are many more texts that say the same thing, so it would only be so much repetition to go through those.
However, there are a few places in the Bible that seem to contradict the many statements I have quoted. I will now go over those, one at a time and show you that they are not contradictory at all, only misunderstood.
One of the first misunderstood texts from the Bible that comes to mind is the promise that Jesus made to the thief on the cross. There you will find an interesting dialogue recorded in Luke 23:39-43.The disciple Mark, in his narrative of the crucifixion, mentions that both of the thieves who had been crucified with Jesus find voice during their suffering and are ridiculing him. - Mark 15:32. Luke records the fact that one of the criminals who had been crucified was ridiculing Jesus by saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” - Luke 23:39.
Both of the thieves had been mocking Jesus but eventually only one of the thieves continues with the insults while the other thief begins to see the truth in what is happening and eventually tries to convince the other thief to keep quiet by saying “’Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into your kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say unto you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'”
Jesus told the thief on the cross, “…today you will be with Me in Paradise.” So, did Jesus go to Paradise on the day he died? No, Jesus did not go to Paradise on the day he died. He says so himself when he brought himself back to life and walked out of the tomb on Sunday morning.
In John 20, he has just appeared to Mary Magdalene. Mary, in her joy, wants to hold onto him, to keep him with her. Jesus said, “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.'" - John 20:17.
After reading the statement that Jesus made to Mary you can see that He did not go to Paradise after he died on Friday.
Jesus died Friday evening and he came out of the tomb on Sunday morning. During that period of time, he was in a state of death. It was the same kind of death that each of us will experience if Jesus/Christ does not return before we die. He died and slept just like Lazarus. He slept the sleep of unconscious death. He did not return to Paradise that Friday evening and take the thief on the cross with him. Jesus died when he caused his life to cease at the precise moment that the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed on Friday evening.
"Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time." - Mark 15:43-45.
Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead because victims of crucifixion usually lasted through the night and well into the next day; a strong and healthy person could even live on into the third day.
"Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for that Sabbath was a high day (The Passover), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and the other who was crucified with Him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out." – John 19:31, 32.
When a person was crucified, their arms were either fastened above their head, or off to the sides of their body. That allowed the entire weight of their bodies to be suspended by their arms.
If you have ever tried to hang from something by your hands and arms for any period of time at all then you know how extremely difficult it is to breath after a little while. If forced to hang in that manner a person would very soon die from asphyxiation.
To "help" crucified people fight for life for a longer period of time the Romans also fastened (nailed) the victim’s feet firmly below the body so the one being crucified could take the weight off their arms and gain a few breaths by attempting to “stand”. It was impossible to remain in a “standing” position for very long and when completely weakened the weight of their body would once again be suspended from their arms and the asphyxiation process would begin again until the person could find the strength to once again take the weight off their arms. Crucifixion was an extremely slow and torturous death.
To hasten the deaths of those who had been crucified with Jesus, their legs were broken so all of their weight would be placed on their arms and asphyxiation would happen quickly. They were then taken down from their crosses so they would not continue to hang there over the Passover. The Jewish leaders did not want the Passover treated with disrespect by having naked men hanging from crosses during that time.
When they came to Jesus to break his legs they found him already dead, so they did not break his legs. However, one of the Roman soldiers thrust his spear up into the body of Jesus, through his lung and on into his heart, just to make sure he was dead. When he pulled his spear out of the large wound he had made in his side, all of the fluid that had collected in Jesus’ lung, due to the effects of the crucifixion and the earlier beatings he had received, along with the blood from his pierced heart, drained out through the wound made with the spear.
Jesus was dead. He did not go to Paradise that day. So why does it say that Jesus promised the thief that he would be in Paradise with him on that day?
It is all a matter of punctuation. There was no such thing as our modern day punctuation when the gospel account of Luke was written. The coma that is placed before the word today, in verse 43 was not in the original text. When punctuation was added hundreds of years after Dr. Luke had written his narrative, the coma was put in the wrong place because it was wrongly believed at that time, just as it is today, that when a person died they went to heaven, an eternally burning hell or to purgatory; that they continued to live after they died.
In reality, Luke 23:43 should read, “’ Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” Jesus did not go to paradise that day, but he did make the promise to the thief, on that day, that when he returned in the power of his kingdom at the second coming, that the thief would go to Paradise with him then. The thief died and like everyone who dies he is sleeping in death and waiting for the Lord to return and raise him to eternal life.
I have been rather long winded on the previous interpretation, but I hope you will forgive me. I want there to be no mistake when it comes to understanding one of the very last and important statements made by Jesus just before he died, when he too knew he was facing the grave (sheol).
"If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched - where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire - where 'Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'" - Mark 9:43-48. Three times in these verses Jesus is talking about how a person should not do something wrong and take the chance of “’…going to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’” Jesus was quoting Isaiah 66:24.
First I would like you to please do me just one favor. Put away any preconceived ideas you might have about what you have read, heard, thought, or been taught about the fires of an eternally burning hell.
You have lived all of your life so far with the mistaken understanding of the true nature of a person when they die. The eternal fires of hell are another one of those travesties of a religion that has been handed down to us through the generations by a religious leadership that had a need to control the thoughts and souls of their congregations through fear instead of love. The early church, during the 1,260-year reign of the papacy, used fear of eternal punishment in the fires of hell to keep their congregations in their pews.
There is nothing worse than not being sure about something. Because people did not know any better, the lies of an eternal fiery hell and the fear of the unknown kept even those who were unchurched very much in line with "the church". The papal teaching of hell's fires was used to keep people in fear of losing their eternal souls to the fires of an unquenchable burning where they would roast and be tortured throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. Those same people were also taught to believe that only the papal church had the keys to heaven and hell. It's simple, if the church could control them with fear, then they would control their very souls…oh and reap a financial benefit as well. The papal church in power during those dark ages taught that it was necessary to earn salvation. In many cases a monetary offerings was all that was needed to satisfy the anger of a vengeful God. That money could not only save the soul of the one who was giving it to the church but it could also rescue, or ransom, a loved one who had died and was already in the fires of hell...or suspended in the netherworld of purgatory.
The people who came up with that kind of thinking are the only ones who deserve the kind of punishment they describe. It is far, far from the truth. I want you to pay close attention to what I have to say next because you are going to see another brick in the wall that has separated many people from the God of Heaven taken down and crushed for good. It is good news and it is not a lie. Burning forever and ever in hell while the righteous live on in an eternity of peace is the real lie. Now you are going to hear the truth. Listen…please.
In Mark 9:43-48, when Jesus quoted Isaiah 66:24, the wind was probably blowing in just the right direction and the thoughts of his listeners were drawn to the stench of the burning flesh and garbage that was coming from the valley of Hinnom, just outside the walls of Jerusalem. It was in the valley of Hinnom that the garbage and dead bodies of animals were thrown. Many people considered it to be an “eternal” fire because it was always kept smoldering with the trash and animal carcasses that were continually being thrown onto it. Anything escaping the flames was destroyed by the maggots, or the worms that fed there.
The word translated hell in the previous verses is the Greek word Gehenna. Gehenna is another name for the valley of Hinnom. Gehenna was considered by the Jewish people as a place of TOTAL destruction…the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched until there is nothing left to consume. Since trash and dead animals were always being added then the the worms never died and the fires never went out.
Jesus was teaching that the fires of hell would not be able to be quenched or put out by anyone until they had completely consumed everything that was to be burned. God says, speaking of the wicked, “Behold, they shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame;” - Isaiah 47:14. “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, That will leave them neither root nor branch." – Malachi 4:1. The “unquenchable fire” will consume the wicked as stubble. There is nothing left of stubble once it has been burned by fire. It is burned down to the ground and turned into ashes. The stubble does not continue to burn, or live, throughout eternity.
In Jeremiah 17:27, God said that he would, “…kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.” Again, this means that the fire would not go out or be put out until it had finished its work of devouring everything. It does not mean that the fire would continue to burn throughout eternity.
Unquenchable and eternal fire is always used in the Bible to describe the effects of fire, or what it will do. It is not described in terms of the fire continuing throughout eternity. With that in mind, we need to go to the next to the last book of the Bible.
Jude 7 is talking about Sodom and Gomorrah. We all know that they were two cities that were destroyed by burning sulfur that fell from the sky. Jude says Sodom and Gomorrah “…are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.” If Sodom and Gomorrah are examples of eternal fire then why are they not burning today? Because it was the effects of the fire that were eternal, the flames themselves were not eternal.
2 Peter 2:6 says the same thing Jude said, only Peter words it just a little differently. He says the fire God sent upon the cities of the plains ended up, “…turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.” Everything that could burn was turned to ashes and then the fire went out.
Do not forget what you have read here. If you have any questions then re-read it over again until you can begin to believe in a God in Heaven who will not punish a person for eternity just because of less than a hundred years of rebellion. We would not even treat a senseless animal that way, so why do we believe someone's lies that God delights in torturing, for eternity, those who were created in His image?
As I said, those who teach eternal punishment are the only ones who deserve that kind of punishment. They are destroying the loving face and character of the very God who breathed life into their lungs on the day they were born. Do not listen to their lies anymore.
Luke 16:19-31 is a parable about a poor man named Lazarus who dies and is taken to Abraham's bosom; a rich man who never did anything to ease the suffering of Lazarus while he was alive also dies and finds himself in a place of burning agony.
Read it for yourself, but keep in mind, it is nothing more than a parable, a story that is meant to teach a lesson. It is not to be taken literally any more than any other parable or story that Jesus spoke, or that one of God’s prophets related.
If a literal hell is really pictured in this story then those people who will live for eternity in a perfect paradise will, for eternity, be able to see and communicate with the people who are lost and burning there.
Would you be able to enjoy living forever if you could see, hear and talk to members of your family and lost friends who were suffering in eternal torment, in a never-ending fire that only produces pain and agony while they continue to live?
A "learned" doctor of divinity once said, "The sight of hell torments will exalt the happiness of the saints forever. When they see others who are of the same nature and born under the same circumstances, plunged in such misery, and they so distinguished, it will make them sensible to how happy they are." Another "man of God" said, "those who are saved and living in eternal happiness will be able to see those wretches who are in eternal torment in the flames of hell and as they realize how fortunate they are they will respond by saying," 'Amen, alleluia! Praise ye the Lord!'"
What about those people who are living in the beauty of Heaven? Will they have lost all emotion of pity and compassion and no longer have any feelings of love or humanity?
Do not misunderstand me here because, before God, I want there to be no mistake as to what I am about to say. If the God I believe in has, or will, set up a situation of eternal punishment like the kind that Jesus talked about when he told the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, then I do not want to spend eternity with that kind of God. In fact, I would find myself absolutely hating and despising a God who would punish intelligent people for eternity in the way the parable talks of. I could not and I would not serve a God who would treat any human being like that; or even treat a rabid dog that way for that matter.
You encounter quite a few problems when you try to make the story of the rich man and Lazarus a literal story instead of reading it as a parable. Jesus taught in parables in order to bring out the deeper meaning of spirituality to those who wanted to do things God's way.
Jesus did not necessarily speak in parables in order to make the meaning of spiritual things easier to understand; he told his disciples the reason he spoke in parables.
"On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that he got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables…And the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:" 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'" - Matthew 13:1-3, 10-15.
When the disciples asked Jesus, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus said, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."
Why was it given to the disciples to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven and not the other people? Very simple; the disciples were the only ones who asked Jesus what the parables meant; therefore they were given the meaning of those parables. The other people did not care to know what the parables meant; therefore, to them it was not given. They made their choice to not understand what Jesus meant by his stories. It was just like Pontius Pilate asking Jesus "What is truth?" and then walking away before Jesus had the opportunity to answer the question. "Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears…". They were happy with life as it was and did not want to learn anything that would make them change.
There are parables in the Bible that talk about trees walking, talking and electing a leader among themselves. Blood is said to cry from the ground, the heavens declare things. The list goes on. Read any parable and you will see that they are not to be taken literally. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is exactly the same. It is a story with a point to it in the same way the story of “Little Red Riding Hood” or "Goldie Locks and the Three Bears" are stories with a point and not to be taken literally.
Once again I have gotten rather long winded on the teaching of a burning and tormenting hell that will last through the ceaseless ages of eternity. Once again I want there to be no mistake as to the loving character of the God of Heaven. It is no wonder our Creator is feared, dreaded and even hated when I think of how the character of God has been misrepresented by some of those who profess to be his followers. The teaching of an eternally burning hell from the pulpits of the world has turned hundreds of millions of people into atheists, skeptics and unbelievers. As I said, if the teaching of eternal torment is true then I would hate God and would remain the atheist I once was. Do not believe the lies of those who are misrepresenting the character of God.
“For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.” - Philippians 1:23, 24. Some people believe that Paul is saying that he would be with Christ if he were to die; that however, is not what he is saying.
In 2 Timothy he says, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me ON THAT DAY, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” - 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
Paul was not expecting to receive a crown of righteousness (eternal life) at the time of his death. He was going to receive it “on that Day”, on the day of Jesus’ appearing.
Paul taught: “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. 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.” - 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.
Paul knew he was going to die and he knew death was nothing more than unconscious sleep. He also knew that the next time he opened his eyes it would be when the Lord raised him from the dead.
When we sleep a sound, dreamless sleep, it seems like only a moment when morning comes. Death is nothing more than a complete, dreamless sleep. The breath that God breathed into our lungs at birth returns to God and our life is extinguished. The promise though, is that we will be raised to eternal life when Jesus returns to this Earth the second time. God knows the number of hairs on our heads and he knows every thought we have ever had. When we die he makes sure that, just like a computer, all of our “files” are backed up and he keeps them in a safe place. When we are re-created, all of our “software” will be re-installed exactly where it was originally. We have nothing to worry about because when we go to sleep in death we are in the best of hands. We are in the hands of the one who created us in the first place.
Lastly, there are those who teach that when Jesus died he descended into the lower regions of the Earth and preached to the lost souls who were in prison, in some type of purgatory, or limbo. They find their “proof” by quoting 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 1 Peter 4:6.
I am not going to take the time to write those texts out, but if you read them for yourselves, you will see that when Christ preached to those “spirits in prison” he did it “by the Spirit.” The word Spirit is capitalized in the Bible. In the original language, it actually refers to the Holy Spirit. Whatever preaching Christ did during this period of time he did through or by the Holy Spirit.
With that in mind, when was the preaching done? "He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering (a very patient God) waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared...” - 1 Peter 3:19, 20.
In other words, the preaching was being done by Christ, through the Holy Spirit, while the ark was being built. The preaching was done to the “spirits in prison.”
The terminology "spirits in prison" is used in other places in the Bible; it is a metaphor used to describe those who are bound in the "prison" of sin/rebellion/defiance. In Psalm 142:7 David prayed that God would, “Bring my soul out of prison.” and Isaiah said, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." - Isaiah 61.1.
What Peter is telling us in 1 Peter 3 is that Christ was present, through the Holy Spirit, while Noah was preaching to the people as he built the ark. Christ spoke by the Holy Spirit; he did it through the preaching of Noah, while the ark was being prepared and he did it to the spirits in prison, or to those people whose rebellious lives were bound in the prison house of sin, or rebellion.
It has taken a while to explain the nature of humanity, what happens to us when we die and what will happen to us eventually when Christ returns to this world the second time. I have taken this time to make it plain because for too long people have been listening to the lies of not only the father of lies but also to those churches and groups of people who want to control the hearts, souls and finances of people who are concerned about their eternal salvation; to control people through fear instead of the truth. If you are one of those people who are concerned about your salvation then rest assured. When you ask the God of Heaven to lead and direct your life and when you follow him with all your heart, even though you make mistakes at times, you can be assured that you have eternal life. God has said, “If we confess (take responsibility for, or admit) our sins, (rebellious ways) He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. – 1 John 1:9. He also says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:12.
In Hebrews 11:32 Paul gives a list of those who have been found to be faithful, because of the grace that God has extended to them. They all accepted that grace of forgiveness and are on that list because of their belief that God would do as he promised; "If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".
David and Samson are mentioned as being on that list of those "having obtained a good testimony through faith." - Hebrews 11:39. If you have done any kind of a study into his life, you will have found that David, during his lifetime, was a liar, an adulterer, a murderer and probably one of the worst fathers on the planet. The list would go on if you were to really scrutinize his character. He was not perfect, but he had a heart that always turned to God. When he really messed up, he was not afraid to take his case to his Father in Heaven and ask for mercy. That is why he was a man after God’s own heart.
The very same can be said of Samson. When you read about his life in the book of Judges, chapters 13 through 16, you do not see a perfect person but you do see a person who acknowledged the power and workings of God in his life. Unfortunately, he did nothing to control his natural selfishness and as a result, he ended his life by dying with the Philistines in the rubble of the temple of Dagon, the god of the Philistines. In spite of how he lived his life, he is listed as one of those who will receive eternal life when Jesus/Christ returns.
Those two examples alone give me courage as I occasionally struggle through a difficult time in my life and find myself face down in the mud. God loves, forgives and encourages those who are willing to follow him in life.
I do not want to end this little side study into the nature of humanity without leaving you with a plausible explanation for the many ghost stories and encounters with departed spirits that have been experienced through the ages. I will begin with a question first. Can angels of God change their appearance to resemble the appearance of humans? According to the Bible they not only can, but thy have actually done so from time to time.
Is a rebellious/evil angel an angel of God? Just because they are no longer loyal followers of God, they are, as far as we can understand, still just as talented as they were before they began their rebellion.
Lucifer could easily change his form into a serpent in the Garden of Eden so it follows reason that he, or one of his fellow rebels could just as easily take on human form as well. Evil angels have had six thousand years to study human behavior. They know, for the most part, how and what we think about and they are very aware of how we act and react. They are well acquainted with all of our lives right down to the finest details. They are even aware of the conversations we have had with loved ones in the past, so they could easily masquerade as a deceased friend/loved one and impersonate them, thoughts and all. Think about that for a while and then ask yourself again who is telling the truth about what happens to us when we die.