by Elder Aurelius Raines

…but the dead know not anything,…Ecclesiastes 9:5

When one reads this phrase from Ecclesiastes 9:5, one can wrongly conclude that death means total unconscious annihilation. This conclusion finds its basis in the belief that the soul does not survive the body. Therefore, when a person dies, he is in an unconscious state. If these beliefs are true, all scriptures will confirm them. This statement has its basis among fundamental Christians who believe that the scriptures do not contradict themselves. Traditionally, Christians teachings hold to the belief that when a person dies, his soul separates from its’ body. While waiting for the general resurrection, these souls are conscience of their surroundings. Which view is correct? Let the infallible scriptures speak.

LUKE 9:28-32

And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.

In the Bible text just quoted, the reader learns about Jesus’s transfiguration on the mount. The three apostles who witnessed this scene saw two men. Since the three men saw the same vision it is unlikely that they were dreaming or seeing an abstract vision. The Bible identifies these two men as Moses and Elias. We must take special note that the apostles were not seeing visions or shadows. The Bible states they saw two men and then it reveals who they saw. Later Peter would make mention of this event as something that really happened. He used this event as proof that the apostles preached the truth (see 2Peter 1:16-19). The text lets the reader know that the two men were talking to Jesus about his pending death at Jerusalem. We know from the Old Testament that Moses died hundreds of years before the arrival of Christ. We also ought to know that a chariot of fire took Elias away from this world. These men knew to whom they were talking. Therefore, we can conclude they knew the present. They also were able to discuss the future. How does one explain that these men were able to talk to Jesus if they were unconscious in death? How can one explain that dead men knew the future? This passage of scripture teaches after the body rots, part of man survives physical death! The Bible does not contradict itself. A closer examination of the scriptures must be done.

LUKE 20:37 & 38

Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.

The message in this portion of scripture has three points. Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac according to the scriptures had a burial after death. Jesus uses these three men to prove the resurrection of the dead. These three men were alive when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush. However, at that time they were not living on earth. These points can only prove there is a part of man that survives physical death. That part of man that survives physical death is still alive in the sight of God. One understands this because Jesus states that God is not a God of the dead but of the living. Yes, that is right. Jehovah is the God of a living Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob! When Jesus said, for all live unto God, the Bible student finds further proof of conscious life after death. Physical death only destroys the body. The spirit of man returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7). The facts found in Luke 20:37-38 should prove men are conscious after death. It also shows that the dead are conscious before the general resurrection. The facts find strength in John 8:56.

JOHN 8:56

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

In this passage of scripture, Jesus told the Jews that Abraham rejoiced to see his day, and he saw it and was glad. The dead, in the sight of God, are conscious after death. Abraham saw the arrival of Christ and rejoiced. The apostle John was consistent in his teachings when he recorded the vision found in Revelation 6:9:11.

REVELATION 6:9-11

And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

In this vision, the apostle saw spirits separated from their bodies. The scriptures refer to these spirits as souls. Souls translates from the Greek word "psuche." Psuche in this text means disembodied spirit. This shows that man is fleshly and spiritual. The spiritual part of man survives the death of the body. John saw these souls under an altar. They cried out for justice because of the crimes that were done unto them. These people, met their death because of their witness for Jesus. They survived the death of their bodies. Their physical death did not prevent them from remembering their life on earth.

The question yet remains, do the dead know anything? Several scriptures given so far give examples of the survival of the soul after the death of the body. In the examples, the deceased did not lose their memory. Does this means these scriptures contradict Ecclesiastes 9:5? The answer is no! Further consideration will show why.

In 2Samuel chapter 15, one can read about Absalom’s conspiracy. This chapter reveals that two hundred men went out of Jerusalem with Absalom. The scriptures says these men "knew not anything." Can one conclude these men did not know anything about everything? The answer must be no. There should be no controversy over what these men did not know. They did not know anything about the subject under consideration; Absalom’s conspiracy. In 1Tim. 6:4 the apostle writes about the teachers of error, "He is proud, knowing nothing." Paul is only letting the reader know that the teachers of error know nothing about the truth. The men that followed Absalom were ignorant of the conspiracy against King David. The teachers of error are ignorant when it comes to knowing the truth. One must view the phrase that they "knew nothing" in the context in which it resides.

This is also true when one considers Ecclesiastes 9:5. Ecclesiastes 9:1-6 shows that the wise man is talking about the hope of the living. Earlier he had showed his audience that the wicked and righteous must suffer the same fate. He also reveals how the wicked dies with his heart full of evil. Verse four gives hope for the living. As long as a man is alive, he can seek to change his condition in life. He knows that one day he will die so he must take advantage of his present life. However, the dead does not know this hope! All he did not accomplish under the sun will not get done. The wise man is simply letting his audience know that the dead have no hope for betterment of his evil ways in this time world.

The above mentioned facts show that the soul does survive the death of the body. If this is true, can one conclude that the word death always describes the separation of the body and the spirit? The scriptures gives a definite answer to this question with a little further study.

GENESIS 2:16,17

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

The above text reveals God giving man the freedom to eat of every tree in the garden of Eden with one exception. God warned Adam that the day he ate off the tree of life he would surely die. This is the first law that God gave to man. It dictates that death would occur when Adam violates this law. One cannot accept anything else other than what is written. If the Bible says, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," one must believe what is written. One cannot change the scripture. The scripture teaches that Adam and Eve died. The Bible student knows they died because Titus 1:2 teaches that God cannot lie. Adam’s disobedience caused a change in his relationship with God. Man became alienated from his God. In Genesis 3:9 when God asked Adam, "where are thou," He wasn’t asking for a geographical location. He was asking Adam’s spiritual condition. After the fall from grace, Adam became afraid of God and hid himself from God’s presence. No longer did the creature have the same fellowship with his creator. Sin brought a separation between Adam and his God. This separation is the death in which God speaks. The spiritual union between God and man was broken when Adam sinned. The relationship was no longer the same. This spiritual separation eventually led to Adam’s physical death. While spiritually connected to God, Adam could freely eat of every tree in the garden with one exception. This exception did not include the tree of life. With spiritual life gone, God cannot enjoy man’s physical life. Therefore, because of man’s spiritual death, God closed the way to the tree of life. Man eventually became a victim of physical death. Are there other scriptures that teaches this spiritual death? Let the reader consider the following.

1Timothy 5:6

But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.

This short text tells the reader that the widow that lives in pleasure is dead while she liveth. This type of widow lives outside of the law of God. She does what she feels like doing without any regard to God’s moral standards. The scriptures lets us know that in man’s sight she is alive. In god’s sight she is dead. This is how Adam could continue with physical life after the fall and still be dead. Are there any other proofs of the living dead? The answer is yes. Proof of the living dead is also in Ephesians 2:1-6.

EPHESIANS 2:1-6

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

In writing to the saints at Ephesus, Paul lets them know that they were quicken or made alive. The cause of their death was sin. While in sin, Paul lets them know they were physically alive. They fulfilled the desires of their flesh and mind. In the sight of God, they were dead. In verse six he tells them that God raised them up. Roman 6:4 lets the reader know that God raises the believer up to walk in the newness of life. Sin causes a man to die. In the sight of God, man does not live again until after his spiritual resurrection. This resurrection raises a person from the life of sin through the saving grace of Jesus Christ. In John 5:24-29, one can explore this concept further.

JOHN 5:24-29

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Our text shows that a person who hears the words of Christ and accepts them, passes from death unto life. This lets us know that a person who lives outside of the will of God is dead in God’s sight. When he believes the gospel of Christ, he lives again. This restores the spiritual life in the sight of God. Jesus goes on to tell us about two different resurrections. He spoke of a time that was to come. This time had already started, even as he spoke. During this time, the dead will hear the voice of Christ. Those that take heed will live. This verse plainly tells the reader that man can exist in a state of death and yet be alive. Jesus teaches that the dead will hear and have a choice of whether they will take heed or not! Yes, the scriptures do speak of a living dead. Every time one sees the word death or the promise of death in the scriptures it may not necessarily be speaking of physical death. The people mentioned in verse twenty-five are not physically dead but are spiritually dead. Verses twenty-eight and twenty-nine show the contrast. The people Jesus have reference to in these verses are in the grave. They will hear the voice of Christ also, but they will come forth whether they want to or not. These are the physical dead. Jesus has reference to the general resurrection. It is at this resurrection when all must give an account of the deeds that were done in the physical body before physical death. Those who heard the voice and took heed while in physical life are those whom had done good. They will receive a reward of life. Those who rejected the voice while in their physical bodies, had done evil. They will rise to damnation. Obedience to Christ brings life. Disobedience to Christ brings death. An understanding of these principles will help the reader later in this study when Ezekiel 18:4 comes under consideration. In the meanwhile it will do well to consider what the Bible teaches about the book of life.

REVELATION 3:5

He that covercometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my father, and before his angels.

Once again the scriptures show that the obedient soul stays in the book of life. It also shows that overcomers stay in God’s book. God removes sinners from the book of life!

REVELATION 20:12, 14-15

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This text of scripture identifies two sets of books. One of the sets is the book of life. The lake of fire will be the home of everyone not found in the book of life. This is the second death. John lets us know that Hades and death were cast into the lake of fire. Hades is the realm of the physical dead. This shows us that death and hell will not exist in eternity.

The truth about the second death is important. Knowing there is a second death tells us there is also a first death. The second death is what separates the unrepentant sinner from God. In Revelation 20:6, we find that those who are partakers in the first resurrection are immune from the power of the second death. After physical death, there is a second death for those not found in the book of life. We must understand that those who live and die in sin will have their name blotted out of the book of life. These people will have to live in eternity without God.

EZEKIEL 18:4

Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

This text only confirms truths discussed. God removes the unrepentant sinner out of the book of life. This is the same as being spiritually dead to God. This text only has its application to those who are living in rebellion to God in this time world. These passages of scripture can only lead us to believe that every time the scriptures speak of death it does not have reference to physical death.

The following texts prove that man is still conscience after death: Luke 9:28-32, Luke 20:37,38, John 8:56, and Revelation 6:9-11. One learns from 1Timothy 5:6 and Ephesus 2:1-6 that the word death explains more than just physical death. These scriptures teaches us that some living people are dead in the sight of God. These few passages of scripture should confirm the truth about the state of the dead.

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