100 FACTS ON THE SABBATH QUESTION

Why keep the Sabbath day?

What is the object of the Sabbath?

When was it made, who made it, and for whom?

Which day is the true Sabbath?

Many keep the first day of the week, or Sunday.  

What Bible authority have they for this?

Some keep the seventh day, or Saturday.

What Scripture have they for that?

     Here are the facts about both days, as plainly stated in the word of God.

Sixty  Bible  Facts  Concerning  the  Seventh  Day

1.  After working the first six days of the week in creating this earth, the great God rested on the seventh day.  Genesis 2:1-3.

2.  This stamped that day as God’s rest day, or Sabbath day, as Sabbath day means rest day.  To illustrate: When a person is born on a certain day, that day becomes his birthday.  So when God rested upon the seventh day, that day became His rest, or Sabbath day.

3.  Therefore the seventh day must always be God’s Sabbath day.  Can you change your birthday from the day on which you were born to one in which you were not born?  No.  Neither can you change God’s rest day to a day on which He did not rest.  Hence the seventh day is still God’s Sabbath day.

4.  The Creator blessed the seventh day.  Genesis 2:3.

5.  He sanctified the seventh day.  Exodus 20:11.

6.  He made it the Sabbath day in the garden of Eden.  Genesis 2:1-3.

7.  It was made before the fall; hence it is not a type, for types were not introduced till after the fall.

8.  Jesus says it was made for man (Mark 2:27); that is, for the race, as the word man is here unlimited, hence, for the Gentile as well as for the Jews.

9.  It is a memorial of creation.  Exodus 20:11; 31:17.  Every time we rest upon the seventh day, as God did at creation, we commemorate the grand event.

10.  It was given to Adam, the head of the human race.  Mark 2:27; Genesis 2:1-3.

11.  Hence through him, as our representative, to all nations.  Acts 17:26.

12.  It is not a Jewish institution, for it was made 2,300 years before ever there was a Jew.

13.  The Bible never calls it the Jewish Sabbath but always “the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.”  Men should be cautious how they stigmatize God’s holy rest day.

14.  Evident reference is made to the Sabbath all through that patriarchal age.  Genesis 2:1-3; 8:10, 12; 29:27, 28, ect.

15.  It was a part of God’s law before Sinai.  Exodus 16:4, 27-29.

16.  Then God placed it in the heart of His moral law.  Exodus 20:1-17.  Why did He place it there if it was not like the other nine precepts, which all admit to be immutable?

17.  The seventh-day Sabbath was commanded by the voice of the living God.  Deuteronomy 4:12, 13.

18.  Then He wrote the commandment with His own finger.  Exodus 31:18.

19.  He engraved it in the enduring stone, indicating its imperishable nature.  Deuteronomy 5:22.

20.  It was sacredly preserved in the ark in the holy of holies.  Deuteronomy 10:1-5.

21.  God forbade work upon the Sabbath, even in the most hurrying times.  Exodus 34:21.

22.  God destroyed the Israelites in the wilderness because they profaned the Sabbath.  Ezekiel 20:12, 13.

23.  It is the sign of the true God, by which we are to know Him from false gods.  Ezekiel 20:20.

24.  God promised that Jerusalem would stand forever if the Jews would keep the Sabbath.  Jeremiah 17:24, 25.

25.  He sent them into the Babylonish captivity for breaking it.  Nehemiah 13:18.

26.  He destroyed Jerusalem for its violation.  Jeremiah 17:27.

27.  God has pronounced a special blessing on all the Gentiles who keep it.  Isaiah 56: 6, 7.

28.  This is in the prophecy which refers wholly to the Christian dispensation.  See Isaiah 56.

29.  God has promised to bless every man who keeps the Sabbath.  Isaiah 56:2.

30.  The Lord requires us to call it “honorable.”  Isaiah 58:13.  Beware, ye who take delight in calling it the “old Jewish Sabbath,” “a yoke of bondage,” ect.

31.  After the holy Sabbath has been trodden down for “many generation,” it is to be restored in the last days.  Isaiah 58:12, 13.

32.  All the holy prophets kept the seventh day.

33.  When the Son of God came, He kept the seventh day all His life.  Luke 4:16; John 15:10.  Thus He followed His Father’s example at creation.  Shall we not be safe in following the example of both the Father and the Son?

34.  The seventh day is the Lord’s day.  See Revelation 1:10; Mark 2:28; Isaiah 58:13; Exodus 20:10.

35.  Jesus was the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28); that is, to love and protect it, as the husband is the lord of the wife, to love and cherish her.  1 Peter 3:6.

36.  He vindicated the Sabbath as a merciful institution designed for man’s good.  Mark 2:23-28.

37.  Instead of abolishing the Sabbath, He carefully taught how it should be observed.  Matthew 12:1-13.

38.  He taught His disciples that they should do nothing upon the Sabbath day but what was “lawful.”  Matthew 12:12.

39.  He instructed His apostles that the Sabbath should be prayerfully regarded 40 years after His resurrection.  Matthew 24:20.

40.  The pious women who had been with Jesus carefully kept the seventh day after His death.  Luke 23:56.

41.  Thirty years after Christ’s resurrection, the Holy Spirit expressly calls it “the Sabbath day.”  Acts 13:14.

42.  Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, called it “the Sabbath day” in A.D. 45.  Acts 13:27.  Did not Paul know?  Or shall we believe modern teachers, who affirm that it ceased to be the Sabbath at the resurrection of Christ?

43.  Luke, the inspired Christian historian, writing as late as A.D. 62, calls it “the Sabbath day.”  Acts 13:44.

44.  The Gentile converts called it the Sabbath.  Acts 13:42.

45.  In the great Christian council, A.D. 52, in the presence of the apostles and thousands of disciples, James calls it the “Sabbath day.”  Acts 15:21.

46.  It was customary to hold prayer meetings upon that day.  Acts 16:13.

47.  Paul read the scriptures in public meetings on that day.  Acts 17:2,3.

48.  It was his custom to preach upon that day.  Acts 17:2.

49.  The book of Acts alone gives a record of his holding eighty-four meetings upon that day.  See Acts 13:4, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4, 11.

50.  There was never any dispute between the Christians and the Jews about the Sabbath day.  This is proof that the Christians still observed the same day that Jews did.

51.  In all their accusations against Paul, they never charged him with disregarding the Sabbath day.  Why did they not if he did not keep it?

52.  Paul himself expressly declared that he had kept the law.  “Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.”  Acts 25:8.  How could this be true if he had not kept the Sabbath?

53.  The Sabbath is mentioned in the New testament 59 times, and is always with respect, bearing the same title it had in the Old Testament, “the Sabbath day.”

54.  Not a word is said anywhere in the New testament about the Sabbath’s being abolished, done away, changed, or anything of the kind.

55.  God had never given permission to any man to work upon it.  Reader, by what authority do you use the seventh day for common labor?

56.  No Christian of the New testament, either before or after the resurrection, ever did ordinary work upon the seventh day.  Find one case of that kind, and we will yield the question.  Why should modern Christians do differently from Bible Christians?

57.  There is no record that God has ever removed His blessing or sanctification from the seventh day.

58.  As the Sabbath was kept in Eden before the fall, so it will be observed eternally in the new earth after the restitution.  Isaiah 66:22, 23.

59.  The seventh-day Sabbath was an important part of the law of God, as it came from His own mouth, and was written by His own finger upon stone at Sinai.  See Exodus 20.  When Jesus began His work, He expressly declared that He had not come to destroy the law.  “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets.”  Matthew 5:17.

60.  Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees as hypocrites for pretending to love God, while at the same time they made void one of the Ten Commandments by their tradition.  The keeping of Sunday is only a tradition of men.

     We have now presented 60 plain Bible facts concerning the Seventh day.  What will you do with them?

Forty  Bible  Facts  Concerning  the  First  Day  of  the  Week

1.  The very first thing recorded in the Bible is work done on Sunday, the first day of the week.  Genesis 1:1-5.  This was done by the Creator Himself.  If God made the earth on Sunday, can it be wicked for us to work on Sunday?

2.  God commands men to work upon the first day of the week.  Exodus 20:8-11.  Is it wrong to obey God?

3.  None of the patriarchs ever kept it.

4.  None of the holy prophets ever kept it.

5.  By the express command of God, His holy people used the first day of the week as a common working day for 4,000 years, at least.

6.  God Himself calls it a “working” day.  Ezekiel 46:1.

7.  God did not rest upon it.

8.  He never blessed it.

9.  Christ did not rest upon it.

10.  Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3) and worked at His trade until He was 30 years old.  He kept the Sabbath and worked six days in the week, as all admit.  Hence He did many a hard day’s work on Sunday.

11.  The apostles worked upon it during the same time.

12.  The apostles never rested upon it.

13.  Christ never blessed it.

14.  It has never been blessed by any divine authority.

15.  It has never been sanctified.

16.  No law was ever given to enforce the keeping of it; hence it is no transgression to work upon it.  “For where no law is, there is no transgression.”  Romans 4:15; (1 John 3:4).

17.  The New Testament nowhere forbids work to be done on it.

18.  No penalty is provided for its violation.

19.  No blessing is promised for its observance.

20.  No regulation is given as to how it ought to be observed.  Would this be so if the Lord wished us to keep it?

21.  It is never called the Christian Sabbath.

22.  It is never called the Sabbath day at all.

23.  It is never called the Lord’s day.

24.  It is never called even a rest day.

25.  No sacred title whatever is applied to it.  Then why should we call it holy?

26.  It is simple called “first day of the week.”

27.  Jesus never mentioned it in any way--never took its name upon His lips as far as the record shows.

28.  The word Sunday never occurs in the Bible at all.

29.  Neither God, Christ, nor inspired men, ever said one word in favor of Sunday as a holy day.

30.  The first day of the week is mentioned only eight times in all the New Testament.  Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2.

31.  Six of these texts refer to the same first day of the week.

32.  Paul directed the saints to look over their secular affairs on that day.  1 Corinthians 16:2.

33.  In all the New Testament we have a record of only one religious meeting held upon that day.  Acts 20:5-12.

34.  There is not an intimation that they ever held a meeting on it before or after that.

35.  It was not their custom to meet on that day.

36.  There was no requirement to break bread on that day.

37.  We have an account of only one instance in which it was done.  Acts 20:7.

38.  That was done in the night--after midnight.  Verses 7-11.  Jesus celebrated it on Thursday evening, (Luke 22), and the disciples sometimes did it every day.  Acts 2:42-46.

39.  The Bible nowhere says that the first day of the week commemorates the resurrection of Christ.  This is a tradition of men, which makes void the law of God.  Matthew 15:1-9.  Baptism commemorates the burial and resurrection of Jesus.  Romans 6:3-5.

40.  Finally, the New testament is totally silent with regard to any change of the Sabbath day or sacredness for the first day.

     So after reviewing these 100 plain Bible facts upon this question, showing conclusively that the seventh day of the week, or Saturday, is the Sabbath of the Lord in both the Old and New testaments, what should be our response to this fourth commandment of God?

     “For he spake in a certain place on the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works....There remaineth therefore a rest (Sabbath) to the people of God.  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the save example of unbelief.” Hebrews 4:4, 9-11.

     “And hereby we do know that we know him (God), if we keep his commandments.  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.  But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him....By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 2:3-5, 5:2-3.

     “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city (of God).  For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.” Revelation 22:14.

     “Let us here the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.

THE BEAST

     The Beast power of Revelation 13:1-10 has intrigued Christians for hundreds of years.  There have been many speculations as to what it is, it’s nature, and the time when it appears.  This concern is well placed, for the Bible gives a most powerful warning about this Beast power.  But speculation is not necessary.

     In Bible prophecy, political powers are frequently represented by animals, or “Beasts”.  This practice is not limited to Bible times, for we still use animal symbols to represent countries today.  But the appearance of this particular Beast is different from any animal we know and seems to be made up of several different beasts put together into one.  Thus we are unable to call it by the name of any particular beast, such as a lion or a bear; and so it has commonly become known as the Beast, or the Leopard-like Beast, or the composite Beast.

     This Beast is of such interest because it demands worship in opposition to God.  And it is against this false system of worship, along with those who form a part of it, that God’s wrath, unmingled with mercy, is to be poured out (see Revelation 14:9-10).

     In looking at the verses which pertain to this Beast power, we notice that there are many characteristics or clues that help to identify who it represents.  As we examine each of these points, it should become increasingly clear who this Beast power must be.

     “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.  And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?  And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”  Revelation 13:1-8.

     Many people are looking for a diabolical power that will force it’s way into the political arena, compelling Christians to abandon their faith by setting up a nonreligious government of force.  We need to notice, however, that there is worship connected with this power.  Verse 8 states that all of the people on earth will worship it, except for those whose names are in the Lamb’s book of life.  And it is only those whose names are written in that book of life who will be saved!  Jesus spoke very plainly when He stated that “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”  Matthew 7:14.

     A little later in that same sermon Jesus made another profound statement:

     “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”  Matthew 7:21-23.

     From these verses we conclude that the overwhelming majority of Christians will not be ready to meet Christ when He returns.  According to the prophecy, all of these will be found worshiping this Beast power.  This fact must tell us something about the nature of this Beast; for if this power professed to be anti-Christian, as so many expect, very few in the Christian world would be found worshiping it.

     The next point to notice is that this Beast has the body of a leopard, and in Daniel 7:6 the Greek nation was represented by a leopard (please write for our tract on The Rise and Fall of Empires).  Few people realize how completely the pagan philosophy of Greece captured the world, and it also played a significant role in the formation of thought in the church.

     Several Greek philosophers are famous for the impact they had on human thought.  During the middle ages, when the Bible was outlawed, men looked to Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates for light.  As one may expect, their paganistic philosophy greatly permeated religious thinking, helping to shape many of the concepts that became a part of Christian belief, but for which there was no Biblical support.

     For instance; Plato believed in the immortality of the soul.  In his understanding, heroes and notable persons went immediately to mansions and places of reward, while the common people went down to the infernal regions to receive punishment for sinful pollutions until they had been cleansed.  Here we see the religious belief of the elevation of the saints to heaven at death, and also the doctrine of purgatory.

     Plato also believed in the concept of separating the body from the soul.  He believed this was achieved by afflicting the body, by depravation, and by separation from society.  Thus was laid the groundwork for the later emergence of the belief for monasticism and penances.

     Another point to notice is that this Beast came up out of the waters of the sea.  According to Revelation 17:15, waters represent “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.”  So what this text is stating is that when this Beast power emerged, it arose from an area which was densely populated--such as Europe, and not from the wilderness--or an area which was sparsely populated.

     It is important to understand that this Beast power was also prophesied to continue for 42 months, or three and a half years of prophetic time.  Using the Jewish calendar of 30 days for each month, 42 months or 3 1/2 years would mean 1260 prophetic days.  In Bible prophecy, each day of prophetic time would equal one year of literal time (see Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6).  Thus we understand that this Beast would rule for 1260 prophetic days or 1260 literal years.

The  Little  Horn

     In Daniel 7, this same Beast power is likened to a Little Horn or kingdom which uproots and destroys three horns or kingdoms, and then speaks great blasphemous words against God (see Daniel 7:8, 20-25).  This power was to rule “until a time and times and the dividing of time” Daniel 7:25.  A “time” represents one year in Bible prophecy.  So this Little Horn power was to rule for a time--or 1 year, times--or 2 more years, and the dividing of time--or half of a year.  This would total three and a half years, or again 42 months or 1260 prophetic days or literal years.  Thus the prophecies of the Beast and the Little Horn power are referring to this same religious power.

     While both these prophecies indicate that the power identified was to reign for 1260 literal years, when did this time period begin?  Another significant point which helps us to establish the time for the emergence of this power, is that it was to be given it’s seat, it’s authority, and it’s power, by the dragon.

     While this dragon refers to Satan (see Revelation 12:9), it more specifically refers to the ancient pagan Roman Empire which Satan used to try and kill the man child--or Christ--as soon as He was born (see Matthew 2:1-18; Revelation 12:2-5).  The seat of the old Roman Empire was the city of Rome itself.  And as the date for the fall of the Roman Empire was A.D. 476, it is clear that this Beast power could not be firmly established with it’s seat and authority until after this time.

     Then, who could this Beast power be?  When the Roman Empire fell, it’s kingdom was divided into 10 nation-states.  And what was the religious power which arose out of the ruins of pagan Rome?  Claiming the titles and the authority of her Emperor predecessors, the Roman Catholic Church gradually sought to extend her power over these 10 nation-states of Europe.  Soon the heads of  these states received their crown and ruled more or less subject to Roman Catholic authority.  While some might contend that the papacy is primarily a religious power, we have to understand that it is also a political power which sends and receives ambassadors and functions as a political state.

     As the Roman Catholic church gradually gained more power and control over these 10 nation-states of Europe, it became evident that all but three of these nations (the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths) were in favor of, or yielded to, the Catholic religion and authority.  Therefore the Catholic church made war against these three nations, and uprooted them in succession (the Heruli in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 538)--exactly as the Bible predicted of this Little Horn-Beast power!  Thus 538 would be the starting point for the Beast’s rule.

     It was also shown that at the end of this Beast’s 1260 year reign, it’s power was to be removed, and it would received a wound that appeared to be a death blow.  Yet this wound would be healed, and this same power would again exercise authority over the kings of the earth.

     Beginning with the date of 538, the Catholic church ruled for exactly 1260 years, and then received it’s deadly wound in the year 1798.  The armies of Napoleon were marching across Europe, destroying monarchy and the church.  French general Berthier, went down to Rome and took pope Pious VI prisoner and returned him to France to live out his remaining days in exile.  Thus the Catholic church was, for a period of time, without a visible head to rule.  This was definitely a death blow or a deadly wound to the church, because without a visible head or pope, the Catholic Church was dead!  It had ruled for 1260 years, and now it was powerless--just as prophecy declared.

     Many believed that the church had come to an end and would never again figure significantly in world affairs.  For many years this picture remained unchanged, but in 1929, Cardinal Gasparri and Benito Mussolini signed the concordat which restored temporal powers to the papacy.  Once again the Vatican began to function as she had before.

     No one can question that since that time the papacy has regained much of the prestige lost two centuries ago.  In the 1950’s, when Harry Truman attempted to appoint an official ambassador to the Vatican, there arose such a protest that it was not possible for him to follow through.  But thirty years later, when President Reagan tried to accomplish the same thing, he met with little opposition.

     Another remarkable point is that this Beast had the feet of a bear.  The bear in Daniel 7:5 represents the empire of the Medes and Persians, and they had a method of government peculiarly their own.  When the king of the Medes and Persians spoke law, he was considered to be infallible.  Once given, it was not possible to change the law (see Daniel 6:8,12,15.)  This finds its counterpart in the doctrine of the infallibility of the pope when he speaks ex-cathedra, and defines points of law or doctrine.

     Also, on the head of the Beast was the name of blasphemy.  The Biblical concept of blasphemy is found in Mark 2.  The rulers of the Jewish people accused Jesus of blasphemy for presuming to forgive sins, a prerogative belonging to God alone (see verses 5-7).  This authority the Catholic Church also claims to have.

     The final point to note, is that the prophecy declares that this Beast power would make war with the saints of God.  No one with any knowledge of history can deny that this description, without question, fits the Roman Catholic church.  It is conservatively estimated that the Church of Rome caused over fifty million people to be put to death throughout it’s 1260 year reign.  Why were these people murdered?  Because they followed Bible truth and their conscience--even when it differed with the established teaching and authority of the Church.  Thus it is clear that the Beast of Revelation 13:1-10 and the Little Horn of Daniel 7, unmistakably refers to the Roman Catholic church!

     While it is true that religious tolerance is more widespread today than in the past, Bible prophecy points to the fact that this will not always be the case.  This deadly would was to be completely healed, and soon the Catholic church will re-gain her lost power.  Then, along with those Protestant churches which are united with and who image her, they will revive the persecutions of the past against those who refuse to accept and abide under their authority in religious belief and practice--choosing instead to follow Bible truth and their conscience (see Revelation 13:15-17).

     We understand that God did not give these Biblical prophecies as an indictment against individuals, but rather against apostate religious systems.  God has sent His people these prophetic warnings so that they might not innocently become involved in this apostasy of Rome or in any of the churches of apostate Protestantism which are united with her.

     In Revelation 18, God refers to these same apostate systems of religion as Babylon.  In these last days we find that, just as God called Lot out of wicked Sodom before its destruction, so He sends a call to His people today to “Come out of her, my people”: to separate from all these religious systems of apostasy, “that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” Revelation 18:4.

     God clearly warns His people not to be united with apostate churches or with unbelievers, but to remain separate from them all.  If they should continue to remain members in or united with these, they will not be clean in God’s sight, He will not consider them as His sons and daughters, and they will lose eternal life (see 2 Corin 6:14-18; Isa 52:11; Micah 2:10).

     It is because of God’s great love for those who are still connected with these religious systems of apostasy; the many who sincerely love Him with all of their heart, that He warns them to escape from the real danger they are in.  In loving kindness and tender mercy God calls His people out of all the churches, so that they might avoid being destroyed along with Babylon, and instead become connected with Christ and His kingdom of righteousness, and thus to gain everlasting life.

     "Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity...My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord." Jeremiah 51:6, 45.

IS DEATH TO BE FEARED?

IS  DEATH  TO  BE  FEARED?

     There are so many conflicting beliefs about death and what it is like beyond the grave, that it becomes difficult to know which beliefs are true.  But God has not left His people to wonder about this important subject without giving them insights into the truth on this issue.

     "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

     As all scripture is inspired by God, then these sacred pages are where we can safely find the sure foundation for doctrine, and for reproof and correction of our errors, and thus obtain the pure knowledge of righteousness.  So what does God declare through His word about death?

     First of all, what is death?  

The Bible refers over and over again that death is likened to sleep.  In Old Testament times, when someone died it was declared that he "slept with his fathers" (see 1 Kings 2:10, 11:43, 14:20,31, 15:8,24).  In New Testament times, death was also likened to sleep (see 1 Corinthians 11:30, 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:14).  Jesus plainly states this same idea when referring to the death of his friend Lazarus.  

     "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." John 11:11-14.

     So being dead is like being asleep (see also Matt 27:52; 1 Corin 15:51; Dan 12:2).  But when we die or fall asleep, what happens?  "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Psalms 146:4.

     God stated that when we die, we no longer have any thoughts or mental processes.  Thus there is no consciousness in the grave.  So will God show us any of His wonders, whether past, present or future, in the grave?  No.

     "Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee?...Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?  Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" Psalms 88:10-12.

     Will we praise the Lord in the grave?  No.

     "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Psalms 115:17.

     Will we even remember the Lord in the grave?  No.

     "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Psalms 6:5.

     Will we see anyone else while we are dead?  No.

     "I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave...I shall behold man no more with the inhabitants of the world." Isaiah 38:10-11.

     But don't we see our loved ones and friends coming to our grave to pay us respect?  No.

     "But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost...His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not..." Job 14:10, 21.

     So those who have died really do not know anything!

     "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." Ecclesiastes 9:5.

     Truly, being dead is like being asleep--just as Jesus stated.  Yet many have been taught that at death some go straight to heaven.  But does God teach that we go to heaven and see the Lord when we die?

     "...I shall go to the gates of the grave...I shall not see the Lord, even the Lord, in the land of the living..." Isaiah 38:10-11.

     Others have been taught that their dead relatives are in heaven who are watching over them and working for their good through various means.  But is this what the Bible teaches?  No.

     "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:10.

     What about those who believe that they have actually seen or even talked to their dead loved ones apparently raised from the dead?

     "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." Job 14:12.

     Then what about those who believe in, or who have seen, ghosts or the spirits of the dead haunting houses or graveyards or even helping people?

     "...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." Ecclesiastes 9:5-6.

     Thus the dead have no memory at all of when they were alive.  So they can not remember anyone or anything that they either loved or hated, cherished or envied during their lifetime.  Hence, even if they could come back as a ghost or a spirit, they could not even remember who they were to haunt or help!

     Yet many people have actually seen ghosts or spirits and various apparitions.  Others have heard unexplained noises and seen supernatural phenomena.  But since the Bible of truth teaches that ghosts cannot be the actual dead person's spirit raised to life, then who are these apparitions?

     "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....For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world..." Revelation 12:7-9, 16:14.

     So there are indeed ghosts or spirits today, yet not one of these are dead people come back from the grave.  They are only the evil angels or spirits of devils whom were cast out of heaven.  These evil beings are only pretending to be the dead come back to life.  And it does not matter whom they impersonate--even the dead Apostle Paul or other followers of Christ.  In fact, the more widely known the dead individual, the better to impersonate them.

     But why do these evil angels impersonate the dead and sometimes even communicate information to those whom they contact?  Their whole purpose for doing so is to deceive people and try to get them to believe that the information given them is really the truth.  But does the Devil, along with his evil angels, tell the truth?

     "He...abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44.

     So we are not to believe any of the information relayed by these apparitions or so-called spirits of the dead because it is nothing but lies!  The biggest lie which the Devil and his evil spirits have tried to pawn off as being true is the belief that when we die our soul continues to live on.  This falsehood is also known as the immortality of the soul, and multitudes have been duped into really believing it is true.  But is humanity immortal?

     The Bible teaches that all human beings are "mortal", not immortal (see Job 4:17; Romans 6:12).  In fact, God alone "only hath immortality" 1 Timothy 6:16.

     So the holy Scriptures declare that at death, we do not go on living for eternity.  We do not go to heaven or to hell at death, but rest in the grave.  Nor do we reincarnate into some other creature as in the pagan belief of the endless circle of life--a continual rebirth only to die again.  For God mercifully states that human beings die once--not many times.  "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement..." Hebrews 9:27.

     But the big question which needs to be asked is: What causes humanity to die in the first place?

     "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....And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat....And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him...In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Genesis 2:16-17, 3:6,9,19.

     So death began when God's command or law was disobeyed and broken.  But what actually occurs when we disobey or transgress the law of God?

     "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4.

     Thus in breaking God's law, we commit sin, and what happens because of our choice to sin?  "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23.

     Who is the author and originator of all sin and death?  "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee." "He (the Devil) was a murderer from the beginning..." Ezekiel 28:15; John 8:44.

     So God cannot be blamed for either sin or death because the Devil or Satan or Lucifer is the originator and creator of all sin and death and thus is alone responsible for all the horror, pain,  and suffering caused because of it.  And since sin entered the world with its penalty of death, humanity has ever since tried to find a way to circumvent death and continue to live on, and the Devil has been very successful in helping us believe this with his lies.

     Multitudes believe the theory that sin only causes the penalty of death to our fleshly body, but our soul continues to live on forever.  But does the Bible teach this?  No.  "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:20.

     The soul that sins does not live on forever, but it dies!  And as "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), then the soul of no dead human being has ever continued to live on after death!  This belief, that we are made up of a body and a separate soul, is another lie directly from the Devil and his evil spirits.  God tells us the truth about how we were created.

     "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." Genesis 2:7.

     God clearly states that a body, plus the breath of life, equals a living soul (see also Job 33:4; Ezekiel 37:6).  Thus a body, without breath, cannot equal a living soul--but a dead one!  So there is no truth to the doctrine of our soul continuing to go on living after we die.  Neither does humanity have a spirit which goes on living after death.

     Our breath, which comes from God and allows us to have life, can also be translated in the scriptures as "spirit" (see also Job 27:3).  So a body, plus the breath or spirit of life, equals a living soul.  But a body, without spirit, cannot equal a living soul.  So there is no truth to the belief that at death, our spirit continues to go on living.  When we die, our breath or spirit of life goes back to God who gave it to us at birth (see Ecclesiastes 12:7; Psalms 31:5), but there is no separate life or consciousness in this breath--no more than there would be when we exhale.

     Is the lot of humanity to face death without any hope of ever escaping from it's eternal grasp?  Has anyone delivered us from this hopeless destiny?

     "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man...Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Hebrews 2:9, 14-15.

     Jesus has mercifully provided a way that all humanity can be delivered from this hopeless destiny of eternal death in order to have life again!

     "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." John 3:16.

     "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 John 5:11-12.

     All humanity can now have hope that there is indeed life after death--but only in Jesus Christ.  No other human being: be he president or pope, evangelist or guru, shaman or priest, can offer anyone eternal life in truth.  Life after death is only found in Jesus Christ because it is only Jesus that has been given "power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many" as are His (see John 17:2).  And Jesus Christ is available to all humanity--even those considered to be in the lowest scale of human worth or in the deepest pit of sin.

     "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16.

     "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief." 1 Timothy 1:15.

     So all humanity can now rest in the hope that there is indeed life after death--but only in Christ Jesus.  No longer need anyone be afraid of death--unless you have not accepted Jesus as your Saviour and are not connected with Him.

     Please do not allow another moment to go by without getting on your knees, repenting of your sins, and asking Jesus to forgive you and then plead for Him to take control of your life.  "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2)--not tomorrow, because tomorrow may be too late.