Beyond the Grave quotes

"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries

WHAT IS IT LIKE BEYOND the GRAVE? quotes

1) There are many conflicting beliefs about death and what it is like beyond the grave. But God has given insights into the truth about death.

"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.

2) What is death? In Old Testament times, when a person 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 Himself backed up this truth!

"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.

(See also these Bible texts: Matthew 27:52; 1 Corinthians 15:51; Daniel 12:2).

3) When we die or fall asleep in death, what happens?

"His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Psalms 146:4.

4) Will God show any of His wonders, whether past, present or future, to the dead?

"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.

5) Will any dead praise the Lord in the grave?

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

6) Will any dead remember the Lord in the grave?

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

7) Will any dead see anyone else in the grave?

"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.

The dead will not even see their loved ones and friends paying them respect!

"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.

8) This means that 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.

9) Does the Bible 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.

Does the Bible teach that our dead relatives are in heaven and watching over us for our good?

"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.

10) What about those who believe that they have actually seen or even talked with their dead loved?

"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.

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.

11) Some have seen ghosts or spirits and various apparitions, or heard unexplained noises and witnessed other supernatural phenomena. But since the Bible declares 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.

12) The whole purpose of evil angels impersonating the dead is to deceive people and get them to believe whatever information given them is really the truth. But does the Devil and his evil angels, tell the truth?

"He [the devil]...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.

13) The biggest lie of the Devil and his evil spirits is the belief that when we die our soul continues to live on. But the Bible declares that all human beings are "mortal", not immortal (see Job 4:17; Romans 6:12). And that God alone “who only hath immortality" (1 Timothy 6:16).

This means that at death, human beings do not go on living for eternity. We do not go to heaven or to hell at death, but we simply sleep or rest in the grave. We also do not reincarnate into some other creature in an endless circle of life and death.

"...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement..." Hebrews 9:27.

14) What causes humanity to die?

"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.

15) 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.

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.

16) Does our fleshly body decay at death, but our soul continues to live on forever?

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:20.

Since "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!

17) The belief that human beings are made up of a body and a separate soul, is just another lie directly from the Devil and his evil spirits.

"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.

Puting this sequence of life into a mathematical formula would be: a body, plus the breath of life, equals a living soul (see also Job 33:4; Ezekiel 37:6). The opposite equation of this formula would be: a body, minus breath, cannot equal a living soul – but equals a dead one!

Our breath, which comes from God and allows us to have life, can also be translated in the scriptures as "spirit".

“All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils”. Job 27:3.

The Hebrew word for “breath” used here is “n’shamah” and it translates and means “vital breath, spirit” (Strong’s word #5397). The Hebrew word for “spirit” used in this text is “ruwach”, and it translates and means “wind, breath, exhalation, spirit” (Strong’s, word #7307). So a body, plus the breath or spirit of God, equals a living soul. But a body, without spirit or breath, cannot equal a living soul.

When we die, our breath of God 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 every time we exhale.

“Cease ye from man, whose breath (spirit - word #5397) is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” Isaiah 2:22.

18) Are human beings always to face death without any hope of ever escaping from it's eternal grasp? What really lies beyond the grave?

"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 Christ has mercifully provided all of humanity deliverance from eternal death so that we can have life again beyond the grave!

"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.

19) Life after death is only to be 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, regardless of their circumstances.

"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.

You can now rest in the hope that there is indeed life beyond the grave – but only in Christ Jesus.


	"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries home \| Sermon Quotes WHAT IS IT LIKE BEYOND the GRAVE? quotes 1) There are many conflicting beliefs about death and what it is like beyond the grave. But God has given insights into the truth about death. "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. 2) What is death? In Old Testament times, when a person 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 Himself backed up this truth! "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. (See also these Bible texts: Matthew 27:52; 1 Corinthians 15:51; Daniel 12:2). 3) When we die or fall asleep in death, what happens? "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Psalms 146:4. 4) Will God show any of His wonders, whether past, present or future, to the dead? "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. 5) Will any dead praise the Lord in the grave? "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Psalms 115:17. 6) Will any dead remember the Lord in the grave? "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" Psalms 6:5. 7) Will any dead see anyone else in the grave? "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. The dead will not even see their loved ones and friends paying them respect! "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. 8) This means that 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. 9) Does the Bible 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. Does the Bible teach that our dead relatives are in heaven and watching over us for our good? "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. 10) What about those who believe that they have actually seen or even talked with their dead loved? "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. 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. 11) Some have seen ghosts or spirits and various apparitions, or heard unexplained noises and witnessed other supernatural phenomena. But since the Bible declares 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. 12) The whole purpose of evil angels impersonating the dead is to deceive people and get them to believe whatever information given them is really the truth. But does the Devil and his evil angels, tell the truth? "He [the devil]...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. 13) The biggest lie of the Devil and his evil spirits is the belief that when we die our soul continues to live on. But the Bible declares that all human beings are "mortal", not immortal (see Job 4:17; Romans 6:12). And that God alone “who only hath immortality" (1 Timothy 6:16). This means that at death, human beings do not go on living for eternity. We do not go to heaven or to hell at death, but we simply sleep or rest in the grave. We also do not reincarnate into some other creature in an endless circle of life and death. "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement..." Hebrews 9:27. 14) What causes humanity to die? "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. 15) 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. 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. 16) Does our fleshly body decay at death, but our soul continues to live on forever? "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Ezekiel 18:20. Since "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! 17) The belief that human beings are made up of a body and a separate soul, is just another lie directly from the Devil and his evil spirits. "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. Puting this sequence of life into a mathematical formula would be: a body, plus the breath of life, equals a living soul (see also Job 33:4; Ezekiel 37:6). The opposite equation of this formula would be: a body, minus breath, cannot equal a living soul – but equals a dead one! Our breath, which comes from God and allows us to have life, can also be translated in the scriptures as "spirit". “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils”. Job 27:3. The Hebrew word for “breath” used here is “n’shamah” and it translates and means “vital breath, spirit” (Strong’s word #5397). The Hebrew word for “spirit” used in this text is “ruwach”, and it translates and means “wind, breath, exhalation, spirit” (Strong’s, word #7307). So a body, plus the breath or spirit of God, equals a living soul. But a body, without spirit or breath, cannot equal a living soul. When we die, our breath of God 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 every time we exhale. “Cease ye from man, whose breath (spirit - word #5397) is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” Isaiah 2:22. 18) Are human beings always to face death without any hope of ever escaping from it's eternal grasp? What really lies beyond the grave? "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 Christ has mercifully provided all of humanity deliverance from eternal death so that we can have life again beyond the grave! "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. 19) Life after death is only to be 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, regardless of their circumstances. "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. You can now rest in the hope that there is indeed life beyond the grave – but only in Christ Jesus.