Great is the teacher who has shared the Gospel in many nations. Give him honor at this time when gathering at the altar of prayer.
Choose Life or Death continued...

That first, horrible lie by the Evil One is still believed today by people who have perverted versions of Truth in their hearts. The idea that people die, but remain conscious in the spiritual realm is one of the basic beliefs of most Christians. Grief is easier to overcome when assurances are being given that their dead loved ones are in Heaven instead of asleep in dust. False promises are made by religious leaders who officiate at funerals, and by others who are trying to give comfort. Those of us who dispute the illusion of hope in this form of deception, even though liars seem to be compassionate on the surface, are treated unkindly by “ministers of deception.” Differences in established doctrinal beliefs tend to elicit verbal attacks against messengers who come with messages contrary to acceptable manmade traditions.

True believers who adhere to “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” rather than upon traditions based on falsehoods from Satan, must have courage and wisdom when confronting antagonists.

Arguments about human Life and death do more to turn people away from Truth than anything else!

It was Adam and Eve’s rebellion against God that caused death to become a reality in the first place. If they had not sinned, they would still be alive and with us today. They would be here as “living souls” in healthy bodies just as God had planned. However, since they did rebel against the Creator, death was the consequence for them, and for billions of their descendants. Since that time, speculation about what happens when people die has led to confusion.

The first thing serious scholars must understand is that the process of death started with Adam, and was then inherited by all humankind!

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."  Romans 5:12 
The second thing we must understand is that a body without Life decomposes back to the elements from which it was originally made!

"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 3:19

The third thing we must understand is that most Old Testament people, like many of this day, allowed carnal thinking to dominate their reasoning instead of letting faith in the Word of God temper their thoughts. It is impossible to fully comprehend the true nature of ourselves until we have been transformed by the Holy Spirit. People tend to place more value on a body, thinking of it as a soul, or themselves as having a soul, rather than understanding that a soul made of spirit is their true identity. When comparing flesh and all earthly things it possesses to a soul, only a soul should be considered valuable. Everything will perish unless it has been preserved by God.

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."  James 2:26

God has the power to bring the dead up out of their graves, and to restore them to Life when imparting His Spirit within them!

"And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it,
saith the LORD." Ezekiel 37:13&14

When reading a Bible, we learn about one man who asked his wife to pretend that she was his sister. He was willing to practice deception for the sake of saving his “body/soul” from death – even though his deceitful, sinful actions threatened the survival of his “spirit/soul.”

"Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee."  Genesis 12:13

Regardless of whether or not a person has a carnal or spiritual mind set, we all understand that a “living” soul separating from a body is the process we know as “death.” To emphasize this point, we have learned from reading the Bible about an interesting event when Elijah prayed for a dead child. The departed soul of a child actually returned after death, and his body was revived.

"And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived."  1 Kings 17:22

Even though doubters laughed at Jesus, He proved them wrong by letting them witness His power over death!

"And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat."  Luke 8: 53-55

Obviously, God has power over that part of Himself known as a “soul” when it is in or out of a human body. Spirits that compose a soul are subject to the authority of God whether they are on Earth or in Heaven, awake or sleeping, and only He decides if bodies live or die.
 
(1) "For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?"  Job 27:8  

(2) "O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit."  Psalms 30:2&3

Only God can identify the spiritual composition of souls!

Since humankind lacks the ability to discern invisible inner forces without divine guidance, it is impossible for any of us to accurately judge ourselves or each other. Even so, we do know by faith that judgment will come for every soul in a miraculous way, and at a unpredictable time. It is easy to see what happens to a human body after death, but what evidence is there pertaining to departed souls? Does anyone really know?