WHAT IS IT LIKE TO DIE? Next to the Ten Commandments this is the greatest stumbling block in the religious world today.

     The Bible teaches there is a "sleep" in death. And yet, on this invaluable Bible doctrine of Christ's salvation the church is asleep in life. The most profound deliverance through Jesus Christ is His salvation from the death-sentence we all received as an inheritance from sin. And the Bible describes two deaths: the first death called "sleep," and "the second death," for those "reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." As Peter wrote these words describing the total end for unrepentant men the other Bible writers agree with this fate: "They shall be as though they had never been." II Pet.3:7; Ob.16.

     Paul's words declare: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." I Cor.15:22. Jesus, as the "Everlasting Father" now has the authority to resurrect the whole human race from the grave. And the Bible is clear that all who lie in the grave, from Adam to the latest victim of sin in our generation are not alive today, nor are they conscious as the clearest words of the Bible will show. Paul thoroughly and repeatedly taught that none are "alive" until Christ returns for His Bride (I Cor.15:18-26,51-56). This is not mysticism! This is "the power of his resurrection:" to restore the life that sin has stolen. And any doctrine that robs the LORD of His Glory to restore life is both a liar and a thief of "the truth in Christ" (I Tim.2:7). Paul drew his words from his studies in the Old Testament that clearly established an unconscious death as the end result of sin, as the world's wisest man, Solomon wrote nearly 3000 years ago: "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." Eccl.9:10.

     And as to the punishment of those deceived to hold to their sinful ways David wrote: "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be...But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away...Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off." Ps.37:10,20,36-38. David here refers to the second resurrection and "the second death" punishment. Please understand, it is the punishMENT that is "eternal," "forever," and "everlasting," not the punishING! This is verified by the perfect words of Jude: "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, SUFFERING THE VENGEANCE OF ETERNAL FIRE." Jude 7. Please note: Sodom and Gomorrha are not burning today. The fire went out after reducing the people to "ashes." And so will it be on the Judgment Day when the surface of the Earth becomes molten, reducing every trace of the cancer of sin to "ashes." The fire goes out, and Christ will then fulfill His promise, "Behold, I make all things new." The Earth will be recreated in its pristine condition, to remain forever, fulfilling the prophecy: "affliction shall not rise up the second time." Na.1:9.

     From these verses and dozens of others [including GOD'S warning to Adam and Eve that to sin is to forfeit life altogether (Gen.2:17)] we can safely bridge to every New Testament text on the subject. GOD doesn't speak in riddles or mysticism. So why does virtually every church disagree with Paul and the other Bible writers, misusing certain verses of Scripture to contradict the Bible's plainest words? Let’s examine this. When the church of Rome came to government acceptance under Constantine in the 4th century, an amalgamation of truth with pagan tradition was born. And this adulterous mingling of the Gospel with pagan idolatry and superstition continues to this day. And the whole world bows before it, blind to their danger. From this foundation of sand came every popular view today concerning prophecy and salvation itself.

     What is all too common in today's theology is to malign the true meaning of the text (usually Paul's words) and then using that corruption as the starting point from which they build their doctrine. And the result is that this always forces contradictions within the Word of GOD where the Bible student must accept the popular rendering of certain verses while verses that teach the exact opposite are forcibly renounced as uninspired. But Paul said, "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." "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." II Tim.3:16,17; I Cor.14:23.

     The Apostle Peter clearly warned that men in the church would stumble over Paul's words: "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." II Pet.3:16. The leading text that has been used to secure the contradiction to the plain "Thus saith the LORD" are these words of Christ, while on the Cross: "Verily, I say unto thee[,] today thou shalt be with Me in paradise." Lu.23:43. (Please notice the placement of the comma in the text). In this verse, something as simple as a comma has been used to mislead the Christian world to believe a lie, and has perverted the meaning of Christ’s words to that faithful thief who was crucified at His side—that condemned thief—the only man on earth who called Jesus "Lord" in the day He died for the sins of the world (Lu.23:42). Fact: there was no punctuation in the original Greek manuscripts that the Apostles themselves wrote. It was added centuries later when pagan rites and ceremonies had secured their success in contaminating the purity of the Christian faith. The text should read thus: "Verily, I say unto thee today[,] thou shalt be with Me in paradise." This view is verified due to Christ’s own words after His resurrection when Mary Magdalene recognized Him and with joy was clinging to His feet. He said, "Touch Me not for I am not yet ascended to My Father in heaven." Jn.20:17. Is not "paradise" with the Father in heaven? Therefore, Christ did not go to heaven on Friday before the Passover Sabbath as nearly every church teaches that He did. While others insist that Christ went to hell (not the grave but the place of eternal torment for those who have rejected GOD'S Love). Once again, theologians have removed the Bible's intended lesson and replaced it with a fabrication that slanders everything we read on the character of "God in Christ."

     So let's study this further from a practical, experiential standpoint. Jehovah, the angel Gabriel, Job, Jesus and the Apostle Paul called death "sleep" (Deut.31:16; Dan.12:2; Lu.8:52-55; Jn.11:11-14; I Cor.15:51; I Th.4:14). Job said: "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.

     Simple questions must now be asked, Are you awake while you’re asleep? Are you conscious while unconscious? Does the blind receive sight at death? Or the deaf child his hearing? Or the mentally handicapped increased intellect? Or the amputee receive his missing limb? Or have you ever been knocked unconscious? Many people have. I was knocked out for six and half hours when I was a victim of a hit and run accident. The span of time between my going unconscious and my coming to went by in the blink of an eye, just like sleep. In the blink of an eye—this is how fast the passage of time will seem to Adam and all who lie in the grave between the time of their death and the time of Christ’s Voice to call them back from the grave.

     All would agree that every falsehood taught as truth perpetrates a disservice to man. And yet, every popular Study Bible from Dake, Nelson, Zondervan, Holman, or Cornerstone, and modern translations: NIV, Living Bible, The Message, etc. they all avoid the truth as it is “in Christ” concerning the Ten Commandment Law as the standard of Christian living and the core of Satan's rebellion and accusations, they publicly denounce Solomon's words on the state of the dead as uninspired text; they have replaced the true prophetic history of the Christian Church with a Jesuit fabrication going back to Francisco Ribera in 1575 to counter the Reformation movement, and they unanimously deny the fate of the wicked being reduced "to ashes upon the earth" (Eze.28:11-19; Mal.4:1-3; Rev.20:9, 21:4). They avoid these life-giving Christ-centered doctrines like the plague. Not one of them addresses the Bible’s many warnings that disqualify the soul from everlasting life. The depths of sin that so readily disqualify the soul from everlasting life are little thought of.

     Few of today's popular ministers prepare their followers to stand in humble obedience before the LORD Jesus Christ and the love displayed when He willingly went to the Cross on Calvary. Puppet ministers for counter-reformation theologians are handing a "peace and safety" message to the congregation. The Savior warned us of the spirit of the church leaders of His day: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." Matt.23:27,28. This same condition exists with our religious leaders today. We, corporately, are no wiser in our generation than when they cried "Crucify him!"

     In conclusion: The first lie of Satan to our Premier Mother Eve, "Ye shall not surely die" is promoted as a true statement by every major religion on Earth. And by promoting Satan’s first lie as a true statement the eternal loss of GOD’S children cannot be measured—not until the Judgment. Tens of thousands of testimonies of ghosts and impersonations of the virgin Mary, the saints and departed loved ones verify this. Just one example in my life: I have a dear Christian friend who believes he receives the personal presence of his dead mother who continually comes to him to give him comfort and counsel. There is a great need today to remove the contradictions within Scripture that the church rulers have imposed on their congregations. Deuteronomy 18:9-13 provides precious insight on some of the key snares of Satan that have beguiled the people on Earth for thousands of years.