Let us explore the critical nature of the very first lie ever spoken on earth. This lie was the springboard that led our world into sin. Its purpose was to slander GOD’S character and the holiness of "the Word." By believing this lie our Premier mother, Eve, ignored GOD’S only warning, to stay away from only one fruit in the Garden of Eden. GOD said, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen.3:4. Eve ate the fruit. She then brought the fruit to Adam, and he also ate. This brought the curse of death to the earth. GOD forbid them to eat the fruit from "the tree of life" anymore: "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever." Gen.3:22. From this point on, man was incapable of being entrusted with the care of life. And all that we see today in the abuse of life and one’s freewill is a result of that first sin our parents were deceived to commit.

     Said Satan to Eve, to deceive her into eating the poisonous fruit, “Ye shall not surely die.” Gen.3:4. The very first sin was committed on earth when Eve believed she wouldn’t die.

     The whole world is chained to the false belief that Satan’s words are a true statement. They all teach, “Ye shall not surely die.” But Jesus said of Satan, “he is a liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44. And yet, the belief in the natural immortality of the soul is embraced as a doctrine of faith by every major religion of earth including Christianity. Is their fundamental belief true that one’s consciousness continues after death with awareness and physical sense even after the death of the body, which provides all of life’s experiences? Does the blind receive sight at death or the deaf child his hearing? Does the victim of brain damage receive intellect or the amputee a limb? We will explore everything the Bible says on this subject and resolve the contradiction between the first lie of the Devil and the Bible’s definition of death.

Memory text: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He [Jesus Christ] Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb.2:14,15.

     There is no greater fear than to have one’s conscious existence come to an end forever. Next to people’s hunger to discover a loving GOD Who lives to serve, man’s instinctive fear of death is the greatest leverage to lead people to turn to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and live. But this fear of death is not given any consideration by most people; and with countless others its Biblical meaning has been perverted; and we must understand how this slanders just what it is that the Great Sacrifice of Christ has saved us from.

     To get our bearings, let’s review the first time death is mentioned in the Bible. In the beginning GOD told Adam, “And the LORD GOD commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden ye may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ye shall not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen.2:16,17. The only warning ever given to Adam was very simple and plain. No mystical meaning of death is allowable in this context. No mention of eternal suffering in the fires of hell! GOD said that should Adam eat of that fruit he would die, i.e. cease to exist, period. Adam did not exist until GOD created him, and GOD assured him that neither would he exist after he died: “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.” Gen.3:19. Wrote Solomon, "The dust shall return unto the earth and the spirit shall return unto GOD who gave it," because “in all points as he came, so shall he go.” Eccl.5:16;12:7.

     Today’s churches have removed the Bible’s definition of death by invalidating the plain meaning of the words "die," "death," "perish," "devour," "destroy" and "consume," implying that they are synonymous to life’s continuation, not its end. And yet, every dictionary including those of the Greek and Hebrew languages defines the above words as antonyms to life, never synonyms. Nevertheless, today’s dominant Christian view directly contradicts many verses of Scripture, as we will see, and actually works against the Gospel of Jesus Christ and literally robs His Glory in "the power of His resurrection." Phil.3:10.

     Billions of people refuse the Gospel call simply because they don’t believe they are going to die. The whole world says "Amen" to Satan in his inaugural deception, which led our world into sin. Once GOD’S foundational warning of death is overruled the rudiments of the Gospel are viewed as foolishness and is the leading reason Christianity has no power to wake up the world from its stupor of complacency.

     GOD does not speak in riddles or use mystical symbolism when He speaks of these issues with His children: "I have not spoken in secret…I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right." "All the words of My mouth are with righteousness; nothing crooked or perverse is in them. They are all plain to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge." Is.45:19; Prov.8:8,9.

Defining death from the New Testament

     Man’s understanding of the true meaning of death is vital in the sight of GOD because the very first doctrine of Christ that the Holy Spirit led the Apostle Peter to teach on the day of Pentecost outlined clearly that to be dead is to be unconscious. Said Peter very simply, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried…For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:29,34. If David, who is listed among the greatest of GOD’S servants is not in heaven where is he? Don’t let the Vatican answer, or the mainstream Protestant churches. At virtually every funeral priests assure the family of the deceased that their departed loved one is now "with Jesus." "Bill’s looking down from heaven" is one many assurances given by nominal Christianity. Is their assurance given to the family true or are they merely extending to the bereaved a rope of sand? Jesus did not tell the Pharisees how Abraham is watching from heaven, but rather said, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." Jn.8:56. In other words, before his death, Abraham was given a vision showing him the coming of Christ: that through his family the Savior of the world would come; and this comforted him until his death.

     Let us allow the Bible to answer the question of where David is. The wisest sinner to ever live was king Solomon. He gave the clearest words in the Bible concerning what happens to all people when they die. As you read his words keep one thing in mind: Solomon is the only man to whom GOD said, "Lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart: so that there was none like thee before thee; neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee." I Ki.3:12. GOD assures the devoted Bible student that the counsel given by this man is a true witness; and all who refute GOD'S personal assurance on this have exalted their own opinion above the Word of GOD.

     Said Solomon, as a wise old man at the end of his life’s journey, "The living know that they shall die but the dead know not anything, 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…for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl.9:5,10. The Bible teaches that we did not exist before we were formed in the womb; and neither shall we exist after we die. (This also rebukes the Hindu doctrine of reincarnation.)

Other Bible writers who agreed with Peter and Solomon

     The Apostle Peter and Solomon were not alone in teaching that unconsciousness is the true meaning of death. GOD discusses death in every book of the Bible. The psalmist wrote that at the moment any man dies, "in that very day his thoughts perish" [Hebrew word, eshtonoth, meaning thoughts]. Ps.146:4. And concerning the faithful of all ages who lie in the grave, David himself wrote: "The dead praise not the LORD; neither any that go down into silence." Ps.115:17. So, none of the dead are praising the LORD today, including David, as Peter said.

     Long before the Prophets and Apostles, a man named Job understood clearly the meaning of death: "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh [it does not say "in my spirit"] I shall see GOD." Job 19:25,26. Job understood that after his death he would not see GOD until the resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ. Said the LORD Jesus Christ in compliment to those words of Job, "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." Jn.6:40.

     There is a very important New Testament illustration on this subject: When Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha died, Martha said to Christ "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jn.11:24. And when Christ raised Lazarus from the dead (after being in the grave for four days) Lazarus gave no description of heaven or of any conscious experience when he returned from the grave. Throughout the Bible there is no testimony of any after-death experience given by anyone.

     So, with that said, let us review the New Testament verses that are used to teach a continued consciousness after death and thus contradict the verses declaring the total cessation of life.

     The two leading texts that have been used to secure the contradiction to the plain "Thus saith the LORD" are these words of Christ while on the Cross, and His Apostle Paul:

1. "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)

2. "We are confident, yea, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the LORD." II Cor.5:8.

     In the first text, something as simple as a comma has been used to lead the 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, and Jesus 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 High Sabbath as nearly every church teaches that He did.

     In the second text, Paul’s passage in II Corinthians 5 is discussing his fervent impatience to be free of "this body of death" (Rom.7:24) and receive the "glorified" body (Rom. 8:17) to be received at Christ’s second coming, as Paul described in I Corinthians 15:20-23: "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive [please note: they are not alive now] But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits [He is alive], afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming [at the second coming the saints will then be made alive]. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to GOD the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power…The last enemy that will be destroyed is death." Paul was not giving a study on the state of the dead in II Corinthians 5, but was upholding the fact that a glorified body untainted with selfish lusts awaits every faithful believer when Christ comes as Paul stated in I Corinthians 15:21-26. Paul does not contradict himself.

Use Common Sense

     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? The obvious answer is no. Or have you ever been knocked out? 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 in the hospital went by in the blink of an eye. This is how fast the passage of time will seem to David between the time of his death and the time of Christ’s coming to raise him from the dead—in the blink of an eye.

     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 etc., they all avoid the truth as it is “in Christ” concerning the Ten Commandment Law, the state of the dead, and the true prophetic history of the Christian Church. Satan has consolidated his false religion on the throne of the world, and miracles have been his key to keep men bonded to their sins, and thus, share the same destruction as himself when GOD cleanses the Earth by fire.

     Let it be known that Jesus Christ died the same death that those who must face the second resurrection must face: the Bible calls it "the second death." This is a death from which there is no hope of a resurrection. That was the death that Jesus died so that no other would have to face. Such will be the case with the unbelieving, unrepentant, and outright evil among men in the end of time. Men, corrupting the meaning of Scripture is the whole reason the doctrine of eternal torture by fire came into existence in the first place. The Protestant teaching of everlasting torment is merely an extension of the pagan/Catholic doctrine of purgatory whose essence teaches that Christ’s sacrifice is insufficient and His method of justice corrupt by any standard.

     Now all of us have been handed a lot of ideas in our upbringing; and very few people can claim that the things they believe were discovered on their own. What is marvelous to consider is that when the Holy Bible is taken to other countries and the people there are not taught the "tradition of men," the Bible’s simple teaching on death rises to prominence in their understanding from the very beginning of their studies. GOD has spoken plainly, but men have chosen to remove GOD’S intended lessons and replace them with ancient doctrines of pagan idolatry that always employ mystical language. Historically, this mysticism has been used by men of the most primitive ignorance to control the lives of others simply for their selfish gain (I Tim.6:10). Said Paul, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron." I Tim. 4:1,2. All of this has but one goal: to keep the sinner trapped in his or her sins, "and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death." James 1:15.

In Closing

     The Scriptures teach that only Enoch, Elijah, Moses and those resurrected with Jesus Christ are in heaven today (Gen.5:21-24; II Kings 2:11; Matt.17:1-3, Jude 9; Matt.27:50-53). Enoch and Elijah, who were translated from the living, are archetypes of the multitudes who will be translated to glory from the living (I Th.4:17). Moses and those resurrected with Jesus are the archetypes of the vast throng who will be raised from an unconscious death at Christ’s second coming. These are the only ones alive in heaven today. All others, without exception, must wait unconscious in the grave until the coming of Christ before they can taste once more of life. This includes Mary, the mother of Jesus, and all the dead saints whom Catholicism teaches are not dead but intervene with their blessings in the lives of those faithful to the Catholic Church. Please note: all the faith in the world will never transform a lie into truth. No matter how much faith one can muster, it will never make 2+2=5. In the eyes of all Christendom faith has become synonymous with presumption; and presumption has no part in the kingdom of heaven. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of GOD." Rom.10:17.