What is death? Death is a separation or a cutting off from the Lord; not realizing God’s purpose for which he was created. There is the Physical death, the spiritual death and the second death:Physical death—the separation of the inner man from the outer man; the soul and spirit from the body. Jas 2:26
Where do the dead go? There are lots of answers to this. Cults will either tell you there isn’t a hell; that hell is in the grave; that hell is a figment of over-imaginative people; that hell is figurative; that hell is not eternal; that hell is here on earth, etc. But the Bible tells you that death is a very real place of eternal punishment for the sinner.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead."
Spiritual death—is the separation of man from God through sin. Being spiritually dead (Matt 8:22; Col 2:14; 1 Tim 5:6) does not necessarily mean you are physically dead, though you can be dead physically and alive in hell, conscious in the soul and spirit.
"But Jesus said, ‘Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.’ Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."
Second death, eternal death—the second and eternal separation from God into the Lake of Fire (literally). This is the Penalty for Sin.
The penalty could not be physical death. Every man would be automatically justified in the sight of God if he died physically. With the penalty paid, God could not punish the sinner further than that physical death. This death would lead to justification and the door to heaven, but this could not happen. Some who die physically will be lost making it impossible for the penalty to be physical death.
Nor could it be spiritual death, which is the state of a man in sin. If it were, then all sinners would be automatically justified in God’s sight. This would mean that committing sin is the penalty for sin, which is utterly ridiculous. It would mean that all sinners would be saved and go to heaven. It would mean eternal life for all men, for all have sinned. It would make the salvation of souls foolish and unnecessary, and finally, it would make the death of Christ totally unnecessary because all of us were sinners before He came.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;..." Rom 3:23
The penalty for sin—eternal death or eternal separation from God—is hell.The resurrection of a man from spiritual death (or separation from God) when one is saved from death in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1-10), when he is born again (Jn 3:1-8). He is made a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17, 18) and is fully reconciled to God through Christ. (Eph 2:12-16; Col 1:20-22; 2:6-13; 2 Cor 5:14-21).
"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others, But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.? Eph 2:1-10
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, ‘Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’Nicodemus saith unto him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ‘Ye must be born again’. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.’" John 3:1-8"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;…" II Cor 5:17, 18
"That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:…" Eph 2:12-16
"And having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:…" Col 1:20-22
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;…" Col 2:6-13
"For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." II Cor 5:14-21
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL
The soul and spirit (the inner man) are immortal. They still maintain full consciousness between death and resurrection of the body and in the new resurrected body into all eternity. The body is mortal and when it dies it will return to dust (Gen 3:19; Eccl 3:19-21; Heb 9:27; Jas 2:26).
"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/b>
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" Eccl 3:19-21
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:…" Heb 9:27
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."p Jas 2:26 This will continue until death is put down and sin is destroyed (1 Cor 15:24-28; Rev 21:3-7; 22:3) "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him. That God may be all in all." 1 Cor 15:24-28
"And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.. And he that sat upon the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. Rev 21:3-7
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:…" Rev 22:3
The Resurrection of the dead refers to only the bodies of all men who die, not to the souls and spirits, which are immortal. All scriptures on the resurrection of the dead refer only to the bodies which die and will be resurrected again from the dust (Dan 12:2; Jn 5:28-29; 1 Cor 15:1 ; Th 4:13-17; Rev 20:4-6; 11-15).
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Dan 12:2
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." Jn 5:28-29
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;…" 1 Cor 15:1
"But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ (their bodies will join their spirits) shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Th 4:13-17
"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." …."And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Rev 20:4-6; 11-15
The mortal body becomes immortal in the resurrection. All scriptures mentioning future immortality refer to the body, not the soul (which, at the time of the resurrection, is immortal).
The Intermediate state, meaning the state of the dead between the death and resurrection of the body, after the body goes back to dust at physical death (Gen 3:19; Eccl 3:19-21; Jas 2:26), remains dead (separated from the inner man) until the future resurrection day when the body will be made immortal (1 Cor 15: 35-54) The soul and spirit continue to live (being immortal) in either heaven or hell until the resurrection day when the body will be made immortal. "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
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.< Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" Eccl 3:19-21
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Jas 2:26
"But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality, So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
HELL awaits those who reject our Savior, Jesus Christ! Are you one of them? Isn’t it time to get serious and join the family of Christ? Do you know for certain how many tomorrow’s you have…..or how many more offers you’ll get? Time is short, friends. Today is your day! Make it a blessed day and open your heart to the gentle knocking of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. He loves you. He proved that by dying for you in your place. Now, all you have to do is say "yes".
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Romans 10: 9,10
Dearest Jesus: I believe you died on the cross for me, in my place, for my sins! I believe you arose again on the third day, with the keys of hell, to sit with the Father, at His right hand. Please forgive me for all of my sins according to Romans 10: 9, 10. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me!
