One of the most difficult topics to comprehend when trying to understand the mystery of life is death. Many generations have tried to answer the question of what happens after death over many centuries. Religions have also had their say and in answering this question, to the extent that no one religion has had the final say. As a Christian, my family and I rely on what the Bible says and we do realise that even within the Christian fraternity, this question is answered in many different ways.
One thing I realise is that the concept of the dead has been used over centuries solely to control humanity through fear. We tend to fear things we don’t understand and death has been the greatest source of fear and anxiety, since time immemorial.
Those with ill intent have exploited this, by offering us various forms of answers; some saying they can make connections for the purpose of gaining favours with the dead or fighting off all kinds of spirits emerging from the world of the dead.
We are told that the spirits of our forefathers can help us or harm us. We are told that the ‘undead’ or ghosts hover over certain places. What does the Bible say about all this? The best way to understand this mystery is to look at the beginning and answer the question: Did God give man an immortal soul at creation?
Immortality of the soul
‘‘And the Lord God formed Man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and then man became a living soul’’ (Genesis 2:7). This means the man was just dust before the breath of life. In other words, the condition for life is the breath of life, which we are told came from God. Man was not conscious; he could not think, he could not move until God gave him the breath of life. A living soul is, sometimes, referred to as simply a person or living person, you and I, as stated in Exodus 16:16. Note the words, ‘living person or soul’.
What then happens when we die? The process is simply reversed. When you breathe your last breath, it means God has taken his breath back and the man returns to dust. This is the formula:
Dust (Flash/Body) + Breath of God = Living Soul (A Person). If you take away the breath of God, then you are left with a lifeless, unconscious body; with no knowledge of anything, which rots and returns to dust where it was taken from. So, there is no dead soul, period.
Can the dead communicate with the living?
The theory that the living can communicate with the dead is called Spiritualism, with spiritual mediums. This is not biblical. We read about it when Moses warns against it, calling them enchanters, witches, charmers or conjurers of familiar spirits. To truly believe in Spiritualism, one needs to believe in the natural immortality of man as a basis. If the communication line is forever open between the living and the dead, then it would be incorrect for a person to die.
However, we know that death is the opposite of life and we know what life looks and feels like. The difference between life and death is man’s relationship to knowledge. King Solomon, who was considered the wisest King, declares: ‘‘For the living know that they shall die: But the dead know nothing and they have no more reward (Interest or Income) for their memory of this world is forgotten. Also, their love, their hatred and their envy have all perished,’’ (Ecclesiastes 9:5,6).
We will arise to our inheritance at the end of the days
This to me makes perfect sense. Why would a loving God allow us to witness the suffering of generations of our loved ones? Even if we were in ‘paradise’, watching your children and their children and their children suffer would not be an enjoyable paradise.
I like the version that God told to one of his most trusted servants, in Daniel 12:13: ‘‘But as for you, Daniel, go your way till the end; for you shall rest and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.’’ This verse is a direct promise that after a person goes through their life’s ‘end,’ they will physically rest in death and then ‘arise’ to their inheritance at the end of days. There is no helping batukulu or giving strange instructions from beyond the grave, just rest. Man is appointed to live and die once and face judgment (Hebrews 9:27). There is no waiting somewhere in purgatory. Of course, this sounds instant, but in reality, it could be thousands of years. For Daniel, it will seem like he just died yesterday.
We actually don’t know the other side of death. A baby in the womb just needs to grow limbs or body parts and do so perfectly. His reward will only be at birth. If he did not grow legs, he would be crippled; without eyes, he would be blind. We need to grow spiritual body parts that will equip us for the new reality, which is totally different from this reality. We will join the celestial beings and travel through the galaxies. Knowledge and power need strong moral characters. You cannot get angry and blow up a planet.
What then are spirits and ghosts?
When I started, I stated that the main purpose of spirits and ghosts is to bring fear, so as to control, through the manipulation, mankind. This deception dates back to the garden of Eden. We all know the story in Genesis 3:1-3, where the serpent tricks Eve by questioning if it was really true that if she ate the fruit, she would die. This questioning has been going on ever since, where through spiritualism, mankind continues to question if we really die or we become ghosts and spirits when God makes it clear that death is the final sleep until an appointed time.
When there was a war in Heaven, heavenly beings who fought with God and his angels were defeated and cast down onto the earth. These heavenly beings become what we now call demons. They introduced all kinds of forbidden occult and mysteries which God calls abominations (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). I am speaking in biblical language, but there is a scientific explanation too for another audience. We will continue in part two and explore the workings of these demonic spirits in the journey of humanity and the dead.
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