A detailed Quick Facts Bible study examining what Scripture teaches about the state of the dead. The study compares the widespread Christian belief that people remain consciously alive after death with passages describing the dead as asleep and awaiting resurrection. Key Scriptures include Ecclesiastes 9:5–10, John 11:11–14, John 20:17, 1 Corinthians 15:20–23, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17, John 5:28–29 and Revelation 20:4–15.
PART 1 — WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
The Bible’s Language of Death and Sleep
This will contain Quick Facts 1–10:
- The Bible describes death as sleep
- Jesus called death “sleep”
- Martha expected Lazarus to rise “at the last day”
- Jesus did not say Lazarus was alive in heaven
- “The dead know not any thing” — Ecclesiastes 9:5
- “In death there is no remembrance” — Psalm 6:5
- “The dead praise not the LORD” — Psalm 115:17
- At death, “his thoughts perish” — Psalm 146:4
- Job described death as sleep
- Jesus said those in the graves will hear His voice and come forth — John 5:28–29
PART 1 — WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
THE BIBLE’S LANGUAGE OF DEATH AND SLEEP
INTRODUCTION
What actually happens to us when we die?
This is one of the greatest questions mankind has ever asked.
Many Christians have been taught that death is not really death.
They have been taught that when a saved Christian dies, an immortal soul immediately leaves the body and continues consciously living in heaven with Jesus.
Many are also taught that the unsaved dead remain consciously alive in Hades, awaiting the final judgment.
I once accepted teachings like these myself.
But when we put aside traditions and begin searching the Scriptures, we must ask:
IS THIS REALLY WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES?
Before examining difficult passages such as the thief on the cross, the rich man and Lazarus, “absent from the body,” and Paul's desire to “depart, and to be with Christ,” we first need to establish something much more fundamental:
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE NORMALLY SAY HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON DIES?
What did Jesus call death?
What did the prophets call death?
And when did Jesus say the dead would live again?
Let us begin with the clearest Scriptures.
QUICK FACT 1 — THE BIBLE REPEATEDLY DESCRIBES DEATH AS SLEEP
One of the most important facts in this entire study is remarkably simple:
THE BIBLE REPEATEDLY COMPARES DEATH WITH SLEEP.
Consider Daniel's prophecy:
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake...”
— Daniel 12:2, KJV
Notice exactly what Daniel says.
They:
“SLEEP IN THE DUST OF THE EARTH.”
And eventually they:
“SHALL AWAKE.”
This gives us a remarkably simple biblical picture:
DEATH → SLEEP
RESURRECTION → AWAKENING
They are not described here as consciously living in heaven or consciously suffering somewhere beneath the earth.
They are described as:
ASLEEP.
And one day:
THEY WILL AWAKE.
QUICK FACT 2 — JESUS HIMSELF CALLED DEATH “SLEEP”
We do not have to rely only upon the Old Testament.
Jesus used exactly the same language.
When Lazarus died, Jesus told His disciples:
“Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.”
— John 11:11, KJV
The disciples misunderstood Him.
They thought Lazarus was literally sleeping.
So Jesus explained exactly what He meant:
“Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.”
— John 11:14, KJV
This could hardly be clearer.
Jesus said:
“LAZARUS SLEEPETH.”
Then Jesus explained:
“LAZARUS IS DEAD.”
Therefore, in this passage:
SLEEP = DEATH.
And what was Jesus going to do?
AWAKEN HIM.
This gives us a beautiful biblical picture:
DEATH IS THE SLEEP.
RESURRECTION IS THE AWAKENING.
QUICK FACT 3 — MARTHA EXPECTED LAZARUS TO RISE “AT THE LAST DAY”
There is another extremely important detail in the story of Lazarus.
Jesus told Martha:
“Thy brother shall rise again.”
— John 11:23, KJV
Notice Martha's response:
“I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
— John 11:24, KJV
Martha did not answer:
“I know Lazarus is already alive in heaven.”
Her hope was:
THE RESURRECTION.
And when did she expect it?
“AT THE LAST DAY.”
Jesus then declared:
“I am the resurrection, and the life.”
— John 11:25, KJV
The emphasis is upon RESURRECTION.
Death is not presented as the believer's final victory.
RESURRECTION FROM DEATH IS.
QUICK FACT 4 — JESUS NEVER SAID LAZARUS WAS ALIVE IN HEAVEN
Think carefully about what happens in John chapter 11.
Lazarus had been dead for four days.
Yet Jesus never comforts Martha by saying:
“Lazarus isn't really dead. He is alive with God in heaven.”
Instead:
JESUS CALLS LAZARUS' DEATH “SLEEP.”
JESUS THEN SAYS PLAINLY THAT LAZARUS IS DEAD.
MARTHA EXPECTS HIM TO RISE “AT THE LAST DAY.”
Then Jesus goes to the tomb and cries:
“Lazarus, come forth.”
— John 11:43, KJV
What happened?
“And he that was dead came forth...”
— John 11:44, KJV
Notice those words:
“HE THAT WAS DEAD.”
The passage does not tell us that Lazarus' immortal soul came down from heaven and re-entered his body.
It tells us:
LAZARUS WAS DEAD.
JESUS CALLED HIM.
LAZARUS CAME FORTH.
LAZARUS LIVED AGAIN.
This is RESURRECTION.
QUICK FACT 5 — “THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING”
Now consider one of the Bible's most direct statements concerning the dead:
“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing...”
— Ecclesiastes 9:5, KJV
Please read those words again:
“THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING.”
Ecclesiastes continues:
“Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished...”
— Ecclesiastes 9:6, KJV
And:
“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.”
— Ecclesiastes 9:10, KJV
Notice what is absent:
NO WORK.
NO KNOWLEDGE.
NO WISDOM.
The dead are not described here as continuing normal conscious existence somewhere else.
The Bible says:
“THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING.”
PART 1 CONCLUSION
So what have we discovered from our first five Quick Facts?
DANIEL describes the dead as sleeping in the dust and eventually awakening.
JESUS describes Lazarus' death as sleep.
MARTHA expects Lazarus to rise “at the last day.”
LAZARUS is explicitly described as “dead.”
And ECCLESIASTES says:
“THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING.”
Already we have a serious biblical question to consider.
If the dead are consciously alive somewhere else, why does Scripture repeatedly describe death as:
SLEEP?
Why must the dead:
AWAKE?
Why did Martha expect Lazarus to rise:
“AT THE LAST DAY”?
And why does Ecclesiastes explicitly say:
“THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANY THING”?
BUT THERE IS MUCH MORE EVIDENCE TO EXAMINE.
In the next part we will discover what the Bible says happens to:
OUR THOUGHTS.
OUR KNOWLEDGE.
OUR PRAISE.
OUR CONSCIOUSNESS.
And we will examine where Jesus says the dead are when He finally calls them back to life.
COMING NEXT:
PART 2 — WHAT DO THE DEAD KNOW?
THE BIBLE’S DESCRIPTION OF DEATH, SILENCE AND THE GRAVE
We will examine:
“IN DEATH THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE.”
— Psalm 6:5
“THE DEAD PRAISE NOT THE LORD.”
— Psalm 115:17
“IN THAT VERY DAY HIS THOUGHTS PERISH.”
— Psalm 146:4
Job's extraordinary description of waiting in death until God calls him.
And finally Jesus' own words:
“ALL THAT ARE IN THE GRAVES SHALL HEAR HIS VOICE,
AND SHALL COME FORTH.”
— John 5:28–29
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES.
COMPARE THE EVIDENCE.
TEST EVERYTHING.
AND FOLLOW THE TRUTH WHEREVER IT LEADS.
