But the truth we are emphasizing is adequately demonstrated in these writings when we look merely at Jehovah's words of warning in the beginning: "Ye shall surely die;" then at the positive announcement to Adam of the fatal consequence of his sin:  "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return;" then at the record of his exclusion from the tree of life, and the reason therefor: "Lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever."  Genesis 3.  This is enough to establish the truth that man cannot live forever in sin, that sin is bound to cut him off from life. 

            The book of Psalms is full of such passages as these:   

"The way of the ungodly shall perish." Psalms 1:6.

 "The ungodly. . . . are like the chaff  which the wind driveth away." Psalms 1:4.

"Thou shalt destroy them." Psalms 5:6. 

"The wicked shall be turned into hell, [ the grave ] and all the nations that forget God." Psalms 9:17.  

"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. Psalms 37:20. 

  “As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.” Psalms 68:2 

“For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish:” Psalms 73:27.

“When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever:” Psalms 92:7.   

“For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish;” Psalms 92:9.   

“For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place,  and it shall not be. Psalms 37:10. 

“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Psalms 146:4 

 “For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:” Psalms 49:8 

 “Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling    places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names. Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.” Psalms 49:11, 12.   

            “Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling. He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light.” Psalms 49:14, 19.   

            “Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish.” Psalms 49:20.   

            “Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. .” Psalms 104:35.  

DESTROYED WITHOUT REMEDY 

            Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, declares:  

            “The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.” Proverbs 13:9. 

            “He that speaketh lies shall perish.” Proverbs 19:9.  

            “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that  without remedy.” Proverbs 29:1. 

            “The expectation [thread of life] of the wicked shall perish." Proverbs 10:28.

              “For there shall be no reward [literally, no hereafter, no futurity] to the evil man; the candle of  the wicked shall be put out.” Proverbs 24:20.

              The prophets declare:

            “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4.

              “And the destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together, and they that forsake the LORD shall be consumed.” Isaiah 1:28. 

              “They shall be as though they had not been.” Obadiah 16.  

            “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; . . . yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Malachi 4:1.  

            Turning now to the New Testament, we find the same truth taught.  Passages cited are sufficient to establish the New Testament teaching of the condition of man in death.  

            “Destroy both soul and body.”  Matthew 10:28.

              “Shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire:  Matthew 13:41, 42.

              “Cast them into the fire, and they are burned” .John 15:6.

              “Every soul, which will not hear. . . . shall be destroyed.”  Acts 3:23.

              “As many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law.”  Romans 2:12.

              “Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."  Romans 9:22.

              "Whose end is destruction."  Philippians 3:19.

              "Who shall be punished with everlasting [not torment, but] destruction."  2 Thess. 1:9.  

            "Which drown men in destruction and perdition [complete ruin]." 1 Timothy 6:9.  

            "Whose end is to be burned [destroyed as chaff]"  Hebrews 6:8.

              "Sin when it is finished, bringeth forth death. [It does not stop short of death]" James 1:15.  

            "Utterly perish in their own corruption." 2 Peter 2:12.

NOT ALIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE

            The force of these passages all points in one direction, and leads to one conclusion:  When a man dies his life is ended.  He is not alive somewhere else.  This is asserted in every way in which it is possible for language to assert it, positively and negatively, by parable and by every variety of figure of speech.

            The wicked when they die are said to perish, to be destroyed, become like chaff and stubble, to be utterly consumed root and branch, to be dashed in pieces as a potter's vessel, to be ground to powder, thrown away as bad fish, thrown down like a house without foundation, to wither like a branch that has been cut off, to consume away into smoke as the fat of rams, to perish like brutes in their own corruption, to become as ashes, to be devoured, to be as nothing, to be as though they had not been, to be no more, not to be, and a host of like expressions.

            While these fearful figures express pain and suffering, and the utmost anguish, they express more than this.  They express death and utter destruction as the end and the ultimate consummation of all these inflictions of the divine wrath.

            That we be not required to fill all the available space at our command with the quoted words of Scripture, and because the Bible is accessible to all, and because of the profound conviction it will bring to every searcher for truth to look at the Bible words for himself, we urge you now to take your Bible in your hands and be prepared to look into its teachings on this subject.

            Death in the Bible is represented by sleep: by a negation of all life, thought, and action; by rest, resting place, or home, silence, oblivion, darkness, destruction, and corruption.

            The question no doubt will arise in the mind of the reader, either here or elsewhere, Are these things so?  My reply is, Search and see.  I would not believe upon the testimony of others, nor do I ask you to.  Take your Bible and search it.  Under the guidance of Him who is the way, you may hope to arrive at the truth here, and share the life hereafter.  And remember, as stated in one of the great creeds, that "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." — Articles of Faith of the Church of England, art. 6.

DEATH A SLEEP  

            In the case of good men the Bible represents death as a sleep.  Deuteronomy 31:16;  1 Kings 1:21;  2:10;  11:43;  15:24;  22:50;  2 Kings 15:7, 38;  2 Chronicles 9:31;  14:1;  16:13; 21:1;  26:23;  27:9;  32:33;  Job 3:13, 14;  7:21;  14:11, 12;  Psalms 13:3;  17:15;  Matthew 27:52;  John 11:11, 13;  Acts 7:60; 13:36;  1 Corinthians 15:6, 18, 20, 51;  1 Thessalonians 4:13-15;  5:10;  2 Peter 3:4.

            Death in the case of bad men is also represented as a sleep.  1 Kings 14:20, 31;  16:6, 28;  22:40;  2 Kings 8:24;  10:35;  13:9;  14:16, 29;  15:22;  16:20;  21:18;  24:6;  2 Chronicles 12:16; 27:9;  33:20;  1 Corinthians 11:30.

            The same representation is made in the case of all men.  Daniel 12:2; John 5:27, 29.

            Death is represented in the Bible as a negation of all life, thought, and action, even to good men.  Job 3:11, 13, 16;  14:10, 14;  Psalms 6:5;  30:9;  88:10-12;  115:17;  146:4;  Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10;  Isaiah 38:18, 19;  Acts 2:34.

            Death is represented in the Bible as a rest, and the grave as a resting place, house, or home.  Job 3:11-13, 17, 18;  17:13, 16;  Ecclesiastes 12:5, 7;  Isaiah 57:2.  It is also represented as corruption and destruction.  Job 4:19, 20;  26:6;  28:22;  Psalms 16:10;  49:9, 12-14, 19, 20;  Proverbs 15:11;  27:20;  Acts 13:36.

            In accordance with these representations of the unconscious state of death, the Bible makes it plain that the dead do not awake, nor are they made alive, until the resurrection.  Psalms 17:15;  John 6:39;  11:24-26;  1 Thessalonians 4:15;  1 Corinthians 15:51, 52;  Romans 4:17.

            The wicked and the righteous, the lost and the saved, are not separated, but remain together until the resurrection at the return of Jesus to the world.  Matthew 13:30, 40, 41, 49;  24:31, 32;  Mark 13:26,27.

            Human beings are on trial, or in a state of probation, until the resurrection at the second coming of Jesus Christ.  1 Corinthians 1:8;  Philippians 1:10;  1 Thessalonians 5:23;  1 Timothy 6:14;  Titus 2:12, 13;  Hebrews 10:35, 37;  James 1:12;  5:7, 13;  2 Peter 3:11, 12, 14;  Revelation 2:25.

            The saved who doe do not join "those who have gone before" in heaven; the righteous of all past ages will not be gathered until the resurrection.  Matthew 24:31;  Mark 13:26, 27;  2 Thessalonians 2:1.

            Wicked men are not to be punished in judgment before the Advent of Jesus and the resurrection.  Matthew 12:36;  16:27;  John 5:28, 29;  12:48;  Acts 17:31;  Romans 2:5, 6, 16;  1 Corinthians 3:13; 4:5;  2 Thessalonians 1:7-9;  2 Timothy 4:1;  Hebrews 6:1, 2;  2 Peter 2:6, 9;  Jude 14, 15;  Revelation 1:7;  6:16, 17;  20:12-15.

            The saved of all generations will not be rewarded until the return of Christ and the resurrection.  Matthew 13:43;  19:28;  25:19-21, 23, 31-34, 46;  John 5:28, 29; 6:40, 44, 54;  16:22;  Acts 3:19; 1 Corinthians 5:5;  15:52-54;  2 Corinthians 1:14;  5:1-4;  Ephesians 4:30;  Revelation 11:18.

            The righteous are not to put on immortality or be received into the presence of Christ or enter into His joy or behold His glory or become like Him, until His second coming and the resurrection.  John 6:54;  17:24;  Acts 3:20, 21;  Romans 8:17-19, 23;  1 Corinthians 15:52-54;  Philippians 3:20, 21;  Colossians 3:4;  1 Thessalonians 2:19; 4:14-17;  2 Thessalonians 1:6, 7, 10;  2 Timothy 1:18;  4:8;  Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 4:13;  5:4;  1 John 3:2.

            The faith of the righteous, together with their labors and sufferings, is lost, perished, unprofitable, if there be no resurrection.  John 6:39;  1 Corinthians 15:17, 18, 32, 58;  Psalms 146:4;  Ecclesiastes 9:6.

SUPREME OBJECT OF HOPE  

            The resurrection, not death, is the supreme object of our hope and comfort.  Acts 23:6;  24:15;  1 Corinthians 1:7, 8;  2 Corinthians 1:9, 10;  4:10, 14;  Philippians 3:11, 20;  1 Thessalonians 1:9, 10;  4:17, 18;  2 Thessalonians 1:7;  3:5;  2 Timothy 1:12;  2:18; Titus 2:13;  Hebrews 11:35;  1 Peter 1:3-5, 13;  2 Peter 3:13;  1 John 3:2, 3;  Rev. 1:18.

            These many passages disclose that in dealing with the connection between the present and the future being of men the Scriptures do not take into account the intermediate state of death; no more than we, in considering the course of any man's actions, take into account the time he sleeps.  Consequently the Scriptures in many passages affirm an immediate connection between death and the judgment.  Hebrews 9:27;  2 Corinthians 5:8-10.

            When, therefore, we consult the Bible on this great question of what becomes of those who die, and what their condition is in death, we learn, without the slightest equivocation or ambiguity, that they are not with Christ in heaven.  John 3:13;  7:33, 34;  8:21;  13:33;  Acts 2:34.

            They are not in the fires of hell.  If so, what need of a future judgment?  Job 21:30;  2 Peter 2:9.

            They are in their graves.  John 5:28, 29;  Acts 2:29.  They are all in one place.  Ecclesiastes 3:20.  They are in the dust.  Genesis 3:19;  Daniel 12:2;  Psalms 22:15; Job 7:21.

            the place of the dead is one of darkness, silence, and repose.  Job 3:11-19;  10:21, 22;  Psalms 88:12;  Ecclesiastes 9:10.

            They praise not the Lord, and exercise no mental powers.  Psalms 6:5;  88:10-12;  115:17;  146:4;  Ecclesiastes 9:6;  Isaiah 38:18, 19;  Job 14:21.

            They sleep.  Deuteronomy 31:16;  2 Samuel 7:12;  1 Kings 2:10;  11:21, 43;  2 Kings 20:21;  2 Chronicles 9:31;  32:33;  26:23;  Job 3:13; 7:21;  14:12;  Psalms 76:5;  Matthew 27:52;  Acts 7:60;  13:36;  1 Corinthians 15:6, 18, 20, 51;  1 Thessalonians 5:10;  2 Peter 3:4.

            They know not anything.  Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10;  Job 14:21.

DEATH NOT LIFE IN ANOTHER SPHERE  

            Here, then, is the plain teaching of the Bible, expressed in positive and unmistakable language, concerning the meaning and condition of man in death.  No words can be more explicit, more expressive.  Nothing can more clearly indicate the truth that death is a sleep, not life in another sphere.

            By sin death came.  It passed upon all men, for all have sinned.  "The soul that sinneth, it shall die."  (Ezekiel 18:4).  Certainly this is a subject that concerns us all most deeply.  No wonder that the Word of God so urgently presses upon us the work of diligent and persevering effort for the salvation of men, and commends to us as a potent motive the fact "that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way, shall save a soul from death."  (James 5:20).

            For, thanks be to God, a new and holier life is revealed in the gospel of Christ, as also a more fearful mortality than we have already possessed is shown to be the consequence of the rejection of this gift of life, called "the second death."

            What, then, shall that life be which shall know neither grief nor gloom, and shall be as interminable as the years of God?  And what shall that death be whose darkness shall be unbroken throughout the everlasting ages?

            How these truths should impress our hearts!  Christ has died to save us from death.  His resurrection makes accessible to us a new and boundless life.  Can we be indifferent to such possibilities?  Shall we make no effort to escape that death?

            The blood of the divine Redeemer has been poured out for the teeming multitudes that throng the path to death.  Can we forbear to repeat in their ears those words of tender and mournful entreaty which god has uttered, "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?"

            And we who read these words, how shall we live before that God who has set before us "life and death," bidding us meanwhile to "choose life," that we may live?

            Are not these things calculated to operate as a restraint upon sinners when they learn that "the wages of sin is death?"  Are they not sufficient to cause Christians to forsake sin and live lives of holy self-denial and patient endurance?  Let us all give heed to the solemn words of the apostle, declaring with an emphatic and authoritative voice:

            "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live."  (Romans 8:13).  

CONTINUE