Near the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the guards keep their honor watch for a long time and silently. If this soldier could speak, what could he tell us about the unknown, the unknown? Can he hear the changing of the guard? Does he feel that during many silent years, filled with awe, his memory does not fade, but the honors multiply? Is there some kind of psychic connection, something like a telephone, through which we could talk to this deeply revered victim of the war? If some ubiquitous reporter had a chance to do an exclusive interview, where would he start? Perhaps, somewhere under the clouds it would be necessary to install television cameras? Perhaps you would have to start with purgatory? Whatever it was, however, all the same I would not like that the starting point of this event was hell.
Perhaps some distant voices will sound in our radios, and elusive, hazy images of another world will appear on television screens? And if, in order to tune in to a conversation with them, we need to go to a seance or to a hypnotist..? Or maybe such an interview cannot take place at all, because our deceased soldier is sleeping peacefully in the darkness of oblivion?
Questions of this kind (especially if they appear after we lose people dear to us) somewhere in the subconscious bother us throughout our lives. Over time, they only worsen. Is there an answer that would satisfy us? The questions I have outlined belong to the category of "eternal". Where are those who were dear to us, but, alas, died? Will they come back to us someday? Is it possible to hope for something better after a tough day of separation?
They say differently about what happens to a person at the time of his death, and it should be recognized that all these opinions are quite sincere. Some believe: if a good person dies, his soul ascends to heaven, and if it is evil, then he immediately goes to hell. Others argue that such a statement is not entirely true and that after death a person goes to a place called purgatory; there it is supposedly cleared. Still others assure that the deceased goes to the spirit world and from there sends messages to the relatives and friends who remain on earth. After all, there are pessimists who gloomily declare: if a person is already dead, then this is where it all ends. But many of people sincerely believe that, when dying, a person simply falls asleep and remains in this state until the day of resurrection.
It is absolutely obvious that all the listed opinions cannot be equally true, because they contradict each other. Another thing is also clear - a person standing on this side of death cannot find out what awaits him in the grave and beyond.
Thus, it can be concluded that complete clarity is not possible in this issue, because, unfortunately, death cannot be hidden in a test tube and experiments can be carried out on it. I have considered almost all theories regarding death and the afterlife. I have watched Theosophists, in an effort to find the answer, make a cocktail of mainstream religions. I traveled around the East, studied its mystical religions and felt their attractive power on me. It will not soon be possible to forget the look of hopelessness that I saw on the faces of mourning Hindus when, somewhere in Calcutta or Bombay, they burnt their dead.
The confusion and despair that reigns among people who have been taught to say that there is no death will not be erased from memory at once. In addition, I watched quite closely how in recent years in Europe and the United States there was a growing interest in psychological science, especially after the Second World War baptized us with grief and suffering (which, by the way, was used to the maximum extent by spiritualists). And in the end, I researched the creeds of different Churches, talked to many people and analyzed my own thoughts. After all this, I was forced to admit that in matters of life and immortality it is easy to step on very shaky ground; that is why, when it comes to me, I always return to the most reliable foundation I know - returning to the Word of the living God with its simple questions and logical answers.
"When a person dies, will he live again?" - reads one of the ancient questions contained in the Book of Job (Job 14:14). If we take the works of the Apostle Paul, this deeply faithful genius of Christian thought, he speaks so clearly that no one can say that nothing is understood. So listen: “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ is not raised; and if Christ is not risen, then your faith is in vain: you are still in your sins; therefore those who died in Christ perished. And if in this only life we hope in Christ, then we are more miserable than all men”(1 Cor. 15: 16-19).
Promotional video:
Notice how clear and simple Paul is. He said that if we have hope only in this life, then we are more miserable than all other people. So this life is not enough, and even at its best it is not satisfying. Let's think about it. If everything that consists of life comes down to birth, building a house, strengthening one's position, achieving material success and social significance, and if all this ends in a grave without any hope for the future, then can't we call ourselves deeply unhappy? After all, the most beautiful thing in life has passed by.
When Jesus was here on earth. He spoke often and at great length about His Father's abode. Christ urged His followers to look beyond the bounds of this life, beyond the grave and death, and then, fulfilling one of the deepest and most wonderful deeds of all time, gave His life and on the third day was resurrected. In that great moment, the power of death was broken, and for the first time in history, man felt a surge of living confidence that the most vain and so long cherished hope had finally come close to fulfillment. We will be able to see people dear to us again and will be able to love them again!
Many centuries ago, the prophet Isaiah wrote about it this way: "Your dead will revive, your dead bodies will rise! … and the earth will cast out the dead" (Isa. 26:19). So, "Thy dead will live." Doesn't this mean that our dead will also come to life? What wonderful news! Looking back over many centuries past, Isaiah confidently says that this is possible, but Jesus did more: He showed the resurrection. It is on this indisputable fact that Paul bases his most powerful argument in order to instill hope until the end of time in a person who has lost his loved ones. "For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised."
Let me ask you, do you really believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Of course you do, if you're a Christian. Then do not forget: the resurrection of the one whom you have lost is as immutable as the resurrection of Christ.
“I believe in the resurrection,” someone will say, “but one thing confuses me: what happens when a person dies?” Afraid to repeat myself, I will once again turn to the already mentioned fundamental quote - the clearest biblical text on this issue. This is a passage from Ecclesiastes: “And the dust will return to the earth, which it was; but the spirit will return to God who gave it”(Eccl. 12: 7).
So, we know what happens to a person when he dies, but it is natural to ask: what is the spirit that returns to God? Probably, here we will be helped by the words of the Apostle James, who said: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). So the spirit is what animates the body.
Have you ever paid attention to the commentaries that are placed below the text in some editions of the Bible? So, in the footnote to the quoted verse it is written that the Hebrew word "spirit" can be translated as "breath". That is, it turns out: "For the body without breathing is dead." In Scripture, these two words are used interchangeably. The Book of Job, for example, says: “As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27: 3).
The spirit that a person receives from the Lord and which at the time of his death returns to Him again is what God, as it is written, breathes into the nostrils of a person.
So, we again return to the story of Creation. What has God breathed into man? "And the Lord God created man from the dust of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2: 7). At the moment of Creation, God breathed the "breath of life" into the face of man. At the onset of death, this spark, breath or spirit returns to God who gave it, that is, in this case, we have a process opposite to creation.
"And the Lord God created man from the dust of the earth." What does a person look like when he leaves the hands of his Creator? He is perfect and able to live. There is a brain in his head that is ready to start thinking, but it is not functioning yet. There is blood in the veins, ready to flow, but not yet flowing. There is a heart in the chest that is ready to beat, but it does not beat. A person is ready to live, love, act, but he does not live, does not love and does not act - until a certain moment.
Now listen again: "And he breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul." From this time on, a person acquires his identity, becomes a person and is endowed with character. As a result of the union of the body with the breath of life, it turns into a living soul. When a person dies, then, according to the above passage from Ecclesiastes, his flesh returns to the earth, which it was, and the spirit of life (breath or spark of life), regardless of whether the person was holy or sinful, returns to God, who is his gave.
The character is preserved, the personality does not disappear, it is safe, because it is in the hands of God, but the person loses consciousness, since the life-giving unity of body and spirit is destroyed. Clear? Let's put it differently: if the combination of the dust of the earth with the breath of life made a person a living soul, then what happens to it when, at the time of death, both principles are separated? Man simply ceases to be this living soul until the time when the Life-giver on the morning of resurrection again unites both principles.
Imagine a bunch of boards and a handful of nails. That's all we have - a simple pile of planks and a handful of nails. Let's take the boards and put them together. There is not a pile of boards, not a handful of nails - there is a box.
Where did he come from? “Out of nowhere,” you say. "It's just a bunch of planks knocked down by nails." Right. Now let's imagine that we no longer need the box. We take out the nails, fold them to one side and the boards to the other. Where is the box? “Nowhere,” you answer. "It just doesn't exist anymore." And again you are right. There are boards. There are nails. But there will be no box until all this is connected together.
This is exactly what happened in the beginning: God created man from two components - the dust of the earth and the breath of life. As a result of this connection, man has become a living, loving and active soul. When he dies, the two begin to separate. A loving, living and active soul (that is, the combination of body and breath) does not go anywhere. She simply loses consciousness until the moment of resurrection, the breath and body will not reconnect. The Bible does not say that there is no human being between death and resurrection. She says he is asleep. Scripture thinks so - plain and simple!
Thus, as much as it may surprise some of us, at the moment of death we do not go for a reward or punishment; death is simply the cessation of life until it is restored by resurrection.
Let's think a little. Do you believe there will be a resurrection on the last day? Yes, of course you believe in the resurrection. For centuries, this thought has been one of the pillars of the Christian faith. As the only hope for the future, it is seen throughout Scripture. Now let me ask a question: why do we need the resurrection, if, as some believe, after death we go to the place where we will receive the reward? If we partake of bliss in the dwelling where we find salvation, will God again return us to the grave in order to call us from there on the day of resurrection? Something is wrong here. And I am afraid that this inconsistency, which crept into the Christian Church many centuries ago, has led to the fact that a great many people now do not trust her.
Another question: do you believe that judgment will take place on the last day? “For He has appointed a day on which he will righteously judge the universe,” says Scripture (Acts 17:31). But why judge if people have already received their reward after death? Weren't they already convicted?
And one more thing: we believe that Jesus will return to this earth in order to take His people. “I will come again and take you to Me, so that you may be where I am,” He said (John 14: 3). Answer me to this question: will you take any kind of journey to find your loved ones if they are already with you? Why would Jesus go back and call His people out of their graves when they are already with Him?
No, according to the Scriptures, death does not mean ascending to heaven. Death does not mean descent into hell or purgatory. It does not mean traveling to some spiritual world or anywhere at all. It is simply the cessation of life before the resurrection. Clear?
Where, then, is our Unknown Soldier? According to the Scriptures, he simply sleeps in his grave, guarded by a guard of honor - sleeping, completely unaware of the honors shown to him and calmly awaiting the day of resurrection. We do not cross some mystical river one by one. We all ascend to the Lord at the moment of His return. Hear what the Scriptures say: “For the Lord Himself, with a proclamation, with the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who survived will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord”(1 Thess. 4:16, 17). This is the promise, but it will be fulfilled in the future.
Even Jesus called death a dream. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him up,” He says in the Gospel of John (John 11:11). The disciples did not understand. They knew that Lazarus was ill, and decided that if so, then perhaps he had better sleep. “His disciples said: Lord! if he falls asleep, he will recover. Jesus spoke of his death; and they thought that He was talking about ordinary sleep. Then Jesus said directly to them: Lazarus is dead”(John 11: 12-14).
Let's remember how it was. The sisters of Lazarus thought that Jesus had come too late, but, standing at the tomb, He exclaimed: “Lazarus! go out,”and he went out. Someone said that if Jesus had not addressed precisely to Lazarus, then all the graves on earth would have opened!
So Lazarus came out of the tomb. What could he tell about his 4-day stay outside the earthly life? Perhaps Jesus prevented him from enjoying the joys of a better life and again called him to existence on this dark planet? Not. Jesus simply awakened him from a dream, a dream that can only be interrupted by the call of the Life-Giver.
More than 50 times the Bible calls death a dream. Let's think about it together. Is there anything more wonderful than a peaceful night's sleep without any dreams? Forgotten all the work, worries and sorrows - no pain, no tears.
In a dream, we absolutely do not feel that time is moving. Likewise, everything happens to a Christian when he dies. For one moment, he closes his eyes in a mortal dream, and it seems to him that the next moment he is already awakening to, having resurrected, enjoy the bliss of eternity. It seems to him that he took a little nap, even if in reality he had to lie in the grave for many years. In the end, God's plan is always the best. And has not the sting torn out of death? Think about it. A Christian can fall asleep for hundreds of years, but when he opens his eyes to see Jesus, it will seem to him that it happened literally in the next moment. Only a moment before he sees the Savior.
Tell me, is there something stinging in this? Doesn't this help us to understand Paul's desire to "be resolved and be with Christ," "to get out of the body and dwell with the Lord"? Some people are confused by these words because they believe that in this case Paul is talking about his desire to be with Christ immediately after death. But is it really so? Hear how much triumph was in the words of the apostle as he approached the end of his life: “For I am already becoming a victim, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought a good fight, I have completed the course, I have kept the faith; and now a crown of righteousness is being prepared for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day; and not only to me, but to all who have loved His appearing”(2 Tim. 4: 6-8).
The time of departure was approaching, death was near. But when did Paul expect to receive his reward? “On that day,” together with all who will be saved. When did he hope to be near Christ? During His Appearance. Paul is simply suggesting that a period of time will elapse before the day of resurrection, which appears to be a moment. This is his hope.
When a Christian dies, he knows that on the day of his meeting with the Lord, his life will not only be restored, but will also acquire immortality. Let's turn to some striking features: “I tell you a secret: not all of us will die, but everything will change suddenly, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet; for it will sound the trumpet, and the dead will rise incorrupt, and we will be changed; for this perishable must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”(1 Cor. 15: 51-53).
Now let us recall the already cited passage:
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a proclamation, with the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who survived will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. So comfort one another with these words”(1 Thess. 4: 16-18).
Is there anything better to be heard, and is there possibly better consolation?
Let's imagine, as far as our limited capabilities allow, how this will happen. Piercing the firmament, the Son of God, accompanied by countless hosts of angels, moves down his path, strewn with stars. Then, in a thunderous voice, He proclaims: "Awake, you who sleep in the dust of the earth, and arise to eternal life." And those you have lost hear it too. The voice calling for our dead is heard throughout the world. Families are reunited. Children, torn from their mother's hands by death, again fall into their hot arms. How joyful this day of union is! What does he mean to you or to me? Great news that there is something better beyond this day!
Let's think a little. What will the voice of the Lord be for the crippled, the blind, weakened by disease, bound by fear? “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be opened. Then the lame will leap up like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing”(Isa. 35: 5, 6). But imagine what this will mean for a strong and healthy person, for those who love life and want to live? It is clear that sometimes death can become desirable for someone who is exhausted by suffering and illness, but for someone who is young and strong, it only means that hopes have not come true, disappointment is inevitable, and ambitious aspirations are just dust. But we have something to counter the sting of death. Our hope lies not in scientific discoveries, not in space exploration, not in what man does, but in the promise of the resurrection created by the One Who Himself revealed its possibility!
George Vandeman