Is it not true that Ecclesiastes 9:5 says that “the dead know nothing”? Why are there people in today’s Messianic movement who believe that when they die they will go to Paradise or Heaven, when Ecclesiastes is clear that they will be unconscious?
Death
Death is one of the most difficult topics which any human being ever has to deal with. None of us likes dealing with the death of a family member, a close friend, or even people we do not know but still admire. Many people regularly visit the gravesite of a loved one, whereas others have their remains cremated and scattered into the wind. Even if you do not regularly visit a cemetery where your loved one may be buried, thoughts and memories of the deceased will undoubtedly still come to your mind from time to time, and the last memory you may have of such a person—that of your loved one’s funeral—is perhaps what you remember.
The Holy Scriptures give us as Believers a great deal of comfort, as we know that we will see those who die in the faith again. Those of us who believe in the doctrine of resurrection, know that a gravesite is not the final destination.
We have just started the Ten Days of Awe, between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and with it there is certainly going to be discussion about the future resurrection of the dead. Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee discusses various expectations in the Tanach (OT) regarding death.
This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.
Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee discusses Revelation 6:9-11, and the matter of the “souls under the altar.” Is this to be taken as some sort of metaphor or chorus, or actual disembodied people in Heaven, crying out to God to get on with the future of salvation history?
This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.
Why does it seem that a concept like psychopannychy is growing in adherence in today’s Christian and Messianic world?
How are today’s Messianic people to best approach the topic of what happens at death? Do people die, and then enter into complete unconsciousness until the resurrection? Or, do people die, and then have their consciousness transferred to another dimension, until the resurrection? Is “soul sleep” something that we need to be seriously considering, or does it need to be dismissed as a false teaching?
What do those who believe in psychopannychy/soul sleep do about Philippians 1:23, and with Paul desiring to depart and be with the Messiah?
Is it not true that possessing eternal life means being physically alive forever?
Is it not true that the idea of an intermediate afterlife in Heaven or Hell is predicated on dualism? Is it not true that dualism was a philosophical view that originated with the Greeks, and not with Scripture?
