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AreTheDeadReallyDead?
Lesson #10 Deathjustmightbeoneofthemostmisunderstoodsubjectstoday.To many it is enshrouded in mystery and evokes dreaded feelings of fear, uncertainty, and even hopelessness. Others believe that their deceasedlovedonesarenotdeadatall,butinsteadlivewiththemor in other realms! Still others are confused about the relationship betweenthebody,spirit,andsoul.Butdoesitreallymatterwhatyou believe?Yes...absolutely!Becausewhatyoubelieveaboutthedead willhaveaprofoundimpactonwhathappenstoyouintheendtimes. There's no room for guessing, so this Study Guide will give you exactly what God says on this subject. Get ready for a real eye opener!

1.Howdidwegethereinthefirstplace? "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a livingsoul."Genesis2:7. Answer:Godmadeusfromdustinthebeginning.

AdamwascreatedbyGodinthe beginning.

2.Whathappenswhenapersondies? "Thenshallthedustreturntotheearthasitwas:andthespiritshall returnuntoGodwhogaveit."Ecclesiastes12:7. Answer:Thebodyturnstodustagain,andthespiritgoesbackto God, who gave it. The spirit of every person who dieswhether righteousorwickedreturnstoGodatdeath.

Thespiritsofboththe righteousandthewicked returntoGod.Theirbodies returntodust.

3.Whatisthe"spirit"thatreturnsto Godatdeath? "Thebodywithoutthespirit["breath,"seemargin]isdead."James 2:26. "The spirit of God ["the breath which God gave him," see margin]isinmynostrils."Job27:3. Answer:ThespiritthatreturnstoGodatdeathisthebreathof life. Nowhere in all of God's book does the "spirit" have any life,
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life. Nowhere in all of God's book does the "spirit" have any life, wisdom,orfeelingafterapersondies.Itisthe"breathoflife"and nothingmore.

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4.Whatisa"soul"?

Thereisnothingmysterious aboutthespiritthatreturnsto

Thesefourpeoplearefoursouls.

"And the Lord God formed man of Godatdeath.Itisthebreathof thedustoftheground,andbreathed life. intohisnostrilsthebreathoflifeand manbecamealivingsoul."Genesis2:7.

Answer:Asoulisalivingbeing.Asoulisalwaysacombination of two things: body plus breath. A soul cannot exist unless body and breath are combined. God'sWordteachesthatwearesouls.

5.Dosoulsdie? "Thesoulthatsinneth,itshalldie."Ezekiel18:20."Everylivingsoul diedinthesea."Revelation16:3. Answer: According to God's Word, souls do die! We are souls, and souls die. Man is mortal (Job 4:17). Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:15, 16). The concept of an undying, immortal soul goes againsttheBible,whichteachesthatsoulsaresubjecttodeath.

6.Dogoodpeoplegotoheavenwhentheydie? "All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth." John 5:28, 29. "David ... is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day." "For Davidisnotascendedintotheheavens."Acts2:29,34."IfI wait,thegraveisminehouse."Job17:13. Answer: No, people do not go either to heaven or hell at death.Theygototheirgravestoawaittheresurrectionday.

7.Howmuchdoesoneknoworcomprehendafterdeath? "The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any morearewardforthememoryofthemisforgotten.Alsotheirlove,andtheirhatred,andtheir envy,isnowperishedneitherhavetheyanymoreaportionforeverinanythingthatisdone underthesun.""Thereisnowork,nordevice,norknowledge,norwisdom,inthegrave,whither thougoest."Ecclesiastes9:5,6,10."ThedeadpraisenottheLord."Psalms115:17.
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Answer:Godsaysthatthedeadknowabsolutelynothing!

8. But can't the dead communicate with the living, and aren'ttheyawareofwhatthelivingaredoing? "Somanliethdown,andrisethnot:tilltheheavensbenomore, theyshallnotawake,norberaisedoutoftheirsleep.""Hissons come to honour, and he knoweth it not and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:12, 21. "Neither havetheyanymoreaportionforeverinanythingthatisdone underthesun."Ecclesiastes9:6.

Thoughmillionsthinkitispossible, thedeadcannotcommunicatewith theliving.

Answer:No,thedeadcannotcontacttheliving,nordotheyknowwhatthelivingaredoing. Theyaredead.Theirthoughtshaveperished(Psalms146:4).

9. Jesus called the unconscious state of the dead "sleep"inJohn11:1114.Howlongwilltheysleep? "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more." Job 14:12. "The day of the Lord will come ... in the whichtheheavensshallpassaway." 2Peter3:10.

Jesuscallsdeath"sleep."Itisastateof totalunconsciousness.

Answer:ThedeadwillsleepuntilthegreatdayoftheLord attheendoftheworld.Indeath,humansaretotallyunconsciouswithnoactivityorknowledge ofanykind.

10.Whathappenstotherighteousdeadatthesecondcoming ofChrist? "Behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Revelation 22:12. "The Lord himselfshalldescendfromheavenwithashout,...andthedeadin Christ shall rise ... and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians4:16,17. "We shall all be changed, In a moment, in thetwinklingofaneye,...andthedeadshallberaisedincorruptible. ...Forthiscorruptiblemustputonincorruption,andthismortalmust putonimmortality."1Corinthians15:5153.
Therighteouswillberaisedto lifeandgivenimmortalityat Jesus'secondcoming.

Answer:Theywillberewarded.Theywillberaised,givenimmortal bodies,andcaughtuptomeettheLordintheair.Therewouldbeno purposeinaresurrectionifpeopleweretakentoheavenatdeath.

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11.Whatwasthedevil'sfirstlie? "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die." Genesis 3:4. "That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan." Revelation12:9. Answer:SatantoldEvethatsinwouldnotbringdeath."Yeshall notsurelydie,"hesaid.

Thedevil'sfirstlietoEvewas "Youwon'tdie"astatement completelycontrarytoall Scripture.

12.WhydidthedevillietoEveaboutdeath?Couldthissubject bemoreimportantthanmanythink? Answer: It is one of the cornerstones of the devil's kingdom. He has worked powerful miracles down through the ages through peoplewhoclaimtoreceivetheirpowerfromthespiritsofthedead. (Examples: Magicians of Egypt Exodus 7:11, Woman of Endor 1 Samuel28:325,SorcerersDaniel2:2,AcertaindamselActs16:16 18.)

Thosewhobelievethedead arealivebecomeeasytargets forthedevil'sdeceptions.

ASolemnWarning In the endtime Satan will again use sorcery as he did in Daniel's day to deceive the world (Revelation 18:23). Sorcery is a supernatural agency that claims to receive its power and wisdomfromthespiritsofthedead. PosingasJesus'Disciples Posing as godly loved ones who have died, saintly clergymen who are now dead, Bible prophets,oreventheapostlesordisciplesofChrist(2Corinthians11:13),Satanandhisangels willdeceivebillions.Thosewhobelievethedeadarealive,inanyform,willmostassuredlybe deceived.

13.Dodevilsreallyworkmiracles? "Theyarethespiritsofdevils,workingmiracles."Revelation 16:14. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders insomuch that, if it were possible, theyshalldeceivetheveryelect."Matthew24:24.
Allmiracleworkingisnotfrom

Answer:Yes,indeed!Devilsworkincrediblyconvincingmiracles God,becausedevilsalso (Revelation13:13,14).Satanandhisangelswillappearasangelsof workmiracles. light (2 Corinthians 11:14) and, even more shocking, as Christ Himself(Matthew24:23,24).TheuniversalfeelingwillbethatChristandHisangelsareleading out in a fantastic worldwide revival. The entire emphasis will seem so spiritual and be so supernaturalthatonlyGod'selectwillnotbedeceived. www.amazingfacts.org/media-library/study-guide/e/4987/t/Print Page

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supernaturalthatonlyGod'selectwillnotbedeceived.

14.WhywillGod'speoplenotbedeceived? "They received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11. "If theyspeaknotaccordingtothisword,itisbecausethereisnolight inthem."Isaiah8:20. Answer: God's people will know from their earnest study of His book that the dead are dead, not alive. Spirits of the dead do not exist. Therefore, God's people will reject all miracle workers and teachers who claim to receive special "light" or work miracles by contacting the spirits of the dead. And God's people will likewise rejectasdangerousandfalseallteachingsthatclaimthedeadare aliveinanyform,anywhere.

Theelectwillnotbedeceived, becausetheyfirmlyreject everythingthatiscontraryto Scripture.

15.BackinMoses'day,whatdidGodcommandshouldbedone topeoplewhotaughtthatthedeadwerealive? "Amanalsoorwomanthathathafamiliarspirit,orthatisawizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones." Leviticus20:27.
InMoses'day,peoplewho

Answer:Godinsistedthatwizardsandotherswith"familiarspirits" (who claimed to be able to contact the dead) should be stoned to death.ThisshowshowGodregardsthefalseteachingthatthedead arealive.

claimedpowerto communicatewiththedead werestonedtodeath.

16. Will the righteous people who are raised in the resurrectioneverdieagain? "They which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world,andtheresurrectionfromthedead,...Neither can theydieanymore."Luke20:35,36."AndGodshallwipe awayalltearsfromtheireyesandthereshallbenomore death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away." Revelation21:4.

NooneinGod'snewkingdomwilleverdie. Deathwillceaseatthedestructionof Satan.

Answer:No!Death,sorrow,crying,andtragedywillneverenterintoGod'snewkingdom.

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17. Belief in reincarnation is expanding rapidly today. Is thisteachingbiblical? "Thelivingknowthattheyshalldie:butthedeadknownotany thing....Neitherhavetheyanymoreaportionforeverinany thingthatisdoneunderthesun."Ecclesiastes9:5,6.

Reincarnationisimpossible.Because

Answer: Almost half the people on earth believe in Godsaysallwhodied,bothgoodand evil,areintheirgraves. reincarnation, a teaching that the soul never dies but is insteadcontinuallyreborninadifferentkindofbodywitheach succeedinggeneration.Thisteaching,however,iscontrarytoScripture. TheBibleSays After death a person: returns to dust (Psalms 104:29), knows nothing (Ecclesiastes 9:5), possesses no mental powers (Psalms 146:4), has nothing to do with anything on earth (Ecclesiastes9:6),doesnotlive(2Kings20:1),waitsinthegrave(Job17:13), and continues not(Job14:1,2). Satan'sInvention We learned in questions 11 and 12 that Satan invented the teaching that the dead are alive. Reincarnation,channeling,communicationwithspirits,spiritworship,andthe"undyingsoul"are all inventions of Satan, with one aim to convince people that when you die you are not really dead. When people believe that the dead are alive, "spirits of devils, working miracles" (Revelation16:14)andposingasspiritsofthedeadwillbeabletodeceiveandleadthemastray virtually100percentofthetime(Matthew24:24).

18.IamthankfulfortheBible,whichtellsusthetruthonthis sensitivesubjectofdeath. Answer:

ThoughtQuestions

ThosewhoinsistonScripture proofforalldoctrineswillnotbe ledastraybySatan.

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1.Didn'tthethiefonthecrossgotoparadisewithChristthe dayHedied? No.Infact,onSundaymorningJesussaidtoMary,"IamnotyetascendedtomyFather."John 20:17.ThisshowsthatChristdidnotgotoheavenatdeath.Alsonotethatthepunctuationof theBibleisnotinspired,butwasaddedbymen.ThecommainLuke23:43shouldbeplaced afterthewords"today"ratherthanbefore,sothepassageshouldread,"VerilyIsayuntothee today,shaltthoubewithmeinparadise."Or,"I'mtellingyoutodaywhenitseemsthatIcan savenoone,whenImyselfambeingcrucifiedasacriminalIgiveyoutheassurancetoday thatyouwillbewithmeinparadise."Christ'skingdomissetupatHissecondcoming(Matthew 25:31),andalltherighteousofallageswillenteritatthattime(1Thessalonians4:1517) and notatdeath.

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notatdeath.

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2.Doesn'ttheBiblespeakofthe"undying,""immortal"soul? No,theundying,immortalsoulisnotmentionedintheBible.Theword"immortal"isfoundonly onceintheBible,anditisinreferencetoGod(1Timothy1:17). 3.Atdeaththebodyreturnstodustandthespirit(orbreath)returnstoGod.Butwhere doesthesoulgo? Itgoesnowhere.Instead,itsimplyceasestoexist.Twothingsmustbecombinedtomakea soul: body and breath. When the breath departs, the soul ceases to exist because it is a combination of two things. When you turn off a light, where does the light go? It doesn't go anywhere. It just ceases to exist. Two things must combine to make a light: a bulb and electricity . Without the combination, a light is impossible. So with the soul unless body and breatharecombined,therecanbenosoul.Thereisnosuchthingasadisembodiedsoul. 4.Doestheword"soul"evermeananythingotherthanalivingbeing? Yes, it may mean also (1) life itself, or (2) the mind, or intellect. No matter which meaning is intended,thesoulisstillacombinationoftwothings(bodyandbreath),anditceasestoexistat death. 5.CanyouexplainJohn11:26,whichsays,"Andwhosoeverlivethandbelievethinme shallneverdie"? Thisrefersnottothefirstdeath,whichallpeopledie(Hebrews9:27),buttotheseconddeath, whichonlythewickeddieandfromwhichthereisnoresurrection(Revelation2:1121:8). 6. Matthew 10:28 says, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul."Doesn'tthisprovethatthesoulisundying? No,itprovestheopposite.Thelasthalfofthesameverseprovesthatsoulsdodie.Itsays,"But ratherfearhimwhichisabletodestroybothsoulandbodyinhell."Theword"soul"heremeans lifeandreferstoeternallife,whichisagift(Romans6:23)thatwillbegiventotherighteousat thelastday(John6:54). No one can take away the eternal life that God bestows. (See also Luke12:4,5.) 7.Doesn't1Peter4:6saythegospelwaspreachedtodeadpeople? No, it says the gospel "was" preached to those who "are" dead. They are dead now, but the gospel"was"preachedtothemwhiletheywereyetliving. 8. What about the souls crying out from under the altar in Revelation 6:9, 10? Doesn't thisshowthatsoulsdonotdie? No. This cry was figurative, as was the cry of Abel's blood (Genesis 4:10). The word "soul" heremeanspeople(orlivingbeings)whohadbeenslainfortheirfaith.Surelynoonebelieves thatsoulswhodieliterallylieunderthealtar,nordopeoplebelievethattherighteousbegGodto punishtheirenemies.Rather,therighteousbegformercyfortheirenemies,asChristdidonthe cross(Luke23:34). 9. Doesn't the Bible say Christ went and preached to lost souls in hell between His crucifixionandresurrection? No,theBiblepassageinquestionis1Peter3:1820. The preaching was done "by the Spirit"

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No,theBiblepassageinquestionis1Peter3:1820. The preaching was done "by the Spirit" (verse18)inNoah'sdaytopeoplewhowerethenliving(verses19,20).The"spiritsinprison" referstopeoplewhoseliveswereinbondagetoSatan.(SeePsalms142:7Isaiah42:6,761:1 andLuke4:18.)

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QuizQuestions
1.TheBiblespeaksofdeathas(1) _____Asleep. _____Achangetoadifferentformoflife. _____Aninexplicablemystery. 2.The"spirit"thatreturnstoGodatdeathis(1) _____Aperson'srealinnerself. _____Thesoul. _____Thebreathoflife. 3.Apersonwhodiesgoesto(1) _____Heavenorhell. _____Thegrave. _____Purgatory. 4.Asoulis(1) _____Aperson'sspiritualnature. _____Theundyingpartofaperson. _____Alivingbeing. 5.Dosoulsdie?(1) _____Yes. _____No. 6.Whenaretherighteousrewarded?(1) _____Inthislife. _____Atdeath. _____AtthesecondcomingofChrist. 7.WhydoesSatantrytodeceivepeoplebytellingthemthedeadarenotdead?(1) _____Sotheywillbelievehismiraclesandbedeceivedandlost. _____Becausehefeelssorryforthem. _____Becauseheisjustmeanandwicked. 8.Individualswho"communicate"withthedeadareactuallytalkingwith(1) _____Immortalsouls. _____Holyangels. _____Evilspiritsimpersonatingthedeceased.
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9.InMoses'dayGodcommandedthatallwhotaughtthatthedeadarealivebe(1)

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9.InMoses'dayGodcommandedthatallwhotaughtthatthedeadarealivebe(1) _____Madepriests. _____Honoredfortheirwisdom. _____Killed. 10.Howcanapersonbesureheissafeandright?(1) _____AskGodforaspecialsignfromheaven. _____Dowhatthepreacherorministersaystodo. _____StudytheBibleprayerfullyandcarefullyandfollowit. 11.Whenapersondies(1) _____Hisspirit,orsoul,remainsalive. _____Heisabletoobservethelivingandcontactthem. _____Heisdeadineverywaythebodydies,thesoulceasestoexist,andnocontactwith thelivingispossible. 12.AremiraclesproofthatsomethingisofGod?(1) _____Yes.OnlyGodcanworkmiracles. _____No.Thedevilalsoworksgreatmiracles.

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