State of the Dead in Light of the Cross

Many men and women today question God's ultimate justice. Some declare that His law is too

hard to keep. They consider Him cruel and unjust, blatantly refusing to serve Him. Others look at the

suffering that exists in the world, deny He exists, and then create theories contrary to the Bible,

explaining away God's existence. Still others believe that God is a hardened, unloving god who forces

obedience, burning forever those who dare disobey. They grudgingly apply legalism in attempt to

appease Him. But still another class studies the scriptures affirming God's love for man and determine

that He loves us too much to actually enforce obedience---the death decree for sinners is merely to

scare them into becoming Christians. Why does much of the world come to these conclusions? Can

truth really be mixed with error and still have power to transform lives into God's character?

Unfortunately man is not the first to mistrust God. It was Lucifer,1. the highest created being in

heaven, who first suggested doubt concerning God's character. In the perfect beauty and peace of

heaven this wicked angel attempted to place himself above Christ Jesus. In the hearts of millions of

angels, he planted the seed of doubt and discontent. He inspired with hatred for God's law and a

feeling of dissatisfaction for what they had always before delighted to do. Many angels listened to his

sophisticated logic. Claiming power to overthrow God's omnipotent kingdom, he organized these

rebellious angels into a mighty army. The Lucifer who had once been the celestial song leader,

became Satan—the first warlord.

There was war in heaven: Satan with his vicious army against Jesus Christ and the angels who

had remained faithful to God. Never before had sorrow been felt in heaven. Now angels wept and

harmonious tunes were hushed. Sin was felt by all to be a terrible thing. To preserve the peace of

heaven, God cast Satan and all the rebellious angels out of heaven. In the darkness outside of heaven,

even the arch deceiver himself saw his folly and desired that all be restored. He asked to be allowed

back in heaven, but God could read His heart, Satan was sorry for the consequences, but not for the

actions that had placed him where he now was.

Satan had planted the seed that made all of God's creation question whether God's way is right.
They wondered: Is He just? Can His law really be kept? God, in his wisdom, knew that if He

immediately destroyed Satan and his sinful angels, faithful angels would continue to wonder if Satan

had been right. Sin must run its course for the good of all the universe. God must prove that His law is

fair and sin is terrible—So the greatest controversy of all ages was begun.

Adam and Eve, in their peaceful Eden home, were told the story of Satan's rebellion. God warned

them that one tree—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—was the only entry point to the garden

that the rebel was allowed. To eat fruit from off it would cause death. We know the story of how Eve

wandered from from Adam's side and allowed herself to look at the forbidden fruit. The serpent

flattered her. Then he divulged his most convincing lie, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know

that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good

and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) Eve ate, her eyes were opened, but it was not a pretty sight that she saw.

She and Adam began the slow and painful process of death.

Christ Jesus loved His fallen creation so much that He chose to make the ultimate sacrifice. “But

we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with

glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Hebrews 2:9) He

chose to be humbled to our degraded state and live a sinless life to save you and me. We gave

ourselves into the hands of Satan, but Jesus paid the price to buy us back. “He was wounded for our

transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:” (Isaiah 53:5)

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him

endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

(Hebrews 12:2) We may look to Jesus to receive life. The cross is Christ's banner of victory over

Satan that every true Christian delights to raise. As Sister White put it, “To remove the cross from the

Christian would be like blotting the sun from the sky.” (AA p. 209)

We are commissioned to spread this good news of life to the dying world. Satan however has done

his homework well; his clever lies have so disguised God's true character of love, that many people do

not feel their need of the Saviour. One of his most effective lies still is, "Ye shall not surely die." No,
he doesn't say from a serpent's mouth; instead he commissions supposed ministers of the gospel to

preach it from the pulpit. Thus it is that, “The religion of the Bible, full of love and goodness, and

abounding in compassion, is darkened by superstition and clothed with terror.” (GC p. 536)

Believing Lucifer's lies about immortality leaves unanswered questions in the minds of all who

tangle with them. It undermines the justice God revealed at the cross. “For the wages of sin is death;

but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) The Bible says that

sin causes death, but Satan's lie of immortality would have us believe that we live forever. If this were

so, if we really didn't die because of sin, why did Jesus have to die in order to redeem us? Satan seeks

to do away with salvation by grace by telling us that we really don't die. He makes Jesus' ultimate gift

—the gift of eternal life—of no worth to needy sinners. If we already have immortality, why did Jesus

have to die for us? Since immortality is a gift from God, to say we possess it already is to claim we

have something good in us and have no need of a Saviour!

Satan would rather that we compare ourselves among ourselves rather than behold the cross and see

our sinful condition. The Word of God says,“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:20) Satan

persists with “Ye shall not surely die!”. Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane cried out, “My soul is

exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” (Matthew 26:38) Jesus' soul was crushed with the weight of the

world's sin. Sin is that terrible! It causes death. But Satan's lie seeks to remove the sinner's need of

forgiveness.

The resurrection, the ultimate reward of the cross, is dimmed in the eyes of those who believe in

immortality of the soul. If great grandma went directly to heaven after she died, how could she be

resurrected from the grave at Jesus' coming? Or what about when Jesus resurrected His friend Lazarus

during His ministry here on earth—don't you think Lazarus was having fun in heaven? Do you think

he could have been glad when Jesus called him back to the earth after four days of paradise? No, it just

doesn't make sense to have a resurrection, or for that matter, Jesus' second coming! Many churches

today lack the power of the gospel because they have adopted this false teaching. To effectively spread

the gospel to our hurting world, we must unveil this great deception.
 “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked

turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of

Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11) God does not glory in punishing His fallen creation, however, “the wages of

sin is death.” Unless we have accepted Christ's gift, we must pay the penalty with our life. God is just,

but not ruthless. Satan pictures God a tyrant, wickedly smiling as He watches men suffer and die. God

is not this way! He has no pleasure in death, but rather “There is joy in the presence of the angels of

God over one sinner that repenteth.” (Luke 15:10)

An eternally burning hell fire has turned many sincere seekers away from the faith of Jesus because

they cannot see love or justice in this false theory. Have you ever considered how it makes God look to

say that He sends sinners to hell right after they die? Cain, the first murderer, would have been burning

for nearly six-thousand years before Adolf Hitler, the mass killer of Jews, went there. That wouldn't be

the least bit fair! I'm so glad the Bible clearly states: “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out

of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:” (2 Peter 2:9) No

one is in hell now---they are being reserved. The godly man, Job, also understood God's plan of

exterminating sin when he wrote, “That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be

brought forth to the day of wrath.” (Job 21:30) Jesus himself said, “Behold, I come quickly; and my

reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” (Revelation 22:12) Another

instance, in referring to the judgment day, He said, “All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and

shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil,

unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:28-29) All are sleeping in their graves, awaiting the day

when God's voice will command them to arise out of sleep.

The effects of sin will be for ever and ever, however, unlike Satan would have us believe, sinners

do no possess immortality. They cannot and will not burn eternally in hell fire. Rather, they will be

burned up, “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29) His character does away with

wickedness: men won't be allowed to suffer forever. “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the

night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” (2 Peter 3:10)

“The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the wine of the of

Babylon.” {GC p. 535} What happens to Babylon when she drinks this wine? Revelation 14:8 says,

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath

of her fornication.” Those part of Babylon, those who have drunk this wine, will fall in the last day.

This message is a life or death matter!

Christ has gone into the heavenly sanctuary to intercede in our behalf. “Seeing then that we have a

great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”

(Hebrews 4:14) But how can we have faith in a God we don't know? In his labor for the philosophers

of Corinth, Paul saw that “The character of Christ must be understood before men could love Him or

view the cross with the eye of faith.” (AA p. 273) Once His character is revealed beneath the crust of

Satan's accusations, Christ's sacrifice can transforms lives. It will enable weakened men to stand firm

to principle, to gain victory over sin, and to stand with the ransomed on the sea of glass.

The great controversy between Christ and Satan is waged. Christ offers pardon and peace to all;

“the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) Satan's lie of

the immortal soul is deceiving even the elect. Whom will we personally choose: the wine of Babylon

or the cross of Calvary? Will we, as Bible-believing Seventh-day Adventists, spread this message to

the world so all may see God's true character?

1.
The story of Lucifer's fall is adapted from “The Story of Redemption” Chapters 1-4.