Home > Biblical Proofs > Biblical Proofs: V. Man's Ways

(ii) The State Of The Dead:

Whether the death is of a Christian or non-Christian, the Bible is unequivocally clear that the state of the dead is the same. When an individual dies, that person is asleep having no praise unto God: no thoughts, no knowledge, no love, no wisdom, and no consciousness. Contrary to popular belief, man has no inherent immortality in, and of, himself. Only God offers eternal life as the gift of salvation. Without such, the result is eternal death, which is non-existence. True Christians understand that the dead are asleep, and those in the grave, who have died in Christ, will awake to be resurrected with those that are still alive at Christ's return. The rest of the dead will rise and live again after the millennium at their time of judgment. From one's death until they are resurrected, there is no knowledge of the passage of time. The resurrection unto eternal life is for those who are given the gift of salvation, hence God is not the God of the dead, but the living. (Luke 20:37-38)

Job 14:6-15 - AFV

6.   Look away from him, so that he may rest until he shall finish his day, as a hireling.
7.   For there is hope of a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and its tender branch will not cease.
8.   Though its root becomes old in the earth, and its stump dies in the ground,
9.   Yet at the scent of water it will bud and bring forth branches like a plant.
10.   But man dies and is cut off; and man expires, and where is he?
11.   As the waters fail from the sea, and a river withers away and dries up,
12.   So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be awakened out of their sleep. 
13.   O that You will grant that You would hide me in the grave, that You would keep me secret, until Your wrath is past, that You would set me a fixed time and remember me.
14.   If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time in the grave I will wait, until my change comes.
15.   You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall have the desire for the work of Your hands.

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 - AFV

16.   And again I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
17.   I said in my heart, "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."
18.   I said in my heart, "Concerning the matter of the sons of men, may God reveal to them, that they might see, that they themselves are but beasts."
19.   For that which happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts—even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so dies the other; yea, they all have one breath; so that a man has no advantage over a beast; for all is vanity.
20.   All go to one place; all are of the dust, and all return to dust again.
21.   Who knows the spirit of man whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goes downward to the earth?
22.   Therefore I perceive that there is nothing better that a man should do than to rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who can bring him to see what shall be after him?

Psalms 6:4-5 - AFV

4.   Return, O LORD, return; deliver my soul; save me for Your mercy's sake,
5.   For in death there is no memory of You; in the grave who shall give You thanks?

Psalms 115:17 - AFV

17.   The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence.

Psalms 146:1-4 - AFV

1.   O praise the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2.   While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3.   Do not put your trust in princes, nor in the son of man in whom there is no salvation.
4.   His breath goes forth; he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Ecclesiastes 9:4-7, 10 - AFV

4.   For whoever is among the living, there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5.   For the living know that they shall die; but the dead do not know anything, nor do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.
6.   Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is long ago perished; nor do they any longer have a portion forever in all that is done under the sun.
7.   Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now accepts your works.
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10.   Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave where you go.

Daniel 12:1-2 - AFV

1.   "And at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even until that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered--every one who shall be found written in the book.
2.   And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Isaiah 26:17-21 - AFV

17.   As a woman with child draws near to bear, she is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so have we been in Your sight, O LORD.
18.   We conceived; we have been in pain, we gave birth to wind. We have not brought about any salvation in the earth; nor have the people of the world come to life.
19.   Your dead ones shall live, together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is as the dew of lights, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
20.   Come, my people, enter into your rooms and shut your doors around you; hide for a little moment, until the fury has passed by,
21.   For behold, the LORD comes out of His place to punish the people of the earth for their iniquity; the earth also shall reveal her blood, and shall no more cover her dead.

John 3:13 - AFV

13.   (And no one has ascended into heaven, except He Who came down from heaven, even the Son of man, Who is in heaven.)

John 11:11-14, 17 - AFV

11.   These things He said; and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awaken him."
12.   Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will get well."
13.   Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of the rest of sleep.
14.   For this reason, Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus has died."
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17.   And so, when Jesus came, He found that he had already been lying in the tomb for four days.

Acts 7:59-60 - AFV

59.   And they stoned Stephen, who called upon God, saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
60.   And he fell to his knees and cried with a loud voice, "Lord, do not lay this sin to their charge." And after he had said this, he died. (KJV - he fell asleep.)

II Peter 3:3-4 - AFV

3.   Knowing this first, that in the last days there will come mockers, walking according to their own personal lusts,
4.   And asking, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the forefathers died (KJV - fell asleep), everything has remained the same as from the beginning of creation."

I Corinthians 15:4-6 - AFV

4.   And that He was buried; and that He was raised the third day, according to the Scriptures;
5.   And that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the twelve.
6.   Then He appeared to over five hundred brethren at one time, of whom the greater part are alive until now, but some have fallen asleep.

I Corinthians 15:16-18 - AFV

16.   For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised.
17.   But if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins,
18.   And those who have fallen asleep in Christ have then perished.

I Corinthians 15:50-55 - AFV

50.   Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption.
51.   Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed,
52.   In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53.   For this corruptible must put on incorruptibility, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54.   Now when this corruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."
55.   O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 - AFV

13.   But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that you be not grieved, even as others, who have no hope.
14.   For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in exactly the same way also, those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.
15.   For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall in no wise precede those who have fallen asleep
16.   Because the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
17.   Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds for the meeting with the Lord in the air; and so shall we always be with the Lord.
18.   Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

Revelation 6:9-11 - AFV

9.   And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony that they held;
10.   And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
11.   And white robes were given to each of them; and they were told that they should rest a short time yet, until it be fulfilled that both their fellow servants and their brethren also would be killed, just as they had been.

Revelation 20:4-6, 11-13 - AFV

4.   And I saw thrones; and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given to them; and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and those who did not worship the beast, or his image, and did not receive the mark in their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5.   (But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.) This is the first resurrection.
6.   Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
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11.   Then I saw a great white throne and the one Who was sitting on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and no place was found for them.
12.   And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works.
13.   And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead that were in them; and they were judged individually, according to their works.