There seems to be an understanding in the New Testament times that the dead are without consciousness. Martha when Jesus told her that Lazarus will live replied "I know he will rise again at the resurrection". Wherever there is a seeming acknowledgement of life after death in the Bible, it is in the form of a parable, not to be taken literally but to make another point. ie. The rich man speaking to Lazarus from Hell. Can you please help me to understand why the Bible makes so many clear statements if there is conscious life after death. Thanks.

In Ecclesiates. the 12th chapter verse 7 it says, "Then shall dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

The way I see it, is that if we take the scriptures as a whole, I believe that it clearly leads us to believe in life after death even before the resurrection. Here are just a few examples:

Christ said to the thief being crucified beside him, "Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise". (Luke 23:43)
That's a pretty direct statement, not a parable. Christ, while his body was in the tomb,

"...being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water." (1 Peter 3:18 - 20) This is also pretty direct because it mentions that while in the spirit, he preached to those dead who lived in Noah's day.

The ancient American prophet Alma, puts it most clearly, "Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection-Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil-for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house-and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil. Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection." (Book of Mormon | Alma 40:11 - 14)

There has been so much written lately about people who have had near death experiences that have risen from their bodies, watching the medical teams work over them and venture into the spirit world and for various reasons are sent back to live another day. I would imagine it would be difficult to convince any one of those who have had this experience that there is no consciousness between death and the resurrection. My brother being one of them. Some try to say that this is a brain function, but heart surgeons who see so much of this insist that the brain has no activity whatever.

That's my view on the subject.

Thanks for sharing your view.

Sincerely,

Donny Osmond


See related multimedia presentations