Death in Biblical Context: A Journey Through Hebrew and Christian Perspectives
In the Hebrew Bible, death was viewed as a transition managed by the living through ritual actions. The Hebrew word for "death" is mawet, pronounced "MA-wet". The Hebrew verb for "to die" is mōt, pronounced "MOHT."
MAVET (Mawet), the ordinary Hebrew word for death, is also the proper name of a Canaanite underworld god (Mot), the enemy of Baal in a Ugaritic epic.
Death and the Relation to God
In the Hebrew Bible, most things are seen and described in their relation to (the belief in) the God of Israel. The story of the first sin introduces death as something that marks the difference between God and man. By achieving knowledge, Adam and Eve have become close to God, but He does not let them conquer death:
Then the LORD God said, 'See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live
Hezekiah's lament in Isaiah 38:18 underscores the notion that the dead cannot praise God, indicating a separation between the living and the divine. For the grave (Sheol) cannot praise you, death cannot sing your praise: those who go down to the pit cannot hope for your faithfulness.
Sheol is the Jewish word for "the place of the dead." The same word in Greek is hades. It is the place where souls go when they die. Some parts of the New Testament say that sheol/hades is where souls go and await their final resurrection.
In the OT, death is viewed as the climax of all pain and sorrow, the final estrangement from God that flowed from God's wrath and was provoked by primeval as well as personal sins (Prv 2.18; 7.27; 21.16; 22.23; Is 5.14).
In the Old Testament, death is often seen as a punishment for sin. For example, in Genesis 3, Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden after they disobey God. As a result, they are subject to death and suffering.
However, the Old Testament also teaches that death is not the end. In the book of Isaiah, the prophet envisions a future without death, sorrow, or pain (Isaiah 25:8).
This vision is fulfilled in the New Testament, where Jesus Christ defeats death and brings eternal life to those who believe in him (John 11:25-26).
Ultimately, the Bible teaches that death is not the end but a transition to a new and better life with God.
The New Testament of the Bible has many things to say about death, including:
• Death is a sleep. The Bible uses the word "sleep" to symbolize death, and the New Testament considers death to be an unconscious state.
• Death is a result of sin. The Bible says that death is a result of sin and that all people are guaranteed to die because their bodies are sinful and broken.
• Death is a transition to Christ. The New Testament says that death is a transition to being present with Christ and that the saved will be resurrected at Christ's return.
• Eternal life is in Christ. The New Testament emphasizes that eternal life is only found in Christ and that believers are assured of it.
• Death is a time to look forward to. The New Testament says that there will be a time when there is "no more pain and suffering. According to the Bible, people lose all thoughts, senses, and emotions once they die. They are not conscious in any sense of the word. They are peacefully at rest. Their spirit, or the Breath that gives them and makes them a living soul, has left their bodies and returned to God until the Resurrection.
• Do Christians go to Heaven when they die? No, the Bible likens death to sleep (an unconscious state) for all people. That means that even Christians do not go anywhere upon death. However, Scripture reveals that God's people will be resurrected at the return of Jesus Christ and will reign with Him on the earth.
• Sealed by God
• Revelation says that the redeemed bear a seal on their foreheads. The seal consists of the names of God and the Lamb and shows that the redeemed belong to God (Revelation 14:1). The seal is presumably not a visible one but a way of indicating that people find their identity in relationship to God and Christ. This seal or relationship does not mean that people are exempt from all earthly suffering, but it does show that God has claimed them and given them the promise of life everlasting. John hears that those who are sealed number 144,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel (7:4), but when he turns to look at them, he discovers that they are a countless multitude from every tribe and nation (7:9). The 144,000 are not a special ethnic group. The imagery describes the whole people of God. The seal they bear is the opposite of the beast's mark, which is introduced in Revelation 13:11-18.
• From a Christian perspective, people who have been cremated can undoubtedly go to Heaven. First, the soul never dies, and when one accepts Christ as their personal savior, it is the soul that receives eternal salvation and not the earthly body.
Jesus Christ confirmed this when He said, "No one has ascended into heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven" (John 3:13). Human beings who have died are now in the grave awaiting Resurrection (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
• Death is not the end. The New Testament says that God's people will be resurrected
heaven
• the abode of God, the angels, and the spirits of the righteous after death; the place or state of existence of the blessed after the mortal life.
• What does God consider a righteous person?
• A righteous person is a person who listens to God's word and obeys. He does not develop his own rules and thoughts about doing things in life.
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Hades
1
: the Greek God of the underworld
2
: the underground abode of the dead in Greek mythology
Sheol
: the abode of the dead in early Hebrew thought
HELL
In Christian theology, Hell is the place or state into which, by God's definitive judgment, unrepentant sinners pass in the general judgment.
Purgatory is a state of temporary punishment or purification that souls go through after death to prepare for Heaven. The word purgatory comes from the Latin purgare, which means "to purge. "The soul must fully satisfy the punishment required by God's justice before it can leave purgatory, come before God, and enter Heaven. The church has never claimed it could exercise authority over purgatory, the realm of God, to reduce punishment, but unscrupulous priests claimed indulgences could help the dead.
