OP asks: Is death a new beginning?
Frankly, it’s very hard to convince people of this, but, the Bible teaches that DEAD = DEAD, not life in some other realm or place, being blessed in the presence of God or being toasted by the horned Devil in the other place. Sorry, but that’s what the scriptures say about death.
Often, questions of this nature are asked when an individual has recently lost a loved one in death and the survivor is, quite understandably, worried about their relative, wonder where he/she is, perhaps, if anything untoward is going on with him/her. Is the person in pain, etc?
The relative or friend has fallen afoul of what Adam did to us all. So, that person has gone to the Grave (Hebrew, sheol; Greek, hades). That’s it. Why? Because DEAD MEANS DEAD. This is irrevocably linked to the human soul; and a human does not HAVE a soul; rather, each one of us IS a soul, according to Genesis 2:7.
- ¿Hay alguien aquí en Quora que sea ateo, pero que también crea en el más allá?
- Entre varios aspectos de la vida, ¿por qué las personas siempre se desinteresan en el aspecto de hacer el cielo después de la muerte?
- ¿Crees que la reencarnación podría existir técnicamente si los genes y productos químicos exactos que componen tu cerebro nacieran en otro ser? Soy ateo, así que no creo en una vida futura, pero ¿pensé que era interesante?
- ¿Qué enseña el Islam sobre la recompensa y el castigo después de la muerte?
- ¿Qué sucede con la orina y las heces que todavía están presentes en el sistema excretor después de la muerte?
(Genesis 2:7 KJV) “And the LORD God [Jehovah] formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Note the apostle Paul’s expression regarding that experience:
(Romans 5:12) “That is why, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned.”
The English word “cemetery” comes from a Greek word meaning “sleeping place.” But that’s not the end of everything. As Paul said,
(Romans 6:23) “For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.”
However, because, according to the Bible, there is no such thing as an afterlife, this will be at God’s due time, and not at the time of death.
Paul had earlier referred to that hope for the future when he spoke, in Acts 24:15, of the fact that
(Acts 24:15) “And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Again, as humans, we do not HAVE a soul, but rather each individual IS a soul. Hence, that resurrection is BACK TO HUMAN LIFE HERE ON EARTH.
Revelation 21:3, 4 show that it is God’s intention to have endless human life permanently here on earth)
(Revelation 21:3, 4) “With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”
When these verses came to my attention many years ago, I was thrilled, and hope you find them to have the same effect on you.
Thanks, Mihail, for the A2A. If you don’t agree with God’s Word the Bible, can you please explain why?