If you receive the gift of faith in the name of our Lord Yeshu, take the next step and contact me to be immersed in the name of Yeshu. You can find contact details on our website or simply write on Messenger.

Today’s topic often arises from discussions on Facebook. In this respect, Facebook can be quite useful: someone always writes something that just begs for a response. And so, I responded. I often try to keep my thoughts concise in such cases, and this time, I came up with a sentence that caught the attention of many, because I joined a conversation where someone claimed that summoning spirits is impossible and that the so-called „spirits of the dead” are actually demons. I know that’s a popular claim; I myself was once a Jehovah’s Witness, and in that environment, such a stance is basically considered dogma. I say „dogma” because you won’t find any statement in the Bible saying that demons impersonate the dead. That’s only a supposition, unconfirmed by Scripture. We accept as truth what the Bible actually says; humans—even with the best intentions—can be wrong. That’s why we always try to rely on what is written in the Holy Scriptures. And that’s what we’ll do today.

People tend to extremes on this issue. But where does the suspicion itself come from that it’s impossible to contact the dead? Although in a moment I’ll cite biblical verses suggesting that it is possible, the belief in the impossibility of contact basically stems from one book—the Book of Ecclesiastes. There, you’ll find these words. Let’s open:

Ecclesiastes 9:5-10 „For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing at all, nor do they have any more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love, their hatred, their envy have long since perished, and they have no more share in anything done under the sun. So go, eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments always be white, and let not oil be lacking on your head! Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life that [God] has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days! For that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might! For there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.”

Based on this passage, some people draw another, also non-biblical conclusion: that after death the spirit dissolves, disappears, or „returns to God.” Jehovah’s Witnesses in particular understand the spirit as pure energy, which either dissipates or returns to its source—in this case, to God. What’s characteristic is that this extensive passage from Ecclesiastes has a huge influence on the faith of many Christians—or rather, on the lack of faith in what happens after death—and if you take it literally, it contradicts other passages of the Bible. In practice, most groups that address this topic approach it this way: they treat this verse as absolutely literal, while all verses that contradict it are regarded as „requiring interpretation.”

I suggest the opposite method. First of all, there are simply more verses that contradict this interpretation. Secondly, the Book of Ecclesiastes itself—though I do not dismiss it—doesn’t have to be treated as the ultimate point of reference. Why? Christ never quotes it; neither does any apostle; the New Testament does not refer to it. Furthermore, the teaching that the dead have no reward at all collides with the doctrine of the final judgment, where people will be resurrected precisely to receive a reward—either a prize or a punishment. I’m not claiming that Ecclesiastes is not inspired, but this passage cannot invalidate the teachings of other books and of Christ himself. I would consider those to be primary arguments, while Ecclesiastes is secondary and requires interpretation that is in agreement with them.

A third aspect comes into play: the author was probably Solomon. The text clearly resonates with the tone of a man embittered at the end of his life, who says, „everything is vanity.” The Hebrew hebel actually means „transience, impermanence” rather than „vanity”; the point is, that everything passes. In the context of actions „under the sun,” many things lose their meaning because they will pass anyway. Although Solomon was powerful, wise, and wealthy, the only trace of him left on earth is his writings. It’s also worth remembering that at the end of his life, he lived as if there was no payment for actions—which is a puzzle. Nevertheless, let’s treat this text as important, but secondary: to be interpreted in light of other, clearer testimonies of Scripture.

Before we move on to those verses, let’s look at what the Judeans believed during the time of Christ about the state after death. Although they worshiped the same God, their views differed. Josephus Flavius in „Antiquities of the Jews” writes the following about the Pharisees: „They believe that souls have the power of immortality, and that those who lead virtuous or wicked lives receive reward or punishment in the underworld. The souls of the first have the possibility of returning to life, while the latter remain forever imprisoned.” Flavius himself was close to the Pharisees, so he may have somewhat favored their view, but he captures the essence: the Pharisees believed in the immortality of the soul and in rewards and punishment after death. Therefore, when Christ tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, he uses images familiar to the Pharisees. One can suppose, then, that he adapted to their way of thinking. The question is: to what extent do these ideas reflect reality? Do some really suffer after death while others find comfort? Notice that in the parable there is no mention of heaven or earth—that is an addition. What is mentioned, however, is the „great chasm” between the places where the dead reside.

It’s worth knowing that in the reality of the afterlife, the Bible distinguishes Hades/Sheol and the Abyss. Both are lands of the dead, yet they are very distant from each other; the Abyss is presented as a place worse than Sheol. There are verses supporting this, but we will not discuss them today as we have plenty of others. In light of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, one can accept that there are „better” and „worse” places of residence for the dead. We will return to this later.

To see how different the views were at the time, let’s also bring up the example of the Sadducees. Flavius writes that according to them „souls perish along with the body,” and above all, they valued respect for the Law. The Sadducees were the elite among the high priestly families—rich, influential families. One might think that since they were priests they would know better, yet their view was significantly different from that of the Pharisees. If we compare the teaching of our Lord Yeshu with the Pharisees and with the Sadducees, it turns out that doctrinally he was closer to the Pharisees. He condemned their hypocrisy and distortion of the law, but with the Sadducees he argued directly about doctrine: for example, about the resurrection and the existence of spirit. The Sadducees recognized only the Pentateuch of Moses. Thus, when they scoffed by asking whose wife a woman who had had seven husbands would be at the resurrection, Christ responded to them with words from the Torah: „God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” This resonated with the Pharisees because it was a strong biblical argument—and importantly, drawn from the books accepted by the Sadducees. Christ skillfully appealed to an authority the other side accepted.

He could have cited Isaiah, but his interlocutors would not have recognized that book as truly inspired.

So we have two approaches. Today, we will also encounter echoes of both. The Pharisees held a view similar to the Greeks, who believed that after death one went to Hades to suffer punishment; rewards were not assumed there. Interestingly, the reward was seen more as a return to life—that’s what the Greeks thought (hence some similarity to the idea of reincarnation), and in a similar way some Pharisees thought as well: they expected that a person could return to earth; they anticipated the reappearance of Elijah. To this day, in some currents of Judaism, a similar conviction has survived, which results in the practice of openly welcoming people who claim to „feel Jewish.” This is justified by the fact that during the Holocaust so many Jewish souls died, that they were supposed to “enter” other bodies – non-Jews – and now these people feel an inner calling to the community. It’s an interesting fact showing that Judaism, in a sense, has assimilated the idea of reincarnation. However, Christ, Scripture, and His disciples taught differently: we die and wait for judgment. Only after the judgment will it be revealed who will go to punishment, and who will receive a reward. There are, by the way, verses saying that after a brief chastisement someone may attain a reward.

We also see that Christians today fall into the same extremes: some (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses) claim that the soul and spirit cease to exist, and that God only “recreates the person from memory” at the resurrection. This is not in the Bible. The Bible says that Hades (Sheol) “will give up the dead,” that the dead are imprisoned there—and there are many verses about this, as if ignored by some. On the other hand, there are Christians who maintain that a person goes to hell or heaven immediately after death, even though the same Church teaches a future resurrection for judgment—so there is a tension, and to this has been added purgatory and other teachings. As a result, there is considerable confusion.

But what interests us is: what does the Bible say? So, contrary to what we read in Ecclesiastes about unconsciousness after death, is there really no awareness? I have discussed this in various ways before; today I will turn to other passages, though it is impossible to summarize them all at one meeting. Let’s start with the teaching of the apostle Paul.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 “We inform you according to the Lord’s teaching, that those who are alive at His coming will not precede those who have died. For the Lord Himself, with a command, the voice of the chief of the Messengers and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in the Anointed will rise first. Then we, who survive and are still alive, at the same time will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and we will always be with the Lord.”

The first resurrection (“will rise first”) will occur at the moment of the Lord’s coming and the rapture of His people to meet Christ. Those who are caught up will not precede those who are resurrected. This indicates that—according to Ecclesiastes, when read in its proper context—the dead are not engaged in earthly activity at present: they are waiting for the resurrection. They do not trade land, fall in love, or visit the living; they have not yet resurrected into a spiritual form. What is being referred to here is not a return to the earthly body, but an entry into heaven. Their spirit and soul are awaiting the resurrection, when they will be taken to meet Christ. The next passage is:

Revelation 20:4-6 “And I saw thrones: those who sat on them were given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those beheaded because of the testimony of Yeshu and because of the Word (from) God, those who had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received the mark on their forehead and hand. They came to life and reigned with the Anointed for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection: over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.”

“The second death has no power” means: they receive immortality—an extraordinary privilege. That is why today on earth we are severely and justly tested: it cannot be allowed that anyone who receives immortality would fail. We must prove our faithfulness to the death, free from selfishness and desire for power, completely devoted to Christ—and so we will remain. This is the first resurrection; there is no earlier one. When a person dies, they do not live an earthly life—literally.

So what did the first Christians believe? Obviously, we see this in the Bible, but I will quote an interesting early Christian account. I am referring to Justin Martyr, born at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries; when the apostle John died, Justin was still a child, and as an adult (around 130 AD) he held a famous debate with the Jew Trypho, trying to win him for the Gospel. Around 150 AD, Justin—who eventually gave his life for Christ—wrote an Apology addressed to the emperor, to explain what Christians believe, as there were misunderstandings circulating among the authorities, fueled in part by Jewish circles. Rome did not always know how to proceed: some persecuted, others recommended not pursuing Christians officially. Here is a particularly relevant passage:

Apology I, 18:1-3 “If death meant only the loss of consciousness,”it would be pure profit for all evildoers. But on the contrary—everyone who possesses consciousness retains it and faces eternal punishment. Let yourselves be convinced and believe that this is the truth. Necromancy, the examination of the entrails of the innocent, summoning human souls, and the practices of those whom magicians call dreamers and servants, as well as the methods of healers, let these convince you that after death human souls retain consciousness.”

This was the belief of an ardent Christian from the early 2nd century, who sealed his faith with martyrdom. And to be honest, what is written here agrees with Scripture: we will find biblical arguments for this claim—and today we will see a few of them.

Now, let us present a common mistaken opinion that many Christians have succumbed to. This happened in part due to the rejection of one of the books inspired by the Holy Spirit. Not because the first Christians rejected it—on the contrary, it was accepted and included in the Septuagint. In fact, all Churches accept it, except for some Protestant Churches which, under the influence of Jewish polemics in the 16th century, removed it from the canon. Meanwhile, it fulfills the basic criterion of inspiration: it contains a prophecy that was fulfilled—the one concerning the death of Christ. Probably for this reason Judaism, which only ordered its canon about 70 years after the death of Christ (there had previously been no uniform canon), omitted this book. This was done consciously in order to exclude some writings that supported Christian teachings.

They rejected this book precisely because it speaks about how Christ would die, and that they would prove themselves to be fools. Today I will not read the passage about Christ’s death, but I will quote the one related to our topic.

Wisdom 2:1-3 „Reasoning wrongly, they said to themselves: 'Our life is short and sad. There is no cure for human death, we do not know anyone who has returned from the Abyss. We were born unexpectedly and afterward we will be as if we had never existed. The breath in our nostrils is like smoke, our thought like a spark from the beating of our heart: when it is extinguished, the body will turn to ash, and the spirit will dissolve like unstable air.'”

This sounds like a view that is still repeated today, doesn’t it? But at the beginning we find a decisive sentence: „reasoning wrongly.” This is mistaken reasoning—and it was already appearing in those times. What’s more, Scripture not only does not confirm this thesis, but directly corrects it. It’s a pity that this book wasn’t included in the canon among many Protestants, because it contains clear testimony consistent with other verses that we will soon refer to.

What happened when Christ was dying? Let’s see. We wonder what happens after death: did Christ cease to exist at the moment of death? Did his spirit dissolve? Let’s look at:

Luke 23:46 „Then Yeshu called out with a loud voice: Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. After these words he breathed his last.”

So Christ did not assume that the spirit disperses and disappears, remaining only in the memory of God. On the contrary, he entrusts his spirit to the Father. This is a very important thought: he gives his Spirit into God’s care—in the moment of death, he loses control over it. That is what death means: a person ceases to rule over themselves, so gives themselves into God’s hands. Stephen acted similarly when he died.

Acts 7:59 „They stoned Stephen, who prayed: 'Lord Yeshu, receive my breath (spirit)!'”

He did not believe that the spirit just dissolves and „is not there,” nor that it takes a „shortcut” straight to glory without resurrection. He asked the Lord to receive his spirit—to take care of it. The conclusion is the same: at the moment of death, Stephen lost control over his spirit and relied on Christ’s care. The same applied to our Lord Yeshu. There is also an important verse in Peter, which we will return to in a moment. Now let’s return to the question: what happened to Christ after death? This is very important, but first, let’s look at:

Revelation 6:9-10 „I saw under the altar the souls of those slain because of the Word of God and for the testimony they had.”

We are talking about the dead—yet John sees their souls. They did not vanish along with the body. Let’s be open to what Scripture says.

„And they cried out in a loud voice: 'How long, Sovereign holy and true, before you judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?'”

So they are able to cry out, they await justice. Would the Bible portray something impossible, if they „did not exist” and lived only in God’s memory? Look: there are many such testimonies, and they stand in tension with the thesis of complete non-existence. And they come from books that are certain, unlike Ecclesiastes, whose statements must be read in its genre and context. What do we read next?

„And each of them was given a white robe and they were told to rest a little longer, until the number (or time) was complete, and their fellow servants and brothers, who were to be killed as they had been.”

So they are to rest. Not everything is fulfilled yet; when it is fulfilled, what we know from other places will occur: the resurrection. The key point here is also that we have an example of communication with the souls of the dead in heaven. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) also shows a dialogue after death—and this is between the dead, even with a reference to heaven. And now, solely through the prism of one sentence from Ecclesiastes, people try to reinterpret these clear testimonies. But perhaps it should be the other way around: look at the Old Testament in the light of Christ and the teaching of the apostles? For he came to bear witness to the truth; previously, many things remained unclear for people.

Revelation 14:13 „Blessed are those who die in the Lord—from now on. Truly, says the Breath (Spirit), let them rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”

First: deeds have weight. Second: death is a rest. Rest is a state of inactivity, of waiting. Why inactivity? Because the resurrection has not yet occurred. Alright—someone may ask—if they have not risen, how can you talk to them? I understand this may raise doubts, but it can be logically arranged: the soul lives, although without a body it rests, and God can grant the possibility of revelation—but let’s go step by step.

What did the apostles believe? Did they think that the dead „are not” and cannot be seen? We have direct testimony.

Luke 24:36-43 „As they were talking about this, he himself stood among them and said to them: 'Peace be with you!’ Terrified and frightened, they thought they were seeing a spirit.”

So they assumed that a spirit could appear.

„But he said to them: 'Why are you troubled and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet: it is I myself. Touch me and see: a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see that I have.'”

Note: Yeshu does not say „a spirit cannot be seen,” but instead distinguishes the spirit from the resurrected body: a spirit does not eat, drink, cannot be touched, has no flesh or bones. That is why he asks for food and eats in front of them. In other words: if this were just a „spirit,” there would be no proof of physical presence. So the apostles did not reject the possibility of seeing a spirit—and Yeshu confirms precisely this distinction. Similarly, in Mark 6:49–50: when the disciples saw Yeshu walking on the lake, „they thought it was a ghost, and began to scream.” A ghost—that is, an immaterial being. They really believed in this. Yeshu calms them: “Take courage, it is Me.” This confirms the contemporary belief in the possibility of seeing spiritual beings.

Now Isaiah. The prophet describes a scene taking place in Sheol. Do you remember the scene from Revelation, where souls are crying out and God answers: “rest a little longer”? We have a similar image in:

Isaiah 14:9-10 “Sheol below trembled because of you, to meet your coming, it arouses for you the shades, all the rulers of the earth, it raises from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all answer and say to you: Even you have become weak like us! You have become like us!”

It is about the land of the dead, where “shades” (souls) react and speak. This is very inconvenient for the thesis that Sheol is just a “grave” with no consciousness. The Old Testament says the dead go to Sheol. The New Testament uses the word hades—the exact same one the Greeks used. When the apostles use this term, they don’t add a reservation that it’s “something different” from the well-known concept of the realm of the dead; rather, they use it in a way the recipients can easily understand. The Septuagint translates Sheol exactly this way—as hades. This doesn’t mean the Bible accepts all Greek ideas, but it confirms the reality of the posthumous state: the souls of the dead exist, though they await resurrection. At your arrival, the shades awake for you. The souls are called shades here, which are awakened. So we have two pieces of information: they are asleep, and they can be awakened for a certain time. What happens? All the rulers of the earth arise from their thrones, all the kings of the nations. They all answer and say: even you have become weak like us, you have become like us. This was about Nebuchadnezzar. When he died and his soul went to Sheol, he was welcomed by others who mocked him: you see, you too ended up like us. This is another example of dialogue in Hades. Clearly, it speaks about their being awakened; their normal state is sleep, but they can sometimes be awakened. And that’s exactly the state of temporary awakening of the dead shown here.

The Gospel of Matthew, that is, the teaching of Christ and the apostles. Matthew was an apostle, an eyewitness, not like Luke, who collected accounts. What does he write in chapter 27? This is a verse some people do not like at all, mainly Jehovah’s Witnesses. But we must like all the verses, because all Scripture is inspired. For some reason, it was included here.

Matthew 27:52-53 “the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.”

In this first verse, we have information that first of all, they sleep, and second, they can be raised.

“They came out of the tombs after His resurrection, entered the holy city and appeared to many.”

So they became visible – phenomena appeared (apparitions, that is, what “appears”). The New Testament says that this is possible. Of course, some people try to come up with explanations: there was an earthquake, they fell out of their graves. They present it as if they weren’t lying upright, but rather in a thin layer, so they couldn’t “fall out” anyway, and people supposedly carried them into the city on stretchers. That’s exactly how they explain it. They have to devise such explanations because they take the Book of Ecclesiastes literally as sacred and fundamental and in doing so distort other apostolic writings, which are above Ecclesiastes – and that’s one hundred percent certain.

Now let’s return to what happened to Christ after His death. We remember: He entrusted His spirit into the Father’s hands. Where does that lead?

1 Peter 3:18-20 “For even the Anointed One suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God; put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which He also went and proclaimed release to the spirits in prison, who were once disobedient when God patiently waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

Put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit. So first Christ is resurrected in the spirit, He receives a spiritual body. He didn’t sleep idly for three days after death, because He was made alive in the spirit, in which He went and declared release to the spirits in prison.

What spirits? Weren’t they dead… someone might say: maybe to angels? But did He proclaim release to the angels? That’s contrary to the teaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to which they are already condemned, because they sinned knowingly; there is no release for them. So, it concerns the imprisoned spirits from the time of the flood, those once disobedient. But God patiently waited for their repentance. If it had been about rebellious angels, God would rather not have waited for their repentance—they consciously transgressed, blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. So, it could be about the spirits of those who died before the flood. Life before the flood was a different civilization; the flood was a reset and a fresh start from zero. Development moved quickly, but without any further intervention from the angels.

What’s important for us: Christ didn’t sleep for three days and three nights, but immediately resurrected in the spirit and spoke to other spirits. Those spirits had to be capable of receiving the message, and He had to be able to proclaim it—so there was communication in the world of spirits. These are interesting verses.

Christ went to proclaim to them release, departure from prison. There’s also another, more complex topic, based on the Letter to the Ephesians with a quotation from the Old Testament, that Christ was supposed to take as captives the prisoners of Sheol—to lead people out, including God’s faithful prophets. Before Christ made His sacrifice, the dead dwelled in Sheol or, worse, in the Abyss, regardless of whether they had been God’s servants. The Bible says of the patriarchs: and they rested. King David rested with his fathers. When Christ made His sacrifice and ransomed His people, He draws out the souls of those whom He regards with favor and transfers them to heaven—likely to the “third heaven” seen by Paul. There, the souls wait for resurrection, which is described in Revelation: they wait. That is why in heaven it was possible to talk with them before they become active. They are not actively alive, they cannot act, travel—as Ecclesiastes says—while one can communicate with them. Since Christ went and proclaimed to them, that means they could hear. That makes sense, because there are plenty of verses that emphasize: death is sleep. In sleep, we are in a state of nonexistence in the sense that we’re not doing anything, just sleeping. You could cut us open while we sleep deeply; people are deliberately put to sleep, cut open, sewn up, and then awakened – they remember nothing. Christ kept saying that the dying fall asleep. In the New Testament, the words translated as “the dead” literally say “those who have fallen asleep.” Ecclesiastes is right in this sense: when you’re asleep, you don’t plan anything. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be contacted.

The best proof: contact with the spirit bypassing the soul. That’s done even today. People are able to contact the spirit of another person without their consciousness: extract information or even implant something into the spirit. The spirit is defenseless in this respect—it can have software „uploaded” into it. When does this happen? In hypnosis. A person converses, and then remembers nothing; they do not act consciously. This is contact with the spirit, bypassing the soul.

To sum up: let us not build an entire doctrine about the state after death on a single passage from Ecclesiastes, torn from the rest of Scripture and from Christ’s teaching. Let us treat it in the proper context—as a reflection on impermanence „under the sun”—and compare it with the numerous verses that speak of the consciousness of the dead, reward and punishment, as well as with the teaching about resurrection. By doing so, we avoid extremes and get closer to what Scripture actually says. The Book of Wisdom exposes the mistaken reasoning that everything dissolves after death; Yeshu and Stephen entrust their spirits to God; the Apocalypse shows souls crying out and resting; the parable of the rich man and Lazarus demonstrates consciousness after death; the apostles distinguish the spirit from the resurrected body; Isaiah confirms the reality of Sheol. From these testimonies, a coherent picture emerges: death takes away power over oneself, but the soul endures, entrusted to God, awaiting the day of resurrection. This is precisely how „it can all be logically arranged”—in harmony with the entire Scripture, from the prophets to the apostles.

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Thanks for listening until the end. I would be extremely grateful for likes, shares and comments, because it helps grow the channel, which gives a chance to reach even more people.

If you receive the gift of faith in the name of our Lord Yeshu, take the next step and contact me to be immersed in the name of Yeshu. You can find contact details on our website or simply write on Messenger.

Glory to Yeshu!!!