The post you responded to mentioned the Bible forbidding people speaking to the dead, which reminded me of what I posted earlier in this thread.
I'd like to re-post what I wrote because I think the content of this post has become relevant again.
If the dead know nothing (
Ecclesiastes 9:5), then why is it forbidden in the Bible to consult the dead (
Deuteronomy 18:10–12)?
According to the Bible, Jesus mentioned the appearance of a ghost because his disciples thought he was a ghost (
Luke 24:37–39). Why would he have mentioned the appearance of a human ghost when the dead are forgotten (
Ecclesiastes 9:5) or if he and his disciples didn't believe that they existed and were actually demons in disguise? And in an account of his alleged resurrection,
Matthew 27:51–53 states, "
At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city, and appeared to many people." This sounds paranormal to me.
Furthermore,
1 Samuel 28:7–20 mentions the ghost of Samuel communicating with King Saul and warning him that God would deliver both him and Israel into the hands of the Philistines because of his disobedience. There is no mention in these verses that the spirit he spoke to was anything else but the spirit of Samuel. However, according to
Ecclesiastes 9:5, the dead know nothing. Wouldn't it have been more of an accurate account of this alleged interaction if it were specified that the spirit King Saul spoke to was a demon in disguise? Well, I can read these verses and see that there is no mention that the spirit he spoke to was a demon. What an ironic story it is to find in the Bible about King Saul using a psychic medium to communicate directly with the spirit of the prophet Samuel, especially given its claim that the dead know nothing and their names are forgotten. Again, why is it forbidden to consult the dead?
If the dead know nothing, then how would they know if they are either in heaven or hell? For example, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (
Luke 16:19–31), the rich man knew that he was in torment in Hades ("
because I am in agony in this fire"). It is a parable of a dead rich man who was obviously conscious that he was being tormented in Hades, was able to recognize Lazarus and Abraham from afar, and also pleaded with Abraham to help him.
Furthermore,
Ecclesiastes 9:5 states that there is no final reward for the dead and that even their names are forgotten. However, it conflicts with other scriptures that suggest there are final rewards given in heaven (such as these verses
here) and that people's names have been written in a "Book of Life" that God is said to have on hand (see the verses
here), as well as their names being recorded in heaven (
Luke 10:20). It seems like a conflicting message.
After extensive reading, study, and examination of the Bible, I've found that
Ecclesiastes 3:21 specifies that human spirits and the spirit of the animal rise upward from the earth.
Revelation 20:13 states that spirits rise up from the sea and Hades. Also,
Hebrews 9:27 states that people are destined to die once and, after that, face judgment, and
2 Corinthians 5:8 suggests that believers are in the presence of Jesus after death. According to
1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 and
Revelation 20:11–15, both believers and unbelievers' spirits are sleeping in their graves and awaiting God's judgment in the end times. Furthermore, there are other scriptures that describe "soul sleep" (
Daniel 12:2,
2 Chronicles 32:33,
2 Chronicles 33:20,
1 Kings 15:8,
1 Kings 16:28,
2 Kings 13:13,
2 Kings 14:29,
John 11:11–15) as well. Given these conflicting verses, it's not surprising to me that Christians disagree about what happens to people after death.
