Notice again: "All things come alike to all: there is ONE event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean;…This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is ONE event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the DEAD" (Eccl. 9:2-3). It does not matter what your status in life is - king, president, factory worker, etc. - we all will die and return to the dust. There is a "spirit in man" (1 Cor. 2:7-16) that gives us intellect and sets us above the animal world. God uses this in combination with His Holy Spirit to resurrect us as individuals from the dead.

Because of Adam and Eve's sins, they were driven from the Garden of Eden. God instructed them: "In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground [not an ever burning hell-fire]; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19). This is as clear of a statement as you can get! We turn back to dust awaiting the resurrection FROM the dead. This is verified in Psalms 146:4: "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." The very instant your breath leaves your body your brain ceases all activity. This is far different from the teaching you continue to live in hell in torment and torture, feeling the pain that never stops. As is often spoken, death is the separation from God - meaning you don't really die. You just live somewhere else in pain forever. Nothing could be farther from the truth! The Bible says, when you die, you're dead - thoughts cease. You're not alive somewhere else. Upon death, you have no more dreams, no thoughts, no more goals of buying a new home. You become clinically dead.

God inspired to be written: "For in death there is NO remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Ps. 6:5). How does the modern teaching of "going to heaven when we die" fit this scripture? It says you will not remember nor give thanks when you are in the grave! The GOOD NEWS from one end of the Bible to the other is that God has provided a way to come out of the grave and praise Him. It is called the resurrection! If there is NO resurrection, then no one will ever come out of the grave and enter the kingdom of God or be cast into the Lake of Fire. If there is NO resurrection, whether you have been righteous or unrighteous, you will not be able to pray, sing, or hear God's word spoken any more. If there is NO resurrection, you will never have opportunity to be changed to a glorified spirit composed body. In the grave we no longer experience happiness or sadness. We have no concept whether our children are succeeding or failing in life.

Something Everyone Knows

Everyone can see a child that is born into the world begin to grow. Early childhood learning to talk. Elementary school age with the loss of teeth. Middle school adolescence and puberty. Then the glorious high school years followed in many cases by college. The next step is reality in an adult world. We've watched our bodies and our friends change, mature. Finally, middle-age! It finally strikes us right between the eyes. WE ARE GROWING OLDER JUST LIKE OUR PARENTS BEFORE US! In horror we recognize the FACT that we will one day DIE!

"For the LIVING KNOW that they shall die:" (Eccl. 9:5a). This writer has pictures from long ago to demonstrate the aging process. People who were once fine athletes can hardly get out of bed every morning. We KNOW that we are aging and eventually death will stalk our body. This is the process God set in motion. Notice the next part of this verse: "but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten" (Eccl. 9:5b). The dead no longer have a thought process capability. You will have no further communication with your mother or father-in-law. You will have no opportunity to bounce your grandbaby on your knees. Everything you once were vanishes, ceases to exist as far as you are concerned.

It is because of this understanding concerning death and the present state of the dead that the following verse becomes so important! "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; [WHY?] for there is NO work, NOR device, NOR knowledge, NOR wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest" (Eccl. 9:10). That verse is as CLEAR as you could get. The best job a person could imagine or all the riches to consume today will NOT be available in the grave. If anyone breaks God's immutable law, the penalty of death will inexorably march on until it exacts itself upon you. Everything you've ever hoped for, dreamed of, worked for will not be remembered by you anymore UNTIL the resurrection. There is an old saying that will become a truism: "You can't take it with you." The Egyptians have found this to be true. Excavations have unearthed treasures the Pharoah's had thought would go with them into an after-life. It didn't and their mummified bodies were still in their tombs. The Pharaoh's knew they would die. They just had a misunderstanding of what happens at death like our modern society.

From the Oldest Book
in the Bible

"If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm [that feeds on decaying matter], Thou art my mother, and my sister. And WHERE IS NOW MY HOPE? as for my hope, who shall see it? They shall go down to the bars of the pit, WHEN our rest together is in the dust" (Job 17:13-16). Job knew his body would be buried in the ground and return to dust - decay. Old grave sites have been unearthed by mistake and skeletal systems were found. The flesh had decayed just as the Bible has said scripture after scripture. Because they did not bury in caskets as we do today, Job knew the worms would feast on his remains. Job knew death would come and be a rest from his labors - no more worries, house payments, car payments, credit card payments, no more debt, sickness, etc. Just REST in the grave UNTIL the resurrection from the grave.

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