The Death Myth: Uncovering What the Bible Really Says About the Afterlife

Copyright © 2018 Brian M. Rossiter.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotations of the Old and New Testament are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Preface

Chapter One: Laying the Foundation

A Brief History of Thought

I’ll Fly Away: 1 Corinthians 15

Don’t Forget Dessert: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Chapter Two: Off to Heaven

Body and Flesh

Paul, the Tentmaker

There and Back Again: An Apostle’s Tale

Prowlers in Paradise

Chapter Three: Somewhere Under the Rainbow

The Rich and the Dead

The Return of Samuel (and Other Strange Occurrences)

Descending into Hell

A Foot in Each Door

Chapter Four: The Death Blow

Satan’s Domain

What God Has Put Asunder, Let No Man Join Together

It’s All Substantive

Just Add Body

Why Add Body?

The Sleep-death Tradition

Identity Information

Chapter Five: What does it Matter?

Ghost Stories

Other Entities

Hail Mirage

Parting Thoughts

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would first like to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for providing me with both the inspiration and the motivation to write this book. I would like to thank my wife, Jessi, for her patience and support in the process of bringing this project to completion. Lastly, I would like to thank my brother and best friend, Wayne Rossiter, for the countless discussions and ideas that ultimately helped to shape this book’s contents.

PREFACE

A s you pass through the wooden doors and begin to make your way across the dimly-lit hallway, you say a solemn hello to friends and relatives you haven’t seen in years. A handshake here, a how you been? there. Meanwhile, a somber mix of piano and violin plays in the background through the house speakers. After the brief family reunion, you manage to find your way to a vacant seat. Minutes creep by as if they are aware of their own passing. By the time that casual pleasantry begins to bleed into awkward silence, the reverend takes his podium. As he starts to speak his first few carefully chosen words, you become completely in tune with the gravity of the situation. This is a funeral ; a real person, like you or me, has left this world forever.

A prayer invites God to enter the building, and even the skeptics hope (if only for a second) to feel something spiritual. You begin to hear about the person lying in the casket—where she lived, how long she experienced life, and who she is leaving behind. You quickly glance up to the front row in order to evaluate the condition of the immediate family. The momentary trance ends as the familiar words of Psalm 23 bring you back to focus: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. A relative comes up to read his favorite passage of Scripture and provide some personal details about the deceased person that most people in the room were not previously privy to. More passages are read, and you are asked to evaluate your own perspective on eternity. Finally, you hear some long overdue words of encouragement. We know that she is in a better place: somewhere far away from the trials and difficulties of this world. Having gone on to glory, she is now with the Lord.

Most of us have been in this situation before, and heard similar teachings. It’s commonplace at Christian funerals around the globe. It’s comforting. It’s powerful. It’s traditional. But the critical question remains: is it true? Will we go on to be with the Lord immediately when we die? If so, will we live as disembodied souls or embodied beings? How will it happen? What will it be like? What exactly does the Bible say about the afterlife?

It has long been known that there are really only two types of people—those who have died, and those who will. I feel as though I faced my own mortality at a very young age. I was afraid of death before I even understood all that it entails. The death of a schoolmate disturbed me in the 5th grade, as did the passing of my paternal grandparents in subsequent years. I can recall a number of sleepless nights from my high school days, many of them due to my own concerns about the fleeting nature of life. Throughout my twenties, I became almost emotionally paralyzed by the problem on more than one occasion. Typically, this was either due to the passing of those around me or my own personal health concerns. The birth of my daughter brought about an even greater sense of self-preservation; all else aside, I wanted to be around for her and my wife, and I sometimes feared that I wouldn’t be. Though I feel a much greater sense of peace today than I once did, these difficulties still rear their ugly heads on occasion.

In case you haven’t picked up on it, I am afraid of death. The reason why is simple: death is the absence of life, and all we have ever known is life. No one among us knows to an absolute certainty what will happen when we depart from this world. Even those who claim to know simply don’t. Not for sure. This is why the apostle Paul often referred to Christ’s return and the resurrection as a matter of hope. While we have good reason to believe in the resurrection and the prospect of everlasting life, we will only know for sure on the day when we receive these gifts. The apostle Paul made the case that if Christ was not raised from the dead, then we should be pitied above all people (1 Cor. 15:19). I think he ultimately meant this in a very personal way—if Christ did not conquer the grave then neither will we. If we will not conquer death, then we have lived our lives in service to something that doesn’t even exist. I agree: if that were the case, we should be pitied.

It is this prospect that caused the author of Ecclesiastes (Qohelet)¹ to mourn his own existence, feeling that the day of death is better than the day of birth (7:1). I suppose the reason he felt this way is that the dead don’t have to consider their own mortality. Try as he might to find it, he understood that the hope for any lasting meaning in life evaporates without the prospect of the afterlife. Qohelet got it—he understood. If death is the end of the human story, then nothing in life ultimately makes any difference at all. We all become crash test dummies; as we charge towards the brick wall ahead, we concern ourselves with the smell of the air freshener beneath the rearview mirror. All the while, we know it makes no difference whatsoever. Vanity of vanities … all is vanity.²

All of this is intended to drive home one unmistakable point—death is a serious matter. I would argue that an honest fear of death is actually quite healthy. Perhaps those who never struggle with the problem are the ones that need to be evaluated. As I have so often told students, it is only when we recognize the problem that we can fully appreciate the solution. While I typically mean this with regards to the effects of the Fall of man and the good news of Jesus Christ, the issue of death is no different.

Though the topic of death captivates many of us, I am not attempting to prove that we possess a soul, a mind, or anything beyond the materialist’s perspective on life. Instead, I am assuming that we all possess something of the sort. In this, I understand that I am assuming much. Discussions about the nature of the human soul and whether or not such a thing actually exists have long been subjects of debate in both secular and religious circles. For the most part, the Judeo-Christian tradition has always affirmed the existence of a component or quality of human existence that is distinct from the physical body. Typically, religious believers of nearly all stripes refer to this quality or component as the soul. Now, as I will actually seek to demonstrate, the majority view is certainly not always the correct one. Simply saying that something is correct because it is the traditional view or the majority view can be extremely problematic. Tradition is a fine thing … in moderation. I will differ with many interpretations and ideologies concerning the soul, specifically any notion that the soul is consciously separable from the body, superior to the body, or that it can somehow exist on its own. In contrast, my view is that the soul is an appropriate term for the information and the memories that characterize each of us.³

Therefore, I find it to be neither logical nor scriptural to completely jettison all notions of the soul, so long as we are very clear about its nature. Further, I believe that at least a minimal commitment to the idea of the soul is necessary in any proper and comprehensive understanding of both human existence and the afterlife. I trust that my reasons for feeling this way will become apparent throughout the book. With this in mind, I will not dedicate extensive time—and it would take extensive time—attempting to prove to the secular world that the soul exists in any way, shape, or form. Throughout this book, I will reference a number of authors who have sought to do that very thing. This being said, I am predominantly writing this book to my fellow Christians. However, parts of it will no doubt be interesting to anyone who is intrigued by the topics of death and the afterlife. This is especially true because I will be evaluating what the most famous religious text in history says about all of this. I of course mean the Bible.

My specific goals with this book are very modest, for the most part anyway. My first goal is to provide a solid sketch of the key terms and issues involved in the discussion of the afterlife, without getting completely bogged down in the marsh of theological jargon. As complex as the subject is, many have become so obsessed with analyzing every perspective on the horizon that they miss the forest for the trees. I want this book to be detailed enough to grasp the issue and to do it justice, without making it completely overwhelming. My second goal is to show that the issue of what happens at death is most definitely still up for debate. In this, the traditional view of the afterlife is called into question in a variety of ways. Finally—and this is my least modest goal of the three—I hope to demonstrate that my view of the subject, which I share with many others of both the past and the present, makes the best sense of all the factors as a whole. No view will ever be completely airtight, and I think you will see why when we get into the meat of the biblical text. This does not, however, mean that some views are not more plausible than others. While those are my three specific goals, the most important point of the book is to stir the imagination a bit by asking that you (the reader) assess the matter in as open and honest a way as possible. As I alluded to at the end of the funeral introduction: are the common Christian beliefs about the afterlife actually true?

I believe there is power in knowing the truth, even if we cannot always pinpoint why it is so. More importantly, the most widely held beliefs about the issue can (and do, I think) lead people to some dangerous views about our world and our faith. With that said, I most specifically wrote this book for all who share my desire to search for what is genuine, and it is also why I have called it The Death Myth. In researching all of the issues you are about to read, I came to the conclusion that the truth of the matter is that parts of the church—consisting of its immense body of believers and its rich heritage—have propagated a myth about the afterlife, and many have unknowingly accepted it.

Chances are that you (whoever you are) have also been lied to. This is probably not a lie coming from malice (though it occasionally may be), but typically one emerging from a willingness to just accept whatever we are told, without personal investigation or free thought. You see, I think it is quite likely that none of us will die and go to heaven. At least, not in the way we are usually told it will happen. All who call upon the name of Christ will indeed live with him for the rest of eternity after death. But again, not in the way most of us have been taught. Bold words, I know. So, I now end the introduction to this book with a statement of sincerity. Whether you end up agreeing with me or not, I hope that this book can serve to lead you towards the truth about the afterlife and to the God who will bring us into His eternal Kingdom.

CHAPTER ONE

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

I n order to lay the foundation for the rest of the book, it will be essential to do a bit of investigative legwork. First and foremost, it is necessary to provide some historical context of the situation and to define the essential terms of the discussion. The second priority is to evaluate the realities of the body and the soul, since these two concepts are absolutely crucial in understanding the logistics of the afterlife. While parts of the introduction (and sections of the entire book, for that matter) may appear to be somewhat technical, I assure you that they are necessary. I have made a conscious effort to cover only the most essential aspects of the issue. But make no mistake about it: of all the theological issues one could choose to investigate, our existence in the afterlife ranks near the top of the list in terms of its complexity. Believing I had a good grip on this before I ever thought to write a book, the depth of the situation was even overwhelming for me at points. Hopefully, the following section will be both eye-opening and illustrative of the depth of the topic.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THOUGHT

One of the truly essentially points that we need to recognize about the different Christian views of the afterlife is that the ultimate hope of a physical, bodily resurrection is the common point of agreement. This is not common in the sense that the majority of modern Christians acknowledge this point (they no longer do), but common in the sense that every respectable Christian scholar should recognize that this is so. If you doubt this reality—that we will be raised from the dead and given new bodies—then hopefully it will become apparent throughout the course of this book. With the belief in a bodily resurrection taken as an a priori—but biblically undeniable—assumption, I am chiefly concerned with discussing what happens in the meantime: the time between our deaths and our resurrections.

If there is a space between death and resurrection, how should we understand it? This period is frequently referred to as the intermediate state of the dead, or simply the interim period.⁴ A solid read of the contemporary literature that discusses the afterlife yields quite a number of different views about what happens immediately after death,⁵ but it can be very easy to overcomplicate the options. On the other hand, this issue can also be oversimplified. Typically, this can occur whenever one attempts to act as though heaven and hell are the only possible destinations for the conscious dead (note the oxymoron) that the Bible portrays throughout its pages. I will discuss this problem in more detail later on.

For all intents and purposes, there are essentially three general ways that a Christian could view the state of the dead. In that simple statement, I realize that I have already created a problem for many readers. Most Christians (particularly of the western church variety) have been assured—absolutely assured—that our souls will soar off to heaven when our lowly bodies finally give out. This view, which is the first option of the afterlife, is that death brings about the soul’s departure to either heaven or hell. We die, but our souls continue to consciously live. A scarce minority of people hold that this will occur with a resurrection body (the immediate resurrection position), but most see this as a disembodied, immaterial existence. While that option is probably obvious to most of us, the second possibility may not be. The reality is that the Bible also portrays another way of thinking about a disembodied existence after death. In general, the second option can be viewed as another intermediate reality between this life and the one that each of us will ultimately experience after the great judgment. This is not heaven or hell, but a different existence altogether. All of chapter three is dedicated to evaluating this option, so I will spend no more time describing it here.

In both of the aforementioned views of the afterlife, the human soul is thought to consciously survive death in a disembodied state of existence. Theologians J.P. Moreland and Scott Rae have referred to this view as the temporary-disembodiment position.⁶ This will be a crucial term to remember as you continue reading. I believe that this is a fitting name for this particular view, and I will use this terminology throughout the course of the book to describe any view in which the soul is believed to consciously exist independent of the body during the interim period.

I also agree with Moreland and Rae that the temporary-disembodiment position (the TDP, from here on) has been the most commonly (i.e. traditionally) held position within the church for nearly two millennia. On the whole, more Christians have believed that the soul consciously survives the death of the body than have not. But I would add that contemporary proponents of this position often depict it in a significantly different way than most Christians would. But I will return to that point later on. For now, it is important to understand that most Christians—whether of the past or present—would agree with the TDP’s basic principle that the human soul continues to live when we die. I will repeatedly reference this position, as it is the view that I challenge throughout the book. It is this view that I have called The Death Myth.

Some of the greatest theologians of the early church set out to answer the question of what happens when we die. This was not a debate over whether or not believers would ultimately reign with Christ, which all Christians should agree upon, but was instead about when and how this would occur. The discussion still centers on these concerns. Frequently, their personal studies about these issues led them to ascribe to the belief in the immortality of the soul. The immortality of the soul is exactly what it appears to be—the belief that the human soul is immortal, though the body is not. Within this, the soul is viewed as being something that is perhaps capable of existing prior to our lives on earth (particularly in certain Greek philosophies), and is certainly believed to be able to survive apart from the body after death. The soul’s existence apart from the body is always viewed as a conscious one, which is of particular interest when discussing the state of the dead. The early church father Origen (185–254) discussed this concept at a synod in Arabia, but focused so heavily on the immaterial nature of humanity that he ended up rejecting the idea that we would ever be given resurrection bodies.⁷ Most of what we read from the renowned theologian Augustine is consistent with the belief in the immortal soul,⁸ which has all but assured many of its legitimacy. I mean, who can question the great Augustine?

As with many early church theologians, Platonic—a term deriving from