For awhile I thought that Ecc 3 was the most definitive passage regarding "the dead"...
Ecclesiastes 3:18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.
19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.
20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. In my mind it still is... but of course some Christians may try to say "
well, yeah it used to be that way. But since Christ is resurrected we now have a short-cut to heaven"...But wait...I just found the New Testament ANTIDOTE for that doctrine... The one-hit KO blow to their "go to heaven" theory... [some of you I'm sure already know this verse...and I know I've read over it many times, but it didn't STICK OUT for me until just now...]
John 5:28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice
29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. ALL in the TOMBS will hear His Voice... Who are in these tombs? Just the wicked, not the righteous? Nope! Both!
The
GOOD will "
hear his voice" and COME OUT of their tombs into a "
resurrection of life".
The
EVIL will "
hear his voice" and COME OUT of their tombs into a "
resurrection of judgment".
Talk about "book-ended"!!!!
Pretty sure there's NO WAY OUTTA this one!
Daywalker
PS: I must apologize to Jesus because I DID MARVEL when I read this verse!