Is There Life After Death? A Positive View

Life is eternal. Life is the essence of an individual. It is the clay by which every sentient being builds their own identity portfolio. At the core, we are endowed with unlimited capability and outlook. We can achieve the ultimate goals that we set on our journey. It is essential, however, that agency accompany this journey. The ability to choose and accept consequences, is a vital part of the drive and longing to achieve all progress and goals that we have in place. In this article we shall examine several scriptural passages from the Bible, only, that offer a look into agency in connection with our dearly departed. Since the Christian world at large accepts only the passages from the Holy Bible, we shall use such for this examination. This examination exhorts the reader to understand a different perspective on the agency of the dead. The various doctrines and ideas on the status of the dead, and even agency in general, are too numerous to count. This author invites the reader to take a journey with him, as we read Biblical works that support the conscious nature of the dead, and their agency to progress.

Ecclesiastes 12:5-7

We are literal offspring of our Father in Heaven. This is a wonderful knowledge that has deep and lasting impressions upon the heart of man. We are sent here, on our own merit, to gain a physical body and to progress even as the metal is worked, purified and put over flame. We have proven ourselves worthy of progression, even before we were born to the world. In this passage we are informed that our spirit, upon death, returns home to that God that gave it life. This is a gift for all, as He loves and cherishes us. Returning home to God has a living and progressing tone to it. It is not fathomable to return to God only to be dormant as to the spirit. No, rather the spirit lives on in continued knowledge of it's deeds done in the body. Being not the final judgment, however, we return unto the realm of God. For as the literal offspring of our Father in Heaven we came to this world from the realm of spirits, and so it shall be as we return unto such. We shall return from whence we came and will continue to learn, live and be fruitful in good works.

Isaiah 49:9-10

Because part of our existence here is in gaining a physical body for eternal purposes, during our mortal journey our spirit develops a connection with it. In essence the beginning bonds of being “one” with the other until that great day when we shall be resurrected, spirit and body united into an eternal and permanent condition. However, when we pass through the veil of death to enter our next stage of work, our bodies long for and desire that body which it once had. In reality, although freed from the many mortal toils, the realm of spirits will seem as a “prison” to us, and so the many scriptural passages tell us that we are but captives in this realm. We shall not have physical hunger, pains of the body and the many other imperfections we experience in the body. However, being alive as to the spirit, yet not perfected, we will retain our many wants and desires, knowledge and wisdom and even the merits of our deeds and bring this with us to the other side.

The eternal design of a spirit from the bosom of God is that of eternal progression. That constant personal striving toward perfection is what completes the soul. As such, we have in place the avenues given to progress even on the other side in the spirit world. As mentioned before, we take our “sum total” with us, but the vast majority of all inhabitants have not been taught the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not fathomable to assume their damnation for their not knowing, or even being exposed to, the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. As one who now resides in the realm of spirits we are promised the knowledge of God that we may be rightly judged on the same field as all others of our Father's children. It is He who proclaims, “Go forth”, to the captives as He teaches them the knowledge and the saving ordinances of the gospel. Jesus Christ organized the mission effort and taught the fruits of the gospel to the dead, or spirits in the realm of God, while His body lay lifeless in the tomb. It was He who led the way for progress to happen even for the dead. It is amazing the relentless activity of the Savior. Even as His body lay dead in the tomb He was doing the exact work, in the spirit, that He was doing in life, that being missionary work and organization.

Isaiah 61:1

Liberty. Liberty is the magic in personal progression. Liberty is that personal agency to choose for oneself the avenues of life desired. The agency to choose is so vital and important to our Heavenly Father that this freedom was extended to even the dead. In so doing the Savior, “proclaimed liberty to the captives”, and opened the prison “to them that are bound.” What a grand knowledge that our Father is the pinnacle of not only salvation, but also patience, understanding and love. How wonderful the Plan to know that the way is clear, for even they who have not obtained this knowledge in life.

Finally being taught, if they use their agency and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, they can be heirs of the great covenant made to even Abraham. Even they can find their place among their own families as the bonding ordinance can then take affect, thus sealing together the eternal lines from generation to generation. They, in affect, shall be adopted into the lineage and family of Abraham whom the covenant was made with the Lord. What a joy and consolation this knowledge is!

Luke 4:18

Personal progression is a process. It is impossible and illogical to assume salvation by simply voicing the acceptance of Jesus Christ. He taught that the process involves works and pure intent. He taught the necessity of having the constant companionship of the Holy Spirit. It is no different in the world of the disembodied spirits. In His organizing the mission effort there, He “preached deliverance” to the captives. To be preached something is to be taught the process of something. This passage does not tell us that deliverance was automatically given, but preached.

His is a house of order. When the bright presence of His spirit entered the fields of the spirits after His crucifixion, great rejoicing took place among the captives. For the righteous had hope, as they had received the gospel in times past. Yet, among the wicked and ignorant the presence of the Lord could not go. For this reason the great organization of the mission field was instituted. Out of among the righteous He organized the forces to go to all parts of the realm, and to preach to the other captives the saving ordinances of the gospel, that being baptism and those vital ordinances necessary for personal progress.

Luke 23:42-43

Jesus showed compassion and consolation to the humbled malefactor upon the cross. The condemned pleaded for the Lord to remember him when the Lord enters His kingdom. The Lord's reply was a monumental decree of what was to come. Jesus Christ clearly stated that he would be with Him, that day, in paradise. Keep in mind that in Christ's time there was no concept of “paradise” as the common world views it today. Originally, the manuscript termed it as, the “world of spirits.” This passage of scripture should not be misinterpreted with salvation. Keep in mind that Jesus was being put to death with individuals who did not have the knowledge and laws of the gospel. That fact alone would separate them from the Savior as far as salvation is concerned. So, what did the Savior mean in His statement to the humbled man? What was proclaimed was this – that upon death we all, righteous and wicked, enter the realm of spirits whereby we are separated into various degrees where we await to be further taught the purity of the gospel, and anxiously anticipate the day of our own resurrection. Yes, the Lord, and His companion upon the cross, both entered the realm of spirits to not only progress, but also to enjoy relief from the mortal toils. Truly, they were together.

John 5:25-29

The dormant and lifeless do not and cannot hear. In this passage we are assured that the dead will “hear” the voice of the Son of God, and those who submit to those teachings shall “live”. This first verse signifies life and action. It takes life to hear, and action to willfully submit to those words given. In the twenty-eighth verse, the time is assured to come shortly when this announcement shall be made to the dead. This was, however, recorded shortly before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is between that time of death and His resurrection that this great proclamation and mission was implemented. We read in verse twenty-nine the fruits of the willful action on the part of the dead. They that hear will be resurrected unto life. They that shall not hear, who have done wickedly, shall be resurrected unto their allotted damnation.

Hebrews 12:23

In this verse we briefly read a statement at the end regarding the spirits of just men. In it is stated that they were “made perfect.” Man is not made perfect while dormant and lifeless in the grave. To be made into something requires the personal agency to choose that progress, and the “life” or “quickening” of the spirit to be perfected.

1 Peter 3:18-20

In these verses is made clear that the Lord was put to death, yet was quickened by the Spirit. His mission in the world of spirits, at this time, was to preach to those spirits in the captivity of prison, the disembodied dead who await that Voice of deliverance. We also read the magnitude of the vast numbers of spirits this includes. Even those from the days of Noah are among the spirits to be preached to. Waiting spirits, conscious and aware, from all ages and eras are there awaiting the Word and the ordinances of salvation.

1 Peter 4:5-6

This passage, too, is key to understanding the necessity of this ministry of Jesus Christ in the realm of spirits. Our Heavenly Father loves all of us. Just by our mortal journey we proved ourselves worthy, before the laying of the foundations of the Earth, to take on a mortal body and to have the agency to progress in this life. In so doing there must be a level field, or equality, as far as God's judgment is concerned for each one of us. Without it would make Him a respecter of persons, which scripture tells us He is not. What of the man whose deeds in life were “less than stellar”, and yet had not the law and gospel of Jesus Christ? If he had it, is it possible his deeds would have been different? Quite possible, and this must be taken into consideration. For that reason was the gospel taught, and continues to be taught, to the dead whose mortal journey has come to pass. Why? So that when the time comes of judgment, we shall all face our Maker with our deeds of life in one hand, and the gospel knowledge in the other, whether obtained in life or in the life hereafter. Only with the two, together, can one truly be adequately and righteously judged according to the “flesh”, but “live” according to God in the spirit. Only God, then, can discern judgment from the consideration of the two, and assign His mercy and portion of glory upon the head of he who is judged.

Revelation 14:13

We are assured in this passage that our works follow us. They are important to our progression and eventual judgment. There is a key word in this verse, and that word is “rest”. We are told that the dead shall rest from their labors. However, it does not state that they shall be dead to them or dormant from any labors whatsoever. We shall rest from our labors in that we shall leave this mortal clay behind and the harmful toils that accompany it. We rest from it to take on new and different labors. Why is this so? What is it that gives us joy and purpose? What is it that makes us who we are? Is it not in what we do, the labors we perform and the good that we magnify? Our happiness is directly related to the labors we take on. Labor is a part of our design and eternal purpose. He wants us happy, and for us to be happy we must have labors to perform.

Revelation 20:5-7

These passages refer to the millenium and the prolonged mornings of the qualified resurrections of the degrees of righteousness. The more righteous being freed from captivity in the mornings of the first resurrection, and descending down through the millenium until the very wicked are to be resurrected last. In this passage we are told that even Satan is bound in prison at this time. He shall be loosed for a season when this span of time has ended. If Satan is in prison as all are, or will be in death, will he be void of consciousness and purpose? No, part of his misery and design is to be forever aware of the righteous doings of the people throughout the millenium, yet remain in darkness until he, himself, is loosed to gather his army for the final battle.

In the passages that we've peered into, it is evident that there is much more to our existence than being born, living till old and then to die. In fact, it is evident that there is a great deal more to the judgments of God than is commonly accepted as doctrine. We've learned that His mercy and equal judgment of all mankind, is unparalleled and second to none by way of beauty, design and omnipotence.

This author exhorts the reader to ponder and consider the shear beauty of agency discussed. The beauty that learning continues. Progress continues. The beauty that choices can still be made among the spirits, whose mortal journey has come to pass. Consider this, before we quickly judge those who've died. Consider the immense responsibility we have, especially in life, to make our works worthy of advocacy when we are on bended knee before our Maker.

Life is eternal, and the future can be brighter than noon-day sun.