My Journey to Life, Step 7—State of the Dead, Death and Resurrection

12. Why does the biblical teaching on what happens when we die matter?

Many people have been comforted by the thought that their dead loved ones are now in a “better place,” that is, they are in heaven. But this unbiblical teaching is actually a deceptive device used by Satan through which he will try to convince people that Jesus’ Ten Commandment law has been abolished. JTL7 6.7

Imagine that your beloved aunt passes away. One night an apparition which sounds and looks exactly like your late aunt appears to you and describes events that only you and she knew about. Then she tells you that she has been living in heaven since her death and that God told her that seventh-day Sabbath observance has been changed to Sunday observance, through which all the world will achieve unity and world peace. JTL7 6.8

Though your aunt’s alleged testimony sounds plausible, its authenticity is based on the assumption that the dead can communicate with the living, a notion the Bible denies. In spite of the clear biblical testimony concerning the state of the dead, various individuals, and even demons, will impersonate Christ and His apostles, perform supernatural acts of healing, and claim to have messages from heaven that are not in harmony with the Word of God. But those who have fortified their minds with the truths of Scripture will recognize the deception. In this time “such as never was,” Daniel 12:1, the Scriptures must be the anchor for the people of God. JTL7 6.9