Introduction
Have you ever wondered if those who have passed on still remember us or know what happens in our lives? In Do the Dead Remember or Know the Things of This Life?, I will explore this question from different perspectives, from spiritual beliefs to scientific explanations. Do memory and consciousness remain after death? Can spirits accompany the world of the living? Throughout this article, I will investigate these possibilities and what different traditions say about this mystery that intrigues humanity.
Beliefs and Interpretations
It is common to find people who believe in a conscious state of those who have died. For them, the spirits of these people leave the body when they die and go on to live in another place in our universe. At certain times, the spirits of dead people come to guide their acquaintances in this life. According to this belief, it is possible to communicate with those who have already died.
Some religious groups that believe in this way or something similar even base their beliefs on some biblical passages. Others simply believe based on traditions that come from their parents’ beliefs or from the influence of their acquaintances. But what does the Bible really say about this issue? Is it possible for the dead to know about things that happen on this earth, and to be able to communicate with the living?
Remember Creation, for the Opposite Occurs in Death
First, we need to remember the biblical texts that teach us what man is made of. According to the creation account, God made man from the dust of the ground and gave him the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). When a human being dies, he gives this “breath” back to the earth.breath of life”, also called “spirit” of God, while his body returns to the dust of the earth (Ecclesiastes 12:7). There is no place here that allows for the existence of life outside the body, since this life is nothing more than the composition of these two elements (dust of the earth + breath of life). This means that the person who has died literally ceases to exist. There is no longer anything of his existence, be it something physical or mental. Let us read the passage written by the psalmist about the one who died:
Psalms 146:4 – “His spirit goes out , he returns to the earth ; in that same day his thoughts perish.“
The text above clarifies something very important for this subject by stating that, at the moment of death, even that person’s thoughts perish along with him . It doesn’t matter which belief we are talking about, because the text is very clear on this point. It is impossible for us to believe in an afterlife, where the spirit of the person who died leaves the body and still maintains thoughts about things concerning this earth , whether about his own life here or that of his acquaintances.
Do the Dead Perform Actions? Is There Life After Death?
Do the dead remember things from this life? Let’s look at another passage that can give us more information on this topic:
Ecclesiastes 9:5,6 – “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing , and they have no more reward, but the memory of them is forgotten . Their love, their hatred, and their envy have already perished, and they have no more share forever in anything that is done under the sun.“
Note that the text above describes the following characteristics regarding the state of people who have already died:
- They have no knowledge
- They will have no reward
- They have no memory
- They have no feelings (love, hate, envy, etc.)
- They have no connection whatsoever with the things of the living.
These descriptions are quite clear. How can we believe that the dead of this world are alive somewhere else in this universe, and that they can sometimes communicate with the living, when they no longer have any knowledge, memory, or feelings, and on top of that, they have no connection whatsoever with the things of the living? The mere fact that they have no knowledge and memory would make it impossible for them to “help” or “talk” to the people they knew on this earth, but I believe that the last quote is even more conclusive in making it clear that the dead no longer have any part with the living .
Erroneous Beliefs
There are many who think that the dead are accompanying them on their journeys here on earth. At every moment of their lives, they are accompanied by the spirits of those who have died , and are helped by them at opportune moments. Others believe that the dead are in heaven doing some work for the living. But notice that such thoughts do not fit within the descriptions found in these biblical passages. Do the dead remember things from this life? Let us look at another text that reinforces this analysis:
Ecclesiastes 9:10 – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.“
Now we find some more characteristics of the state of the dead. As described in the above verse, we can extract the following information about those who have already died:
- There is no work to be done
- There is no planning of things to be done
- There is no knowledge
- There is no wisdom at all
Once again, the Bible emphasizes that the dead have no knowledge whatsoever. Now, the text also describes that these people cannot perform works or make any kind of plans. This already eliminates the possibility of us believing that the dead are working on behalf of the living on this earth . There is no work to be done after death, and this is evident since the Bible teaches us that there is no life after death. All these characteristics presented in the texts above only confirm this truth.
Conclusion
As we have seen, the Bible is very clear on this subject. Doctrines that teach that there is an afterlife where people can think and do things wherever they are, or even that they can communicate with the living, are completely contradictory to the Word of God . Such teachings have no solid foundation in Scripture, and therefore we must reject them.
May God bless us richly.
