July 25, 2024 | Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | Ted N.C. Wilson, President, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
Greetings, friends. As we saw in last week’s video, Satan lied to Eve when, directly contradicting God, he told her, “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4, NKJV).
This lie has come down through the centuries, as human beings simply do not want to accept God’s pronouncement, “For dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19, NKJV).
We read in The Great Controversy that after the Fall, “Satan bade his angels make a special effort to inculcate the belief in man’s natural immortality; and having induced the people to receive this error, they were to lead them on to conclude that the sinner would live in eternal misery” (The Great Controversy, p. 534).
The author describes how the prince of darkness works through his agents, representing God “as a revengeful tyrant, declaring that He plunges into hell all those who do not please Him . . . and that while they suffer unutterable anguish and writhe in the eternal flames, their Creator looks down upon them with satisfaction” (The Great Controversy, p. 534).
The teaching of an ever-burning hell where sinners are tortured forever is one of Satan’s most vicious attacks on the character of God. He portrays the Creator as a wicked being who delights in hearing the shrieks and moans of sinners writhing in the hot flames of eternal suffering and pain.
This teaching grossly misrepresents the true character of God, as described in Ezekiel 33:11—”‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die” (NKJV).
Another false teaching regarding the state of the dead is that while the wicked go to hell, the righteous go directly to heaven. This, too, contradicts the Word of God.
Describing what happens when a person dies, Psalm 146:4 tells us: “When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish” (ESV).
Elsewhere in the Psalms we read: “For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks?” (Ps. 6:5, NKJV), and “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence” (Ps. 115:17, NKJV).
The same testimony is given in Ecclesiastes 9:5,6— “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun” (NKJV).
We are then given this poignant counsel in verse 10: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in [the grave] to which you are going.”
While at first the popular idea that loved ones are now in heaven may seem a comforting thought, if we consider it more deeply, we realize that idea is actually very troubling. Consider this from The Great Controversy:
“According to the popular belief, the redeemed in heaven are acquainted with all that takes place on the earth and especially with the lives of the friends whom they have left behind. But how could it be a source of happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living, to witness the sins committed by their own loved ones, and to see them enduring all the sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? How much of heaven’s bliss would be enjoyed by those who were hovering over their friends on earth?” (p. 545).
In addition, the false belief of an immortal soul denies the biblical teaching of an actual judgment, for what is the purpose of the judgment if a person is already sent to heaven or hell upon death?
Ellen White explains this very clearly in The Great Controversy: “But if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of heaven or writhing in the flames of hell, what need of a future judgment? . . . Will the righteous, after the investigation of their cases at the judgement, receive the commendation, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,’ when they have been dwelling in. His presence, perhaps for long ages? Are the wicked summoned from the place of torment to receive sentence from the Judge of all the earth: ‘Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire’?” (p. 549).
No, my friends, this makes no sense at all. Furthermore, the teaching of an immortal soul makes a mockery of the beautiful assurance of the hope of the resurrection, for why should a person be raised from the grave if they are already in heaven or hell?
The Bible teaches that when a person dies, they are in an unconscious state, sleeping the sleep of death until they are awakened by the voice of God. This is clearly described in the marvelous passage of Scripture found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, where we read:
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
“ For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (NKJV).
My brothers and sisters, we don’t need to be deceived by Satan’s lies. We can count on the Word of God. It is as solid as a rock.
If you would like to learn more about this very important topic, I encourage you, to read chapter 33 of The Great Controversy, titled “The First Great Deception.” If you do not yet have this amazing book, I encourage you to download your free copy today at thegreatcontroversyproject.org [Insert: thegreatcontroversyproject.org].
Friends, Jesus is coming soon. As we approach Earth’s final hours, Satan will try to deceive more and more. But we don’t need to be deceived. God has given us everything we need to know. Let us believe and trust Him.
I invite you to pray with me just now.
Thank you, father in Heaven, for giving us the sure word of prophecy, the Bible that can explain to us the events that have happened and will happen. We’re so grateful that you give to us instruction as to how to live and how we are to relate to the deceptions of the devil. Help us only to accept the pure Word of God, and not in any way be tempted to understand and accept truth mixed with error presented to us by the devil and those who would mislead us. Help us always to look to you and to your pure biblical word. In Jesus name we ask it. Amen.