Psalm 115:17 – The dead cannot praise God

The dead cannot praise Yah, Nor all those descending into stillness.

In the Bible, death is not another form of life but the opposite of life. He who is dead knows nothing, feels nothing, does nothing, can do nothing and says nothing (Eccl. 9:10). So the dead do not cheer before God’s throne. The Bible does not have a vague ‘immortal soul’ that lives on after death. The dead are unaware of anything. They rest in the grave like sleeping people.

In a religious setting, it is the standard to comfort with the denial of death. The deceased would not really be dead but would live differently and elsewhere. But the Scriptures teach no denial of but victory over death. That is something completely different. It means that the dead will be made alive. Resurrection! The dead will be awakened from sleep to be resurrected (John 11:11).

All hope is in the living God who makes the dead alive. The resurrection of Christ is the great prototype of all mankind. For just as the firstfruits Christ was vivified, so every child of man will follow him in it. Each in its own order. What a guarantee!

Delen: