State of the Dead

Sheol and Hades are the Hebrew and Greek words translated, wrongly, in the King James Version of the Bible as the word "hell". They simply mean the grave or abode where dead are reserved until their day of judgement. The notion of "hell" and / or a heavenly paradise to ascend to upon death is pagan in its origin. The Egyptians were big in an afterlife in the story of Osiris and their mummies and pyramids. The first lie told on earth was in Eden by the opponent of God, disguised as a serpent, telling Eve she wouldn't die- And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: Genesis 3:4 Eve tasted the forbidden fruit and eventually did die, for sin entered the world, and with it death, pain and suffering. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23 The lie of the serpent is still repeated from the pulpit by many of Christianity today(telling people they go to heaven, hell or purgatory upon "death"). But The Word says-(death compared to sleep) And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. Luke 8:52 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. John 11:11,13-14 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? Psalm 6:5 If Christ died, and had to be ressurrected, then apparrently He wasn't in heaven. Also He raised Lazarus from the dead- His voice piercing the ears of the dead to wake him- And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. John 11:43 Also, when He had heard that His friend lazarus was dead- Jesus wept. John 11:35 Why would He weep if Lazarus was in paradise? Or this- In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Corinthians 15:52 Why would we be raised from the dead at His return if we are already in heaven, or, shall we say, in a warmer place? O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1Corinthians 15:55 He became the "firstfruits" to be ressurrected. So apparently everyone else before Him didn't automatically go on to heaven when they died. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 1Corinthians 15:20 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2 What people might think of as "hell", a place with fire, is the Lake of Fire at the END, which will destroy all evil once and for all. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:8 As a wise author once put it "The sermon which satan preached to Eve upon the immortality of the soul - "Ye shall not sureley die" - they have reiterated from the pulpit; and the people recieve it as pure Bible truth. It is the foundaation of spiritualism. The word of God nowhere teaches that the soul of man is immortal. Immortality is an attribute of God only. 1 Timothy 6:16 "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everalasting. Amen." An eternally burning hell preached from the pulpit, and kept before the people, does injustice to the benovoleent character of God. It presents Him as the veriest tyrant in the universe. The widespread dogma has turned thousands to universalism, infidelity, and atheism. The word of God is plain. It is a straight chain of truth." Testimonies for the Church vol. 1,p.344-345