Welcome to our ongoing series "In Search of the Truth". 00:00:01.98\00:00:05.47 I'm Karen Bird. 00:00:05.50\00:00:07.02 Recently, Charles and I went to see the only remaining object 00:00:07.21\00:00:10.57 of the 7 Wonders of the World. 00:00:10.60\00:00:13.65 It is the Great Pyramid of Giza. 00:00:14.69\00:00:17.04 This tomb was built with as many as 2.3 million stone blocks, 00:00:17.07\00:00:22.13 each averaging 2.5 tones. 00:00:22.16\00:00:24.56 Some of the blocks weighed as much as 16 tones. 00:00:24.62\00:00:27.99 There are many fascinating facts about this building 00:00:28.44\00:00:31.14 built to house the remains of Pharaoh Khufu. 00:00:31.17\00:00:33.71 The base of the pyramid covers 13 acres, 00:00:33.79\00:00:36.59 and its angles are precisely aligned to the stars. 00:00:36.89\00:00:40.60 Without any of our modern equipment, they harvested these 00:00:40.84\00:00:44.11 large stones from quarries and drudged them to, and up, 00:00:44.14\00:00:47.38 the Great Pyramid. 00:00:47.41\00:00:48.83 This tomb is some 50 stories tall. 00:00:49.02\00:00:52.80 This tomb was robbed, along with almost all the others 00:00:53.64\00:00:56.53 in Egypt, of its gold and precious artifacts. 00:00:56.56\00:01:00.36 The only known tomb undisturbed by the grave robbers, 00:01:00.66\00:01:03.42 was that of Tutankhamen. 00:01:03.45\00:01:05.53 We visited the museum in Cairo and saw many of the items 00:01:05.83\00:01:09.36 from his tomb, along with the golden face mask that covered 00:01:09.40\00:01:12.90 the head of the youthful monarch. 00:01:12.93\00:01:15.25 But do you know the number one reason so many 00:01:15.68\00:01:18.42 of the Egyptians put so much effort into their tombs? 00:01:18.46\00:01:21.98 They believed they had an immortal soul, their "ka", 00:01:22.43\00:01:26.57 and they wanted to make comfortable provision 00:01:26.70\00:01:28.96 for that afterlife. 00:01:29.12\00:01:31.17 Today, even Christians have adopted this belief 00:01:31.21\00:01:34.05 in an immortal soul, but does this belief square 00:01:34.08\00:01:36.87 with the truth taught by the God of creation? 00:01:36.90\00:01:39.66 Let's join Charles as he goes in search of the truth about death. 00:01:40.33\00:01:45.53 [Introductory Music] 00:01:45.56\00:01:47.88 "Crossing Over" with John Edwards, 00:02:32.93\00:02:34.75 it's causing quite a stir. 00:02:34.78\00:02:36.81 It makes people want to believe in actually talking to those 00:02:36.85\00:02:40.02 who have crossed over ahead of us. 00:02:40.05\00:02:42.72 Can we? 00:02:42.91\00:02:43.96 I had an interesting experience myself talking to a lady 00:02:44.40\00:02:47.05 in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania. 00:02:47.08\00:02:49.10 After I had held a series of meetings, she came to me 00:02:49.21\00:02:51.72 one evening with this story. 00:02:51.75\00:02:53.91 She said that she would go over to her elderly mother's 00:02:54.10\00:02:56.87 house every week, and take her grocery shopping, 00:02:56.90\00:02:59.09 out to eat, something warm and special 00:02:59.12\00:03:01.20 in her mother's waning years. 00:03:01.23\00:03:03.34 She brought her home one evening, 00:03:03.63\00:03:05.26 something strange was there. 00:03:05.29\00:03:07.68 They came into the door and she felt a presence in the house. 00:03:07.72\00:03:11.45 Her mother wanted to go to the bathroom, so she took her there, 00:03:11.78\00:03:14.14 and then went out in search of that presence. 00:03:14.40\00:03:17.35 As she came down the hall and turned to the kitchen, 00:03:17.39\00:03:20.38 there, leaning against the counter was her step dad 00:03:20.41\00:03:23.37 smoking his favorite pipe. 00:03:23.40\00:03:25.57 There's just one problem, her step dad was dead. 00:03:26.03\00:03:31.42 She didn't acknowledge him, she turned around and went back 00:03:31.58\00:03:34.00 to the bathroom, got her mother and as they came 00:03:34.03\00:03:36.99 to the bathroom door, her step dad walked 00:03:37.02\00:03:39.80 right in front of them, past them and on down the hall. 00:03:39.84\00:03:43.76 Strange experience indeed to come home and find 00:03:44.01\00:03:46.56 your departed step dad in your kitchen, smoking a pipe, 00:03:46.60\00:03:50.54 but stranger still is to actually look 00:03:51.07\00:03:53.37 for those kind of experiences. 00:03:53.40\00:03:55.83 One of those stories is found in the Bible in 1 Samuel 28. 00:03:56.02\00:04:01.36 It's the story of King Saul. 00:04:01.39\00:04:03.99 About 55 miles north of Jerusalem 00:04:04.06\00:04:06.65 is the Valley of Jezreel. 00:04:06.68\00:04:08.49 On the right of the valley is the hill of Gilboa. 00:04:08.89\00:04:12.75 We're standing today on the Mountain of Gilboa. 00:04:13.14\00:04:15.96 Saul and his soldiers were camped out here 00:04:16.26\00:04:18.16 at the foot of Mount Gilead, 00:04:18.19\00:04:19.62 about to do battle with the Philistines. 00:04:19.66\00:04:21.64 The Philistines had been taking advantage of the kingdom of Saul 00:04:22.05\00:04:25.46 because he had been wasting his time chasing David, 00:04:25.55\00:04:28.16 and now they were controlling the iron mines down here 00:04:28.68\00:04:32.68 in the city of Beth Shean. 00:04:32.71\00:04:35.48 Saul is afraid because the Philistines 00:04:35.76\00:04:38.14 are stronger than he, and he doesn't have any word 00:04:38.18\00:04:40.22 from the Lord. And so he begins to pray, and nothing happens. 00:04:40.26\00:04:45.04 He waits for a priest to come, nothing happens. 00:04:45.07\00:04:48.06 He waits for a prophet to talk to him, nothing happens, 00:04:48.10\00:04:51.91 so in desperation, he comes down, breaks through the lines 00:04:51.94\00:04:55.79 with two of his men, crosses over behind this hill here, 00:04:55.82\00:04:59.64 ends up behind this city on the ridge there, at Endor, 00:05:00.00\00:05:03.76 where he talks to a witch. 00:05:03.79\00:05:05.75 And there he spoke with Samuel 00:05:06.73\00:05:10.90 ...or... was it? 00:05:11.74\00:05:13.94 There's no need for us to wonder about the other side, 00:05:13.98\00:05:16.96 no need for us to wonder about those who have crossed over. 00:05:17.25\00:05:20.40 We can answer this question not from speculation, 00:05:20.74\00:05:24.67 or even anecdotal evidence. 00:05:25.00\00:05:26.85 You can know from God's word what happens when someone dies. 00:05:26.89\00:05:31.97 To understand our end, we must understand our beginning. 00:05:32.01\00:05:37.06 And to do that we go back to the book of Genesis. 00:05:37.29\00:05:40.35 In the book of Genesis 2:7, we find how we were created. 00:05:40.73\00:05:45.75 How God developed and formed us in His very image. 00:05:45.78\00:05:49.40 [Text on screen]. 00:05:49.43\00:05:51.14 How did man become what he is? 00:06:03.34\00:06:05.25 First off, God formed the of the ground, 00:06:05.29\00:06:07.80 then He breathed into its nostrils the breath of life, 00:06:08.06\00:06:11.19 and man became a living soul. 00:06:11.48\00:06:15.31 Notice that he wasn't given a soul, he became a soul. 00:06:15.66\00:06:19.74 A soul is what he is. 00:06:19.77\00:06:21.82 And this exact process can happen in reverse - and does - 00:06:22.01\00:06:26.54 when a person dies. 00:06:26.74\00:06:28.30 Look what it says in Ecclesiastes 12:7 00:06:28.34\00:06:31.55 [Text on Screen] 00:06:31.58\00:06:33.44 That's how the process works. A person is born, 00:06:39.89\00:06:43.30 the body receives the breath of God and becomes a living soul. 00:06:43.70\00:06:47.51 It happens the same way in reverse 00:06:47.82\00:06:49.96 - the breath returns to God, the dust returns to the earth, 00:06:50.00\00:06:54.32 and the man, or the living being or the soul, ceases to be. 00:06:54.36\00:06:58.65 But you might be asking: 00:06:58.69\00:07:00.43 "Charles, the spirit doesn't die does it?" 00:07:00.46\00:07:03.00 "Doesn't the spirit return to God?" 00:07:03.03\00:07:05.32 The answer is "Yes, it does. " 00:07:05.64\00:07:07.79 The question is: What is the spirit? 00:07:08.11\00:07:11.27 To find the answer to that question we must once again 00:07:11.49\00:07:14.07 go back to The Bible for the answer. 00:07:14.10\00:07:17.26 In James 2:26, we read [Text on Screen]. 00:07:17.30\00:07:20.43 So what is the spirit? 00:07:23.62\00:07:26.20 When you look up in the Strong's Exhaust of Concordance 00:07:26.81\00:07:29.47 the word "spirit", you discover it comes 00:07:29.50\00:07:31.39 from the Greek word pneuma. 00:07:31.42\00:07:34.32 It's where we get words like "pneumatic drill" 00:07:34.36\00:07:37.12 or "pneumatic hammer" or "pneumonia", 00:07:37.15\00:07:40.76 and what the word simply means is "breath". 00:07:40.80\00:07:44.19 So we could look at the text again, 00:07:44.51\00:07:46.48 and what the text simply says is: 00:07:46.51\00:07:48.45 "... The body without the breath is dead... " 00:07:48.91\00:07:53.18 Job has the same message for us 00:07:53.21\00:07:55.28 in the book of Job 27:3 [Text on Screen]. 00:07:55.32\00:07:58.92 Job said that when the Spirit of God was in his nostrils, 00:08:05.72\00:08:10.18 he had breath. 00:08:10.29\00:08:11.87 Simply understood, the Spirit of God, 00:08:12.28\00:08:15.57 or the Breath of God, is that spark of life. 00:08:15.61\00:08:19.24 It is not some supernatural intelligence 00:08:19.27\00:08:22.83 that resides within us, it is that spark of life 00:08:22.87\00:08:26.23 that keeps us living. 00:08:26.26\00:08:28.23 You know, we were created to live forever. 00:08:28.41\00:08:30.59 That's something that we desire, something that we want, 00:08:30.63\00:08:33.37 something that we feel like we should have, 00:08:33.40\00:08:35.83 and that's the way God meant it to be. 00:08:36.33\00:08:38.42 And so we would like our spirit to live on forever, 00:08:38.63\00:08:41.65 but the breath, or the spark of life, simply goes back to God. 00:08:42.18\00:08:46.25 But what about the soul, does the soul live forever? 00:08:46.53\00:08:49.87 Well, to understand that, we go back to Genesis 2:7 again 00:08:50.16\00:08:54.70 [Text on Screen] 00:08:54.73\00:08:56.66 Once again, we discover that this is not something 00:09:03.91\00:09:06.37 that we have, but a soul is simply something that we are. 00:09:06.41\00:09:12.01 Contained in the simple Bible texts, is a Biblical formula 00:09:12.19\00:09:15.74 that helps us to understand where we came from, 00:09:15.77\00:09:18.32 and where we're going. 00:09:18.50\00:09:20.51 God starts with dust. And from that dust He creates a body. 00:09:21.02\00:09:25.26 Then He adds to that body breath, or spirit. 00:09:25.52\00:09:30.15 What does that equal? 00:09:30.53\00:09:32.13 It equals life, or as the Bible tells us in Genesis 2:7 00:09:32.22\00:09:36.55 "... a soul". 00:09:36.58\00:09:37.80 But what happens if that formula goes in reverse, 00:09:37.84\00:09:41.50 and the body loses its breath, then you have death. 00:09:41.54\00:09:45.17 The same thing would be true for the soul. 00:09:45.57\00:09:47.72 The soul dies, it ceases to exist. 00:09:47.75\00:09:51.99 Much the same way you would have with a light 00:09:52.03\00:09:54.12 and a light bulb. You take a light bulb, 00:09:54.15\00:09:56.94 add electricity and you have light. 00:09:56.97\00:09:59.00 If you take away the electricity, or the spirit, 00:09:59.35\00:10:01.68 the light just ceases to exist. 00:10:02.18\00:10:05.47 When Genesis 2:7 says that man become a living soul, 00:10:05.51\00:10:09.21 it is something that we are, 00:10:09.24\00:10:10.94 it isn't something that we have. 00:10:10.98\00:10:12.82 And when we die, when the breath goes back to God, 00:10:12.86\00:10:16.03 and the body is laid in the dust, 00:10:16.06\00:10:18.11 the soul ceases to exist. 00:10:18.51\00:10:21.53 So how did we come to the conclusion that we have 00:10:21.57\00:10:23.87 an immortal soul, that lives on and on 00:10:23.90\00:10:26.40 - a spirit consciousness that survives the grave? 00:10:26.44\00:10:30.07 Our first parents in the Garden of Eden were lied to. 00:10:30.84\00:10:34.95 The Bible tells us in Genesis 3:4 [Text on Screen]. 00:10:35.69\00:10:40.14 From that day to this, people have chosen to believe his lie, 00:10:44.85\00:10:50.06 instead of God's plain written truth. 00:10:50.36\00:10:53.60 The serpent's lie did have an element of truth in it, 00:10:54.03\00:10:57.24 for God did design man to live forever. 00:10:57.46\00:11:00.66 And their desire to be "forever beings" is a legitimate desire, 00:11:00.80\00:11:05.26 but we've tried to fulfill it in illegitimate ways. 00:11:05.66\00:11:08.67 People all over the globe have believed in the immortality 00:11:08.71\00:11:11.92 of the soul from Egypt, all the way to Bali, 00:11:11.95\00:11:15.56 people have lived their life around this belief. 00:11:15.59\00:11:19.17 But what does the Bible say about the soul? 00:11:19.20\00:11:22.67 In Ezekiel 18:20, it says [Text on Screen] 00:11:23.01\00:11:27.78 John believed the same thing when he saw 00:11:30.73\00:11:33.12 an apocalyptic vision: the angels pouring out 00:11:33.16\00:11:36.00 bowls of plagues upon the Earth. 00:11:36.03\00:11:38.08 He tells us about it in Revelation 16:3 [Text on Screen] 00:11:38.44\00:11:43.79 The New King James translates the word "soul" as "creature", 00:11:53.69\00:11:57.21 a fair translation, because man becomes a living soul, 00:11:57.27\00:12:02.29 or a living creature, or a living being. 00:12:02.32\00:12:05.67 That's why in the old newspapers, 00:12:06.11\00:12:08.16 when there was a great fire they would say 00:12:08.22\00:12:10.28 "25 souls were lost". 00:12:10.53\00:12:13.46 When a soul is lost, when a person dies, 00:12:13.50\00:12:16.63 and those of us who love them come and pay our last respects, 00:12:16.99\00:12:20.83 when we look at them lying there, there's something 00:12:20.94\00:12:23.23 that God wants to tell us, something that He wants us 00:12:23.26\00:12:25.52 to know about those who have passed on. 00:12:25.55\00:12:28.36 We can read about it in Eccles. 9:5 [Text on Screen]. 00:12:28.70\00:12:34.24 Listen to what God says: the living know that they'll die, 00:12:38.78\00:12:42.16 but once they're lying there, they don't know anything. 00:12:42.19\00:12:45.79 They have no more reward, for the memory of them 00:12:45.82\00:12:48.42 is forgotten. "For the living know that they will die," 00:12:49.02\00:12:52.63 "but the dead know nothing". 00:12:52.66\00:12:54.90 I think that's pretty clear. 00:12:55.49\00:12:57.35 The living know that they will die. 00:12:57.38\00:12:59.00 When we come to the funeral and we see those 00:12:59.04\00:13:01.68 that we love lying there, we know that our fate 00:13:01.71\00:13:04.32 will be like theirs. 00:13:04.35\00:13:05.71 We all know that if we live long enough 00:13:05.75\00:13:07.80 we'll end up in that same box. 00:13:08.01\00:13:10.64 But the dead, what do they know when they're lying there? 00:13:11.06\00:13:13.12 What are they feeling? 00:13:13.15\00:13:15.05 Nothing. 00:13:15.08\00:13:16.49 The text goes on to say that "they have no more reward," 00:13:16.59\00:13:19.91 "for the memory of them is forgotten". 00:13:19.94\00:13:22.90 "Their love, their hatred, their envy, it all has perished. " 00:13:22.94\00:13:28.54 "Never more will they have a share of anything" 00:13:28.57\00:13:31.23 "done under the sun. " 00:13:31.26\00:13:33.59 Never more will they have any participation. 00:13:33.63\00:13:36.64 They're not watching what's going on, 00:13:36.79\00:13:38.72 they're not grieving over what's happening, 00:13:38.76\00:13:40.81 they're not rejoicing, they're not rejoicing at all. 00:13:40.85\00:13:43.46 In fact, Psalms tells us [Text on Screen] 00:13:43.49\00:13:47.09 Once again, the Word of God is clear. 00:13:50.74\00:13:52.85 Dead people are not praising the Lord, 00:13:53.17\00:13:55.14 those who are gone down into their graves 00:13:55.18\00:13:57.12 are resting quietly in silence. 00:13:57.15\00:13:59.79 "Whoa, don't confuse me with the facts here. " 00:13:59.83\00:14:01.80 I hear someone asking: "I thought grandma was in Heaven" 00:14:01.84\00:14:04.72 "with God right now, I thought she was praising Jesus," 00:14:04.76\00:14:07.61 "looking down on me, answering my prayers. " 00:14:07.71\00:14:10.28 Well, let's look at the facts as they're found in God's word. 00:14:10.90\00:14:13.93 New Testament doctrine, Acts Chapter 2. 00:14:13.96\00:14:17.42 Peter was preaching on the Day of Pentecost, 00:14:17.55\00:14:19.95 and as he was preaching, he got to talking about David. 00:14:19.99\00:14:23.12 Now any of us who know the Bible, would believe that if 00:14:23.15\00:14:26.25 anyone would go to Heaven when they die, 00:14:26.28\00:14:28.10 it would certainly be David. 00:14:28.13\00:14:30.30 David, the man after God's own heart. 00:14:30.38\00:14:32.92 David, the man who loved God and repented greatly. 00:14:33.02\00:14:36.47 David, who chose God's way. 00:14:36.52\00:14:39.17 David, who was talked about over and over in scripture as 00:14:39.21\00:14:42.08 "the man who followed God". 00:14:42.11\00:14:44.59 But Peter, in preaching about David, says this in verse 29 00:14:45.28\00:14:50.18 [Text on Screen] 00:14:50.21\00:14:52.24 Ahah, but you're saying "Yes," 00:14:59.57\00:15:01.58 "his tomb is with us to this day," 00:15:01.62\00:15:03.89 "that's where they laid his body," 00:15:03.92\00:15:06.41 "but he went to be with the Lord. " 00:15:06.45\00:15:08.91 That's not what Peter says in verse 34. 00:15:09.68\00:15:12.76 In verse 34 he says [Text on Screen]. 00:15:12.79\00:15:15.84 David isn't with the Lord in heaven, David is resting. 00:15:18.84\00:15:22.87 Just a moment, just a slight, brief intermission until 00:15:23.52\00:15:28.02 that great resurrection morning. 00:15:28.05\00:15:30.17 Peter did not invent this doctrine, this concept that when 00:15:30.39\00:15:34.59 people die they just rest in the grave. 00:15:34.62\00:15:37.69 Peter learned this truth from Jesus Himself. 00:15:37.73\00:15:40.27 From the Son of God who came to reveal all truth. 00:15:40.31\00:15:43.01 This is what Jesus taught us in John 5:28 [Text on Screen] 00:15:43.05\00:15:49.27 Now let me ask you, if all the dead people are with God 00:15:56.91\00:16:00.43 in heaven, when Jesus comes back for that resurrection, 00:16:00.46\00:16:03.95 why will they in their graves hear His voice? 00:16:03.98\00:16:06.62 Jesus explains this in more detail in verse 29 00:16:07.04\00:16:11.17 [Text on Screen] 00:16:11.20\00:16:13.22 Jesus clearly explains that there are two resurrections. 00:16:22.07\00:16:25.53 Jesus clearly explains that those who die 00:16:25.56\00:16:28.33 are resting in their graves, and at those two resurrections, 00:16:28.37\00:16:31.74 whether you've been righteous or whether you've been evil, 00:16:31.78\00:16:35.12 you will be raised up in that resurrection. 00:16:35.15\00:16:38.44 Not come down from heaven, but be raised up. 00:16:38.99\00:16:42.45 Jesus explains this truth about the resurrection 00:16:42.48\00:16:45.91 and the state of the dead probably best 00:16:46.01\00:16:47.87 in his experience with Lazarus. 00:16:47.90\00:16:50.66 Lazarus was one of his best t friends, but he got very sick, 00:16:51.12\00:16:54.29 and his sisters - Mary and Martha - sent word to Him: 00:16:54.32\00:16:57.49 "Lord, he whom Thou lovest is sick". 00:16:57.52\00:17:00.11 Jesus sent comforting words back, He said: 00:17:00.55\00:17:03.46 "This sickness is onto death. " 00:17:03.49\00:17:05.49 How much they were encouraged by those words. 00:17:06.10\00:17:08.39 They clung to those words, and still, Lazarus died. 00:17:08.43\00:17:12.66 Jesus wasn't there to bring health back to Lazarus. 00:17:13.17\00:17:16.78 Jesus wasn't even there for his funeral. 00:17:16.81\00:17:19.86 Jesus wasn't there to comfort the sisters as they were weeping 00:17:19.90\00:17:23.12 for the loss of their brother, 00:17:23.22\00:17:25.45 but Jesus was there in heart and in spirit. 00:17:25.83\00:17:29.68 Even though Lazarus was dead, Jesus, who is the life, 00:17:29.72\00:17:34.13 had a plan. 00:17:34.49\00:17:35.74 Jesus turned to his disciples and He said: [Text on screen] 00:17:35.86\00:17:39.17 Jesus had said that Lazarus was sleeping. 00:17:44.20\00:17:47.72 The disciples didn't understand what He really meant, 00:17:48.43\00:17:51.71 in fact, the disciples said: [Text on Screen] 00:17:51.86\00:17:54.76 Lazarus had died. 00:18:13.61\00:18:15.67 They'd had the service, wound his body all up, 00:18:15.99\00:18:18.47 mummified style, with tight windings. 00:18:18.50\00:18:22.33 They had taken him and placed him in a tomb. 00:18:22.37\00:18:24.87 This tomb was a unique tomb because it was down in a cave, 00:18:25.07\00:18:28.92 steps leading downward. 00:18:28.95\00:18:31.31 Then he was laid out on a cold stone, 00:18:31.64\00:18:34.36 but Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life, 00:18:35.05\00:18:40.30 had another plan for Lazarus. 00:18:40.65\00:18:43.25 Jesus came to Lazarus' tomb, and He called in clear tones: 00:18:43.31\00:18:47.77 "Lazarus, come forth. " 00:18:47.80\00:18:50.70 And the miraculous power of God picked up Lazarus, 00:18:51.69\00:18:54.92 carried him up those stones, 00:18:55.40\00:18:57.63 and set him at the opening of that tomb. 00:18:57.66\00:19:02.03 And Jesus said: "Unwind his clothes, let him go free. " 00:19:02.81\00:19:06.49 Jesus used the term "rest", or "sleep", in talking about death, 00:19:06.94\00:19:11.69 and so did other Bible authors. 00:19:11.91\00:19:13.91 I did some research with my Franklin Electronic Bible. 00:19:14.15\00:19:17.23 Did you know that 66 times the term "sleep" is used for death, 00:19:17.65\00:19:22.34 in 17 different books of the Bible? 00:19:22.76\00:19:25.75 But we can't talk to our dead, departed loved ones. 00:19:25.85\00:19:29.69 They are asleep. 00:19:29.84\00:19:31.64 They're not thinking about us, 00:19:32.01\00:19:34.01 they're not worried about us. 00:19:34.04\00:19:36.01 Job 14:12 clearly tells us [Text on Screen]. 00:19:36.30\00:19:41.93 Look what the text says carefully: 00:19:50.41\00:19:52.89 "till the heavens are no more". 00:19:52.93\00:19:55.38 That's when they'll wake up; at that resurrection morning. 00:19:55.59\00:19:59.46 Job goes on to tell us in verse 21 [Text on Screen]. 00:19:59.69\00:20:04.45 After someone has passed on, they're not thinking 00:20:12.49\00:20:15.16 about their loved ones, they're asleep. 00:20:15.19\00:20:17.57 They're not worried, they're asleep. 00:20:17.73\00:20:20.19 They're not talking to Jesus about their loved ones, 00:20:20.29\00:20:22.85 they're asleep. 00:20:23.34\00:20:24.76 [Text on screen] 00:20:25.01\00:20:27.03 I can see how honest people can make an honest mistake 00:20:35.91\00:20:38.96 when it comes to the Bible. 00:20:38.99\00:20:40.68 For example, in 1 Samuel 28, there's a text 00:20:40.72\00:20:44.01 that talks about Samuel, who's long since dead, 00:20:44.05\00:20:47.31 talking to King Saul. 00:20:47.62\00:20:49.51 This is what it says: [Text on Screen] 00:20:49.55\00:20:52.52 Doesn't that prove that the dead people can talk to us? 00:20:57.66\00:21:01.44 That those who have crossed over still can think 00:21:01.47\00:21:03.74 and communicate with us, who are living? 00:21:03.77\00:21:06.34 Not necessarily. 00:21:06.66\00:21:08.38 Let's look at the story more critically, 00:21:08.42\00:21:10.82 and I'll let you decide for yourself. 00:21:10.85\00:21:13.22 King Saul was worried about the battle he was going 00:21:13.25\00:21:15.37 to have the next day with Philistines. 00:21:15.40\00:21:17.73 So he sought out a witch, a woman, who seemed to have 00:21:17.77\00:21:20.52 the ability to communicate with the dead. 00:21:20.55\00:21:22.85 He went to her cave secretly at Endor, and asked her to bring 00:21:23.05\00:21:27.39 there the prophet Samuel, so he could speak with him. 00:21:27.42\00:21:30.99 This is what the word of God says in verse 13 00:21:31.26\00:21:34.25 [Text on Screen]. 00:21:34.28\00:21:35.95 If Samuel had gone to heaven when he died, 00:21:42.19\00:21:44.60 as you would expect a prophet of God to do, 00:21:44.63\00:21:47.01 why wouldn't he coming down from heaven instead of coming up 00:21:47.35\00:21:50.26 out of the earth? 00:21:50.29\00:21:51.67 Let's look at the next verse: [Text on screen] 00:21:51.79\00:21:55.41 The Bible doesn't clearly say that it was Samuel. 00:22:04.41\00:22:06.95 It says that he perceived that it was Samuel. 00:22:07.19\00:22:10.49 And under that assumption it keeps referring to him as Samuel 00:22:10.53\00:22:14.88 Saul is there in the cave in Endor, there with the witch, 00:22:15.12\00:22:18.81 but was it Samuel who appeared? 00:22:19.56\00:22:22.00 God refused to talk to King Saul through dreams, 00:22:22.18\00:22:25.21 He refused to talk to Saul through a priest, 00:22:25.43\00:22:28.02 He refused to talk to Saul through a prophet, 00:22:28.38\00:22:30.85 His appointed means through which He communicates. 00:22:30.89\00:22:35.01 Saul then took matters into his own hands, 00:22:35.28\00:22:37.61 and he went to the witch of Endor. 00:22:37.64\00:22:39.79 Satan always goes too far in trying to prove his point. 00:22:40.19\00:22:43.83 Just like he did with the woman who saw her step dad 00:22:44.01\00:22:47.05 there in the kitchen, smoking his favorite pipe. 00:22:47.08\00:22:50.09 Let's suppose that when the step dad died, 00:22:50.65\00:22:52.41 he went right to hell. 00:22:52.44\00:22:54.23 And then one day he said to God: 00:22:54.33\00:22:56.01 "God can I go visit my family for just a few minutes?" 00:22:56.05\00:22:59.13 Do you think God would let him out of hell? I don't think so. 00:22:59.34\00:23:03.42 But let's suppose that when the step dad died, 00:23:03.83\00:23:05.88 he went to be with Jesus in heaven. 00:23:05.91\00:23:07.66 And one day he went to the Father and said: 00:23:07.70\00:23:09.80 "Father, can I visit my wife and stepdaughter," 00:23:09.83\00:23:11.86 "just this once, just for a few minutes? I miss them so much. " 00:23:11.90\00:23:15.08 Do you think a loving God would let him come back 00:23:15.61\00:23:18.07 just for a few minutes? Maybe. 00:23:18.10\00:23:21.02 The only problem is that he really doesn't want to 00:23:21.40\00:23:23.46 visit his wife, he doesn't say hello, 00:23:23.49\00:23:25.03 he doesn't give his stepdaughter a hug, what he does is runs 00:23:25.07\00:23:28.37 to the kitchen and gets out his favorite pipe and some tobacco. 00:23:28.41\00:23:31.68 Why? Because God doesn't allow smoking in heaven. 00:23:31.87\00:23:35.23 Smoking causes death, and there's no more death in heaven. 00:23:35.42\00:23:39.00 And so he really wanted to come back 00:23:39.32\00:23:41.00 just to have another smoke. 00:23:41.03\00:23:43.46 Friend, there is life after death, 00:23:43.50\00:23:45.79 but not because we have some immortal soul 00:23:46.32\00:23:48.42 that lives on and on after we die. 00:23:48.45\00:23:50.70 Not because we have some cosmic spirit consciousness 00:23:50.74\00:23:53.24 that goes up into the cosmos somewhere. 00:23:53.34\00:23:55.70 We can live forever because we've invited Jesus 00:23:56.20\00:23:59.09 to come into our heart, and He has promised that 00:23:59.13\00:24:01.95 on the resurrection morning He will raise those to life, 00:24:01.99\00:24:05.56 those who have given their lives to him. 00:24:05.75\00:24:08.00 On the resurrection of the righteous, we can be with Him 00:24:08.04\00:24:11.18 and our loved ones once again in heaven 00:24:11.21\00:24:14.35 and the New Earth, forever and ever. 00:24:14.39\00:24:17.50 So next time you're tempted to believe some apparition 00:24:17.86\00:24:20.63 that might appear in your home, next time your tempted 00:24:20.67\00:24:23.29 to go to some séance, where they're going to communicate 00:24:23.33\00:24:25.92 with our departed loved ones who have crossed over, 00:24:25.95\00:24:28.27 think twice. 00:24:28.83\00:24:30.26 Think about what the word of God has to say, 00:24:30.53\00:24:32.97 think about the truths that you've heard here today, 00:24:33.01\00:24:35.56 think about what God's truth is, and then let His word guide you. 00:24:35.72\00:24:41.67 Someday, I long to be at a Gettysburg Cemetery 00:24:42.41\00:24:46.04 where my brother is lying in a box, just like this. 00:24:46.08\00:24:48.99 I long to be there when the skies part, and Jesus 00:24:49.03\00:24:52.37 comes back, and He calls my brother to eternal life. 00:24:52.41\00:24:55.72 That day is coming very soon, 00:24:56.35\00:24:58.35 invite Jesus into your heart, 00:24:58.91\00:25:00.91 chose Him, and believe His word. 00:25:01.41\00:25:04.75 Today's topic may have been unsettling for some of you, 00:25:05.44\00:25:08.44 but I have found that those who fully study it from God's word, 00:25:08.74\00:25:12.44 have found great peace and security in His truth. 00:25:12.47\00:25:16.02 Now get your pen and paper ready because today 00:25:16.56\00:25:18.79 we are giving you a free resource to help 00:25:18.82\00:25:21.26 you look deeper into this matter. 00:25:21.29\00:25:23.45 This study guide will cover a lot of ground and will even 00:25:23.73\00:25:26.56 answer some of your thought questions, like: 00:25:26.59\00:25:28.76 "Didn't the thief on the cross go to Paradise with Christ" 00:25:29.13\00:25:31.93 "the day he died?" and "Doesn't Matthew 10:28," 00:25:31.96\00:25:35.18 "or Revelation 6, 9 and 10, prove that the soul is undying?" 00:25:35.22\00:25:39.97 You'll find this guide a wonderful resource. 00:25:40.73\00:25:43.42 Now here's the information you'll need. 00:25:43.81\00:25:46.13 Are the dead really dead? 00:25:47.70\00:25:50.55 To access this powerful resource, 00:25:50.87\00:25:53.08 go to www. amazing facts. org 00:25:53.11\00:25:57.20 and simply select the "Studies" button. 00:25:57.40\00:25:59.67 From there, you can order the entire set 00:25:59.86\00:26:02.05 of these study guides, or you can look and listen 00:26:02.09\00:26:05.47 to this particular study guide. 00:26:05.50\00:26:07.51 You can even enroll in the free online Bible study course, 00:26:07.68\00:26:11.50 which will answer many of your Bible questions. 00:26:11.70\00:26:14.52 Again, this study guide is available to you 00:26:14.72\00:26:16.93 anywhere in the world, at [information on screen]. 00:26:16.97\00:26:20.25 In our next program, we'll be going with Charles 00:26:24.01\00:26:26.51 to Mount Sinai. 00:26:26.54\00:26:28.41 Perhaps the most costly tent that was ever made, 00:26:28.70\00:26:31.42 was erected on this valley floor. 00:26:31.52\00:26:34.47 Here, within its walls and contained in its ceremonies, 00:26:34.86\00:26:37.84 God illustrated many truths that have been forgotten today. 00:26:38.12\00:26:42.24 Here in symbolic form, God predicted the future 00:26:42.76\00:26:46.94 and had intimate fellowship with His people. 00:26:47.24\00:26:49.83 Can you imagine the God of creation going camping 00:26:50.24\00:26:53.36 with human beings? 00:26:53.39\00:26:55.13 Does that same God still want to go camping with us? 00:26:55.80\00:26:59.44 Join us next time as we go in search of the truth. 00:26:59.90\00:27:04.26 [Music for Credits Begins] 00:27:04.29\00:27:07.93