Lesson 13

What do the dead experience? As the Bereans did, let’s consult the Old Testament scriptures to find God’s truth about being dead.

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6…10 King James Version

5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun….

10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Psalm 6:5 Good News Translation

5 In the world of the dead you are not remembered; no one can praise you there.

Psalm 115:17 GOD’S WORD Translation

17 Those who are dead do not praise the Lord, nor do those who go into the silence of the grave.

Psalm 88:10-12 Easy-to-Read Version

10 Do you do miracles for the dead? Do ghosts rise up and praise you? No! Selah 11 The dead in their graves cannot talk about your faithful love. People in the world of the dead[a] cannot talk about your faithfulness. 12 The dead who lie in darkness cannot see the amazing things you do. Those in the world of the forgotten cannot talk about your goodness.

The Old Testament has told us the dead experience nothing. It tells us those who go into the silence of the grave have no attributes of life. They can’t think, hope, plan, or even praise their God. They are dead. 

How do these verses fit with your beliefs of what it’s like to be dead? If you were living in Old Testament times, would these verses give you hope about your long range future? Make a few notes for future reference.