Lesson 22

Here is a set of Old Testament scriptures sometimes thought to prove the dead are alive in the grave, conscious, thinking and speaking to each other. Some reason that if the dead can converse, it proves humans have immortal souls

Isaiah 14:9-11 King James Version

9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us?

11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.

We don’t have to look far to find evidence that God, through his word, is using this section of scripture as a metaphor, describing the death of the King of Babylon. Verses 4 through 7 describe how the people will rejoice in freedom.

4 That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!

5 The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked, and the sceptre of the rulers.

6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.

7 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they break forth into singing.

Freed captives along with the whole earth mock the dead king. Taunting him they will say, you weren’t so great! You’ve died, just like everyone else. Where is your splendor and power now? Proving these scriptures should be read as metaphor, verse 8 describes even the mighty fir and cedars trees joining in with the songs of derision. We know fir and cedar trees can’t speak. Reading this section of scripture as a whole thought, makes it an obvious metaphor of scorning towards a pompous king.

8 Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou 

art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

To study like a Berean we need to decipher what God is saying to us. Do you think God is being literal, or did he construct a symbolic metaphor?