What does Ellen White write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "What does the Bible teach about the condition of the dead?"
Answer
The Bible teaches that death is a state of unconscious sleep in which all activities and thoughts cease. Man possesses no natural immortality, but rests, bound to dust in the grave (“Sheol” or “Hades”), until the resurrection. Only at Christ’s return are believers granted immortality as a gift.
Death as Unconscious Sleep
»In Holy Scripture it says: “So a man lies down and does not rise again; until the heavens cease, they will not awaken nor be roused from their sleep.” ... Sleep is therefore a state of interrupted activity and unconscious rest. Thus the dead are repeatedly described as “resting.” And this intermediate state is defined as one of inactivity and silence. The Hebrew concept of this unconscious sleep in Sheol or the realm of the grave is shown in the psalmist’s statements such as: “His breath departs, he returns to his earth [dust]; on that day his thoughts cease.”«
Place and Condition of the Dead
»These testimonies of inspired writers make it perfectly clear that we possess no immortality in this life and that man in death does not ascend to heaven nor descend into hell, but rests quietly in the dust of the earth until the resurrection calls him from there. ... The Bible describes the place of the dead clearly. The word used for this purpose in the Old Testament is (Sheol), and the corresponding word in the New Testament is (Hades). As their usage demonstrates, they denote a place of silence, mystery, sleep, rest, darkness, decay, and worms. They are terms for the common abode of the dead, both the righteous and the wicked.«
Immortality as a Future Gift
»Immortality is presented to us as an object of hope that we should seek – an explanation that would be fraud and deception if we already possessed it. ... As far as the use of the terms “immortal” and “immortality” is concerned, the Bible nowhere says that man is “immortal”; nowhere does it state that he has “immortality”; and it contains no proof that he possesses any indestructible, immortal principle in his nature.«
Preparation for Deceptions
»The children of God should be able to confront him [Satan], as our Savior does, with the words: “It is written.” ... Anyone who wishes to endure in this time of danger must understand the testimony of Holy Scripture concerning the nature of man and the condition of the dead; for in the near future many will be confronted with spirits of demons posing as beloved relatives or friends and proclaiming the most dangerous false doctrines. ... We must be prepared to resist them with biblical truth that the dead know nothing and that those who appear so are spirits of demons.«
The Time Span Until the Resurrection
»It cannot be emphasized enough that throughout the entire interval there is complete unconsciousness. The saints are not in heaven, but in the realm of the grave. ... The moment of loss of consciousness is immediately followed in the next moment by the regaining of consciousness, only now with the body in glorified, immortal form. ... Therefore we believe it is clearly proven that the condition of death in the New Testament is presented as an unconscious sleep between death and the resurrection.«
Original Sources (English)
Stephan Krol
Founder of EGW Vision
Why I built EGW Vision
Hello, I am Stephan Krol. I started this Ellen White website to make the writings of Ellen G. White and the Adventist pioneers easier to access for everyone.
EGW Vision helps you find topics, statements, and quotes faster, especially when many original sources are not yet fully available in your language. The tool searches semantically, groups relevant content by topic, and presents matching results as clearly as possible in your language.
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