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Pastor Jeff Veldman
Hayward SDA Church
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Service times:
Sabbath School: 9:30 a.m.
Worship Service: Every third Sabbath @ 11:00 a.m.
Ghosts, Spirits, and the Truth About Death
Every October, neighborhoods begin filling with decorations of ghosts, skeletons, and tombstones. While many consider these things harmless fun, they raise a question that has puzzled people throughout the ages: What really happens when a person dies?
There are many beliefs about death. Some believe the dead go immediately to heaven or hell. Others believe in purgatory, reincarnation, or that the dead sleep in the grave until the resurrection.
But rather than relying on traditions or popular beliefs, shouldn’t we ask, what does the Bible actually teach?
From the very beginning, Satan has sought to confuse humanity about death. In the Garden of Eden, God warned Adam and Eve that disobedience would bring death. But Satan contradicted God’s Word, telling Eve, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).
That same deception continues today in the belief that although the body dies, some conscious part of the person continues living. But notice what the Bible tells us.
Genesis 2:7 says, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (KJV).
God formed man’s body from the dust, breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul. When that process is reversed, death occurs. Psalm 104:29 tells us, “You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.”
But what happens to our thoughts and consciousness when we die?
Ecclesiastes 9:5 plainly states, “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing.” Psalm 146:4 adds that when a person’s breath departs and he returns to the earth, “In that very day his plans perish.”
The Bible describes death as an unconscious sleep until the resurrection.
When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, Jesus told His disciples, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up” (John 11:11). When they misunderstood, Jesus plainly told them, “Lazarus is dead” (verse 14).
Four days later, Jesus stood before Lazarus’s tomb and called, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43). Jesus did not call Lazarus down from heaven or up from some other place. He called him out of the grave.
And this brings us to the wonderful hope found in God’s Word.
Jesus promised that the day is coming when “all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth” (John 5:28–29). Those who have died trusting in Christ will be raised to everlasting life. For the Christian, death is not the end of the story.
While Halloween often portrays death as something mysterious and frightening, the Bible directs our attention to Jesus Christ, the One who has conquered death.
Jesus declares in Revelation 1:18, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
What a wonderful promise! The grave does not have the final word—Jesus does!
One day, Jesus will return, the graves will be opened, and those who have fallen asleep in Him will awaken to everlasting life.
But perhaps you still have questions. Can the dead communicate with the living? Do people go immediately to heaven when they die? What about near-death experiences? And what does the Bible really say about the soul?
These are important questions, and God’s Word has answers.
If you would like to explore these subjects further, I encourage you to visit www.truthaboutdeath.com. This website offers Bible-based articles, videos, and other resources that examine what happens when we die and the wonderful hope of the resurrection.
After all, the most important question is not simply, “What happens when we die?” but “Am I ready to meet Jesus when He comes?”
The wonderful news is that we do not have to live in fear of death or uncertainty about the future. Jesus has conquered the grave, and He offers eternal life to everyone who places their faith in Him.
He gives us this beautiful promise:
“Because I live, you will live also.” — John 14:19
Check calendar for special guest speakers for worship service.
Special Event
A Worldwide Church Family
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a mainstream Protestant church with approximately 19 million members worldwide, including more than one million members in North America. The Adventist Church operates 173 hospitals and sanitariums and more than 7,500 schools around the world. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) works within communities in more than 130 countries to provide community development and disaster relief.