Bible Questions Answered:
“Did Old Testament saints believe in
life after death?”
Russel/ Northern Ireland United
Kingdom
Bible Answer:
Yes!
Bible Texts:
Genesis 15:15 KJV (Abraham)
And thou shalt go to thy
fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
These words, do not just refer to death, but to a blessed reward in
the next life.
Now there is a
silly accusation saying that the phrase "thou shalt go to
thy fathers," concerning Abraham, that he was to be burried
with his ancesters.
Rediculous, for he
was burried at the cave of Machpelah.
Genesis 25:9,10
KJV
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael
buried him (Abraham)
in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the
Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10 The field which Abraham purchased
of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
When Abraham's body
was laid to rest, thee only other body in the cave of Machpelah was
that of Abraham's wife, Sarah. (There were no other ancesters there.)
Genesis 25:8, 17 KJV (Same
phrase but worded a little differently.) (Abraham and Ishmael)
8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost,
and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and
was gathered to his people.
17 And these are the years of the
life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave
up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Genesis 49:29,33 KJV
(Jacob)
29 And he charged them, and said
unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my
fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
33 And when Jacob had made an end of
commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and
yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
Deuteronomy 32:50 KJV (Moses)
And die in the mount whither thou
goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy
brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:
II Kings 22:20 KJV (King
Josiah)
Behold
therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and
thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall
not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they
brought the king word again.
Old
Testament Scriptures Signifying Belief In Life After Death:
Genesis 5:23,24
KJV
23 And all the
days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch
walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
Deuteronomy 18:9-14 NLT (Moses warnings not to contact the
dead, proves their belief in a hereafter of departed spirits.)
9 “When you
enter the land The Lord your God is giving you, be very careful not
to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there.
10 For example,
never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not
let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or
interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft,
11 or cast
spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits
of the dead.
12 Anyone who
does these things is detestable to The Lord. It is because the other
nations have done these detestable things that The Lord your God will
drive them out ahead of you.
13 But you must
be blameless before The Lord your God.
14 The nations
you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but
The Lord your God forbids you to do such things.”
II Samuel 12:23 KJV (The death of King Davids son. See David's
23rd Psalm.)
But now he is
dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go
to him, but he shall not return to me.
II Kings 2:9-12
KJV
9 And it came
to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask
what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And
Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon
me.
10 And he said,
Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am
taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not
be so.
11 And it came
to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there
appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both
asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
12 And Elisha
saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel,
and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of
his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
Job 19:23-27 KJV
23 Oh that my
words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!
24 That they
were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!
25 For I know
that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day
upon the earth:
26 And though
after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see
God:
27 Whom I shall
see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though
my reins be consumed within me.
Psalm 23:1-6 KJV
1 The Lord is
my Shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me
to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth
my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's
sake.
4 Yea, though I
walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou
anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I
will dwell in the house of The Lord for ever.
Daniel 12:1,2
NLT
1 “At that
time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will
arise. Then there will be a time of anguish greater than any since
nations first came into existence. But at that time every one of your
people whose name is written in the book will be rescued.
2 Many of those
whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting
life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.
Hebrews 11:5,10,13-16 NLT (The Apostle Paul) speaks of O.T.
Saints.) (Be sure to read the whole chapter.)
5 It was by
faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he
disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he
was known as a person who pleased God.
10 Abraham
was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal
foundations, a city designed and built by God.
13 All these
people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not
receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and
welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on
earth.
14 Obviously
people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can
call their own.
15 If they had
longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back.
16 But they
were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God
is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for
them.
35 "...They
placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.
Through our
Lord's teachings we learn about a place called heaven:
John 14:1-6 KJV
1 Let not your
heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 In My
Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I
go ye know, and The Way ye know.
5 Thomas saith
unto Him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know
The Way?
6 Jesus saith
unto him, I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto
The Father, but
by Me.
Revelation
21:1-27 KJV
1 And I saw a
new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth
were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And He that
sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said
unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And He said
unto me, It is done. I am Alpha And Omega, The Beginning And The End.
I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of
life freely.
7 He that over
cometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall
be My son.
8 But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which
is the second death.
9 And there
came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full
of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I
will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
10 And he
carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and
shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of
heaven from God,
11 Having the
glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even
like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
12 And had a
wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve
angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve
tribes of the children of Israel:
13 On the east
three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and
on the west three gates.
14 And the wall
of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the
twelve apostles of
The Lamb.
15 And he that
talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates
thereof, and the wall thereof.
16
And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the
breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand
furlongs (1,400 miles). The length and the breadth and the height of
it are equal.
17
And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four
cubits (216 feet thick),
according
to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
18 And the
building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold,
like unto clear glass.
19 And the
foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of
precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second,
sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
20 The fifth,
sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth,
beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a
jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
21 And the
twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl:
and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent
glass.
22 And I saw no
temple therein: for The Lord God Almighty and The Lamb are the temple
of it.
23 And the city
had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the
glory of God did lighten it, and The Lamb is The Light thereof.
24 And the
nations of them which are saved shall walk in The Light of it: and
the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.
25 And the
gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no
night there.
26 And they
shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.
27 And there
shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither
whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are
written in The Lamb's book of life.
Revelation
22:1-21 KJV
1 And he shewed
me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of
The Throne Of
God And Of The Lamb.
2 In the midst
of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the
tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her
fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of
the nations.
3 And there
shall be no more curse: but The Throne Of God And Of The Lamb shall
be in it; and His servants shall serve Him:
4 And they
shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there
shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of
the sun; for The Lord God giveth them Light: and they shall reign for
ever and ever.
6 And he said
unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and The Lord God Of The
Holy Prophets sent His Angel to shew unto His servants the things
which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I
come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy
of this book.
8 And I John
saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I
fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me
these things.
9 Then saith he
unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy
brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this
book: worship God.
10 And he saith
unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the
time is at hand.
11 He that is
unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be
filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:
and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
12 And, behold,
I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according
as his work shall be.
13 I am Alpha
And Omega, The Beginning And The End, The First And The Last.
14 Blessed are
they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree
of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without
are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and
idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
16 I Jesus have
sent Mine Angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I
am
The Root And
The Offspring Of David, and The Bright And Morning Star.
17 And The
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.
And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely.
18 For I
testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him
the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any
man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy
city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He which
testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so,
come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
