There are those who claim to believe in the Bible who have come to conclusion that after death we cease to exist, and that there is no heaven and no hell or any sort of afterlife for that matter. The problem with this belief is that it both ignores everything the Bible teaches about the afterlife as well as takes passages of scripture out of context in order to support such a position. Let us examine a few of these scriptures and put them in their proper context in order to correctly understand that they are not teaching that we cease to exist after we die.
One of the main passages from the Bible that is used to support this position is from Ecclesiastes chapter 9. In verse 5 we read: "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even their name is forgotten." This verse is used to support the assertion that the dead have no thoughts, feelings, or even any existence at all. It is only when you pick this verse by itself out of the context and read your own interpretation into it that you would ever come to such a conclusion.
If you read the book of Ecclesiastes you will come to understand that it is written by a man who is observing the things going on in life around him on earth. The phrase "Under the sun" is used countless times throughout the entire book to stress the idea that he is talking about earthly things. When we understand this, we see that the above verse is talking about the fact that everyone alive knows they will die, and when they die they will lose everything they possessed here on earth. Also, in due time their name will be forgotten.
The word "vanity" is also used numerous times throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. The author is writing from a mindset of "Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die." Is this the proper place in scripture to look to for information on the afterlife? The only reference to the afterlife in Ecclesiastes comes in chapter 3 verse 21 which states: "Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" The author is admitting that he hasn't got a clue as to what happens after we die. Therefore, to take something he says later out of context and try to apply to the afterlife makes no sense at all.
Psalm chapter 146 verse 4 is also a commonly used verse to suggest that the dead have no thoughts. It says in the King James Version "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." However, the word "thoughts" here can also mean "plans," as is translated in many other Bible translations. This verse is simply stating the when someone dies all of their plans die with them and they can no longer carry them out.
While we did not cover any of the verses which support the idea of an afterlife, you can look these up for yourself as they are rather plentiful. Do not be fooled by those who attempt to tell you that nothing happens after you die, especially those claiming to believe in the Bible. It is this type of thinking that leads people to have no regard for their actions because they no longer expect any consequences after they die.
