What happens when we die? That is a question that has haunted man since shortly after our beginning. As with all our studies in the scriptures, we want to learn what the Bible says about our death, or more accurately, about what it says happens after our death. The Bible is very clear about what happens at death, without God's intervention to help us: We loose conscientiousness, have no thoughts or asperations, and return to the dust. Adam did not exist before he was created using elements of the earth - dust. When Adam died, he returned to what he had been before his creation. Jehovah did not intend death for his creation, however, and we can be thankful he has made provision so it does not have to be that way for us as individuals.

We might start, then, in considering if death has to be the end of us as individuals. Jesus said there is to be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous. He also resurrected Lazuras to demonstrate what that resurrection was to be like. The simple answer to our question seems to be, those who die are unconsciously awaiting the resurrection Jesus promised.

There are some scriptures which some persons believe contradict the need for the resurrection hope. What about Enoch? The Bible tells us: (Genesis 5:24) 24 And Enoch kept walking with the [true] God. Then he was no more, for God took him. Some believe that scripture indicates Enoch was transferred into heaven to be with God. That thinking seems out of harmony with other scriptures however. John wrote that Jesus was the first to ascend into heaven: (John 3:13) Moreover, no man has ascended into heaven but he that descended from heaven, the Son of man. The Bible thus states no man had entered heaven before Christ Jesus did so after his resurrection. Enoch could not, therefore, have done so. Where, then, did Enoch go? We might inferr from what happened to Moses. The Bible says of Moses that God took him at his death. Deuteronomy 32:48-52 BBE (48) That same day the Lord said to Moses, (49) Go up into this mountain of Abarim. . . there you may see the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel for their heritage: (50) And let death come to you on the mountain where you are going, and be put to rest with your people. . . (51) Because of your sin against me before the children of Israel at the waters of Meribath Kadesh in the waste land of Zin; because you did not keep my name holy among the children of Israel. (52) So you will see the land before you, but you will not go into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel. (Deuteronomy 34:5, 6) 5 After that Moses the servant of Jehovah died there in the land of Moab at the order of Jehovah. 6 And he proceeded to bury him in the valley in the land of Moab in front of Bethpeor, and nobody has come to know his grave down to this day. God personally disposed of Moses' body so no one knew what became of it. Moses had done a great work for Jehovah over the course of his life. He freed the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt, and gave them the law code. He moved them forward in God's plan to have them produce the Messiah. They now faced an arduous journey into the promised land and Moses was old. There would likely have been no suffering at all associated with Moses death. God simply put him to sleep. When Moses opens his eyes, as a resurrected one, it will be like he was just talking with God a few moments ago. Thus, it is said that God took him. That seems to provide an explanation as to what happened to Enoch as well. He walked with the true God, and was then spared the pain of death.

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