Gospel Reflections #1015: Man is not God

Ecclesiastes 9:5–6 The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and their name is forgotten. Their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished, and they have no further part in anything that is done under the sun.’

The author objectively describes the reality that the dead are completely cut off from all earthly activities. 

The dead lose their thoughts, emotions and knowledge, and all the strong feelings they held in life—such as ‘love, hatred and jealousy’—vanish completely.

No matter how much fame or wealth one acquires on earth, one cannot enjoy them after death, and eventually one is forgotten even from the memories of the living. 

No matter how fiercely one lives or competes with others, death reduces everything equally to nothingness. 

After death, the karma and attachments of this life do not continue; one is completely severed from all influences of this world.

When a person dies, the consciousness of the soul ceases completely, and they sleep until the day of resurrection.

Therefore, the spirit that Saul sought through necromancy was not the spirit of the dead, but a messenger of Satan—that is, a fallen angel.

Ancient idolatry consisted of worshipping the dead and claiming to communicate with them, and the Bible explicitly states that this is the worship of demons.

Modern spiritualism is based on the same foundation; it is nothing more than a revived and modernised form of the sorcery and worship of evil spirits that God strictly forbade in ancient times.

Amidst the theme of ‘all is vanity’ that runs throughout the Book of Ecclesiastes, this passage seems to convey a powerful message: ‘Man is not God. Therefore, live your present life sincerely, in the fear of God.’

Our eternity lies in living with God.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.