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Nearly all religions teach
that part of a person survives death.
But what does the Bible teach?
God created the first man, Adam,
from the dust.
He had the opportunity to live forever.
But when he deliberately disobeyed God,
he was told that he would return to the dust
—ceasing to exist.
What about others who died after Adam?
When Jesus was told
that his friend Lazarus died,
Jesus did not say
that Lazarus had gone to heaven.
Rather, he said:
“Our friend has fallen asleep.”
What did he mean?
Just as someone in a deep sleep
is inactive and unaware of his surroundings,
the dead are not conscious
of anything at all.
Further, just as a person
can be awakened from a deep sleep,
the Bible shows that it is possible
to be awakened from death.
Jesus did just that for his friend Lazarus.
Lazarus had been dead for four days.
If some part of Lazarus
had survived his death and gone to heaven,
would Jesus take him out of heaven
and force him to live on earth again?
No.
Lazarus was asleep in the grave.
Jesus gave him back his life
and reunited him with his family.
The Bible promises a time
when many people
will be resurrected from the dead,
just as Lazarus was.
Jesus spoke of this wonderful hope
when he said:
“The one who exercises faith in me,
even though he dies, will come to life.”
What is the resurrection?
How can you cope with the pain of grief?
To learn more about what the Bible says
on this and many other topics,
go to jw.org.

What Is the Condition of the Dead?