BIBLICAL CONTACTS BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

 

             Last Desperate Measure (2010) (collage)

To narrow the scope of this posting, it is best to distinguish contact with the dead with two other belief systems: reincarnation and resuscitation.

We see the glimmer of a Jewish belief in a deceased person being reborn into another body in two passages in the Gospel accounts. Just prior to Peter's Great Confession, Jesus had asked his disciples, “Who do people say I am?” And all the answers from the populace they mention indicated that they believed He was the very reincarnation of one of several prominent OT personages (Matthew 16:13–16; Mark 8:27–29; and Luke 9:18–20).

We see the same thing regarding the person of John the Baptist. Based on the prophecy in Malachi 4:5 involving the future return of Elijah, John was an ideal candidate for such a reincarnation. And Jesus' comments in Mark 9:9-13 and Matthew 11:11-16 may have helped to spread such a notion, although they were not meant to be taken literally. The angel's words to Zechariah in Luke 1:17 help to establish that fact.

Then there is the somewhat related concept we see in both the OT and NT of resuscitation back to life of someone who had recently died through the intercession of some sort of holy man such as a prophet, apostle, or Jesus Himself. Interestingly, virtually nothing is told us regarding what subsequently happened to these revived people after this event, but apparently they went on living a normal life in every way until they eventually died a natural death.

One commonality between all these events is that in each case, the miraculous event happened fairly soon after death occurred. At that point, apparently, reuniting of the spirit and body was still possible. Perhaps this fact is related to the later rabbinic belief described by S.A. White – “References to the rabbis' views of the afterlife are scattered, but may be summarized thus: at death, the soul leaves the body, but may return from time to time until the body disintegrates.” This seems to match more recent accounts of a credible nature in which a person is declared legally dead by a physician but is revived somewhat later and able to recount events from a different physical location or perspective which happened while he or she was “dead.”

Lastly, I have excluded all references in the NT relating to Jesus' post-resurrection appearances since (1) it would be too complicated a study to easily capsulize in a few paragraphs and (2) what the risen Christ was able to do is in no way applicable to what can and did happen regarding mere mortals.

Saul and the Witch of Endor (I Samuel 28)

This is the well-known story of King Saul being so desperate to get some sort of word from God that he resorted to going in disguise to a woman who claimed to be able to contact the dead (illustrated in my collage above). We must point out the strict taboo at the time against consulting mediums or others claiming to be able to consult with the dead. This is clearly seen in Old Testament passages such as Leviticus 19:26,31; 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:10-12; and II Kings 23:24.

“It is interesting to note...that the laws against necromancy in Deuteronomy and Leviticus still assume not that it was impossible to summon the dead from Sheol but that it was inappropriate.” (Pitard)

However despite what Pitard's words might suggest, it is important not to take this episode as proof that mediums and fortune tellers can indeed reach the dead. That becomes obvious when one reads this whole story. The witch is clearly shown to be just as amazed when a spirit actually appears as Saul is, perhaps even more so since it seems that had never happened to her in her career as a fraud before.

Kaiser discussed this episode at some length and concludes: “The most prevalent view among orthodox commentators is that there was a genuine appearance of Samuel brought about by God himself. The main piece of evidence favoring this interpretation is I Chronicles 10:13-14...Is Samuel's statement to Saul in I Samuel 28:15 proof that the witch had brought Saul back from the dead? The message delivered by this shade or apparition sounds as if it could well have been from Samuel and from God. Therefore, it is entirely possible that this was a real apparition of Samuel. As to whether Samuel appeared physically, in a body, we conclude that the text does not suggest that he did...But there can be little doubt that there was an appearance of Samuel's spirit or ghost...Our conclusion is that God allowed Samuel's spirit to appear to give Saul one more warning about the evil of his ways.”

Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31)

If this difficult parable of Christ is taken literally, it appears to teach that there can never be any contact between the living and the dead. However, parables are very rarely designed to be understood in a literal manner.

Snodgrass has perhaps taken the most reasonable approach in discussing what, if anything, this story has to tell us regarding the nature of the afterlife. He says that “the fact that this is a parable with an intent [i.e. regarding money] other than teaching about the future life should warn against taking the picture too literally, and conformity with the rest of Luke's teaching (and the NT) on the future life would seem required for any conclusions. The problem of understanding the biblical material on life after death is much more problematic than most Christians are aware. We know far less, and Scripture is far less clear, than most think...The nature of the story does not allow it to be taken as an actual description of the future life...The parable is not intended to provide a schedule or details about precisely what happens after death.”

The Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8; Matthew 17:1-8; Luke 9:28-36)

Much could be, as has been, said regarding this watershed moment in the life of Jesus on earth. Here we get a mountaintop view of Jesus calmly conversing with both Moses and Elijah. And it is followed by God speaking from heaven to shine the spotlight squarely on Jesus as the other two personages disappear. It is as hard for us today to know exactly what to make regarding the physical reality of this episode as it was for Peter, who obviously was at a loss for words and could only feebly suggest that perhaps huts should be constructed for the two guests to shield them from the elements.

Rather than attempt to canvass the voluminous literature on this subject, I will limit myself to a few appropriate comments regarding the nature of the appearances by the two OT figures.

After dispensing with theories that this is only a displaced account of Jesus' later resurrection, Lane says, “There is room for discussion concerning the form of the event (i.e. it is possible that the disciples saw a vision of Elijah and Moses and heard the heavenly voice within the scope of that vision) but the transfiguration as an entity must be regarded as an act of revelation for which God was responsible...The transfiguration scene develops as a new 'Sinai' theophany with Jesus as the central figure.”

Hugh Anderson similarly discounts those who dismiss this story as merely a legend and states, “That the story contains symbolic features, as the presence of Moses and Elijah on the stage and numerous other data suggest, is undeniable. Nevertheless it has been maintained that that the story does have a historical basis in an objective manifestation of the divine glory in Jesus, or at least in a visionary experience of the disciples in Jesus' presence.” Anderson then goes on to explain that “the Greek word for 'appeared' (ophthe) [in Mark 4] stands for rather more than a subjective visionary experience and...the fact that Elijah and Moses 'were talking to Jesus' implies their actual presence...”

Notice that both of the above scholars waffle a little bit as to whether Elijah and Moses were present in a bodily form or experienced as a vision given to the three disciples who were also on the mountain. It is impossible at this point in time to be 100% sure concerning either possibility.

The dead walk the streets of Jerusalem (Matthew 27:52-53)

Matthew is the only Evangelist to record this intriguing event. Albright and Mann state: “It is certainly no service to scholarship to find in these verses an imaginative piece of fiction on the part of the evangelist, or simply an attempt to garnish the account of the passion with improbable details. Enough has surely become known in the course of the past fifty years about the language and forms of apocalyptic to evaluate this material seriously. W.G. Essame...is certainly correct in seeing here a dramatization of a saying preserved in the Johannine tradition [referring to John 5:25-29].” Decoding what these scholars have to say, we can see that they are not convinced that this event happened in reality. However, they are willing to take it seriously as an attempt to convey a theological point, namely, “as a triumphant assertion in OT language that the resurrection of Jesus was a divine act.”

But from the more evangelical wing of Christianity, we get a somewhat different perspective. Thus, France says, “This resurrection of dead people has no parallel in the other gospel accounts, and leaves plenty of unanswered questions for the historically minded interpreter...We can only speculate on...why the appearance of 'many' dead worthies to 'many' people left no other trace in historical sources. As with many of Jesus' scientifically unexplainable miracles, Matthew is not interested in satisfying our natural curiosity or answering empirical skepticism. He tells the story for its symbolic significance...he sees Jesus' death, not just his resurrection, as the key to the new life which is now made available to God's people.”

It should be pointed out that this incident is recorded by Matthew in conjunction with the miraculous account (also found in Mark and Luke) of the curtain to the Holy of Holies being ripped from top to bottom, which also has a symbolic meaning behind it in indicating that mankind now has access to God's presence due to Christ's atoning death.

The Man from Macedonia (Acts 16:9)

In this obscure episode, Paul receives a vision in which a person pleads with him to come to Macedonia and preach to them. As to whether this was a genuine message from the dead depends on the identity of the man, and this is an issue which remains debatable. Thus, Stuckenbruck says that “an angelic figure, appearing as a 'man' in Paul's vision, acts as a representative of Macedonia sent by God.”

However, Ramsay and other argued that the figure was actually Luke, who would soon join Paul in his missionary efforts. Neil labels this interpretation as “no more than an attractive speculation.”

Only one commentator of whom I am aware felt that the vision came to Paul from a dead person, and that was William Barclay. John Stott summarizes Barclay's belief that this man was actually Alexander the Great stemming from the fact that: (1) “the district was permeated with memories of Alexander” and (2) “Alexander's aim had been 'to marry the east to the west' and so make one world, while Paul's vision was to make 'one world for Christ'.” I am not aware of any scholars who have sided with Barclay in his belief.

Two future witnesses (Revelation 11:3)

Attempts by well-meaning Bible scholars throughout the ages to dig up the details of future historical events by mining the verses in Revelation have been notable for their failure to predict what will happen. I have seen that again and again just in my own lifetime. There is so much obviously symbolic language in these pages, that such attempts are doomed to failure from the start.

Phillips says, “There has been much speculation about the identity of these two men. One of them is probably Elijah. Fire was characteristic of his ministry, and his miracles were frequently those of judgment. Some think the other witness might be Moses, for he, like Elijah, was a representative man. Between them they stood for the Old Testament ministry, 'the law and the prophets.' Together they stood with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration [see above]. But since both these witnesses are to be executed by the beast, the case for Moses is weakened. Moses has already died, and 'it is appointed unto men once to die' (Heb 9:27). Some think the second witness is Enoch. Enoch, like Elijah, was a lonely voice for God in an apostate age, and again like Elijah, he was caught up living into heaven without passing through the article of death.”

But Beale takes a more symbolic view of this passage: “Verses 3-6 explain the primary purpose of the 'measuring' in vv 1-2. That is God's establishment of his presence among his end-time community as his sanctuary is aimed to ensure the effectiveness of their prophetic witness...They are to be prophets like the great prophets of the OT (like Moses and Elijah, vv 4-6)...they represent the whole community of faith, whose primary function is to be a prophetic witness. Just as John the Baptist was not a literal reappearance of Elijah, but came 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17), likewise the witnesses are not Moses and Elijah reincarnated. Nevertheless, the two witnesses are patterned after these two OT figures.”

Ford reviews all the attempted identifications of the two witnesses given throughout the ages. These include the following pairs: Enoch and Elijah, Jeremiah and Elijah, James the Bishop of Jerusalem and John the Apostle, Peter and Paul martyred by Nero, the high priest Joshua and Zerubbabel who in Zechariah are symbolized as two olive trees, the two Messiahs mentioned in the Dead Sea writings, the house of Israel (the laity) and the house of Aaron (the priesthood), the messiah of Israel (the Davidic king) and the Messiah of Aaron (priestly Messiah) who represent, respectively, the civil and religious authorities. But she feels that the descriptions of the two best fit Moses and Elijah.

Dispensational speculations regarding the future

I will wisely dispense with any prolonged discussion of noted prophecy “experts” such as John Walvoord who in his The Millennial Kingdom authoritatively lays out all the rules governing the respective lifetimes and types of permissible interactions between the three or four different classes of human beings who will populate the earth during the time of the millennium. These include those who were alive at the start of the millennium but will eventually die, those previously dead who will be given resurrected bodies during this time, saints who were previously raptured alive but will return to earth to live a long life, etc. Some of these beings will be able to intermarry and have children while others will not, etc. etc. Even other scholars who are firmly dispensationalist have a great deal of trouble swallowing all of what Walvoord writes since it is the product of poor exegesis coupled with a healthy dose of imagination. And I must admit that he is one of the more responsible commentators belonging to this camp.

Conclusion

As you can see from the above, if spirits of the departed do indeed communicate with the living, one could certainly not derive that conclusion from the sparsity of clear-cut examples found in the above passage