After physical death, humans don’t cease to live – they merely enter life on a different plane and in different form, becoming inhabitants of the spirit world.
When Death Comes
At death, the so-called silver cord, which bonds the physical body and spirit body together, is broken and the connection is severed for all eternity (Eccl. 12:6-7(1)). When this happens, nothing can resuscitate the person back to life. The lifeless physical body disintegrates over time. It has fulfilled its purpose and will never again be used by the same individual, or another spirit or soul.
The Bible mentions several individuals that Jesus is said to have raised back to life – Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, and a widow’s son (Luke 7:11-15; 8:41-42, 49-56; John 11:4, 11-44). In view of the fact that once the silver cord is severed, resuscitation with the soul returning to the physical body is impossible, these individuals weren’t truly dead, but only appeared so from the human perspective. More accurately, they would have been in a state of suspended animation. And indeed, Jesus said to the mourners on two of these occasions: “This sickness [of Lazarus] will not end in death.” (John 11:4); and “[Jairus’ daughter] is not dead but asleep” (Luke 8:52).
Interestingly and by contrast, Jesus after his crucifixion was dead. However, when he appeared to the disciples after his “resurrection”, they at first didn’t recognize him (Luke 24:13-35; John 20:14-18). The reason, according to subsequent revelation, is that he appeared in a new body which, through the power he possessed as a result of the great amount of Divine Love in his soul, he was able to create from the elements of the universe. Through the same power, he was able to dematerialize his original body, making it disappear from the tomb. (For more details on this, see Further Reading for this chapter.)
Passing into the Spirit World
The passage into the spirit world happens through a “resurrection” of the spirit body which also contains the soul. The spirit body remaining after death has a real substance. It doesn’t need and cannot be clothed with another physical body as this would contravene the laws operating on earth, as well as those in the spirit world.
Individuals who have passed into the spirit world retain all the things of mind, conscience and soul that were theirs in the earthly life. The spirit body continues to house, protect and control the soul. To some degree, the soul also controls the spirit body. Changes in the body occur over time, but are not controlled by the laws that control the changes in the physical body, but rather by laws which control the development or purification of the soul.
When an individual, now spirit, first enters the spirit world, it is met by loving family or friends, who help it to awaken to its new existence and adjust to the new environment. When the spirit realizes its new state, it then needs to move to where it is destined based on its soul condition and its mental and moral development in accordance with the Law of Attraction.
Based on the Law of Compensation (also known as cause and effect or karma), a contaminated soul cannot have a place in the Spiritual Heavens or Paradise, (much less the Celestial Heavens or Kingdom of God) unless it is purified. This process will involve a period of suffering in the lower regions or hells. The time this will take depends on the soul itself – its will and awakening – as well as the help of other spirits. Spirits of similar condition assist one another – somewhat like the blind leading the blind. All spirits have work to do and opportunity to grow and progress to higher realms. Eventually all souls will become cleansed and reach the point of their original purity. Those who have sought and received the Divine Love will progress to the Kingdom of God in the Celestial Spheres.
Most spirits find their initial habitation on the earth plane, in which there are several spheres. Here conditions are not too different from those on earth with the same ideas of right and wrong, beliefs, concepts, and desires. Friends and relatives can help and instruct the newly arrived spirit on how to proceed higher. Depending on the spirit’s soul condition as well as priorities, they will proceed along the lines of intellectual, moral, or spiritual development.
Those with desires for moral and mental development are assigned a place in the second, fourth, or sixth spheres. They pass through the intervening spheres, but do not stay long or gain much. At the sixth sphere, one’s mental and moral qualities are developed to their greatest extent. The spirits at this point have reached the state of natural perfection and purity experienced by the first humans before the Fall. As they progress through the spheres, they are able to assist others, both mortals and spirits, in overcoming their weaknesses and turning to God.
Those at the sixth sphere in the Spiritual Heavens or Paradise experience a high state of happiness – but have not reached their full potential. Their soul is not highly developed as they have not sought at-onement with God through the Divine Love. They can progress higher only by realizing the existence of and need for receiving the Divine Love. However, many are satisfied in their state of happiness and do not seek God’s Love. Some do awaken to the necessity of their soul development as a result of childhood recollection of teachings that God loves them. Indeed, as Jesus taught, becoming as little children is a way to God’s Kingdom (Matt. 18:3-4(2)).
Spirits, whose priority is spiritual or soul development, which involves actively seeking the Divine Love and New Birth, progress through the third, fifth and seventh spheres and then to the numberless and limitless Celestial Spheres – the Kingdom of God spoken of by Jesus (John 3:3-6(3); Tit. 3:5). More on this in subsequent chapters.
All along, God respects the free will and desires of His creatures and will not force anyone to seek the Divine Love. Rather, He waits till they learn from their own experiences and become dissatisfied with their level of happiness at the moral and mental level. With such dissatisfaction comes the desire for a source of happiness beyond themselves. God makes His redeemed happy by setting before them an ever higher mark for which they may seek with the assurance, that it can be attained.