Where is King David?
June 3rd, 2011 by Angela
Christian News Update
King David Missing
Breaking news of an ongoing investigation has been reported into the missing of patriarch, King David. David was the infamous shepherd boy who slew the giant Philistine, Goliath, and was anointed King of Israel, by well-loved and respected Samuel, the Prophet of Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. King David is allegedly missing from all the dead Biblical “Greats” who are supposedly in heaven at this current time, praising and worshiping God, without bodies. Since Jesus, Son of God, is to sit upon the throne of David, to rule in an everlasting kingdom upon the earth someday, sources tell us that one would expect this David to also be included in the heavenly chorus of saints. He is not. He is blatantly missing from such a Who’s Who of Biblical Greats!
David Did Die?
There is no question or debate over the death of this great King. The writer of historical records detailed in I King 2:1 states, “As the time approached for David to die, he instructed his son, Solomon, “As for me, I am going the way of all the earth.” Then later reports in verse 10 “Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.”
Although to some reading this stated evidence, it may appear that David went to rest or take a nap, he did indeed die. Terminology such as “rest” and “sleep” are just code words in the Bible for “death.” There was no controversy or question of whether David, the King of Israel, died. He did. The investigation hinges on not whether he died, but whether he stayed dead, ‘resting in peace’ in his tomb, located in Jerusalem. Some sources have falsely reported he is in heaven, alive at this point. Some insist he is still dead. We must go to a trusted source, who reportedly speaks of knowing this fact, without doubt, and in fact, shares it with over three thousand people.
KING DAVID NOT IN HEAVEN
The Apostle Peter, (one of the 12 disciples of Messiah Jesus) and one of the founders of the Christian faith, stated in Acts 2, “Brothers, I can confidently speak to you about the Patriarch David: He is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” Peter upholds the fact that we know David did die and was buried. But, popular belief by most Christians would suppose this great man would be up in heaven with the rest of the saints. He is not, according to this apostle.
Peter states unequivocally, “For it was not David who ascended into the heavens.”
Peter makes this argument that God has resurrected [raised back to life from the dead] this Jesus, many claim to be the promised Messiah [the anointed King who will sit upon the throne of David, prophesied in Daniel 7]. God not only raised this man, Jesus, but also exalted him, as Lord and Messiah, sitting him at the right hand of Yahweh, having him ascend into the heavens, until the time of restoration of the earth, at which time, Jesus will come back to bring about his rule over the world. (Acts 3:20-26; Romans 4:13).
Peter is confident that it was not David who went up to heaven, but Jesus. So, if David did not go up to heaven, where is he? Is he missing? Is he still dead and buried in his tomb, or is he alive in heaven, despite Peter’s clear, concise statement to the contrary?
If David said, in his own words, that he is going the way of all the earth, (meaning he’s going where everyone else is going when they die) does that mean that everyone else who has died and been buried, has not gone up to heaven, either? If David isn’t there, one of the all time Bible Greats, then it stands to reason, no one else would be. Could Jesus be the only man who is in heaven, despite the popular and beloved belief, that we ALL go to heaven when we die? This would be shocking news, indeed, if we were to believe Peter’s words.
We may suppose that there may have been gasps in the crowd to hear this brazen, heretical statement of Peter, to state that David was not the one in heaven. Or perhaps one could logically assume, no one in this Jewish/Christian crowd believed the Greek philosophical belief of the immortality of the soul at this point, but this philosophy crept into the Jewish-Christian faith and was accepted years later than the early church, despite Scriptural evidence that states death is ‘sleep,’ and that our hope at death, is not immediate reward in heaven as an immortal soul, but to be ‘asleep’ until the day of our Lord Messiah returns to the earth, to ‘awaken us’ from death and raise us back to life, so that we can take our place with him, ruling and reigning a kingdom in the age to come. If this is what Scripture and facts teach us, then we can easily understand that Peter’s argument is based on the fact that no one has gone into heaven, except the one man, Jesus, who was elevated and exalted by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This Jesus, is the first fruit, the firstborn of the dead. There is no other man up in heaven right now, but Jesus, who God raised from the dead. No other man, not even King David. King David, if you are to believe David and Peter’s words, is resting with his fathers, such as our faithful Patriarch greats, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, until the day of the promised Messiah, when he wakes them up and grants them immortality! What a great day that will be, to sit around the table and feast and celebrate with such great men, who we can only read about today. That is, if you trust my sources, King David and the Apostle Peter.
Excellent Angela! A real stalling point for those who insist we go to heaven at death- thank you!
Nicely done Angela! Peter’s testimony in Acts 2:29 is irrefutable and clear. David didn’t go anywhere but to the grave to see decay. This is further backed up by Hebrews 11:32 & 39-40. David was one of the mentioned OT Patriarchs that “did not receive what was promised” and that “apart from us they should not be made perfect”. Meaning that we all (David included) WILL BE made perfect only at THE Resurrection when Jesus returns and calls us from our graves (John 5:28-29)!
It seems to me that King David was in heaven even as his body did not ascend into heaven, but was still in the grave.
Jesus, however did ascend into heaven. He arose in his body and took it with him into heaven.
I don’t believe David’s soul was left in hell. (Acts 2:27)
To rightly divide the word it is important to understand body, soul, and spirit. Not understanding this has often been the cause of much confusion in the church.
Ray,
It seems to me that you’re right there amid the “confusion in the church” by holding onto a belief in the immortality of the soul.
The whole point of Angela’s article is the King David did not go to heaven. The force of Peter’s words actually mean nothing if David’s soul was conscious and alive up in heaven then. Besides the fact that nowhere is it said that David’s body was the only thing that underwent decay or was “asleep” in the grave (nor are souls said to go to heaven ANYWHERE in the ENTIRETY of Scripture), the verse in Hebrews I just quoted clearly proves that David was one who “did not receive what was promised”. David like everyone else who dies must (as Job so eloqently terms it in Job 14) “wait, until my change comes. Thou wilt call and I will answer thee”. Resurrection is THE event that brings living souls (people as whole persons) back into existence. The sleep metaphor is used because between death and The Resurrection, the totality of our being is unconscious and unaware of anthing that goes on. That is the truth of Scripture, not continuing to exist on immediately after death (really a Greek, pagan idea that was applied to Scripture).
The bottom line is that we are not immortal. God ALONE (meaning – to the exlusion of all others) has immortality (1 Tim 6:16). That means we do not have it. Souls are living beings, not immortal, immaterial things. That is why Ezekiel 18:4 tells us that “The soul who sins will die”. That death is why we long for Jesus to return. The Resurrection that Jesus will conduct at that time is what brings David, Moses, Paul – EVERYONE belonging to Christ back to life. Taking conscious souls out from heaven and re-inserting them into resurrected bodies is pure nonsense and is nowhere described in Scripture!
Also Acts 2:27 is referring to Christ, not David. This is further proved to be the case with Acts 13:36-37 – “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay. But he whom God raised [Jesus], did not undergo decay.
I believe that the part of the soul that is in Jesus is imortal.
I would find it confusing to believe that it isn’t. I wouldn’t be able to reconcile such an idea with the scripture.
Ray,
Show us from Scripture that this is the case.
I’ll be so bold to say to you that such an idea is NOT FOUND within Scripture. You’re welcome to believe it if that is what you’re use to and fits the theology of your church, or books you’ve read, or other spiritual gurus. But that is NOT what the Bible teaches. You have to read the immortality of the soul into the Bible to make it appear like it fits there.
Again the point that Angela is making in this article, not to mention that all of us who write here on KR continually make on this subject, is that the dead are not conscious and aware of anything until Jesus returns and resurrects them.
Ray, that is the entire reason for having a resurrection. As I said before (numerous times), putting mythical immortal souls back into a body at the resurrection makes no sense. Think about it Ray! Why would God send Jesus back to conduct a Resurrection and judgement if everyone is already judged at the moment of death and sent off to live in heaven or hell? Everything would already be over and done with! What would be the point of the resurrection??
Think about it logically and read the Bible for what it actually says. If you do you’ll find what we’ve been saying here for years. God ALONE is immortal. And Jesus is going to come back and resurrect the dead because it is THAT event that makes the dead live again!
Ray,
The mistake here in the word “hell” (that’s how it is in the KJV) in Acts 2:27 should really be rendered “grave” (ᾄδην).
Peter, in his sermon realized that David’s prophecy pointed to the Christ 1st and then himself later at the resurrection of the dead (at Jesus’ 2nd coming). That is why Peter said, “he (David) is still here with us to this day” (Acts 2:29).
If David’s soul has gone to heaven, then Peter certainly cannot say that he is still here to this day. Peter said David “died and was buried”. The OT described David as “falling asleep with his fathers”.
If one goes to heaven after they die (ie. my body in the grave, my soul in heaven) than what’s the point of a resurrection? I’ve reached “my destination” (so to speak) – so I wouldn’t want anyone to take me away from the place of heavenly bliss!
The resurrection than has been reduced to some minor, drive-through, after thought! No meaning in it at all. And quite frankly it sounds very dualistic and opposes the cross and the promises of Jesus Christ and the work of God (John 3:16).
It seems to me that the reason Peter said that David was still here to this day, was because David was not raised from the dead as Jesus was with his body.
That is not to say that he was not taken to heaven to be with God by the spirit of God, being in soul and spirit, while his body was left here on this earth.
The context of Peter was the resurrection of Christ, not as to whether or not Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or even David are in soul and spirit, with God in heaven.
In order to assure their salvation, it was important for them to understand the purpose of Christ, who he was, what he did, how he died, why he died, and that he was raised from the dead.
Peter wasn’t there to expound on other things which might have distracted them from the work of Christ. He didn’t mention that if they would believe in Christ, when they die they will become absent from the body and present with the Lord as members of his body, though this is true and we see it later on in the gospel according to Paul.
I think Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are in the grave and have not been resurrected. At the same time, it looks to me like there’s more to it than that alone, for Jesus said that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, and that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ( Matt 22:32)
Hebrews also talkes about being compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses, and the spirits of just men.
I believe there is more going on in the spiritual realm than to simply think that no one is in heaven in any way shape or form, that all men who have died are in the grave waiting for the resurrection, and that’s all there is to it.
I do think there is more.
I don’t know much about it but it does seem to me to be so.
Ray,
Don’t you think immortality is conditional?
I mean, if my soul is “already” immortal, in the sense that, even though I may “die”, it’s really just my body, my soul never suffered the fate of “death” – then what’s the point of all the promises of “eternal life” Jesus spoke of if every soul is immortal? Every single promise Jesus made about immortality came with the conditional “if”.
Peter, in his sermon, taking occasion to mention the prophecy of David, said:
“because you will not abandon my soul to hades…” – Acts 2:27
“ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾄδην…” – Acts 2:27
Do you see the word “soul/ψυχήν” there? See how David connected it with “hades/the grave”? Souls don’t go to heaven after they die! They remain in the grave with our bodies – because man does not “have” a soul, main is a “living” soul (Gen 2:7)
The fact that David hoped that “his soul” would not be abandoned to “the grave” is synonymous with “the whole person” being left in the grave, not just “an aspect of the person – ie. soul”.
Connecting David’s prophecy to the Christ, when God raised him up, He raised a whole person!
To say David’s body is in the tomb, while is his soul/spirit is in heaven is an assumption read into the bible!
Hi everyone,
it seems to me that the article and following comments all for some reason seem not to take into account the time when Peter spoke, and thus treat what Peter said as if he had spoken it today …. not considering the change in ages that has transpired in the meantime (or do you all think we still live in the same age as they did then and that age has not come to its end as of yet?)
Of course on that day when Peter spoke, king David was dead and still in hades (“grave”), awaiting the resurrection at the end of the world/age then in effect (the OT age). Prior to the resurrection at the end of that age, all those who died “went” to hades / gravedom to await the resurrection.
BUT once the resurrection has happened, all those who afterwards live and die no longer come to hades after they fall asleep but are changed and the just receive spiritual bodies and are taken up to live evermore in God’s presence, while the unjust receive their already dealt out judgment, the second death.
Thus the answer to the question in the title of the article hinges on whether or not “the end of the age” — which was prophesied by Jesus and his apostles as being near, imminent then — has come. IF we today almost 2 millenniums later still live in the same OT age and the end of the world and the coming of the Lord did not happen as prophesied by Jesus, then king David indeed is still in gravedom awaiting the resurrection. IF the end of the age and the resurrection did happened when Jesus prophesied it would happen, then king David has been resurrected and is in the presence of God to live evermore.
I believe that when a Christian dies, because he is a new creation in Christ, and he is not in the flesh but in the spirit, he will immediately upon his death become absent from the body and be present with the Lord.
I also believe that David believed God and much of the gospel of Christ though in his understanding it was in part.
I think there’s more to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob than simply that they are dead and in the grave, since Jesus reminded us that God is not the God of the dead but of the living.
I don’t have all the answers to all the questions men have about the immortality of the soul.
I’ve heard by one who died and went to heaven, who saw heaven, who witnessed many things in heaven and did return back into his body to be a witness, that there is a part of the soul that is immortal and there is a part of the soul that is not.
I don’t have all the answers to these questions, though I do believe there is more than any one of us knows about these things.
What I have seen is people show little regard to so much of the scripture while they embrace other parts and arrive at certain conclusions that do not work well with the whole of scripture on a matter, in my opinion.
I tend to be more open on some things than many Christians.
I do not believe the resurrection of the dead has yet happened. That is still something we hope for.
The Scriptures (Bible) proves that Jesus is the Messiah. Several Old Testament’s prophecies prove this. This article brings out from the Scriptures that surely Jesus is the Messiah.
http://koti.phnet.fi/petripaavola/YeshuapromisedMessiah.html
ive heard of people dying an god showing them heaven an come back to tell it but never said anything about seeing anyone there god just showed then heaven[also someone dying an going to heaven an seeing a loved one there who them sends them back[its in the bible a demon can disguise there self as a loved one [maybe the loved one they saw in heaven was a angel disguise as a loved one
Hi mark. Welcome to K.R…
It appears that David was promised everlasting life. Perhaps the mystery isn’t really such a mystery at all?
Could it be that when one is given life they are returned back through the womb and that the spirit or enenrgy matter that formed thier brain is reborn again? Why can’t it be as simple as that?
Could it be that in all, we know nothing at all?
Ezekial chapter 34 states that in the end, God himself will be your king and David your prince forever.
If this were true…then why did Jesus tell the thief on the cross next to him
that “This day you will be with me in Paradise”? If he were just going to “sleep” until the ressurection?
Hi Kennix,
Welcome to KR!!! From what I understand when a person dies they have no concept of the passage of time. From the perspective of the person dying they just die and immediately wake up on the day of judgment. I am not a teacher or a scholar. I am just a student of Christ, but I hope that answers your question…
Hi Kennix,
Most translations put a comma after “you”:
“Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
However, the original Greek has no punctuation. So we could just as legitimately put a comma after “today,” which makes a big difference in the meaning of the verse:
“Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise.”
Kennix
If that was truly what Jesus meant then the thief would have to die before sundown which we know neither were dead.
What Jesus meant was at the Great White Throne Judgment he would confess his name to God because Jesus was made mediator.
The decision was made that Day.