Men living in Noah’s time had been spiritually dead for many years before God sent the Great Flood to snuff out their miserable lives. Their sin? They rejected God’s Word as spoken by Noah, His “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet. 2:5). In the same way, the ten northern tribes (Israel) died spiritually when they separated themselves from Judah (the Jews) over a tax issue. They lived in self-imputed righteousness for many years before God brought about their defeat and enslavement by the Assyrians. The spiritually dead people of Judah were warned for generations that, unless they repented and turned back to God, they would suffer the same fate as their brethren. Approximately 150 years after Israel went into captivity, Judah was defeated and enslaved by the Babylonians. The Jews written about in the New Testament were walking dead men for a generation after hearing Jesus and the apostles preach the gospel. In 70 A.D. they were defeated by the Roman legions, slaughtered by the tens of thousands, enslaved and scattered throughout the world where many of them joined their Israelite brethren who were by that time more Gentile than Israelite in their daily walk. The Laodiceans (Rev. 3:14-20) continued in their wicked ways for many years after Jesus described them as “… wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.” Believing themselves to be ” … rich and in need of nothing,” they failed to realize that they were dead men walking.

God speaks to the walking dead today in Hebrews 3:6-19, telling them that, because they reject His “voice” and His “Ways” that they have: departed from Him, grieved Him, hardened their hearts toward Him, provoked Him and tempted Him. Due to their “evil hearts of unbelief,” He will not allow them to enter His rest–the Kingdom of God–upon His return. He sums up His attitude in verses 18,19 where He swears that they will not enter His (millennial) rest “because of unbelief” (of His Word). Earlier postings identify numerous Scriptures which the walking dead reject, and in so doing defy the living God Who spoke to His messengers through His Holy Spirit. Those messengers recorded what He told them– information called “Scriptures” which He later codified “for our admonition/instruction” (1 Cor. 10:11). Today’s super-religious walking dead continue to obey and practice numerous “doctrines of devils”–heathen beliefs and customs known as church doctrine–while openly rebelling against God’s Word. This is the same Word which will judge every man (Jn. 12:44-50). L.J.