Michael Jackson: Heaven, Hell, or Elsewhere?

Michael Jackson: Heaven, Hell, or Elsewhere?

Best-selling author discusses popular notions of death amidst global mourning over King of Pop

NEWPORT, Washington, July 9 /Christian Newswire/ -- Nearly 20,000 gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California to pay final tribute to music legend Michael Jackson (1958-2009). Joining grief-stricken family, friends and fans, actress Brooke Shields moaned, "Although our hearts are aching, we need to look up, where he is undoubtedly perched in a crescent moon, and we need to smile."

It's hard to smile when loved ones die. It's also hard to avoid -- especially during emotionally charged memorial services like Jackson's -- that age-old question we mortals are often confronted with throughout our brief earthly sojourn,

"After death, then what?"

Is Jackson truly "perched in a crescent moon"? In other words, is he in heaven? Has he entered the spirit world as NBC's Medium and CBS's Ghost Whisperer portray? Can he return as a ghost to speak, sing, or dance for the living? How about purgatory, as Catholics teach? Or even hell, as many Christians proclaim?

TV producer, radio host, and Bible expert Steve Wohlberg knows the answer, yet that answer is NOT what the average person believes. His eye-opening book, Solving the Mystery of Death, counteracts current misconceptions and comforts the living.

"Believe it or not," Wohlberg adamantly argues, "when a person dies -- whether good or bad -- they don't immediately go to heaven, or hell, or purgatory, or into the spirit world. Instead, they're dead, that is, they 'sleep' silently and unconsciously in their graves, awaiting a resurrection.' As proof, Wohlberg quotes Bible verses like these:

"The dead know not anything" (Ecclesiastes 9:5) "...there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:10) "The dead... go down into silence" (Psalm 115:17) The dead "sleep in the dust of the earth" (Daniel 12:2) "...the dead shall be raised" (1 Thess. 4:16)

"The idea that man's soul is inherently 'immortal' and soars somewhere at death is based in Greek philosophy, not Scripture," argues Wohlberg. The author of 22 books, Wohlberg has been a guest on over 500 radio and TV shows discussing biblical topics that relate to everyday living.

To schedule an interview, contact Steve Wohlberg. (Mobile) 559-977-9744

For more information about Steve Wohlberg, visit www.avoidthedead.com.