The details of the afterlife were revealed gradually. There are two places in the earlier protocanonical books of the Old Testament where it is at least hinted at that the dead are aware, such as when the dead prophet Samuel prophesied the death of King Saul and his sons (1 Samuel 28:3-19) and when a man rose from the dead when his body came in contact with Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20-21) but it is not until the later deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament and the New Testament where it is most explicit that the dead are aware, such as:
Sirach 46:13-20, concerning the dead prophet Samuel.
Sirach 48:12-14, concerning the dead prophet Elisha.
2 Maccabees 15:11-16, concerning the dead high priest Onias and the dead prophet Jeremiah.
Matthew 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30-31, concerning the dead law-giver and prophet Moses.
Luke 16:19-31, concerning the dead rich man, the dead poor man Lazarus, and the dead patriarch Abraham.
Revelation 4:4—5:14; 6:9-11; 7:9-17;11:16-18;19:1-4, concerning the dead 24 elders and the dead martyrs.
Luke 16:19-31, mentioned above, is one of the clearest examples of the particular judgment immediately following death and the awareness of the dead. For example, the dead rich man was aware that his brothers were still alive and unrepentant and he interceded on their behalf.
