Bible Seminars

1

Bible Seminars
Life and Death

2
What does the Bible say about...

• Who or what is the source of life?
• Is man mortal or immortal?
• What is the source of death?
• What exactly is death?
• What lies beyond death?
• What is the secret of eternal life?

3
Who or what is the source of life?

• the LORD God formed the man from the dust of
  the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
  breath of life, and the man became a living
  being. Gen. 27

DUST BREATH OF LIFE LIVING BEING
4
Who or what is the source of life?

• a living being living soul
• Hebrew soul breathing
  creature
• God used the same creative process for the
  animals

nephesh
5
God used the same creative process for the
animals

• Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground
  all the beasts of the field
  Gen 219
• And to all the beasts of the earth and all the
  birds of the air and all the creatures that move
  on the ground - everything that has the breath of
  life in it Gen 130

DUST BREATH OF LIFE LIVING BEING
6
Is man mortal or immortal?

• Adam and Eve were created with the potential to
  die e.g. the potential for
• but you must not eat from the tree of the
  knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of
  it you will surely die. Gen. 217
• But they also had the propensity to live forever,
  e.g. the potential for ...

mortality
immortality
7
Is man mortal or immortal?

• The man has now become like one of us, knowing
  good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach
  out his hand and take also from the tree of life
  and eat, and live forever. So the LORD God
  banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the
  ground from which he had been taken. Gen.
  322-23
• The promise of immortality, or eternal life, was
  conditional on to Gods command

obedience
8
What is the source of death?

• God pronounced the curse of death upon Adam and
  Eve as a result of their
• By the sweat of your brow you will eat your
  food until you return to the ground, since from
  it you were taken for dust you are and to dust
  you will return. Gen. 319

disobedience
9
What is the source of death?

• Human nature, or the propensity to sin has been
  passed on to all men
• Therefore, just as sin entered the world
  through one man, and death through sin, and in
  this way death came to all men, because all
  sinned Rom. 512

We're all doomed!!!!
10
What exactly is death?

• The reversal of the life-giving process
• The body returns to dust
• The breath of life returns to God
• If it were His intention and He withdrew His
  spirit and breath, all mankind would perish
  together and man would return to the dust.
  Job 3414-15

11
God used the same creative process for the
animals

• As for men, God tests them so that they may
  see that they are like the animals. Mans fate
  is like that of the animals the same fate awaits
  them both As one dies, so dies the other. All
  have the same breath man has no advantage over
  the animal. Everything is meaningless. All go
  to the same place all come from dust, and to
  dust all return. Ecc.
  318-20

LIVING BEING - BREATH OF LIFE DUST
12
What exactly is death?

• Sleep or rest
• Unconsciousness
• No relationship with God
• For the living know that they will die, but the
  dead know nothing they have no further reward,
  and even the memory of them is forgotten. Their
  love, their hate and their jealousy have long
  since vanished never again will they have a part
  in anything under the sun.
  Ecc. 95-6
• No-one remembers you (God) when he is dead. Who
  praises you from the grave?
  Ps 65

13
So is there any hope?
YES!!!
14
The Good News

• Gospel message is the of eternal life
• but it has now been revealed through the
  appearing of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, who has
  destroyed death and has brought life and
  immortality to light through the gospel.
  2 Tim.
  110
• Through to Gods commands belief
  in Jesus
• And this is the testimony God has given us
  eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He
  who has the son has life he who does not have
  the Son of God does not have life.
  1 Jn. 511-12

hope
obedience
15
The secret of eternal life?

• It is not possessed naturally
• Eternal life is a from God promised as a
  reward for righteousness
• See that what you have heard from the beginning
  remains in you. If it does, you also will remain
  in the Son and in the Father. And this is what
  he promised us even eternal life. 1
  Jn. 224-25

gift
16
When will eternal life be given?

• At Christs return to earth, there will be a
  resurrection of the dead, then judgement
• For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
  with a loud command, with the voice of the
  archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and
  the dead in Christ will rise first.
  1 Thess. 416
• The righteous will be raised mortal, and will be
  made immortal - as spiritual bodies
• The unrighteous will be raised mortal and will
  die again (death sleep, unconsciousness)

17
When will eternal life be given?

• But at that time your people everyone whose
  name is found written in the book will be
  delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of
  the earth will awake some to everlasting life,
  others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those
  who are wise will shine like the brightness of
  the heavens, and those who lead many to
  righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
  
  Dan. 121-3
• But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile,
  the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who
  practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars
  their place will be in the fiery lake of
  burning sulphur. This is the second death.
  Rev. 218

18
What the Bible says about Life and Death

• God is the source of all life
• Men are mortal (thanks to Adam Eves
  disobedience!)
• Death is unconsciousness

• Hope of eternal life through Jesus
• Obedience is rewarded with eternal life as the
  gift of God
• Eternal life will be given when Christ returns

"The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord"