GOD’S PLAN IN DETAIL – THE STUDY GUIDE

The Truth about Death

To understand death we must first understand how we are made. Only God, as our maker, can answer this. Isaiah 55:8-9 NLTMy thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts., Romans 11:33-36 NLTOh, how great are Gods riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

For who can know the Lords thoughts?
Who knows enough to give him advice?
And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back?

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.. Human science and philosophy cannot.

God has revealed that we have bodies that are made from physical matter – ‘the dust of the earth.’ This physical body is combined with a spirit that gives us our intellectual and emotional capacity – body and spirit combined to make a ‘living being.’ Genesis 2:7 NIVThe 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., Zechariah 12:1 AMPTHE BURDEN or oracle (the thing to be lifted up) of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus says the Lord, Who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth and forms the spirit of man within him:.

When we die our bodies decay and return to the dust of the earth, and our spirits return to God (Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 ESVRemember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them"; before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed, and the doors on the street are shut - when the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all the daughters of song are brought low - they are afraid also of what is high, and terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and desire fails, because man is going to his eternal home, and the mourners go about the streets - before the silver cord is snapped, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it., James 2:26 NIVAs the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.) where they will be kept until we receive new bodies at either the first or second resurrection. Matthew 9:24 NLTHe said, "Go away, for the girl isn't dead; she's only asleep." But the crowd laughed at him., John 11:11-13 NLTThen he said, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up."

The disciples said, "Lord, if he is sleeping, that means he is getting better!" They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was having a good night's rest, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died., Matthew 27:52 ESVThe tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised., Acts 13:36 ESVFor David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption..

But what happens during this time of waiting? Do good people go to heaven while bad people suffer endlessly in hell? Are we even conscious during this time?

There are many references to what happens after death in Scripture, but no definitive statement of exactly what happens. From the time they were first written men have twisted those scriptures to mean whatever they have imagined. But, like everything else written in the Bible, if you put aside preconceived ideas and just look at what is said, then the meaning becomes clear.

Paul referred to the death of Christians as falling asleep. 1 Corinthians 15:6 AMPThen later He showed Himself to more than five hundred brethren at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, but some have fallen asleep [in death].. Towards the end of his life, Daniel was told that he would finally die and rest until the end time when he would be raised up to receive his reward. Daniel 12:13 CEVSo, Daniel, be faithful until the end! You will rest, and at the end of time, you will rise from death to receive your reward.. Yeshua described Lazarus as ‘sleeping’ just before he woke him back up. John 11:11-15 NLTThen he said, Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.

The disciples said, Lord, if he is sleeping, he will soon get better! They thought Jesus meant Lazarus was simply sleeping, but Jesus meant Lazarus had died.

So he told them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there, for now you will really believe. Come, let's go see him.. He told his disciples that he will come back for them after going away to prepare a place for them so that they could be with him. John 14:1-4 NLT“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”.

When Yeshua returns, Christians will be woken up from their sleep. 1 Corinthians 15:18-20,51 ESVThen those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,.., 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 ESVBut we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.. Talking about his own coming death, Paul is confident that he has been faithful and will receive his reward on that day when Yeshua returns. 2 Timothy 4:6-8 CEVNow the time has come for me to die. My life is like a drink offering being poured out on the altar. I have fought well. I have finished the race, and I have been faithful. So a crown will be given to me for pleasing the Lord. He judges fairly, and on the day of judgment he will give a crown to me and to everyone else who wants him to appear with power..

Further, Paul states that we will have new spirit bodies, just like Yeshua already has, when we receive our reward. 1 Corinthians 15:35-53 NLTBut someone may ask, How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have? What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it doesnt grow into a plant unless it dies first. And what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow, but only a bare seed of wheat or whatever you are planting. Then God gives it the new body he wants it to have. A different plant grows from each kind of seed...

It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural human bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies...

The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam - that is, Christ - is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man.

What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever.

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies..

‘Sleeping’ in death suggests that we are not conscious during that time. In Revelation 6:9-11 NLTWhen the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of all who had been martyred for the word of God and for being faithful in their testimony. They shouted to the Lord and said, O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us? Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters - their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred - had joined them., those who have been killed for following Yeshua become conscious and are then told to go back to rest.

So, what about Yeshua talking with Moses, Elijah and in Matthew 17:1 NLTSix days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as light. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus.? Had they already received their reward along with their new spirit bodies, or was this just a vision to give Peter, James and John an understanding of what it would be like in the Kingdom of God?

Only God can answer this, and he said through John that ‘no-one has yet ascended into heaven and returned except Yeshua. John 3:13 NLTNo one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven.. John was there with Peter and James. So it seems that this could only have been a vision.

Some time later, Paul described being taken up to the third heaven – but he didn’t know whether he was there physically, or in spirit. 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 NLTI was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don't know - only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.. Only God knows. If Paul himself didn’t know, then we shouldn’t try to guess.

If God has decided that certain individuals should receive their reward early, then he is certainly able to do that. But, he has not said that he would do this. He has said that Christians will ‘sleep in death’ until Yeshua returns. Only then will they receive their reward and new spirit bodies.

At the end of the one thousand years following Yeshua’ return, the rest of the dead will be brought to life. Revelation 20:5 NLTThis is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended).. They haven’t been alive in heaven or suffering in hell. They have also been sleeping in death.

We are not born with an immortal soul. Paul wrote that “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” in Romans 6:23 NLTFor the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.. Eternal life is not a free gift if we already have it.

Death is the direct consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin. Genesis 3:19 NLTAll your life you will sweat to produce food, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from dust, and to the dust you will return.. God cut them off from the Tree of Life so that they could not be healed and still live forever. Genesis 3:22-24 NIVAnd the LORD God said, "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. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.. The only way to be saved from this penalty is through Yeshua, by accepting his free gift of eternal life. Christians will still die, but we will now be raised back from the dead to receive our full inheritance when Yeshua returns.

Adam and Eve sinned because they believed the very first recorded lie – that they would not surely die if they disobeyed God. Genesis 3:1-4 NIVNow the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "

"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.. Satan lied to Adam and Eve and has been promoting that lie ever since. This is the true origin of so-called ‘Christian’ belief that we have an immortal soul.

Yeshua made it very clear that we should fear God, who can destroy both body and soul in Gehenna. Matthew 10:28 NLTDon't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.. Luke 12:5 AMPBut I will warn you whom you should fear: fear Him Who, after killing, has power to hurl into hell (Gehenna); yes, I say to you, fear Him!. Destroy means total destruction. The Greek work is used consistently to mean this throughout the New Testament.

Gehenna is the lake of fire described in Scripture. It is a place that has been reserved for Satan and his demons and is also where all those who do not qualify to enter God’s Family will be finally destroyed after the second resurrection. Revelation 20:4-15 CEVI saw thrones, and sitting on those thrones were the ones who had been given the right to judge. I also saw the souls of the people who had their heads cut off because they had told about Jesus and preached God's message. They were the same ones who had not worshiped the beast or the idol, and they had refused to let its mark be put on their hands or foreheads. They will come to life and rule with Christ for a thousand years.

These people are the first to be raised to life, and they are especially blessed and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests for God and Christ and will rule with them for a thousand years. No other dead people were raised to life until a thousand years later.

At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be set free. He will fool the countries of Gog and Magog, which are at the far ends of the earth, and their people will follow him into battle. They will have as many followers as there are grains of sand along the beach, and they will march all the way across the earth. They will surround the camp of God's people and the city that his people love. But fire will come down from heaven and destroy the whole army.

Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur. He will be there with the beast and the false prophet, and they will be in pain day and night forever and ever.

I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go. I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done.

The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done. Afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Anyone whose name wasn't written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.. It is not a place where evil people are tortured forever when they die. It is eternal punishment because these people will be dead forever.

This is where the rich man found himself in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Luke 16:19-31 NLTJesus said, There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.

The rich man shouted, 'Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.'

But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.'

Then the rich man said, 'Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father's home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don't end up in this place of torment.'

But Abraham said, 'Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.'

The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.'

But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.'. Both had been resurrected at the second resurrection, which would have appeared to them as if it had happened immediately after death. The rich man was about to be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:4-15 CEVI saw thrones, and sitting on those thrones were the ones who had been given the right to judge. I also saw the souls of the people who had their heads cut off because they had told about Jesus and preached God's message. They were the same ones who had not worshiped the beast or the idol, and they had refused to let its mark be put on their hands or foreheads. They will come to life and rule with Christ for a thousand years.

These people are the first to be raised to life, and they are especially blessed and holy. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests for God and Christ and will rule with them for a thousand years. No other dead people were raised to life until a thousand years later.

At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be set free. He will fool the countries of Gog and Magog, which are at the far ends of the earth, and their people will follow him into battle. They will have as many followers as there are grains of sand along the beach, and they will march all the way across the earth. They will surround the camp of God's people and the city that his people love. But fire will come down from heaven and destroy the whole army.

Then the devil who fooled them will be thrown into the lake of fire and burning sulfur. He will be there with the beast and the false prophet, and they will be in pain day and night forever and ever.

I saw a great white throne with someone sitting on it. Earth and heaven tried to run away, but there was no place for them to go. I also saw all the dead people standing in front of that throne. Every one of them was there, no matter who they had once been. Several books were opened, and then the book of life was opened. The dead were judged by what those books said they had done.

The sea gave up the dead people who were in it, and death and its kingdom also gave up their dead. Then everyone was judged by what they had done. Afterwards, death and its kingdom were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Anyone whose name wasn't written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire..

God does not take pleasure in causing pain and suffering. He wants every one of us to succeed and to become part of his Family. 2 Peter 3:8-9 NLTBut you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent..

He made us of mortal flesh and blood so that we could be put out of our misery if we set our minds to refuse the wonderful future that he is offering. The second and final death is just that – the end with no further possibility of life.