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The Bible
teaches that
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Death
came because of sin.
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Death
is a returning to the dust; a ceasing to exist.
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In
death man is unconscious.
(Also see
'Bible Teaching about our human nature')
Thus man
does not have an immortal soul. Always in the Bible eternal life
is something promised - something to hope for but not yet
received:
“This is the promise that he hath promised us, even
eternal life” (1 John 2:25)
“In hope
of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised
before the world began” (Titus 1:2)
Resurrection to Immortality
The only
hope of a future life held out to dying man is life to be given at
the resurrection. Eternal life can only be obtained after
resurrection of the body:
“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2)
“And this is
the Father’s will that hath sent me, that of all which he hath
given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at
the last day” (John 6:39)
“If by any
means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead”
(Philippians 3:11)
Resurrection Still Future
The
resurrection will take place at the second coming of Jesus to the
earth:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians
4:16)
Eternal Life to be Enjoyed IN
THE BODY
The
resurrection will be a resurrection of the body from the sleep of
death. Immortality will be given by changing this resurrected body
from mortal (i.e. dying) to immortal (i.e. never dying).
“For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53)
“The
Lord...shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21)
Eternal Life to be Enjoyed ON
THE EARTH
Those who
are given eternal life will live on the earth. There is nothing in
the Bible to suggest that anyone will go to heaven:
“Behold,
the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much
more the wicked and the sinner” (Proverbs 11:31)
“Blessed are
the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5)
“Thou...hast
made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on
the earth” (Revelation 5:10)
We shall see
in our week 5 session, that once we understand the Bible teaching
about the coming Kingdom of God on the earth this teaching - that
the faithful will be rewarded on the earth - is demanded by the
teaching about the Kingdom. The two are bound together.
Eternal Life is CONDITIONAL
Eternal life
will not be given to everyone. Most people who have died will
remain dead:
“The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall
remain in the congregation of the dead” (Proverbs 21:16)
Those who
die in ignorance of God’s purpose - who are therefore not
responsible to God will not be raised from the dead:
“He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never
see light. Man that is in honour and understandeth not, is
like the beasts that perish” (Psalm 49:19-20)
BELIEF is Essential
The previous
verses show that it is a knowledge of God’s ways that makes a
person responsible to God. But more than knowledge is needed if a
man is to gain eternal life. Firstly he must believe what
he knows to be the teaching of the Bible about the Kingdom and
about Jesus i.e. the Gospel:
“For God so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life” (John 3:16)
“Our saviour
Jesus Christ...hath abolished death and brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10)
OBEDIENCE Must Follow Belief
To gain
eternal life a person who believes must then obey the
gospel. Baptism is one of the first acts of obedience. Notice how
belief and baptism (obedience) are linked together:
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved,
but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16)
Baptism is
only the beginning of the life in Christ. The standard set before
the believer is high but the effort is worthwhile:
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may
have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through
the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14)
“The world
passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will
of God abideth for ever” (1 John 2:17)
Resurrection of JUST and UNJUST
Those who
are raised will be made up of two classes of people styled in Acts
24:15 “the just and the unjust”. The distinction will be
made at “the judgment seat”. Those who have understood the
gospel but have wilfully refused to obey it will be raised from
the dead and judged accordingly:
“He that
rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that
judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge
him in the last day” (John 12:48)
Those who
have obeyed the gospel will also be judged according to their
works - i.e. according to their progress in the Christian life:
“Why dost
thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy
brother? for we shall all stand before the judgement seat of
Christ. So then every one of us shall give account of
himself to God” (Romans 14:10,12)
“God...will
render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by
patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, honour and
immortality, (he will give) eternal life” (Romans 2:6-7)
Those who, in
God’s grace, are accounted worthy will be given eternal life and a
place in God’s Kingdom.
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