Skeptical - Week 6
What happens to us
when we die?
Wouldn’t we all
like to know? Is it just like going to sleep? Do we cease to exist? Is there
life after all this?
Regardless of how
we answer these questions, one thing is universally true – we want there to be
something else! Nothing is quite as terrifying to the human psyche as simply
fading away into nothingness. That sounds horrifying, not to mention hopeless.
The Bible gives us
a better understanding of what happens to us when we die. In Scripture we are
told we are made as eternal beings. Though our bodies wear out, the human soul is
hard-wired to look and live for eternity. However, not everyone goes to the
same eternal destination.
One eternal
destination is known as hell. This is a place where sinners are sentenced to
spend eternity separated from God because of their rebellion toward God in
their lives on earth. The Bible paints hell in some pretty bad light. It’s a
place where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. It’s a place that is a lake
of fire where the torment of sinners rises forever and ever. Hell is a place no
one wants to go but sadly, when all is said and done, hell will be fully
occupied.
There is also an
eternal destination known as Heaven. This is reserved for the saints of God who
have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. Heaven is where the people of God will
dwell with God. Christ will wipe away every tear from the eyes of His people and
remove all sickness, sadness, and death. Heaven is the place everyone wants to
be, and thankfully, there is always room for one more if you are willing to
turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.
Death is not the
end. Death is the beginning of all eternity. What will your eternal location
be?
As we are finishing
off our Skeptical series, I want to encourage you to ask any questions that you
may have. We need to talk about these things - together.
Is there life after death?
Ecclesiastes
3:1-11
For everything
there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be
born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is
planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time
to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time
to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a
time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a
time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a
time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and
a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
The God-Given Task
9 What gain has the
worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the
children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its
time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find
out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Hebrews 9:27
27 And just as it
is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment...
The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ecclesiastes
3:1-11, Hebrews 9:27.
The Point: Everyone will
spend eternity somewhere.
Study
Notes
Ecclesiastes is not
concerned about questions of “cyclic” versus “linear” time. These verses do not
concern divine providence or abstract notions of time but human mortality. Life
is composed of joy and sorrow, building and destroying, and living and dying.
Each comes at the proper time. This reminds us we are creatures of time and not
yet able to partake of the joys of eternity. No one can be happy who has not
come to grips with the reality that life is full of changes and sorrows, as
well as continuity and joy. We must accept we are mortal and governed by time.
1) We are
guaranteed to die (v.1-2).
By beginning this
section of Ecclesiastes with a reminder that there is “a time to die,” Solomon
reminds us we are mortal and our time here on earth is limited. Before sin
entered the world, there was no death. Solomon reminds us we are broken people
living in a broken world. The apostle Paul understood this as well and
challenged the church at Ephesus, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as
unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are
evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). There is an end to the life we have on earth.
Therefore, we must consider how we are to live. Should we spend our time trying
to live longer? Should we make every moment count?
We live in a
culture that is constantly trying to sell us a hundred different creams and
lotions that try to hide the reality that our bodies are not permanent. Whether
we face terminal sickness or someone around us dies from an accident, we all
will be confronted with the reality of our mortality at some point in our
lives. God, however, does not want us to live in fear of death. In fact, God
hates death. He hates it so much that He took on human flesh, suffered on the
cross, and defeated death by rising from the grave.
2) We
were created for eternity (v. 11).
Though life ends on
earth, we are actually immortal creatures. There is life after death, so we not
only think of life with death in mind, we think of life with eternity in mind.
With death in mind, we know life is fragile, and we must make every moment count.
With eternity in mind, we prepare for life after death.
What makes eternity
simple is that there are only two choices for life after death. Hebrews 9:27 is
clear that we will face judgment after death. What we do in this life will
determine whether God’s judgment sends us to heaven or hell. Therefore, it is a
matter of eternal life for us to consider Jesus as Savior and Lord.
The Bible says,
“through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and so death
spread to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Adam and Eve were told not
to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because in the day they ate of
it, they “would surely die.” Death is the curse of the fall, it’s a result of
living in a broken and sinful world. It’s important for us to note that death
was not God’s intention but something we in our sin invited into the world.
Death is terrifying because of its finality, but more than that, death is
terrifying because, deep down, we all know we are sinners. We fear facing God’s
righteous judgment. As Christians, though, we have the benefit of knowing that
after death comes life, and this truth puts death into perspective.
Questions
for Discussion
What do the
contrasting times Solomon mentions in verses 2-8 teach us about the nature of
life?
How is death
described in this text?
Why is the thought
of death so terrifying for so many people?
What is the
solution to death?
How do you think
most people approach life after death—with certainty, doubt, or a confusing
mixture of both?
How should a true
certainty in life after death affect the way you live each day?
END
Teacher Notes:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
For everything
there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born,
and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a
time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a
time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to
embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to
lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to
sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to
hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
What do the
contrasting times Solomon mentions in verses 2-8 teach us about the nature of
life?
The writer of Ecclesiastes
– Solomon wants us to know two points from these verses:
1. God has a plan for all people. Life consists of
a series of beginnings and endings, and God is the ultimate authority over them
all. With the statement “there is a time to be born and a time to die,” Solomon
says that, from start to finish, every moment in every season of the cycle of
life is appointed by God. From the day of our birth until the day we die, God
is designing our destiny.
2. Timing is important. All the
experiences listed in these verses are appropriate at certain times. The secret
to peace with God is to discover, accept, and appreciate God’s perfect timing.
The danger is to doubt or resent God’s timing. This tends to lead to despair,
rebellion, or moving ahead without God’s advice.
The Byrd's sang
this song in the 1960’s under the title “Turn, Turn, Turn” used to emphasize
the cyclical nature of life.
The idea that
everything in life has a season, and that there is a time and a purpose for
everything under heaven.
1.
We are guaranteed to die.
How is death described in this text?
- there is “a time to die”
- Simply as a time
and cycle of life.
There is an end to
the life we have on earth. Therefore, we must consider how we are to live.
Should we spend our
time trying to live longer?
Should we make
every moment count?
Notes: Solomon
reminds us we are mortal and our time here on earth is limited. Before sin
entered the world, there was no death. Solomon reminds us we are broken people
living in a broken world. The apostle Paul understood this as well and
challenged the church at Ephesus, “Be very careful, then, how you live — not as
unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are
evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16). There is an end to the life we have on earth.
Therefore, we must consider how we are to live. Should we spend
our time trying to live longer? Should we make every moment count?
We live in a
culture that is constantly trying to sell us a hundred different creams and
lotions that try to hide the reality that our bodies are not permanent. Whether
we face terminal sickness or someone around us dies from an accident, we all
will be confronted with the reality of our mortality at some point in our
lives. God, however, does not want us to live in fear of death. In fact, God
hates death. He hates it so much that He took on human flesh, suffered on the
cross, and defeated death by rising from the grave.
Why is the thought
of death so terrifying for so many people?
·
Because of its finality. Because we all know we are sinners. We fear
facing God’s righteous judgment.
What is the
solution to death?
·
Knowing where you will spend eternity.
· We know from the Bible that death is an abnormality. It was never part of
God’s plan; it exists due to rebellion against God; death is the cessation of
life, and it holds nothing but silence and unconsciousness; God paid the
ultimate price for sin and death in the person of Jesus Christ; and one day …
soon … all who accept God’s free gift of eternal life will be changed and will
never experience death again. Jesus paid the price for you to receive eternal
life without death, but you have the power to accept or reject that gift.
How do you think
most people approach life after death — with certainty, doubt, or a confusing
mixture of both?
How should a true
certainty in life after death affect the way you live each day?
·
A time to be born and a time to die ought to remind us of Christ’s
encouragement not to be anxious about our everyday lives. In Luke 12:23–31 and
Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus taught that life is more than food and clothing. Birds
and wildflowers don’t worry about what they will wear and how they will get
their next meal. Neither should we because worrying won’t add a single moment
to our lives. We can trust that God, who knows our needs from beginning to end,
will love and care for us all our days. If we seek His Kingdom first, He will
provide for us in every moment of every season from the day we are born until
our final breath.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-11
The God-Given Task
What gain has the
worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the
children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what
God has done from the beginning to the end.
2.
We were created for eternity.
We are made as eternal beings. Though our
bodies wear out, the human soul is hard-wired to look and live for eternity.
Though life ends on earth, we are immortal
creatures. There is life after death, so we not only think of life with death
in mind, but we also think of life with eternity in mind. With death in mind,
we know life is fragile, and we must make every moment count. With eternity in
mind, we prepare for life after death.
What makes eternity simple is that there are
only two choices for life after death. Hebrews 9:27 is clear that we will face
judgment after death. What we do in this life will determine whether God’s
judgment sends us to heaven or hell. Therefore, it is a matter of eternal life
for us to consider Jesus as Savior and Lord.
The Bible says, “through one man sin entered
the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all
sinned” (Rom. 5:12). Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the tree of knowledge
of good and evil because in the day they ate of it, they “would surely die.”
Death is the curse of the fall, it’s a result of living in a broken and sinful
world. It’s important for us to note that death was not God’s intention but
something we in our sin invited into the world. Death is terrifying because of
its finality, but more than that, death is terrifying because, deep down, we
all know we are sinners. We fear facing God’s righteous judgment. As
Christians, though, we have the benefit of knowing that after death comes life,
and this truth puts death into perspective.
The Point
Everyone will spend eternity somewhere.
What happens to us when we die?
Is it just like going to sleep?
Do we cease to exist?
Is there life after all this?
Read: The Bible doesn’t
answer all our questions about heaven and life after death — and the reason is
because our minds are limited, and heaven is far too glorious for us to
understand. Someday, all our questions will be answered — but not yet. As the
Apostle Paul wrote, “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully” (1
Corinthians 13:12).
However, the Bible
does indicate that when we die, we enter immediately into God’s presence if we
belong to Christ. From our earthly point of view, death looks somewhat like
sleep — but not from God’s point of view. Paul declared, “We are confident (of
eternal life), I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home
with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Elsewhere he wrote, “I desire to depart and
be with Christ, which is better by far” (Philippians 1:23).
Within the
Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what
happens after death. Some hold that after death everyone “sleeps” until the
final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others
believe that at the moment of death people are instantly judged and sent to
their eternal destinations. Still others claim that, when people die, their
souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell to await the final
resurrection, the final judgment, and the finality of their eternal
destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death?
1. First, for the believer in Jesus Christ,
the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to
heaven, because their sins were forgiven when they received Christ as Savior
(John 3:16, 18, 36). For believers, death means being “away from the body and
at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6–8; Philippians 1:23). However,
passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:50–54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17 describe
believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be
with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection?
It seems that, while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ
immediately at death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the
resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and
reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit
will be the state of existence for believers for eternity in the new heavens
and new earth (Revelation 21—22).
2. Second, for those who do not receive Jesus
Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the
destiny of believers, it seems that unbelievers also go to a temporary holding
place to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. Luke
16:22–23 describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death.
Revelation 20:11–15 describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected,
judged at the great white throne, and cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers,
then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but they
are rather sent to a temporary realm of judgment and anguish. The rich man
cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24).
After death, a
person resides in either a place of comfort or in a place of torment. These
realms act as a temporary “heaven” and a temporary “hell” until the
resurrection. At that point, the soul is reunited with the body, but no one’s
eternal destiny will change. The first resurrection is for the “blessed and
holy” (Revelation 20:6) — everyone who is in Christ — and those who are part of
the first resurrection will enter the millennial kingdom and, ultimately, the
new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). The other resurrection happens
after Christ’s millennial kingdom, and it involves a judgment on the wicked and
unbelieving “according to what they had done” (Revelation 20:13). These, whose
names are not in the book of life, will be sent to the lake of fire to
experience the “second death” (Revelation 20:14–15). The new earth and the lake
of fire — these two destinations are final and eternal. People go to one or the
other, based entirely on whether they have trusted Jesus Christ for salvation
(Matthew 25:46; John 3:36).
Conclusion
Death is not the
end.
Death is the
beginning of all eternity.
What does
the Bible say about death?
The Bible presents
death as separation: physical death is the separation of the soul from the
body, and spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God.
Death is the result
of sin. “For the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23a. The whole world is
subject to death because all have sinned. “By one man sin entered the world,
and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”
(Romans 5:12). In Genesis 2:17, the Lord warned Adam that the penalty for
disobedience would be death — “you will surely die.” When Adam disobeyed, he
experienced immediate spiritual death, which caused him to hide “from Lord God
among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). Later, Adam experienced physical
death (Genesis 5:5).
On the cross, Jesus
also experienced physical death (Matthew 27:50). The difference is that Adam
died because he was a sinner, and Jesus, who had never sinned, chose to die as
a substitute for sinners (Hebrews 2:9). Jesus then showed His power over death
and sin by rising from the dead on the third day (Matthew 28; Revelation 1:18).
Because of Christ, death is a defeated foe. “O death, where is thy sting? O
grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55; Hosea 13:14).
For the unsaved,
death ends the chance to accept God’s gracious offer of salvation. “It is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
For the saved, death ushers us into the presence of Christ: “To be absent from
the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians
1:23). So real is the promise of the believer’s resurrection that the physical
death of a Christian is called “sleep” (1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians
5:10). We look forward to that time when “there shall be no more death”
(Revelation 21:4).
What does
it mean that there is a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2)?
Looking back over
his life and considering the sovereignty of God, King Solomon penned these
words: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under
the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3:1–2).
Solomon’s father,
King David, similarly reflected, “You watched me as I was being formed in utter
seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I
was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid
out before a single day had passed” (Psalm 139:15–16, NLT).
In Ecclesiastes
3:1–8, Solomon presents a catalog of fourteen contrasting seasons and times
(birth and death, planting and harvest, killing and healing, etc.). Together,
these pairings communicate a sense of all human activity in its myriad forms.
While appearing to be opposites, a time to be born and a time to die are
instead counterparts, both having their appropriate place in the rhythm of
ever-changing seasons and cycles of life. Everything between the time of our
birth and our death happens at an appointed time.
In the original
language, the word translated as “be born” is the active verb form “to bear, or
to give birth.” As humans, we have the extreme privilege of collaborating with
God in creating new life through the process of conception and giving birth.
Every human life
has a determined span, and within its duration there are meaningful events.
Birth and death are perhaps the most significant, book-ending every person’s
existence. There is an appointed time for every person to be born and a time to
die. Job said to God, “You have decided the length of our lives. You know how
many months we will live, and we are not given a minute longer” (Job 14:5, NLT;
see also Hebrews 9:27).
Childbirth is
typically a joyous and celebratory season in life (John 16:21; Psalm 113:9;
127:3). On the other hand, death generally is a grievous and mournful time. Yet
God has a good purpose for everything that takes place between one’s birth and
death: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good,
for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, ESV).
“Our lives are in
his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling,” declares Psalm 66:9 (NLT).
“My times are in your hands,” affirms David in Psalm 31:15. With Scripture’s
promise that our lives and times are in God’s hands, we can trust that there’s
no such thing as an untimely death. We can take comfort and rest assured that
nothing in life can escape God’s supreme control.
There is a time to
be born and a time to die ought also to remind us of Christ’s encouragement not
to be anxious about our everyday lives. In Luke 12:23–31 and Matthew 6:25–34,
Jesus taught that life is more than food and clothing. Birds and wildflowers don’t
worry about what they will wear and how they will get their next meal. Neither
should we because worrying won’t add a single moment to our lives. We can trust
that God, who knows our needs from beginning to end, will love and care for us
all of our days. If we seek His Kingdom first, He will provide for us in every
moment of every season from the day we are born until our final breath.
Why do so
many people have to experience terrible suffering before death?
Suffering is a
universal part of our humanity that exists in a fallen world. The question of
why there is suffering in death for some and not as much for others is not
answerable.
For we reckon things from our human experience and do not understand the
infinite mind and purpose of God. In the great faith chapter, we often read of
the heroes of the faith but neglect the litany of those unnamed who suffered
for their faith (Hebrews 11:33-40). These all died suffering deaths yet are
heroes of the faith. They are unnamed and unsung among men, but God values
their suffering and includes them in this great chapter of faith as a lesson to
us.
Suffering and death
are part of the curse of sin on the world (Genesis 3:16-19). Adam and Eve fell,
and when they did, they brought to themselves and to all of their descendants
the suffering of death. "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" (Genesis
2:17). We know that Adam and Eve did not die physically on the day that they
ate of the tree. Adam lived to the age of 930 (Genesis 5:5). But when Adam
sinned, he was spiritually separated from God, and this is the first death.
The
question of why some suffer at death and others do not could be summed up in
one statement: "God is sovereign." That is not just a trite and easy statement.
When Jesus healed a man born blind, the disciples questioned Him. "‘Rabbi,
who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man
nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God
might be displayed in his life’" (John 9:1-3). In this passage is a
principle that can be applied to our question. God allows some to suffer so
that "the work of God might be displayed." In other words, God allows
some to suffer to bring glory to His name and others not to suffer for the same
reason. It is His sovereign will that determines each circumstance. Therefore,
we can safely say that no suffering is without a purpose in the plan of God,
even though we as finite humans may not see that purpose clearly.
The Apostle Paul
suffered much in his life and ministry. A litany of that suffering can be found
in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. Paul was killed for his testimony and according to
universal tradition was decapitated after a long imprisonment. However, during this
time, he wrote this testimony to Timothy: "I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me
on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his
appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Another purpose for suffering is to be a
witness to those watching that God’s grace and strength is sufficient to enable
a believer to stand in that suffering (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul also gives us
an example as to how we should view suffering as a child of God. "But he
said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so
that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight
in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For
when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). And Paul also
said, "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).
Therefore, however a believer dies, in suffering or in relative peace, it is
but a transition to "face to face" with the LORD. Once that
transition has been made, all of the sorrow and pain of the suffering will end.
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or
mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away"
(Revelation 21:4).
