THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE IS DEATH
The Bible has a lot to say about death, judgement and eternity. Whatever you believe about death and beyond you must first ask yourself on what basis and authority you hold that belief.
Think about death as carefully as you consider other important decisions you make in life. How often have you delayed or made a wrong decision in life? With death you have no second chance, you cannot come back. If anyone can guarantee there is no life after death, no judgement and no accounting for what we have done during our lives, then ignore what the Bible has to say about death. But before you do this are you absolutely sure that the Bible is wrong?
Quotes from the Bible
Luke 16:19-31 - The Rich Man and Lazarus
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.
The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire."
But Abraham replied, "Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us."
He answered, "Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment." Abraham replied, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them."
"No, father Abraham," he said, "but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent."
He said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if some one rises from the dead."
Note both Lazarus and the rich man, though dead and buried, are conscious spiritual beings. The rich man is in torment and asked if Lazarus could help him. Lazarus is unable to help because of the great divide or separation between the saved and the lost after death. In desperation the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth to warn the rich man's family. This request is refused because once dead your fate is sealed. You make your choice in life, you have "Moses and the Prophets" i.e. the Bible to warn you of what to expect once you die.
Luke 23:42-43
There is no loss of consciousness when you die, your earthly body ceases to exist and decays, but you become an eternal spiritual being. When Christ was crucified, He was crucified with two men on either side.
One said "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."
Luke 23:46
When Jesus was on the cross His body died, but His soul did not.
Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit." When he said this he breathed his last.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
And the dust (body) returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Hebrews 9:27
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement.
Matthew 25:41
Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
Matthew 16:26
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
Most of us have an interest or maybe a fear of the unknown about death. The only certainty is today you are one day closer to death.
Some scientists claim there is no evidence for an afterlife, so dismiss it. How can scientists prove this? Once scientists die they cannot conduct experiments or make observations and report back to earth.
The Bible is a cohesive compilation of 66 books, written by different authors over a period of about one and a half thousand years. There is no plot to deceive. There are no contradictions in the Bible, if read truthfully, properly cross referenced and in context. Reading selected verses in isolation and relying on what others say can be misleading. Both Old and New Testaments teach a consistent truth about death.
There is no loss of consciousness, or loss of your character when you die. The body dies and is separated from the soul, your soul will exist forever. When you die the soul of believers is taken to the presence of Christ.
The bodies of believers will be resurrected and reunited with their souls at the Second Coming of Christ, at the start of His 1000 year reign on earth. The souls of non believers are temporarily confined to Hades (Sheol), at the centre of the earth, and will be reunited with their resurrected bodies at the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth.
Everyone (believers and non believers) will need to give account of his or her life on earth and face judgement.
2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
Hebrews 4:13
And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Exodus 20:1-17 & Deuteronomy 5:7-22
Lists and reviews The Ten Commandments given to Moses.
Mark 12:29-31
Jesus answered him, "The first of all commandments is: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second like it, is this: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these."
Of the ten, the first four ("The first of all commandments", above) govern our personal or spiritual relationship with God. The next six ("And the second like it", above) govern our relationship with our fellow men and woman during our physical life on earth. There is a clear dividing line between the first four and last six commandments, reflecting the existence of both spiritual soul and physical body. How will we be judged? Not according to manmade judicial systems, which throughout history have been open to abuse, change, miscarriages of justice and corruption.
Psalm 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 2:1-4
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain ? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. "Let us break their chains", they say, "and throw off their fetters." The One enthroned in heaven laughs: and the Lord scoffs at them.
The opening verses of the first two Psalms tell us that God's wrath is directed against sin, sin by individuals and sin perpetuated by those in authority(kings, governments etc.). Sin is rebellion, which leads to lawlessness. If there is no judgement then we are all free to sin with no consequences. Your character will not change when you die, all your earthly desires, wants, deeds and actions will be retained in your soul. If you find the Bible disagreeable in life, death will not alter that belief.
Romans 1:18-20
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
The verses above and the remainder of Romans 1 are significant in explaining how God views sin, and how we will be judged. There is a particular warning to those who distort biblical teaching and exchange God's glory for our own earthly desires and ambitions. The key point in Romans is not to be influenced by those who ridicule the Bible and "are godless in their thinking because, "claiming to be wise they become fools". God who created us, blessed us with a conscience, sense of right and wrong, ability to communicate, love, innovate and gave us dominion over the earth, plants and animals. In life we are free to accept God's authority or open our hearts to unrestrained contempt for the teachings of the Bible.
Hell
The word hell is in common use today. You might ask yourself why? References to hell are found throughout the Bible and here it consistently means only one thing, "eternal punishment and banishment." The first reference to hell is in Deuteronomy 32:22. Jesus made numerous references, to hell in the gospels. He spoke more about hell than any other topic. The final, graphic descriptions of hell are found in Revelation the last book of the Bible. The names used are Sheol (Old Testament), Hades (New Testament) as well as Hell. Sheol and Hades generally refers to the temporary abode of the souls of departed unbelievers (as is the soul of the rich man in Luke 16:19-31 above).
Revelation 20:13-14
The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades (Sheol) delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This lake of fire will be the final destination of the lost. Hell's inhabitants will include Satan and his demons as well as those held in Hades (Sheol).
Can the Bible be Trusted?
There are numerous accurate Old Testament prophecies detailing the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ, one example is Psalm 22 written 1000 years before the event.
Prophecies relating to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, the subsequent dispersion of the Jews throughout the world, and against all odds, the remarkable restoration of the nation of Israel nearly 2000 years later in 1948. Below are a few of many examples.
Jeremiah 23:3-8; Jeremiah 32:37-41; Ezekiel 34:13; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Ezekiel 37:21-22; Isaiah 49:22 and Isaiah 60:8-9.
The Old testament book of Daniel has some striking prophecies, perhaps the best known is Daniel's interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream correctly predicting four consecutive empires, Babylon, Medo Persian, Greece, Roman (eastern and western parts) and the composition of the final world empire, before its destruction when Christ returns (Daniel 2:31-45). Collectively the odds of these and other prophecies being fulfilled by chance are zero.
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 confirms the authenticity of the Bible we have today.
Romans 10:13
"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Ask yourself again on what do you base your beliefs and expectations of life beyond the grave? Are your beliefs and hopes reliable and trustworthy ?