The Mystery of Death Lesson 12

People say all sorts of things about death. “You go right to heaven when you die.” “Death is the end; there is no afterlife.” “Death is simply the transition into another existence.” “There is an afterlife, but you rest unconscious until the resurrection.” Why is there so much confusion concerning this vital topic?

The confusion began in the Garden of Eden. God told Adam and Eve that if they disobeyed, they would die. Satan, disguised as a serpent, told them that they wouldn’t die (Genesis 2:17; 3:4). Who was right?

Jesus often referred to death as a sleep. On one occasion, the sobs and wails of hired mourners filled the air at the house where Jairus’ daughter lay dead. When Jesus told the weeping crowd that she was sleeping, they laughed at Him. But their disbelief turned to joy when He awakened her from that sleep (Mark 5:35-42). Jesus also called the death of His friend Lazarus a sleep (John 11:11), and often spoke of the resurrection (Matthew 22:28-31; John 11:25). The resurrection would have no value if a person went straight to heaven or hell at death.

Man, with all his scientiﬁc tools of research, is still unable to answer the question about what happens in death. The only answer to the mystery of death is found in the Word of God and is tied in closely with how man was created.

Questions

Click on the question to reveal the answer:

1. How was man brought into existence? Genesis 2:7

The Bible answer is: From dust and God’s breath

God used the elements found in the earth to create the body with all the necessary organs and then breathed into it the “breath of life”, and man became a living soul. The “breath of life” given man was the divine spark of life enabling him to live and move. Together, the breath and the body make a living being, or soul.
2. Is man’s soul (or being) mortal or immortal? Ezekiel 18:4

The Bible answer is: The soul who sins shall die

Contrary to popular opinion, the soul is mortal, which means “subject to death.” God alone has immortality (1 Timothy 6:15, 16). The follower of Christ is seeking immortality and eternal life because humanity does not yet have it (Romans 2:7).
3. Where did death originate? Romans 5:12

The Bible answer is: It originated with sin

The phenomenon of death resulted from the disobedience of Adam and Eve when they sinned by refusing to believe what God had told them. Satan had them convinced that they were not subject to death by telling them a lie. He told them they would not really die, but live in a higher state (Genesis 3:1-4).
4. What really happens to a person when they die? Ecclesiastes 12:7
5. What is the “spirit” that returns to God? Job 27:3

The Bible answer is: The breath of God

The KJV reads: “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.” The word “spirit” here is translated “breath.” Death is just the opposite of life. The “spirit”, which is used interchangeably with the “breath of life”, goes back to God and the body returns to its original composition of the elements of the ground. The “soul”, which is simply a person or “living being”, ceases to exist temporarily until the resurrection. Thus the body plus the breath equals the soul or person. When death occurs, the body minus the breath equals temporary non-existence until Jesus returns.
6. Is there any function of intelligence after death? Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6

The Bible answer is: The dead know nothing

Psalm 115:17 says, “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence.” Psalm 146:4 says, “…in that very day his thoughts perish.” (KJV). The brain, being a physical organ, perishes with the rest of the body so thus all its functions perish as well. In death there is complete unconsciousness, with no dreams or emotions. The dead know nothing, their plans and thoughts perish, and their praise of God ceases.
7. Where, then, are the dead reserved? Job 14:13
8. How long do the dead remain in their graves? Job 14:12

The Bible answer is: Till the heavens are no more

Job recognized that he would remain in the grave until the heavens were no more, which happens when Jesus returns with power and great glory. The atmospheric heavens disappear with a roar and the elements melt with intense heat (2 Peter 3:10).
9. When will the dead come out of their graves? John 5:28, 29
10. When will the saved receive immortality? 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

The Bible answer is: At the Second Coming of Christ

The Bible says that, at the glorious coming of Christ and the sound of the trumpet, the graves of His believers will burst open and they will come forth clothed with immortality. This promise is assured to us by the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
11. How can we be sure to receive immortality? 1 John 5:11, 12

Response questions:

Can you see that the Bible teaches that man’s soul is mortal and death is an unconscious state?

Is it your desire to be part of the group who receives immortality when Christ returns?