On Death, Dying, and the Future Hope
Contrary Passages?
Lesson #9 for November 26, 2022
Scriptures:Luke 16:19-31; 23:43; John 5:39; 20:17; Philippians 1:21-24; 1 Peter 3:13-20; Revelation 6:9-11.
1 Peter 3:15: But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honour him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,1 Peter 3:15). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].†‡
2 Timothy 4:1-3: 1I solemnly urge you 2to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience. 3The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear.?Good News Bible.*†
[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] Christ Himself did not suppress one word of truth, but He spoke it always in love.... He was never rude, never needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 353.1.‡
Luke 16:19-31: [Jesus said:] 19 “There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day. 20There was also a poor man named Lazarus, [not the Lazarus that Jesus raised from the dead] covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man’s door, 21hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores.
22 “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried, 23and in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. 24So he called out, ‘Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!’
25 “But Abraham said, ‘Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain. 26Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.’ 27The rich man said, ‘Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.’
29 “Abraham said, ‘Your brothers have Moses and the prophets [the Bible] to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.’ 30The rich man answered, ‘That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.’ 31But Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets [the Bible], they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.’ ”?Good News Bible.*†‡
[EGW:] When the rich man solicited additional evidence for his brothers, he was plainly told that should this evidence be given, they would not be persuaded. His request cast a reflection on God. It was as if the rich man had said, If you had more thoroughly warned me, I should not now be here. Abraham in his answer to this request is represented as saying, Your brothers have been sufficiently warned. Light has been given them, but they would not see; truth has been presented to them, but they would not hear.—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons* 264.2-265.0.†‡ [While this story may have been appropriate for those people in the days of Jesus, why did it need to be recorded in the Bible for us to struggle with? Remember that Luke was Greek, and that may have influenced him to include this story. It would be helpful if we had the words of Jesus before and after He told this “parable.”]‡
[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] We can be thankful that this parable does not represent reality. We serve a God who doesn’t torture someone for eternity. Roy Gane lists three major problems with an ever-burning hell:
“1. Would God feed fruit from the tree of life to the wicked to keep them alive in hell? If so, this would contradict the biblical teaching that only those who are saved enjoy the right to this fruit (Rev. 22:14). Consider Genesis 3, where God barred sinful Adam and Eve from the tree of life precisely to prevent them from living forever (Rev. 22:22–24) [sic] [The correct reference isGenesis 3:22-24.], and as a result, they died (Gen. 5:5 regarding Adam’s death). [Why is God keeping Satan and all evil-doers alive?]
[BSG:] This story was probably “a parable which made use of current Jewish thinking and is not intended to teach anything about the state of the dead.”—G. E. Ladd, “Eschatology,” in The New Bible Dictionary, edited by J. D. Douglas (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1962), p. 388.—[as quoted in Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, November 20].†‡§
[EGW:] The Sadducees denied the existence of angels, the resurrection of the dead, and the doctrine of a future life, with its rewards and punishments. On all these points they differed with the Pharisees. Between the two parties the resurrection was especially a subject of controversy.?Ellen G. White, Desire of Ages* 603.2.‡
There are no hints in the context of the story of the rich man and Lazarus that Jesus intended to talk about the state of the dead.
[BSG:] The details of the story also disprove the idea of its being a literal description of a burning hell. First of all, it would be impossible for someone who is burning alive to feel refreshed by his tongue being cooled by a finger that was dipped in water. Additionally, the close distance between heaven and “hell” would make it impossible for anyone to enjoy his time in heaven if he could, at any point, have a conversation with a loved one right beside him, who is burning for eternity. The promise from the book of Revelation that there will be no more pain, sorrow, and tears in heaven would never be realized (Rev. 21:4).?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 120.†‡§
Isaiah 66:22-24: 22 “Just as the new earth and the new heavens will endure by my power, so your descendants and your name will endure. 23On every New Moon Festival and every Sabbath, people of every nation will come to worship me here in Jerusalem,” says the LORD. 24 “As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of those who have rebelled against me. The worms that eat them will never die, and the fire that burns them will never be put out. The sight of them will be disgusting to the whole human race.”?Good News Bible.*†
Luke 23:43: Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”—The New International Version.* (2011). (Luke 23:43). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
John 20:17: “Do not hold on to me,” Jesus told her, “because I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God.”?Good News Bible.*† [This happened on Sunday, clearly not the same day as the crucifixion and death of Jesus; so, Jesus had not been to heaven even by Sunday; His conversation with the thief on the cross was on Friday. Even after having their legs broken, the thieves may not have even been dead by Sunday!]‡
John 14:1-3: “Do not be worried and upset,” Jesus told them. “Believe in God and believe also in me. 2There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. 3And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am.”?Good News Bible.*†
John 19:31-35: 31 Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy. 32So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with Jesus. 33But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs. 34One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water poured out. 35(The one who saw this happen has spoken of it, so that you also may believe. What he said is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth.)?Good News Bible.*†
Philippians 1:21-24: 21For what is life? To me, it is Christ. Death, then, will bring more. 22But if by continuing to live I can do more worthwhile work, then I am not sure which I should choose. 23I am pulled in two directions. I want very much to leave this life and be with Christ, which is a far better thing; 24but for your sake it is much more important that I remain alive.?Good News Bible.*†
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: 13 Our brothers and sisters, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope. 14We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him.
15 What we are teaching you now is the Lord’s teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died. 16There will be the shout of command, the archangel’s voice, the sound of God’s trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; 17then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 18So then, encourage one another with these words.?Good News Bible.*†
[BSG:] Paul was driven with the passion to live “in Christ” now (2 Cor. 5:17) and “with Christ” after His second coming (see1 Thess. 4:17). For the apostle, not even death could break the assurance of belonging to his Savior and Lord. As he said in the epistle to the Romans, “neither death nor life” can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38, 39, NKJV). “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Rom. 14:8, NKJV).?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Tuesday, November 22.‡§
1 Peter 3:13-20: 13 Who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, how happy you are! Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honour him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 16but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will be ashamed of what they say. 17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if this should be God’s will, than for doing evil. 18For Christ died for sins once and for all, a good man on behalf of sinners, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death physically, but made alive spiritually, 19and in his spiritual existence he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits. 20These were the spirits of those who had not obeyed God when he waited patiently during the days that Noah was building his boat. The few people in the boat—eight in all—were saved by the water.?Good News Bible.*†
Jude 6 [1:6]: Remember the angels who did not stay within the limits of their proper authority, but abandoned their own dwelling place: they are bound with eternal chains in the darkness below, where God is keeping them for that great Day on which they will be condemned.?Good News Bible.*†‡
Hebrews 11:7: It was faith that made Noah hear God’s warnings about things in the future that he could not see. He obeyed God and built a boat in which he and his family were saved. As a result, the world was condemned, and Noah received from God the righteousness that comes by faith.?Good News Bible.*
2 Peter 2:5: God did not spare the ancient world, but brought the flood on the world of godless people; the only ones he saved were Noah, who preached righteousness, and seven other people.?Good News Bible.*
Revelation 6:9-11: 9 Then the Lamb broke open the fifth seal. I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because they had proclaimed God’s word and had been faithful in their witnessing. 10They shouted in a loud voice, “Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until you judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us?” 11Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the complete number of their fellow-servants and fellow-Christians had been killed, as they had been.?Good News Bible.*†
[BSG:] The “souls” under the altar also are symbolic. By taking them literally, one would have to conclude that the martyrs are not fully happy in heaven, for they are still crying out for vengeance. This hardly sounds as if they are enjoying the reward of salvation. The desire for vengeance can make your life miserable. But your death, as well??Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, November 24.†‡
[From the SDA Bible Commentary:] There are no white, red, black, or pale horses there [in heaven] with warlike riders. Jesus does not appear there in the form of a lamb with a bleeding knife wound. The four beasts do not represent actual winged creatures of the animal characteristics noted.... Likewise, there are no “souls” lying at the base of an altar in heaven. The whole scene was a pictorial and symbolic representation.—Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1980). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 778. Review and Herald Publishing Association. [From the comment on souls inRevelation 6:9]†‡
[BSG:] “In the present instance [Rev. 6:9–11], the altar is clearly the altar of sacrifice where sacrificial blood was poured. The fact that John saw the souls of the martyrs under the altar has nothing to do with the state of the dead or their situation in the intermediate state; it is merely a vivid way of picturing the fact that they had been martyred in the name of their God.”—A Commentary on the Revelation of John (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1972), p. 103.—[as quoted in Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, November 24].†‡§ [Brackets in the paragraph are in the source; brackets in the introduction are added.]‡
[BSG:] “God is asked to conduct a legal process leading to a verdict that will vindicate his martyred saints.”—Joel N. Musvosvi, Vengeance in the Apocalypse, Andrews University Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series 17 (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 1993), p. 232.—[as quoted in Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 121].‡§
[BSG:] They were not living souls/spirits already, or that statement would be unnecessary. Thus, the description of their “resting” for a little while longer, when combined with the idea of “sleep,” used throughout the Bible for death, leads the reader to understand that the beheaded saints were to stay in their graves a little longer; that is, until the second coming of Christ.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 122.†‡
©2022, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. †Bold type is added. ‡Brackets and content in brackets are added. §Italic type is in the source. [email protected]
Last Modified: October 27, 2022
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