Lesson-6

"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries

Lesson 6

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?

Introduction: Many believe the wicked will suffer in hellfire through all eternity. Many more believe when one dies, he goes straight to heaven. But is this what the Bible teaches? What does the Bible teach?

1. As a consequence of sin, what happened to man? Romans 5:12; Heb. 9:27.

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2. Will all men only die once? Rev. 21:8; 20:14,15. Note: As we already learned in the last lesson, the righteous dead will be resurrected and taken to heaven when Jesus comes the second time. The wicked will all be left dead upon this earth.

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3. What does the Bible call death? John 11:11-14; Daniel 12:2. Note: In first and second Kings and first and second Chronicles there are many verses that refer to the death of a person by saying that he “slept with his fathers.” Matt. 27:52,53 speaks of the “saints which slept,” who were resurrected at the death of Jesus, when there was an earthquake that opened graves.

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4. What happens when a person dies? Ps. 146:4; Eccl.. 9:5,6,10; Job 14:21. Note: When God created man from the “dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Gen. 2:7. But when man dies, we read in Ps. 104:29 and Eccl.. 12:7 the breath goes back to God Who gave it, and man returns to dust as God told Adam and Eve in Gen. 3:19. Then without the breath, man dies (Ps. 104:29) and man becomes a dead soul.

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5. Is death the end of everything? Job 14:9-15; Ps. 17:15; 2 Tim. 4:7,8; 1 Cor. 15:19-22.

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6. How long will the righteous dead sleep? 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; Job 14:14.

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7. How long will the wicked be dead upon the earth after the righteous are taken to heaven? Rev. 20:5.

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8. What will happen to the wicked at the end of this time? Rev. 20:14,15; 21:8. Note: But if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of heaven or writhing in the flames of hell, what need of a future judgment? The teaching of God’s word on these important points are neither obscure or contradictory; they may be understood by common minds, but what candid mind can see either wisdom or justice in the current theory? Will the righteous, after the investigation of their cases at the judgment, receive the commendation, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant:....enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” when they have been dwelling in His presence, perhaps for long ages? Are the wicked summoned from the place of torment to receive sentence from the Judge of all the earth: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”? Matt. 25:21,41. Oh, solemn mockery! Shameful impeachment of the wisdom and justice of God!

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9. How does the Bible describe this death? 2 Thess. 1:9. Note: Ps. 37:20 expresses it another way when it says, “they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” Malachi 4:1 says, “it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Verse 3 says, “they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.”

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10. How does Jesus describe the end of the wicked? Matt. 25:41. Note: This fire is called “everlasting” because of the character of the work it does; just as it is called “unquenchable” because it cannot be put out, not because it will not go out when its work is done.

Like wise, “forever” does not mean never ending. It means as long as life shall last, as we read in 1 Sam. 1:11,22,28. If the wicked burned throughout eternity, it would not be death, but life. In the case of the righteous, though, “forever” would be never ending, for they will never die!

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Satan, the root of every sin, and all evil workers, who are his branches, shall be utterly cut off. An end will be made of sin, with all the woe and ruin that have resulted from it. Says the psalmist, “Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name forever and ever, O thou enemy, destruction are come to a perpetual end.” Ps. 9:5,6.


	"LET THERE BE LIGHT" Ministries home \| Bible Studies Lesson 6 WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE? Introduction: Many believe the wicked will suffer in hellfire through all eternity. Many more believe when one dies, he goes straight to heaven. But is this what the Bible teaches? What does the Bible teach? 1. As a consequence of sin, what happened to man? Romans 5:12; Heb. 9:27. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. Will all men only die once? Rev. 21:8; 20:14,15. Note: As we already learned in the last lesson, the righteous dead will be resurrected and taken to heaven when Jesus comes the second time. The wicked will all be left dead upon this earth. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. What does the Bible call death? John 11:11-14; Daniel 12:2. Note: In first and second Kings and first and second Chronicles there are many verses that refer to the death of a person by saying that he “slept with his fathers.” Matt. 27:52,53 speaks of the “saints which slept,” who were resurrected at the death of Jesus, when there was an earthquake that opened graves. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. What happens when a person dies? Ps. 146:4; Eccl.. 9:5,6,10; Job 14:21. Note: When God created man from the “dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Gen. 2:7. But when man dies, we read in Ps. 104:29 and Eccl.. 12:7 the breath goes back to God Who gave it, and man returns to dust as God told Adam and Eve in Gen. 3:19. Then without the breath, man dies (Ps. 104:29) and man becomes a dead soul. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. Is death the end of everything? Job 14:9-15; Ps. 17:15; 2 Tim. 4:7,8; 1 Cor. 15:19-22. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 6. How long will the righteous dead sleep? 1 Thess. 4:15-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; Job 14:14. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 7. How long will the wicked be dead upon the earth after the righteous are taken to heaven? Rev. 20:5. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 8. What will happen to the wicked at the end of this time? Rev. 20:14,15; 21:8. Note: But if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of heaven or writhing in the flames of hell, what need of a future judgment? The teaching of God’s word on these important points are neither obscure or contradictory; they may be understood by common minds, but what candid mind can see either wisdom or justice in the current theory? Will the righteous, after the investigation of their cases at the judgment, receive the commendation, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant:....enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” when they have been dwelling in His presence, perhaps for long ages? Are the wicked summoned from the place of torment to receive sentence from the Judge of all the earth: “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”? Matt. 25:21,41. Oh, solemn mockery! Shameful impeachment of the wisdom and justice of God! ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 9. How does the Bible describe this death? 2 Thess. 1:9. Note: Ps. 37:20 expresses it another way when it says, “they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.” Malachi 4:1 says, “it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Verse 3 says, “they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet.” ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 10. How does Jesus describe the end of the wicked? Matt. 25:41. Note: This fire is called “everlasting” because of the character of the work it does; just as it is called “unquenchable” because it cannot be put out, not because it will not go out when its work is done. Like wise, “forever” does not mean never ending. It means as long as life shall last, as we read in 1 Sam. 1:11,22,28. If the wicked burned throughout eternity, it would not be death, but life. In the case of the righteous, though, “forever” would be never ending, for they will never die! ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Satan, the root of every sin, and all evil workers, who are his branches, shall be utterly cut off. An end will be made of sin, with all the woe and ruin that have resulted from it. Says the psalmist, “Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name forever and ever, O thou enemy, destruction are come to a perpetual end.” Ps. 9:5,6.