26-Questions about Death - NKJ

1. What Does Paul Mean by the Expression "Absent From the Body and Present with the Lord?".

2 Corinthians 5:6 So we are always _confident_, _knowing_ that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are _confident_, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be _present_ with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that _mortality_ may be _swallowed_ up by life.

In these verses Paul contrasts the earthly perishable body subject to sickness, disease, and death, with the glorious, eternal, immortal body which God has prepared for us when we are taken to heaven.

The expression "absent from the body" means absent from the mortal body with its earthly infirmities. The expression "present with the Lord" means present in the glorious immortal body received at Jesus Second Coming.

2. Paul Is Saying the Same Thing in 1 Corinthians 15.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be _changed_-- [52] in a moment, in the _twinkling_ of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be _changed_. [53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be _brought_ to pass the saying that is _written_: "Death is _swallowed_ up in _victory_."

In 1 Corinthians 15 as well as 2 Corinthians 5, Paul longs for Jesus Second Coming.

3. Notice Paul's Sentiments in His Second Letter to Timothy.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my _departure_ is at hand. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have _finished_ the race, I have kept the faith. [8] _Finally_, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His _appearing_.

4. If the Dead Are Asleep, How Could the Witch of Endor Bring the Prophet Samuel Back From the Dead to Speak to King Saul?

1 Samuel 28:15 Now Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up? And Saul answered, I am deeply _distressed_; for the _Philistines_ make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. _Therefore_ I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.

5. There Are Three Important Facts to Observe About This Story:

First, God's Clear Command Through the Entire Old Testament Period Was That Spiritualists Be Driven Out of the Land of Israel.

Any found in the land were to be put to death. The word of God unmasks all spiritualism as the work of satanic forces (see Deuteronomy 18:10-15; Isaiah 47:13, 14).

6. Second, Saul Had Already Rejected the Prophet Samuel's Council. He Had Inquired of God and Had Received No Answer.

1 Samuel 28:6 And when Saul _inquired_ of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the _prophets_.

7. Saul Went to the Witch of Endor Because He Had Received No Answer From the Lord. What Saul Saw Was Not Samuel.

Notice What the Witch Says She Sees and What Saul Perceives.

1 Samuel 28:13-14 And the king said to her, Do not be afraid. What did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw a spirit _ascending_ out of the earth. [14] So he said to her, What is his form? And she said, An old man is coming up, and he is _covered_ with a mantle. And Saul _perceived_ that it was Samuel, and he _stooped_ with his face to the ground and bowed down.

8. Since the Dead Know Nothing, It Has to Be Satan Masquerading As the Form of the Dead Imitating Their Form and Voices.

Revelation 16:14 For they are spirits of demons, _performing_ signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God _Almighty_.

9. Third, the Ultimate Result of Saul's Visit to the Witch of Endor Was Not Repentance and Confession of Sin, But Rather Despair, Discouragement, and Death.

He went to the battle field without any hope.

10. Doesn't Paul Imply That a Person Goes Directly to Heaven by Stating That He Wanted to Depart to Be with Christ and That Death Is Gain?

Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is _Christ_, and to die is _gain_.

Philippians 1:23 For I am hard _pressed_ between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far _better_.

The Bible does not contradict itself. Paul doesn't say one thing in one place and something different in another place.

11. Paul Says That at the Second Coming of Jesus, the Righteous Dead Are Resurrected to Receive Their Eternal Reward.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord _Himself_ will _descend_ from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the _trumpet_ of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall _always_ be with the Lord.

12. Paul Says That Our Citizenship Is in Heaven From Where Jesus Will Take Us After Giving Us Bodies Like His Own.

Philippians 3:20-21 For our _citizenship_ is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who will transform our lowly body that it may be _conformed_ to His glorious body, _according_ to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

13. From Prison Paul Writes to Timothy Saying That He Is Ready to Die and Looks Forward to the Day When Jesus Comes Back for All Those Who Love His Appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have _finished_ the race, I have kept the faith. [8] _Finally_, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His _appearing_.

Paul longed for the Return of Jesus when he would see his Lord's face and be ushered into eternity. In this case, it is easy to see why Paul would say death is gain. For him it would mean freedom from pain, deliverance from bondage in a Roman prison, and security from the temptations of Satan.

To Paul, death was a sleep with no conscious passage of time. The next event for him after closing his eyes in the sleep of death was to depart this earth and be with the Lord.

Since there is no conscious passing of time from death to Christ's Second Coming, for Paul, death meant closing his eyes in sleep and waking up to be with the Lord.

14. In the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Rich Man Goes Immediately to Hell and Lazarus to Heaven. Why Did Jesus Use This Parable If the Dead Are Sleeping?

Luke 16:19-31 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared _sumptuously_ every day. [20] But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, [21] _desiring_ to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. _Moreover_ the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] So it was that the beggar died, and was _carried_ by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. [23] And being in _torments_ in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. [24] Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.' [25] But Abraham said, 'Son, _remember_ that in your _lifetime_ you _received_ your good things, and _likewise_ Lazarus evil things; but now he is _comforted_ and you are tormented. [26] And _besides_ all this, _between_ us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' [27] Then he said, 'I beg you _therefore_, father, that you would send him to my _father's_ house, [28] for I have five _brothers_, that he may _testify_ to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' [29] Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' [30] And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' [31] But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, _neither_ will they be _persuaded_ though one rise from the dead.' "

It is important to notice that this is a parable. It is the fifth of a series of parables (the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost boy (luke 15), and the unjust steward (luke 16:1-11). Parables are designed to teach great moral principles. Each feature of the parable is not taken literally. We do not have the features of the sheep, or the properties of the coin.

The question to ask while studying each parable is what are the great moral lessons? It becomes a problem when we take each aspect of a parable literally rather than seeking the lesson Jesus is teaching.

Let's assume that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a literal story. Do people actually have conversations between heaven and hell? Can those in heaven see people burning in hell? Can they hear their screams? Do souls actually have fingers and tongues as described in the parable? Abraham must have a large bosom to contain all the individuals who go there.

To take the parable literally is to create huge problems. Heaven would be a terrible place if we beheld the constant, ever present suffering of our friends.

Why did Jesus tell this story? What lessons was He trying to teach?

The Jews had a common story describing death as passing through a valley of darkness picturing salvation as fleeing to the security of Abraham's bosom and the eternally lost going to destruction.

Jesus used this story to teach three lessons.

The Jews believed that riches were a sign of God's favor and poverty a sign of His displeasure. In the story, the rich man who the Jews thought was blessed of God ends up in hell and the poor man in heaven. Jesus reverses the expected outcome.

Lesson #1 Riches gained by greed, dishonesty, or oppressing the poor are never a sign of God's favor.

Lesson #2 The parable describes a great gulf that is fixed. There is no second chance or opportunity for growing into God's favor once a person is lost. The decisions made in this life determine our eternal destiny.

Lesson #3 Jesus points out that since the Pharisees had rejected the clear teachings of God's Word regarding salvation, they would also reject a supernatural miracle such as someone rising from the dead.

15. The Jews Were Always Asking Jesus for a Sign. He Gave Them the Greatest Sign. A Short While Later, He Raised Lazarus From the Dead.

John 11:11-14 These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." [12] Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." [13] _However_, Jesus spoke of his death, but they _thought_ that He was _speaking_ about taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus said to them _plainly_, "Lazarus is dead.

John 11:43-44 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "_Lazarus_, come forth!" [44] And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with _graveclothes_, and his face was _wrapped_ with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."

16. As a Result of This Mighty Miracle, the Jewish Leaders Became Threatened and Decided to Kill Lazarus.

John 12:9-11 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. [10] But the chief priests _plotted_ to put Lazarus to death also, [11] _because_ on _account_ of him many of the Jews went away and _believed_ in Jesus.

17. They Became So Angry at Jesus-They Were So Deceived That They Plotted to Destroy Jesus As Well. They Had Read the Bible with a Veil Over Their Eyes. They Had Failed to Understand That "All Scriptures" Testify of Jesus.

John 5:39 You search the _Scriptures_, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which _testify_ of Me.

18. When Jesus Raised Lazarus From the Dead, They Did Not Believe. His Words in Luke 16 Were Prophetic.

Luke 16:31 But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the _prophets_, neither will they be _persuaded_ though one rise from the dead.' "

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus was using a popular story to make a powerful lesson.

19. What Does It Mean in Revelation 6 Where It Describes the Souls Under the Alter Crying with a Loud Voice.

Revelation 6:9-11 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the _testimony_ which they held. [10] And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" [11] Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their _fellow_ _servants_ and their _brethren_, who would be _killed_ as they were, was _completed_.

Next Bible Study: 27-Millennium - 1000 Years of Peace

c:\a-\bibsty\_redo_st\updatefi\k_26_nk.htm