26-Questions about Death - NIV

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

2 Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are __________ ________________ and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are ________________, I say, and would __________ to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be ________________ but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be ________________ 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 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- [52] in a flash, in the ________________ of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [53] For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. [54] When the perishable has been ____________ with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is ____________ will come true: "Death has been ________________ up in ____________."

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 like a drink offering, and the time has come for my ________________. [7] I have fought the good fight, I have ______________ the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have __________ for his ________________.

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 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you ________________ me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The ___________________ are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by ______________ or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to 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 He ______________ of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or ______________.

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 The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground." [14] "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man ____________ a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was __________, and he bowed down and __________________ ____________ with his face to the ground.

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 They are spirits of demons __________________ __________________ signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them for the battle on the 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 __________ and to die is _______.

Philippians 1:23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with __________, which is __________ by far;

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 ____________ will come down from heaven, with a loud ____________, with the voice of the archangel and with the ____________ call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will 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 But our ___________________ is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who, by the power that enables him to bring __________________ under his control, will ________________ our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

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 ______________ the race, I have kept the faith. [8] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have __________ for his ________________.

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 rich man who was ____________ in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. [20] At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, ____________ with sores [21] and ____________ to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] "The time came when the beggar died and the angels ____________ him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. [23] In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. [24] So he __________ to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his __________ in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' [25] "But Abraham replied, 'Son, ______________ that in your ______________ you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is ________________ here and you are in agony. [26] And ____________ all this, ____________ us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can __________ cross over from there to us.' [27] "He ______________, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my ______________ house, [28] for I have five ______________. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' [29] "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' [30] " 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will __________.' [31] "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be ________________ even if someone rises 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 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." [12] His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." [13] Jesus had been ______________ of his death, but his disciples ____________ he meant ____________ sleep. [14] So then he told them ____________, "Lazarus is dead,

John 11:43-44 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "____________, come out!" [44] The dead man came out, his hands and feet ____________ with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave ____________ 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 ________________ a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. [10] So the chief ____________ made plans to kill Lazarus as well, [11] for on ____________ of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and ____________ their faith in him.

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 __________________ study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that ____________ about me,

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

Luke 16:31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the ______________, they will not be convinced even if ____________ rises 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 because of the word of God and the ________________ they had __________________. [10] They called out in a loud voice, "How long, ________________ Lord, holy and true, until you judge the ___________________ of the earth and avenge our blood?" [11] Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and ______________ who were to be killed as they had been was ________________.

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

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