Sabbath School Lesson for October 8-14, 2022
Some of the themes taught in the Bible about our human nature are that…
- we are a soul, or living being, when God “breathed into his [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul/being” Genesis 2:7 (Sunday)
- every human being will die as a consequence of sin–“…death spread to all men…” Romans 5:12 NKJV (Monday)
- death is the reversal of the creation process–“For dust you are, and to dust you shall return…” Genesis 3:19 NKJV (Tuesday)
- death is an unconscious state–“the dead know nothing” Ecclesiastes 9:5 NKJV (Wednesday)
- death is like a restful sleep–“David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David” 1 Kings 2:10 (Thursday)
As seen in last week’s study, Satan has encouraged many misconceptions about death, even among Christians. Death is a topic many try to avoid. But a correct understanding of our mortality will help protect us from deceptions that Satan uses to draw us away from God. Spiritualists, and others who claim to have psychic powers, will not interest those who correctly understand the state of the dead.
God created men and women to live eternally with Him. Had sin not entered this planet, we would have always had access to the tree of life and would have the privilege of enjoying eternity in His presence.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God has put a desire for eternity in our hearts. Satan knows that this desire to live forever is part of our human nature, and he uses it to weave fables that confuse us, not only about death, but about God’s character and our salvation.
Memory Text: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7 KJV
New King James Version: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7
Sunday: “A Living Being”
We find in the Genesis account that animals and man were both made from the ground, but there were differences to be considered. Adam, being made in God’s image, was shaped, not spoken into existence. God drew very close to this new creature and breathed life into him, making him a living, breathing person. Having a nature similar to God’s, he would be given dominion over all the other creatures that inhabited the earth. See Genesis 1:24-27 and 2:7.
There has been some confusion over the word “soul” found in Scripture. We can see in Genesis that the Hebrew word for soul, Nephesh chayyah, can actually mean “being” or “creature”, as it is usually translated in Genesis 2:7.
In this case at least, we must conclude that man does not HAVE a soul, but rather he IS a soul. This runs counter to what many theologians now teach, when they claim that our soul can live apart from the body.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 1:24-28
- In what ways was mankind created like God, “in His image”?
Genesis 2:7
- How close was God to man, in order to create him this way?
- Why do you think man’s creation meant so much to God?
Monday: ” ‘The Soul Who Sins Shall Die’ “
We can’t deny that sin has infected our planet and that the consequence for it, we’ve been told, is death. This is true for every person and creature on earth since Adam and Eve’s act of disobedience in the Garden. Death comes to all of us, because all have sinned (Romans 5:12).
Ecclesiastes 3:20 and Genesis 3:19 confirm that we all go to the same place after death: back to the dust we were made from. There is no biblical support for the notion that our bodiless soul is immortal and goes immediately or almost immediately to either heaven or hell after death, as most churches suggest.
This is not to say that there won’t be a resurrection, where we will be given new, immortal bodies. Jesus confirmed that this would occur “at the last day” (John 6:40). Paul later described this to be “at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52). He said to the Thessalonians that the dead in Christ would be raised up together to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). This could only happen at the Second Coming of Christ.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 3:19 and Ecclesiastes 3:20
- Why do we go back to dust, when we die?
- How easy will it be for God to re-create us at the last trump, when Jesus comes?
Romans 5:12-15
- Why does death affect all of us?
- Why is Adam considered a type of Christ?
Tuesday: The Spirit Returns to God
What is the “spirit” that returns to God, spoken of in the Bible (Ecclesiastes 12:7)? If death is the reversal of life, with man returning to the dust from which he was created, then we must assume that this spirit is the breath of life that God breathed into Adam (Genesis 2:7). It’s obvious that when we die, we stop breathing. Psalm 104:29 tells us plainly that this is what happens–“You [God] take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.”
The word for “spirit” then can be translated “breath”. But at times, it also refers to our character, such as in Psalm 32:2, which says, “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” Our characters are indeed kept by God after we are deceased. They are recorded in the books of heaven and will be used for the final judgment of our world.
Bible Verses:
Ecclesiastes 12:7 and Psalm 104:29
- Why is having clean, fresh air to breathe, important for our bodies to function properly?
- How does decline in pulmonary function affect our ability to live a full life?
Psalm 32:2
- Why is it important to remember that the word “spirit” can be used this way–to mean character?
- How would you describe the “human spirit”?
Wednesday: “The Dead Know Nothing”
Many Bible verses indicate that when we are dead, we know nothing. Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10 tells us this directly, but also adds that after death, we will have no memory, no love, hatred, envy (emotions), no knowledge or wisdom. It even states that in the grave, we will have no share in things going on in the world and will have no work to do. This is, of course, only true when we understand death as a sleep, a long peaceful rest from all our labors.
Psalm 146:4 verifies that the day when our spirit [breath of life] departs and we return to the earth, our plans are gone too. It’s evidently a time of complete silence for us. Psalm 115:17 says that the dead do not praise the Lord.
All of this makes no sense, if we believe we become spirit beings, floating around somewhere in heaven and are able to see what’s going on down here on earth. But Colossians 3:4 says “when Christ who is our life appears, then we also will appear with Him in glory.”
This is why the Second Coming has been called the blessed hope (Titus 2:13). There is hope and comfort in Christ’s Coming. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 describes the happy reunion of loved ones who have “fallen asleep”. We, who are alive at that time, will be caught up together with the resurrected righteous ones, and then go to be with the Lord forever.
Bible Verses:
Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, Psalm 115:17, and Psalm 146:4
- How is the state of the dead described in these verses?
Titus 2:13 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
- When can we look forward to the resurrection of our loved ones?
Thursday: Resting With the Forefathers
Genesis 25:8 reveals that Abraham breathed his last and died. It also mentions that he was “gathered to his people”. Several Old Testament figures are described this way, but when Jacob spoke of his death in Genesis 49:29, he made this request: “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers…”. Evidently, being gathered to their people referred to being buried near them.
Another way to speak of death and burial was to say that they slept, or rested, with their fathers. King David’s death is described this way, “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David” (1 Kings 2:10 KJV). The word “slept” has been translated several ways: “rested”, “lay down”, and even “died”.
This same language is used for many of the Old Testament kings of Israel, both good and bad ones. Jehoiakim, for instance, “slept with his fathers” (2 Kings 24:6 KJV), and the previous chapter states that “he did evil in the sight of the Lord” (2 Kings 23:37).
Evidently, all who die go to their rest, or sleep, and await the resurrection, either the resurrection of life for the righteous, or the second resurrection after the millennium, when the unrighteous will be completely and forever destroyed (Revelation 20:6, 14). See also Malachi 4:1-3 for a picture of this total destruction after the thousand-year period.
Bible Verses:
Genesis 25:8, 49:29
- What does it mean to be gathered to their people after death?
1 Kings 2:10 and 2 Kings 24:6, 23:37
- Why is death compared to, and called, a sleep in so many Bible verses?
Revelation 20:6, 14
- What would be the purpose of the Second Coming if the dead were already in their final destinations–the righteous in heaven, and the unrighteous in hell?
- How do we see God’s character, when people are led to believe that people are suffering and being tormented in hell from the moment they die?
Friday: Final Thoughts
Many are at first uncomfortable with the thought that their deceased loved ones aren’t at this moment enjoying heaven. It’s difficult to think of them gone entirely from us, with only their deteriorating bodies left behind.
But what about those loved ones who won’t be safe for God to save eternally? It must be difficult to think of them as suffering in a forever-burning hell, as described by some preachers. How could a loving, just God allow such a horrifically cruel outcome for any of us?
No doubt Satan has promoted these distorted, senseless conclusions about life after death to tarnish the character of God. Many people have been turned away from God, who they’ve been taught would allow such things to happen.
The Bible, however, gives us ample evidence to believe that death, instead, is a sleep. We can rest in peace as well, knowing that God alone has immortality, and He will bestow it to His people, both living and dead, in the fairest, most loving way possible, at a time He judges best for the universe.
Justice for the wicked will also be given, with their destruction by a fire that comes from heaven and consumes them after the millennium. This fire totally and forever eliminates sin from the universe. See 1 Timothy 6:15, 16 and Revelation 20:7-9, 13, 14.
Next Week: The Old Testament Hope
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