LESSON 3 *October 8–14
Understanding Human Nature
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 1:24–27; Gen. 2:7, 19;
Matt. 10:28; Eccles. 12:1–7; 1 Kings 2:10; 1 Kings 22:40.
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).
The tension between God’s word, “ ‘You shall die’ ” (Gen. 2:16, 17,
NRSV) and Satan’s counterfeit promise, “ ‘You certainly will not
die!’ ” (Gen. 3:4, NASB) was not restricted to the Garden of Eden. It
has echoed throughout history.
Many people try to harmonize the words of Satan with the words of
God. For them, the warning, “ ‘You shall die,’ ” refers only to the perishable
physical body, while the promise, “ ‘You certainly will not die!’ ” is an
allusion to an immortal soul or spirit.
But this approach doesn’t work. For example, can contradictory words
of God and of Satan be harmonized? Is there an immaterial soul or spirit
that consciously survives physical death? There are many philo sophical and
even scientific attempts to answer these questions. But, as Bible-based
Christians, we must recognize that only the Almighty God, the One who
created us, knows us perfectly (see Psalm 139). Thus, only in His Word to
us, the Scriptures, can we find answers to these crucial questions.
This week we will consider how the Old Testament defines human
nature and the condition of human beings at death.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 15.
EGW Notes — SATURDAY ↓
Sabbath Afternoon, October 8
Lesson 3 - Understanding Human Nature
When consideration is given to man’s opportunities for research; how
brief his life; how limited his sphere of action; how restricted his vision;
how frequent and how great the errors in his conclusions, especially as
concerns the events thought to antedate Bible history; how often the
supposed deductions of science are revised or cast aside; with what
readiness the assumed period of the earth’s development is from time to
time increased or diminished by millions of years; and how the theories
advanced by different scientists conflict with one another,—considering all
this, shall we, for the privilege of tracing our descent from germs and
mollusks and apes, consent to cast away that statement of Holy Writ, so
grand in its simplicity, “God created man in His own image, in the image
of God created He him”? Genesis 1:27. Shall we reject that genealogical
record,—prouder than any treasured in the courts of kings,—“which was
the son of Adam, which was the son of God”? Luke
3:38.—Education, p. 130.
The hand that sustains the worlds in space, the hand that holds in their
orderly arrangement and tireless activity all things throughout the
universe of God, is the hand that was nailed to the cross for us.
The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. “The Lord’s throne is
in heaven” (Psalm 11:4); yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He
has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of
His hand.—Education, p. 132.
If men had been willing to receive the truth so plainly stated in the
Scriptures concerning the nature of man and the state of the dead, they
would see in the claims and manifestations of spiritualism the working of
Satan with power and signs and lying wonders. But rather than yield the
liberty so agreeable to the carnal heart, and renounce the sins which they
love, multitudes close their eyes to the light and walk straight on,
regardless of warnings, while Satan weaves his snares about them, and
they become his prey. “Because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved,” therefore “God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10, 11.
Those who oppose the teachings of spiritualism are assailing, not men
alone, but Satan and his angels. They have entered upon a contest against
principalities and powers and wicked spirits in high places. Satan will not
yield one inch of ground except as he is driven back by the power of
heavenly messengers. The people of God should be able to meet him, as
did our Saviour, with the words: “It is written.” Satan can quote Scripture
now as in the days of Christ, and he will pervert its teachings to sustain
his delusions. Those who would stand in this time of peril must
understand for themselves the testimony of the
Scriptures.—The Great Controversy, p. 559.
SUNDAY October 9
“A Living Being”
Read Genesis 1:24–27 and Genesis 2:7, 19. What similarities and
differences can you see between the way God created the animals and
the way He created humanity? What does Genesis 2:7 tell us about
human nature?
* Your notes will not be saved!
The Genesis account declares that on the sixth day of Creation week the
Lord God brought to life land animals and the first human beings, a couple
(Gen. 1:24–27). We are told that He “formed out of the ground all the wild
animals and all the birds in the sky” (Gen. 2:19, NIV). He also “formed a
man from the dust of the ground” (Gen. 2:7, NIV).
Although both animals and man alike were made from “the ground,” the
formation of the man was distinct from that of animals in two main ways.
First, God shaped the man physically, and then “breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7, NIV). He
was a physical entity before he became a living one. Second, God created
humanity as both male and female in the very image and likeness of the
Godhead (Gen. 1:26, 27).
Genesis 2:7 explains that the infusion of the “breath of life” into the
physical body of Adam transformed him into “a living being” (Heb.
Nephesh chayyah) or literally “a living soul.” It means that each of us does
not have a soul that can exist apart from the body. Rather, each one of us is
a living being or a living soul. The claim that this “soul” is a conscious
entity that can exist separate from the human body is a pagan, not a biblical,
idea. Understanding the true nature of humanity prevents us from accepting
the popular notion of an immaterial soul and all the dangerous errors built
upon that belief.
There is no conscious existence of any isolated part of the human being
separated from the person as a whole. God created us in a fearful and
wonderful way, and we should not speculate beyond what the Scriptures
actually say about this specific matter. In fact, not only is the very nature of
life a mystery (scientists still can’t agree on exactly what it means for
something to be alive), but even more mysterious is the nature of
consciousness. How does the few pounds of material tissue (cells and
chemicals) in our heads, the brain, hold and create immaterial things, such
as thoughts and emotions? Those who study this idea admit that we really
don’t know.
What a miracle life is! Why should we rejoice in the gift of not just
life but of eternal life, as well, an even greater miracle?
EGW Notes — SUNDAY ↓
Sunday, October 9
“A Living Being”
Physical life is something which each individual received. It is not
eternal or immortal; for God, the Lifegiver, takes it again. Man has no
control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can
take this life from Him. “I lay it down of myself,” He said. In Him was life,
original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can
possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free
gift if he will believe in Christ as his personal Saviour. “This is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent.” John 17:3. This is the open fountain of life for the world.—
Ellen G. White Comments,
in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1130.
In the creation of man was manifest the agency of a personal God.
When God had made man in His image, the human form was perfect in all
its arrangements, but it was without life. Then a per sonal, self-existing
God breathed into that form the breath of life, and man became a living,
intelligent being. All parts of the human organism were set in action. The
heart, the arteries, the veins, the tongue, the hands, the feet, the senses,
the faculties of the mind, all began their work, and all were placed under
law. Man became a living soul. Through Christ the Word, a personal God
created man and endowed him with intelligence and
power.—The Ministry of Healing, p. 415.
The soul is through the Lifegiver capable of living through eternal ages,
and man is to take special care of the soul which Christ has purchased
with His own blood. . . . If the preciousness of the soul has not been
appreciated, if its temple courts have been defiled with buyers and sellers,
and with committing it to the rule and indwelling of Satan in thought or
in feeling, I would in deep earnestness beseech you to make no delay, but
come before God in sincere prayer without one moment’s speculation or
hesitation, and say, “O Lord, I have opened the door of my heart to Thy
worst enemy, and the worst enemy of my soul. I have acted as though I
could save my own soul. . . . I dare not trust it with any power but Thine.
. . . I lay it at Thy feet. Thou Lamb of God, wash my soul in the blood of
the Lamb; clothe it with Thine own garments of purity and
righteousness.—Lift Him Up, p. 215.
MONDAY October 10
“ ‘The Soul Who Sins Shall Die’ ”
Read Ezekiel 18:4, 20 and Matthew 10:28. How can these verses help
us understand the nature of the human soul?
Human life in this sinful world is fragile and transitory (Isa. 40:1–8).
Nothing infected by sin can be eternal by nature. “Therefore, just as through
one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread
to all men, because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12, NKJV). Death is the natural
consequence of sin, which affects all life here.
On this matter, there are two important biblical concepts. One is that
human beings and animals both die. As stated by King Solomon, “ ‘Surely
the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits
them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans
have no advantage over animals. . . . All go to the same place; all come
from dust, and to dust all return’ ” (Eccles. 3:19, 20, NIV).
The second concept is that the physical death of a person implies the
cessation of his or her existence as a living soul (Hebrew nephesh). In
Genesis 2:16, 17, God had warned Adam and Eve that if they should ever
sin, by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would
die.
Echoing this warning, the Lord reinforced the point in Ezekiel 18:4, 20:
“ ‘The soul who sins shall die’ ” (NKJV). This statement has two main
implications. One is that since all human beings are sinners, all of us are
under the unavoidable process of aging and dying (Rom. 3:9–18, 23).
Another implication is that this biblical concept makes void the popular
notion of a supposed natural immortality of the soul. If the soul is immortal
and exists alive in another realm after death, then we don’t really die after
all, do we?
In contrast, the biblical solution for the dilemma of death is not a
bodiless soul migrating either into Paradise or into purgatory, or even into
hell. The solution is indeed the final resurrection of those who died in
Christ. As Jesus stated in His sermon on the Bread of Life, “ ‘Everyone
who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will
raise him up at the last day’ ” (John 6:40, NKJV).
Why is the surety of the Second Coming, which is made certain by
Christ’s first coming (and after all, what good was Christ’s first
coming without the second?), so crucial to all that we believe? What
hope would we have without the promise of His return?
EGW Notes — MONDAY ↓
Monday, October 10
“ ‘The Soul Who Sins Shall Die’ ”
When the voice of God awakes the dead, he will come from the grave
with the same appetites and passions, the same likes and dislikes, that he
cherished when living. God works no miracle to re-create a man who
would not be re-created when he was granted every opportunity and
provided with every facility. During his lifetime he took no delight in God,
nor found pleasure in His service. His character is not in harmony with
God, and he could not be happy in the heavenly
family.—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 270.
Satan told his angels to make a special effort to spread the lie first
repeated to Eve in Eden, “Ye shall not surely die.” And as the error was
received by the people, and they were led to believe that man was
immortal, Satan led them on to believe that the sinner would live in
eternal misery. Then the way was prepared for Satan to work through his
representatives and hold up God before the people as a revengeful tyrant—
one who plunges all those into hell who do not please Him, and causes
them ever to feel His wrath; and while they suffer unutterable anguish,
and writhe in the eternal flames, He is represented as looking down upon
them with satisfaction. Satan knew that if this error should be received,
God would be hated by many, instead of being loved and adored; and that
many would be led to believe that the threatenings of God’s Word would
not be literally fulfilled, for it would be against His character of
benevolence and love to plunge into eternal torments the beings whom He
had created.—Early Writings, p. 218.
The Word of the living God is to be our guide. Each one is to realize his
dependence upon Him, whose he is by creation and by redemption. Read
and study the statements made in the sixth chapter of John. Pray for an
understanding of these truths. I am alarmed as I see the spiritual weakness
of those who have had such great light. Had they walked in this light, they
would have been strong in the Lord. But they have not, and those who
come into the truth through their efforts look to human beings for
wisdom, instead of looking to Jesus Christ, “the true Light, which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). When those who claim
to believe in Christ receive Him by faith, He will be to them their
sanctification, their righteousness, and their exceeding great
reward.—The Upward Look, p. 181.
TUESDAY October 11
The Spirit Returns to God
Read Genesis 2:7 and Ecclesiastes 12:1–7. What contrast can you see
between these two biblical passages? How can they help us to
understand better the human condition in death? (See also Genesis 7:22.)
As already seen, the Bible teaches that the human being is a soul (Gen.
2:7), and the soul ceases to exist when the body dies (Ezek. 18:4, 20).
But what about the “spirit”? Does it not remain conscious even after the
death of the body? Many Christians believe so, and they even try to justify
their view by quoting Ecclesiastes 12:7, which says, “Then the dust will
return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it”
(NKJV). But this statement does not suggest that the spirit of the dead
remains conscious in God’s presence.
Ecclesiastes 12:1–7 in quite dramatic terms describes the aging process,
culminating with death. Verse 7 refers to death as the reversal of the
creation process mentioned in Genesis 2:7. As already stated, on the sixth
day of the Creation week “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” (Gen. 2:7, NKJV). But now, Ecclesiastes 12:7 tells us that “the
dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who
gave it” (NKJV). So, the breath of life that God breathed into the nostrils of
Adam, and that He also has provided to all other human beings, returns to
God, or, in other words, simply stops flowing into and through them.
We should keep in mind that Ecclesiastes 12:7 describes the dying
process of all human beings and does so without distinguishing between the
righteous and the wicked. If the alleged spirits of all who die survive as
conscious entities in the presence of God, then are the spirits of the wicked
with God? This idea is not in harmony with the overall teaching of the
Scriptures. Because the same dying process happens both to human beings
and to animals (Eccles. 3:19, 20), death is nothing else than ceasing to exist
as living beings. As stated by the psalmist, “You hide Your face, they are
troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust” (Ps.
104:29, NKJV).
We often say that death is just part of life. Why is that so wrong?
Death is the opposite of life, the enemy of life. What great hope, then,
is found in this verse: “The last enemy that will be destroyed is
death” (1 Cor. 15:26, NKJV)?
EGW Notes — TUESDAY ↓
Tuesday, October 11
The Spirit Returns to God
God sets before man life and death. He can have his choice. . . . Those
who do not choose to accept of the salvation so dearly purchased, must be
punished. But I saw that God would not shut them up in hell to endure
endless misery, neither will He take them to heaven; for to bring them into
the company of the pure and holy would make them exceedingly
miserable. But He will destroy them utterly and cause them to be as if they
had not been; then His justice will be satisfied. He formed man out of the
dust of the earth, and the disobedient and unholy will be consumed by fire
and return to dust again. I saw that the benevolence and compassion of
God in this matter should lead all to admire His character and to adore His
holy name. After the wicked are destroyed from off the earth, all the
heavenly host will say,
“Amen!”—Early Writings, p. 221.
The nobility of earth are but men; they die, and return to dust; and
there is no lasting satisfaction in their praise and honor. But the honor
that comes from God is lasting. To be heirs of God and joint-heirs with
Christ, is to be entitled to unsearchable riches—treasures of such value
that in comparison with them the gold and silver, the gems and precious
stones of earth, sink into insignificance. Through Christ we are offered joy
unspeakable, an eternal weight of glory. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath
prepared for them that love him.”
We are wanting in simple faith; we need to learn the art of trusting our
very best friend. Although we see Him not, Jesus is watching over us with
tender compassion; and He is touched with the feelings of our infirmities.
No one in his great need ever looked to Him by faith, and was
disappointed. . . . The Christian is . . . the happiest man in the world. He
feels secure; for he trusts in Jesus, and enjoys His presence. His defense is
“of God, which saveth the upright in heart.” Do not defer this matter, but
begin . . . to fix your minds more firmly upon Jesus and heavenly things,
remembering that by beholding we become changed into the same image.
Have courage in God.—Lift Him Up, p. 376.
“If death be the last enemy to be destroyed at the resurrection, we may
learn how earnestly believers should long and pray for the second coming
of Christ, when this full and final conquest shall be made. . . . This is the
day that all believers should long, and hope, and wait for, as being the
accomplishment of all the work of their redemption, and all the desires
and endeavors of their souls.” “Hasten, O Lord, this blessed day!”. . . Such
was the hope of the apostolic church, of the “church in the wilderness,”
and of the Reformers.—Maranatha, p. 14.
WEDNESDAY October 12
“The Dead Know Nothing”
Read Job 3:11–13; Psalm 115:17; Psalm 146:4; and Ecclesiastes 9:5,
10. What can we learn from these passages about the condition of
human beings at death?
Some Bible commentators argue that these passages (Job 3:11–13; Ps.
115:17; Ps. 146:4; Eccles. 9:5, 10), written in poetic language, cannot be
used to define the condition of human beings at death. It is true that
sometimes poetry can be ambiguous and easily misunderstood, but this is
not the case with these verses. Their language is clear, and their concepts
are in full harmony with the overall Old Testament teachings on the subject.
First, in Job 3, the patriarch deplores his own birth because of all the
suffering. (In our more dire moments, who hasn’t wished that he or she had
never been born?) He recognizes that if he had died at his birth, he would
have remained asleep and at rest (Job 3:11, 13).
Psalm 115 defines the location where the dead are kept as a place of
silence, because “the dead do not praise the LORD” (Ps. 115:17, NKJV).
This hardly sounds as if the dead, the faithful (and thankful) dead, are in
heaven worshiping God.
According to Psalm 146, the mental activities of the individual cease
with death: “His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his
plans perish” (Ps. 146:4, NASB). This is a perfect biblical depiction of what
happens at death.
Ecclesiastes 9 adds that “the dead know nothing” and in the grave “there
is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom” (Eccles. 9:5, 10, NKJV).
These statements confirm the biblical teaching that the dead are
unconscious.
The biblical teaching of unconsciousness in death should not generate
any panic in Christians. First of all, there is no everlasting burning hell or
temporary purgatory waiting for those who die unsaved. Second, there is an
amazing reward waiting for those who die in Christ. No wonder that “to the
believer, death is but a small matter. . . . To the Christian, death is but a
sleep, a moment of silence and darkness. The life is hid with Christ in God,
and ‘when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear
with Him in glory.’ John 8:51, 52; Col. 3:4.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire
of Ages, p. 787.
Think about the dead in Christ. They close their eyes in death and,
whether in the grave 1,500 years or five months, it’s all the same to
them. The next thing they know is the return of Christ. How, then,
might one argue that, in one sense, the dead have it better than we,
the living, do?
EGW Notes — WEDNESDAY ↓
Wednesday, October 12
“The Dead Know Nothing”
“But, mother,” said I, “do you really believe that the soul sleeps in the
grave until the resurrection? Do you think that the Christian, when he
dies, does not go immediately to heaven, nor the sinner to hell?”
She answered: “The Bible gives us no proof that there is an eternally
burning hell. If there is such a place, it should be mentioned in the Sacred
Book.” . . .
It was some months after this conversation before I heard anything
further concerning this doctrine; but during this time my mind had been
much exercised upon the subject. When I heard it preached, I believed it to
be the truth. From the time that light in regard to the sleep of the dead
dawned upon my mind, the mystery that had enshrouded the resurrection
vanished, and the great event itself assumed a new and sublime
importance. . . . If at death the soul entered upon eternal happiness or
misery, where was the need of a resurrection of the poor moldering body?
But this new and beautiful faith taught me the reason why inspired
writers had dwelt so much upon the resurrection of the body; it was
because the entire being was slumbering in the grave. I could now clearly
perceive the fallacy of our former position on this
question.—Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, pp. 49, 50.
Christ became one with humanity, that humanity might become one in
spirit and life with Him. By virtue of this union in obedience to the Word
of God, His life becomes their life. He says to the penitent, “I am the
resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25). Death is looked upon by Christ as
sleep—silence, darkness, sleep. He speaks of it as if it were of little
moment. “Whosoever liveth and believeth in me,” He says, “shall never
die” (John 11:26). “If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death”
(John 8:52). “He shall never see death” (John 8:51). And to the believing
one, death is but a small matter. With him to die is but to sleep. “Them also
which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him” (1 Thessalonians
4:14).—Selected Messages, book 1, p. 302.
Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well- balanced
mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His
thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers
were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became
so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his
own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan,
and would have remained so forever had not God specially interposed. It
was the tempter’s purpose to thwart the divine plan in man’s creation,
and fill the earth with woe and desolation. And he would point to all this
evil as the result of God’s work in creating
man.—Steps to Christ, p. 17.
THURSDAY October 13
Resting With the Forefathers
Read Genesis 25:8, 2 Samuel 7:12, 1 Kings 2:10, and 1 Kings 22:40.
What do these texts add to your understanding of death?
The Old Testament expresses in different ways the ideas of death and
burial. One way is the notion of being gathered to one’s own people. For
example, about Abraham, we are told that he “breathed his last and died in
a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his
people” (Gen. 25:8, NKJV). Aaron and Moses also were gathered to their
respective people (Deut. 32:50).
What does the fact that both good and bad kings went to the same
place at death teach us about the nature of death? (2 Kings 24:6, 2 Chron. 32:33).
Another way of describing death is by stating that someone rested with
the forebearers. About King David’s death, the Bible says that he “rested
with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David” (1 Kings 2:10,
NKJV). The same expression also is used in reference to several other
Hebrew kings, both faithful kings and unfaithful kings.
We can identify at least three meaningful aspects of resting with the
forebearers. One is the idea that sooner or later the time will come when we
need to rest from our own tiring labors and sufferings. Another idea is that
we are not the first and only ones to follow that undesirable trail, because
our forebearers already have gone ahead of us. A third idea is that, by being
buried close to them, we are not alone but remain together even during the
unconsciousness of death. This might not make much sense to some
modern individualist cultures, but it was very meaningful in ancient times.
Those who die in Christ can be buried close to their loved ones, but even
so there is no communication between them. They will remain unconscious
until that glorious day when they will be awakened from their deep sleep to
rejoin their loved ones who died in Christ.
Imagine what it would be like if the dead were actually conscious and
could see what life was like down here, especially for their loved ones,
who often suffer terribly after their death. Why, then, should the
truth that the dead sleep be so comforting to the living?
EGW Notes — THURSDAY ↓
Thursday, October 13
Resting With the Forefathers
“This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is
in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life.” 1 John 5:11, 12. And Jesus said,
“I will raise him up at the last day.” Christ became one flesh with us, in
order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this
union that we are to come forth from the grave,—not merely as a
manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life
has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive
Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ
dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the
beginning of the life
eternal.—The Desire of Ages, p. 388.
It was not given Elisha to follow his master in a fiery chariot. Upon him
the Lord permitted to come a lingering illness. During the long hours of
human weakness and suffering his faith laid fast hold on the promises of
God, and he beheld ever about him heavenly messengers of comfort and
peace. As on the heights of Dothan he had seen the encircling hosts of
heaven, the fiery chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof, so now he
was conscious of the presence of sympathizing angels, and he was
sustained. Throughout his life he had exercised strong faith, and as he had
advanced in a knowledge of God’s providences and of His merciful
kindness, faith had ripened into an abiding trust in his God, and when
death called him he was ready to rest from his labors. . . .
. . . With the psalmist, Elisha could say in all confidence, . . . “As for me,
I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with Thy likeness.” Psalm
17:15.—Prophets and Kings, pp. 263, 264.
The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to
heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the resurrection.
1 Thessalonians 4:14; Job 14:10-12. In the very day when the silver cord is
loosed and the golden bowl broken (Ecclesiastes 12:6), man’s thoughts
perish. They that go down to the grave are in silence. They know no more
of anything that is done under the sun. Job 14:21. Blessed rest for the
weary righteous! Time, be it long or short, is but a moment to them. They
sleep; they are awakened by the trump of God to a glorious immortality.
“For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible.”
1 Corinthians 15:52.
As they are called forth from their deep slumber they begin to think
just where they ceased. The last sensation was the pang of death; the last
thought, that they were falling beneath the power of the grave. When they
arise from the tomb, their first glad thought will be echoed in the
triumphal shout: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory?” Verse 55.—The Great Controversy, p. 549.
FRIDAY October 14
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The First Great
Deception,” pp. 531–550, in The Great Controversy.
If you have ever been in surgery and were put out with general
anesthesia, you might have a faint idea of what it must be like for the dead.
But even then, when under anesthesia, your brain still functions. Imagine
what it would be like for the dead, when all brain function, everything, has
totally stopped. Their experience in death, then, is to close their eyes and, as
far as each dead person who ever lived is concerned, the next thing they
will know is either the second coming of Jesus or His return after the
millennium (see Rev. 20:7–15). Until then, all the dead, the righteous and
the wicked, rest, for what will seem to them to be an instant. For those of us
who remain alive, death seems as if it lasts for a long time. For the living it
does; but for the dead it seems to last only an instant.
“If it were true that the souls of all men passed directly to heaven at the
hour of dissolution, then we might well covet death rather than life. Many
have been led by this belief to put an end to their existence. When
overwhelmed with trouble, perplexity, and disappointment, it seems an easy
thing to break the brittle thread of life and soar away into the bliss of the
eternal world.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 539.
“Nowhere in the Sacred Scriptures is found the statement that the
righteous go to their reward or the wicked to their punishment at death. The
patriarchs and prophets have left no such assurance. Christ and His apostles
have given no hint of it. The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go
immediately to heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the
resurrection.”—The Great Controversy, pp. 549, 550.
Discussion Questions:
-
1. How does the biblical notion of the human being as a whole—
who remains conscious only as an undivided person—help us to
understand better the nature of death?
-
2. The world has been taken over by the theory of the natural
immortality of the soul, with all its uncountable ramifications. Why
then is our message about the state of the dead so crucial? Why, also,
even among Christians, do we find such strong opposition to what is
really a wonderful teaching?
-
3. How should an understanding of the state of the dead protect us
from what might “appear” before our eyes? That is, why can’t we
always trust what we see, especially if what we see, or think we see, is
the spirit of a dead relative, as some have reported seeing?
EGW Notes — FRIDAY ↓
Friday, October 14
For Further Reading
The Great Controversy, “The First Great Deception,” pp. 531–550;
My Life Today, “Man Created in God’s Image,” p. 126.
INSIDE STORY
Every Cent Is Sacred
By ANDREW MCCHESNEY
Shyamala’s eyes widened with surprise as she read the handwritten note
tucked in an envelope with two money orders worth US$110.52. The letter
came from the U.S. East Coast, and the money orders were made out to
Global Mission, the frontline arm of Adventist Mission whose missionaries
start new groups of believers in unreached territories.
“I have enclosed a donation to Global Mission to help people learn about
the love of God,” the letter read. “I love God and try to help spread the
gospel in my neighborhood.”
It was the next part of the note that astonished Shyamala, a donor
specialist at Global Mission. The writer explained that the $110.52 donation
consisted of pennies that she had found on the street. When her jar of
pennies got full, she cashed them in and sent the donation.
“This gift is pennies that I collected for Jesus,” she wrote. “I hope it will
bring smiles to someone as you share the love of God.”
Another surprising letter arrived at Global Mission’s office at the
General Conference a few weeks earlier. The letter, from the U.S. West
Coast, contained no note, but the enclosed $165 check spoke volumes. It
was issued by a prison on behalf of an inmate. With inmates earning up to
$55 a month at the prison, the donor would have had to work at least three
months for the gift. “And it wasn’t his first donation,” Shyamala said.
A third letter was opened by Nimfa, who, with Shyamala, runs the donor
relations department at Global Mission. The letter came from a man who
had called Global Mission’s hotline a few days earlier to inquire whether
Global Mission had received a donation submitted through its website.
Nimfa found that the caller’s bank had rejected the transaction. When the
caller asked for an alternative way to donate, she suggested a check or a
wire transfer. A check for $70,000 arrived a few days later. The donation
was the proceeds from the sale of a piece of property. “The man promised
God that if the property sold, he would give everything to mission,” Nimfa
said.
Stories about the faithfulness of people to God’s mission deeply touch
the hearts of Shyamala, Nimfa, and others who work at Global Mission.
Whether the donation is $1—one donor has sent three $1 bills every month
for years—or $70,000, every penny goes to frontline work. “Every cent that
we get is no ordinary cent,” Nimfa said. “When we receive a donation,
especially when we learn about how that money got to us or why it was sent
to us, we are reminded that every cent is sacred. It is the Lord’s money.
Every cent goes only to help finish the work so Jesus can come.”
Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School
mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at
AdventistMission.org.
