What Does the Bible Say About…Death?

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23; ESV)

Purgatory

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a 1,000 times; what are the only two guarantees in life? Death and taxes! The only difference between the two is that taxes can be (either legally or illegally) evaded and avoided, but death comes to everyone. Try as we may to ignore death and delay our appointment with the Grim Reaper, all our efforts are ultimately in vain.

Some choose to look at death in a more ‘positive’ light by suggesting that death is simply a natural part of life (ignoring the obvious oxymoron in that statement). Those who hold a quasi-spiritual, non-Christian outlook see death as a passage into the ‘great unknown.’ Others, typically atheists, see in death simply the complete cessation of all life; like a light bulb that burns out. There is no after-life; there is only the here and now. Still others see death as part of a never ending cycle as in reincarnation. In this view, death is just a means to repeat the cycle of life as the spirits of the dead come to life as other people. Finally, there are those of a theistic (primarily monotheistic) bent who see death as entrance into either eternal bliss or eternal punishment. In all of these scenarios, death is natural, even necessary.

“The Promise of the Future” — A Review

Eschatology is a hot topic in Christian literature as evidenced with the hugely popular Left Behind series. Much of the popularity of that series was due to the sensationalism of the particular eschatological viewpoint espoused in that series. That eschatological view is Dispensational Pre-Millennialism. It’s popularity comes from the fact that is makes for good drama (as the series revealed). Up until about nine months ago, it was an eschatological viewpoint I adhered to and defended. After interacting with others who didn’t hold this eschatological view, I decided to do some research into it. I began by reading Kim Riddlebarger’s A Case For Amillennialism which gave me enough reason to change my eschatological view. It also provided a good foundation to read The Promise of the Future by Dr. Cornelis P. Venema.

This book is easily the most comprehensive book on Christian eschatology I’ve ever read. It is so much more than a comparison of millennial views. It takes a scholarly look at all aspects of Christian eschatology. Dr. Venema, Professor of Doctrinal Studies and President of Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, IN, breaks down his investigation of eschatology into six sections. In section one (The Future is Now), Dr. Venema shows that Christianity is a religion of hope that is based in the word of God. The overall story of Scripture is one of Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, and the first advent of Christ marked the beginning of the last days.

Were the Apostles Wrong About the Timing of Christ’s Return?

Question: Hi, I’ve been going over this question in my mind for awhile now and I was hoping you could give a good answer.  Why did the Apostles expect Jesus to return in their lifetime?  Here’s a few verses that has me thinking this:

1 Peter 4:7 – “But the end of all things is near: so be serious in your behavior and keep on the watch with prayer.”

Romans 13:11 – “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.”

James 5:8 – “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

There are a couple others…

Were they simply wrong?  I’ve kind of thought that since Jesus said no one would know when he would return, not even himself, but the Father.

How Does the Bible Define ‘Death’?

Question:  In James 1:15 we read, “Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”  Can you please explain to me what James means by ‘death’ in verse 15?  Is he referring to spiritual death?

Answer:  Let’s look at the passage in question.  Most commentators agree that James 1:2-18 is dealing with one main topic — the testing of one’s faith under trials.  James 1:2-4 speaks about being joyful in the midst of trials.  We learn that it’s a good thing (‘good’ being relative to the testing of your faith, not the trial itself) when one’s faith is tested.  The testing of one’s faith leads to spiritual endurance and that leads to spiritual perfection (‘perfection’ in the sense of a completing of the work God wants to do in our lives).

Does John 5:29 Teach Salvation by Works?

Question:  Hello, can you explain this verse in the light of Salvation by Grace through Faith? “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:29).  I found it a tricky one to answer.  Thanks!

Answer:  It certainly seems that if you take this verse out of its context, it appears to teach a salvation by works.  We must look to the overall context of the passage to come to grips with what it is teaching.  This passage occurs in John chapter 5.  That chapter starts with Jesus healing a man by the pool of Bethesda.  News of this healing gets out to the Jewish leaders because it was performed on the Sabbath.  Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that “My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17).  This enrages the Jewish leaders because not only was Jesus breaking the Sabbath, but they understood his statement as equating himself with God (5:18).  In the section 5:19-29, Jesus tells the Jewish leaders about the authority that has been invested in him by being the unique Son of God.

What Happens to People After They Die?

Question: Those who are dead in Christ and already in Heaven, do we know what bodies they have (just a spirit) in Heaven before they are resurrected with their new bodies during the rapture?

Answer:  The question you’re asking has been one that has been the source of intent debate throughout the history of Christianity.  Some Christian thinkers, influenced by Platonic philosophy and Greek thought have downplayed the physical resurrection and over emphasized spiritual immortality.  Another area of controversy regarding this topic arose during the time of the Reformation and centered on the topic of soul sleep.  Soul sleep essentially teaches that at death the soul “sleeps;” thereby making the state after death an unconscious existence until the final resurrection on the last day.  This view was rejected by John Calvin and the other reformers as being dangerously close to annihilationism (i.e., the souls of the wicked are annihilated and do not suffer an eternity in hell).  A third view is that held by the Roman Catholic Church, and that is the view of purgatory.  Purgatory is a place of penance in which the dead can further atone for any remitted mortal sins and cleansed of any unforgiven venial sins.  This view runs afoul of classic Protestant teaching in that the atoning sacrifice of Christ was sufficient for all our sins and that no further atoning is necessary (Hebrews 9:28).

A Future and a Hope!

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  (Jeremiah 29:11; ESV)

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon or a nuclear physicist to figure out that we live in some very uncertain times.  I’m not just referring to the issues we face here in America, but throughout the world as well.  It really seems that each day that passes brings us closer to the time when Christ will return.  Consider the words our Lord used to describe the time before his return:

For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.  (Matthew 24:5-8)

False messiahs, wars, rumors of war, famines, earthquakes, etc.  This sounds a lot like the world we’re living in right now.  We in America have been pretty insulated from all of this until recently.  The events of 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the recent financial meltdown has shaken our once unshakable American confidence.

An Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks (or “How I Became a Reformed Amillennialist”), part 3

In part 2 of this series, I went into detail regarding the strengths of Dispensational Premillennialism and then analyzed these strengths and came to the conclusion that these strengths aren’t really strengths at all. Let’s now look at some of the strengths of the Reformed Amillennialism position and then offer some concluding comments.

The Reformed Amillennialism position greatly simplifies the end time scenarios by having all of the eschatological events associated with the return of Christ actually happen at his return.  The Dispensational Premillennialism position, in order to satisfy their ‘literal’ hermeneutic, must split the return of Christ into two events separated by 7 years and then separate the return of Christ and the eternal state by a gap of an additional 1,000 years.  Is that how Jesus described his return?  Let’s look at some passages:

An Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks (or “How I Became a Reformed Amillennialist”), part 2

In my last post, I provided an overview of the three main views of the millennium:  Premillennialism (both Historic and Dispensational), Postmillennialism, and Amillennialism.  In this post, I want to look more deeply at Dispensational Premillennialism. So let’s begin by mentioning some of the strong points in favor of Dispensational Premillennialism.

One of the strongest points to Dispensational Premillennialism is its claim to employ a literal hermeneutic regarding OT prophecy.  This feature logically follows from the Dispensational Premillennialism premise that Israel and the Church are distinct entities.  Because of this distinction, Dispensational Premillennialism must read OT prophecy the way it does.  This hermeneutical feature mandates that the OT prophecies of Israel’s restoration be taken literally to refer to Israel.  This literal hermeneutic, when employed to Revelation, leads naturally to a premillennial reading of the book.  We see the return of Christ at the battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19 followed by the binding of Satan in Revelation 20:1-3, followed by the millennium in Revelation 20:4-6, followed by Satan’s loosing and final rebellion in Revelation 20:7-10.  The Dispensational Premillennialism timeline follows neatly when reading Revelation in a literal, linear fashion.

An Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks (or “How I Became a Reformed Amillennialist”), part 1

I have not been a Christian for a long time (approximately 7+ years), but during that entire time, I have held to a premillennial view of eschatology (the study of “last things”).  Not only did I hold to a premillennial view of eschatology, but I held to a particular flavor of premillennialism called Dispensational Premillennialism.  That is until recently.  Over the past several months, I have been looking into the veracity of this eschatological view.  I have browsed websites and blogs.  I have read numerous articles, and I just finished the book A Case for Amillennialism by Kim Riddlebarger.  After all of this research, the view I once held to with a certain amount of conviction (with the realization that all millennial views fall within the sphere of orthodoxy), I now feel convinced is wrong.  Over the next three posts, I will compare and contrast these two views.