Lesson 9: Challenging Bible Passages About Death. Hope Sabbath School

👉🏻Bible study lesson - Challenging Bible Passages About Death (Sunday, November 20 - Sabbath, November 26)
✅ Hope Sabbath School, year 2022, quarter 4, lesson 9.

👉🏻 In this Episode:
In this study we will discuss verses that people use to teach the false idea that a
person’s spirit continues to live after he or she dies.

👉🏻 About Hope Sabbath School:
An in-depth, interactive study of the Word of God. Each week, a group of young adults participate in a lively discussion of the Bible lesson.
There are Hope Sabbath School members in more than 130 countries around the world.

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[linafenech]

Pastor Derek, I was a staunch Catholic, most of my life, in 2001, I started listening to 3ABN TV, and it was that verse in John 20:17 that made me
join the SDA CHURCH, for then, I realised that what I learned before that right after we die, we go either to Purgatory, (a big lie), to heaven or to hell.Keep up the good work, and may God bless you and your lovely team.I have been watching you for quiet some years now.🙏

[sandrabuthello]

Thanks to lord God almighty for his teaching us through and guiding all us by the holy spirit true teaching clearing the scriptures reading thy words blessing to be stady fast in Christ love ithank pastor Derek too.

[christermuloba]

Just amazing how such scriptures which I thought were difficult to explain can be put together and explained so simply. Thank you Pastor Derek and your team. I feel blessed ❤

[mariethanzundamo]

Thank you Hope Sabbath team for powerful explanation of the living word of God. Amen 🙏 🙏 🙏

[hermasmethurst]

Tremendous Bible teaching I wish I had some one to study with me that I can understand the Bible more doing it by myself isn’t helping when I watched the program is how I get more understanding

[veestephenson]

What I’ve learned in the story of Esther is that mission don’t have to be aggressive . Take it the mission moment by moment, hour by hour and day by day.

[m.p.]

Hello everyone. Please put your like !!
Thank you very much ❤

[nadinewitter]

Thank you so much hope sabbath school for the explanation of these Bible scriptures . I am blessed by your ministry, may God continue to bless all of you. I am watching from St. Elizabeth , Jamaica 🇯🇲

[relaxationsoundsambience]

Amen to God's truth - His word. Thank you HSS team, may God continue to empower you by His Spirit to share the good news of our salvation by a loving God. Glory to God!

[seekertruth]

*WHO ARE THE SOULS UNDER THE ALTAR – Revelation 6:9-11 [SECTION 2]*
The main message of the seals is that God’s people remain faithful until death:
Before Christ became a human being, He defended God’s elect and God’s judgments, but Satan accused Him of being a false witness. The Son of God then became the vulnerable man Jesus and overcame the most severe temptations to reveal Himself as “the faithful and true Witness” [Rev 3:13; 5:5, 9].

Similarly, Satan accused God’s elect. They must suffer to reveal the true nature of God’s elect; they overcome the accuser because of the word of their testimony, and they do not love their life even when faced with death [Rev 12:11].

This is required for the final judgment, through which God will recreate eternal peace [Rev 21:1]. In that judgment, the books will be opened. ‘The dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds’ [Rev 20:12].

Despite the widespread use of the phrase immortal soul, this jargon is found nowhere in the Bible.
The fifth seal is often used to support the popular belief that believers go to heaven in a bodiless state when they die. However, below are several reasons why this must not be literally interpreted:
*1.* In Old Testament sacrificial rituals, the blood of animals was “poured out” at the base of the altar. [e.g., Ex 29:12]. The fifth seal converts this ritual into a metaphor: God’s people are symbolically sacrificed ON the altar. They are not literally under a literal altar.
*2.* The idea that humans consist of two parts – a physical body and an immaterial soul – comes from Greek philosophy. In the Bible, the soul refers to the entire human being [cf. Gen 2:7; 1 Cor 15:45].
*3.* There are two indications in the text that the souls under the altar are dead:
They are told to “rest” for a while longer [Rev 6:11]. “Rest” refers to death. For example, an angel said to Daniel: ‘You will enter into rest and rise again … at the end of the age’ [Dan 12:13].
The same “souls” that are under the altar in the fifth seal “came to life” when Christ returns (Rev 20:2]. That means that they are not alive today.
*4.* For two reasons, the crying out for revenge is not literal:
God’s people would not cry for revenge. While dying, Jesus cried out, “Father, forgive them” [Luke 23:34].
Similar to Abel’s blood that cried out to God from the ground [Gen 4:10], the cry of the souls symbolizes God’s awareness of the suffering of His people.
*5.* The souls under the altar receive white robes, which is confirmation of salvation, “a little while” before Christ returns (Rev 6:11). Therefore, it makes no sense to suggest that they, at death, go directly to heaven.
From a human perspective, time elapses between death and resurrection but the faithful dead are in God’s care and with God, time does not exist. From the experience of the dead, they are resurrected immediately on death.
Note: Sometimes the term soul may refer to the entire person, or the natural life of man, or it may refer to the mind. In Exodus 16:16 *soul [H5315 nephesh Definition: soul, mind or living being] and person [H5315 nephesh Definition soul, mind or living being] are used interchangeably.* For “persons” the margin says “souls.” It was *the union of the breath of life or life-principle with the dust that produced the first living person.*
The answer to the question “Did God give man an immortal soul at creation is *NO* Scripture says, *“He [God] alone possesses immortality [absolute exemption from death]* …, *whom no man has ever seen or can see.* To Him be honor and eternal power and dominion! Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:16.

The immortality of the soul doctrine is something foreign to the Scriptures and is also stated by the Jewish Encyclopedia, which says concerning it:
Similarly, the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia says: “We are influenced always more or less by the Greek, Platonic idea that the body dies, yet the soul is immortal. *Such an idea is utterly contrary to the Israelite consciousness and is nowhere found in the Old Testament.”* (1960, Vol. 2, p. 812, “Death”).
*The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology* notes that Origen, an early and influential Catholic theologian, was influenced by Greek thinkers: “Speculation about the soul in sub apostolic church was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy. This is seen in Origen’s acceptance of Plato’s doctrine of the pre-existence of the soul as pure mind (nous) originally, which, by reason of its fall from God, cooled down to soul (psyche) when it lost its participation in the divine fire by looking earthward.” - (1992, “Soul, ” p. 1037).

Paul warns, *“See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, * according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” Colossians 2:8 ESV.
The word “philosophers” is the word used in the Acts 17:16-18 to describe the Epicureans and the Stoics that were deriding Paul, because he was preaching the resurrection. It is the word Plato, Socrates and others used to define themselves. They were philosophers and their theme were philosophy. While Paul warned: “see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy”, the church Fathers – most of them - were taken captive by it. For example, the Evangelical Dictionary of Theology says about Origen, a Church father described by Encyclopedia Britannica as “the most important theologian and biblical scholar of the early Greek church.”

*“Speculation about the soul in the subapostolic church was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy.* This is seen in Origen’s acceptance of Plato’s doctrine of the preexistence of the soul as pure mind (nous)...” (1992, p. 1037, “Soul”).

Alan Richardson, former Dean of York, acknowledges this: “…the ancient Church inherited from Greek thought the notion of a soul substance which was by nature immortal, and this conception was often entwined with biblical teaching about resurrection. In the biblical view, a man dies and literally ceases to exist: his resurrection…was the result of an act of new creation by God.”- “Soul”, in A. Richardson (Ed), A Dictionary of Christian Theology, London: SCM Press Ltd, 1976, p.316.

The Bible makes it clear that man is composed of two elements: dust and breath. The dust was given life, or breath, and it became a living soul [Gen 2:7]. Note that the dust was not given a soul, but it was given life! It is interesting to consider the first time in this world's history, when the notion of immortality apart from God arises, is when it was suggested to Eve by Lucifer. In reference to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil God had said "...thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Gen 2:17.

*"The serpent [Lucifer] said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Gods, .."* Gen 3:4, 5.

As students of the Bible, we have always tried to substantiate our personal beliefs from the never erring Word of God, rather than from human tradition, irrespective of how widely accepted or how personally pleasing or convenient a doctrine may be.

[deomattiesingh]

Am sattie and am watching all the way from Guyana enjoying your teaching for years now

[jo]

Lord Jesus and God our Heaven Father have created this beautiful earth for Man. And for us to domain. Man life is from God's Divine Breath forget not we have God's Divine Breath which meant as long as God live we live. We belong to GOD ALMIGHTY and are HIS children.
God completed created Man and to called us HIS own . He set this Day and Santifice it as Sabbath to be hallow. We are to honour Sabbath without fail or half-hearted for it is evil to do so. Keep Sabbath with full Holiness.Amen.

[oshanewilliams]

Blessed morning, am happy for your studies, hello to everyone blessings.

[juanatorres]

Amén..awesome lesson.
Blessings my favorite sabbath school group, you are awesome.
Greetings Pastor Derek.

[waceera]

Happy Sabbath Hope Sabbath School members ❤

[hermasmethurst]

Amazing group amazing scripture lessons thank everyone for the Bible teaching god bless you all 😅

[noelynkoutalo]

Thankyou panel from Papua New Guine.
God Bless you all.

[deecam]

I also believe that the word "today" while you are alive salvation as come because after you die there is no repentane..

[gabrielochoa]

Many thanks. I missed Travis participation. He always shares great thoughts and testimonies. Big hug for him. I hope he is OK.

[aletheablack]

Beautiful study of the lesson. Thanks Pastor Derivk and team.