The Biblical View of Death
L. Ralph Rohr, M.D.
(modified, with appreciation, from Wayne Jackson
https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/850-the-biblical-view-of-death
The Terror of Death
Psa 55:4-5 My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me. (5) Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has overwhelmed me.
Job’s friend, Bildad, describes death as the “king of terrors.” (Job 18:24)
Paul in his letter to the Hebrews describes us as, “those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Heb 2:15)
The thought of death, as much as its grim reality, stresses and enslaves us more than any other thing in our earthly lives. Most people would do anything to preserve their physical lives, even though they know they are really dead in the end. Like King Hezekiah most of us weep bitterly at the approach of death and beseech the LORD for a little more time (2 Kings 20:3).
How may we reach that high ground of faith, where we may say along with the Apostle Paul that we desire to die?
Php 1:21-23 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. (22) But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. (23) But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
How can we have the faith of the psalmist, who responds to his own anguish at the end of Psalm 55,
Psa 55:22-23 Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. (23) . . . I will trust in You. ?
What is the biblical view of death?
Death is a sleep.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
Scriptures use “sleep” to describe the state of the body in death.
Dan 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Therefore, let us notice that:
The part of a person that is placed in the dust of the earth is the part that sleeps.
It is a person’ body that is placed in the earth.
Thus it is only a person’s body that sleeps in death, not the spirit or soul.
Asleep (koimaomai) from kemai (“to lie down”). koimeterion was a place where travelers could stop for sleep (an inn, or hotel), from which we derive our word “cemetery” where the bodies of the dead are “sleeping.”
As the sleepers do not cease to exist while their bodies sleep, we know their sleep is temporary and that they will wake up! So also death as sleep of the body is temporary—the bodies will all wake up, the faithful in Jesus to “everlasting life!” (Dan 12:2)
Further, death is but a state of rest from the toils and cares of this world where “. . . the wicked cease from raging, And there the weary are at rest.” (Job 3:17) And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on!'” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.” (Rev 14:13) Hence death is a state of blessedness, of happiness.
Death is decomposition (a return to the dust) for the body.
Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”
When Adam and Eve sinned God separated them from the tree of life, which provides physical immortality. Gen 3:22-24 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”– . . . (24) So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Ecc 12:7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Thus it became the humanity’s lot and and physical nature to return to the dust of the ground.
Death is a sentimental journey.
2Co 5:1 For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
The Greek word for our earthy tabernacle (the body) being “torn down,” dissolved by death, is kataluo – which literally means “loosed down,” a vivid expression for fleshly decomposition.
Jas 2:26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Death is a departure, and occurs when the spirit (the soul) leaves the body.
Act 9:39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Though Dorcas’ body was there, her spirit, or personality or soul, was gone.
Paul also thought of death as departure.
Php 1:22-23 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! (23) I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far;
Paul’s word for depart is the Greek word analuo, which literally means “loosed up.” At death, though the body is “loosed down” (2 Cor 5:1), the spirit is “loosed up.” When the poor beggar Lazarus died, his spirit was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; (Luk 16:22)
Another word revealing death as a journey is the term “exodus.”
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus was speaking with Moses and Elijah about His “departure” which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem (Luk 9:31), and He used the Greek word This is the same word used of the Israelites’ departure from Egypt (Heb 11:22) and is the title of the book of Exodus in the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the OT Hebrew Scriptures.
Just as the Hebrews continued to consciously exist while passing from Egypt into and through the wilderness of Sinai, so also we continue to consciously exist when passing from this earthly realm into the presence of God (2 Cor 5:8).
Death is a blissful reunion.
Gen 25:8 Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people.
This gathering cannot refer to the interment of Abraham’s body, for he was buried near Mamre in Palestine, but his ancestors were buried in distant lands hundreds of miles away.
The expressions “gathered to his people” and “going to his fathers” (Jdg 2:10) are distinguished from being buried and signify reunion with loved ones in Sheol, which is the sphere of departed spirits.
When Jesus said that many (us?) would sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Mat 8:11), he surely implied a reunion among those three patriarchs.
Death brings us face-to-face with Christ.
Luk 23:42-43 And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” (43) And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”
Those who die in Christ are immediately united with their Lord. This is what Paul expected in Php 1:23 to “be with Christ.” And he also wrote that “to be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.” (2Cor 5:8) “with (pros) the Lord” means “face to face” with the Lord, and implies that at death there is an immediate entrance into a closer fellowship with Jesus.
Death is the agony of defeat.
Psa 116:3 The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.
For the wicked, death begins judgment and an eternity of suffering. The wicked are immersed in shame and contempt and eternal regret. They consign themselves to this fate because they want nothing to do with their Savior.
Dan 12:2 “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Mat 22:13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
In Christ’s last parable before His passion, that of the goats and shee, He declares, that
Mat 25:46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Jesus describes Hell as a place where,
Mar 9:48 (NAS) where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.
Mar 9:48 (NLT) ‘where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out.’
Jesus is quoting Isaiah, Isa 66:24 “Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind.”
Luk 16:24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
The pains of Hell seem to involve the minds and mouths of those in torment.
2Th 1:9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (note the effect of the flames accompanying our Savior on the faithful who are “afflicted” just before this).
2Th 1:7 to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
The fiery presence of God and Christ is received as comfort by the faithful and torment by the rebellious.
What is to be done?! . . . Prepare for your death!
You cannot live wrong and die right! After death there is no opportunity for repentance or salvation (Heb 9:27 . . . it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,)
Heed the lessons of Hebrews 3-4!
Heb 3:7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE,
Heb 3:15 while it is said, “TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.”
The time to prepare is TODAY!
. . . OR NOT . . .
Heb 3:19 So we see that they were not able to enter God’s rest because of unbelief.
Though affliction and doubts will come, they are only so that we may manifest the dying victory of Jesus in our mortal flesh.
2 Cor 4:6-11 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (7) But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; (8) we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; (9) persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (10) always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (11) For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
With Jesus in Paradise TODAY!
Like the thief on the cross next to Jesus’ cross. What does this mean?
Face to face with Jesus in His eternal presence. What does this mean?
We cannot now know all the details of this existence, but there are hints in Scripture, just as Moses wrote in Deuteronomy,
Deu 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.
Isa 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.
Rev 1:17-18 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, (18) and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.
Rev 2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:
Rev 22:12-13 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. (13) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Amen, come Lord Jesus (Rev 22:20)
1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
We know by trusting the recorded word of God that, for the faithful child of Jehovah, death will be an absolutely thrilling and joy filled experience!
When Jesus says His name, I AM, ego eimi, (Rev 1:17), he claims identity with God the Father in Isa 44:6 (quoted above) and confirms their oneness in Trinity (Joh 10:30, Joh 14:9-10). Speaking in the Greek indicative present tense Jesus is saying that He is continuously and always, without interruption or intermission, at every time and place—whether past, present or future. This is the amazing time abrogating nature of omnipresence!
When we are with Jesus, face to face in His glorious presence and seeing Him as He Is, then we have His eternal perspective on all of time and history; and the questions and concerns we had in our earthly temporal existence will no longer be unanswered. All who have believed and trusted Jesus will, in the eternal present tense of His holy presence, experience an all-encompassing fullness of understanding and peace that surpasses all understanding.
The following account is a temporal example of peace and understanding that drives out fear.
Targeted for Leading Muslims to Christ
August 2021 Voice of the Martyrs
Persecution in Ethiopia has intensified in the last few years, especially against those who faithfully proclaim the gospel, plant churches and train biblical disciples. One believer, a man named Dereje, has been specifically targeted for his work in southern Ethiopia, where his faithful witness and the power of the gospel are viewed as threats.
While attending a mission school, Dereje developed a burden for Muslims and set a personal goal of reaching one Muslim family with the gospel. And when he began to show love to his Muslim neighbors, they became more open to hearing about Jesus Christ.
In 2016, however, Dereje said some Muslims in the region grew angry about the number of Muslims coming to faith in Jesus Christ. And the following year, rioting Muslims attacked, beating and killing some Christians and destroying more than 2,000 homes and more than two dozen churches. Dereje was among those targeted.
During the last month of the attacks, as an attack on their village was imminent, Dereje gathered some believers and encouraged them with a message from Psalm 23. “By the time I finished sharing the Word,” he recalled, “the attacks had started. I heard people getting beaten and saw flames from burning homes, so I ran home as quickly as I could to protect my family.
“When the attackers arrived at my house, they called me by name, saying, ‘Dereje! Dereje! Come out! This is your day and you won’t escape!’”
When Dereje learned that he was one of the attackers’ main targets and that they would not stop until they had killed him, he fled with his family to another town. They traveled on foot for five days and slept in the jungle before finally reaching safety.
Dereje and his family eventually resettled in a different area, where he resumed his ministry leading Muslims and others to Christ. He has returned to the site of the attacks twice since 2017, and he said he is willing to serve there again if God calls him to do so.
Dereje and other Ethiopian Christians like him continue to witness boldly for Christ, willingly facing the consequences.
“There is only one Mighty One,” he said, “the One who sent us. If we die, we are going to Him. But just trust the Lord; do not be afraid. Fear is a disease. If you fear, you cannot walk even one step. The One who is with you, He is greater than fear. Don’t be afraid. Trust the Lord.”
Additional scriptures and thoughts:
Joh 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, (26) and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Does the person who believes in Jesus die, or never die?! The answer may lie in what happens next in the account of John 11.
Was Lazarus dead? (Joh 11:14, 39) Yes, Jesus said he was. Jesus also said Lazarus was “asleep.”
Lazarus’ death caused grief and weeping. Even Jesus wept (Joh 11:35).
Jesus spoke to the dead man (Joh 11:43) and the dead man heard Him (Joh 11:44), and Lazarus’ body was resurrected as his spirit returned to his dead body.
This is the power of God in His Son “who IS the resurrection and the life.”
From our limited present moment in time we see the dead body and mourn, but Lazarus shows us that a man will live even if he dies.
From Jesus’ eternal perspective Lazarus lives even though his body has died, and this living Lazarus hears His Lord’s call to “come forth” out of the grave, not to eternal life but to temporal life in the old body.
Eternal life is far, far better than the temporal life we cling to, for eternal life never ends or runs down. The power of God’s eternal life is inexhaustible!
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