Tuesday: “You Will Not Die”
Read Genesis 3:4. What are the many different ways this lie has been repeated through the ages?
One powerful manifestation of this lie is seen in the common belief in the immortality of the soul. This notion was the basis of many ancient religions and philosophies. In ancient Egypt, it motivated the mummification practices and the funerary architecture, such as seen in the pyramids.
Image © Kevin Carden at Goodsalt.com
This theory also became one of the main pillars of Greek philosophy. For example, in The Republic of Plato, Socrates asks Glaucon: “Are you not aware that our soul is immortal and never perishes?” In Plato’s Phaedo, Socrates argued in a similar tone, saying that the “soul is immortal and imperishable, and our souls really will exist in Hades.” These philosophical concepts would shape much of the western culture and even post-Apostolic Christianity. But they originated much earlier, already in the Garden of Eden, with Satan himself.
At the core of the Edenic temptation, Satan assured Eve, “You certainly will not die!” (Genesis 3:4, NASB). With this emphatic assertion, Satan put his own word above the Word of God.
In contrast to immortality of the soul, what do these verses teach, and how can they be used to counter this lie? (Psalm 115:17; John 5:28-29; Psalm 146:4; Matthew 10:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).
The satanic theory of the natural immortality of the soul has persisted, even in our modern world. Books, movies, and TV programs have all continued to promote the idea that, when we die, we simply pass into another conscious state. How unfortunate it is that this error is proclaimed in many Christian pulpits, as well. Even science has gotten involved. There is a foundation in the United States trying to create technology that, it claims, will enable us to contact the dead, whom they believe are still alive but exist as PMPs, “postmaterial persons.” With this error so prevalent, it’s no surprise that this deception will play a crucial role in the final events of human history.
| In what ways is this lie manifested in your own culture? Why must we rely on the Word of God over what our senses tell us? |
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While, among Christians, the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is widely held, in our secular world the major view is probably that death is final. It is relatively easy to show the Adventist view of death from the Bible. Not that we will change people's minds - that is another issue altogether.
The lesson this morning begs the question: How do we interact with our non-believing friends on the topic of death? You cannot appeal to a biblical argument when you are interacting with folk who don't believe in the Bible, or who have abandoned their faith.
There is of course no surefire way to prove our point of view. I see the somewhat bored faces of my ex-Adventist friends and relatives at funerals when they get a Bible study on the nature of death and the resurrection. And I ask myself the question, what could I say that can convince them. Ultimately I think it comes down to this: If we are going to have any effect these folk then we need to continue to interact with them, bringing a little bit of heaven into their lives. We need to let the Holy Spirit work through us. Practical shared Christianity provides the basis for growing and developing ideas in the minds of others.
"By this shall all men know ...". You know the rest.
I'm not sure that the "death is final" group is so large, though I'm sure it's the majority in the secular scientific community.
I rub shoulders with many secular people who are very irreligious and almost all of them believe that most everyone goes to some "heaven like" place when they die. It's interesting to see this when they have little interest in Christianity as such.
Is it Christian, then, to fear death? And un-Christian to be nonchalant about death? I'm throwing out sort of a trick question I think, similar to asking if we should fear God.
Recently I came across the story of Bill Haast, a remarkable man who lived to 100. Remarkable because he was bitten by venomous snakes at least 173 times in his lifetime, about 20 times almost fatally. According to the New York Times, "A secret of his success was the immunity he had built up by injecting himself every day for more than 60 years with a mix of venoms from 32 snake species...Mr. Haast himself indisputably saved lives. He flew around the world to donate his antibody-rich blood to 21 different snakebite victims. Venezuela made him an honorary citizen after he went deep into the jungle to give a boy a pint of blood." One time when he was bitten he believed he did die for a few moments and had an out-of-body experience on the stretcher...he concluded his description of this incident by saying that "no one should be frightened of death". The irony, of course, is that this dedicated man was working to keep others from dying with his own blood full of anti-snakebite serum; so in a way he did respect the gravity of death. Like fire fighters and so many full-throttled givers, he considered death less significant than a focused, selfless life work.
I think Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 10:28 that there are 2 types of deaths and one we don't need to fear, the other we do. The death of our human form - of flesh and blood - we don't need to fear.....Bill Haast is correct....UNLESS....we have not yielded our soul back to God. If we are bopping around believing that we run "the show" (our lives/the Universe) alone, and to be human is to live forever, no questions asked or choices made, than we are deceived. Even doing kind, generous things for others is meaningless apart from intimacy with God (we see this in the Sheep and Goats story). The second death (hell) is a forever separation from God and so this death of both soul and body IS to be feared, says Jesus.
Satan's lies are clever in that they are often actually truths, or half-truths. It is true that Eve would not die the second death. She would accept God's sacrifice. Jesus's blood is the anti-snakebite-serum rescue. Satan failed to mention to Eve that God would surely die her scariest death for her, in her place. It is Christian to not fear the first or second death because, and ONLY because, God in Jesus has removed death's sting from us (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
I love the parallel there with Eve not dying because of Jesus. What a different world this would be if Eve had said to the serpent: "I would die if I believed you, but you are dying already, and I don't want to be a part of that. "
…”you are dying already“….
Yes! Satan was showing the first earthly case of
“misery loves/tries to create miserable company”.
Consider the parable in Luke 16:19-31 and draw out the teachings lest we get into this confusion of immortality of the soul which shouldn't be case in point.
The Word of God is simple, there is no life after death (Psalm 115:17; John 5:28-29; Psalm 146:4; Matthew 10:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58). We rest until the day Jesus comes for the second time, It is all plain about it. But men like to fantasize things, to be romantic and also to speculate and to create their own theories. Not only that, but when a child receive an information by the parents, or someone close who teaches wrongly, most likely the "fable" can live on... the best thing is not to argue about it, but to believe in Jesus who defeated death, and to let the Holy Spirit do the convincing part that none of us are able to do so...
As far as I can see in the Bible, the body will die, but, and that's a big but, our ego will be resurrected when Jesus returns.
Hi Inga-Beth,
If you'll review what Jesus was like after the resurrection, you can know for sure what happens at the resurrection. Review how he spoke with two disciple on the way to Emmaus and broke bread with them. Then see how he appeared to the eleven disciples, saying "Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And then he ate with them. (Read Luke 24:13-49)
As the lesson points out, the idea that there is a soul or "ego" separate from the body is a Greek concept. It is not biblical. The Bible teaches a bodily resurrection of the whole person - whether in the resurrection of life, or the resurrection that ends in eternal annihilation. (See also 1 Cor. 15:12-58 where Paul compares the resurrection of the righteous to the resurrection of Christ and explains exactly when and how it happens. Also see 1 Thess. 4:13-18)
I hope that helps. 🙂
Death is a comma(,) not a period (.). One day this life will be over,, New life with Jesus .. will follow. I'm looking forward to the first Resurrection. Satan has not won, praise God! The period(.) Will be then, no more death, sorrow or pain this body will put on immortality. Satan won't have an Eve to tempt anymore. AMEN.
Eve relied on her senses. Case closed. In our culture today this theory is promoted in myriad ways but especially in TV & Movies. We see more and more supernatural programming that blatantly touts the lie that "you shall not surely die". I Think of all the superheroes that we and our children have been enamored by. Additionally, many of the actors in these movies as well as musicians in the music world claim to have had supernatural experiences and their audiences worship the ground they walk on. No, we can not trust our senses in our culture.
Adam and Eve lived to be close to 1,000 years each and all the way until after Noah's Ark and then humans begin to only live about 300 years etc. But now humans only life less than 100 years and they still push "the immortality of the soul" and also similar ideas such as that God is in everything animate or even inanimate things like rocks etc.
Thanks Pete. When Peter said a thousand years are like a day to God, He was just using an expression. I believe the real reason Adam and Eve did not drop dead that day, is because Revelation 13:8 tells us Jesus is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God counted the cross as already taking effect from the foundation of the world, thus giving Adam and Eve a time of probation before they died.
Post materialism has nothing to do, IMHO, with what the Tuesday lesson....kinda taking things way out of context...
You are correct that "postmaterialism" has nothing to do with this lesson. However, the author does not refer to "postmaterialism" but to a "postmaterial person," which is supposedly a real person that continues to live after the body dies, just as the author says.
I agree with Maurice that we have to rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance when we are with someone who believes that life goes on after death, or as some believe, we “pass through death”, as if it were a doorway into another existence. But, for those of us who do believe in scripture, you either believe God, Genesis 2:16 & 17, or you believe Satans lie, Genesis 3:4. If someone is truly searching for the truth, the Holy Spirit is the one who has to lead them.
Very good good on how we believe.
Yes rely on the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirt relies on us to give an account. After you have told them your defense, rely on the Holy Spirit to work with their minds to come to a true conclusion. I believe that they are asking, when they give you their belief. 1 Peter 3:15.
"One powerful manifestation of this lie is seen in the common belief in the immortality of the soul. This notion was the basis of many ancient religions and philosophies. In ancient Egypt, it motivated the mummification practices and the funerary architecture, such as seen in the pyramids."
One of the challenges with the non-immortality of the soul is what happened at the cross. How can this be resolved?
What exactly needs to be resolved?