Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The First Great Deception,” Pages 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 … Continue reading –>
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 is the notion of being gathered to one’s own people. For example, about Abraham, we are told that he “breathed his last … Continue reading –>
Read Job 3:11-13; Psalm 115:17; Psalm 146:4; and Ecclesiastes 9:5, Ecclesiastes 9:10. 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; Psalm 115:17; Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5, Ecclesiastes 9:10), written in poetic language, cannot be used to define the condition of human beings at death. It is true that sometimes … Continue reading –>
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 (Genesis 2:7), and the soul ceases to exist when the body dies (Ezekiel 18:4, Ezekiel 18:20). … Continue reading –>
Read Ezekiel 18:4, Ezekiel 18:20 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 (Isaiah 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 … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 1:24-27 and Genesis 2:7, Genesis 2:19. What similarities and differences can you see between the way God created the animals and humanity? What does Genesis 2:7 tell us about human nature? 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 (Genesis 1:24-27). … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Genesis 1:24-27; Genesis 2:7, Genesis 2:19; Matthew 10:28; Ecclesiastes 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” (Genesis 2:16-17, , NRSV) and … Continue reading –>
Signs and Wonders By Dimitry Bagal While studying Isaiah in the Adult Bible Study Guide a few quarters ago, one verse particularly caught my attention: “Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 8:18, NKJV). The verse seemed … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Temptation and Fall,” Pages 52-62 and “The Plan of Redemption,” Pages 63-70, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “The Knowledge of Good and Evil,” Pages 23-27, in Education. In recent years, studies have been done on what is called Near Death Experiences (NDEs). What happens is that people “die,” in that their hearts stop beating, and … Continue reading –>
Read Genesis 3:15, Genesis 3:21. What hope can be found in these passages for all humanity? Genesis chapter 3 describes the dreadful tragedy that took over the world after the Fall. Everything changed, and Adam and Eve could see the contrast between what the world used to be and what it had become. But in the midst … Continue reading –>
