Jesus used two Greek terms, hades and gehenna, to speak about death and the punishment of the unrighteous. Given the popular belief in the meaning hell, we need to consider it carefully. Hades is equivalent to the Hebrew she’ôl, the most common Old Testament term for the realm of the dead. These names simply represent … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : Without the resurrection of Christ, our religion would not be the road to eternal life, but just an empty promise like many other religions. [Lesson Plan for Death and Resurrection September 15, 2014] 1. Have a volunteer read John 1:1-4. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most … Continue reading –>
What we have studied so far could lead us to think that the resurrection will be for only a few. But Jesus affirmed that a time will come when all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth (John 5:28-29, NKJV, emphasis added). Believers and unbelievers, righteous and sinners, saved and … Continue reading –>
At Creation, the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. As a result, man became a living being (Gen. 2:7, NKJV). As long as God maintains the breath of life in the living creatures, they are alive. But when He takes away their … Continue reading –>
A family I had studied with called me late one afternoon, asking me to meet them ASAP at the hospital. Their mother was dying, and they wanted prayer. Now I believe that God can hear your prayers for your sick loved one, just as easily as He can hear an elder’s prayer. Nevertheless, I met the family … Continue reading –>
Old Testament writers consistently held that humanity is an indivisible living being. The various Hebrew terms usually translated as flesh, soul, and spirit are just alternative ways to describe, from different points of view, the human person as a whole. In harmony with this perspective, the Scriptures use different metaphors to describe death. Among them, … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: John 11:11; John 1:1-4; Luke 8:54-55; John 5:28-29; Matt. 5:22, 29; John 11:38-44. Memory Text: Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (John 11:25, NKJV). Humans have an innate repulsion toward death because we … Continue reading –>
Okay, definition first: Loophole – “an ambiguity, omission, etc, as in a law, by which one can avoid a penalty or responsibility”1 Probably, most of us don’t think about loopholes very often. If we think of them at all, it’s in the context of rich people trying to get out of paying taxes or a … Continue reading –>
Teresa was well known in her community in western Bulgaria as a witch. She worked magic, casting spells and removing spells. She told people’s fortunes and predicted their future. People respected her for the power she had. Teresa’s little granddaughter, Sara, came to visit. How Teresa loved her! On Sabbath Sara asked her grandmother to … Continue reading –>
Further Study: Ellen G. White, The Sabbath, p. 281-289, in The Desire of Ages. Wherefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath. These words are full of instruction and comfort. . . . It [the Sabbath] points to Him as both the Creator and the Sanctifier. It declares that He who created … Continue reading –>
And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27 We need the Sabbath. I am not primarily talking about a period of down time from our busy lives, although the Sabbath affords that. Our need of the Sabbath is deeper than mere rest. We need … Continue reading –>
Many Christians keep Sunday instead of the Sabbath, offering a host of reasons, the main one being the resurrection of Christ. Besides the minor detail that nothing in the New Testament, including the passages on the resurrection, teaches that Sunday is to replace Sabbath, the New Testament shows that Christ intended for His Sabbath to … Continue reading –>
