|
|
Sermonette: Ashes to Ashes
#1898s
John Reiss
Given 24-Oct-26; 13 minutes
2026-10-24
summary: While death and the afterlife are often shrouded in confusion, biblical scripture consistently presents a clear, unified narrative: death is not an immediate transition to an immortal realm, but a total cessation of existence akin to sleep. Formed from dust and given life by God's breath, humans do not possess inherent immortality—a doctrine rooted in Satan's first lie—for God alone is immortal. At death, the body returns to the earth and existence ceases until the future resurrection, when rewards, eternal life, or complete destruction are rendered. Ultimately, true life is restored only through the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead, offering humanity the ultimate hope of waking from the dust to shine like the stars forever.
transcript:
Mark Schiller and I were talking one Sabbath, and he mentioned something about soul sleep. I'd heard of it before, but I only had a vague understanding of the concept. And I thought that it would make an interesting study to look and see what the Bible actually does say about dying. What we in the Church of God believe. This world is full of confusion, and I probably, probably shouldn't have surprised me that people have a lot of different ideas about death in the afterlife. But this study is really impressed in me the hard work that Herbert Armstrong did to sort these different ideas out in the profound miracle of our understanding. The Bible compares death to sleep more than 50 times. And like with so many other doctrines, there is actually different ideas about the meaning of soul sleeping. On the Bibleproclaimer.com, we read that there are basically two main ideas of soul sleep. Both hold that we have a soul, we do not have a soul that's separable from the body. Author calls it milder and stronger forms. Those who believe in the milder form hold that the person continues to exist. But in dreamless unconsciousness. The milder form is most, most people mean when they are talking about soul sleep. I personally do not see too much difference between what they believe and what the world believes about life after death. But those who believe in the stronger form of social sleep like we do. Believe that at death we cease to exist. Our bodies return to the elements of the earth. It is literally ashes to ashes and dust to dust, and it's only a future resurrection of our souls. It's only at a future resurrection that our souls, that the souls or bodies of the redeemed will be recreated. In spite of common usage, the Bible shows that the soul and the spirit are not the same thing. Reading Genesis 2:7 from the King James Version of the Bible. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and he breathed in his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living soul. The word soul is from the Hebrew word nafish, and this is the same word translated several times in Genesis to refer to the created animals. It's also the same word used in Leviticus 17 where the Bible says that the nephesh of or life of all flesh is in the blood. Wikipedia gives an interesting definition of the word soul in an article called Soul in the Bible. Quote, The traditional concept of an immaterial and immortal soul distinct from the body was not found in Judaism before the Babylonian exile but developed as a result of interaction with Persian and Hellenistic philosophies. Accordingly, they tell us the Hebrew word nephesh, although translated soul in some older English Bibles, actually has a meaning closer to living being. Nephish was rendered in the Septuagint as psyche, the Greek word for soul. Now, my Greek brother-in-law tells me that it's actually pronounced. See, but it is spelled P S Y C H E. Continuing, the New Testament also uses the word psyche, but with the Hebrew meaning and not the Greek. The Greek word psyche is also translated into the word life, and among other things, Strong's concordant defines it as the seat of feelings, desires, affections, and aversions, end quote. A second word to look at is spirit. The Hebrew word is strong 7307 ruak, and the word is translated as wind, breath. Mind and spirit. King Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 12 that at death man will turn to dots and his spirit, Ruak will return to God. In the book of Genesis, Ruak is also used to refer to the breath of life. The Greek word for spirit is pneuma, and in the first book of Corinthians, the apostle Paul tells that the spirit in man is what gives him understanding. Let's turn I Corinthians 2 and we can read verse 11. I Corinthians 2:11. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of a man which is in him. Even so, no one knows the things of God except the spirit of God. With these two definitions in mind, let's review 7 points concerning the past, present, and future of our souls. First, starting the book of Genesis, we see that God created mankind of the dust of the ground. Just like the animals, we are net fish, living creatures. Salman spent a lot of time musing about this issue. In Ecclesiastes 3, he tells us, surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals, same fate awaits them both. As one dies, so does the other. All in the same breath. Humans have no advantage over animals. And near the closing of the book, In Ecclesiastes 12, he says that at death. The dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. Second, the Bible also shows the personal care that God has taken with mankind. Unlike the other nephesh, God gave man the spirit by breathing him, breathing into the clay model. Reading Job 32:8 from the New International Version. But it is the spirit in person, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. Both the words of Job and Elihu and those that we've just heard from Paul confirm that the spirit in man's mind is what gives him the ability to comprehend. The 3rd thing they look at is the fact that mankind is a soul, a living being. He does not have an immortal soul. Our lives began at the moment of our conception, not before. The Hebrew word for soul, Nepheth is translated over 100 times in the Bible as life. As the prophet Ezekiel tells us, the word refers to a living, breathing creature, a soul that can sin, a creature that can die. The Hebrew word for die is mut. God repeats this word for emphasis when he told Adam that in the day that he sinned he would mute tammute. He would surely die. The margin of my Bible translated as dying, you shall die. The doctrine of an immortal soul was the first lie that Satan told Eve when he told her that surely she would not die if she sinned. We read in I Timothy 6 that God alone has immortality. This truth eliminates the belief that when we die, the soul is merely sleeping. For a 4th point, Romans 6 tells us that our sins cause our eternal death, and that our eternal life is a gift from God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary describes death as a permanent cessation of all vital functions. The end of life It's the fulfillment of the warning that God gave to Abraham, to Adam. That if he sinned, he would be facing a second death. Although this destruction itself might be the nirvana that some religions look forward to, it is the ultimate separation from God and from life itself. 5th, it is not at our death, but at the return of Jesus Christ when we receive a reward. We read in Revelation 22 that Jesus is coming quickly and his reward is with him to give everyone according to his work. In I Thessalonians 4, Paul telleth, for Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. And he later adds that this will occur in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we too will be changed. This is when we will be given immortality. At this time, all the saints who have been called since righteous table will be raised from the grave and reigned on the earth with Jesus Christ for 1000 years. The millennium that Cody told us about last week. 1000 years of worldwide peace and prosperity. The 144,000 called and chosen before this time will have a special position in the government of God, but the rest of humanity will also be given an opportunity to repent and be born into the family God. I've got only at a later time. Paul writes in Hebrews too that it was fitting for God the Father, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus set the pattern for us to follow. Verse 2 verse 2 reads that Jesus Himself is a propitiation for our sins, but not for ours only. But also for the whole world. For a 6 point following the 1000 year reign of Christ and His resurrected saints will be a period of judgment. Ezekiel 37 and Revelation 20 speak of this resurrection to judgment of all who have ever lived. The billions who have lived without the opportunity to know God will be resurrected to a physical life and giving God's spirit to work with their spirit so that they too can accept Christ as Savior, grow, overcome, and then be changed into members of God's family. Isaiah 65 indicates that this period will be 100 years long. And Gentile or Israelite, all will have the veil lifted from their mind and be given understanding to the mysteries of God. And for a closing point, after this great white throne judgment is completed, those who refuse to obey God will be cast into the Lake of Fire. But they will be destroyed completely. Jesus warns us in Matthew 10 to fear the one who can destroy both the body and soul, our physical bodies and our intellect in this Gehenna fire. Malachi 4 warns that the wicked will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. And not even a memory of them will remain. To sum up what we've studied, we are on this point at least, in the same camp with those who believe that at our death, our physical bodies will decay and our lives will cease to exist. In John 11 is the story of Jesus' resurrection of Lazarus, and it shows that the Bible uses sleep only as a metaphor for death. Let's turn to John 11 and read from verses 11 to 14. These things he said, and after that he said to them, our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go, that I may wake him up. Then the disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he will get well. However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought he was only speaking of by taking rest and sleep. Now verse 14 then Jesus said to him plainly. Lazarus is dead. When we die, we too are without life. And we will remain that day, that way until God resurrects us. Once this dictionary says that our English word resurrection is from the late Latin. And it means the act of rising from the dead. Because God has called us and given us understanding, we do have the knowledge and sure hope of this resurrection. I'd like to read 1 Thessalons 4:13. But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep. But see sorrow as those who have no hope. Metaphorically, our souls do sleep. Now resurrection from the dead is likewise compared to being awakened. We can close by reading a summary of these resurrections in Daniel 12:2-3, if we can turn there, please. Daniel 12, starting in verse 2. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some to everlisting life, some shame and everlisting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the firmament, like the brightness of the firmament, and those eternal many to righteousness. Like the stars forever and ever.
JR/aws+/
|
