Through the Biblical study of Life and death, and what is man?

[Completed Israelite]

If anyone has some good verses they would like to add concerning this subject feel free.

This was something I really wanted to understand during my walk. 

Start at the beginning, And God blew the breath of Life through the nostrils and man became a LIVING soul..

So right there we can man is a soul..(not has a soul)made alive by The spirit of Life which Belongs to God, the word comonly translated as breath there, can mean breath, wind, or spirit, through The Bible we can see it's most accurate in this instance as Spirit of life.  

I gained my biggest understanding of death through Ecclisasties, once I got the true understanding it hit me hard for close to 3 days! I was pretty down about it. Then all at once overwhelmed with Joy bc of the great Gift the Messiah brought us of Eternal life!

"and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

so this is pretty amazing on the full scope, the actual life force that's in all things, once it dies Gods spirit of Life returns to Him, you can imagine as He inhales things die and as he exhaled things come to life!

so what happens when a bird dies, or a tree, where does the life that was once in it go? It returns to the one who gave it. 

"And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life."

So we know where the actual life in us that makes us and birds move and grow goes after death...what happens to us tho after Gods spirit of Life leaves us?

This is where Sheol comes into play, meaning The Abode of the dead, or The grave. 

We know from Luke there is at least 2 compartments in Sheol, Abrahams Bosom (Gods ppl), and The pit, where the wicked souls get "burried"

In this place we wait for the ressurection, upon the Messiahs return as King. If were GODS people we won't even feel death, 1000 years may pass you by in a complete rest and peace, and it won't feel like a split second. 

But the wicked have madness in Thier hearts during life and in death. 

"This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead."

this is why you see the rich man feeling tormented in Sheol in Luke, He's not in the actual lake of fire yet tho.  no rest for the wicked..

But when we die we all will be actually dead, Until we receive Gods great Gift of the Spirit of life, upon His return.

"His Spirit goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going."

people need to understand death, so they can properly understand how great a gift God has given us, by the Gospel(Good news) hence why it's the Good news! Eternal life. Amen Halleluyah. 

 

[Who me]

Gen 2, 19, Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

as you can see from these verses man was created to have fellowship with God and with his wife and by implication with other people.

mankind is unique in that we communicate complex ideas between ourselves and with God.

It is the separation between mankind and God that causes so many of the world's problems and it is Gods intervention with Jesus that gives us grounds for hope.

 

what is man that you have made him a little lower than the angels!

[Speks]

On 11/30/2020 at 1:43 AM, Completed Israelite said:

...people need to understand death, so they can properly understand how great a gift God has given us

It is indeed sobering comparing death generally to our death and life in Christ. In recent weeks some related topics were discussed here and there, including the "make up" of man, and soul and spirit. Some personal thoughts and opinions on life in Christ, and dying, and the interaction of soul and spirit might be of interest too. 

https://handtotheploughblog.wordpress.com/self/

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The first thing we can be sure of is after death we face judgement (Hebrews 9:27). On that day Christ has authority to judge: "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life [i.e., those who trusted in Christ, see John 5:24], those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment" (John 5:28, 29, NASB); "...there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked" (Acts 24:15, NASB).

At a future time the dead "who are in the tombs" will rise to be judged. The dead rise to judgement from the grave. In Christ we who believe will live again, even though we die and have lain in the grave. Martha's comment to Jesus reflects this teaching: "I know that he [Martha's brother] will rise again in the resurrection on the last day" (John 11:24, NASB).

1st Thessalonians 4:15, 16 tells us that those who have died, all the believers who are "asleep" in Christ, will rise first (from their graves). "Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1st Thessalonians 4:17-18 NASB).

Taken together these verses of Scripture indicate that believers who die are raised at Christ's return. They are considered to be asleep (dead) in their graves until that moment. All who are dead in the tombs will hear His voice. They will be resurrected from sleep (death) to life.

What are we aware of after we die and before Christ returns? Can we look to Old Testament texts for insight? "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:10, NASB); "When his spirit leaves him, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts and plans perish" (Psalm 146:4, Amplified Bible). 

Many (most?) interpret the text at 2nd Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23 to mean that immediately after death we will be with Christ: "absent from the body and... at home with the Lord"; "having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better".

In 2nd Corinthians 12:2-4 we read a unique account where someone (Paul) was caught up to the "third heaven" — "Paradise". We ought not to think of this experience in the context of being dead. Paul writes: "...whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows." 

A singular context for an after-death experience is found in 1st Samuel 28:7-20 where Saul uses a medium to draw up Samuel "out of the earth". "Samuel said to Saul, 'Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?'" (v.15). 

There are other contexts in Scripture where individuals did not die but were taken directly into God's presence. In Genesis 5:24 we are told "Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him"; "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God" (Hebrews 11:5 NASB). 

In 2nd Kings 2:11 we read that "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." Elijah appeared with Moses to Peter, James and John when Christ led them up a high mountain and was transfigured before them (see Matthew 17:1-13).

In Luke 23:43 Jesus tells the criminal being crucified, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise" (NASB). This implies that after dying the crucified criminal was taken that day to where Christ was and did not "sleep" awaiting the resurrection. Does this prove conclusively that when we die we are immediately with the Lord?

If after death we "sleep", our appearing before Christ will seem instant. But whatever our views may be, we know that after death we are forever secure: 

"Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 

"For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, 'Death IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord" (1st Corinthians 15:50-58, NASB).

"I will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:54, NASB).

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Edited December 3, 2020 by Speks