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Satan cannot hold the dead in his grasp when the Son of God bids
them live. He cannot hold in
spiritual death one soul who in faith receives Christ's word of
power. God is saying to all
who are dead in sin, “Awake you who sleep, and arise from the dead.”
In the new birth the heart is brought into harmony with God,
and there is a death to sin and self.
When this mighty change has
taken place in the sinner, he has passed from death to life, from
sin to holiness, from transgression and rebellion to obedience and
loyalty.
Those who will stand in this time of peril must
understand the testimony of the Bible concerning the spiritually
dead, the death to sin and self, and the physical death; each of
these build on another to explain the power of the cross to save us
from sin and deception. This
study will investigate the topic of death in the Bible.
1.
Who has died and lived to
tell about it?
Revelation 1:18
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2.
What two components make up
a living soul?
Genesis 2:7
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Note:
God formed man of the dust
(earth). Here we have two
elements: a clay body and God's breath of life.
Through the union of these,
man became a living soul. It's
important to note that man was not given a "soul" as something
separate from the body, but became a soul through the union of body
and God's breath.
Body + Breath = Soul. Body - Breath = Death.
3.
What did God say would happen when Adam and Eve ate from the
tree? What was Satan’s
lie to them?
Genesis
2:16-17; and Genesis 3:4-7
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Note:
By nature we are alienated
from God. The Bible
describes our condition in such words as these:
“Dead in trespasses and
sins.” We are held fast
in the snare of Satan; “taken captive by him at his will.”
God desires to heal us, to
set us free. But since
this requires an entire transformation, a renewing of our whole
nature, we must yield ourselves completely to Him.
4.
What are the wages of sin?
Romans 6:23
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Note:
Very simple, the wages or
payment for sin is eternal death.
But notice that is not where the verse stops it says that
eternal life is the gift of God which comes to us through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
5.
What has Christ turned death
into?
John 11:11-14
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Note:
"Then His disciples said,
‘Lord, if he sleeps, he will be well.’
Although Jesus spoke of his
death: but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in
sleep." Christ represents
death as a sleep to His believing children.
Their life is hid with
Christ in God, and until the last trump shall sound those who die
will sleep in Him.
6. What happens at the
physical death?
Job 34:14-15
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Note:
The Spirit or breath returns
to God at death. “It is the
Spirit who gives life.” The
Spirit and breath in the Bible are interchangeable; the spirit gives
life to the mortal body and to the body that is dead because of sin.
“The Spirit is life because
of righteousness.” See
also Psalms 104:29-30.
7.
What happens to our thoughts
when we die?
Psalms 146:4
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Note:
When the old man of sin is
crucified in that very day his thoughts perish; and it is also for
the physical death.
8. What do the dead know?
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10
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Note:
“The dead know nothing."
This Scripture will keep us
from that old life of sin and will guard us from the deceptions of
Satan in manifesting himself as dead loved ones.
When the temptation comes to
lead us from the cross we must respond with “the dead know nothing”
and if a dead loved one is manifested we respond the same, “the dead
know nothing.”
9.
What two things become
impossible in death?
Psalms 6:5
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Note:
In death there is no memory
of God and there is no one in the grave who will give God thanks.
10.
Can the dead praise the Lord?
Psalms 115:17
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Note:
Spiritualists say the dead
know everything that is done under the sun; that they communicate to
their friends on earth, give valuable information, and perform
wonders. The Bible speaks to
this in clear tones “the dead do not praise the Lord nor any who go
down into silence.”
11. How long do we wait
in the grave?
Job 14:10-14
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Note: Notice what the
Scripture says; we wait in the grave until our change comes.
12.
When does our change come?
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
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Note: The second coming
of Jesus is the great hope of every believer, for this is where the
change from mortal to immortal comes and from corruption to
incorruption.
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