Growing In Knowledge of Man’s Destiny Questions About Life Beyond the Grave

Growing In Knowledge of Man’s Destiny Questions About Life Beyond the Grave November 3 What Happens To A Person When He Dies? Luke 16:19-31 November 10 What Should I Know About Judgment Day and Hell? Revelation 20:7-15 November 17 Is Heaven A Real Place? John 14:1-6 November 24 Is There Really A Coming Resurrection? 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

What Happens to a Person When He Dies? Luke 16:19-31

All Saints Day

Traditions and Beliefs of Filipinos 1. November 1, All Saints Day. People should visit their departed loved ones, or else, their departed ones will visit them It is a way of being “one with the saints”

Traditions and Beliefs of Filipinos 2. Bringing of the departed’s favorite food. This would make the departed “feel” loved and that they will never be forgotten.

Traditions and Beliefs of Filipinos 3. Praying for nine days to help souls in purgatory. the first destination of the dead is purgatory to help them on their journey to heaven, they need the prayers of living family and friends

Traditions and Beliefs of Filipinos 4. The spirit of the departed person lingers for 40 days and after that ascends to heaven. After attending a funeral service, guests should not go home right away so that the spirit of the dead would not follow them to their house

As Christians whose authority is the Bible, what do we believe regarding death and the after life?

Source: Bible Knowledge Commentary Luke 16:19-31 Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man who had been rejected by Israel. Luke 16:19-31, which is about The Rich Man and Lazarus, is included in the section “The Journey of Jesus toward Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51-19:27) The passage on The Rich Man and Lazarus is part of Jesus’ teaching of His followers in view of the rejection (Luke 12:1-19:27). Source: Bible Knowledge Commentary

Luke 16:19-31 Among those who rejected Jesus were the Jewish leaders. Apparently, the passage is a rebuke to the Pharisees who loved money and who were trying to justify themselves by their works (Lk. 16:14-15) instead of repenting and having faith in Jesus.

Some Questions Is Luke 16:19-31 a parable or a historical event? Whether it is a parable or a historical event is not the main point of Jesus. He was teaching the importance of listening to the Word and believing unto salvation.

Some Questions Does Luke 16:19-31 show that being rich or poor is the measure of being righteous? Righteousness is by faith (Rom. 4:24)

Some Questions Does Luke 16:19-31 support the view regarding purgatory? The teaching regarding purgatory goes against the teaching of Scripture (Heb. 9:27)

What happens to a person when he dies? Where does he go at death?

Our destination in eternity is determined on earth with certainty. Lesson Our destination in eternity is determined on earth with certainty.

1. While we are in the world, our circumstances would be different and unique (vv. 19-21) Some would live in affluent circumstances (vv. 19,20a, 21b) Some would live in adverse circumstances (vv. 20-21) And there are circumstances in between. All of these are temporary.

Death, the Great Equalizer “Maybe death is the great equalizer, the one big thing that can finally make strangers shed a tear for one another” ― Morrie Schwartz

Death, the Great Equalizer “In the democracy of the dead all men at last are equal. There is neither rank nor station nor prerogative in the republic of the grave.” --John James Ingalls

Death, the Great Equalizer “Death solves all problems – no man, no problem.” -Joseph Stalin

OUR BODIES’ DESTINATION IS THE GRAVE

2. When we die, our conscious spirit will depart to its destination (vv. 22-26)

2. When we die, our conscious spirit will depart to its destination (vv. 22-26) Some will go to a place of comfort, v.22a (heaven)

Regarding the place of comfort- Why it is most likely heaven Jesus Himself taught about heaven and hell and in no other place does He teach about an “intermediate place” where believers will go. He told the thief on the cross that he will go to paradise (Luke 23:43). Abraham and the other Old Testament saints were looking forward to a heavenly place (Hebrews 11:13-16). Elijah was taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2:1-15) and even Enoch (Gen. 5:24; Heb. 11:5).

Regarding the place of comfort- Why it is most likely heaven The Old Testament saints would also be resurrected and together with the New Testament saints be made perfect (Heb. 11:35; 39-40). Heaven is where the angels come from (Lk. 2:15) Heaven is a place of comfort (Rev. 21:4) To say that there is an intermediate place before a believer goes to heaven is supporting the idea of purgatory which is not in Scripture (Heb. 9:27).

Regarding Purgatory The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, undergo purification so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven, a final purification to which it gives the name “purgatory.” The prayers of the living would help reduce the stay of the departed in purgatory.

Christ’s sacrifice- once for all Hebrews 9:28; 10:10 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. “…we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

2. When we die, our conscious spirit will depart to its destination (vv. 22-26) b. Some will go to a place of torment, v.23 (Hades)

Regarding Hades In verse 23, the word hell is footnoted as Hades in the NIV. Hades in Luke 16:23 is not the two-compartment place (place of comfort and place of torment separated by a chasm) that many Christians believe in. Hades is where the spirits of unbelievers will go. This is not the permanent state for unbelievers (Rev. 20:14-15). They too will be resurrected but there will be no change in their destiny. The words “thrown into” are used in in Revelation 20:14-15 together with the “lake of fire.” In Jesus’ teachings, He used the phrase “thrown into hell” often. It would be safe to say that the lake of fire and hell are the same.

2. When we die, our conscious spirit will depart to its destination (vv. 22-26) c. This is a temporary state (our spirits without bodies) until Judgment Day/Resurrection. -Believers will be resurrected and have glorified bodies. Unbelievers will also be resurrected and probably will have physical bodies (John 5:25-28) and they will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15)

3. Where we go when we die, our certain response to God’s Word in this world would be the determining factor (vv. 27-31) Those who go to the place of comfort (heaven), their response is receiving the Word Those who go to the place of torment (Hades), their response is rejecting the Word Therefore, to receive God’s Word would be the better response (Luke 9:26)

Luke 9:26 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

What Now? Put your faith in Jesus Christ NOW. Share the gospel NOW. Pray for unsaved people NOW.

What is stopping some from putting their faith in Jesus? The belief that sins cannot be fully forgiven. The notion that following the law or doing good works to justify themselves (made right, acquitted) before God.

The Pope’s Twitter and Partial Indulgence A Catholic seeking an indulgence for participating in Rio — either physically or virtually— must truly be contrite and have a moment of deepening faith. The criteria are tough: Catholics in Rio must go to confession, receive Communion, pray and "be truly contrite." According to church teaching, Catholics who confess their sins are forgiven and therefore released from the eternal or spiritual punishment of damnation. An indulgence is designed to remove the "temporal" punishment of sin that may remain — the consequence of the wrongdoing that might have disrupted the sinner's relationships with others.

Only Christ could secure the forgiveness of ALL our sins 1 John 1:7, 9 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Only Christ could secure the forgiveness of ALL our sins Romans 4:5-8 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. 6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those     whose transgressions are forgiven,     whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the one     whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Only God could justify us through Jesus Christ Romans 4:24-25 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

1. Put your faith in Jesus NOW. John 3:16-18 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

1. Put your faith in Jesus NOW. Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

2. Share the Gospel NOW It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16) Romans 1:16 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.

3. Pray for unsaved people NOW When they die, their destiny is sealed (Hebrews 9:27) Hebrews 9:27 27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment

Our destination in eternity is determined on earth with certainty. Lesson Our destination in eternity is determined on earth with certainty.