Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH Hope in the HOUR OF DEATHhope for today Please click to watch the intro video for this section located at:

hope for today CONSIDER: When people die their spirit or their breath leaves the body. This state of death is the reverse of what God did in creating man. Genesis 2:7: “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” So, at creation life for man was a body plus the breath of God. Death then is a body minus the breath of God. SECTION 1 What really happens when a person dies? Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH

hope for today CONSIDER (continued): To understand life and death, consider the electric bulb. Without electricity in the bulb it is useless and ‘dead’, but when we flip the switch and electricity surges into the bulb it comes ‘alive.’ The breath of God, which is sometimes referred to as the spirit of God (not the same as the Holy Spirit), is the ‘electricity’ of life. When one dies that ‘electricity’ or spark of life leaves one’s body and returns to its source–– God Himself. Ecclesiastes 12:7. SECTION 1 What really happens when a person dies? Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH

SECTION 2 The State of the Dead hope for today KEY TEXT: Read John 11:11-14 FURTHER STUDY: Job 34:15; Psalms 104:29; Ecclesiastes 9:5 Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH

hope for today DISCUSS: What does the story of the death of Lazarus teach us about death in general? Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH SECTION 2 The State of the Dead The Raising of St. Lazarus, by GIOTTO di Bondone, Scenes from the Life of Christ

SECTION 3 Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Answer hope for today KEY TEXT: Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH

hope for today CONSIDER: By the time Jesus reached the home of Mary and Martha, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Some believe that on the third day after death the spirit or the soul leaves the body and starts living on its own. However, in raising Lazarus from the dead on the fourth day after death Jesus did not summon Lazarus’ spirit from somewhere in the universe. All He did was ‘ignite’ Lazarus’ body with the breath of life again. Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH SECTION 3 Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Answer

hope for today CONSIDER (continued): Jesus used the word “sleep” to describe death. “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep” John 11:11. This indicates that death is a form of unconsciousness. It is not a separation between a decaying body and a conscious disembodied soul. Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH SECTION 3 Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Answer DISCUSS: How did God provide an escape from death?

SECTION 4 The Resurrection hope for today KEY TEXT: John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth - - those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH FURTHER STUDY: 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Job 19:25-27; John 5:28- 29

hope for today CONSIDER: Jesus died on the cross for all human beings, and all who accept His death on their behalf and make Him lord of their lives will be brought back from the grave. He told His followers what to expect following death: “The time is coming when all the dead in the graves will hear the voice of God’s Son and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life.” John 5:28 DISCUSS: When will those who died in Jesus be resurrected? SECTION 4 The Resurrection Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH

INVITATION hope for today For the child of God, death is not the end. God has provided ample evidence that He can restore life to His children who have died. Don’t you want to face death with the knowledge that it is only a sleep and that you will rise on the day of the resurrection? Hope in the HOUR OF DEATH