1 Thess. 4:13; 2 Cor 5:1-10, Death and Dying (2)

Paul has two goals in 1 Thess. 4:13-18.  One is to cure ignorance.  The other is to engender hope.  Let us consider today some of the ignorance with respect to death.  That is, these are ideas about death that do not fit Scripture, especially the three Biblical assumptions we noted at the end of yesterday’s post.  These are given without a lot of correction; they simply deny what we already have seen from the Bible.


1.  Annihilation (True naturalists). 

2.  Bright light ... death is rest, unlimited human potential.

i.       Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’s book, “Death: The Final Stage of Growth.”

ii.      p156: I have found that the actual content of a person’s faith is irrelevant to whether or not they move creatively (in facing death).

iii.     p156: Not committed in the sense that we become committed to a religious dogma or ritual. The commitment is an act or series of actions and is our opening up to the experiencing of who we really are in this new situation in life."  (Note: this is stupid in face of our 3 assumptions.)

iv.     p159: The answers I have given ... come out of my own life experience, my reflection and reading the reported experiences of others."

3.  Contemplation ... Plato, death is "where naked minds intellectually contemplate the eternal, unchanging ideas.

4.  Reincarnation ... denied by Heb. 9:27, where we are appointed once to die and after that the judgment.

5.  Spirit existence .. spirit beings that travel between heaven and earth.  There is no Scriptural support.


6.  Three heavens ... telestial (for unbelievers, blatant sinners), terrestrial (for good and honorable nonmormons), celestial (for baptized mormons, the faithful).  Paul’s third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) recognizes the heavens as the abode of the birds, the stars, and God.

7.  Purgatory, where we pay our part of the price for completion of atonement.  This is opposed to the once-for-all price Christ paid; plus Scripture does not mention it.

8.  Soul sleep

i.       Based in passages like this that refer to death as sleep.

ii.      But death and sleep are similar for believers in the sense of rest and peace.

iii.     "Sleep" is not meant to deny that they are dead (Dan 12:2).

iv.     The Bible is clear about consciousness immediately after death: Lk 16:19-31; 23:43; Phil 1:23; 2 Cor 5:6-9; Rev 6:9; 7:9; 20:4.

Let us not be ignorant.  Ignorance about death leads to hopelessness.  It is the truth that sets us free.  Let us be relentless in pursuing Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life.