Death and Destination The statistics of death are

Death and Destination The statistics of death are staggering: 1 out of 1 people die It is inescapable

2 Co 5: 1 -4 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle/hut were dissolved/demolished, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2) For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: (3) If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. (4) For we that are in this tabernacle/hut do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

What Is Death? Secular view – The irreversible cessation of all of the following: (1) total cerebral function, usually assessed by EEG as flat-line (2) spontaneous function of the respiratory system, and (3) spontaneous function of the circulatory system. . . False Religious view – Death is an illusion - Christian Science – New Thought

What Is Death According to the Bible? In the bible there are three kinds of death: • Spiritual death – When sin entered the human race (Gen. 2: 17; Rom. 5: 12 -19 • Physical death – cessation of breath and the soul is separated from the body – (Job. 27: 3; Eccl. 12: 7) • The second death – Sinners cast into the “Lake of Fire” Rev. 20: 14

The Only Exception To Escape Physical Death In This Earth THE RAPTURE 1 Th 4: 16 -18 (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18) Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

What Happens To Me When I Die Non-Biblical Views • Cease to exist as a conscious entity and biologically degrade back to the earth • Spiritually absorbed into the universal all • Re-incarnate • Experience metaphysical continuance of consciousness regardless of beliefs

False biblical views: • • Soul sleep – Adventist groups Soul annihilation – Jehovah witnesses Everyone goes to heaven – Universalism Purgatory

Bible view • If one is a true Christian then that one immediately goes to heaven. II Cor. 5: 6 -8 • If one isn’t a Christian then that one will die in their sins and go to hell

The Four Hells of the KJV 1. Hell - Heb. Sheol – ps. 139: 8 - Place of all the dead in the earth righteous and unrighteous until the NT. 2. Hell – Gr. Hadace -Lk. 16: 23 - Acts 2: 27 – Greek equivalent to “sheol”. 3. Hell – Gehenna/Lake of fire - Mk. 9: 43 -47 4. Hell – Gr. Tartaroo - A place where some of the some fallen angels are chained - II Peter 2: 4

The Bottomless pit – Abyss – Gr. Abusos Where banished demons are sent – Luke 8: 26 -36 “And they begged Him repeatedly not to order them into the abyss. (KJV – deep – Gr. abussos) The beast ascends from it – Rev. 11: 7 Satan will be chained there - Rev. 20: 1 There is no description of the abyss in the bible

The Bible Cure For Death For Spiritual death Rom 5: 17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. ) For the second death Rev 2: 11 He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches; He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death. 1 Jn 5: 5 Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

For physical death – Resurrection Rev 20: 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, • The first resurrection is a “kind” of resurrection more so than a “time” of resurrection • There is a resurrection of the “righteous and the unrighteous” (Acts 24: 15) They are separated by 1, 000 years ( Rev. 20: 6, 7) • Within the first resurrection is the rapture of the dead in Christ ( I Thess. 4: 16, 17), later the resurrection of the millennial dead (Rev. 20: 4), and then the resurrection of the righteous OT saints (Is. 26: 19, 20; Dan. 12: 2 -3; 11 -13)

What should A Christian’s attitude of death be? • • To see death not as an end To see it as an enemy that will be destroyed An attitude of hope instead of paralyzing fear Death is merely a propulsion mechanism that jettisons us to our final destination