Unlocking Death's Secrets

Mark Finley: The dusty tombs of Egypt are revealing their secrets. As archaeologists study them, they're discovering more and more about the beliefs, customs, and practices of the ancient Egyptians.
Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message, Unlocking Death's Secrets. Enjoy, and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com and stay with us for a free Bible study offer later in this program. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: What's most amazing is to find out how many of these beliefs influence our understanding of life and death today. Some of these beliefs affect the thinking of millions of people without their ever knowing it. The mysteries of the ancient pyramids speak with penetrating insight to a 21st century generation searching for answers on the meaning of life and death. One of the first things that stand out is that the Egyptians had an interest bordering on obsession in the subject of death and immortality. This is why they built the pyramids and why they perfected the art of preserving their bodies in the form of mummies. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote, the Egyptians were the first who maintained that the human soul is immortal and that at death of the body, it enters into some other living thing. Then coming to birth and after passing through all creatures of land, sea, and air, it enters once more into a human body at birth, a cycle that it completes in 3,000 years. Herodotus believed that the Egyptians invented the idea of the immortal soul and that the Greeks took it over from them. The actual origin of this idea is shrouded in mystery, but it's clear that the Egyptians developed it into an elaborate belief system and centered their lives about it. The Greeks too believed in soul immortality, and through them the idea has flowed down through the centuries and it's become incorporated into the popular culture of our time. I went to a funeral once and heard the pastor read beautiful passages from the Bible about the resurrection. He said when Jesus returns, we'll see little Johnny again. Then his loving parents can hold him in their arms once more. My heart rejoiced as I thought of that wonderful day. Then to my great surprise, I heard the pastor say little Johnny's soul is up in heaven and it's looking down at us right now. And I thought, why wait a minute here? If Johnny's soul is already in heaven, why is Jesus going to resurrect him in the future and take him up there all over again? That doesn't make sense, does it? Sadly, I've discovered that not only this good pastor was confused, this same contradiction and confusion exists in the minds of millions today. Ideas that were popular in ancient Egypt and Greece were alive and well then, but they're alive and well in our day and people have assimilated them without ever asking if they're in agreement with what the scriptures teach on the subject. The foundation, the key to understanding what the Bible teaches about the death and future life is found at the very beginning in the book of Genesis. The book of beginnings helps us to understand life's endings. The story of creation explains the mystery of both life and death. In Genesis 2 verse 7, the Bible says, and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. That means he took the basic elements of earth, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, etc. And he shaped and organized them in the form of a human body. When he had finished, everything was perfect in order and design, magnificent as only God could make it, but it was still nothing more than dust. It was what happened next that made all the difference. In the following line, our text says that God breathed into this dust the breath of life and man became a living soul. The dust is the physical part that decomposes returning to its disorganized condition. It turns back to dust. The spirit is the breath of life, the spark that God placed in the inert dust when he created the first living soul. This also returns to where it came from. It goes back to God who gave it. Now, some people influenced by the Greek pagan thought understand that this spirit to be a conscious entity, kind of a immortal soul. They believe that a soul goes off to live in heaven without a body. But notice the Bible doesn't say the soul goes back to God. It says the spirit. This idea of the soul going back is not based on the context of the verse nor on what the Bible teaches about the nature of human beings. The spirit is the breath of life. It's the spark that God placed in Adam at creation which made him a living soul. The key to understanding this correctly is to ask, where was the spirit before God gave it to Adam? It was not a person, not a self-conscious entity moving around in some ethereal place. It was life. The life God had in himself that he gave to Adam and that Adam passed on to every one of his descendants. Notice how clear this is in Job 27 verse 3. It says, all the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God is in my nostrils. What does that mean? This is parallelism. Breath and spirit are the same. The spirit is the breath of life that remains in us as long as our organism is functioning. Two friends were walking in a poor part of the city where it was common to see drunk men asleep on the sidewalk. They had just passed one particularly disheveled individual when then something made one of them stop and go back for a closer look. Shocked, this man said, he's dead. What makes you think that? His friend asked. He's not breathing. That would be a pretty good clue, wouldn't it? A light bulb is made of glass and metal. With these elements, it's a bulb, but if but it's still not a light. To become a light, electrical energy from the power plant has to run through the wires and make them glow. Electricity by itself is not a light. The metal and the glass alone are not a light. Only when both are present, we could call it a light. Now, what happens to the light when we shut off the electricity? Where does it go? You're probably thinking that's a foolish question. It doesn't go any place. It doesn't go under the table. It doesn't hide in the closet waiting for the current to flow again. This is the same as asking when the person where does the person go when the breath, the spark of life leaves the body? As long as the spirit or breath of life is there, the person's alive. When the spirit leaves the body, the body will return to dust, the psalmist wrote. His breath goes forth. Psalm 146 verse 4. He returns to his earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish. So, let's look at this. The body plus the breath equals a living soul. Another term for a living soul is living being. So, the body plus the breath equals a living being. When a person dies, what happens? The body goes to the earth to decompose. The breath or spirit that is the life force goes back to God. That's not something conscious or thinking or feeling just like when you have that illustration that we gave you of the light bulb, you have electricity going into the bulb. That creates illumination. When you throw the switch, the electricity no longer comes into the bulb and so there is no illumination. There is no in the illustration no light or breath representing the electricity going into the body creates life. When the person dies, the life force going back to God, there is no life. That's why the Bible says his breath goes forth. He returns to the earth and that very day. What happens to his thoughts? Psalm 146 for his thoughts perish. So, there's no conscious existence. In scripture, death is compared to a sleep. The Bible writers compared death to that sleep over 53 times. It's a beautiful, peaceful rest. For those who by faith have accepted Christ's death in the place of their own eternal death, they are as secure as if they were resting for a while in the arms of Jesus. The next thing they'll hear after that rest of death, that sleep of death will be his voice calling them home. The next thing they'll see when they wake up will be his face. One night, many years ago, my wife and I were holding a Bible lecture series in a small town in New England. Our son Mark Jr. was little then. He's grown now to wonderful young man and my wife was holding him in her arms while I preached. He fell asleep and after the meeting, we carried him to the car and started home. It had been snowing. The roads were icy. Just as we got on the main highway, a used semi truck came around past us swerving to avoid that truck who went spinning around and skidding through the snow. Of course, I was frightened and nervous about getting home safely on that snowy night. Now, what do you think little Mark was doing all the time? Was he frightened and nervous about getting home? Did he have any idea what was going on? Was he checking the weather conditions up ahead and giving me instructions on the road conditions? Certainly not. He was secure, a warm little child sleeping in his mother's arms. When we got home that snowy night many years ago, we carried the boy into the house and laid him in his bed where he slept peacefully the rest of the night. The next morning, I quietly went into his room. Notice he was awake playing in his crib. Did he have any idea of our long, difficult journey on icy roads? For all he knew when he woke up, Daddy was still preaching. It was clear that Mark Jr. had no sense of the passage of time. He hadn't felt the cold of the night. He had not seen the icy roads and watched the snow falling. He had no idea how concerned I was about getting the family home safely wrapped in the profound slumber of childhood. All he knew was that when he fell asleep, Daddy was preaching. When he woke up, he was at home in the same way. When people die, when they they go to sleep in Jesus, their thoughts perish. There is no conscious existence there. The Bible says, for the living know that they will die, but the dead know not anything. Ecclesiastes 9 verse 5 and 6. How much did the dead know? The Bible says the living know that they die, but the dead don't know what? Anything. Throughout the Bible, we we refine death referred to as a sleep. Here are some examples. Psalm 13 verse 3. Consider and hear me, oh Lord my God, enlighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death. Look at Psalm 17 15 verse 15. As for me, David says, I will be vindicated and will see your face when I wake. I'll be satisfied with your likeness. Jesus taught that death was a sleep. When Jesus' friend Lazarus died, Jesus said to his disciples, our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I go that I may wake him up. John 11 verse 11. The disciples thinking in literal terms said, Lord, if he sleeps, he is going to be doing well. However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that he was speaking about taking a rest and sleep.
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Mark Finley: Then Jesus said plainly, Lazarus is dead. John 11 verse 14. Jesus then went to Bethany and found Lazarus' sister Martha weeping bitterly and he said to her, your brother will rise again. John 11 verse 23. Notice he didn't say your brother's in heaven. And Martha didn't reply, yes, Lord, I know he's really up there watching us right now. She said, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection in the last day. Look, Martha who learned her religion directly from Jesus did not believe that her brother Lazarus was in heaven. She believed that he would rise again in the last day at the resurrection. She learned her religion directly from Jesus and it was clear to her that her brother Lazarus would be resurrected from the dead at the last day. Jesus told her, I'm the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. John 11 verse 25. He was saying, Martha, the one who is going to raise the dead is here right now. And as a testimony that I can raise the dead, as a testimony that millions will be raised when I come again, as a testimony that I have power of the grave, I will raise Lazarus from the dead here and now. The resurrection of Lazarus is an evidence and an encouragement for us as well. Jesus goes to the grave of Lazarus and Jesus says, Lazarus, come forth. Jesus did not say Lazarus come down. Lazarus was sleeping and Jesus called him forth out of the grave. You can read about that in John 11. Read the whole chapter there. John 11 verse 43 is what I've just quoted. Let's suppose though that Lazarus were up in heaven as some people think and Jesus actually called him down from heaven to return to this earth with his heartache, sickness, and suffering. Would that not have been a cruel, thoughtless, unkind thing to do? If an individual is in heaven enjoying the bliss of eternity, it certainly would be cruel to call him back to earth. This is why the Bible declares so plainly, the dead do not praise the Lord. Now, listen carefully. Psalm 115 verse 17. The dead This is the word These are the words of the Lord, the words of God through the psalmist David. The dead do not praise the Lord nor any that go down into silence. God knows what's best. Death is an unconscious sleep until resurrection morning. Our loved ones do not know the heartaches those still alive are going through. They cannot see our trials and difficulties, our sorrows, suffering, our pain and disease. They are sleeping, resting until the final day when our Lord returns. What could be better news could we have than that? Death is not the end. Jesus has triumphed over the principalities in the powers of hell. Death has lost its sting. The grave can no longer hold its victims. Jesus raised Lazarus and he can raise your husband, your wife. He can raise that baby that you long to hold in your arms again. He can bring to life your son or daughter. What about the idea of immortality? Someone who reads this might be thinking, but what about all those Bible texts that talk about the immortal soul? The simple fact is those texts do not exist. The word soul and similar words appear hundreds of times. Somebody counted 1600 times in scripture and never once does it talk about an immortal soul. The apostle Paul says that we seek immortality. If we're seeking it, that means we do not have it. He also says that one day by the grace of God, we will receive immortality. Romans 2 verse 7 and 8. That 'll happen at the resurrection at the time when Jesus returns. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 51 to 54. This mortal shall put on immortality. So, yes, by the grace of God, immortality is part of our future, but it's not something we already possess. Mortal of course means subject to death. Every time the word mortal appears in the Bible, it refers to human beings. For example, Job chapter 4 verse 17. Shall mortal man, that is those subject to death, disease be more just than his maker? We are mortal, subject to disease and death. The apostle Paul states, we seek for immortality. This is in contrast to God who is described in 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 15 and 16 as the blessed and only potentate, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who alone has immortality. That's clear, isn't it? God the Father has immortality. God the Son has immortality. God the Holy Spirit has immortality. But the Bible says God alone has immortality. That means we do not have immortality now. If I'm the only one that has my wallet, you sure don't have it. We will receive immortality at the coming of Jesus. The apostle Paul declares, behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 51 and 52. We shall not all sleep. See, death is but asleep. We shall all be changed in a moment, when in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible. We shall be changed, for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So, we put on immortality. We receive immortality when Jesus comes again. The Bible is clear. In our present state, we are mortal beings subject to disease and death. We seek for immortality and receive it as the apostle Paul says at the second coming of the return of our Lord. Where did the idea of immortality come from? Where did this idea of the immortal soul come from? We've already seen how that pagan day of sun worship came from Babylonian sun worship in the same way the Egyptian Greek idea of an immortal soul slipped into the Christian church when paganism and Christianity shook hands in the early centuries. Strabo was a Greek geographer who lived in Rome and died there in the year 24 AD. He writes about people who invent fables after the manner of Plato about the immortality of the soul and other things of this kind. Justin Martyr was one of the early church writers. He was born in the year 100 AD, very close to the time when the last of the living apostles John died. He saw that the idea of the soul immortality was already starting to creep into the church and he wrote, if you have fallen in with some who are called Christians, but who do not admit the truth of the resurrection and venture to blaspheme the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob who say there is no resurrection of the dead and that their souls when they die are taken to heaven, do not imagine they're Christians. You find that in one of these writings called the Ante-Nicene Fathers volume 1 page 239 in the last days of human history. The devil will use spiritualism to deceive millions and millions of people. The idea of the immortal soul is preparing the world for Satan's final deception. Jesus admonishes us, let no man deceive you. Spiritualism is going to be rampant in end time. And when we see the demons of spirits impersonating dead loved ones, you say can that happen? Well, look. The Bible says in Revelation 16 verse 18 and 19 that these demons or lying spirits will lead the whole world into a final war called Armageddon. The reason why an understanding of the state of the dead is so critical is because the devil will masquerade as our dead loved ones and appear in the form as beings of dazzling brightness and they'll be full of lies distorting the truth of God's word. Understanding the truth about death is our safeguarding against the deceptions of the devil. The Bible is clear in Job 7 verse 9 and 10 it says, as the cloud disappears and vanishes away, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up. He'll never return to his house and his place shall never know him anymore. See, many people are taken away by spiritualism. They have the idea of the immortal soul. A loved one dies. Then at some night, maybe the rain is pounding down, the sun is thunder's crashing, lightning's flashing and they can see an appearance of a husband or wife and they are enamored with that. The devil is going to use those kinds of things to deceive people in the last days. But somebody's thinking, what about the thief on the cross? The one who accepted Jesus just before he died, didn't Jesus say to him, today you'll be with me in paradise? Remember that thief is hanging there. You can read the story in Luke 23 verse 43. And the thief says, Lord, remember me when you come into his kingdom. When you come into your kingdom, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And what did Jesus answer? It depends on where you put the comma. Here are two ways. Assuredly I say to you, today you'll be with me in paradise or this way it seems that Jesus was assuring the man that he would be in paradise that very day. If so, Jesus' reply would contradict everything else the Bible says about the subject. 53 times the Bible says death is but asleep. The Bible says the dead praise not the Lord nor any that go down into silence. The Bible says the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything. The Bible uses the term soul probably around 1600 times, never once immortal soul. But notice, what if you put the comma after the word today? Assuredly I say to you today, you will be with me. That is future in paradise. In other words, today, this day while I'm hanging on the cross, this day with nails through my hands I'm making a statement to you, you will be with me in paradise. The original text of the Bible did not have commas or periods or any other kind of punctuation. They were added during the Middle Ages. We need to punctuate the sentence in harmony with the other Bible verses on the subject. In fact, Jesus didn't go to heaven that day. Do you recall the story of the resurrection? Resurrection mourn and a saddened Mary meeting the Lord in the garden in that early morning hour thinking that Jesus was the gardener. She asked about where the body of Christ was taken. When Jesus spoke her name, she immediately recognized it was her Lord. She rushed to embrace him. And as she rushed to embrace him, Jesus simply replied, do not cling to me for I've not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my Father and say to them, I'm ascending to my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God. John 20 verse 17. Jesus' words are too plain to be misunderstood. If he had not ascended to heaven by Sunday, how could he have possibly assured the thief that they would be there together on Friday? Christ's statement to the thief was his declaration that because of his death on the cross, all accept him by faith could be with him in paradise that day. And that wonderful promise is for us. Because of Jesus' death on the cross, we can have eternal life. Because of his death on the cross, our sins can be forgiven. Because of what he did, we can say with the apostle Paul, oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory? But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 57. Through Jesus, there's victory over death. Victory in Jesus over the grave. His tomb is empty and our tomb can be empty when Jesus comes. The same Jesus that ascended will descend. The same Christ that went up is going to return and he will take us home to live with him forever and ever and ever.
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Mark Finley: Friend of mine, do not be deceived by the false teachings that are going around about death. God's plan is so much better. When we die, we rest. We sleep until Jesus comes again. There's not some soul in heaven looking down at all the heartache, the sorrow, the disappointment in this world. Jesus says to us, you can be assured that by my grace and through my power you one day will live with me forever. Jesus conquered the tomb. The grave could not hold him. Death is not a long night without a morning. The grave is not a tomb without a tunnel out the other end. Jesus Christ is coming again. We can put our lives in his hands and know that he has conquered death. Would you like to do that right now and put your life in his hands? Why not make that decision right now?