Read Philippians 1:21-24 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. When did Paul expect to be “with Christ” (Philippians 1:23) and “with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)?

Paul was driven with the passion to live “in Christ” now (2 Corinthians 5:17) and “with Christ” after His second coming (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17). For the apostle, not even death could break the assurance of belonging to his Savior and Lord. As he said in the epistle to the Romans, “neither death nor life” can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, , NKJV). “For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8, NKJV).

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With this certainty in mind, Paul spoke of the believers who already had died as “those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, NKJV) and who will be raised at Christ’s second coming to receive eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:16-18, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

When Paul mentioned his “desire to depart and be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23, NKJV), did he imply that after death his soul would depart to live consciously with Christ? Not at all. In this text, “Paul verbalizes his desire to leave this present troubled existence and be with Christ, without reference to any lapse of time that may occur between the two events. This verse does not teach that Paul expected to go to heaven at death. He was very clear that he would not receive his reward until the Second Coming (2 Timothy 4:8).” — Andrews Study Bible, p. 1555, note on Philippians 1:23.

In short, Paul “is saying that the next thing he would know after departing (death) would be Christ coming in the clouds of heaven to raise the dead, when he would ‘be with the Lord’ (1 Thessalonians 4:17). It should also be noted that the Bible writers at times refer to two events together that may be separated by a long period of time.” — Andrews Study Bible, p. 1555, note on Philippians 1:23.

But why would Paul prefer to die than to live? Because then he could finally rest from all his troubles, without needing any longer to suffer pain in his body. And he would do so with the full certainty that he would receive “the crown of righteousness” at the Second Coming (2 Timothy 4:6-8, NKJV). Though Paul certainly didn’t want to die, he knew what would follow when he did.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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The theme hymn for this quarter’s studies “On Death, Dying and the FUTURE HOPE” is 
Hymn 214 – We Have This Hope.

The studies we have completed so far are reverberating in 
Hymn 203 – This Is The Threefold Truth and will do through to the end of this quarter.

To answer all our questions, the Bible is our best inspiration: 
Hymn 272 – Give Me The Bible. It is in this treasured book that we have the 
Blessed Assurance – Hymn 462 that 
Christ Is Coming – Hymn 201 as is stated on Tuesday.  

Wednesday closed with “be faithful”:
 Hymn 602 – O Brother, Be Faithful.

We may sing in Hymn 582, Hymn 336 and Hymn 511 that we are unworthy, sinful, weak, but it is because of our Gracious God we can be “counted worthy to suffer for Christ” (Friday). All this is due to Jesus in my place: 
Worthy, Worthy Is The Lamb – Hymn 246.

Today we look forward to Jesus coming again. Oh, what a day that will be 
When We All Get To Heaven – Hymn 633 because 
That Glorious Day Is Coming – Hymn 209.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Key Thought: We need to look at some passages that some people us to justify the natural immortality of the soul. These reflections should strengthen our own convictions and help us to answer those who question this important teaching.
November 26, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read Luke 16:19-31.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. Why is this story not a literal description of life after death?
3. Personal Application: Why did Jesus use a prevailing misconception of hell in His parable to the Pharisees? Share your thoughts..
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Jesus said the rich man was in a place of torment and Lazarus was in the bosom of Abraham. That tells us Jesus believed there was a heaven and hell.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Luke 23:43.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How should Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross be understood when compared to other Scriptures?
3. Personal Application: Why do people misread and misunderstand the Scriptures so often? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Jesus told the thief he would be with Him in heaven that day. So why don’t you believe the thief and Jesus didn’t go to heaven that day, like Jesus promised?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read I Peter 3:13-20..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How did God preach to those in the prison house of sin before the flood in the times of Noah? What effect did that preaching have?
3. Personal Application: What similar preaching are we giving today that seems just as unlikely as a world-wide flood in Noah’s day? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “Jesus went ot hell and preached to those who were lost. That’s obvious. What I don’t understand is, if they are already lost, why did Jesus preach to them? Do they get a second chance or was He just explaining to them why they were lost?.” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Revelation 6:9-11.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How could the souls of the martyrs cry out from under the altar?
3. Personal Application: Have you seen injustice that has not been rectified, dealt with, or remedied? What is the difference in the response of the faithful, and those who want justice now?? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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One of the Bible passages most widely used to try to prove the immortality of the soul is Luke 23:43 — “He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (NRSV). Almost all Bible versions (with few exceptions) translate this text in a similar way, giving the impression that on the very day Christ died, Christ and the thief would be together in Paradise. This should not surprise us because those translations were made by biblical scholars who believe in the dogma of the natural immortality of the soul. But is this the best translation of the text?

Compare Luke 23:43 with John 20:17 and John 14:1-3. How should the promise to the repentant thief on the cross be understood in light of Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene and His promise to His disciples?

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The assumption that Christ and the thief went on that same day to Paradise (or heaven) contradicts Jesus’ words to Mary Magdalene after His resurrection, which affirm that He had not yet gone to the presence of His Father in heaven (John 20:17). This error, that both Jesus and the repentant thief went to heaven that day, also contradicts Jesus’ promise to His disciples that they would be taken to heaven only at His second coming (John 14:1-3).

The issue in Luke 23:43 is whether the adverb “today” (Greek s&emacr;meron) should be linked to the verb that follows it (“to be”) or to the verb that precedes it (“to tell”). Wilson Paroschi recognizes that “from the grammatical standpoint” it is virtually impossible to determine the correct alternative. “Luke, however, has a definite tendency of using this adverb with the preceding verb. This happens in 14 of the 20 occurrences of s&emacr;meron in Luke and Acts.” — Wilson Paroschi, “The Significance of a Comma: An Analysis of Luke 23:43,” in Ministry, June 2013, p. 7.

So, the most natural reading of Luke 23:43 would be “Truly I tell you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” In this case, the idiomatic expression “I tell you today” emphasizes the relevance and solemnity of the statement “you will be with Me in Paradise.” In short, Jesus was promising him, right then and there, that he would be saved.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Read Luke 16:19-31. Why is this story not a literal description of the afterlife?

Some scholars suggest that Luke 16:19-31 should be interpreted literally, that is, as describing the state of the dead. But this view would lead to several unbiblical conclusions and would contradict many of the passages that we have already looked at.

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First, we would have to admit that heaven and hell are close enough to allow a conversation between the dwellers of both places (Luke 16:23-31). We would also have to suppose that, in the afterlife, while the body lies in the grave, there remains a conscious form of the spiritual soul with “eyes,” a “finger,” a “tongue,” and which even feels thirst (Luke 16:23-24).

If this passage were a description of the human state in death, then heaven would certainly not be a place of joy and happiness because the saved could closely follow the endless sufferings of their lost loved ones, and even dialogue with them (Luke 16:23-31). How could a mother be happy in heaven while beholding the incessant agonies of her beloved child in hell? In such a context, it would be virtually impossible for God’s promise of no more sorrow, crying, and pain to be fulfilled (Revelation 21:4).

Due to such incoherencies, many modern biblical scholars regard the story of the rich man and Lazarus as a parable from which not every detail can be interpreted literally. George E. Ladd, though a non-Adventist, certainly sounds like one here when he says that this story was probably “a parable which made use of current Jewish thinking and is not intended to teach anything about the state of the dead.” — G. E. L[add], “Eschatology,” in The New Bible Dictionary, edited by J. D. Douglas (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1962), p. 388.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus presents a sharp contrast between a well-dressed “rich man” and “a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores” (Luke 16:19-20, , NKJV). The account teaches that 1. status and social recognition in the present are not the criteria for the future reward, and 2. the eternal destiny of each person is decided in this life and cannot be reversed in the afterlife (Luke 16:25-26).

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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