Bible Study on Eschatology

Eschatology is a most fascinating subject because it treats
principally of our going home.
It in cludes the following subjects: Temporal Death and the
State of Death, the Second Advent of Christ, the Resurrection
of the Dead, the Judgment, the End of the World, Eternal
Damnation, and Eternal Life.

 

Scripture:           Discussion:

  John 17:11,14,             Christians are in the world, but not of the world
               16,18                          
1 Peter 2:11                 We are strangers and pilgrims  

Hebrews 13:14             The Christian theme song -"Heaven Is My Home"

1 Corinthians 1:7          We wait for the coming of Christ

  Titus 2:13                     The gaze of the Christian  is heavenward

  Numbers 11:15            Moses – over - burdened

Philippians 1:21-23       Paul - The desire to die

  Luke 2:25-35               Simeon - The readiness to die

  Job 10:1                       Job - The weariness of life  (Compare Job 7)

  1 Kings 19:4                 Elijah - The request to die

  Jonah 4:3                      Jonah - The request to die

  Job 1:20,21                  God is the Lord of life and death. While the
                                      Lord lets us live, we must be about "the Father's
                                      business." We must wait  for Him to call us home.
                                      It's not for us to decide the day of death. We use
                                      means to prolong life.

Exodus 21:22-24          Abortion (When is the soul present?)

Jeremiah 1:5                 (Abnormal children - Incest - Rape)

Luke 1:15,41,44          

Psalm 139:13,16

Acts 17:25

Galatians 1:15              

Suicide:

  Cases of suicide:

  Matthew 27:3-5           Judas

  1 Samuel 31:1-6           King Saul King Saul's armorbearer

  2 Samuel 17:23            Ahithophel

  1 Kings 16:18,19          Zimri

  Almost suicide:

Acts 16:25-34              Jailor at Philippi – What kept him from doing it?

Another case to consider:

  Judges 16:28-30           Samson

  Other points to consider:

  Luke 11:4                     The Sixth Petition -"Lead us not into temptation."

  James 1:13,14              God tempts no one to do evil

  1 Corinthians 10:13      God is faithful

  Hebrews 13:5               God does not forsake His own

  The word "DEATH" does not always have the same meaning

  Genesis 5:5ff                 Temporal death

  Romans 8:6                  Spiritual death

Ephesians 2:1

  John 8:51,52                Eternal death

John 11:25,26

  Genesis 2:17                 The previous three together

  Who is entitled to a Christian burial?

  Psalm 116:15               The death of saints

  1 Thessalonians            Don't be ignorant of what happens
             4:13,14          

  Numbers 20:29            Death of Aaron

  Deuteronomy 34:7,8     Death of Moses

  Matthew 14:12             Death of John the Baptizer

  Luke 9:59,60                Who should bury whom?

  Jeremiah 22:18,19        God's instructions concerning the burial of Jehoiakim

  Matthew 10:                 Some are not worthy of Him
       14,32-39                     

  Jeremiah 16:1-6            It would be a disgrace to officiate at some burials

Cremation

  Generally, how do we view cremation? The Bible does not have an express command forbidding it. But we ask the reason for wanting it. Atheists have often provided for the cremation of their bodies after death. Why? The Bible way of disposing of the bodies of those who died in the Lord is by burial.

  Genesis 23:19               Sarah buried

  Genesis 49:29               Jacob's instructions concerning his own burial

  Genesis 50:7                 Joseph buried his father

  Deuteronomy                God buried Moses
            34:5,6

  Matthew 27:59,60        The burial of Jesus

  Leviticus 20:14             The burning of bodies a disgraceful death

Leviticus 21:9

Genesis 38:24

  Psalm 79:1-4                It was considered a disgrace not to be buried

Jeremiah 16:1-6

  What is the purpose of a memorial? Not merely for sentimental reasons; not merely to perpetuate a name. It should be a gift of gratitude to God for blessings bestowed upon the departed. It is proper to remember the faith and Christian works of the departed. See Hebrews 11.

How should we view the use of flowers?

Which hymns, organists, soloists?

What about marking graves? Tombstones? Epitaphs?

  1 Kings 17:21               Death is the separation of body and soul. It is our exodus from this world.

Ecclesiastes 12:7                     

Matthew 27:50

Luke 12:20

John 19:30

Acts 7:59

  Other names for death:

  Job 3:17                       A release from pain

  2 Corinthians 5:4          The passage to a better life

Genesis 25:8,17            Being gathered to one's people

  2 Corinthians 5:1          A taking-down of the pilgrim's temporary tent

  1 Kings 2:10                 A sleeping with the fathers

  1 Thessalonians            A sleeping with Christ
       4:13-15

  Philippians 1:23            A departure

  Revelation 14:13           A rest

  Genesis 15:15               A going to one's fathers in peace

  Ecclesiastes 12:5          A going of man to his eternal home

  1 Kings 2:2                   A going the way of all the earth

  Matthew 24:13             The end

  Luke 2:29                     A departure in peace

  Job 18:14                     King of terrors

Romans 8:11                The body is mortal

  Matthew 10:28;            The soul is immortal
                22:32

  Genesis 2:17                 The cause of death is sin

Genesis 3:17ff

Romans 5:12

Romans 6:23

  Psalm 90:7,8                God is the cause of death inasmuch as He, as the righteous Judge, inflicts
                                     death on the sinner

  John 8:44                   The devil is a cause of death inasmuch as he seduced man to sin

  Romans 5:15                Adam is called the cause of death

  Disease, old age, fire, water, war,

accidents, etc., are intermediate causes

  2 Corinthians 5:21        Note: Christ's death was due to sin, not His own, for He was holy,

Romans 4:25                but “God made Him . . .”

Romans 5:12                Who must die?

1 Thessalonians            Who will die?
            4:15,17

1 Corinthians 15:51

  Matthew 24:42-51       Death ends the time of grace for every man

Hebrews 3:7-19

Psalm 90:12

  The Death Of The Believer And Unbeliever

Romans 5:12                For both it is the result of sin

Romans 6:23                A punishment for the unbeliever

Ezekiel 18:26

Philippians 1:21,23       Not a punishment for the believer

Luke 16:23                   For the unbeliever, the transition to eternal death

Romans 7:23,24           For the believer, deliverance from sinning and the transition to eternal life                                                 - Note: 2 Corinthians 5:8

  Revelation 14:13           For the believers it is a blessing - Note: For Believers Only!

1 Corinthians                For the believer death has lost its sting
       15:55-57                                 

  Unbelievers

  Luke 16:23                   In hell

  1 Peter 3:19,20            In prison

  Proverbs 11:7               No more hope

  Believers

  Luke 23:43                   Paradise

  Philippians 1:23,24       With Christ

  Acts 7:59                     With the Lord Jesus

  Luke 16:22                   Abraham's bosom

Scripture speaks of the state of death from two viewpoints

Hebrews 9:27               From God's viewpoint there is no prolonged state of death, no elapse
                                    of time, between death and Judgment. Compare Revelation 7 for a
                                    picture of the redeemed children of God

Ecclesiastes 12:7          From Man's viewpoint there is an interval of time between death and
                                    the Judgment

2 Corinthians 5:8                     

  We must realize that we are living in time and we have many limitations

  The Bible knows of only two places after death:  Heaven and Hell

  Matthew 7:13,14          A place of destruction   and life

Luke 16:22,23              The rich man and Lazarus

Matthew 25:46

Mark 16:16

Some False Teachings:

Purgatory

Some passages Rome uses: 2 Maccabees 12:46; Revelation 21:27;

 Job 19:21; Matthew 12:36; 1 Corinthians 3:15; 1 Peter 1:7

  Limbus patrum - The place of the fathers; Rome uses, for example,

 Ephesians 4:8; 1 Peter 3:18,19

  Limbus infantum - The place of the unbaptized infants

  Spiritism - See Luke 16:27-29; Isaiah 63:16; Deuteronomy 18:10,11;

 1 Samuel 28

  Chiliasm Millennium - Bible verses used to teach it are Isaiah 2:2-4; 11:6-9;

Zechariah 9:9,10; Joel 2:23ff; 3:18ff; Micah 4:1-4; Revelation 20

  The General Conversion of the Jews

John 14:3                     The Second Advent of Christ

Acts 1:9ff

Mark 13:26

1 Thessalonians 4:16

Luke 17:24

1 Thessalonians 5:2

Matthew 24:44

Matthew 24:30

Revelation 1:7

2 Peter 3:10

Luke 12:40

Mark 13:32

2 Peter 3:3,4

Luke 21:36

Matthew 24:3ff

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12

  1 Thessalonians            The Resurrection of the Dead
            4:16,17                                   

1 Corinthians 15:52 (1 Cor. 15)

John 5:28,29

Job 19:25-27

Matthew 22:31,32

2 Timothy 2:18,19

2 Corinthians 1:9,10

Romans 8:11

Acts 24:15