Beliefs about the Afterlife (xxiii)

"Yet at the scent of water it will bud 

And bring forth branches like a plant"

In this chapter we will consider a few additional texts from the old testament about the afterlife. After that, we will address some other questions about the afterlife, such as about degrees of rewards and punishments in the afterlife, about the justice of eternal punishment, etc., and then we will conclude this series on the afterlife by speaking of the hope and expectation of Christians versus those who are not Christian, and also discuss what it will be like to live forever without fear of dying and without any moral or spiritual faults, without sin. 

In previous chapters we have referred to a text from the Book of Job in regard to the afterlife. In this chapter we want to take a closer look at one of the chief passages on that subject from that inspired book. 

Job's Testimony

“For there is hope for a tree, If it is cut down, that it will sprout again, And that its tender shoots will not cease. Though its root may grow old in the earth, And its stump may die in the ground, Yet at the scent of water it will bud And bring forth branches like a plant. But man dies and is laid away; Indeed he breathes his last And where is he? As water disappears from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dries up, So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep. “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave (sheol), That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands." (Job 14: 7-15 nkjv)

These words seem, at the outset, to deny life after death, or a future resurrection of the body. It seems that Job moans over the fact that man is worse off than a dead stump, for a dead stump may yet sprout new life, but not so with men. He says "so man lies down and does not rise" and "they shall not awake." But, there is that phrase "till the heavens are no more." So, is Job saying the body will not live again, unlike the stump? Or, is he saying it will not live again till the resurrection? How does he answer his own question - "if a man dies, shall he live again?" In one part of his words he seems to view the body as forever dead (unlike the dead stump that may revive at the scent of water) and in another part he seems to affirm a coming resurrection of the body. 

Commented Dr. Gill on verse 12:

"till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep; for so the words are to be read, not in connection with those that go before, but with the last clauses; though the sense is much the same either way, which is, that those who are fallen asleep by death, and lie sleeping in their graves, and on their beds, these shall neither awake of themselves, nor be awaked by others, "till the heavens be no more"; that is, never, so as to awake and arise of themselves, and to this natural life, and to be concerned in the business of it; which sometimes seems to be the sense of this phrase, see Psalm 89:29, Matthew 5:18; or, as some render it, "till the heavens are wore out", or "waxen old" (c); as they will like a garment, and be folded up, and laid aside, as to their present use, Psalm 102:26; or till they shall vanish away, and be no more, as to their present form, quality, and use, though they may exist as to substance; and when this will be the case, as it will be when the Judge shall appear, when Christ shall come a second time to judge the world; then the earth and heaven will flee away from his face, the earth and its works shall be burnt up, and the heavens shall pass away with great noise; and then, and not till then, will the dead, or those that are asleep in their graves, be awaked by the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, and they shall be raised from their sleepy beds, awake and arise, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Dr. Gill gives us an either or choice of interpretations for the words "till the heavens are no more." Are we to interpret this as "never"? That it means the same as saying "till hell freezes over"? 

It seems to me that it does not mean "never," because 1) the words that follow that expression speak of a time when Job said that he will awake in body at the last day, and 2) the bible does say that the heavens will pass away at the end of the last age, which is the present age. (Matt. 24: 35: II Peter 3: 10; Heb. 1: 10-11). That is when the one who died will "live again" in body. 

The time between death and resurrection (intermediate state) does not seem to be expressly mentioned by Job in this passage, the focus being on the death of the body. He does say that this intermediate time will be when he is "in hiding in Sheol," and when he will be "concealed." Are these words applicable to the body or spirit? Does it mean his being hidden in a coffin or in the ground? Or, that it includes the idea that his spirit or soul would also be in Sheol or Hades, in that part of it where the righteous are resting? Could it therefore be applicable to both Job's body and spirit? 

Consider Paul's statement relative to the family of God. He says "of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." (Eph.3: 15) How is "the family of God" (the whole number of saved people who have been born) in both heaven and earth at the same time? 

The family members who are in heaven are believers who have lived and died and gone to heaven in spirit and the family members on earth are believers who are yet living on earth. The family members in heaven are thus hidden or concealed from our view. 

Here are the comments of Dr. Albert Barnes in his commentary on Job 14: 7:

"For there is hope of a tree - This passage to Job 14:12, is one of exquisite beauty. Its object is to state reasons why man should be permitted to enjoy this life. A tree, if cut down, might spring up again and flourish; but not man. He died to rise no more; he is cut down and lives not again. The passage is important as expressing the prevalent sentiment of the time in which Job lived about the future condition of man, and is one that deserves a close examination. The great question is, whether Job believed in the future state, or in the resurrection of the dead? On this question one or two things are clear at the outset. 

 

(1) He did not believe that man would spring up from the grave in any sense* similar to the mode in which the sprout or germ of a tree grows up when the tree is cut down. 

 

(2) He did not believe in the doctrine of metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls; a doctrine that was so common among the ancients. 

 

*But it cannot be correct to say that the living again of plants that have died in no sense is "similar to" the resurrection of human bodies, as we will shortly show. Further, he does not say that dead human bodies won't revive as the dead stump, but says such will 

1) not happen till the heavens be no more (which occurs at the last day) and 

2) not be a restoration of or return to the former life in old heavens and earth. 

Said Barnes:

"In this respect the patriarchal religion stood aloof from the systems of paganism, and there is not to be found, that I know of, any expression that would lead us to suppose that they had ever embraced it, or had even heard of it. The general sentiment here is, that if a tree is cut down, it may be expected to shoot up again, and another tree will be found in its place - as is the case with the chestnut, the willow, the oak. But Job says that there was nothing like this to happen to man. There was no root, no germ, no seminal principle from which he would be made to live again on the earth. He was to be finally cut off, from all his pleasures and his friends here, and to go away to return no more. Still, that Job believed in his continued existence beyond the grave - his existence in the dark and gloomy world of shades, is apparent from the whole book, and indeed from the very passage before us; see Job 14:13 - compare Job 10:21-22. The image here is one that is very beautiful, and one that is often employed by poets." 

Yes, the way that a plant dies and is reborn or revived is unlike the resurrection of physical human bodies in that the latter is not the result of forces within nature or in the thing that has died but rather is the result of the work of Christ at his second coming in calling the dead to life. 

The Evergreen and the palm tree have been from ancient times symbols of renewal, of eternal life and immortality, of flourishing. But, the image at the heading of this chapter of a stump having new growth is a picture of resurrection like the caterpillar is a picture of transformation as it becomes a butterfly. So too is Spring time generally viewed as a picture of rebirth from the dead of Winter. 

Of course, Job is not denying an afterlife for the spirit nor of a future resurrection for the body in his words in this chapter, though he might seem to do so in part. Said Job later in his dialogues:

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (19: 25-27 nkjv) 

So, both chapters uphold the belief in a future resurrection of the bodies of the dead.

So, is the living again of a dead tree trunk a picture of bodily resurrection or not? Answer: yes and no, as we have seen.

It is interesting that Job speaks of how dead stumps can live again after having been "cut down." It is a picture in some respects of the resurrection. Both Jesus and Paul thought so. Said Christ Jesus:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit." (John 12: 24)

Said Paul:

"But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body." (I Cor. 15: 35-38)

Death and renewal in the plant world is indeed a picture, in some respects, of death and resurrection in the world of human beings. Christ, according to the flesh, is thus described:

"Like a young plant or a root that sprouts in dry ground, the servant grew up obeying the LORD." (Isa. 53: 2 Contemporary English Version)

This is a picture of Christ being born and beginning to live. But, not only is it a picture of coming to life the first time (in the womb) but a living again after having died. We also see this pictured in the phenomenon of Aaron's rod that budded. 

"Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses went into the tabernacle of witness, and behold, the rod of Aaron, of the house of Levi, had sprouted and put forth buds, had produced blossoms and yielded ripe almonds." (Numb. 17: 8) 

That rod (walking cane) was dead wood and yet it lived again and flourished. That is a picture of Christ' resurrection as is the shoot from a stump that has been "cut down" and died and was regenerated.

A Final Word From Solomon

“A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it to heart.” (Eccl. 7: 1-2)

Is "the day of one's death better than the day of one's birth"? I can see how it is true in regard to certain people and groups. But, I can't see how it is true for those who die in their sins and go to everlasting torment. I also can't see how it would be true of Judas Iscariot, for Christ says of him "woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” (Matt. 26: 24) 

Also, Solomon's statement seems to be applied to all men, and not just to righteous and saved persons. He does not say "the day of someone's death" or "someone's birth," but "the day of one's death" and "day of one's birth." Can we say "Tis better to have lived and died than never to have lived at all"? (Similarly to "Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" - Tenyson). 

Solomon's statement and observation is similar to these words also in Ecclesiastes: "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit." (7: 8)

Is the end of life better for all men or only better for the saved?

Wrote one commentary on 7:1 (expressing a common interpretation):

"The thought in this clause is closely connected with the preceding. If a man's life is such that he leaves a good name behind him, then the day of his departure is better than that of his birth..." (Pulpit Commentary) 

Yes, it could be that Solomon is limiting his statement to those who have a good name and character. However, it could be that Solomon is giving again the way things seem to a man who looks at things without a divine revelation or interpretation of things. How many times have people said about a person who died after years of intense physical pain and suffering - "he is really better off"? We say that because we see his sufferings on earth as ended. Most times, however, we conclude that a "living dog is better than a dead lion." 

As far as what happens on earth "under the sun" it does seem to be better to die than to live for some of both the righteous and unrighteous. That statement seems to be made without any regard to the state of the spirit of the deceased, and is true of all as regards the body. That being so, it is true that all physical bodies are better off dead, for now they are free from bodily suffering and pain (in that intermediate state). 

In the concluding chapters, which are contemplated as few, we will look at certain questions about the afterlife, such as "what will it be like to live in heaven on earth?" And, "what will we be doing for all eternity?" "Will we ever get bored?" "Is sinning and falling from heaven possible?" "Will we have free will in heaven or the capability to do evil?" We will also discuss whether there be degrees of rewards and punishments in the afterlife. We will close by talking about the Christian's hope in regard to the afterlife.

Are All Hardshells Lost?

I have been asked this question several times through the years. Recently I had some talks with a sister over this question. Seeing they so clearly oppose scripture, teaching heresy, how can they be saved? Well, since then, I came across an old article of mine wherein I said the following:

"Hardshellism is a disease in the body of Christ. Hardshell teaching against the idea that one must believe in Jesus to be saved is serious. God is not pleased with such teaching. It is anti-gospel. God's word is "believe and be saved" (Acts 16: 31) but the Hardshell word is "be saved whether you believe or not." God's word says that the wrath of God abides on the unbeliever, but Hardshells believe many unbelievers are justified from such wrath. (John 3: 36) Now, I do not say that all Hardshells are damned, because many of them truly do believe in Jesus and in the gospel. But, that is not to say that God will not judge them severely for their preaching an anti-gospel." (From my article in The Baptist Gadfly Faith In The Blood)

That is still my view.

The question for discussion, with fear and trembling, is this: what errors in bible doctrine are eternally damning to believe? Or, how much error can a person believe and yet be saved? 

Today's Hardshells go to one extreme in affirming that one does not have to believe the truth on anything to be saved. They will argue this way in support of that view: infants who die in infancy and idiots without cognitive ability go to heaven and they did not believe in any truth or any error. So, it is the same way with those who are not infants or idiots. 

Some go to another extreme and argue that one must be right on nearly every bible doctrine to be saved. We see such people in some Calvinist groups and in some Arminian groups, such as the "Church of Christ" or "Campbellite" people. 

The following verses tell us that what we believe is important and that we should be on guard against heresy, which is a work of the flesh. (See Gal. 5: 19-23)

"...he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11: 6)

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Rom. 10: 9)

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." (II John 9)

The Title "Reverend"

"strive not about words to no profit" 

(II Tim. 2: 14

Brother and Reverend Ken Mann, blog contributor, queried, in my recent post on John Leland, about Leland using the word or title of "reverend" when he wrote a letter to a fellow preacher. I made comment to his comment and stated that I did not know the history of using that term among Baptists but did know that many Baptists have objected to it, some vehemently, as the Hardshell Baptists, and that I thought it was straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel, especially in their case, or was making mountains out of molehills. 

When brother Mann raised the question about the origin and history of this word's use among Baptists, I at first thought in my mind how I knew I had seen other old Baptists (of the 17th and 18th centuries and later) use the term in their writings and correspondence. So, I decided to do a Google search and turned up some information I wish to share with our readers and whoever in the future may find this web page. 

Britannica (here) says of the term "Reverend": 

"reverend, the ordinary English prefix of written address to the names of ministers of most Christian denominations. In the 15th century it was used as a general term of respectful address, but it has been habitually used as a title prefixed to the names of ordained clergymen since the 17th century."

Thus, as I stated in my comment to brother Mann, women are to reverence their husbands and call them lord, which was a show of respect.

I then found this article, titled "WHAT TITLE SHOULD MINISTERS USE?"  by Elder H. C. Vanderpool, Th. D., of Hendersonville, TN (See here). I will cite from this article now. In it he also cites from a paper by fellow minister F. R. Bingham, pastor of Jordan Baptist Church in Illinois, and Editor of the Baptist Instructor. I recommend that the whole article be read. Here are some excerpts that reflect my view.

Says Elder Vanderpool (emphasis mine):

"A few days ago I received a phone call, and a friend of the caller wanted me to send him the history of the Southern Baptist Convention, and when they began to use the title "Reverend" for ministers. 

 

First, the S.B.C. was organized at Augusta, Georgia in 1845. The information on it is found in Twentieth Century Baptists, pp. 308-322. This will also be in Twentieth Century Baptists - Volume Two, which I hope to have written, printed and ready for distribution in the Fall of 1996. 

 

The truth is, Baptists were using the name "Reverend" 150 years and more before the S.B.C. was organized. The convention did not begin that title, but those we call Old Time Baptists (The oldest ones in America) began the use of that title.

The Philadelphia Baptist Association was organized on the 27th day of the 7th month, on the 7th day of the week in the year 1707 (which would be July 17, 1707). All our true Baptists today trace our history back through that Association. The ministers of those days were well educated and most of them were called "Reverend" or "Doctor". Some used "Brother". These titles were used for almost a century, and on their records for 1790, they began to use "Elder" along with the other titles. So, "Reverend" was used over a hundred years back into the Baptists before coming to America; before they used the title "Elder."

Note: I doubt all Baptists will agree with the statement "all our true Baptists today trace our history back through" the Philadelphia Association. 

Wrote Vanderpool:

"In the History of the Philadelphia Association, pp 254-255, "Elder" was used along with "Reverend," "Brother," and "Doctor." All four titles were used on these two pages."

"When I began to prepare this material for the Brother who had asked for it, I remembered that Brother F. R. Bingham, pastor of Jordan Baptist Church in Illinois, and Editor of the Baptist Instructor, had written an article on this subject. I found the Article in the Baptist Banner files of July 1968, over 27 years ago. I agree with Pastor Bingham, and wish our people, especially our preacher Brethren would study their Hebrew and Greek and find out the truth before becoming so critical of what actually is the truth in God's Word." 

 

"I have never preached out of any Bible except the King James Version. However, the Bible was rewritten and revised 14 times before the King James Version was written in 1611. So, Baptists preached out of other versions over 1600 years before the KJV was written." 

This comment is a little off the subject, but I think the purpose is to caution Baptists about speaking too rigidly about traditions within our Baptist family. I do agree with his comment, however. 

Wrote Vanderpool:

"Now here is the article by Pastor Bingham which I agree with: 

SHOULD A PREACHER BE REFERRED TO AS REVEREND? 

by Pastor F. R. Bingham 

 

"The other day I received a communication from a brother who objected strongly to being addressed as "Rev. (so and so). He said, "I am not a reverend." I have heard this objection for all the years of my ministry (35 of them) from various preachers, and almost as if it were sinful and blasphemous for a minister to use this title. The objection is always based on Psalm 111:9, where it said "....Reverend is his name," meaning, of course, the Lord. And this would mean for anyone else to use this name is to appropriate unto himself the name of deity, with the identity of being God."

"But there have always been those who strain at gnats and swallow camels; who are pharisaically hyper-critical of others over little things of no real consequence after all; and I suppose there will always be such among us."

This article by brother Bingham was published in the Baptist Banner, July 1968, of which Elder H. C. Vanderpool was Editor.

It is interesting that brother Bingham saw what I later also saw, how it was a case, many times, of straining at gnats and swallowing camels.

Excerpts from Leland

In a follow up to the preceding post on Elder John Leland, I wish to add some things that elder Leland wrote to a brother Cone. It was sent to Cone who sent it to be published in a periodical. (See here) It is dated Dec. 10, 1826. In the citations given, all emphasis is mine. It was addressed to - 

"Rev. Spencer H. Cone, living in the city of regeneration, Grace Street - Penitent Alley - at the Sign of the Cross, next door to glory."

 He writes to Cone thusly:

"MY GOOD BROTHER CONE, - 

 

I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the city of Albany last August, where I formed a momentary acquaintance with yourself and brother Maclay. The Christian kindness which you and your elect lady expressed at our parting, fixed a soft affection in my heart, which I wish to indulge in a letter of friendship.

From a septennarian, whose sun is declining on the western hills, you will not expect energy of mind, logical argument, coherent reasoning, nor pomp of diction; but contrary-wise, a sickening dose of egotism.

You will judge best of my health, by hearing that I breathe, in common, twenty-four times each minute, and my pulses beat three times as often: which health and strength I have employed, the summer past, in travelling and preaching; which, by the bye, has been my constant practice for more than fifty-two years, with a few small exceptions. Since the first of June last, I have attended three associations, seen eighty-six Baptist preachers, and tried to preach eighty-one times. In retrospecting my life, I do not much reproach myself for not giving myself to the work, as far as domestic duties admitted; but the lack of divine love - little care for the souls of men - weakness in handling the word of life - mangling heavenly truths with an unhallowed tongue - a proud desire to make God's stream turn my own mill, &c., sink me in the dust, and fill my soul with shame before God and man."

I would that our Hardshell brethren would confess the same!

Wrote Leland:

"It has, in the course of my ministry, been a question of no small magnitude, to know how to address a congregation of sinners, as such, in gospel style. When I turn my eyes to the upper book, (the eternal designs of God,) I there read that God's work is before him, and that he works all things according to the counsel of his own will; that neither a sparrow, nor a hair of the head, can fall without our Heavenly Father; that providence and grace are the agents to execute his purposes. But when I look into the lower book, (the freedom of the human will,) I find that condemnation is conditional: "Oh that thou hadst hearkened unto me, then had your peace been as a river; - seeing ye judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, lo! we turn to the Gentiles," &c. If I do not read and believe the upper book, I impeach the omniscience and wisdom of Jehovah. And if do not likewise read and believe the lower book, I deny the possibility of guilt or blame. I must, therefore, believe both; and where I cannot comprehend, I will adore; where I cannot read, I will spell; and what I cannot spell out, I must skip. If the human mind should be so enlarged that it could solve every difficulty that has hitherto appeared, that same enlargement of thought would unfold a thousand difficulties more, so subtile and minute, that it never felt their weight before; so that there would be no getting through!"

These are similar words to those which would later be said by Charles Spurgeon. It seems that both Leland and Spurgeon would be called "Compatibilists."

Wrote Leland:

"It has been rather trying times for Baptist preachers, who have travelled and labored day and night for the good of souls: like the mules which Agelastus saw, they have been loaded with figs, and feeding upon thistles. What the new order of missionary funds and exertions will do, I cannot say; whether there is goodness enough in men to be pampered without growing indolent and haughty, is a question." 

This shows that Leland had sympathies with many of the objections the Hardshells had against missionary efforts but he shows a willingness to be open on the subject and to allow God to show which side he favored. 

Elder Leland Was Not Hardshell

Elder John Leland

(1754–1841)

Though Elder Leland was a part of the "anti-mission" side (Old School or Hardshell) in the 1830s, he did not hold to the anti means view of regeneration, but preached to the lost in order that they might, by the preaching of the gospel, be converted or born again. When Leland identified with the anti-mission side it was because he opposed mission societies which were not under the supervision of churches, and against theological seminaries, and certain revival methods, and Arminian principles. It was not because he rejected a belief in means. One of the chapters in the book "The Hardshell Baptist Cult" is Chpt. 49 - Elder Leland's Preaching (here) and the following are some citations from that chapter. 

"The Gillite mode of addressing sinners, seemed a little different from the New Testament mode. The Hopkinsian method appeared as if it took all the wisdom of God to devise a way for an honorable pretence to damn men. Dr. Fuller only cast another bundle of straw on the fire. So that the great query which has agitated my mind for more than thirty years, 'How is a congregation of sinners to be addressed?' at the time I am speaking of, fell with such distress upon my mind, that I could hardly contain myself. But in the midst of my difficulties, I had a meeting at a school house; in the time of service my soul got into the trade winds, and without consulting Gill, Hopkins, Fuller, or Wesley, without comparing our translation with the Septuagint, Chaldee, or the King of Spain's Bible, I addressed the scholars and young people in a way I never can without God helps me. The spirit of the Lord fell upon them. Very soon after this, five of them came forward and confessed Christ." (Continuation of MS. 1807)

Here is what Elder Leland wrote in a letter to Elder John Taylor:

"It brings fresh to my mind the winter of 1779 and '80, which, was the coldest winter that America pas ever known; and yet, to me, it was the warmest that ever I knew. At several other periods of my life, I have had more success than I had at that time, but never had the spirit of prayer and travail for souls, to an equal degree."

"Your travels have been great, your success encouraging. "They that turn many to righteousness, shall shine as the stars forever and ever." When the ministers of Jesus shall be called to give an account of their stewardship, if, like their masters, they can each say, "behold I, and the children which God hath given me -- here, Lord, are the proofs of my ministry -- the seals of my faithfulness -- the souls thou hast given me." I t will be a crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord. But, notwithstanding success is very desirable, yet the promise is made to the faithful. Noah, a preacher of righteousness, was very unsuccessful; all his hearers but seven were destroyed; but, as he was faithful, he obtained the promise, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith."

Leland writes further, in his letter, saying:

"Whenever I had evidence that God had blessed my imperfect labors for the salvation of sinners, it has given me much more joy than the favors of the rich, or the applauses of the great."

I love how Elder Leland closed out his letter to Elder Taylor.

"Rev. John Taylor, who lives, or ought to live, in the town of Regeneration, Grace-street, Penitent alley, at the sign of the cross, and next to glory."

Said one source on the biography of Leland (See here):

"1. Leland was an active and productive pastor. From the age of 18 until his death at 86, he preached approximately 8,000 sermons, wrote numerous hymns, published about 30 pamphlets, and baptized 1,524 people. He also personally knew 962 pastors, out of which 303 he heard preach and 207 who visited him at his home."

2. Leland had an outsized influence on the establishment of religious liberty in America through his relationship with James Madison, the primary author of the U.S. Constitution. Leland, who was considered the “leader of the Virginia Baptists,” helped Madison get elected both as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and to the first Congress. Madison repaid Leland and the other Baptists by keeping his campaign promise to support a Bill of Rights that included the Establishment Clause. 

3. For much of his early career Leland rarely spoke publicly about one of the key issues of his day—slavery. However, on returning to his home state of Massachusetts in 1791, he began to forcefully champion the emancipation of slaves. Leland thought the cause of freedom for Black Americans would be an opportunity for Christian youth:

Although he continued to oppose slavery, Leland later in life began to denounce abolitionists as troublemakers. Many slaveholders, he said, “in heart are opposed to slavery, and would gladly set their slaves free, if they could be provided for.”

"When he arrived in the capitol, Leland was invited to preach a message of religious liberty before Congress." 

 5. According to L. H. Butterfield, Leland was “dubious about seminaries and campaigns for [missionary] funds.” Although Leland, who was self-educated, was not opposed to secular education, he purportedly stuck “to the primitive Baptist principle that the power to evangelize is bestowed by divine rather than human means.” 

“In these things, however, I may be wrong,” Leland told a friend, “for I claim neither infallibility nor the spirit of prophecy. — May I, may you, may every one pray and search for himself, and believe, and act, and follow the clearest light." (emphasis mine)

This confession "I may be wrong" is similar to the later thinking of Elder John Taylor of Kentucky, who at first was an anti missionary but later became sympathetic towards mission societies.

If Leland could see how the "Primitive Baptist Church" has evolved since his day, he surely would denounce them as a cult.

Beliefs about the Afterlife (xxii)

"but now he is comforted and you are tormented" 

(Luke 16: 25)

At the end of the book of Daniel, an angel speaks of Daniel’s death, saying, “You will rest.” (Dan. 12:13) In the preceding chapter while looking at some of the ways in which death is described in the bible, by idioms and euphemisms, we ended with thoughts about how the believer enters into "rest" when he or she dies. There is one kind of rest for the body and another kind of rest for the spirit. In this chapter let us look at one other important text dealing with the rest entered by the believer upon dying. Wrote the prophet Isaiah:

"The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil. He shall enter into peace; They shall rest in their beds, Each one walking in his uprightness." (Isa. 57: 1-2 nkjv)

First, notice how death is variously described in the above text. It is described first by the word "perishes." Of course, a spirit does not perish, so the reference is to the house (body) in which a spirit dwells. However, not all agree. Those who believe in the perishing of spirit will often cite verses such as we looked at from Ecclesiastes, or from such texts as this one from the Psalms: 

"His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans ('thoughts' kjv) perish." (Psa. 146: 4 nkjv) 

But, the thoughts that perish are 1) all wrong thoughts, 2) all purposes relating to life in the flesh/body, to the world known as the "land of the living." It is not a perishing of the mental faculty of spirit, nor of all conscious thought. Notice how the verse speaks of the spirit departing, which indicates that it did not perish as the body, which "returns to his earth." Dust returns to dust (down) while spirit returns to God (up). 

Notice also how death is not only described as a perishing, but also as a being "taken away" or "gathered." We have already spoken of that way of describing death from other scriptures. Stephen's spirit was taken and received by Christ into heaven. So too the above text not only speaks of being taken away in death (exiting) but also of "entering" another state or place. "They shall enter into peace," which we stated at the end of the previous chapter was well described by the promise made to believers that they each shall "sit under his own vine and fig tree and none will make them afraid." The body does not "enter into peace." Enjoying peace can only be what a disembodied conscious spirit does. 

Also, the righteous person not only enters into peace when dead, but also "rest in their beds." That description sounds like what the body does when it is laid in a coffin. In fact, many tombstone monuments have the words "rest in peace" on them. However, as previously stated, there is rest for the both body and soul, and the rest for the one is not exactly like the rest for the other. 

Rest for spirit is unlike rest for a body (which has become dust and ashes). The rest or sleep of the body (death) is not recuperative, for one thing. Only a resurrection of the body can restore life to it, and in order for it to be resurrected and fully regenerated the spirit that exited the body at death must re-enter it for it to live again. The rest for the spirit that comes at death does involve a recuperation, and renewed vigor. The spirit and its faculties and attributes are liberated and become supra natural once it leaves the body of the heaven bound person. 

Rest for the body comes to both righteous (saved) and unrighteous (unsaved). Even the bodies of the wicked dead cannot feel pain. When they are raised from the dead when Christ returns and brings on the judgment of the living and the dead, their wicked spirits will be reunited with their resurrected bodies and then sent body and spirit into the "everlasting fires" of "Gehenna," and they will once again feel pain in their physical bodies. 

The body is not "enjoying" its rest, for it is unconscious (brain dead), and enjoying rest implies conscious emotion.  

What kind of "bed" will the righteous lie in when they die? Is a coffin, sepulcher, casket, bier, alluded to? Or, is it a "couch" in which the righteous dead, in their spirits and temporary bodies, lay? Or, could it include both ideas? Notice that the text does not say "they shall sleep in their beds" but "they shall rest in their beds." I spend a lot of time in my bed while I am awake and watching television, meditating, musing, etc. The Hebrew word for "bed" is miškāḇ and does not always denote a place of sleeping, nor does the word "bedchamber" always denote what we call today a "bedroom." One of its meanings is "couch," or we might say "sofa," and as noted in previous chapters, Oriental peoples, as the Hebrews, often ate supper on couches around a table. Thus, the apostle John was able to recline on the bosom of Jesus while at the supper table. (John 13: 33) It is also what we envision in the scene in Hades where Lazarus is reclining in the bosom of father Abraham. Further, Jesus said: “many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 8: 11)

So, the words "they rest in their beds" could easily be translated as "they shall rest on their sofas." Keep in mind that the rest entered to by the believer at his or her death involves "rest from labors," and a "taking it easy," or a living on "easy street." So the Lord said to Moses - "Soon you will lie down with your ancestors." (Deut. 31: 16) So, the promise that the righteous, in dying, would "rest in their beds," may not be applicable only to the body, and the "beds" not equivalent to "coffins." Consider that resting in beds or couches is equated with "entering into peace." 

It seems to me that this language cannot be confined to the body experiencing peace. Is it mental peace? Is such language appropriate for a dead brain that has become dust and ashes? I think not. Therefore, entering into peace at death, and resting on sofas (as a disembodied spirit in a temporary body in the intermediate state) cannot be limited to what the body experiences in being dead and decomposing. Mental peace seems to imply that the mind is consciously enjoying a state of mind.

That the state of the righteous dead is viewed as a conscious state, though the body is dead, is furthered proved by the fact that the text says that each of the righteous dead would be "walking in his uprightness." It is a picture of a soul walking in the afterlife. Surely Abraham and Lazarus walked in the afterlife in their righteousness (uprightness). Surely every saint now in Heaven also continues to walk in righteousness. 

The righteous and merciful person perishes, is killed and what reaction does it get from people in the land of the living? The observation is that "no man takes it to heart" and "no one considers."

When rich and famous men and women of power (who are almost universally of the class of unrighteous and unmerciful people, rather than of the righteous poor and lowly) die, they are not often ignored by the people but rather praised and have lavish funerals and monuments. Many of them insure that they are not ignored when dead by naming landmarks, highways, etc., after them. But, what about the poor believer as Lazarus? The record seems to indicate that he did not even have a proper burial. Of the rich man it was said "he died and was buried." But we do not read where Lazarus was buried. Lazarus perished and no one probably noticed, except of course, the Lord, for "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." It is also no doubt a valid inference to say that all the occupants of heaven also took notice of the death of Lazarus (and of course of every righteous and merciful person). The Lord said that heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents and surely they rejoice also when they welcome that penitent believer into heaven. The angels did carry Lazarus to the place of rest and peace and joy. 

Falling Asleep

In a previous chapter we stated that the scriptures that speak of dead people as being "asleep" is not language that is true of the spirit (or soul). But, why is death called sleep?

Said Dr. Henry Morris of Creation Research Institute (here):

"The Bible uses the term “sleep” to describe death only in the case of Christians—never for non-Christians (see John 11:11; etc.)." 

However, this is not true. Notice Daniel 12: 2:

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Here "sleep" in the words "sleep in the dust of the earth" means "dead" or "not living" and it is a reference to the physical body and not the spirit, for the spirit of a human does not go down into the dust but rather up to God, unlike the spirits of brute animals. (Eccl. 3: 20-21)  Further, it refers to both righteous and wicked "sleeping in the dust of the earth." I have a lot of respect for Dr. Morris, a great bible teacher, but he surely got this wrong. 

Men are said to be asleep when dead for this is how they generally look when their bodies have been prepared for burial and laid in a coffin. Further, the bible calls death sleep because the state of death for the body is temporary. There will be a time for the dead to "awake" from the sleep of death and this is what is also called "the resurrection of the dead." Several new testament passages also teach what is taught in Daniel 12: 2 and affirm that there will be a resurrection of both saved and lost. (See John 5: 28-29; Acts 24: 15) 

This awakening, involving a reunification of body and spirit, is described also in the Apocalypse.

"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell (Hades) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20: 13-15)

Here "death" speaks to the grave, whether in dust or in the sea, to the place where the body or bodily ashes are located. On the other hand, "Hades" ('hell') speaks to the place of departed spirits of the dead, and in this case, those who will be in Hades at the time of Christ' return and the resurrection day. So, when Hades "delivers up" the dead, it means the spirits of the dead (all who are wicked since the resurrection of Christ as we have seen in previous chapters) while Death "delivers up" the bodies of the wicked dead. The spirit reenters the bodies of the damned and they stand, body and spirit, before Judge Jesus, who will condemn them and send them, body and spirit, into Gehenna, to "the lake of fire," which is "the second death."

No doubt the wicked spirits in Hades dread the resurrection day for their bodies will begin to suffer the torments of the lake of fire. Recall that Jesus said that God was able to "destroy both body and soul in Gehenna." (Matt. 10: 28) "Destroy" does not mean "annihilation" either, but "ruin," the loss of all good.

The great preacher Charles Spurgeon said (taken from Morning and Evening, emphasis mine):

"Let us not imagine that the soul sleeps in insensibility. “Today you will be with me in paradise” is the whisper of Christ to every dying saint. They sleep in Jesus, but their souls are before the throne of God, praising Him day and night in His temple, singing hallelujahs to Him who washed them from their sins in His blood. The body sleeps in its lonely bed of earth, beneath the coverlet of grass...But what is this sleep? The idea connected with sleep is “rest,” and that is the thought that the Spirit of God would convey to us. Sleep makes each night a sabbath for the day." 

Asleep In Jesus

Jesus referred to Lazarus' death as "sleep." The record of scripture is: "After saying this, He told them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead." (John 11: 11-14)

In the earlier chapters in this study I asked the question - "where was Lazarus' spirit during the four days his body was dead?" I stated that it was in Sheol or Hades, in that place in the heart of the earth where all departed spirits went prior to the resurrection of Christ. The Lazarus of the above text, who was brother of Mary and Martha, went to the same place where another man named Lazarus went in the story of the rich man (Dives) and Lazarus. If that is not the case, then the spirit of Lazarus either went to heaven or stayed on earth (invisibly to mortal eyes) near his grave. So then, his spirit, in his bodily resurrection, either left Heaven, or the upper blissful side of Hades, or left lingering around the body in the ether.

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." (I Thess. 4: 13-14)

This passage shows that the righteous dead are asleep as respects their bodies but their spirits are not asleep but are with Jesus as they wait reunion with their new bodies in the resurrection. He will bring the sleeping dead with him. They will accompany him. That is because when he leaves Heaven to come to earth in the day of judgment and resurrection the "spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12: 23) will come with him, for they are "registered as citizens in heaven" (Amplified). When Christ comes from Heaven he will "bring with him" all the sleeping saints who are with him in spirit and he will come "for" their bodies, calling them to life when he comes to the first heaven and utters his command "come forth." This is the way he comes "with" and "for" believers. He comes with them before he comes for them in this sense. For instance, Stephen the martyr, who was received in his spirit into Heaven, will come with Christ for his spirit is now with the Lord. 

When Christ comes again he will be met by the resurrected believers "in the air." It is in the air, as a foyer, where reunification of spirit and body occur, and when the saints will be glorified. Then Christ will "come with" all the saints, and they will come the rest of way, body and spirit, to ground level with their Lord and conquering King. At that time they will join with the angels in executing the Lord's agenda for that great day. This is what the following text affirms: 

"Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord." (Psalm 149: 5-9)

All attempts for Christians to do this now, apart from the presence of Christ, would be wrong. It can only be interpreted eschatologically as what will occur in the end of time at the day of judgment and vengeance. 

1 Asleep in Jesus! blessed sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep!
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the last of foes.

2 Asleep in Jesus! O how sweet
To be for such a slumber meet!
With holy confidence to sing
That death has lost his venomed sting.

3 Asleep in Jesus! peaceful rest,
Whose waking is supremely blest!
No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour
That manifests the Savior's power.

4 Asleep in Jesus! O for me
May such a blissful refuge be!
Securely shall my ashes lie,
waiting the summons from on high.

Strange Happenings in Revival-Out of Order?

    As I was reading my never ending list of Baptist history, I stumbled across yet another thing I wasn't even searching for. The role of women in Baptist life in the 1700's and early 1800's. Perhaps the Lord plopped it my lap, as this was a subject I had questioned in the past, but more recently, some have attacked me because I was optimistic about the happenings at the Asbury Revival. Some have said that the revival cannot be of God, because of "pentecostal style activity" and because the Wesleyans and Methodists have women preachers. Some of these same people will make remarks in sermons about the Wesleys that are totally positive, yet do they not know the Wesleys licensed women to preach?  Do they not know of the emotional shouts heard at their meetings? And of course they don't know how Baptists of that time conducted themselves! I suppose they will turn in their Baptist ID cards when they read this!

   In the history of Big Stevens Creek Baptist Church, founded by Daniel Marshall, brother-in-law of Shubal Stearns, it mentions this " “Separate Baptists” – a sect characterized as highly emotional, noisy, suspected of Arminianism and disposed to allow women prominence in religious work."

     In 1766, the Congaree Baptist Church, who had a branch or "arm" in South Carolina, grew tired of waiting for Shubal Stearns to send Separate Baptist elders to ordain a pastor for them, so that they could constitute a church.  They then called on Oliver Hart and Evan Pugh, Regular Baptists from the Charleston Association to facilitate ordination. John Newton and Joseph Reese were ordained, and Shubal Stearns led the Sandy Creek Association to censure them and bar them from preaching for acting independently of the Association. Reese apologized and was taken back in, but Newton said he had done nothing wrong. Sandy Creek declared being ordained by Regular Baptists, "who derided fervency, happy shouts, and the wailing of those being made aware of their sinful state, and who had so low a view of women that they dare not pray, exhort or testify" was highly irregular, but there is no record of them refusing to see the ordinations as valid. However, it does denote that the Separates allowed women to speak in church, while evidently, the Regulars did not. 

   See what the author Don Pucik of equppingsaints.com says about Separate Baptists;

    Shubal Stearns emphasized revivalism and leadership of the Holy Spirit. Writing in 1772, Morgan Edwards stated “I believe a preternatural and invisible hand works in the assemblies of the Separate Baptists.” Visiting the 1759 annual meeting at Sandy Creek, Regular Baptist John Gano was convinced that “the power of God was among them.” Separate Baptists became known for regularly reporting “signs, wonders, and divine communications.” Heartfelt cries and falling down were common elements of the services. Visions and dreams were shared, especially as part of the conversion narratives given before baptism. John Waller reported the healing of a minister’s wife who suffered from “violent spasms” after he had anointed her with oil and prayed. Dutton Lane shared that when authorities were on their way to arrest church leaders at his church at Dan River, they were “struck temporarily blind by a flash of light followed by a thick darkness” and went home—the authorities never returned to Dan River.

    Stearns afforded women greater involvement in worship and church life than any other religious group in the colonial period. In the Separate Congregational and Baptist churches following the Great Awakening, women were free to share their conversion testimonies and exhorted others to repent. In New England, Daniel Marshall’s sister was jailed during a pregnancy for preaching Baptist doctrines. Martha (Stearns) Marshall was described as her husband’s “Priscilla, a helper in the gospel.” When she spoke to the church, she presented herself as “a lady of good sense, singular piety, and surprising elocution” who routinely “melted a whole concourse into tears by her prayers and exhortations.” In Virginia, Margaret Meuse Clay often spoke and prayed publicly, once being arrested for unlicensed preaching with eleven Baptist men. Sentenced to a public whipping, she was released when someone anonymously paid her fines. In roles unique to Separate Baptists at the time, women were serving as eldresses and deaconesses in a few of the churches, baptizing and teaching women exclusively. As Separates merged with Regular Baptists in the closing years of the eighteenth century, women were increasingly restricted from public speaking and church offices.

    Between 1740 and 1790, Regular Baptists only managed to start ten churches in Virginia—Separate Baptists formed several hundred. Baptists in the South owe their remarkable growth and influence to Shubal Stearns and the Separate Baptists. (Could it be that people went to see a "show" and ended up getting converted, and for this reason the Separate Baptists expanded rapidly?) To read David Pucik's experience at Asbury, read here: https://equippingsaints.com/2023/02/26/my-asbury-journey/

    Wow! "signs, wonders, divine communications, cries, falling down, anointing with oil, healings, visions, dreams, women exhorting and baptizing..."  All the very same things that some frown upon in Baptist circles, actually owe their existence to these phenomena! Sounds like the Baptists were way ahead of the modern Pentecostal movement in seeing the power of God to move as He pleases.

   In his book "The Roots of Appalachian Christianity",Elder John Sparks, a United Baptist, says the following. "Daniel Marshall, never developed the leadership and organizational capabilities of his wife's oldest brother (Shubal Stearns)...when Marshall pastored churches, he may have depended on his redoubtable Martha, not only for testifying, exhorting, singing, and leading in prayer,, but for private counsel as well."

  As I have said at other times, be very careful what you condemn as being "out of order" for your group's very existence may be due to things you would not consider to be "in order". Of course we should also be very careful about what we endorse, use discernment and pray for guidance, because we don't want to embrace something that is not of God. The Methodists of today have grown so cold that they can hardly even be called Christian any more. They are "orderly" now, even liturgical in their worship, not to mention many heresies being embraced. I am sure they would frown on their own forbears if they were able to see their genuine worship. We dare not fall in to the same boat as they.

 

Beliefs about the Afterlife (xxi)

"For when a few years are past, I shall go the way of no return." 

(Job 16:2) 

In the above words from Job, in the oldest book of the bible, we see one of the ways that primitive believers in the God of scripture described dying, or death. The above words of Job are similar to the words of king David who, when close to death, said to his son prince Solomon - "I go the way of all the earth." (I Kings 2: 2) This is clearly one of the bible's "euphemisms" for the death experience or phenomenon. A euphemism is a milder word or phrase used in place of a stronger one. It also makes use of "idioms," especially in the Hebrew old testament, in a similar to the way we say "nothing is as sure as death and taxes," or "kill two birds with one stone."

How does the bible describe the phenomenon of death and dying? Likewise, what words or phrases do people use today to describe someone who has died? What terms, euphemisms, or idioms do you choose to use to convey the news or fact that someone has died?

Some common euphemisms used for death are “he passed away,” “he’s passed on,” “he’s left us,” “he’s gone,” “he’s no longer with us,” “he’s been taken away from us,” “he’s among the dear departed,” “he’s gone to the great beyond,” etc. Some are more vulgar and harsh, such as saying someone "bit the dust" or "kicked the bucket" or "croaked," etc. There are literally hundreds, possibly thousands, of euphemisms for death and dying. If you do an Internet search on this, you will see, for instance -"Euphemisms for Death: 200+ Ways to Describe Death & Dying" by Daniel Szczesniak (here). He lists all under four categories; 

1. Synonyms and descriptions of death 

2. Polite euphemisms for death

3. Old-fashioned and quaint euphemisms for death

4. Snarky and humorous euphemisms for death

Others give far more than two hundred. In this section of our series on the afterlife we will look at the way the bible writers described, and thus defined, the death experience.

Gathered Unto His People

In the earlier chapters I called attention to how the words "gathered unto his people" was a common primitive expression among the people of God and his prophets to describe one who had died. Though there are many times in which it is used in the old testament scriptures, let us notice the following examples.

"Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people." (Gen. 25:17)

"When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people." (Gen. 49: 33)

What is implied in the words "gathered unto his people" is what we see in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which we have previously examined. The picture of the afterlife in that story showed how Lazarus was gathered unto his people, signified by his being with Abraham, and how Dives (rich man) also was gathered to his people. Each went to be with his kind (those of like faith and character). There is also the idea of being in a festive paradisaical family environment for Lazarus and his people (who are on the upper side of the Underworld of Hades). Happy gatherings or assemblies is what we envision from the language used. However, when Dives died, though he also was gathered to his people, nevertheless "the gathering" of the damned is the very opposite of festive gathering of believers in paradise. In the above text we see two euphemisms used to describe the death of Jacob; 1) "breathed his last" and 2) "was gathered to his people."

We can also see how death is a kind of harvesting, of being cut down and harvested, of being reaped by the scythe of death, of being "gathered" by the gatherers. We see this metaphorical picture in the story of the sowing of both wheat and tares in a field (Matt. 13). Both the wheat and the tares were harvested and gathered, one into the barn (place of storage for future use) and the other gathered "in bundles" to be burned in the fire.

"Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great." (Joel 3: 13)

"And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” (Rev. 14: 15)

In both these passages death is viewed as a being cut down by a sickle, or scythe, and by an angel. This brings to our minds the angel of death in the old testament who was most visibly seen working in Egypt in the death of the firstborn of Egypt by the hand of Moses. Notice these texts:

"For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you." (Exo. 12: 23)

"And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite." (1 Chronicles 21:15)

"He sent upon them His burning anger, Fury and indignation and trouble, A band of destroying angels." (Psa. 78: 49 NASB)

The "Grim Reaper" is made in the image of this angel of destruction and death. The scythe is an image that reminds us that Death, personified, reaps the souls of sinners like the peasant who harvests corn in his field. Notice these texts about being "cut down" in death:

"He comes forth like a flower, and is cut down: he flees also as a shadow, and continues not." (Job 14: 2)

"For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." (Psa. 37: 2)

Job uses two euphemisms to describe death; 1) being cut down (as by a sickle/scythe), and 2) "fleeing away as a shadow." The latter is similar to the description of death given by James, brother of our Lord, who spoke of how one's life and death are "like a vapor (or mist) that appears for a moment and then vanishes away." (James 4: 14) Another euphemism he gives for dying is a "vanishing away" or a "disappearing." This is not an annihilation of the whole person, however, as we have seen. The wheat that is cut down is harvested and made into bread. So Jesus, in describing his coming death, said:

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain." (John 12: 24)

Further, it is the body that is "cut down" and not the spirit that occupies the body. Recall Jesus' words about men being able to kill the body but not the soul or spirit.

Though we do not see the words "gathered unto his people" in the following verses, the idea is there. Said the Lord to Abraham: "And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age." (Gen. 15: 15) Also, we read: "The LORD said to Moses, "Soon you will lie down with your ancestors." (Deut. 31: 16) Also, when king David's infant son died, he said to those with him: "But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." (II Sam. 12: 23)

Again, such language cannot be reasonably applied to the body and of going to a family cemetery. There is the idea of a dying individual going to be with dead family members in a living conscious state so that he or she is enjoying existence with his or her kind of people. 

Giving Up The Ghost

"Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people." (Gen. 25: 8)

In this text we have three euphemisms for describing death and dying. Notice first how Abraham was "gathered unto his people." We have already made observations on that expression in earlier chapters. The text refers to this as being another way of saying that Abraham "died," a second euphemism. Finally, he says that Abraham, in dying and going to be with his people, "gave up the ghost" (or "spirit").

To "give up the ghost" may simply mean to breathe out the breath (for the last time), thus to "expire." But, in scripture, as we have seen, the departing of the "breath," "spirit," or "wind" (air) is not the only thing intended. Oftentimes "the spirit" speaks to the inner incorporeal self or soul, however. It is the spirit that is the life force for the body, or for the brain. It is the part of the human being that is the source of knowledge, as Paul indicated when he said: "For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?" (I Cor. 2: 11) Also, when the Spirit of God communicates with a person, it is to the inner spirit that the words are addressed. So we read that the Spirit bears witness with the spirits of believers. (Rom. 8: 16) 

When Jesus died, the apostle John described his death as a "giving up of the ghost" or spirit. So the text reads: "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost." (John 19: 30 kjv) Luke also wrote: "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." (Luke 23: 46)

The spirit of Christ, the human spirit and soul, was commended into the hands of the Father when the spirit was "given up." The meaning is "into your care I put my spirit." When the spirit of Christ exited his body, it did not cease to exist but was conscious and intellectually and emotionally vibrant. The above language also leads our minds to recall the words of Solomon who said: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Eccl. 12: 7) It also is an example of the words of James, who said - "The body without the spirit is dead." (James 2: 26) Jesus' body was dead, but his spirit, as we have seen, did not die, but was vibrantly alive, so much so that he made proclamations to spirits of the dead. 

Now, let us notice the words describing the death of Stephen the martyr. 

"But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”...And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7: 55-56, 59-60) 

It is clear that Stephen expected to be killed by the mob and expected the "Lord Jesus," to "receive" (take or welcome) his "spirit." Therefore, he went to "the heavens," to the place where Christ was "standing at the right hand of God," that is, to Paradise or the Third Heaven. For these reasons we cannot believe that the spirit of Stephen "fell asleep," but rather believe that only his body "fell asleep" in death. Stephen's "giving up the ghost" involves his rational spirit exiting his body and entering Heaven to be with Christ. Such is the way for all the saved. The spirits of the unsaved also exit their bodies, but they are rather welcomed in Hades, which now holds only condemned souls. 

It is interesting that the words "gave up the ghost" come from a single Greek word. Also, that the Greek word "ekpsychō" (combination of "ek"/out and "psycho"/soul) is used only of hypocrites, such as Ananias and his wife Sapphira and of Herod (who was eaten of worms for his blasphemy). (See Acts 5: 5,10; 12: 23) However, a similar Greek word, "ekpneō" is used three times for Christ' giving up the ghost. (Mark 15: 37, 39; Luke 23: 46) It means he breathed his last, or expired. 

"God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself" (Psalm 49:15), said the Psalmist, and they were certainly fulfilled, not only when the Psalmist flew away in spirit, but also when the martyr Stephen also flew away. God was taking to himself his beloved saints. Recall the words also of the Psalmist - "precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." (Psa. 116: 15) 

Exiting The Body

The giving up of the spirit entails the exit of spirit from the body. But, it is also emphatically stated in scripture that people "depart" or "exit" the body when they die, and that they leave "the land of the living" and go to the land of the dead, to the spirit world, to either Heaven or Hades. With that idea in mind, let us notice some scripture, particularly what was said on "the mount of transfiguration" when Christ spoke with both Moses and Elijah. 

"And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." (Luke 9: 30-31) 

In this text the Greek word for "decease" is "exodus." Isn't that interesting? It is also used in these verses:

"By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing (exodus) of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones." (Heb. 11: 22) 

"...knowing that shortly I must put off my tent (tabernacle - kjv), just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease (exodus) to have these things always in remembrance." (II Peter 1: 14-15)

In the Hebrews passage, the "departing" of the Israelites from Egypt was their "exodus" or "departure." 

That is also what happens when a person dies. The person in spirit departs from the body, leaves this world, the physical world, and goes to the spirit world. The spirit "flies away" as Moses said (Psa. 90: 10) and as the Egyptian hieroglyphs depicted. The soul or spirit leaves its place in the body (tent or tabernacle because it houses the real you, your inner self, your spirit being) and enters into another world, space, realm, or dimension. 

So, in connection with Peter's "decease" or "exodus" from the tent which is his body he says he must "put it off." The body is like both a house or tent, and like clothing. The body is exited, just as one exits a house or a country as Egypt. Or we might say that the body, like clothes, are "put off" and another set of clothing put on. This was what Paul affirmed, a text we introduced in the early chapters of this series. 

"For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (II Cor. 5: 1)

Now let us notice some other verses on the exodus of the spirit, especially of believers.

"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand." (II Tim. 4: 6)

Interesting is the fact that the word "departure" is from the Greek word "analysis" and means "an unloosing" (as of things woven), "a dissolving into separate parts" (Eng., "analysis"), is once used of "departure from life," 2 Ti 4:6, where the metaphor is either nautical, from loosing from moorings (thus used in Greek poetry), or military, from breaking up an encampment; cp. kataluo in 2 Cr 5:1 (cp. DEPART, No. 16)." (Vine) 

I can see where both metaphors are applicable to the death experience. The idea of being "loosed" from our moorings (loosed from the flesh) makes me think of the words of Solomon about death in Ecclesiastes where he spoke of various causes of death under various metaphors, one of which was the "loosing" of the "silver cord." (12: 6) 

"For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you." (Phl. 1: 23-24)

The Greek word for "depart" here is a similar word to analysis, being "analyo," and also means to unloose, being only used two times in the new testament, where it is translated (kjv) as "return" (Luke 12: 36) and "depart" in the above text of Paul. This word was used by the Greeks when referring to the "break up" of a group, assembly, or congregation. Each person in the group departs from the others. 

Paul, in departing this world, and exiting his tent body, is breaking away from this world, this sphere of existence. He will no longer be here in his rational spirit. Only his decaying body or ashes will remain in the physical world he is leaving. 

Entering Rest

"Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them.” (Rev. 14: 13)

In this passage we are told that the righteous dead, those who "die in the Lord," enter into rest from their labors, which cannot refer to what the body alone experiences, nor be equated with unconscious soul sleep, but is rather an enjoyable conscious rest. The Greek word for "rest" is "anapauo," and involves refreshment, and to repose, much like what we saw was involved in Lazarus reclining on a couch with Abraham in a place of comfort. In Luke's gospel the KJV translators translated the same Greek word as "take thine ease." 

"And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry." (Luke 12: 19) 

In several other places in the new testament it is translated by the word "refreshed." So Paul writes: "For they have refreshed my spirit and yours." (I Cor. 16: 18)

So, when those who are "in the Lord" die, they go to rest, to a place where they can take it easy, find refreshment from their earthly labors. It is the same word also in this text from the Book of Revelation:

"And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Rev. 6: 11)

The interesting thing about this text, in regard to the rest entered to at death, is that it is a word spoken in heaven by the Lord to disembodied spirits, for they were they who had been martyred (beheaded) "for the witness of Jesus." 

The kind of restive enjoyment experienced in heaven, and certainly in the "new heavens and new earth," is given us in these oft repeated words in the old testament:

"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon." (I Kings 4: 25)

"But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it." (Micah 4: 4)

"In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree." (Zech. 3: 10)

It is a picture of prosperity, peace, and security.