Basic HTML Version
man dieth, and wastelh away: yea.
man givelh up the ghost' ' (Job
14: 10). "Giving up the ghost' ' is an
old English expression that meant
"expire." The word used in the He–
brew language.
ruach.
means "to
breathe out" or " to expire."
" . .. and where is he?" Job asks.
In verse 13 he says,
"O
that thou
wouldest hide me in the grave ...
that thou wouldest appoint me a set
time,
and remember me!"
And thcn the ques–
tion comes: " lf a man
die. shalJ he live again?
All the days of my ap–
pointed time will l wail,
ti// m
y
change come, "
said Job, perhaps the
wisest man alive at that
day. "Thou shah cal!."
he said, "and 1 will an–
swer thee: thou wilt
have a desire to the
work of lhine hands."
Whal i Job talking
about? A resurrection
from the dead ! The
Bible teaches a resur–
rection. The apostle
Paul. even when he was
being accused by the
religious sccts of his
-s
day. fearlessly de-
~
clared: "Bul this I ad-
~
rnit lO you. that
e¡;
according to the Way.
a
which they [h is accu-
~
sers] call a sect, 1 wor-
~
ship the God of our
~
..
fa thers. be! ievi ng
~
everything laid down
by the law or written in the proph–
ets, having a hope in God which
these lhemselves accept. [that is.
these accuscrs of his]
rhar ¡/¡ere wi/1
be a resurreclion
o[
both thc just and
the unjust" (Acts 24:14-15, RSV).
In the fifth chapter of the book of
John. Jesus Christ of Nazareth him-
elfis quoted as saying: "Marvel not
at this: for lhc hour is coming. in the
which all that are in the graves shall
hear his voice,
and sha/1 come fonh;
they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that
have done evil. unto 1he resurrec-
PLAIN TRUTH August 1974
tion of damnation [judgment]"
(John 5:28-29).
In the book of Daniel is a corro–
boration of that same statement. In
chapter 12. verses I-2. we read:
"And al thal time shall Michael
stand up, the great prince which
standeth for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of
trouble. such as never was since
thcre was a nation even to that same
time: and at that time thy people
resurrection chapter. Jn verses 12-13
th e apostle Paul says: " ... if Christ
be preached that he rose from the
dcad, how say sorne among you that
there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if tbere be no resurrection of the
dead, then is Christ not risen."
La ter on in verses 16-17 Paul said,
"For if the dead rise not, then is not
Chri t raised: and if Christ be not
raised. your faith is vain; ye are yet
in your sins."
A little later in verse
22, he comrnents,
" ... as in Adam all die.
even so in Christ shall
all be made alive. But
every man in his own
order: Christ the first-
Afterdeath
...thenwhat?
fruils [he's callcd the
firstfruits of the dead];
afterward they that are
Christ's at his coming."
These scriptures all
speak of the same event
- a future resurrection
of the dead.
ls death the eternal end
of man ·s journey? Or is
there an afterlife? Heaven?
Hell? Reincarnation?
Ambassador College pub–
lishes a free booklet
After
Death, Then What?
lt
pro–
vides some surprising yet
comforting answers for a
difficult time. lt points also
to the inspiring and little–
known purpose of human
existence.
Request your free copy
today. There·s no obliga–
tion. See the back cover of
this magazine for the ad–
dress of our office nearest
you .
Notice one more
verse in the Bible about
this subject. In the last
book of the Bible. the
book of R eve lation,
John was inspired to
record: " Biessed and
holy is he that hath
part
in
the first resur–
rection: on sueh tbe
second death hath no
power. but they sha ll
be priests of God and
of Christ. and shall
reign with him a thou-
sha ll be delivcred, every one that
sha ll be found written in thc book.
And
many of them 1hat s/eep in the
dust of the earrh sha/1 awake ...."
sand years" (Revelation 20:6).
The Bible speaks with beautiful
harmony on this subject. Thc words
"immortal soul" never occur to–
gether in the entirety of the Bible.
But 1he Bible does teach a re urrec–
tion of the dead: " ... many of them
that sleep in the dust of the earth
sha ll awake, some to everlasting life,
and sorne to shame and everlasting
contempt" (Daniel 12:2).
1 Corinthians 15 is known as the
This is what J esus Christ promises
those who serve and faithfully obey
him. They will be resurrected from
the dead and be given immortality
and positions of rulership in the
kingdom of God! They will never
again have to face death. They will
have conquered dealh for all eter–
nity!
God grant
you
a part in that res–
urrection so you will never have to
fear the specter of eterna! death. so
you can become a partaker of these
glorious. everlasting promises!
o
27