(upbeat,
inspirational theme music)
00:00:00.96\00:00:03.77
>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
00:00:13.07\00:00:14.58
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:00:14.58\00:00:16.68
We're delighted to have
you with us once again today
00:00:16.68\00:00:19.15
as we continue our study
00:00:19.15\00:00:20.52
through the subject of "Death,
Dying, and the Future Hope."
00:00:20.52\00:00:24.92
We've already
covered a little bit,
00:00:24.92\00:00:26.55
but we've got a long way to go
00:00:26.55\00:00:27.96
in these 14 weeks that
we are going to be together.
00:00:27.96\00:00:30.39
But today we are
looking at a subject
00:00:30.39\00:00:32.33
that's very
important to understand,
00:00:32.33\00:00:34.66
and it kind of builds on
what we looked at last week
00:00:34.66\00:00:37.83
because last week we looked
at how sin came into the world
00:00:37.83\00:00:41.77
and how Adam and Eve were
deceived by the adversary.
00:00:41.77\00:00:45.94
But this week we're gonna
unpack that a little bit more,
00:00:45.94\00:00:48.14
because it seemed
like God said if you ate
00:00:48.14\00:00:51.68
from the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil,
00:00:51.68\00:00:53.15
you would surely die,
00:00:53.15\00:00:54.52
and the adversary said
you wouldn't surely die.
00:00:54.52\00:00:56.89
Looked almost like
the adversary was right
00:00:56.89\00:00:59.09
and God was wrong. We
unpacked that a little bit;
00:00:59.09\00:01:00.69
hopefully you caught that one.
00:01:00.69\00:01:01.76
If not, you can
catch it on the replays.
00:01:01.76\00:01:04.19
But this week we
are looking at a subject
00:01:04.19\00:01:06.66
that builds right off of that,
00:01:06.66\00:01:08.33
and that is human nature.
"Understanding Human Nature,"
00:01:08.33\00:01:12.83
this is week number
three, lesson number three,
00:01:12.83\00:01:15.64
and here to guide
us through this lesson
00:01:15.64\00:01:17.94
and the remaining
lessons in this quarter
00:01:17.94\00:01:20.18
is the author of the
Adult Sabbath School Bible Study
00:01:20.18\00:01:23.85
Guide, and that is Alberto Timm.
00:01:23.85\00:01:25.18
He's an associate director
of the Ellen G. White Estate.
00:01:25.18\00:01:28.22
Alberto, welcome back.
00:01:28.22\00:01:29.88
>>It's always a
joy to be with you.
00:01:29.88\00:01:32.89
>>So this subject, now,
understanding human nature,
00:01:32.89\00:01:35.89
it sounds like it's not the
simplest thing in the world.
00:01:37.29\00:01:40.73
It sounds like maybe
understanding human nature,
00:01:40.73\00:01:42.83
some of us may not even know
what is meant by human nature,
00:01:42.83\00:01:46.94
and there are some
different viewpoints out there.
00:01:46.94\00:01:49.77
What are some of the major
viewpoints on human nature,
00:01:49.77\00:01:52.94
and why is this
important for us to understand?
00:01:52.94\00:01:55.54
>>Of course, there
would be plenty of discussion
00:01:55.54\00:01:59.45
to this topic.
00:01:59.45\00:02:00.88
For instance, you
have ancient Egypt
00:02:00.88\00:02:03.95
and how they had a
kind of understanding,
00:02:03.95\00:02:06.82
and you remember that
the whole architecture
00:02:06.82\00:02:10.83
of Egypt is built
on how to survive that,
00:02:10.83\00:02:15.46
and the pyramids and so on.
00:02:15.46\00:02:17.70
And you have all
this, but closer to us,
00:02:17.70\00:02:21.67
I would like to
mention just three.
00:02:21.67\00:02:24.14
And one of those
is Greek philosophy,
00:02:24.14\00:02:29.21
and their
dualistic understanding
00:02:30.25\00:02:32.05
of reality and consequently
also of the human nature.
00:02:32.05\00:02:36.72
And I have three
books by Plato here,
00:02:36.72\00:02:40.16
just as an
example, as a illustration
00:02:40.16\00:02:42.29
because he has shaped much
00:02:42.29\00:02:43.93
of our traditional
Christian thinking.
00:02:43.93\00:02:47.86
And for them,
definitely for the,
00:02:47.86\00:02:52.17
I mean for Plato, quoting
00:02:52.17\00:02:55.84
or transcribing--even, to
a certain degree, Socrates--
00:02:55.84\00:03:00.78
the body, the
human body is the prison,
00:03:02.61\00:03:05.45
is the material
element of the human being,
00:03:05.45\00:03:08.58
and the prison of the soul.
00:03:08.58\00:03:11.02
So that would be considered
00:03:11.02\00:03:13.89
like the liberation of the soul,
wherever the soul would go,
00:03:13.89\00:03:18.76
either to hell, to
paradise--using our language
00:03:18.76\00:03:23.80
today-- and also they
had the intermediate state
00:03:24.87\00:03:27.50
similar to purgatory.
00:03:27.50\00:03:29.64
But this is the idea
where you have elements
00:03:29.64\00:03:33.51
of the human body,
whether the soul or spirit,
00:03:33.51\00:03:36.95
that survived death.
00:03:36.95\00:03:39.51
You have another
one that we call monism,
00:03:39.51\00:03:43.82
and that one,
from this perspective,
00:03:43.82\00:03:47.32
from this dealing with
human nature and reality, means
00:03:47.32\00:03:51.96
that human beings are just
00:03:51.96\00:03:54.93
a microcosmic expression
00:03:54.93\00:03:58.40
of the huge universal mind.
00:03:58.40\00:04:03.30
So in other words, we
would end up being expressions
00:04:03.30\00:04:07.34
or extensions of God,
00:04:07.34\00:04:09.74
so to say, or this human mind.
00:04:09.74\00:04:13.72
And this has become
more and more popular today
00:04:13.72\00:04:16.72
through some of the
Eastern philosophies
00:04:16.72\00:04:19.25
that are taking
ground in our society today.
00:04:19.25\00:04:24.03
Many books are in this area,
00:04:24.03\00:04:26.90
and especially
through the new age movement.
00:04:26.90\00:04:30.83
And the third
one, that I understand,
00:04:30.83\00:04:33.20
that the biblical point
of view is the wholistic one,
00:04:33.20\00:04:38.27
not with "H" at the
beginning, but with "W-H",
00:04:39.57\00:04:42.81
but I would prefer to
refer to it just as the biblical
00:04:42.81\00:04:45.85
point of view when we
are an integrated reality,
00:04:45.85\00:04:50.19
so there is nothing
that really can survive,
00:04:50.19\00:04:54.62
consciously, the
death of the person.
00:04:54.62\00:04:57.99
So we are the person
and not just the prisoner,
00:04:57.99\00:05:02.63
whatever you want to
say, of some kind of thing
00:05:02.63\00:05:06.50
that can survive that.
00:05:06.50\00:05:08.64
>>So we have a dualistic,
a monistic, if you will,
00:05:10.01\00:05:14.48
and also a biblical view.
00:05:15.28\00:05:17.18
How does the Bible
describe human nature?
00:05:17.18\00:05:20.95
What does that, in a nutshell,
what does that look like?
00:05:20.95\00:05:24.62
>>Actually, we have a
few key Bible passages.
00:05:25.72\00:05:30.29
Genesis 1, verses
26 and 27 explains
00:05:30.29\00:05:35.23
how human beings were created.
00:05:35.23\00:05:38.90
We are not just
monkeys, grown-up monkeys,
00:05:38.90\00:05:43.91
or some kind of primitive...
00:05:43.91\00:05:46.71
form of life
that really has been
00:05:49.08\00:05:53.68
developed into a more
sophisticated form of life.
00:05:53.68\00:05:57.52
What does the Bible say?
00:05:57.52\00:05:59.02
>>Yeah, let's
take a look at this.
00:05:59.02\00:06:00.32
And there's actually
some interesting verses
00:06:00.32\00:06:02.72
in verses 26 and 27
00:06:02.72\00:06:05.93
that talk a little bit about
this. I wanna jump to those.
00:06:05.93\00:06:08.06
Verse 26 says, "Then God said,
00:06:08.06\00:06:10.50
'Let us make man in our image,
according to our likeness;
00:06:10.50\00:06:15.57
let them have dominion
over the fish of the sea,
00:06:16.91\00:06:18.24
over the birds of
the air, over the cattle,
00:06:18.24\00:06:20.11
over all the earth
00:06:20.11\00:06:21.44
and every creeping thing
that creeps on the earth.'"
00:06:21.44\00:06:23.28
And then it says, "So God
created man in His own image,
00:06:23.28\00:06:27.18
in the image of
God He created him,
00:06:27.18\00:06:29.52
male and female
He created them."
00:06:29.52\00:06:33.46
So, it looks here like
God created us in His image.
00:06:33.46\00:06:37.53
But what does that mean
to be created in God's image?
00:06:37.53\00:06:41.33
Does that--I mean, human beings,
00:06:41.33\00:06:43.20
we all look, well, different.
00:06:43.20\00:06:45.20
Most of us have two eyes
and two ears and two arms
00:06:45.20\00:06:47.60
and two legs, but
we look different.
00:06:47.60\00:06:50.17
How are we
created in God's image?
00:06:50.17\00:06:52.74
>>Some people believe
that that image of God
00:06:53.88\00:06:58.25
in the human
being is just the will,
00:06:58.25\00:07:01.52
but this is not the case.
00:07:02.55\00:07:03.92
The original, the
passage in the original language
00:07:03.92\00:07:08.66
actually does not mention
only this kind of the will,
00:07:08.66\00:07:12.83
or our whatever
you want to add to it.
00:07:12.83\00:07:15.93
But also the likeness,
00:07:15.93\00:07:17.90
it has a physical
element to it as well.
00:07:17.90\00:07:22.24
So we resemble God
in the sense of being
00:07:22.24\00:07:27.01
created in His
image and likeness.
00:07:27.01\00:07:30.98
But this is something I
like very much, a theologian
00:07:30.98\00:07:33.52
that says the following:
00:07:33.52\00:07:35.45
"I can say that a picture
that I take from a sunset
00:07:37.32\00:07:41.86
resembles the
sunset, but I cannot say
00:07:41.86\00:07:46.43
that a sunset is
similar to my picture
00:07:46.43\00:07:50.17
because then I
would be really narrowing
00:07:50.17\00:07:53.64
the majestic view of the sky,
00:07:53.64\00:07:58.44
of nature, to a piece of paper."
00:07:58.44\00:08:01.71
So that does not work.
00:08:01.71\00:08:03.21
So we are created to
God's image and likeness,
00:08:03.21\00:08:06.21
but He is not our likeness.
00:08:06.21\00:08:09.65
But a crucial passage
that we have later on,
00:08:09.65\00:08:12.22
and if you want to read it,
00:08:12.22\00:08:13.89
and this is in the second
chapter of Genesis, verse 7.
00:08:13.89\00:08:18.63
>>Genesis, chapter
2, verse 7 says this:
00:08:18.63\00:08:21.60
"And the Lord God formed
man of the dust of the ground,
00:08:21.60\00:08:25.20
and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life;
00:08:25.20\00:08:28.60
and man became a living being."
00:08:28.60\00:08:31.61
Now, I'm reading here
from the New King James.
00:08:31.61\00:08:33.58
The King James says that
man became "a living soul."
00:08:33.58\00:08:35.88
And sometimes that causes a
little bit of confusion there,
00:08:35.88\00:08:39.65
but this is a description
of how God formed mankind.
00:08:39.65\00:08:44.72
Why is this
important to understand
00:08:45.72\00:08:48.19
in the concept of what we're
studying overall this quarter?
00:08:48.19\00:08:51.56
>>Actually even
the animals were...
00:08:52.86\00:08:55.96
also created from the ground.
00:08:56.90\00:08:59.70
This is what the
Bible record says.
00:08:59.70\00:09:02.97
But in regard
to the human being,
00:09:02.97\00:09:06.04
there was a special work
00:09:06.04\00:09:08.21
that God
performed, shaping the ground
00:09:08.21\00:09:12.31
into the figure
of a human being,
00:09:12.31\00:09:16.65
and then came--and God breath,
00:09:16.65\00:09:21.09
the "ruach," His Spirit,
00:09:21.09\00:09:23.73
and it became
really a human being
00:09:23.73\00:09:28.66
or a human soul.
00:09:28.66\00:09:31.00
So it does not mean--if
we would take the translation
00:09:31.00\00:09:34.04
of "soul" there, it does
not mean that we have a soul.
00:09:34.04\00:09:38.31
We are the soul, as such.
00:09:38.31\00:09:41.58
So you have that kind of
concept that is integrated
00:09:41.58\00:09:45.81
and not something that
you can say, "Well, now,
00:09:45.81\00:09:50.89
you have one portion that dies;
00:09:51.69\00:09:53.56
the other one survives that."
00:09:53.56\00:09:55.32
No, it's a whole
package, as such;
00:09:55.32\00:09:58.39
we can only survive
as a whole, consciously.
00:09:58.39\00:10:03.43
>>So, we don't have
souls; we are souls.
00:10:04.57\00:10:08.00
In other words,
you're a soul; I'm a soul;
00:10:08.00\00:10:11.04
everyone watching
and listening is a soul.
00:10:11.04\00:10:14.14
We don't have them;
we don't possess them;
00:10:14.14\00:10:16.61
we are them. Is that right?
00:10:16.61\00:10:18.18
>>Yes, definitely so.
00:10:18.18\00:10:19.85
>>All right, so we are souls,
00:10:19.85\00:10:21.35
and we're created
in the image of God.
00:10:21.35\00:10:24.42
It's interesting to
take a look at the way
00:10:24.42\00:10:27.89
God created us, because
really He took His time.
00:10:27.89\00:10:32.96
I mean, He spoke a lot of
other things into existence,
00:10:34.40\00:10:36.36
but for men, for humanity.
00:10:36.36\00:10:40.37
He got down in the dust,
00:10:40.37\00:10:42.67
in the mud, and He got
His hands dirty, as it were.
00:10:42.67\00:10:46.51
It seems to
indicate that He cared
00:10:46.51\00:10:48.04
about this
specific order of creation.
00:10:48.04\00:10:52.95
>>Yes, and it's
interesting that if you go back
00:10:52.95\00:10:55.45
to Genesis, chapter 1,
00:10:55.45\00:10:58.62
verses 26 and 27, you will see
00:10:58.62\00:11:01.79
that the image of
God is not only man,
00:11:01.79\00:11:06.59
but male and female
were created as His image.
00:11:07.66\00:11:12.43
So we cannot just say
that one sex is, (laughs)
00:11:13.77\00:11:17.61
is God's image, and the other
one is just a following-up.
00:11:18.97\00:11:21.31
No, the Bible is
very clear about this.
00:11:21.31\00:11:24.65
>>So powerful
that He took His time
00:11:24.65\00:11:27.02
and made them just the
way that He wanted them,
00:11:27.02\00:11:30.25
and by extension, He made us
just the way that He wants us.
00:11:30.25\00:11:33.92
Now, of course,
we've been dealing with sin
00:11:33.92\00:11:35.59
for 6,000-plus years.
00:11:35.59\00:11:37.76
Maybe we're not quite
what He originally intended,
00:11:37.76\00:11:40.80
but certainly the
image is still there.
00:11:40.80\00:11:44.13
And we're looking at
this subject of human nature
00:11:44.13\00:11:46.57
and where we are in
the grand scheme of things;
00:11:46.57\00:11:50.17
that image is still
here in each one of us.
00:11:50.17\00:11:53.61
It's here in me,
it's here in you,
00:11:53.61\00:11:56.71
and God loves you infinitely,
00:11:56.71\00:12:00.68
and that's,
again, one of the reasons
00:12:00.68\00:12:02.05
why we're studying that
in this particular quarter,
00:12:02.05\00:12:04.89
so that we can get
a better understanding
00:12:04.89\00:12:06.55
of God's love for us
and for His plan that He has
00:12:06.55\00:12:10.33
for each and every one of
us. There is indeed a hope,
00:12:10.33\00:12:13.09
a future hope, in addition
to the hope that we have today.
00:12:13.09\00:12:17.70
And I wanna encourage you,
00:12:17.70\00:12:19.03
if you wanna dig into
this subject more deeply,
00:12:19.03\00:12:21.97
if you wanna really
understand it better
00:12:21.97\00:12:25.41
or help someone
else understand it,
00:12:26.47\00:12:28.61
make sure you read
the study guide yourself.
00:12:28.61\00:12:31.35
Make sure you keep
watching week by week
00:12:31.35\00:12:33.28
as we unpack it here.
00:12:33.28\00:12:34.65
But also make sure you
stop at the It Is Written shop
00:12:34.65\00:12:37.89
and get a copy of
the companion book
00:12:37.89\00:12:39.72
to this quarter's study.
00:12:39.72\00:12:41.42
It's called "On Death,
Dying, and the Future Hope."
00:12:41.42\00:12:44.56
The author is Dr. Alberto Timm.
00:12:44.56\00:12:47.50
And you can find
that at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:47.50\00:12:51.13
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:12:51.13\00:12:53.90
In this companion
book, you're going to find
00:12:53.90\00:12:56.47
additional
information, expounded ideas
00:12:56.47\00:13:00.31
to really pull things together
00:13:00.31\00:13:01.98
that during the course
of our 30-minute program
00:13:01.98\00:13:04.68
we don't have time
to completely unpack,
00:13:04.68\00:13:06.65
and the lesson,
due to its length,
00:13:06.65\00:13:08.55
we didn't have time to
completely unpack either.
00:13:08.55\00:13:11.29
But you'll get a great blessing
00:13:11.29\00:13:13.15
if you stop by itiswritten.shop
00:13:13.15\00:13:15.29
and pick up the companion book.
00:13:15.29\00:13:17.03
We're going to be back
in just a minute or two
00:13:17.03\00:13:19.16
as we continue our study of
"Understanding Human Nature."
00:13:19.16\00:13:23.23
We'll see you in just a moment.
00:13:23.23\00:13:24.63
(inspirational theme music)
00:13:24.63\00:13:27.04
>>[John Bradshaw]
Thank you for remembering
00:13:29.34\00:13:30.71
that It Is Written
exists because of the kindness
00:13:30.71\00:13:33.04
of people just like you.
00:13:33.04\00:13:34.88
To support this international
life changing ministry,
00:13:34.88\00:13:38.11
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:13:38.11\00:13:42.32
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:13:42.32\00:13:43.89
to the address on your
screen, or you can visit us
00:13:43.89\00:13:46.09
online at itiswritten.com.
00:13:46.09\00:13:49.16
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:13:49.16\00:13:51.99
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:13:51.99\00:13:56.20
Or you could visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:13:56.20\00:13:59.30
More and more people are
watching It Is Written TV.
00:14:01.74\00:14:04.91
They're watching their
favorite It Is Written programs,
00:14:06.17\00:14:08.81
listening to inspiring
sermon series, and much more.
00:14:08.81\00:14:13.15
They're watching them
here, here, and even here.
00:14:13.15\00:14:17.09
See for yourself why people
are turning to It Is Written TV
00:14:17.09\00:14:20.69
to watch their
favorite Christian programs
00:14:20.69\00:14:22.72
live and on demand.
00:14:22.72\00:14:24.76
Watch It Is Written TV
for free anytime on Roku,
00:14:24.76\00:14:28.10
Apple TV, and at itiswritten.tv.
00:14:28.10\00:14:31.17
(upbeat,
inspirational theme music)
00:14:32.97\00:14:36.27
>>[Eric] Welcome back,
we're continuing our study
00:14:37.61\00:14:39.44
here on the human nature.
00:14:39.44\00:14:41.64
What is human
nature, and how does it weave
00:14:41.64\00:14:44.55
into what we're looking at?
00:14:44.55\00:14:46.65
Alberto, I'm gonna
read a passage here to you,
00:14:46.65\00:14:49.15
a couple of passages,
and it ties in together,
00:14:49.15\00:14:52.19
they tie in together with
what we were just looking at
00:14:52.19\00:14:55.89
a moment ago. I'm
gonna read Ezekiel,
00:14:55.89\00:14:58.09
chapter 18, verses 4 and 20.
00:14:58.09\00:15:02.63
Here's what they say.
Ezekiel 18, verse 4 says,
00:15:02.63\00:15:05.27
"Behold, all souls are
mine; the soul of the father
00:15:05.27\00:15:09.04
as well as the
soul of the son is mine;
00:15:09.04\00:15:11.61
the soul who sins shall die."
00:15:11.61\00:15:14.91
Then verse 20 says
something very similar.
00:15:14.91\00:15:17.18
It says, "The soul
who sins shall die.
00:15:17.18\00:15:20.92
The son shall not bear
the guilt of the father,
00:15:20.92\00:15:23.02
nor the father bear
the guilt of the son.
00:15:23.02\00:15:25.19
The righteousness of the
righteous shall be upon himself,
00:15:25.19\00:15:27.86
and the wickedness of the
wicked shall be upon himself."
00:15:27.86\00:15:30.46
So here in both of
these verses, it says,
00:15:30.46\00:15:32.19
"The soul who sins shall die."
00:15:32.19\00:15:36.90
So again, what is this soul
00:15:36.90\00:15:38.57
and what's its significance
to what we're looking at today?
00:15:38.57\00:15:41.60
>>Actually, these
passages are very powerful,
00:15:41.60\00:15:45.27
because it really
kills the notion that a soul
00:15:45.27\00:15:49.51
is immortal by itself by nature.
00:15:49.51\00:15:52.71
Some people say that we
are not souls, we have a soul,
00:15:52.71\00:15:56.85
and when our body
dies, our soul survives,
00:15:56.85\00:16:01.29
either in
heaven or in purgatory,
00:16:01.29\00:16:04.66
or in hell,
actually, but here says that
00:16:04.66\00:16:08.36
once somebody dies, the
soul or the human being dies.
00:16:08.36\00:16:13.37
So there is no
surviving soul that we could say
00:16:13.37\00:16:17.24
that would appear here or there.
00:16:17.24\00:16:19.71
This is a crucial
passage for one reason
00:16:19.71\00:16:22.48
because you have
this kind of personations,
00:16:22.48\00:16:25.85
or whatever you want
to call, where sometimes
00:16:25.85\00:16:29.62
somebody deceased
appears to a living one.
00:16:29.62\00:16:33.36
From the biblical perspective,
00:16:34.36\00:16:35.89
I understand that this can
be either a illusion itself
00:16:35.89\00:16:40.60
or satanic,
00:16:40.60\00:16:44.47
some kind of
personation so that--
00:16:45.43\00:16:48.80
but not is something that
would be grounded in the Bible.
00:16:48.80\00:16:52.34
There is no communication
between those who are
00:16:52.34\00:16:56.01
still on the grave and
those who are still alive.
00:16:56.01\00:17:01.08
>>And there are a number
of verses in the Bible, really
00:17:02.48\00:17:05.52
throughout the entire Bible,
that make that pretty plain.
00:17:05.52\00:17:08.66
But sometimes
people will take issue
00:17:08.66\00:17:11.03
with some of those verses.
00:17:11.03\00:17:12.39
We're gonna take a look at a
few of those verses right now.
00:17:12.39\00:17:14.96
I wanna start in the
book of Ecclesiastes,
00:17:14.96\00:17:17.17
Ecclesiastes,
chapter 12 and verse 7.
00:17:17.17\00:17:21.57
And again, these verses
seem to be pretty plain,
00:17:21.57\00:17:24.31
pretty straightforward,
but that doesn't stop
00:17:24.31\00:17:27.21
some people from
taking issue with them
00:17:27.21\00:17:29.54
and calling them
invalid, if you will.
00:17:29.54\00:17:31.95
But let's look at 'em.
Ecclesiastes 12, verse 7 says,
00:17:31.95\00:17:36.12
"Then the dust will
return to the earth as it was,
00:17:36.12\00:17:40.39
and the spirit will
return to God who gave it."
00:17:40.39\00:17:42.92
Let's pause and
pull that one apart
00:17:42.92\00:17:44.89
just a little bit, Alberto.
00:17:44.89\00:17:46.76
Some people might
look at that and say,
00:17:46.76\00:17:48.00
"Well, the spirit that
returns 'to God who gave it,'
00:17:48.00\00:17:50.20
that must be some
sort of conscious entity,
00:17:50.20\00:17:52.87
a soul or something like that."
00:17:52.87\00:17:55.74
But that's not what
that's saying, is it?
00:17:56.84\00:17:59.04
>>Well, actually this is
the reversal of Genesis 2:7
00:17:59.04\00:18:04.11
because Genesis 2:7 speaks that
00:18:04.91\00:18:07.25
there was the human
body, and it was not alive
00:18:07.25\00:18:12.32
till God created the spirit of--
00:18:13.12\00:18:15.39
I mean God sent the
spirit or soul--in other words,
00:18:15.39\00:18:19.33
the principle of life came,
00:18:19.33\00:18:22.70
and that brought a person alive.
00:18:22.70\00:18:25.77
And now it come; it goes
back. When it dies, this life,
00:18:25.77\00:18:30.84
this principle of
life stops flowing.
00:18:31.94\00:18:34.74
We cannot explain how
it comes, how it does.
00:18:34.74\00:18:37.65
We know that our
life is dependent on God.
00:18:37.65\00:18:41.32
It's not a extension of God
00:18:41.32\00:18:44.02
because otherwise
we would become divine.
00:18:44.02\00:18:47.12
But He provides us our
life, and our life is dependent
00:18:47.12\00:18:51.39
on His creative
sustaining power.
00:18:51.39\00:18:54.30
This is--what it says
here is that it just stopped.
00:18:54.30\00:18:58.83
Life is gone,
00:18:58.83\00:19:01.40
but does not mean that
this not being alive means
00:19:01.40\00:19:06.04
that now your spirit becomes,
00:19:06.04\00:19:09.04
starts to abide
in a, without a body,
00:19:10.18\00:19:13.78
some kind in, close to God.
00:19:13.78\00:19:18.19
>>Right, and
there's a few other verses
00:19:18.19\00:19:20.32
that are also worth
our time looking at.
00:19:20.32\00:19:23.16
And one of them,
another one, is still here
00:19:23.16\00:19:24.79
in the book of Ecclesiastes.
00:19:24.79\00:19:26.80
These verses
are Ecclesiastes 9--
00:19:26.80\00:19:29.46
we'll look at verses 5, 6,
and 10. Verse number 5 says,
00:19:29.46\00:19:33.87
"For the living
know that they will die,
00:19:33.87\00:19:36.60
but the dead know nothing,
and they have no more reward,
00:19:36.60\00:19:40.41
for the memory of them is
forgotten. Also their love,
00:19:40.41\00:19:43.65
their hatred, and
their envy have now perished.
00:19:43.65\00:19:46.72
Nevermore will they have a share
00:19:46.72\00:19:48.72
in anything done under the sun."
00:19:48.72\00:19:51.12
Then verse 10 says,
"Whatever your hand finds to do,
00:19:51.12\00:19:54.72
do it with your
might; for there is no work
00:19:54.72\00:19:57.69
or device or knowledge or wisdom
00:19:57.69\00:20:00.96
in the grave
where you are going."
00:20:00.96\00:20:04.13
I wanna get a couple more
verses here and then, Alberto,
00:20:04.13\00:20:06.60
I'm gonna invite
you to weigh in on these
00:20:06.60\00:20:08.80
and tie some
things together here.
00:20:08.80\00:20:11.21
Psalm 115, Psalm 115,
00:20:11.21\00:20:14.74
verse number 17 says this:
00:20:14.74\00:20:18.38
"The dead do
not praise the Lord,
00:20:18.38\00:20:21.28
nor any who go
down into silence."
00:20:21.28\00:20:26.29
And finally, Psalm 146,
verse number 4, which says,
00:20:26.29\00:20:31.16
speaking of a person who
dies, "His spirit departs,
00:20:31.16\00:20:34.63
He returns to his earth;
in that very day his plans"--
00:20:34.63\00:20:39.60
or the King James says,
"his thoughts"--"perish."
00:20:41.07\00:20:43.20
Now, all of those verses
seem pretty straightforward,
00:20:43.20\00:20:47.14
pretty cut and dry,
easy enough to understand.
00:20:47.14\00:20:51.91
Why do some people still
have problems understanding this
00:20:51.91\00:20:55.28
pretty simple
concept from the Bible?
00:20:55.28\00:20:58.32
>>Well, I think that these
passages are not ambiguous;
00:20:58.32\00:21:02.42
they are very clear. But
one of the main arguments
00:21:02.42\00:21:05.99
raised against these passage
00:21:05.99\00:21:08.06
is that they are
from poetic books.
00:21:08.06\00:21:12.93
So, you cannot build doctrines
based on the poetic books
00:21:12.93\00:21:18.01
or poetic language, so to say.
00:21:18.81\00:21:21.64
Well, of course we
know, that poetry can be
00:21:21.64\00:21:25.35
sometimes ambiguous,
and you say something
00:21:25.35\00:21:29.95
that's not so clear.
But at the same time,
00:21:29.95\00:21:33.56
I would say, if
poetry does not count,
00:21:33.56\00:21:37.46
why then it was
recorded in the Bible?
00:21:37.46\00:21:41.16
So I should really
take all the poetic books
00:21:41.16\00:21:44.40
out of the Bible. And
you have even poetic language
00:21:44.40\00:21:48.67
even in the book of Revelation,
00:21:48.67\00:21:50.84
so the hymns of
Revelation does not count;
00:21:50.84\00:21:54.61
then there is no reason for us
00:21:54.61\00:21:56.18
even to sing to
God this kind of--
00:21:56.18\00:21:59.18
and remember, and in this case,
00:21:59.18\00:22:01.38
we would even
have to erase Psalm 23,
00:22:01.38\00:22:05.19
who is so
precious to many of us,
00:22:05.19\00:22:07.42
or 46 or 91.
00:22:07.42\00:22:10.99
Many people find,
really, hope and encouragement
00:22:10.99\00:22:14.30
in times of
trouble with those psalms.
00:22:14.30\00:22:17.07
And I don't know, but
one author even stated
00:22:17.07\00:22:21.80
that the book of Psalms
00:22:21.80\00:22:24.64
is the favorite book of Jesus
00:22:24.64\00:22:27.14
because He quotes sometimes--I'm
not saying exactly
00:22:27.14\00:22:30.21
that that is the case,
but at least, the point is,
00:22:30.21\00:22:34.62
is the language used in
the Psalms or the language,
00:22:34.62\00:22:38.99
the poetic language,
that you just mentioned,
00:22:38.99\00:22:41.62
is it in harmony
00:22:41.62\00:22:44.56
with the rest of the Scriptures?
00:22:44.56\00:22:48.36
This kind of
expressions, poetic expressions,
00:22:48.36\00:22:52.13
they are in agreement with
the rest of the Scriptures.
00:22:52.13\00:22:55.40
And I believe so
00:22:55.40\00:22:56.81
because the Bible hope
00:22:56.81\00:23:00.81
in the Old Testament
and the Christian hope
00:23:00.81\00:23:03.08
in the New
Testament never puts the hope
00:23:03.08\00:23:06.08
in the natural
immortality of the soul,
00:23:06.08\00:23:09.58
is always on the
resurrection of the body.
00:23:09.58\00:23:13.99
So in this sense, the
resurrection makes only sense
00:23:13.99\00:23:17.96
if the person is
still unconscious.
00:23:17.96\00:23:22.63
If the person would be
already in his or her reward,
00:23:22.63\00:23:27.00
whether in heaven or in hell,
00:23:27.00\00:23:30.17
there is no need for
the resurrection of a body
00:23:30.17\00:23:33.84
that is completely
decomposed, is not even,
00:23:33.84\00:23:37.85
does no longer exist if it
was completely destroyed by fire
00:23:37.85\00:23:42.75
or whatever is the case.
00:23:42.75\00:23:44.99
And you could even
ask something else.
00:23:44.99\00:23:47.62
But why? How can
God raise somebody
00:23:47.62\00:23:51.73
from the non-existence
back into existence?
00:23:51.73\00:23:56.40
I dunno if you
ever thought about this.
00:23:56.40\00:23:59.20
We don't care, we have
no way to explain everything
00:23:59.20\00:24:02.00
that we would like to
00:24:02.00\00:24:04.64
because the
Bible provides answers
00:24:04.64\00:24:08.41
to what is
important for our salvation,
00:24:08.41\00:24:11.88
but one thing you might
be sure: that the same God
00:24:11.88\00:24:16.85
that brought life
originally into existence,
00:24:16.85\00:24:21.19
from the non-life
into life and existence,
00:24:21.19\00:24:26.03
has the power to
bring life back again
00:24:26.03\00:24:29.93
in our bodies and to,
00:24:29.93\00:24:33.23
to fulfill His promise...
00:24:33.23\00:24:37.14
how it will happen,
00:24:37.14\00:24:39.01
how the resurrection takes place
00:24:39.01\00:24:41.51
and brings us back
to our own identity.
00:24:41.51\00:24:45.75
So, Eric, that you
are Eric, and I am Alberto
00:24:45.75\00:24:49.52
or so, and you that
are listening to us,
00:24:49.52\00:24:52.32
this is something
that only God can explain,
00:24:52.32\00:24:54.82
but we know that
this is the case.
00:24:54.82\00:24:57.86
>>Alberto, let me ask
you one other question here
00:24:57.86\00:24:59.86
as we're kind of drawing to
a close in this week's lesson.
00:24:59.86\00:25:02.70
The Bible talks in several
places about so-and-so resting
00:25:02.70\00:25:07.44
with their
fathers, dying, as it were,
00:25:07.44\00:25:10.51
but it uses this language of
"resting with their fathers."
00:25:10.51\00:25:13.61
What can we learn
about human nature,
00:25:13.61\00:25:16.61
righteous and wicked, from
these passages in Scripture?
00:25:16.61\00:25:20.72
>>Well, some people
would use these passages
00:25:20.72\00:25:23.39
to say that now they are
in a gathering somewhere,
00:25:23.39\00:25:27.42
where the person dies and
has a gathering in paradise
00:25:27.42\00:25:31.86
with the family,
with the relatives
00:25:31.86\00:25:33.83
that already passed away.
00:25:33.83\00:25:36.13
But this is not the meaning
of the passage, actually,
00:25:36.13\00:25:39.80
and one of the simple reasons is
00:25:39.80\00:25:41.97
if you read the records
00:25:41.97\00:25:46.57
of the Hebrew kings
00:25:46.57\00:25:49.41
in the books of
Chronicles and Kings,
00:25:49.41\00:25:52.71
you will see that this
language is used not only
00:25:52.71\00:25:55.45
for the good kings
but even to the bad ones.
00:25:55.45\00:26:00.56
In this case, you
would need to admit
00:26:01.66\00:26:04.19
if the person would be
going to a special place
00:26:04.19\00:26:07.83
of a family gathering,
00:26:07.83\00:26:09.76
that even the bad kings
were taken to that same place.
00:26:09.76\00:26:13.70
They're together; the bad and
the good had to live together
00:26:13.70\00:26:17.31
in a place; this
does not make sense.
00:26:17.31\00:26:19.74
It just means that the
king, or the person, rested
00:26:19.74\00:26:24.75
after his or her
lifetime and is there.
00:26:24.75\00:26:29.82
And this idea of
belonging to the land
00:26:30.85\00:26:33.96
where I was born, to my family,
00:26:33.96\00:26:38.23
is something very meaningful
00:26:38.23\00:26:39.86
in biblical language
and in the Middle East.
00:26:39.86\00:26:42.83
So in this sense it
means just to be close to them,
00:26:42.83\00:26:46.97
even in that unconscious way.
00:26:46.97\00:26:49.64
>>So one day, if
Jesus doesn't come back,
00:26:50.94\00:26:53.54
you and I are going to get to
experience the very same rest.
00:26:53.54\00:26:56.95
Now, our hope is that we
will get to live long enough
00:26:56.95\00:26:59.71
to see Jesus come in the clouds
00:26:59.71\00:27:01.32
and we won't have
to experience death.
00:27:01.32\00:27:03.05
We can be, as we call it,
00:27:03.05\00:27:05.19
"translated," taken
alive to meet Jesus in the air.
00:27:05.19\00:27:09.62
That's our hope and our prayer.
00:27:09.62\00:27:11.69
But right now He
hasn't come back yet.
00:27:11.69\00:27:14.40
And so we can look
forward to that day,
00:27:14.40\00:27:17.60
and that's one of the
reasons that we're spending
00:27:17.60\00:27:19.30
some time this
quarter studying this subject
00:27:19.30\00:27:22.17
so that we can look forward
with greater anticipation
00:27:22.17\00:27:25.51
to that great hope
and the glorious appearing
00:27:25.51\00:27:28.51
of Jesus Christ, which
isn't too terribly far away.
00:27:28.51\00:27:32.55
We're gonna be back again next
week with lesson number four
00:27:32.55\00:27:35.68
as we continue our
journey through "Death, Dying,
00:27:35.68\00:27:38.65
and the Future Hope."
00:27:38.65\00:27:40.59
And our hope is that
you're going to be with us
00:27:40.59\00:27:43.36
again next week.
Alberto will be here.
00:27:43.36\00:27:46.13
I will be here, and we
trust that you will as well.
00:27:46.13\00:27:48.30
God bless you, and
we'll see you next time.
00:27:48.30\00:27:50.53
(upbeat,
inspirational theme music)
00:27:50.53\00:27:54.60
(music ends)
00:28:24.87\00:28:27.20