The Book Of Ecclesiastes Pt. 37 What Happens When We Die?

The wise man who wrote Ecclesiastes is King Solomon. 

He is writing to underscore the futility of living your life without knowing God. He is going to reflect upon death viewed from the same perspective.

Death happens to the righteous and the wicked.

Ecclesiastes 9:2-3  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. 3)  This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Solomon observed that those who fear God and live by faith often suffer undue hardship, while wicked sinners seem to prosper. 

This observation led him to conclude that, even though their lives are quite different, all men will share one thing in common. Death.

A good and righteous man who is clean before God, will experience death. Even though he (or she) fears God and fulfills all obligations to others, he will ultimately die. 

Every wicked sinner, whose heart is full of evil, will also experience death. A sinner is unclean before God and his (or her) heart is filled with madness, seeking to satisfy all the lust of the flesh. The wicked man or woman will die.  

Let us number our blessings and praise God for His goodness!

Psalm 139:17-18  How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! 18)  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

The idea that "All things come alike to all"  is generally true. 

However, God often makes a difference in the lives of His faithful followers. As we go through life we will experience Divine Providence operating on our behalf. 

This is why I strongly suggest that each Christian begin a journal as soon as possible. A journal is where we make note of what God is teaching us from His Word. 

A journal is where we note our prayers and answers to prayers. It is where we note how God is changing us, and how He is changing other Christians that we know. 

A journal is where we note things that happen in our lives, that cannot be explained in any other manner, except to say "God did that!"

I often marvel at what God has done with this simple, Bible study blog. He has sent it to more than 140 nations around the world. This is all of God and I can only say "God did this!"

God does give general blessings upon both the righteous people and the wicked sinners, such as sending sunshine, rain, and times of harvest. 

"And after that they go to the dead." Death is solemn and final. Death ends this life on earth we have known. However, what comes after death for the righteous and the wicked, are diametrically opposed.

Hebrews 9:27-28  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28)  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. 

Hear the writer of Hebrews speak. It is the destiny of every man, woman or child, to die. Our experience with death is due to Adam's original sin. Death is the wages for our sins (See Romans 6:23). 

All people are born as sinners.

Romans 3:10-12  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11)  There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12)  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 

All people sin. All people fall short of God's holy standard. All people are naturally self centered and concerned with satisfying their own wants and needs. No one is seeking after God. No one does good and there is no fear of God before their eyes.

This is a grim reality about the human condition. We are born as sinners who are tainted by Adam's sin. As we grow, we personally commit sins against God. 

This is why the world is in such terrible condition today. Greed, depravity, and rebellion against God seems to be the norm, rather than the exception. 

All life comes from God and our soul belongs to Him.

Ezekiel 18:4  Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

All life comes from God and belongs to Him. Our soul is that inner man, composed of thoughts, emotions, temperament, and various abilities, came from God. 

When we die, that soul returns to God because He gave it and it belongs to Him (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Ezekiel 18:20  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Each soul that sins will die. Each person will face judgment for sins they have committed. 

This means that all people will stand before God to be judged for their sins, and sentenced to eternal condemnation. This is the unrepentant person.

The wages of sin is death, but God's gift is eternal life.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

However, God sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins. This is why we must get the gospel out into the world. The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation. 

While Paul writes that "the wages of sin is death" he goes on to tell us that "the gift of God is eternal life through in Jesus Christ, our Lord." 

Do not miss this. God knows all things, and He knew that Adam would sin and that the human race would be plunged into sin. 

Therefore, God provided a way of salvation, beginning right after the fall (See Genesis 3:1-24). 

God planned for mankind's redemption, before the world was created, and before sin entered the world!

Let this truth sink into your soul. The cross is not some afterthought, or a reaction of God to plans gone awry. 

The cross is the centerpiece of God's plan for salvation of every person who repents of sin, and turns of Jesus Christ in faith. 

Jesus Christ is God's Lamb, slain before the world was created.

1 Peter 1:18-23  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19)  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20)  Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21)  Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22)  Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23)  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 

Peter declares the glorious truth that the precious blood of Jesus Christ is the eternal payment for sin. He is God's perfect Lamb, who was slain before the world was made. 

That is, the Godhead made a determination that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would humble Himself and become a man (See Acts 2:22-24). 

This was God's decision and redemption through the cross of Christ, and was settled before the world was made. 

Jesus would live a perfect life and perfectly satisfy God's holy standard (See Hebrews 10:1-10). 

Jesus would voluntarily die on a cross in our place, taking all of our condemnation, transgressions, and the wages of our sins, upon Himself (See Colossians 1:12-14; 2:6-15). 

Revelation 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

Please do not loose sight of this wonderful truth. God has provided a means for man to be right with Him in every generation. 

Therefore, share the glorious gospel of Christ!

Romans 1:16-17  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 17)  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

What is the means of salvation? Faith! Faith is always the basis for salvation.  

The just, or those who are right with God, shall live by faith (See Hebrews 10:38; Habakkuk 2:4). 

Faith runs throughout the Bible. Adam and Eve were clothed with the skins of an innocent animal that died in their place, so that they could still have fellowship with God. Of course, that fellowship was not the same as they experienced before the fall. 

In every generation since Adam, God has told people what they must do to be saved from their sins. An innocent sacrifice must be offered, that meets God's standards. It's blood must be shed to provide a covering for sin. 

Faith is taking God at His Word. Faith is believing what He says to us and then responding. 

If God told us to slay a certain animal, in certain place, in a certain manner, then faith means that is what we would do. We would trust that God would cleanse us as He promised.

The good news of the gospel is that no more sacrifices are required. Each animal slain in the Old Testament, pointed toward Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. 

God commands all people everywhere to repent and turn to Christ!

Acts 17:30-31  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31)  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. 

This is why we must preach, teach and share the gospel of Christ. God commands every person today, to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. 

Jesus will judge the world (See John 5:19-29). A believer in Christ no longer is under any condemnation (See Romans 8). The wicked sinner, will face God's wrath as soon as death claims him (or her).

Thoughts to Ponder...

Death is an unpleasant reality of human life. We will all die. This fate cannot be stopped or changed.

However, the Christian sees death quite differently than an unbeliever. The Christian trust what God says in His Word. 

When death claims us, we are absent from our physical body, but are immediately in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

A Christian trusts the atoning work of Jesus Christ, and knows that he or she will be welcomed home with Christ. 

An unbeliever fights against death. He does all things in his power to avoid death and to prolong life. Yet, when he dies, he discovers that it is appointed unto man to die and then the judgment.

Your chance to receive the gift of eternal life is in this life. When you die, it is too late to hear and heed the gospel.

How do you view death? 

Are you troubled, afraid and upset about it? 

Are you calm and resting in the promises of God?

I pray that if anyone is reading this blog and knows he or she is not born again, that this will be the moment of their salvation. 

Hear what God says to us. Faith is taking God at His Word. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and He will save you. 

Bob

John 3:16-18  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18)  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.