The Legend of Samarra Alan Seeger “I Have a Rendezvous with Death” John 11:1-3, 5 “Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. John 11:1-3, 5 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, ‘Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.’ . . . Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” v 3 —“The one You love is sick.” “The one You love is sick.” John 11:6 “So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.” Desire of Ages “God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose they are fulfilling.” (224) Desire of Ages “To all who are reaching out to feel the guiding hand of God, the moment of greatest discouragement is the time when divine help is nearest. They will look back with thankfulness upon the darkest part (528) of their way.” John 11:11-12 “And after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’” John 11:13, 14 “However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’” v 11-14—“Lazarus is sleeping . . . Lazarus is dead.” A Soul Can Die Ezekiel 18:20—“The soul [nephesh] who sins shall die.” A Soul Can Die Numbers 23:10—“‘Let me [napheshi—“my soul”] die the death of the righteous, and let my end by like his!” A Soul Can Die Numbers 35:30—“Whoever kills a person [nephesh—“a soul”] shall be put to death.” The Bible declares that the soul can die. 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16 “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. . . . 1 Timothy 1:17; 6:15-16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power.” Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [soul–nephesh].” Boards + Nails = Box “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” DUST + BREATH = SOUL It simply ceases to exist. Ecclesiastes 12:7 “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Job 27:3 “As long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God in my nostrils.” When a man or a woman dies, the body turns back to dust and the breath of life returns to God who gave it in the first place. “Lazarus is asleep—he is dead.” Luke 16:19-24 “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, Luke 16:19-24 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. Luke 16:19-24 The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Luke 16:19-24 Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’” Dilemmas #1—Heaven is Abraham’s bosom. Dilemmas #1—Heaven is Abraham’s bosom. #2—Heaven and hell are within shouting distance. Dilemmas #1—Heaven is Abraham’s bosom. #2—Heaven and hell are within shouting distance. #3—Relief in hell is a single drop of water. Luke 16:25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.’” Luke 16:31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’” “Lazarus is asleep—he is dead.” Luke 23:39-43 “Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, ‘If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.’ But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, Luke 23:39-43 seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.‘ Luke 23:39-43 Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’” John 20:15-17 “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, ‘Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ John 20:15-17 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him, ‘Rabboni!’ (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, John 20:15-17 “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.”’” assuredlyIsaytoyouto dayyouwillbewithmein paradise Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise. Assuredly I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise. Woman, without her, man is a beast! Woman, without her man, is a beast! “Assuredly I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.” “In the dialogue [on the day of his execution] Socrates repeatedly declares death to be ‘the separation of the soul from the body’ in which it is encased. . . . ‘The soul whose inseparable attribute is life, will never admit of life’s opposite, death. Thus the soul is shown to be immortal, and since immortal, indestructible. . . . Death is merely the separation of soul and body.’” (Bacchiocchi, Popular Beliefs 48) The Bible rejects Greek dualism between evil body and good soul and describes us as holistic beings created by God. The words “soul” and “spirit” are used over 1700 times in the Bible and not once is the adjective “immortal” attached. Genesis 3:4, 5 “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” “You will not die.” “Lazarus is asleep—he is dead.” Job 7:21 (KJV) “For now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.” Deuteronomy 31:16 (RSV) “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, you are about to sleep with your fathers.’” Ecclesiastes 9:5 “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing.” Acts 2:29, 34 “‘Let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. . . . For David did not ascend into the heavens.’” “Lazarus is asleep—he is dead.” Daniel 12:2 “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” I Thessalonians 4:15-18 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. I Thessalonians 4:15-18 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. I Thessalonians 4:15-18 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” John 11:20-26, 32-33 “Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. Then Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. John 11:20-26, 32-33 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ John 11:20-26, 32-33 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?’ John 11:20-26, 32-33 . . . And He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept.” William Blake “Till our grief is fled and gone, He doth sit by us and moan.” John 11:38-44 “Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, ‘Lord, by this time there is a stench, John 11:38-44 for he has been dead four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. John 11:38-44 And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’ John 11:38-44 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come forth!’ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. John 11:38-44 Jesus said to them, ‘Loose him, and let him go.’” “For I am the Resurrection and the Life—those who believe in me, though they die, yet shall they live.” I John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life Don’t miss tomorrow morning’s lecture “Buried Alive!”