Preview: An in-depth lesson detailing what happens to the body, the spirit, and soul after death.
Scripture Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-22.
Memory Verse: Romans 14:8.
1. Where do we come from? Genesis 1:26-27.
2. What is a soul? Genesis 2:7.
3. What does it mean to be dead? Job 14:12, Job 27:3.
4. What is a spirit? How does our spirit differ to the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God? Job 32:8, I Corinthians 2:11-16.
5. What happens to your body when you die? Ecclesiastes 3:18-20.
6. Where does our spirit go when we die? Ecclesiastes 12:7.
7. Do we go straight to heaven when we die? Explain. John 20:1-17, John 11:38-44.
Note: Jesus had been dead for a while at this point and even He had not yet ascended to His Father in Heaven. Lazarus did not mention Heaven or hell when he rose from the grave four days after he died—he had even decomposed a bit; Lazarus did not say anything about his experience after death because he did not experience anything at all. It says that the dead in Christ will rise when the Judgment Day occurs (I Thessalonians 4:16). People do not go straight to Heaven (or hell) immediately after they die.
8. When will the dead rise to Heaven? I Thessalonians 4:16.
9. Who is the only one with immortality? I Timothy 6:15-16.
10. What do the dead know? Ecclesiastes 9:5-6.
11. What can the dead do when they are in the grave? Ecclesiastes 9:10, Isaiah 38:18.
12. Are we supposed to commune with the dead? I Corinthians 10:21, Isaiah 8:18-20.
13. What happens to people that perform witchcraft? Leviticus 20:27, Galatians 5:19-21, Revelation 21:8.
14. Can we predict when we will die? Ecclesiastes 9:11-12.
15. Will the devil try to trick people? Explain why the idea that people can speak to the dead is dangerous with this context. II Corinthians 11:13-14, Matthew 24:24-25.
16. What does the Bible say about those who commit suicide? I Corinthians 3:16-17, Ecclesiastes 7:17, I Corinthians 6:19-20.
17. What is the one event that happens to both the wicked and the righteous? Ecclesiastes 9:1-4.