Appendix: A scripture guide to the message of this book

The references below gather the main passages used in this book under the headings of its argument, so that a reader or a study group can work through them in their own Bible. Each is given with a one-line note of what it contributes.

1. What a human being is

Genesis 2:7: Dust plus the breath of life equals a living being; man became a soul, he did not receive one.
Genesis 1:20-24: The same word for living creature is used of the animals.
Ecclesiastes 3:19-20: With respect to death, man and animal have one breath and go to one place.
Genesis 3:19: Dust you are, and to dust you shall return.
Ecclesiastes 12:7: The dust returns to the earth and the spirit (breath) returns to God who gave it.
Psalm 104:29: God takes away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
James 2:26: The body without the spirit (breath) is dead.
Luke 8:52-55: The girl was sleeping; her spirit returned and she arose.
Ezekiel 18:4: The soul who sins shall die.
Matthew 10:28: God is able to destroy both soul and body.

2. Immortality is God’s alone and His gift

Genesis 2:16-17: God: in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.
Genesis 3:4-5: The serpent: you will not surely die.
Genesis 3:22-24: The way to the tree of life barred, lest sinful man live forever.
Romans 5:12: Death entered through sin and spread to all.
Romans 6:23: The wages of sin is death; eternal life is a gift.
1 Timothy 6:15-16: God alone has immortality.
Romans 2:7: Believers seek immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:53-54: The mortal puts on immortality at the resurrection.
2 Timothy 1:10: Life and immortality brought to light through the gospel.
John 3:16: Whoever believes should not perish but have everlasting life.

3. Death is a sleep

John 11:11-14: Lazarus sleeps; Jesus spoke of his death.
Daniel 12:2: Those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.
Psalm 13:3: The sleep of death.
1 Kings 2:10: David rested with his fathers.
Acts 13:36: David fell asleep and saw corruption.
Acts 7:59-60: Stephen committed his spirit to Jesus and fell asleep.
Matthew 27:52: The saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: Those who sleep in Jesus will rise at His coming; comfort one another with these words.
Job 14:10-12: Man lies down and does not rise till the heavens are no more.

4. The dead know nothing

Ecclesiastes 9:5-6: The dead know nothing; their love, hatred and envy have perished.
Ecclesiastes 9:10: No work, device, knowledge or wisdom in the grave.
Psalm 146:3-4: His breath departs; in that very day his plans perish.
Psalm 115:17: The dead do not praise the Lord.
Psalm 6:5: In death there is no remembrance of God.
Isaiah 38:18-19: The grave cannot praise God; the living praise Him.
Job 14:21: The dead father does not know what becomes of his sons.
Psalm 116:15: Yet the death of His saints is precious to the Lord.
Luke 20:37-38: To God all live, because He will raise them.
Colossians 3:3-4: The believer’s life is hidden with Christ until He appears.

5. The hard texts

2 Corinthians 5:1-8: Three states; Paul wants to be further clothed, not unclothed; absent from the body means present with the Lord at the resurrection.
Philippians 1:21-24: To depart and be with Christ; the next conscious moment.
Philippians 3:20-21: Waiting for the Saviour from heaven to transform the body.
2 Timothy 4:6-8: The crown is given on that Day to all who love His appearing.
Luke 23:42-43: The thief: “I say to you today”; the comma is not inspired.
John 20:17: Jesus had not yet ascended to the Father on the third day.
Revelation 2:7: The tree of life is in the Paradise of God.
John 14:1-3: I will come again and receive you to Myself.
Luke 16:19-31: A parable in a series of parables; its point is the hard heart.
Revelation 6:9-11: Souls under the altar: martyrs’ blood crying for justice, told to rest.
Genesis 4:10: Abel’s blood cries out from the ground.
Hebrews 12:24: The blood of sprinkling speaks.
1 Samuel 28:6-19: Saul and the medium; the figure came up out of the earth.
Deuteronomy 18:10-12: Consulting the dead is an abomination.
Leviticus 19:31: Give no regard to mediums.
Isaiah 8:19-20: Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony.
1 Chronicles 10:13-14: Saul died because he consulted a medium.
2 Corinthians 11:14: Satan transforms himself into an angel of light.
Acts 2:29-34: David is dead and buried and did not ascend into the heavens.
John 3:13: No one has ascended to heaven but the Son of Man.
Hebrews 11:13: These all died in faith, not having received the promises.
Hebrews 11:39-40: They will not be made perfect apart from us.
Hebrews 11:5: Enoch did not see death.
2 Kings 2:11: Elijah taken up alive.
Jude 9: The dispute over the body of Moses.

6. The resurrection

1 Corinthians 15:16-19: If the dead do not rise, those asleep in Christ have perished.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23: Christ the firstfruits; those who are His at His coming.
John 5:28-29: All in the graves will hear His voice and come forth.
John 6:39-40: I will raise him up at the last day.
Job 19:25-27: In my flesh I shall see God.
Isaiah 26:19: Your dead shall live; awake and sing, you who dwell in dust.
Daniel 12:13: Daniel will rest and arise at the end of the days.
Hosea 13:14: I will ransom them from the power of the grave.
1 Corinthians 15:42-44: Sown in corruption, raised in incorruption.
1 Corinthians 15:51-55: In a moment, at the last trumpet, the mortal puts on immortality.
Revelation 1:17-18: Christ has the keys of Hades and of Death.

7. The second death and the end of death

Revelation 20:5-6: The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.
Revelation 20:14-15: Death and Hades cast into the lake of fire; this is the second death.
Malachi 4:1-3: The wicked burned up like stubble, left neither root nor branch, ashes.
2 Peter 2:6: Sodom and Gomorrah turned to ashes as an example.
Jude 7: Sodom suffered the vengeance of eternal fire.
Revelation 20:9: Fire came down from God and devoured them.
Psalm 37:10: Yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more.
Psalm 37:20: Into smoke they shall vanish away.
Obadiah 16: As though they had never been.
Matthew 25:46: Everlasting punishment contrasted with eternal life.
2 Thessalonians 1:9: Everlasting destruction.
Ezekiel 33:11: God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
2 Peter 3:9: Not willing that any should perish.
1 Corinthians 15:26: The last enemy destroyed is death.
Revelation 21:4: No more death.

8. Living until the morning

Psalm 90:12: Teach us to number our days.
Ecclesiastes 7:2: The living will take it to heart.
Hebrews 9:27: Appointed to die once, and after this the judgment.
1 John 5:11-12: He who has the Son has life.
John 10:27-28: They shall never perish; no one snatches them from His hand.
Philippians 1:6: He will complete His work until the day of Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 4:13: Do not sorrow as those who have no hope.
Revelation 14:13: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; they rest, and their works follow them.
Hebrews 2:14-15: Christ releases those held in bondage by the fear of death.
John 11:25-26: I am the resurrection and the life. Do you believe this?