The Bridge to Eternal Life

Copyright © 2016 by Ronald A Train.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016919709

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5245-1982-7

                Softcover        978-1-5245-1981-0

                eBook              978-1-5245-1980-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Unless otherwise indicated, scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

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Rev. date: 12/08/2016

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Prologue

Introduction

1. The Bible Authenticates Eternal Life

2. Faith Provides Assurance of Eternal Life

3. Old Testament Insights into Eternal Life

4. Intertestamental Insights into Eternal Life

5. New Testament Insights into Eternal Life

6. Intermediate State’s Insights into Eternal Life

7. Non-Biblical Insights into Eternal Life

8. Soul-Searching Insights into Eternal Life

Epilogue

Appendix 1

Appendix 2

Bibliography

To my children,

Their partners,

And

Particularly,

My grandchildren,

In lasting gratitude.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my gratitude to Gwenyth, my soul mate, who’s photographic and editing skills have contributed to this work. Special thanks to my children, who have prompted my thinking over the years. Appreciation is expressed to my daughter-in-law Kirsty, who designed the logo at the commencement of each chapter. Recognition is given to CIFT Ministries for supporting me during my theological studies and ministry endeavours. Finally, eternal thanks to my Saviour and Lord, Jesus the Christ, whose Spirit encouraged my conceptual thinking.

I tell you the truth whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.

John 5:24

PROLOGUE

Life to death to life—such words do not suggest a cyclic state of mind but indeed are terms which occupy or will occupy the thoughts of every thinking person at some point in time as they go about their daily routine. How one works their way through such thoughts is essential to understanding the content of this book. Importantly, when such thoughts move to conversation, the Christian is encouraged to

always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)

The term answer is our word for apology (áπoλγια). By definition, the term means ‘to give a defence of one’s position’. The Christian then, when necessary, should be prepared to defend their position on the subject of life, death, and more importantly, on eternal life, which is the essential theme of this book.

Given that there are numerous books written about life after death, why write this book? The answer is that during my time in the Christian ministry, I have observed, whilst providing pastoral care to people, that some have no certainty about eternal life; this is particularly so when preparing and conducting funerals. Hence, this book is being written in an Australian context to provide details of eternal life. Such a book, I believe, will provide assurance to the reader, assurance to one’s faith and consolidation of one’s world view.¹

By way of definition, a prologue then is generally a preliminary speech which introduces the subject matter for the writer. The prologue of this book introduces the theme/topic to be considered with its different variants, whereas the introduction leads the reader into the book and sets the context. One could say that the prologue then is the first step on the ladder, so to speak, about the primary purpose of this book, which is to consider the fundamentals of eternal life and the one who is the author of eternal life, hence the title The Bridge to Eternal Life.

As certain as one is born, the same certainty applies to death. Not a day passes without us seeing, hearing, or being informed about death. If we turn on our television, death is a news item. If we read the newsprint, death is noted on the leading pages or in the section allocated for death notices. If we are talking to a friend or a member of our family, generally death will find its way into the conversation by being informed about the death of either a friend or a relative. So death then is a prime topic of interest, conversation, and sometimes debate among people. However, one can note also that there is very little discussion about eternal life unless, of course, when it involves a funeral, a wake, or even the reading of a will.

Yet I want to suggest at the outset that what lies beyond death is central to human thought and has been so for millennia. Some consider death as an end in itself, whereas others think that death is just a marker in the enduring timeline of human existence. Hence, giving rise to such thoughts as eternal life. It is this latter thought which I want to place before the reader.

Is death then the end of one’s existence, or is there an existence beyond death which then prompts one to entertain thoughts about eternal life? In the process of considering the foregoing question, one has to determine, what is life and what is death exactly? Both these questions will be given examination throughout this book. Given that the book presents a Christian world view,² much of what is offered will be undergirded by the understanding of life, death, and eternal life from the Bible. However, so as to provide a balanced presentation to the potential reader, such understanding will not just be limited to the biblical narratives for there are other sources which will be given consideration.

INTRODUCTION

Given that some are uncertain about eternal life, an essential purpose of this book is to consider, once death has occurred, whether such terms as eternal life and immortality are relevant and whether they can be substantiated from belief systems that influence our society, hence prompting thought to what might lie beyond death. Whilst the foregoing may be an essential purpose, the principal purpose of the book is to reveal and argue that death is indeed just a marker in the enduring timeline of human existence and that there is an opportunity for everyone to experience real eternal life.

In support of the foregoing, two biblical references are provided. The first is from 1 Corinthians, and the second is from the book of Revelation.³ An explanation of what constitutes life will be explained in the forthcoming pages. Additionally, an explanation of death will also be provided, and a differentiation will be made between physical and spiritual death, for both are relevant for a balanced understanding of eternal life.

Let us for a moment consider first the term immortality. Within Christendom, it can be considered as problematic due to its source in Greek philosophical thought, whereas eternal life is considered a much more acceptable term. Nevertheless, it would be fair to say that the concept of immortality has been given wide acknowledgement by many Christian theologians. Why is this? The Oxford Dictionary defines immortal as ‘living forever, divine and even incorruptible; whereas eternal life’ is understood as existing always without an end.⁴ It seems on the face of it that there is little difference between the two definitions, but if one examines the Bible narrative, one can perhaps find some disparity between the two terms.

Again, immortality and eternal life will be given further coverage in later pages. But to set the scene, let us, at this juncture, consider some definitions of immortality.

A website explanation of immortality by Gary Perry in Beyond Today, a United States publication, espouses that

belief in the immortality of the soul was an important aspect of ancient thought espoused by the Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Plato, in Phaedo, presents Socrates’ explanation of death: ‘Is it not the separation of soul and body? And to be dead is the completion of this; when the soul exists in herself, and is released from the body and body is released from the soul, what is this but death?’ ⁵

Others, for example, such as Pingpank and Mauch, view the ancient Greeks’ understanding of immortality as

a sharp distinction between the body and the soul, the soul was regarded as ‘pure, holy, and immortal’; the body as ‘evil, earthy, and corruptible. Man’s existence on earth is a living death during which the soul is trapped within the body. The sixth century B. C. Greek philosophers taught that the soul can be purified from its bodily defects in order to escape from the physical, earthly existence, then to return to the realm of pure spirit. In the Platonic tradition, the body is regarded as the prison of the soul. Death emancipates the soul. A main doctrine of this way of thinking proposed a body-soul dualism that emphasized the highest worth of the soul; likewise, the entire non-physical dimension is divine and eternal.⁶

The foregoing then are just two examples of how the ancient Greeks viewed what lay beyond death of the physical body. It is important to note that whilst referred to, the term immortality is used sparingly in the Bible (cf. Romans 2:5–7; 1 Corinthians 15:51–55; and 2 Timothy 1:10). However, the term does not necessarily correlate with eternal life. It is this confusion which has led many to conclude that the ancient Greeks thought that immortality (or immortal soul) was perhaps given too much credence by the early translators of the Bible. Interestingly, however, in the last reference (2 Timothy 1:10), Apostle Paul writes that Christ

has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.⁷

Let us now consider eternal life and whether it finds convergence with or divergence from immortality. In the New Testament, the terms eternal life and everlasting life should be viewed as synonymous. The latter is the Old English expression of the former. So, for the purpose of this book, I will, as a general rule, use the term eternal life, which is the New Testament term. The Greek word for eternal is αίώνιος and is used on 70 occasions in the New Testament, whereas the word for life, ζωή, is used on 117 occasions. Hence, it seems to this writer that the prolific use of both words is significant when we consider what lies beyond death and whether death actually ushers in a new life.

Significantly, there is one particular definition of eternal life that should always be held in balance, and it comes from the lips of Jesus, who affirms that it is just not confined to the future. He declares (italics added):

Now this is eternal life: that they [people] may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ. Whom you have sent. (John 17:3)

As stated at the outset, this book provides a biblical answer to whether death is final. To discover an answer to the foregoing, one has to examine the Bible and alternative texts carefully. Accordingly, the first chapter of the book will consider how the Bible authenticates eternal life. Further, there is always the question of what constitutes faith. Hence, the second chapter will consider how faith brings assurance of eternal life. Why? Because faith moves one beyond empirical rationalism into a living relationship with the one who provides eternal life.

Unless otherwise stated, all Bible references will be from the New International Version of the scriptures.

1

THE BIBLE AUTHENTICATES ETERNAL LIFE

The Bible narrative is central to informing one to have a biblical world view⁸ on the meaning of life, death, and in particular, eternal life. Given that the title of this book is The Bridge to Eternal Life and that there is evidence to substantiate the book’s title, one must have a firm grasp of how the Bible provides such evidence. Accordingly, the authenticity of the Bible has always been a matter to be considered. Due to the Bible having undergone critical and historical analysis, it would be remiss of me, at this early point, to not consider the discipline of biblical criticism. Why? Because if we are to have a biblical world view, we must have confidence in what the Bible reveals and teaches.

Biblical criticism then in its simplest form can be divided into two categories: higher criticism and lower criticism. Higher concerns historical criticism, and lower concerns textual criticism. It has been said, concerning both, that

in practical terms lower criticism looks at the range of extant (i.e. existing) manuscripts and other evidence and attempts to reconstruct the content of the text from those clues. Whereas higher criticism tries to put the text in the historical context in which it was formed, hence is the text objective or does it distort its subject because of some vested interest?⁹

Whereas both higher and lower disciplines have been helpful, there is a view that it tempts one to build castles in the clouds. Why? Because meaning is not the primary framework of these disciplines, and their conclusions may cease to be related to the intent of what the author sought to convey.¹⁰ Therefore, given the wide variance of views within Christendom about Bible authenticity and given that it has been for some time subject to biblical criticism, some explanation is considered necessary so as to provide clarity and give momentum to what lies ahead in the pages of this book.

Bible Differences

For the purpose of this book, two different views are placed under the microscope for want of better words.

➢ whether the Bible narrative is understood as God’s Word

➢ whether the Bible narrative is understood as conveying or containing the Word of God.

The reason for considering the two views is that whilst the Bible has a wide acceptance in the literary world, it is important to note that the non-Christian world view¹¹ differs markedly from the Christian world view. Hence, the following literature review provides an overview of different theological perspectives held by those who espouse such differences.

• The first view, God’s Word, can probably be best understood as ‘when the Bible speaks, God speaks’. Hence, it is perceived as revelatory,¹² or as Charles Wood suggests, the text becomes ‘God’s self-disclosure to the present reader or hearer.’¹³ This is the general evangelical¹⁴ perspective.

• The second view, conveying or containing the Word of God, can probably be best understood as ‘when God speaks, God hands over the task of retransmission to others’. Hence, the Bible narrative is the mode of conveyance and therefore is perhaps conducive to reinterpretation.

The latter is the perspective of