Doctrinal Outlines 


WHAT IS DEATH? 

I. 
Introduction 
A. 
Public enemy No. 1! That's how death can be described. 
For truly it will slay us all, and at a time of its own 
choosing. 
B. 
But paradoxically, although we all know we will die, 
very few know exactly what death is. Certainly death 
must be the least understood although most relentless 
enemy! 
c. 
Yet it need not remain a mystery to those who will look 
into their Bibles to read --and believe --what God 
says. For God has not left us in ignorance about this 
important subject. 
II. The Basic Doctrine 
A. 
Since life is merely a temporary, mortal, chemical 
process (with man being made from the physical elements 
--"dust"), death is just the cessation of life. 
B. 
One who is dead has no consciousness separate from his 
body and feels no pain nor pleasure, but is as if 
asleep. 
c. 
Nonetheless, we all will live again after death, after 
a passage of time, when resurrected back to life again. 
III. The Usual Teachings of This World 
A. 
Most professing Christians believe that at death they 
do not really die --that is, cease to live in any 
form. 
B. 
They instead believe that at death only the body dies, 
and that the "soul" is then liberated to live on in 
heaven or hell (depending upon the moral merit of the 
former life) . 
c. 
Others believe in reincarnation, thinking that their 
soul, which is liberated at death, will be placed in a 
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new body to live again, with this process occurring 
over and over. 

D. 
scientists who believe evolution seem to recognize 
death for what it is (the total cessation of life), but 
they also err because they know nothing of the hope of 
the dead --life again after a resurrection. 
E. 
Even other beliefs about death exist. 
F. 
Yet, surprisingly, these concepts are not from the 
Bible! 
IV. The Bible Teaching 
A. 
Perhaps the main reason why people, religious or 
otherwise, do not understand death is because, first of 
all, they do not understand what life is. 
B. 
But the Bible makes it plain. Genesis 2:7 records, 
"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" (Authorized Version) . 
1. 
Notice! Man does not have a soul. He is a soul. 
2. 
The word translated "soul" here is the Hebrew word 
neohesh. It means a living, breathing, physical 
creature. The word carries no implication of 
immortality. 
3. 
In Genesis 1:24 nephesh is translated "living 
creature" and refers to animals. 
c. 
Further, the Scriptures say dogmatically that the soul 
can die and therefore cannot be immortal. See Ezekiel 
18:4, 20 and Matthew 10:28. 
D. 
The Bible nowhere teaches that man has an immortal 
soul. In fact, the immortal soul doctrine was adopted 
by professing Christianity from pagan Egypt through the 
Greek philosophers. 
E. 
But note that man, as God stated, is composed of the 
physical elements of the earth and is dust. God 
plainly told Adam, who sinned, "For dust you are, and 
to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). 
F. 
But men do not want to die, so they do not want to 
believe God. They___do not want to believe that man's 
life is merely a~~D~m~existence that will 
run down and stop ---and di~ 
br


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G. 
H. 
I. 
J. 
K. 
Hence, they choose instead to believe the lie Satan 
told Eve when he said, "You will not surely die" 

(Genesis 3:4). They believe that within this dusty 
body, as a sort of prisoner of the flesh, is an 

immortal soul that is unleashed at the death of the 
body and that continues in conscious life forever. 

To be sure, man is not merely an animal. For one, man 
is made in God's image and in God's likeness (Genesis 
1:26-27). And man's potential --that of being born 
into the God Family --is far more incredible than the 
fate of any animal. 

Further, God reveals that there is a spirit in man (I 
Corinthians 2:11) that gives man mental superiority 
over animals. 

1. 
It is this spirit that imparts the power of mind to 
man, and the power of moral decision, including the 
ability to grow in character. 
But 
this spirit is not the man. And it is not an 

immortal soul. 

3. 
It is something in man that gives man a dimension 
of life above the animals. 
4. 
It does not give him immortal life, however. 
To understand death requires that we know that man's 

life is merely a chemical process involving physical 

elements. When that process stops, we die. We are 

dust, and when we die our bodies decay and return to 

the 
dust. 

When we die, all conscious thought and awareness 
ceases. 

1. 
Notice Psalm 6:5: "For in death there is no 
remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You 
thanks?" 
2. 
And compare Ecclesiastes 9:4-5: "For him who is 
joined to all the living there is hope, for a 
living dog is better than a dead lion. For the 
living know that they will die; but the dead know 
nothing." 
3. 
The apostle Peter knew that even the righteous die 
and lose consciousness and bodily presence, for he 
stated: "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to 
you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead 
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and 
buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.... 

For 
David did not ascend into the heavens" (Acts 

2:29, 34). Even righteous David was not an 

immortal soul that left his body and went to 

heaven. Even David was dust and decayed back to 

the 
elements. 

L. 
Other scriptures supply even more detail about death, 
comparing it in a figure of speech to sleep (I 
Corinthians 11:30, I Kings 2:10). When a person is 
asleep, he loses consciousness and is unaware of his 
~surroundings. 

M. 
The topic of death is in some ways unique. Most people 
will not believe what God says if their senses tell 
them differently. For example, Adam and Eve did not 
believe God's warning about the tree of good and evil, 
because the fruit of it looked good and desirable. 
N. 
Yet, in the case of death, people will not believe God 
when He says death is what it indeed appears to be to 
the most casual observer --namely, the cessation of 
life! People will not believe God no matter what He
~ 
~
says, whether our senses tell us to agree or not. 

o. 
But caution! Nothing said here means to imply that 
death is the end of all hope of life. It is not. An 
old saying goes, "Where there is life, there is hope." 
-~----~--------.:;.----~..........~.. 


-------_/"'" 

~ P. But God says, in effect, that even where t~;re is de~th 
---there is still hope --in fact, the main hope. 

Q. 
That hope is the resurrection of the dead from death to 
life again. Notice Job's question and answer about 
death: "If a man die, shall he live again? All the 
days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change 
come" ·(Job 14:14, AV) . 
R. 
Realize this: This demonstrable fact of the resurrection 
of the dead proves once and for all that humans 
~arenot immortal souls. If they were, why would the 
~ dead have to be resurrected? They would already be 
·--.__ alive. 

s. 
And see further Christ's startling statement: "Most 
assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now 
is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of 
God; and those who hear will live" (John 5:25). 
T. 
Jesus knew His statement might startle His audience, so 
He said further: "Do not marvel at this; for the hour 
is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear 
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His voice and come forth --those who have done good, 


to the resurrection of life, and those who have done 
evil, to the resurrection of condemnation [judgment]" 
(verses 28-29). 

The 
Scriptures are plain that all people will be 

resurrected, even those who will eventually be cast 

into the lake of fire to die the "second death." 

v. 
The apostle Paul chose to comfort the living relatives 
of those true Christians who had died by reminding them 
of the wonderful resurrection to come (I Thessalonians 
4:13-18). 
W. 
To alleviate their sorrow, Paul explained that the dead 
in Christ will be resurrected at Christ's return, and 
that they will forever be with Christ. 
x.u· 
Yes, the truth about death is far less foreboding than 
the fanciful imaginations of well-intentioned but 
errant religionists! 

v. 
Ke~rses 
When properly understood, this topic of death can fill us 

all 
with real hope, for then we know the wonderful truth 

that we will all see our beloved deceased relatives again. 

Therefore it may be well to note specially the basic 

scriptures that describe the truth about death. Here are 

some of them: 

A. 
Genesis 2:7 and 3:19 --man is a mortal being made from 
the dust. 
B. 
Genesis 1:24 --the Hebrew word translated "soul" in 
Genesis 2:7 is translated here as "living creature" and 
refers to animals. 
C. 
Ezekiel 18:4, 20 and Matthew 10:8 --the soul is not 
immortal; it dies. 
D. 
Psalm 6:5 and Ecclesiastes 9:4-5 --the dead have no 
consciousness. 
E. 
John 11:11-14 and I Kings 2:10 --death is compared to 
sleep. 
F. 
John 5:25. 28-29 and I Corinthians 15 --the dead will 
be resurrected. 
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VI. Conclusion 
(Qeath .is indeed·--~~enem]) but through the resurrection from 
t11e-aead tEIS enemy is annihilated. Therefore Paul says in 
I Corinthians 15:26, 54-55 (AV): "The last enemy that 
shall be destroyed is death...• So when this corruptible 
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have 
put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the 
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 0 
death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thT victory?" 

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