Beyond Ecclesiastes Blake Jennings March 6, 2016 Ecclesiastes 9 The worst problem of all: DEATH - Read Ecclesiastes 9:2-3 - Everyone will die no escaping it - Ch12 Solomon describes the pain of growing old through the use of metaphors o You become weak, stoop over, eyes dim, can t walk, become impotent, can t sleep You will grow older it will hurt then you will die This body is breaking down and there s nothing I can do about it There was nothing Solomon could do about it either he gives us no solution to problem of death - Death for Solomon was a black hole full of despair - He knew almost nothing about what happens after death because God hadn t yet revealed it o He had Pentateuch, most of Psalms, some of the histories o God revealed almost nothing about life after death in those books - The reality of death left Solomon full of despair o Read Ecclesiastes 9:4-6,10 We are blessed to know that Solomon was mistaken about the afterlife - He assumed death was the end of our story but death is not the end - We know because we have far more of God s revelation than Solomon did o Prophets, gospels, NT letters, Revelation of John - These books go beyond the hopelessness of Ecclesiastes reveal that another life is coming - A better life where all the problems Ecclesiastes raises are finally solved once and for all. A better life for everyone who has trusted in Jesus 1
- - - - All of the good news we ll hear about this morning it s for those who ve believed o GOSPEL If you haven t yet trusted in Jesus all of this good news doesn t yet apply to you o If you believe your good works or church attendance will save you o If you think you re just an overall good enough person and deserve heaven o This sermon doesn t apply because you can never be good enough to deserve heaven You don t have hope in the next life UNTIL you choose to accept God s free gift of eternal life Once you make that choice to believe God promises you a better life What Comes After Death? 1) Restored Garden - Read Luke 23:42-43 - paradeisos Persian word = enclosed garden / orchard such as a king would build o In the ancient world nothing more beautiful than a king s garden they were lavish o Hanging Gardens of Babylon 1 of 7 Wonders of Ancient World people came from everywhere to see them - The paradise that s coming is, in essence, a return to the Garden of Eden o The word paradise in the Bible is usually used for the garden of Eden o Read Genesis 2:8-9 built by God to be our home utterly perfect, beautiful o Now hear what Jesus says to us in Revelation 2:7 - When you die, you finally go home!!... back to the Garden back to Paradise o Close your eyes visualize most beautiful place on earth you ve ever been - That s the first thing in store for believers when we die here s the second. 2
2) Righteous Government - Turn to Isaiah - Last week s sermon on gov t was all bad news - No human government will EVER satisfy us or make us secure - That s why we need something more than human government we need God to rule over us o What s the best form of government? Democracy? No! o Best = benevolent dictatorship where good, wise, incorruptible king rules over us - And that s what s coming when Jesus returns! - Look at how great Jesus government will be!! Read Isaiah 2:3-4 o The Lord will rule from Jerusalem o All mankind will come to Him to learn true righteousness o He will bring an end to violence and warfare: hammer their swords into plowshares o And never again will they learn war Not just Never go to war Never even learn how to go to war! No standing army no planning for worst case scenarios No self- defense classes no need to pack gun Because your safety will NEVER BE THREATENED AGAIN Peace in the next life will be so much better than peace on this earth There s never really peace here always preparing for war We maintain peace through constant diligence that s not real peace When Jesus comes we will finally know real peace Peace that unites the world in love under the banner of the Messiah - Turn to Isaiah 9 Read Isaiah 9:6 o Read v3 People all over the world will rejoice Why? because of verses v4-5 o Read v4-5 God will bring a permanent end to oppression, violence, slavery, warfare We ll use implements of war as firewood because we ll never need them again o Jesus child of v6 will bring permanent peace and perfect justice Read v7 The unending corruption we talked about last week that plagues every government Jesus will finally bring it to an end when Jesus rules He will never allow Another child to be abused Woman to be beaten Elderly person to be taken advantage of 3
Minority to be oppressed Poor person to starve There will not be a single instance of injustice in the next life not ever - The perfectly righteous gov t we all want is coming it s coming soon - That s the 2 nd thing that awaits us in the next life Here s the 3 rd 3) Resurrected Body o A rose reaches it s peak and then immediately begins to decay, just like we do! - If only we could get to our peak and then stay there - You will in the next life Read 1 Corinthians 15:42-43 - Resurrection: NOT reanimation of your current body creation of new, perfected body o Current bodies: perishable, weak, corrupted by sin, dying o Resurrected bodies will be different: Invulnerable to injury, sickness, or death immortal, unbreakable At your physical and mental peak forever no matter age you died at Your mind & body will never slow down no entropy, no decay Freed from temptation Not only will you never sin you ll never even be tempted to sin! No more sin nature you ll desire nothing but righteousness always First time you ll know perfect inner peace! War against sin over Recognizably you Disciples recognized Jesus people will recognize you Real human body flesh and blood, bones and organs You ll eat, drink, talk, run You ll have a new body that s a perfected version of your current body - That s what gives us hope when these bodies fail us 4
o What gives you hope: God s promise that you ll get a new, perfected body - That s the 3 rd thing that awaits us in the next life. Here s the 4 th 4) Relentless Perfection - Turn to Isaiah 65 - The next big thing that will happen: Jesus will return o We believe a Rapture and Great Tribulation will occur before that but that s debated o What everyone agrees on: next really big thing is Jesus is coming back o When He comes He ll rule over this earth for 1000 years Millennial kingdom - But that s not the end after the Millennial kingdom God will create a New Heavens and a New Earth - That s what Isaiah describes in Isaiah 65:17-19 o Fundamental characteristic of the New Heavens & the New Earth: relentless perfection o Sorrow replaced by unending joy o No more cause for weeping no more tragedy, no more suffering o So joyful that the former things will not even be remembered Never have a moment when you re hit by painful memory of shame/loss o Interesting wording in v18 lit: I create Jerusalem a gladness and her people a joy o Your nature will be joy joy won t be something you try for Won t have to choose joy over sadness, boredom your unwavering state - John gives us more details at the end of the Bible Read Revelation 21:1-5 o New earth but still earth it will be familiar to us Not an ethereal, dream like state a physical planet like this one Enjoy real lakes, mountains, rivers, trees but all perfected Whatever you love on this planet will not be lost it will be perfected Mountains more awesome, rivers more beautiful, flowers more intense Whatever you love on this earth you love because it s a shadow of what you ll find o Some of you are wondering why no sea? 5
Maybe literal or metaphorical Sea was a symbol of chaos and danger On New Earth no chaos, no danger, no natural disasters: hurricanes, floods Point: there will be nothing to fear on the new earth o This New Earth will be permanently joined to heaven Point of New Jerusalem descending to earth = the home of God come to earth Now: separation between heaven and earth don t see God face to face Then: heaven and earth become one overlap and complete each other o When Heaven and Earth are joined end of sadness, pain, and death forever All things will be new no reason to cry ever again - All the problems Ecclesiastes raised will finally be solved and set aside Read Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember your Creator o When life weighs you down remember there is a God in heaven who loves you o Remember the incredible promises He s made to you about the next life - Remember the destiny Gad has in store for you Read Revelation 1:3 o Read Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21 often to give you hope o This life is hard, painful, and ends in death no hope if this is all we get o But it s not! There s a better world coming Paradise, Resurrection, New Heavens &New Earth That s what s coming for everyone who has trusted in Jesus 6