1. Life after Death Basic Bible Teachings The Promises to Abraham
The Birth of Jesus

2. Life after Death Why do we have to die?
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. [Genesis 3:19]
Conclusion : Man was cursed by God because of sin in the beginning and condemned to death on account of disobedience to the Divine commandment.

3. Life after Death
Eternal life beyond the grave is fundamental to the Christian hope, so what does the Bible say happens when we die?
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. [Ecclesiastes 9:5]
Conclusion : There is no consciousness after death.

4. Life after Death
Death is the end of life and all that is left is a decaying body as the Bible makes plain in the following references:
For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. [Isaiah 38:18]
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.[Ecclesiastes 9:10]
Conclusion : There is no inner part of our existence (a soul) that goes on living when the body is dead.

5. Life after Death
However…the Bible provides a message of Hope, to stand again in a future time to be blessed with undying and sinless nature - the following verses give us a glimpse of this:
And though after my skin worms destroy this body , yet in my flesh shall I see God [Job 19:26 – Job’s words in answer to his friends show his faith in resurrection]
But go thou thy way till the end be : for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days. [Daniel 12:13 – Words in vision to Daniel foretell of his future]
Conclusion : Life after death lies in the hand of God to bestow through resurrection upon a privileged few.

6. The Promises to Abraham
The origins of this Hope, the resurrection to eternal life, are related in the history of Abraham to whom were given great and precious promises :
For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. [Genesis 13:15-16]
Conclusion : Abraham and his numerous descendants would inherit the present day territories of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza strip, Lebanon, Jordan, and parts of Syria and Egypt.

7. The Promises to Abraham
A further development of the promise was given to Abraham because of his faithfulness:
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. [Genesis 22:17-18]
Conclusion : The blessing of Abraham involves the blessing of all peoples through a particular descendant who would triumph over his enemies.

8. The Promises to Abraham
The descendant referred to is Christ Jesus, the Anointed Saviour, the victor over sin, as the apostle Paul wrote:
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. [Galatians 3:16]
Conclusion : The promise to Abraham is a blessing to both his natural seed and the spiritual (those who are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus – Gal 3:26)

9. The Promises to Abraham
Abraham did not inherit the land of promise during his life, so we conclude he will be raised from the dead to receive it:
And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. [Acts 7:5]
He will not inherit alone but will be joined by the faithful of all generations who shall inherit the rest of the earth:
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord , they shall inherit the earth…the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. [Psalm 37:9-11]

10. The Promises to Abraham
The true Christian Hope is thus the same as Abraham’s and Israel’s, attainable through faithfully following after Jesus, who has inherited the promise of eternal life in advance of all others because of his victory over sin:
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises…Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 6:12, 19-20

11. The Birth of Christ
The manner in which Jesus was born is described in this way:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. [Matthew 1:18]
Conclusion : Jesus’ birth was unique and necessary to fulfil God’s promise of the seed through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed – His own arm brought Him Salvation.

12. The Birth of Christ
His mother Mary had been forewarned of God’s choice that she should be the bearer of God’s Son:
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. [Luke 1:35]
Conclusion : Jesus’ conception was not by natural means but through the direct power of God, such that he was both Son of God and Son of man.

13. The Birth of Christ
Jesus was born a man in nature just as we are and was subject to all the temptations to sin to which we are susceptible:
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. [Hebrews 4:15]
Conclusion : Jesus was not part of the ‘divine Godhead’ as orthodox ideas of the Trinity profess. This is a thing impossible and destroys the true understanding of Christ’s victory over sin.

14. The Birth of Christ
The way that Christ was victorious over sin in the flesh is central to true Christian doctrine, for it is the means by which the faithful can be justified before God unto eternal life:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. [Hebrews 2:14-16]

15. The Birth of Christ
Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven (Acts 1) will soon return to take up His role as King of all the earth. For the faithful this return will bring the realisation of the One True Hope:
Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. [John 14:28 ]
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so , I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. [John 14:2-3 ]