IMAGINE BREAD FALLING FROM HEAVEN. On the west coast of South Africa is Angola. Angola is near the Namib desert. In a small draught-stricken village in the southern part of Angola, there is a scarcity of food. It is said that there, in this village, Mana, Bread still falls from heaven according to Reality TV. Jesus is the Bread of Life, that comes down from heaven to give us life. How so?
This series addresses the concerns we all have: the concern for sin, evil, death, dying, and what happens after we die. Is there hope after death? When God created us, humans, he intended for us to live forever in a loving, peaceful relationship with him. But this relationship has been broken by sin.
Here, we address the origin of sin and look more closely at death and dying.
But, instead of looking at death negatively, we look at it in the context of hope, the promised hope based on what Jesus did for us when he died and came back to life again.
From the Sabbath School Adult Bible Study Guide 2022 Quarter 4: Sabbath.School (See also Hope Sabbath School and 3ABN Sabbath School)
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Let’s invite the Spirit of God
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Jesus the Bread of Life come down from heaven to give us eternal life. Give us the heart and mind to accept this bread. In Jesus’ Name Amen
Jesus fed 5,000 men with a small amount of bread and fish according to John 6:1–14. After this miracle, recognizing the crowd’s intent to make him King John tells us in John 6:15:
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. (John 6:15)
He and His disciples or followers sailed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to escape the crowd. But the next day, the crowd followed Jesus.
There Jesus preached His powerful sermon on the Bread of Life. In his focus on the Bread of Life, He associated it with the gift of everlasting life. Read the entire account in John 6:22–59.
In it, you will see that Jesus connected the gift of everlasting life to the resurrection when he will wake up the righteous dead.
As in John 6:40 -51
40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
41 The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.”
42 And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves.
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.
46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.
47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.
48 I am the bread of life.
49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:40 -51)
In His sermon, Jesus emphasizes three basic ideas regarding eternal life.
First, He identifies himself as the bread of life. He says in John 6:33 and 58
33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
58 This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6:33, 58)
What’s important to know here is that the words written “I am” John 6:35 and 48 are written in the Greek language.
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
48 I am the bread of life. (John 6:35, 48)
By declaring that “‘I am the bread of life’ Jesus presented Himself as the Great “I Am” of the Old Testament as in Exodus 3:14
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”. (Exodus 3:14)
Second, Jesus explained that everlasting life comes from Him:
John 6:35
35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
Jesus declared that the blessing of eternal life is for those who believe in Him.
Finally, Jesus connected the gift of everlasting life/immortality with the final resurrection of the people of God.
This final resurrection is the time when God will wake up His people from the dead at His Second Coming.
Notice, in his sermon, three times Jesus announces the promise that he will wake up the dead at his coming
John 6:40
40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)
John 6:44
44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)
And in John 6:54
54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:54)
Then Jesus also gives us this amazing promise in John 6:47:
47 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. (John 6:47)
This promise is significant because it shows us that we already have the gift of everlasting life!
Then does this mean that believers never die? Of course not!
The words “raise him up” in John 6:40 lets us know that believers will die and but Jesus will wake them up again when he returns the second time.
So, the point here is without Jesus, we cannot have everlasting life. But, even after accepting Him and obtaining the assurance of eternal life, we continue for now being mortal, subject to natural death.
But, at the Second Coming, Jesus will resurrect or wake us up from the dead. Then He will give us our promised gift of immortality, everlasting life.
The gift is promised to us now. However, it is ours, not because of the supposed notion of the natural immortality of the soul but, rather, because of the righteousness of Jesus that comes to us by faith in Him. Thus, by believing in Jesus, we have eternal life!
Clinging to this promise can help us deal with some of the painful things we now have to go through. This promise is a reminder that these things are only temporary.
Now, under the idea of the natural immortality of the soul, some maintain that the righteous dead are already in heaven. If this is true, then who will wake from the dead when Christ returns? Find out: Day 5 At the Sound of the Trumpet
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