Overview and Objectives

It would be difficult to believe that life is good if we knew there was nothing beyond the grave to compensate for problems of inequality and unfairness. While some people seem destined for happiness, others are born into terrible relationships and circumstances. If we could be sure there was nothing to offset unequal distribution of suffering, many would have reason to curse the day of their birth because of the way life has treated them (Job 3:1-3). We could agree with King Solomon, who at a low point in his life said, “I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed—and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors—and they have no comforter. And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil that is done under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 4:1-3 NIV).

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

As you proceed through this lesson have the following question in mind.
Many people today in our modern culture try to ignore death. Yet invariably they are faced with death’s reality as friends and loved ones pass away. Even if a person denies life after death, the meaning of life is determined by their view of death. How does the belief or unbelief in an afterlife affect how human beings conduct themselves while alive?