The Bible’s View
Is Yours a Sure Hope?
“CAN you see anything?” “Yes, wonderful things.”
This question and answer heralded one of the most dramatic discoveries in the field of archaeology. The questioner was Lord Carnarvon, a wealthy Englishman and patron of Egyptologist Howard Carter. Carter, who answered the question, was peering into the blackness beyond an opening that he had made in the sealed doorway of a newly discovered tomb in Egypt’s famed Valley of the Kings. For several years they had excavated in the valley, clinging to Carter’s calculated expectation of finding the as yet undiscovered tomb of one of Egypt’s ancient Pharaohs, King Tutankhamen. And now, after much hard labor and when they were almost to the point of quitting, the entrance to an ancient sealed tomb had been excavated. With eager anticipation they sought to find what lay beyond. Carter himself described what he saw:
“As my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold—everywhere the glint of gold. For the moment—an eternity it must have seemed to the others standing by—I was struck dumb with amazement, and when Lord Carnarvon, unable to stand the suspense any longer, inquired anxiously, ‘Can you see anything?’ it was all I could do to get out the words, ‘Yes, wonderful things.’ . . . We had never dreamed of anything like this, a roomful—a whole museumful it seemed—of objects, some familiar, but some the like of which we had never seen, piled one upon another in seemingly endless profusion.”
For over 3,000 years these treasures had lain undisturbed. Nearly 5,000 of them: statues, furniture, boats, weapons, vases, gold and jewels. Even food, clothing and games were in this four-room rock-cut tomb, along with the ornately decorated coffins and mummified remains of the boy-king Tutankhamen. Here was abundant evidence of the funerary processes of the ancient Egyptians.
But why were all these valuable treasures and necessities for life sealed into this underground tomb? It was because of the ancient Egyptian belief in the afterlife. Death, they believed, was merely a transition to an immortal life beyond. One needed provisions and equipment to make this journey to a land much like the one left behind. Here, they believed, their ka, or vital force, would be reunited with the body; so the body was carefully prepared and mummified for this event. Even ushabti, statues that would become servants of the king in the afterlife, were placed in the tomb. Their confidence in this hope was perhaps expressed in the words, presumably of King Tutankhamen himself, found inscribed in hieroglyphics on one of the shrines found over the body: “I have seen yesterday; I know tomorrow.”
But did he really know the future? Or was his a misplaced hope? No one will dispute that the objects found there were exactly as they were left when the tomb was last sealed—unmoved and unused. Even the mummy had largely deteriorated, although unguents had been used with a view to preserving the body of flesh for the afterlife. However, his hope for life after death was never realized.
What about your hope for the future? Is yours a sure hope or a misplaced hope? We cannot deny the words of the ancient Bible writers who said that “all are dying,” that death is “an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind.” (1 Cor. 15:22; Eccl. 3:19, 20) Is there any sure hope for a life beyond?
Many today answer Yes. Believing that the human soul is immortal, they expect possibly to live a life of ease floating as a spirit in heaven, to reach a state called nirvana, or to experience the transmigration of their soul into another body. Others, in modern times, have had their bodies frozen at extremely low temperatures in hope that science would be able in the future to overcome whatever caused their death and restore them to life. Are these hopes well founded, or are they also misplaced hopes? Is it possible really to know if there is a sure, solidly based hope for the future?
Yes, it is; and that hope is found in a book that transcends even ancient Egypt in antiquity—the Holy Bible. In it the very Creator of man, and of all that exists, states what he will do for dying mankind: “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away. . . . ‘Look! I am making all things new.’” (Rev. 21:4, 5) No, this will not be accomplished by the continued existence of a so-called immortal soul of a dead human body; for the Bible clearly states that fleshly man is himself a soul, and that the soul itself dies—it is not immortal.—Gen. 2:7; Ezek. 18:4, 20.
The hope for the dead lies in the “resurrection of the dead,” for the Bible assures us that “the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out.” (Matt. 22:31; John 5:28, 29; see also Acts 17:32; 24:15.) How can we be sure of this hope? How do we know that it is not a misplaced hope, like that of King Tutankhamen? The Creator, Jehovah God, foresaw our need for a sound basis for this hope and “furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him [Christ] from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) This miracle was attested to by over 500 persons who actually saw the resurrected Jesus. (1 Cor. 15:3-8) And the power of the Almighty to resurrect was further demonstrated by other resurrections of persons who had died—three of these being performed by Jesus himself.—Matt. 9:18, 23-25; Luke 7:12-15; John 11:38-44.
What kind of life does this Bible hope hold out for resurrected mankind? Will it be similar to the one left behind? As we have seen from the Bible’s promise at Revelation 21:4, the illnesses and pains that have plagued mankind for thousands of years will be things of the past. And in “making all things new,” God will do away with the wicked, corrupt and oppressive system of things that exists today, along with all its injustices and prejudices. The Creator’s original purpose in making man will be realized: An earth filled with perfect humankind, living in harmony and peace and enjoying the fruits of their labor in paradise conditions that extend world wide. Nothing that man can make can compare to the wonderful things that God will do for obedient mankind in his coming righteous new order.—Dan. 2:44; Gen. 1:28; Isa. 55:11; 65:17, 21-25; Mic. 4:3, 4.
Will you be there to enjoy it? You can be if you make this hope your own by studying the Bible and taking in the life-giving knowledge of God and Christ. (John 17:3) Let the pages of this magazine help you to have a sure hope for the future.