ECCLESIASTES 3.18-22

18 I said in my heart, "Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God manifests [tests] them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.

19 For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

20 All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

22 So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Despite the confident pronouncements of mediums and psychics, and the lying spirits for which they are no more than ventriloquist dummies, man is mortal, says the inspired Solomon, and perishable -- which is why he needs salvation. When he dies, he does not pop off to a new life in a distant dimension – but sleeps the sleep of the dead, awaiting the inevitable judgment of God, as Solomon has already explained.

When a man dies, says Solomon, he dies – as does a dog or a fly or any other creature. Man does not possess innate eternal life or inherent immortality. In fact, both man and animal, as Solomon perceived, are kept alive and energized by the same basic chemical processes, by eating food and breathing air. The bodies of both are basically composed of the chemical atoms of the earth, which is why God informed Adam and Eve when they rebelled, Quote: “Dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19).

To manifest means to prove, demonstrate or make plain – and the human experience manifests to men that they are weak, damageable, mortal and perishable.

However, there is more to man, and also apparently animals, than mere atoms and molecules -- there is a spirit, says Solomon, a fact overlooked by evolutionists and even many of the creationists who oppose their idiocy. Nevertheless, although the human spirit imparts intellect (Job 32:8), does not impart or guarantee life after death. In fact, Jesus warns us of the fearful fact that God can completely destroy a man, once and for all, saying, Quote: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

The dreadful reality of death is obvious and illustrated everywhere in nature, says Solomon. He then asks who knows what happens afterwards -- although he has already given the answer in the previous section, as the apostle Paul also makes very plain when he says, Quote: “Man is destined to die once, then to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

There is a time for every purpose – a time to be born, a time to die, and a time to be judged – and a time to ponder that fact very deeply.