Topical Bible: The Earth: Man: Shall Return To

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The concept of man returning to the earth is deeply rooted in the biblical narrative, reflecting the transient nature of human life and the ultimate return to the dust from which humanity was formed. This theme is woven throughout Scripture, emphasizing both the physical and spiritual dimensions of human existence.

Creation and the Dust of the Earth

The Bible begins with the creation account, where God forms man from the dust of the ground. Genesis 2:7 states, "Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." This verse highlights the intimate connection between humanity and the earth, as man’s physical body originates from the soil.

The Fall and the Curse

Following the fall of man, the curse pronounced upon Adam includes a reminder of his earthly origin and destiny. In Genesis 3:19 , God declares, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return." This pronouncement underscores the inevitability of death and the return to the earth, a consequence of sin entering the world.

The Transience of Life

Throughout the Scriptures, the brevity and frailty of human life are frequently compared to the permanence of the earth. Job, in his suffering, reflects on this reality, stating in Job 10:9 , "Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?" Similarly, the psalmist acknowledges the fleeting nature of life in Psalm 103:14 : "For He knows our frame; He is mindful that we are dust."

The Hope of Resurrection

While the return to the earth is a sobering reminder of mortality, the Bible also offers hope through the promise of resurrection. The prophet Daniel speaks of a future resurrection in Daniel 12:2 : "And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt." This prophetic vision points to a time when the dead will rise, transcending their earthly origins.

New Testament Affirmation

The New Testament reaffirms the theme of resurrection and the transformation of the earthly body. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 , contrasts the perishable nature of the earthly body with the imperishable nature of the resurrected body: "So also is the resurrection of the dead: It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body."

Eternal Perspective

The return to the earth serves as a reminder of the temporal nature of life and the importance of living with an eternal perspective. The Apostle Peter exhorts believers in 2 Peter 3:11-13 to live holy and godly lives in anticipation of the new heavens and new earth: "Since everything will be dissolved in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness as you anticipate and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with God’s promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells."

In summary, the biblical theme of man returning to the earth serves as a profound reminder of human mortality, the consequences of sin, and the hope of resurrection and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and to dust shall you return.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 146:4
His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Since Our Bodies Return to the Earth, it Follows that they have ...
... to him, "In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat thy ... But if it be into this very
[earth], it is manifest that it was also from it that man's frame was ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xvi since our bodies return.htm

The Return to Capernaum - Concerning the Forgiveness of Sins - the ...
... Shall they wait till the multitude disperses, or for another ... understood sense of
being the Representative Man, who was ... had authority' to do so on earth, it was ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xvi the return to.htm

From the Creation to the Fall.
... The earth was cursed so that instead of ministering to ... The man and his wife are not
beyond the pale ... when Christ the "seed of the woman" shall return to reign ...
/.../tidwell/the bible period by period/chapter i from the creation.htm

Demonstration viii. --Of the Resurrection of the Dead.
... snow do not return to heaven, but accomplish in the earth the will ... The hour shall
come when even the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and shall ...
/.../aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration viii of the resurrection of.htm

Discourse Concerning the Future.
... then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/discourse concerning the future.htm

Third Circuit of Galilee. The Twelve Instructed and Sent Forth.
... page 317.] 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came ... and the daughter
in law against her mother in law.36 and a man's foes shall be they ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/lxi third circuit of galilee.htm

God in Christ
... day when God made the heavens and the earth, and in ... in our image, after our likeness,'
and man arose upright ... whom he came, and to whom he shall return, as many ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon i god in christ.htm

The Twelve Sent Forth.
... not that I came to send peace on the earth: I came ... For there shall be from henceforth
five in one house divided ... For I came to set a man at variance against his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/barton/his life/the twelve sent forth.htm

The Doctrine of the Resurrection the Body Will Rise Again. ...
... that is to say, from a womb only, without a man's seed, making ... "He shall come down ...
a fleece, [5613] and like dropping showers upon the earth," [5614] describing ...
/.../tertullian/the five books against marcion/chapter ix the doctrine of the.htm

Psalm CXX.
... For a man changeth his country, and this foreign sojourn is ... from the wicked, save
when he shall return to the ... of the Church herself, who toileth on this earth. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxx.htm