The Ultimate Question

“Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?” Ecclesiastes 3:21

There’s a haunting honesty to Solomon’s question. Who knows? It feels rhetorical, almost hopeless. After all his searching, studying, and striving, the wisest man who ever lived reaches a place where he can’t see beyond the horizon of death. He’s not being cynical—he’s being human. Under the sun, from earth’s vantage point, there’s no way to tell what happens next. The grave looks like the same ending for everyone.

But what makes this verse so powerful is that it’s not truly rhetorical—not when you consider Christ. Solomon’s question becomes the ultimate question that the New Testament answers with breathtaking clarity.

Centuries later, another Son of David would face the same mystery Solomon couldn’t solve. Jesus would step into death itself—not to speculate about it, but to conquer it. And when He walked out of the tomb, He turned “Who knows?” into “We know.” Paul would later write, “We know that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus” (2 Cor. 4:14). What Solomon could only wonder, we can now worship.

Still, that doesn’t mean we always feel certain. There are days when the questions return—when grief sits heavy or when heaven feels far away. But faith doesn’t require full clarity; it requires confidence in the One who’s already been through the valley and come out alive.

Solomon saw dust and mystery. Jesus showed us resurrection and hope. The question still echoes, but the answer now has a name.

Reflection:

• How does Jesus’ resurrection reframe the way you think about death and eternity?

• What questions about life or loss do you need to bring honestly before God today?

Jimmy Carter

Groups and Cares Pastor