Pr. 6- The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine? Continued

'The coming of the Lord, and the resurrection of the righteous dead, are directly connected by Paul thus:

"The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."1 Thess. 4:16, 17. 

And again:

"We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 1 Cor. 15:51-55.

"Then shall be brought to pass the saying." 

When?-

"At the last trump," certainly; "for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised." 

When is it that the trump shall sound?- "This we say unto you by the word of the Lord, . . . The Lord himself shall descend from heaven . . . with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise." "Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 

Then it is, and NOT TILL THEN, that men shout, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 

But through belief in the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul, it is now sought to be made to appear that this "saying" is "brought to pass" when men die! There can be no more direct perversion of the word of God than to represent this saying as being brought to pass when men die. But what does the doctrine of the immortality of the soul care about the perversion of the word of God? 

The first time that that doctrine was ever uttered, it was in direct contradiction of the express word of the Lord himself. The Lord said, in the event of man's disobedience, "Thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17); and the devil said, "Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4; Rev. 20:2.) And there is no shadow of reason to expect that the doctrine will, in reality, ever assume any other position. 

It is not alone a perversion of Scripture to so apply the "saying" in question; it is alike a perversion of the plainest principles of reason and experience. For instance, here are death and a saint of God struggling for the mastery. Presently death obtains the mastery. The saint lies lifeless; death has the victory. When he is dead, is that a time to claim victory over death? When he is being lowered into the grave, is that a time to shout the victory over the grave?-Nay, verily. But it is not to be always so. There is One who exclaims, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [the grave] and of death." Rev. 1:18. And when that glorious One "shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God, and with power that bursts the bars of the cruel grave and destroys the strength of death, then the saint arises triumphant over death, and "then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." Then the saint can shout exultingly, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? "And, "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." And thrice thanks, yea, "blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," 1 Peter 1:3.

However, it is not alone through the subversion of the doctrine of the resurrection that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul strikes against the coming of the Lord. The issue is directly joined. For by those who believe in the natural immortality of the soul, it is held that those who die in the Lord go straight to heaven; that they go direct to the place where the Lord is; and so they sing,- "Then persevere till death Shall bring thee to thy God; He'll take thee, at thy parting breath, To his divine abode." - Gospel Hymns, No 112.

And obituaries are actually written by them such as the following, which we read not long since in the Christian Cynosure: "Alvah Palmer went to heaven from" a certain place in New York; and then the notice went on to tell when and of what he died, etc. And Dr. Talmage, in relating how a certain saintly woman was "emparadised," tells how the chariot of Elijah was outdone; for there it must have taken some little time to turn out the chariot and hitch up the horses; but here, in this instance, the transition was all made instantaneously, without waiting for either horses or chariot! And all this when a person died! These are only notable expressions of the common idea of those who believe in the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul. 

Now, if these things be true,-if it be true that death brings people to God; that men and women go direct to heaven from their homes in this world, and this so instantaneously that there is no time to get ready the chariot of God, as was done when Elijah went without dying at all,-we say if these things be true, then there is literally NO place left for the coming of the Lord.

It would be simply the height of absurdity to talk about the Lord's coming to this world after people who are not here at all, but are, and have been, for years and hundreds of years, in heaven,-in the very place which HE LEAVES to come here! 

This is why the doctrine of the coming of the Lord is so neglected, so despised, in fact. Believing this, and there is no need to believe in the coming of the Lord; indeed, it is a palpable inconsistency to believe in it. Believing this, and there is no need to look, or wait, for the coming of the Lord; all there is for such to do is to wait till death shall come and take them; and so death-"the last enemy," "the king of terrors"-is given the place and the office of Him who is our life (Col. 3:4), of Him "that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."

((Interjecting MY THOUGHTS-  We today, DO talk a lot about Jesus returning. Right now (2026) there is a war being fought by America/Israel and Iran and there have been news articles about the  head of America's defense talking about bringing Armageddon to pass- the end of the world and the return of Christ. 

We do mention the Lord's return a lot, but NOT in connection with the dead being resurrected so much as there being an end to the horrible world we live in.

Granted through many false beliefs in how things will transpire- people believe they'll usher in a new world immediately when Christ returns. They care little for truth and how the dead will rise to meet the Lord and be with Him in heaven for 1000 years, while the earth below is completely desolate. They've imagined their own way of things, secret raptures, days of tribulation a time for that second chance if you weren't raptured the first time, and so on and so forth there are many deceptions that have ensnared people.)) End Interjection.

But this belief is not the "belief of the truth." There is no element of truth, in any form, in the idea of people going to God or to heaven when they die.

Christ himself said as plainly as tongue can speak, "Whither I go, ye cannot come." John 13:33. 

Then when his disciples were troubled because of these words, he told them, in words equally plain, of the event upon which they must place their only hope of being with him where he is, and that event is, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:3.

And that word "that" shows positively that that is the only way in which men may ever be with him where he is. Therefore the coming of the Lord is the Christian's hope. And the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, in supplanting, as it certainly does, the doctrine of the coming of the Lord, supplants the Christian's hope. 

Then when the doctrine of the immortality of the soul sends men to heaven before the end of the world, before the sounding of the last trump, before the time when the Lord himself shall descend from heaven and raise the dead, before he appears in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and sends his angels to gather together his elect-we say when the doctrine of the immortality of the soul puts men into heaven before the occurrence of these events, it does it in defiance of the word of Christ, which liveth and abideth forever. Therefore we say it stands proved that the belief of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is subversive of the doctrine of the second coming of Christ, and, in that, is subversive of the truth of God.'

(End Excerpt)

The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

BY A. T. JONES.

(More of My Thoughts))

Has Jesus come again to receive us to Him?  

NO! A resounding NO! Jesus has NOT returned again. All those places He is preparing for us will be ours when He RETURNS for us and not a moment before. 

Believing in the immortality of the soul, that the knowledgeable part of us lives on immediately after death, negates Jesus having to return for us. If there is a system in place where those who are His simply go to Him upon death, then why does He need to return at all? Why can't things just continue on as they are? 

We are told this-

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received NOT the promise: 

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. 

They without us… should not be made perfect.  

The 'they' included-  Abel, Moses, Abraham, Noah… etc they were NOT made perfect, we were not with them. We are made perfect in HIM. All those who are God's throughout history did not, and have not, received the promise. 

The promise of another world, this world wasn't their home- they were just pilgrims and strangers here, as are we. We don't belong to this world but we are a part of it and until our Savior returns and receives us to Him, we stay in this world- if alive then upon the world, if dead then in death's sleep. Our bodies decay, and the part of us that contains our knowledge is in death's sleep, while our spirit breath, the essence that gave our bodies life that returns to God.  In death's sleep we aren't thinking any longer, we aren't able to praise God, we are in the grave until our Savior comes for us and calls us from the grave. We have to ask ourselves, who is Jesus calling from the grave to meet Him in the air, if NO ONE needs to be called because they are already with him? 

Do we have knowledge of all the details of how God does things? We don't, we are not God. We were made by God. There are secrets that belong only to Him, not us. 

Deu_29:29  The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

I know my Savior called death a sleep, I know my Savior said He would return for me- not that I would go to Him when I died, but He would come for me and call me and all those that are His from the graves to meet Him in the air.  Being called from the grave to meet the Lord in the air does not sound like some life after death mystery to unravel. We remain in the grave until we are called to meet Christ in the air upon His return.  We remain in a state of decay. Those from thousands of years ago, mere dust returned to the dirt not even able to be seen as dust, those newly dead without any decay. The dead one and all, those lost to the sea, eaten by sea creatures, destroyed in fire so completely nothing it left, the manner of death and the resulting grave inhabited isn't the point. We have a God who knows each and every one of those who are His and He will bring back to life all of them in His miraculous way beyond our ability to fully comprehend. Those dead will be brought BACK to life by the call of our Savior, Jesus Christ, when He returns and not a moment before.

It is so unique for anyone to go to heaven before then, that it has been specifically mentioned, pointed out for it's being so very special. Enoch, Elijah, Moses. 

The world believing in the immortality of the soul, and immediate life after death is not of God, it is of the father of lies, Satan. 

How many people has Satan seduced to his evil ways through this corrupted, perverted belief? How many people are deceived by Satan and don't even realize it because they refuse to believe the truth? How many are going to tell Christ they are His when Christ returns and He is going to tell them to get away from Him, that He doesn't know them? He won't know them because they've refuse truth only to cherish lies. Satan is a deceiver, and only by seeking truth can we not be deceived.  We are told this- 

Mat_24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect

It's NOT possible for the very elect to be deceived, but Satan will deceive ALL those he possibly can, anyway he can. The art of deception is those being deceived are unaware of the deception. God won't allow any who seek His truth in all sincerity - to be deceived. 

Help us, Lord, not to fall into the deceptions of Satan that are surrounding us and passing themselves off as Your truth when they are really lies. Please, save us from all evil! Keep us in YOU now and forever, Lord, now and forever! Amen!!!!!!!

Pt. 5 The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

 Pt. 5 The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

Continued 

'II. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

There is another doctrine of the Bible which holds just as important a place in the divine scheme as does that of the resurrection; and that is, the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

This likewise is subverted by a belief in the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul. The subversion of this truth is, in a measure, involved in that of the resurrection, because without the second coming of Christ there would be no resurrection, and anything that destroys belief in the resurrection of the dead, by that means destroys faith and hope in the second coming of the Lord.

That the event of the resurrection of the dead depends wholly upon the second coming of Christ, is easily shown by the Scripture, which, of course, in these things is the only authority. 

We have before shown that the righteous are rewarded only at the resurrection; and to show plainly the connection, we will repeat a verse before quoted:

"When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:13, 14. 

And of his own coming, Jesus says: 

"Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22:12. '

(End Excerpt)

The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

BY A. T. JONES.

((My thoughts))

The Lord is going to return and when He does, He's going to raise the dead. 

The dead are not risen already! He is going to raise them when He returns, He says so! He's going to reward them with eternal life at THE resurrection.

He doesn't say He's going to put people back into their bodies so He can raise them. He's not going to form my Dad's body from the dust and then tell him he's taking his spirit form and putting it back in there, how ludicrous. The dead know nothing, the Bible tells us that. There doesn't have to be a resurrection at all if the dead are already living, already rewarded- it makes no sense.

Death's sleep is exactly like any sleep, you don't know anything while you're sleeping, the next thing you know is waking up in the morning. You don't recall the world around you at all while you are sleeping- you know nothing.

I will go to sleep tonight and there will be hours I won't be able to account for. Why do you think it is so disconcerting for sleep walkers to wake up and find themselves doing something they had no clue they were doing?  When we have a good night's sleep, we are refreshed and revived from the tiredness that caused us to fall asleep. We all love having a good night's sleep, why because it's undisturbed. Hours with our conscious brain not knowing a thing going on anywhere.

Death's sleep is a blessing. Our loved ones aren't in heaven waiting on us and able to see us suffer down here on earth. They are sleeping death's sleep and when Christ comes they will be raised up, just like we will be. Abraham, David, Isaac, Joseph….all the Apostles, all of them are sleeping death's sleep and they'll be raised from their graves when Christ returns. What a glorious day that will be!  They won't lament not being in heaven for thousands of years, to them that time is nothing. Lamenting something that isn't reality wouldn't happen. They aren't being cheated out of heaven time. Their conscious is suspended by God in a miraculous way so that we are all resurrected when Christ comes, and it is the day they've waited for when they were alive.  

Enoch and Elijah were special, blessed, miracles, not the norm! For that matter, having Enoch and Elijah die painlessly in their sleep so they could get right to heaven would have been simple, why go to all the trouble of just bringing them where they'd already go sooner or later? We surely can't believe that Enoch and Elijah are going to make us feel subservient to them in any way- such a thing won't exist in heaven! The pecking order of translated vs. who died won't ever happen. 

May we be among the dead who rise, or the living who are changed when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ returns for us! 

All through His amazing love, now and forever!!!  Amen!!!!!!!

Pt. 4- The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine? Continued

Pt. 4- The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?  Continued

'3. The third point is in verse 36 (1 Corinthians 15:36) : "That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die." 

To quicken is "to make alive. 

"What Paul says therefore is, "That which thou sowest is not made alive except it die." 

That this is spoken directly of man and his resurrection, is evident from verses 42-44, "It is sown a natural body," etc. 

1Co 15:42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 

1Co 15:43  It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 

Now the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is that the body properly has no life, that it is not the real man, but that the soul is the real, living, sentient man, that it is that about man which alone possesses real life.

In other words, the body is only the house in which the real man lives.

The real "I," the soul, dwells within the body, and death is simply the separation of the soul from the body. 

Death breaks down the house, and lets the occupant free. 

According to this doctrine, there is no such thing as death, because the body properly has no life, consequently it does not die, and the soul-the real man-is immortal, and it cannot die; therefore, there is in reality no such thing as death. 

If this be true, there is not only no such thing as death, but there is, likewise, no such thing as a resurrection of the dead; for upon the apostle's premise that "that which thou sowest is not quickened [made alive] except it die," it follows that, as the body, having no life, does not die, it cannot be quickened (raised from the dead); and as the soul does not die, it cannot be raised from the dead; consequently, there is no such thing as a resurrection of the dead.

Therefore it stands proved to a demonstration that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is utterly subversive of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. But the resurrection of the dead is a Bible doctrine; it is the very truth of God. So then it is plain that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is subversive of the truth of God, and is therefore false, deceptive, and destructive. 

(End Excerpt)

The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

BY A. T. JONES.

((My Thoughts)) 

Have you ever seen a movie depicting spirit beings?  Have you ever seen a show that has formerly dead people as ghosts (spirit beings)? I've seen several. These spirit ghost beings in various movies are capable of doing various things. Some can move objects, others interact with people and things, still others cannot interact with anyone or move anything, they just exist unable to do anything but exist.  

Those who believe in the Bible know for certain there are spirit beings- angels. They know that angels can, and do, interact with people and things. These angels are NOT dead people but an entirely different being that God created. They are ministering spirits- 

Heb 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

There are also evil spirit (angels) as well. The evil angels sided with Satan, abandoning God. The evil angels also can interact with people and things, not ministering to them, but harming them. Even harming them by doing seeming good for them. What greater trap is there than to get a person to believe that their dead loved ones can visit them, telling them things only they knew- all the while it is an evil angel in disguise who has knowledge of your lives?

HUMANS DO NOT EVER BECOME ANGELS as some want to believe. We are forever human beings. We will be like them in some respects after we are resurrected from the dead, but we will not be angels. When you are like something, it doesn't mean you are that something. I could be like my mother, but I'm not my mother. 

Mat 22:30  For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven

Little ones have angels-

Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. 

Angels are not humans and humans are not angels- there is no middle gray area about it, though Satan would have us deceived. 

If Satan can get us to believe we turn into spirit beings right after we die he's got us where he wants us, deceived.

Paul expounds upon a resurrection-  not a separation.  

Jesus died. As all who died.  He did not separate from his body and return to it when He was resurrected.  Lazarus died. He did not separate from his body only to be shoved back into it when he was resurrected by Jesus, and Lazarus was in the grave for four days.  

Death as a sleep is a reality. Death as in the dead knowing nothing is a reality. The concept of immediate life after death, as if there is no real death at all, is a lie begun by Satan in the Garden of Eden.

Please let us desire truth over deception.

May God bless all who seek His truth, and only His truth. ))

Immortality of the Soul... Part 3

 Pt. 3- The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?  Continued 

'2. The second point that the apostle makes in this connection is in verse 32:

(1 Corinthians 15:32)

"If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die." 

On this nothing can be better than to present Dr. Adam Clarke's comment upon this same passage. He says… 

"I believe the common method of pointing this verse is erroneous; I propose to read it thus: 'If, after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it advantage me? If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we die.'     

What the apostle says here is a regular and legitimate conclusion from the doctrine that there is no resurrection; for if there be no resurrection, then there can be no judgment-no future state of rewards and punishments; why, therefore, should we bear crosses, and keep ourselves under continual discipline? Let us eat and drink, take all the pleasure we can; for tomorrow we die, and there is an end of us forever."

That is sound exegesis, and a just comment upon the words of the apostle. As we have shown, that is the point of Paul's argument throughout, and it is the thought of the whole Bible upon this subject. But if the soul be immortal, neither Dr. Clarke's comment nor Paul's argument is sound. For if the soul be immortal, when-soever it may be that we die, that is not the "end of us forever," resurrection or no resurrection. By this it is plain that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul nullifies the plainest propositions of Scripture, and is therefore false. 

This view fully explains the query which Dr. Clarke propounds in his remarks at the close of his comments on 1 Corinthians He says:- 

"One remark I cannot help making: the doctrine of the resurrection appears to have been thought of much more consequence among the primitive Christians than it is now! 

How is this? 

The apostles were continually insisting on it, and exciting the followers of God to diligence, obedience, and cheerfulness through it. And their successors in the present day seldom mention it!

 

There is not a doctrine in the gospel on which more stress is laid; and there is not a doctrine in the present system of preaching which is treated with more neglect!"

((My thoughts- Today the focus is on Jesus Christ returning- but not the resurrection from the dead. It would be foolish to those who believe they live on in heaven after death to expound on a future resurrection from the dead. Some get around this as I mentioned in other thoughts on previous excerpts that their spirit form is given back a body upon the resurrection. It makes no sense whatsoever. There is no talk of immediate spirit resurrection at all or that spirit being put back into flesh.))

From the doctor's insertion of exclamation points and his query, "How is this?" it would appear that he was surprised that it should be so. It is indeed surprising that it should be so. But it is easily enough explained. The fact is that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul has become so all-pervading "in the present system of preaching" that there is no room for the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. 

If the doctrine of the immortality of the soul be true, then the doctrine of the resurrection is indeed of no consequence.

If that doctrine be true, then all need of laying stress upon the gospel doctrine of the resurrection of the dead is destroyed. 

And although "the apostles were continually insisting on" the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, and although there is "not a doctrine of the gospel upon which more stress is laid," yet it is through the insidious deceptive influence of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul that the preachers of the present day "seldom mention it," and that in the present system of preaching there is indeed "not a doctrine that is treated with more neglect," and nothing is needed to show more plainly than does this the irreconcilable antagonism between the truth of God and the doctrine of the immortality of the soul.' (End Excerpt) To be continued…

The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

BY A. T. JONES.

((My Thoughts))

Eat, drink, for tomorrow you may die. Have you ever heard that saying before today? Did you know it was Biblical?

Paul, an apostle of Jesus said this…

'… if the dead rise not let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die' 

1 Corinthians 15:32

If the dead rise not. In other words he is saying- the dead MUST rise because if the dead do not rise then this life is all we have and there is nothing to think about.  All those living immoral lives just go on and live them, because there is no resurrection- meaning no future life after you die.

But the DEAD MUST RISE. 

No, not in zombie form, but that sure is a popular idea among people these days.  The Bible talks over and over about a resurrection from the dead-- the dead rising. We are told this-

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation

The resurrection of life, not the resurrection of the spirit after death!  

The HOUR is coming…

ALL that are in the GRAVES shall hear his voice…

And shall COME FORTH..

Why would they need to COME FORTH, why would the dead in their GRAVES hear the voice of Jesus if they are in HEAVEN already?! 

These are all questions we need to ask ourselves not just gloss over them and stick to our cherished beliefs because that's what our parents believed, that's what our friends believed, that's what we've always believed, and that's what the majority of Christian's believe. Satan deceives! God wants us to be enlightened to all His truth, not caught up in Satan's lies. 

We should NOT be living right now as if there won't be a resurrection.

We should NOT be living as if we are guaranteed an afterlife because we have a supposed immortal soul, this is a huge lie, huge!

We need only truth! Let's search for the truth, please, let us only search for truth.

May God help us as we seek for Him with all our heart!

All through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, now and forever!!!!!!! Amen!

The Immortality of the Soul Part 2

 

Pt. 2- The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine? Continued from last week…

'1Co 15:16-18

For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

1. In verse 16, his premise is,

"If the dead rise not."

The first conclusion from that is, "Then is not Christ raised;"

then upon this conclusion follows the logical sequence, "Your faith is vain," and upon that another, "Ye are yet in your sins."

From his premise,-

"If the dead rise not," the second conclusion is, verse 18,

"Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished."

Nothing can be plainer than that this statement and the doctrine of the immortality of the soul cannot both be true.

For if the soul be immortal, as is held, it cannot perish, and, therefore, so far as its existence is concerned, it is utterly independent of the resurrection of the dead.

Is it not supposed by all those who believe the soul to be immortal that all who have passed from this world in the faith of Christ, have gone to heaven, and are now enjoying its bliss? Assuredly it is.

Then, if that be the truth, upon what imaginable principle can it be conceived that they "are perished," if there be no resurrection?

What need have they of a resurrection?

Have they not, without a resurrection, all that heaven can afford?

Upon that theory they certainly have. Then it just as certainly appears that not one of them has perished, even though there never be a resurrection.

Over against this theory stands the word of God, that "if the dead rise not, then they which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished."

That word is the truth.

Therefore it follows that if there be no resurrection of the dead, there is no hereafter for any who have ever died, or who shall ever die.

But God has given assurance to all men that there shall be a hereafter, and that assurance lies in the fact "that he hath raised him [Christ] from the dead" (Heb. 9:27; Acts 17:31). The resurrection of Christ is the God-given pledge that there shall be a resurrection of all the dead: "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," and, "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Therefore it is by virtue of the resurrection of the dead, and not by the immortality of the soul, that there will be any hereafter for the dead, whether just or unjust.'

To be continued… God willing.

The above excerpt is taken from -The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

By. A.T. Jones

My thoughts below-

*******

When did man get an immortal soul? The short answer is- never.

Take a few moments to ask yourself a couple of questions. When Abel died, was he resurrected? No. If, when Abel died he had a supposed immortal soul and it went to heaven, why was it a bad thing to die? Heaven is our goal, isn't it? Salvation.

The thing is, why would we need a resurrection at all, whatsoever, if we go directly to heaven without any pesky bodies? We wouldn't. If we are automatically resurrected in heaven after death, we would need NO FUTURE resurrection in the last day.

If my loved ones are in a place of peace and happiness without any anguish, without any sin- why would God subject them to a resurrection from their dead state? It makes no sense. Will He pull their spirit forms from heaven and put them back into their bodies?

If being dead means you simply leave this flesh to possess a spirit form- why would you want flesh back? Remember, in heaven the idea is that everything is wonderful. You aren't missing your flesh at all. So, I ask again, why would you want it back?

When Jesus returns and calls all who died, calls all His followers to rise from the graves and meet Him in the air, do you realize if you believe you are living on in some spirit form in heaven because your soul is immortal and not subject to true death, then you will have to be put back into the grave in order to be called from it when that last trump sounds. Does that sound even remotely logical to you in any fashion?

The excerpt study we are undertaking is really thought provoking, please read the excerpts above- they are a lot more insightful than my words.

May the Lord bless and keep us as His now and always!!!!!!! Amen.

The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

 

The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

The doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul is one of the oldest and one of the most widespread doctrines that has ever been in this world. It was preached in the world before ever faith in Christ the Saviour was preached.

((My thoughts- The definition of immortality is- the ability to live forever; eternal life. This idea has been around since sin began.))

"The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die;" and from that day to this that doctrine has been believed more generally by the children of men than has the truth of God.

((My thoughts- God didn't say those words 'ye shall not surely die'. God didn't give hope in those words. Don't be mistaken, it is hope that Satan is giving to Eve isn't it? God told her she would die, and Satan turns around and tells her, guess what? God is wrong. God lied to you. You won't die. And yes, as stated above, millions and millions alive today believe this and uncountable number have believed it in the past.))

Indeed, in our day the doctrine of the immortality of the soul has gained such favor among even those who profess the word of God as their standard of belief, that to deny it is considered by the majority of them as equivalent to a denial of the Bible itself.

(My thoughts- I've personally faced this situation. I've told others that there is no immediate life after death, the dead don't rise up out of their bodies in spirit form separating from their flesh bodies. I've said outright that my loved ones are not in heaven, but sleeping and I've been told I'm wrong about that. I've pointed out Biblical verses to reveal the truth and been told other verses supersede those verses- my Bible verses are outdated and done away with, theirs are truth.))

But, instead of such denial being in any way a denial of the truth of revelation, the fact is that the truth of revelation can be logically and consistently held only by the total and unequivocal denial of the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul.

This, the Scriptures plainly show.

I. THE RESURRECTION

There is no truth more plainly taught nor more diligently insisted upon in the Bible than this: That the future existence of men depends absolutely upon either a resurrection of the dead or a translation without seeing death at all.

Paul's hope for future existence was in the resurrection of the dead. In speaking of his efforts to "win Christ," he says: "That I may know him, and the power of his RESURRECTION, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the RESURRECTION of the dead." Phil 3:10, 11.

It was of "the hope and resurrection of the dead" that he was called in question by the council (Acts 23:6); and when he had afterward to make his defense before Felix, he declared that the resurrection of the dead was the end of his hope, saying: "And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a RESURRECTION of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Acts 24:15

Time and again Paul thus expresses his hope of future life. Nor is Paul the only one of the writers of the Bible who teaches the same thing. The RESURRECTION of the dead is that to which Job looked for the consummation of his hope. Job 14:14, 15; 17:13-15; 19:23-27.

Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

Job 14:15 Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.

Job 17:13 If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.

Job 17:14 I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.

Job 17:15 And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?

Job 19:23 Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!

Job 19:24 That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

Job 19:26 And though AFTER my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

David says: "Thou which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken [give life to] me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth." Ps. 71:20. And, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness." Ps. 17:15

((My thoughts- Worms destroying skin, coming up from the depths of the earth- this most assuredly does not portray someone separating from their body and living on in spirit existence. This is clearly the dead being put in a grave to decay and not seeing anything at all whatsoever until 'I AWAKE with thy likeness'. These men of God knew that death meant a complete and utter separation from life in any form. They expected the nothingness of their death and had hope of a future, not an immediate resurrection. It couldn't be more clear.))

And what shall we more say? For the time would fail us to tell of Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and Daniel, and Hosea, and Micah, and all the prophets and apostles, and of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; for Jesus himself declared that it was the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD of which God spake when he said, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."

More than this, Jesus pointed his disciples always to the resurrection of the dead, through which alone they could obtain the reward which he promised. In John 6:39-54 we find that no less than four times the Saviour, in giving promise to those who believe in him, sets it forth as the consummation of that belief that "I will raise him up at the last day."

((My thoughts- those four times-

Joh 6:39 … should raise it up again at the last day.

Joh 6:40 … may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Joh 6:44 … and I will raise him up at the last day.

Joh 6:54 … and I will raise him up at the last day. ))

And in Luke 14:13, 14 we read: "When thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and . . . thou shalt be recompensed at the RESURRECTION of the just."

Paul, however, gives us, upon this subject, a straight-forward, logical argument, which leaves the doctrine of the immortality of the soul not a particle of ground to rest upon.

The fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians is devoted entirely to an argument in proof of the resurrection of the dead.

The apostle first proves, by hundreds of living witnesses who had seen him after he was risen, that Christ arose from the dead.

Still there were some who said, "There is no resurrection of the dead," and in refutation of that idea, he introduces three points of argument, any one of which utterly excludes the doctrine of the immortality of the soul from any place whatever in Christian doctrine.

To be continued… God willing.

The above excerpt is taken from -The Immortality of the Soul, Is it a Scriptural Doctrine?

By. A.T. Jones

With my thoughts included.