Purpose of This Section…
Help you Pass Earth’s Final Test
Q. Shall I obey God or man?
By Knowing the Bible’s View of Immortality:
Does the Bible teach the soul is immortal?
Adam = Earth’s 1st Living Soul
- Soul formed from dust
- “Man Became a Living soul”…
- Dead soul returned to dust
The Biblical View of Man – In Life & Death
Adam before Creation:
1. Not alive
2. No thoughts
3. No knowledge
From Dust
- Breath (Spirit) from God
- + Body (Dust)from dust
- = A Living Soul
Life Given
Body + Breath = “A living soul”
“A Living Soul”
Life Ceases
- Breath (Spirit) to God
- – Body (Dust) to dust
- = Body – Breath = “A dead soul”
Adam in death:
1. Asleep*; not alive
2. Thoughts perish*
3. Knows nothing*
To Dust
After death, man sleeps in the grave until the resurrection.
Key Verse:
Genesis 2:7, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”
Definitions:
- Immortality: Imperishable, or, not subject to death. Only God has (1 Tim. 6:15, 16) & gives to us at SC (1 Cor. 15:51-55).
- Soul: The man (or, body) God formed from the dust of the ground. That is, the body with eyes, ears, nose, etc. (Gen. 2:7).
- “A Living Soul”: The man (or, body) that came to life when God breathed into him the breath of life. For Gen. 2:7 does not say that man received a soul, but that he “became a living soul.” Therefore, the phrase, “man became a living soul,” shows:
- Man is a soul,
- Man can be a living soul (Gen. 2:7), and,
- Man can be a dead soul (Num. 19:11). This is how Num. 19:11 reads, “He that toucheth the dead body [soul = Strong’s # 5315; margin, “soul of man,” KJV] of any man shall be unclean seven days.” In fact, the Hebrew word “nephesh” (Strong’s # 5315), which “soul” is translated from in Gen. 2:7, occurs 683 times in the OT, and 8 of those times it is translated “body,” and each time these 8 references use the phrase, “a dead body” (Lev. 21:11; Num. 6:6; 9:6, 7, 10; 19:11, 13; Hag. 2:13). Also, in Acts 2:29-31, Peter refers to Christ’s “soul” (His dead body) in “hell” (the grave). If “souls” were alive after death (which is a contradiction of terms, alternatives, & conditions according to Rm. 6:23 & Deut. 30:15-20), then why would Christ’s “soul” be alive in “hell” from Good Friday to Resurrection Sunday? It wasn’t. Instead, His “soul” refers to His dead body in the grave when He died in the sinner’s place. This is in harmony with all the verses above referring to a dead body (soul).
Question: Does the Bible teach that it is impossible for the soul to die? Answer: No. Eze. 18:4 says, “…the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” This is the same truth God plainly told Adam & Eve in Gen. 2:16, 17. Thus, the plain teaching of Scripture is, If a person (a soul) disobeys God, that person (soul) will die. This follows since God barred man’s access to the Tree of Life after the Fall (Gen. 3:22 – 24). Therefore, there is no immortal sinner. This is why Paul says we are to “seek for…immortality, eternal life” (Rm. 2:7) since we don’t naturally possess it. And notice, we don’t seek for what we already have. Therefore, mankind does not naturally possess immortality.
But there is hope! Since we don’t naturally possess immortality after Adam’s Fall, how does God say we receive it again after Adam’s disgraceful Fall? Through the gospel (2 Tim. 1:10). This agrees with 1 Jn. 5:11 – 13 that says he who has the Son has life, and he who does not have the Son does not have life. That’s why we are to seek for immortality (Rm. 2:7)…we lost it in Eden, yet regain it only through believing in Jesus Christ as our Savior. Remember, we don’t seek for what we already have.
Where did the idea of the natural immortality of the soul come from (i.e., that the soul would not die)? From the devil in the Garden of Eden. God said, “if you eat, you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2:16, 17). Satan said, “you will not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4, 5). Here Satan directly contradicted God’s word which he has done from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). So whom should we believe…God or Satan, regarding if the soul shall die if that soul disobeys God? God, of course. Yet what teaching do most people believe? “You will not surely die.” So who is really believed and taught? Satan is with his 1st lie that man will not surely die.
When do we receive immortality again? At Christ’s second coming (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 21-23).
What is man’s condition in death before Christ’s Second Coming? Man is asleep* (Jn. 11:11 – 14), thus not in heaven (Acts 2:29, 34), not praising God (Ps. 115:17; 104:33; 63:4; Isa. 38:18, 19), has no thoughts* (Ps. 146:3, 4, KJV), and has no knowledge* (Ecc. 9:4 – 6, 10). Now for the person who believes Ecc. 9:4 – 6, 10 is not inspired or doctrinally reliable, I respectfully ask: On what basis can you consistently say Ecc. 3:11 is reliable & inspired but Ecc. 9:4-6, 10 is not doctrinally reliable & inspired? Is that consistent? For 2 Tim. 3:15-17 says, “…All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitalbe for doctrine….”
Warning: If a dead person (especially a deceased loved one) appears to you, you may know, upon the authority of God’s Word, that this apparition is not your loved one, but a lying devil personating your loved one to draw you from God, the truths of His Word, and readiness for last day events and Christ’s Second Coming. Your only defense then as now is to quote Scripture on this truth, and then the lying devil will leave you just as he left Christ when He quoted Scripture to Satan (Mt. 4:1 – 11; Jm. 4:7).