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One of the many false doctrines which is promoted is the belief that the believer does not go to heaven at physical death, but that the soul sleeps, or dies with the body. The idea is that the soul is not immortal. But the soul is indeed immortal and is shown to be so despite claims by many to the contrary. One of the reasons that many claim that the soul is mortal is because of the following passage.
1 Tim 6:15 which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16] who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
But that passage means only that God alone possesses immortality in and of Himself as a part of His essential nature. Applied to the humanity of Jesus Christ who is Himself God, it means that at the moment He alone has a resurrected immortal body. But God has given immortality to angels and to the souls of men. The resurrected bodies of men will be given immortality.
Some people base their belief that the soul is mortal on Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (nephesh - soul)
Based on Gen 2:7 some people say that that the soul is the combination of the spirit and the body. But the Bible makes a clear distinction between the soul, the spirit, and the body.
1 Thess 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The Bible uses the word soul (Hebrew - nephesh; Greek - psuché) in different ways. It can refer to the complete person (1 Pet 3:20), or to the immaterial part of man (Matt 10:28). God Himself is said to have a soul (Lev 26:11,30; Isa 42:1; Jere 32:41).
That man's soul is immortal is easily seen from the following passages.
Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. The soul continues to live after the death of the body as clearly taught in Matthew 10:28 "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Man can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. God however is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. But destruction does not mean cessation of existence but refers to ruination and uselessness. As Daniel 12:2 says, '"Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Those who go into Gehenna - the lake of fire will be in disgrace and everlasting contempt.
But that's the final destination of the unbeliever. Prior to that the soul of the unbeliever goes to the torments side of Hades as shown in Luke 16 which is not a parable as critics attempt to make it out to be.
The believer at physical death goes into the presence of God in heaven. Both Rev 6:9-11 and Rev 20:4 show the soul of tribulational martyrs in heaven while the tribulation is taking place on the earth.
The apostle Paul had been taken up into Paradise in the third heaven as recorded in 2 Cor 12:1-6. This event probably occurred when Paul was stoned by the Jews as recorded in Acts 14:19. He probably actually did die from the stoning at which point he went to heaven. He was then brought back to life by God. Paul could say with full confidence as he did in 2 Cor 5:8 'we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.'
Prior to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, Paradise was one of the compartments of Hades. Jesus told the thief "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:43).
Rachel's soul was said to depart from her because she died.
Gen 35:18 It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
bə·ṣêṯ - to go or come out; translated as departing.
Peter understood that his body was but a tent, his earthly dwelling which would be laid aside at death.
2 Peter 1:13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14] knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15] And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
Peter spoke of his impending physical death as laying aside his body and departing.
As with any doctrine, in order to understand what the Bible says about about man's immortal soul and that the believer goes to heaven at physical death you have to take everything the Bible says about the subject from every place in the Bible, put it together and systematize it. I have shown but a few passages which are enough to show that man's soul is immortal and that the believer goes to heaven at death. The Bible is also clear about the eternal condemnation of the unbeliever after physical death, but in this post I only wanted to show that the believer goes to heaven at physical death.
And here we have witness to Satan's first lie in action... "Surely you will not die". Ironic.
Mike, the first verse you quote contradicts your entire premise.
God alone has immortality.
Yes, we will gain immortality, but not until after the resurrection when we are made incorruptible.
Good post mike. When he was being executed by stoning, Stephen also knew he was going to heaven immediately after his death. With his last breath he asked God to receive his spirit.
John 11:25-26
He who believes in me will live, even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Job 19:25-26
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
John 8:51
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he willneverseedeath.”
Job was counting on John 8:51 .. despite physically dying. Which is why Jesus says that those who have faith in him are only sleeping when they physicaly die.
It is the unbeliever who when dies physically is the one who "see's death".
And here we have witness to Satan's first lie in action... "Surely you will not die". Ironic.
Mike, the first verse you quote contradicts your entire premise.
God alone has immortality.
Yes, we will gain immortality, but not until after the resurrection when we are made incorruptible.
I fully explained what that passage meant and there is no contradiction.
Good post mike. When he was being executed by stoning, Stephen also knew he was going to heaven immediately after his death. With his last breath he asked God to receive his spirit.
Thanks Finn. And yes, Stephen knew he was going to heaven.
Acts 7:59 'They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"
And if you will notice that Acts 7:55 says that Jesus was standing at the right hand of God. Normally Jesus is seated (Psa 110:1; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, 13, 8:1; 10:12; 12:2). But that Jesus was standing may mean that Jesus was standing to welcome Stephen to heaven.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 describes death in these terms: "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." Notice, that according to this definition, the body has one destination and the soul/spirit has another.
There is additional evidence that the soul leaves the body at death. Several of the resurrection stories in the Bible describe the soul as returning to the body. This implies, of course, that the soul had left in the first place. First, there is the example of Elijah raising the widow’s son from the dead. "And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived” (1 Kings 17:21-22). This passage specifically says that the child’s soul "came into him again." A second example is Jesus’ raising of Jairus’s twelve year old daughter from the dead. "And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand he called, saying, "Child, arise." And her spirit returned, and she got up at once (Luke 8:53-55). As in the example, this text also speaks of the soul of a dead person “returning” into the body.
Mike, your interpretation of the other passages fully contradicts 1 Tim 6:15 which says God alone is immortal.
Furthermore, don't you find it strange that your message is "surely, you will not die!", the same message that Satan said in Genesis...
Again, I have already explained what 1 Tim 6:15 means. There is no contradiction.
The Bible speaks of different categories of death.
There is physical death which is simply the separation of the soul from the body. Passages were given in the original post which show this.
There is spiritual death which means that the unbeliever is separated from God in time (in this life). In other words, the unbeliever has no relationship with God.
There is the second death which is simply spiritual death continuing for all eternity future. The unbeliever will experience the second death in Gehenna - the lake of fire. He will be physically alive in a resurrected body designed for the lake of fire but he will have no relationship with God and therefore separated from God.
There are other categories of death but they need not be mentioned here.
Adam did indeed die spiritually the very moment he ate the fruit. As a result of his spiritual death, he died physically hundreds of years later even though when he believed the gospel which was given to him by God Himself he was born again - a spiritual rebirth.
Since the fall of Adam all men are born physically alive but spiritually dead. When a person is born again through faith in Jesus Christ he will still die physically unless he a part of the rapture generation, but at physical death his soul and human spirit will go into the presence of God in heaven. Prior to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ however, the believer went to the compartment of Hades known as Paradise. Paradise is now located in the third heaven as stated in 2 Cor 12:2-4.
Last edited by Michael Way; 04-26-2012 at 06:15 PM..
John 11:25-26
He who believes in me will live, even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Job 19:25-26
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
John 8:51
I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he willneverseedeath.”
Job was counting on John 8:51 .. despite physically dying. Which is why Jesus says that those who have faith in him are only sleeping when they physicaly die.
It is the unbeliever who when dies physically is the one who "see's death".
Yes Twin. But these particular verses refer to the resurrection of the body. Do you understand that the Bible says that the soul of the believer goes to heaven at the point of physical death?
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