Is the Soul Immortal or Mortal?

No, brethren, every once in a while I think about this and I think about the fact that I have learned a lot in the Church of God. I have learned a lot, maybe more than I even think about. You know, Mr. Sauk and I were traveling along together and we had a lot to talk about, and and that was something I shared with him. I said, you know, I don't think we realize how much we have learned in the Church of God and how precious the knowledge is that we have. We sometimes tend to take that for granted. If we've been in the Church for a long time, I think there's a tendency to take it for granted. You know, we may have been excited at first when all these things began to make sense to us, but that we contend over time if we're not careful we can forget that this is precious information and it's joyous information to be able to know and understand and be able to share. You know, I think back I was raised in the Presbyterian Church. I know we all have different religious backgrounds. Some of us have maybe been raised in the Church, others of us were not, but for the first 12 years of my life it was probably pretty much a Presbyterian educational upbringing. You know, I really didn't know much about what God was doing. I really didn't. And when I think back, I just think, well, I know I heard about going to heaven. I heard about that. And I heard about going to hell. And I asked my mother one time, well, you know, Mom, what are we going to do in heaven? Because my mom, in a sense, was kind of the religious instigator, leader. She was the first one that was called. But my dad came along later. But she didn't know either. She really didn't know what the purpose of life was all about either. In fact, she shared with us later there was a time when she became distraught and she was discouraged. And she prayed a prayer that God, what is this all about? Why are we here? What are some of the things that why do we exist? It wasn't long afterwards that she heard the radio program. Herbert Armstrong was the first one that she heard. And some of these things started to make sense to her. And it went further. My dad became interested. We had Bible studies at home. We didn't even know about the Sabbath. At that time, we were meeting on a Sunday, having Bible studies on a Sunday. And then eventually, you know, these things sometimes take time. They take months. They take years as we begin to grow. We begin to understand as God begins to open our eyes and begins to take the blinders off. And sometimes we forget that we want people to move along a little faster than maybe we moved along. But we began to understand the Sabbath eventually. We had services at home. And finally, we thought, well, there's a church that's behind this information. And so, we began to inquire and eventually began to attend services. But, brother, there was so much to learn. So much to learn. So much to understand. And very precious and important knowledge that we really don't want to take for granted. And God wants us to be... He wants us to use this word well. He wants us to wield the sword correctly, rightly dividing the word of truth. So, I'm going to have a message today that's a little bit different, not as many stories, more scriptural references. I'm going to challenge you a little bit today to try to keep up with me. I'll try to go slowly but surely through and not try to lose anyone. But we're going to be looking up some words, some Greek words, some Hebrew words, maybe more of a Bible study type of message. But it's a topic that is very important because it sets a foundation for how the rest of your understanding of the scriptures go.

And the vast majority of professing Christians, and the vast majority even of non-Christian religions, have a different understanding than we do on this particular doctrine.

I've not spoken on it before in this congregation. I've not heard it spoken of in quite a long time. And so the message today has to do with the soul. It has to do with the soul.

And the title of the message today is the soul immortal or is it mortal? Is the soul immortal or mortal? Most of Christians today believe it is immortal. We'll talk about the meaning of that in a moment. And they understand that when one's body dies, that the soul that they have continues to exist. It goes on. In other words, the soul cannot die because itself is eternal.

Brethren, is this true? Is this scripture? I mean, if it is, then we should embrace it and we should preach it. But if it's not true, then what is the correct understanding? Is this what God's word has to say on the topic that it is eternal or that it is immortal or is that it is mortal? Some of you with gray hair out there, and maybe some of you even younger than that, may have heard of the name Billy Graham. Now, I for one, when I was young, I used to watch him. And he was a very, very good speaker. In fact, at one time, he was considered really the world's renowned Christian evangelist. He would draw huge amounts of people that would come, even in football and baseball stadiums, to listen to the message that he had. He had this to say about this topic. He made the following remarks concerning the human soul in a Louisville, Kentucky crusade. He said this, and I quote, Your eternal soul is the most valuable thing that you possess. You have a body, but living inside of you is your spirit or soul. And when a person dies, what happens? The soul goes on. And then he continues to speak, and the value of the soul, he says this. First, it's valuable because it's eternal. It's going to live forever. A million years from now, our soul will be living. The body is the house. The soul is the tenant. But when the body dies, the soul lives on. The good news is that God offers eternal life to every soul. Now, brethren, I don't mean any disrespect to Mr. Green. I really don't, because I was in his shoes at one time as well. But there are some inconsistencies in what he said. Did you notice some of them? Did you notice he said the soul is valuable because it's eternal. It's going to live forever. And then later he says the good news is that God offers eternal life to every soul. I have a question. If you and I are born with eternal life or with an eternal soul which lives forever, why is it necessary for God to offer eternal life to every soul? Why would God offer eternal life to something that already has eternal life?

If you follow what I'm saying. Here's what the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association wrote concerning the soul. I think it comes up what a lot of Christian theologians and churches believe today. So this is something I'm quoting from something that they had written. Somebody has a question on the immortal soul. I'm quoting now what they've written. The Bible teaches that you are an immortal soul. Now as I go through this, there are no scriptural references. Okay?

In this information that they're disseminating here, there aren't any scriptural references throughout this entire paragraph here. It says, the Bible teaches that you are an immortal soul. Your soul is eternal and will live forever. In other words, the real you, the part of you that thinks and feels and dreams and aspires the ego, the personality, will never die.

The Bible teaches, and I'm still quoting, that your soul will live forever in one of two places, in heaven or hell. If you are not a Christian and you have never been born again, then the Bible teaches that your soul immediately goes to a place that Jesus called Hades, where you will await the judgment of God. The moment a Christian dies, he goes immediately to the presence of Christ, and there his soul awaits the resurrection when the body and the soul will be reunited. The scriptural doctrine of hell is an awesome one. I'm still quoting, one that must be taken very seriously at the same time the good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ, through his triumph over death, has conquered hell. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." The word there is a lot of thought out there, isn't there? This is Billy Graham, and this is the Billy Graham Association comments here. What I'd like to address today, again, the title of the soul, immortal or mortal, and we'll go through the scriptures today to see what God has to say on this particular topic. We're going to begin by defining, taking a moment to define some and understand some terms. So let's begin by defining the word immortal. What does immortal mean?

So the definition of the dictionary says, never dying, having an eternal life or existence.

Some synonyms of immortal would be eternal, everlasting, perpetual, enduring, endless, it lives forever, it will never die. Brethren, it's pretty simple, I guess, if we look at this dictionary definition of immortal, we are talking about something that cannot die, period.

Something that has eternal life or eternal existence that lives forever and never dies.

Well, God's word, the scripture that he breathes, confirms that the dictionary definition is correct. Let's take a look at a scripture here. Let's notice 1 Timothy 6 and verse 15. 1 Timothy 6 and verse 15. Now, most of the scriptures that I'm going to be reading from today come from the old King James version. So if you've got the new King James or some other version, it may not read exactly the same, but it should be pretty close. 1 Timothy chapter 6, and we'll pick it up in verse number 15. 1 Timothy chapter 6, and we'll pick it up in verse number 15.

Which in his times he shall show who is the blessed and the only potentate and the King of kings and the Lord of lords. So we're talking about God here, aren't we? The King of kings and the Lord of lords who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no one can approach, whom no one has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting.

Amen. Let's focus on this word immortality for a moment. This Greek word for immortality. Okay, now we get into the technical stuff. So some of you are going to like this and some of you are going to have a hard time following along. But this particular Greek word which is translated immortality is only utilized three times in the scripture. Only three times. The Greek word is Athenasia. It's spelled A-T-H-A-N-A-S-I-A. That's A-T-H-A-N-A-S-I-A. Now it's only used three times in the entire Bible.

And the meaning is deathlessness. Deathlessness. That's translated into English immortality. Now here in this scripture, in verse number 16, God is clearly connected in this scripture to this attribute of immortality. God and immortality are definitely connected. Who only, as it says, has immortality in verse number 16. But when man is connected in scripture with immortality, the connection is very different. Let's notice an example of that in Romans chapter 2 and verse number 7. Romans chapter 2 and verse number 7.

It says in the Old King James, it says, To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality. And the Old King James goes on to say eternal life. I think the New King James just says immortality. Now in addressing the question of whether or not a man has an immortal soul or not, one begins to wonder, why would you have to seek for something that you already have? All right. Why would you have to seek for glory if you already had it?

Why would you have to seek for honor if you already have it? Why would you have to seek for immortality and or eternal life if it's already possessed? So there are some small cracks in the armor here of the belief of the immortal soul. So more on that in a few minutes. All right. Let's take a look at the word immortality here in this verse. It's actually a different Greek word than the one that was translated immortal in the previous verse.

Immortality here, this particular Greek word is used eight times in the scriptures. Now there are two times it's translated sincerity. There are two times that it's translated immortality and it's and there's four times when it's translated incorruptible. But this word in Greek means unending existence. Unending existence. So we seek for glory, for honor, and this unending existence or this immortality as it is defined here. All right. What about the definition? We talked about the definition of immortality, deathlessness, unending life.

The dictionary pretty much describes it. The scripture pretty much describes it. What about now the definition of the word mortal? Okay, let's look at the dictionary definition of mortal. Okay, a couple of them here. One of them is eventually dying. Certain to die eventually is one of the definitions of mortal. And then I found this one interesting because it relates us to human beings. All right, when it's trying to describe or define the definition of mortal, it ties in human beings. It's relating to human beings. In a sense, mere mortals in a sense.

Human beings mean, you know, mere mortals that we don't have in mortalities. So it's interesting that the definition of the dictionary of mortal ties in human beings into that where in religion we don't necessarily do that in many religions, thinking that we have an immortal soul. So again, eventually dying, certain to die, a pretty simple definition of mortal. Something that does not have eternal life.

Something that eventually dies. And again, God's scriptures, God's words agree with this definition. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. They agree, God's word agrees with the dictionary's definition. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 53. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 53.

It says, therefore, this corruptible must put on in corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. All right, there's a lot in this verse. But let's focus on the word mortal for a moment because we want to look at God's meaning here for the word mortal. That comes from the Greek. It's the nato's. What does it mean? Well, we look up Strong's exhaustive concordance here and it takes us and it says what this word means is liable to die.

Liable to die. Mortal. Someone that's going to die. So again, we have another scripture where man and immortality are spoken of in the same verse, but it is not a clear automatic connection that man has an immortal soul. Yes, questions.

The Greek word for mortal is the Greek word is the nato's. It's spelled T-H-N as in Nancy. E-T-O-S. T-H-N-E-T-O-S. It's pronounced the nato's. So we see there's not a clear connection between man and an immortal soul here in this particular context. You know, earlier we read it's something that we have to seek for and now it says something that has to be put on. God says this mortal must put on immortality. Question. Why would God call us mortal if we are already immortal? Something to think about. And another thought, why would you and I have to put on something that we already have? And the word put on here, the phrase put on, here comes from a Greek word, enduo, E-N-D-U-O, enduo, and it means to be arrayed with something, to be clothed with something, to put on something. So it's not something that we have, but it's something that we have to be arrayed in or to be clothed with or to put on. So again, some more implications here from the word of God that the soul may not be immortal, but it actually may be mortal. Now let's look at a few direct scriptures from God that reveal something very, very astonishing and it's not well understood. Scriptures that show that the soul can die. The soul can die. So like a sword, God's word cuts to the chase, cuts to the heart of the matter, and makes this point clear. We're going to look at some New Testament scriptures first and then we're going to look at some Old Testament scriptures. Let's turn over, first of all, to Matthew 10 and verse number 28. Matthew 10 and verse 28, these are the words of our Savior, Jesus Christ, that we're going to read about here. As we get here, you may recognize this as something you've read before. And in this context, it fits very, very well. Matthew chapter 10 and verse number 28, I guess again, I'll be reading this from the Old King James Version, maybe a little different from what you have. Jesus Christ speaking says, and fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul.

Some will say here, well, see, the body can be killed, but the soul cannot. But let's just read the rest of this verse. But he says, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Well, now we're beginning to see here from Scripture, from Jesus Christ Himself. Don't fear someone that can kill our bodies that can't kill the soul. He says, who you should fear, and he's referring, of course, to God, is fear Him who is able to destroy both the soul and the body in hell. Let's focus on the word destroy here just for a moment. Here it says, fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. The Greek word for soul, excuse me, the Greek word for destroy is apolumi. I'll spell that for you. It's A-P-O-L-L-U-M-I. This is the Greek word that's translated destroy in English. Apolumi. A-P-O-L-L-U-M-I. And what it means is this, to destroy fully. It also goes on to say it can also be meaning to die. To perish. To cease to exist. The soul can cease to exist. It can die. It can be destroyed. It can be destroyed fully. So we see from Scripture that the soul can be destroyed. Let's go over to James chapter 5 verse 20. This is God's words. No other human beings. This is God breathed. James chapter 5 and verse 20.

I'll read this from the New King James. James chapter 5 and verse 20. We'll pick it up in verse 19. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the air of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. Brethren, sometimes a soul must be saved from death. That we're headed in the wrong direction.

So we see that the soul can die. Sometimes God's word is clear a soul may need to be saved from death.

That a person is headed in the wrong direction.

And brethren, if a soul is immortal and cannot die, why may it need to be saved from death?

Let's go over to Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse 4. Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse number 4.

Now we go to the Old Testament. References to the soul. Ezekiel chapter 18 and verse number 4.

Let's pick it up into verse 3. As I live, says the Lord God, you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel. He goes on verse 4. He says, Behold, all souls are mine. The soul of the Father, as well as the soul of the Son, is mine. And the soul who sins shall die.

So we see in the scripture, when we see the word soul, it seems to be connected with the fact that it needs to be saved, that it can die, as it says right here. The word of God is pretty clear. The soul who sins shall die. Let's look at the word, the meaning of the word die here in the Hebrew.

The Hebrew word is muth, m-double-o-t-h. That's the Hebrew word for die here in this context. It's muth, m-double-o-t-h. It means to die, to be killed, to be dead, to be slain. It means to die.

God's word is pretty clear. The soul can die, it can be killed, it needs to be saved from death.

And by the Bible's own definition of immortality, if a soul can die, then it is not immortal. The Bible's own definition of immortality is that it cannot die, deathlessness.

Brethren, why does it make a difference? Why does it make a difference?

1 Timothy 3, verse 15. 1 Timothy, well, it makes a big difference, of course. 1 Timothy 3, verse 15.

Pick it up here in verse 14. Paul is writing to Timothy here.

He says, These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I'm delayed, write, so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth.

Brother, we make up part of the body of Jesus Christ, the part of the church, the pillar and the ground of the truth. And we have a responsibility to pass on the truth of God to future generations. It's been passed on to us by those that have been faithful, and we need to be able to be pillars and ground of the truth as well, so we can pass it on. And, brethren, we are in a minority here when it comes to this particular topic of immortality of the soul, whether it's immortal or mortal. We are in the minority here in understanding of the scriptures.

So it's important for us to be a pillar and ground of the truth.

So let's continue on and define some additional terms here. What is a soul? Well, it's important to understand what a soul is. What is a soul? How would you define it? You know, we could go to the dictionary, I suppose, again, and define this word, but I think we'll just go straight to the scriptures this time, straight to the Bible itself.

Further, in contrast to as few instances that the word mortal and immortal appear in the Bible, they don't appear very often. The words mortal and immortal do not appear in the scriptures very often, but the word soul, that appears in scriptures 459 times. 459 times. And I want you to know something, and this is, I think, is very, very important. It's very, very significant.

In every single one of those places, in the 459 times, if the word soul appears in the scripture, there is no automatic connection ever between the word soul and immortality.

Never. 459 references, no automatic connection. The phrase immortal soul cannot be found in the Bible.

It's not there. But you can't even seem to find a connection of soul and immortal in the same context.

Now, we do find a connection between soul and death, don't we? You know, we just read Ezekiel 18, verse 4, the soul that sins, that shall die. We read James 5, verse 20, that we may need to save a soul from death. So we do find, in God's word, there is a connection between the soul and death, but we do not find a connection between the soul and immortality. Not there. All right. Let's begin to define from God's word what a soul is. There are too many scriptures. There's 459 references to it, so we're obviously not going to be able to cover them all. So let's begin with Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. Now, I know this is review for some of you, but I also know that it's good to review because we can tend to forget. And I also know that some of you are learning some things that you've never heard before. So let's go with Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7, and let's read that particular scripture. Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7. I'm going to read it from the old King James, and then we'll notice that the new King James is a little different. And I'm not sure if you've got a different translation. It may even have something different, but here's what the old King James says in Genesis chapter 2 verse 7. It says, In the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. Now, I think in the new King James it says, man became a living being, okay, as it says in the new King James. All right, let's take a look at this. In the new King James, it's the word being. In the old King James, it's the word soul. This Hebrew word is what we're going to focus on here. It's an important word. It's nafesh. I'm going to spell it for you. It's seven letters long. It's n-e-p-h-e-s-h. N-e-p-h-e-s-h.

The meaning according to Strongs is properly a breathing creature. It can be an animal. In fact, animals have been described in Scripture as living nafeshists, living souls, living creatures. To be translated, it's again the word nafesh now is translated in the Old Testament. It's, I mean, it's found in the Old Testament 682 times. So it's all over the place. Nafesh is found in the Scripture 680 times, of which 459 is translated soul, which we've already talked about. Other times it's translated creature or life or being as it is here in the New King James Version in this particular verse. Brethren, as we look at some of these places, animals are living souls, living nafeshists, living creatures, living animals. Birds and reptiles are living souls, living nafeshists. It appears in Scripture at times this particular Hebrew word is not referring to human beings at all, but some of these animals, birds, are reptiles. Let's look at Genesis chapter 1 verse 20. So we'll go back a page or so. Actually, there's the 20th Scripture in the Bible. Genesis chapter 1 and verse 20, it says this. Again, I'm reading the Old King James. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that has life. The word life is nafesh. So we talk about waters bringing forth the moving creature that has nafesh, that has soul, that has life, and the vowel referring to the birds, that they may fly above the earth in the open firmament. So here in this verse 20, nafesh is translated life.

Okay, it's translated creatures, the abundance of living creatures. Okay, let's go down to verse number 21. It says in the Old King James, And God created the great whales, and every living nafesh, every living creature, I think the New King James says, So God created great sea creatures, and every living thing, again, we're talking about nafesh, which can be translated soul, after his kind, cattle, the creeping thing, and the beast of the earth, after his kind, and it was soul. So nafesh, or soul, or creature, as it's translated here.

The Bible reveals that nafesh, or soul, refers to something living, a living creature, a living human being, something that's alive. Now let's go back to Genesis chapter 2 verse 7, just for a moment, Genesis chapter 2 and verse 7, because now he's talking about you and I, as mankind, being a living nafesh. This is the Lord God formed the man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being, a living nafesh, a living soul, if you will. Brethren, although we're just beginning to touch on what a soul is, as we see what's based on in the scriptures, we do know this for sure, from the Word of God here, that you and I are a living soul. We're a living preacher.

God created Adam, and when he breathed into his nostrils life through his breath, man became a living soul, or a living being. So as we look around the room today, you are seeing other living souls, other living beings, living creatures, and when you look in the mirror, you see a living soul, living creature, a living being. We are living souls. Mankind are living souls, living beings, men, women, and children. Now notice verse number seven does not say that man became an immortal soul. He says that man became a living soul. There is a big difference. There's a big difference.

The Bible reveals in this verse that a soul can live, and it also reveals, as we read already, that a soul can die. It can be killed, and therefore, by its own definition, a soul cannot be immortal on its own. It just isn't. So mankind, men, women, children, you and I are living souls. So did God create these living souls as mortal or immortal? Let's go to Genesis chapter three, verse one. Genesis chapter three and verse number one. Let's see what God's view is here in this context. Again, I'm going to read from the old King James. Genesis chapter three and verse number one.

He says, Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yes, has God not said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden.

And the woman said unto the servant, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.

So God started talking about death here. These living creatures, these living souls, these living nayfishes could die.

God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither touch it, lest you die.

And the serpent said to the woman, No, you won't. You shall not surely die.

For God knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes will be opened, and you shall be as God's knowing good and evil.

Satan said, You shall not surely die. Let's jump to verse number 22.

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become as one of us. So they had partaken of the fruit that they were not supposed to, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And now, lest he put his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.

Brother, God did not create man immortal. In fact, before he could partake of the tree of life, he stopped it from happening. He stopped it from happening.

They could not partake of it. He garnered it. So they would not partake of it and live forever.

Verse 23.

Therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man, and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the carabim. Wow, this is pretty serious stuff. He put some of the high-ranking angels to guard the tree of life, and with a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.

Brother, although God was keeping them from the tree of life at this time, he wasn't going to cut them off, though, forever. We know the plan of God. He did not make man immortal, but he was going to make immortality possible to a mortal creature, to a mortal human being. Notice John 3, verse 16.

Probably don't even need to turn there for most of us. It's a memory scripture. John 3, verse 16.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, should not cease to exist. I think we're talking about eternal life here, don't you? Or eternal death. Whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So we begin to see through the plan of God that he makes available a way, a way for a mortal to become immortal. Jesus Christ said another place, I am the way, I am the resurrection, I am the life. It's through Jesus Christ that we can have immortality. As he says here, whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Verse 17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Saved from what? From death. Verse 18. He that believes on him is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already because he's not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. So God begins to reveal to us a way back, in a sense, to eternal life. It's offered. It's available. It's through Christ. I'll refer to Romans 6 and verse 23. You can turn there if you'd like. Romans 6 and verse 23 is a memory scripture. But it says, therefore, the wages of sin is death. We're talking about the second death. We're talking about eternal death. But notice the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Why do we need a gift of eternal life if we already have it?

A gift is something that someone else gives to you or to me, that we did not have before.

But it's available. John chapter 6 verse 47. John chapter 6 and verse 47.

Christ is speaking. If you've got the red letter Bible, you'll notice that. If you don't, the context is that Jesus Christ is speaking these words. John chapter 6 verse 47. Again, I'm reading from the Old King James. Very rarely I say to you, he that believes on me has everlasting life.

That would imply just the opposite, though, wouldn't it? If you did not believe on Jesus Christ, that you don't have everlasting life. Verse number 48. Jesus Christ says something very profound. In fact, it was so profound. The religious leaders of the day were having a hard time wrapping their minds around it. Jesus said, I am the bread of life. We're talking about eternal life. Jesus said, you've got to eat me. And they didn't understand that. Verse 49. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and they're dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. Which means if a man does not eat thereof, that there is certainly death in the future. God made a way back. He says, verse 51. I am that bread. I'm the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. Wow! If anyone eats of this bread, he will have everlasting life.

Life that doesn't end.

And the bread that I'm going to give to you is my flesh. Which, notice, I'm going to give. It's a gift I'm going to give for the life of everyone. The life of everyone that's in the world.

Let's jump to John 11, verse 25. John 11, verse 25.

Pick it up here in verse number 21. Now, Martha said to Jesus, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you. Jesus said, your brother is going to live again. He's going to rise again. Martha said to him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? Wow! So he's basically saying here that whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? And so there is a possibility to have everlasting life, that it's not inherent. John 8, verse 51. John 8, verse 51.

Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say to you, if a man keeps my sayings, he shall never see death.

But we know people have died. People have died. So what's the context? He's not talking about their first death. He's talking about a second death. He's talking about an eternal death.

He says, if a man keeps my sayings, he shall never see death.

Let's go over to Ezekiel chapter 18, verse 20. Ezekiel chapter 18, verse number 20.

We'll pick it up in verse 19 here. It says, Listen now to my voice. I will give you counsel, and God will be with you. Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work that they must do. I don't think I've got the right... I'm in exodus, no wonder.

I need to catch up to you.

Were you all in... Did I say excess or did I say Ezekiel? I said Ezekiel, but I was reading Exodus. All right.

You're probably wondering what translation is he reading from?

Ezekiel chapter 18, verse 20. I'll catch up to you.

Pick it up in verse number 19. Yet you say, Why should the Son not bear the guilt of the Father? Because the Son has done what is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes and observed them. He shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. So we see it here again. The Son shall not bear the guilt of the Father, nor the Father bear the guilt of the Son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked man turns from all of his sins, which he has committed, keeps all my statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall not die. Verse 22, none of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him. Because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. So we see there's a consequence for our actions and the way that we live our life and the choices that we make. Verse 22, none of the transgressions which he's committed shall be remembered against him. Because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live. Do I have pleasure at all that the wicked should die, says the Lord, and not that he should turn from his ways and live. Verse 24, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live. All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die. Well, brethren, the scriptures are pretty clear, aren't they? They're very, very clear that we are not immortal, that we are mortal. Turn over to Revelation chapter 21, so we can have the gift of immortality, but it's not something we inherently have. Revelation chapter 21 and verse number 4. Revelation chapter 21 and verse number 4. Again, I'll be reading here from the old King James. It says, God eventually is going to wipe away all tears from their eyes. It's a very wonderful scripture. And there shall be no more death. It's coming to time when there will be no more death. It's not yet. Neither sorrow nor crying. Neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I'm going to make all things new. And he said to me, Right, for these words are true and faithful. These are going to come to pass, in other words. Verse 6, and he said to me, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the A of the Z of the Greek alphabet. And I'm the Alpha and Omega, the beginning of and of the end. And I will give unto him that is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. God says we have to thirst for it. And he that overcomes shall inherit all things. And I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But not everyone is going to be in this category. Verse number 8. But those that are fearful and that don't believe and are abominable and are murderers and horemongers and sorcerers and idolaters and liars shall have their part in a different place. It's in the Lake of Fire, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. The Bible defines death as ceasing to exist. Lifelessness, in a sense, not alive in this Lake of Fire, but dying in and because of this Lake of Fire. Let's go to Revelation chapter 22. Revelation chapter 22 in verse 12.

Behold, Jesus is speaking here. I'm coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according to his works. I am the Alpha and Omega at the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life. Not everyone's going to have the right to the tree of life. Blessed are they that do his commandments, verse 14, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter in through the gates and into the city. For without are dogs and sorcerers and horemongers and murderers idolaters and whoever loves and makes a lie. I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root, the morning star, offspring of David. And the Spirit and the bride say, come and let him that hears say, come and let him who is a thirst come and whoever will let them take of the water of life freely. So let's go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 53.

You know, merciful God is not going to allow a person to stay alive and burned internally in hell. It's going to be a second death. It's going to be a second death.

God will destroy those who've been destroying the earth and their fellow man. Let's pick it up in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse number 51. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse... well, let's pick it up in verse number 50. 1 Corinthians 15, 50. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. Neither does corruption inherit incorruption. I'm going to show you a mystery. We will not all sleep or in a sense stay dead in the first death that we all have, but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

And this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on incorruption. There's something that God has to give to us, something He puts on us. Verse 54. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then when Christ and God give us, and He's not going to give it to everyone, as we've already read about, but when He gives His people that have been faithful to Him, that have been a thirst to drink of the tree of life, and they've obeyed, and they've been overcomers, it says, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory.

Brethren, it looks to us from the Scriptures of God that we are headed down the journey to the road of death, unless God gives us the gift of eternal life. We're not an immortal soul. We are mortal. This mortal must put on immortality, and we're headed for death unless God gives it through Jesus Christ. Verse 56. And the sting of death, of course, is sin, which is part of the plan of God that we read about in Passover in the days of Unleavened Bread.

And the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory. How? Because we already have it. It's already been given to us. No. No. It's going to be through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We follow His example. If we live as He lived. Verse 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast. So this is something He tells us. We want to have that victory over death. Then to be steadfast. Verse 58. Unmovable. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. We do the things that He did. We follow His example. We imitate our elder brother. Always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. From the word of the true origin of the immortality of the soul come from. I think most of us know. But let's just understand.

As we've seen today, we looked at supposedly immortal souls. The Bible teaches there's no such concept in the Scripture. We don't even see those two words in the same context. We do see death and the soul in the same context several times. From the ideas filtered down through Western thought, through Greek philosophy, through false pagan religions, its origins are older than Athens, Greece.

In fact, they're as old as man. They're as old as our first parents. The concept of the immortal soul was introduced into man's thinking at the very, very beginning of human history with our human parents with Adam and Eve. God told our first parents that if they sinned, they would die. And they would return to the dust from which he had created them.

Satan said, no, you will not surely die. We've read that already. He slyly injected into Eve's consciousness at that time the notion that God was lying and that she and her husband would not die, thus ingraining the unscriptural teaching of the immortality of the soul into human thought for the first time.

Started right at the beginning, right at the very beginning. And boy, it's got a foothold and it's infiltrated into most of the professing Christian denominations and even non-Christian religions that believe in life after death. It is everywhere. It's everywhere. So to conclude, conclusion of the whole matter, brethren, is this. God made us physical so that we would not live forever if we chose the wrong road or the wrong type of character.

If we do, we'd simply die and return back to the dust that we were made. There is no life inherent in us.

Satan's lie to Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity will finally and completely and eventually be exposed. Boy, it's going to be like a weight off of people's shoulders to understand the truth.

However, if we yield to God and follow the example of his son Jesus Christ and grow and reflect the character of our Creator and practice godly works, then he will give us immortality. He'll give us everlasting life as a gift to be as the Father and Christ are. Wasn't that Christ's prayer at the end? You know, just before his physical life on this earth, just before his crucifixion, he said, Father, they may be one in us and we in them. You know, he's talking about that. Only then, then and only then, will we have eternal, immortal life in us. We will then be eternal spirit being in the family of God. This is the truth of the soul and our human potential.