Immortality or Resurrection (Updated) by William West (reading strategies book .TXT) 📖

His death.
• In THE SPIRITS IN PRISON 1 Peter 3:18-20 the advocates of an immortal soul
say Christ went down to Hell to preach to the spirits in prison at His death.
• In THE ROBBER Luke 23:43 the advocates of an immortal soul say He went up
to Heaven at His death. They say one place one time and another place another
time.
• The advocates of an immortal soul send Christ both down to Hell to preach
to spirits in prison AND up to Heaven with the robber, both places at the
same time.
WHAT IS NOT SAID: Nothing is said about the robber believing after he had
"reproached him." This is added by those who say they do not believe in adding to the
word of God. I have been told the robber "could have" heard Christ before this. If he did,
he did not believe for he was still a robber and even after he was on the cross he railed on
Christ ("reproached him"). He was one of the many that could have heard Christ before
this but if he had heard Christ he did not believe for he was one of the many who railed
on Christ. Anyone can prove anything that they want to with a "could have."
CHRIST WENT TO THE GRAVE THAT DAY, NOT HEAVEN. Both Christ and the
robber were in hades - the grave - on "this day.”
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THREE PROBLEMS
1. Christ did not go to Heaven that day.
2. It must be assumed that mankind now has immortality and will never die.
3. It must be assumed that all the saved go to Heaven at the moment of death, before
and without the resurrection and judgment, none to sheol (the grave) and none to
Abraham’s bosom; that David did ascend into the heavens [Acts 2:34].
THE KING JAMES VERSION AND THE COMMA
The way it is worded in the Kings James Version makes Christ be asking the thief a
question with the question mark left out and ends the question with a period.
As it is in the Kings James Version and with the Old English changed to today
English."
• "I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
• "I say unto you, To-day shall you be with me in paradise?"
Yet this question Christ asked is frequency used to prove Christ was telling the thief
that they both would be together in Heaven that very day. Christ went to the grave that
day. Where is Paradise? The only other uses of Paradise in the New Testament are:
[1] Paul was "caught up into paradise," which he says is in "the third heaven" [2
Corinthians 12:2-4].
[2] "To him that overcomes, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the
Paradise of God" [Revelation 2:7]; the tree of life is in the New Jerusalem [See
Revelation 21:1 to 22:5].
Many translations make Christ be telling the thief they both would be together in
paradise (Heaven?) that day.
• Wycliffe New Testament: “And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to thee, this day
thou shalt be with me in paradise”
• English Standard Version: “And he said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will
be with me in Paradise”
• Young's Literal Translation: "And Jesus said to him, Verily I say to thee, To-day
with me thou shalt be in the paradise"
• New International Version: "Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you
will be with me in paradise"
• New American Standard Bible: "And He said to him, Truly I say to you, today you
shall be with Me in Paradise"
• English Standard Version: "And he said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will
be with me in Paradise"
• Amplified Bible: "And He answered him, Truly I tell you, today you shall be with
Me in Paradise"
• English Standard Version: "And he said to him, Truly, I say to you, today you will
be with me in Paradise"
• Darby Translation: "And Jesus said to him, Verily I say to thee, To-day shalt thou
be with me in paradise." This Catholic Bible also makes Christ be asking the thief
a question without using a question mark.
• Holman Christian Standard Bible: "And He said to him, I assure you: Today you
will be with Me in paradise"
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• New International Reader's Version: "Jesus answered him, What I'm about to tell
you is true. Today you will be with me in paradise"
• Today's New International Version "Jesus answered him, Truly I tell you, today
you will be with me in paradise"
• New International Version - UK: "Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today
you will be with me in paradise"
• Marshall Parallel New Testament In Greek And English: "Truly thee I tell, Today
with me thou will be in the paradise"
With the comma where it is in most translations, Christ answer to the mockery of the
thief was that he would be with Him that day. That day Christ was in the grave, therefore,
Christ told the thief that he would be in the grave that day. TELLING THE THIEF
THAT HE WAS GOING TO DIE AND BE IN THE GRAVE THAT DAY DOSE NOT
SOUND LIKE AN ANSWER THE THIEF WOULD HAVE RECEIVED IF HE HAD
TRULY REPENTED AND WAS FORGIVEN.
IF CHRIST WERE TELLING THE THIEF THAT HE WOULD BE WITH HIM IN
HEAVEN IT WAS NOT ON THAT DAY; the comma, which is not in the Greek must
be moved for both Christ and the thief went to the grave that day, not to Heaven. "I say
unto you to-day, you shall you be with me in paradise." This would not make the being in
paradise be on that day, not on the day of their death. No one goes to Heaven at death
before the resurrection and judgment. If the thief truly did repent and by "paradise"
Christ was telling the thief that he would be in Heaven with Him, the comma must be put
after "today" for Christ or the thief did not go to Heaven that day.
The Greek, in which the New Testament was written, did not have chapters or
punctuation. Men have added the punctuation. The oldest manuscripts are all capitals, the
words are not separated, and there is no punctuation. Cardinal Huge de Sancta Caro
divided it into chapters in A. D. 1250. Robert Stevens divided the Bible was into verses
about A. D. 1550. Manutius, a printer of Venice in A. D. 1490, invented the comma. It
was put in the King James Version in A. D. 1611, BUT IT WAS NOT USED BY LUKE
BEFORE IT WAS INVENTED, THEREFORE, THERE WAS NO COMMA IN LUKE
23:43. There was not a comma in the whole New Testament. Men put all the punctuation
marks in the Bible we use today, not God. The translators could sometimes make it say
what was consistent with their beliefs by the way they used punctuation. Move the
comma, which was not invented unto 1490 and was added by uninspired men in the King
James Version by man in A. D. 1611, and it does not say when they would be in paradise.
• VERILYISAYUNTOYOUTODAYYOUSHALLBEWITHMEINPARADISE The
oldest Greek manuscripts have all capitals letters with no separation between
words and sentences, and no punctuation marks.
• VERILY.I.SAY.UNTO.YOU.TODAY.YOU.SHALL.BE.WITH.ME.IN.PARADISE
Dots were put into the Greek in the ninth century to separate the words. The
punctuation of all Greek texts after the ninth century is entirely on human
authority.
• “Verily I say unto you, ‘To-day you shall be with me in paradise.’”
• “Verily I say unto you today, ‘You shall be with me in paradise.’” The comma
was invented in1490 and put in the Bible by men.
"This day" is a common expression in the Bible. See Genesis 31:18; Exodus 34:11;
Deuteronomy 4:26; 4:40; 6:6; 7:11; 8:1; 8:11; 30:5.
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• “I declare to you this day, that ye shall surely perish” [Deuteronomy 30:18].
• “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all
man” [Acts 20:26 King James Version].
The Companion Bible, Appendix 173: "The interpretation of this verse depends entirely
on punctuation, which rests wholly on human authority, the Greek manuscripts
having no punctuation of any kind till the ninth century, and then it is only a dot in the
middle of the line separating each word."
To put the comma where the King James Version put it makes Jesus a liar for He
know He would not be in paradise that day. The King James translators, who believed
that all will go immediately to Heaven or Hell at death, punctuated it to makes both
Christ and the thief be in Heaven ON THAT VERY DAY.
H Leo Boles: "Evidently Jesus did not mean that this robber would go with him to heaven that
day, as it seems clear from other statements that Jesus did not go to heaven that day. His day of
ascension came about forty days after that time" A Commentary On The Gospel Of Luke, Page
454, 1954, Gospel Advocate Company.
“It may be asked why translators of most modern version do not place the comma after the
‘today’ so that the verse will harmonize with other scriptural teaching on death and resurrection.
We might as well ask why they do not translate the Greek bapitizo as ‘immerse’ or diakonos as
‘servant’ instead of merely spelling them with English letters. To do so would put the translation
at odds with most denominational doctrine and almost insure it failure to be accepted” Curtis
Dickinson, “The Witness” Volume 30, Number 8, 1990.
There is no grammatical justification for the placement of the comma before "today."
Christ or the thief did not go to Heaven that day. By moving the comma that was added
by uninspired men with a theological prejudice, the conflict with other passages is
removed even if "in paradise" dose mean "in Heaven."
Note: The punctuation can change the meaning of the same words.
Woman, without her man, is nothing.
Woman, without her, man is nothing.
[2]. “TO DIE IS GAIN”
Philippians 1:21-23
When this passage is used to prove that a person takes up residence in their permanent
abode at once in Heaven at death, it is taken out of context. Paul says, "So that my bonds
became manifest in Christ throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest;
and that most of the brethren in the Lord, being confident through my bonds, are more
abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear" [Philippians 1:13-14]. His
imprisonment was not a personal gain, but because of it the word of Christ was being
preached, therefore, it was gain. In verse 18 it did not matter the motives, Christ was
being preached and he rejoiced. Verse 20 "So now also Christ shall be magnified in my
body, whether by life, or by death." If he lived, he would preach Christ. If he died, others
would be made more bold and preach Christ because of his death. Verse 21 "For to me to
live is Christ, and to die is gain." Death is an enemy [1 Corinthians 15:26]. It was not a
personal gain for Paul. He knows he would not be in Heaven unto after the resurrection
and judgment at the second coming of Christ. HE KNOWS HIS DEATH WOULD BE A
GAIN FOR THE CAUSE OF CHRIST, THAT CHRIST WOULD BE PREACHED
BECAUSE OF IT, NOT A PERSONAL GAIN FOR HIMSELF. Verse 22 "But if to live
in the flesh, if this shall bring fruit from my work, then what I shall choose I know not" If
he lived and preached Christ, or if his death would cause others to preach Christ, which
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one