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

before the resurrection. This "longing to be clothed upon with our habitation
that is from Heaven," is longing for our habitation at "the judgment seat" [5:10], not in
this life, or not at our death. IF THIS "HOUSE NOT MADE WITH HANDS" WERE AN
IMMORTAL SOUL, AS THOSE WHO USE THIS PASSAGE TO TEACH WE NOW
HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL SAYS IT IS; THEN WE WOULD NOW HAVE THIS
IMMORTAL SOUL NOW LIVING IN US, THEN WHY WOULD WE BE "LONGING
TO BE CLOTHED" WITH OUR "HOUSE NOT MADE WITH HANDS" WHEN WE
ARE NOW CLOTHED WITH IT AND ALL, EVEN THOSE NOT IN CHRIST HAVE
BEEN CLOTHED WITH IT FROM THE DAY OF BIRTH? Paul is made to say we are
longing to be clothed with that which we are already clothed with; that with which we
were clothed with from birth. IT IS NOT AN IMMORTAL SOUL THAT PAUL IS
SPEAKING OF, BUT THE "HOUSE NOT MADE WITH HANDS" IN HEAVEN
WHICH WE ARE LOOKING FOR, NOT AN IMMATERIAL INVISIBLE PART OF A
PERSON, WHICH THEY ARE SOMEHOW TRYING TO PROVE WE NOW HAVE
WITH THIS PASSAGE. There is nothing about a "soul" in this passage. "Spirit" has to
be read into this for Paul said nothing about "spirit" in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. (1) It is
about us now in this life (2) and us at the judgment seat (3) and then us at home in
Heaven. It is about our whole person both now and in Heaven, not just an "immaterial,
invisible part of man."
NOW ON EARTH 2 COR. 5:1-11 IN HEAVEN AFTER SECOND COMING
"THE EARTHLY HOUSE" "A BUILDING FROM GOD-ETERNAL IN THE HEAVENS"
"LONGING TO BE CLOTHED UPON" "WITH OUR HABITATION THAT IS FROM HEAVEN"
"AT HOME IN THE BODY" "AT HOME WITH THE LORD"
"THAT WHAT IS MORTAL" "MAY BE SWALLOWED UP OF LIFE"
"THIS MORTAL" "MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY" 1 CORINTHIANS 15:53
Paul says nothing about life between death and the resurrection or about an immortal soul,
which as many teach is the same now as it will be in Heaven. He is comparing this life with life in
Heaven. We now have an earthly house, a mortal soul mode of existence, but will have a building
from God, an immortal spiritual mode of existence. Nothing is said about any kind of existence
from death to the resurrection. "That what is mortal may be swallowed up of life" [2 Corinthians
5:4]. When will this be? At the resurrection, not instantly at death [1 Corinthians 15:54].
If the "house not made with hands" were an immortal soul and the lost now have an
immortal soul AS SOME TEACH THEY DO, then the lost would NOW have this "house
not made with hands," the same immortal soul NOW while they are living and will
ALWAYS have this "house not made with hands" in Hell. If the lost do not have eternal life,
they would not know they were in Hell and could not feel any pain. Their teaching makes all now
have this house, which they say is an "immaterial, invisible part of man," and no one, lost or
saved, need to long for it for all now have this "immaterial, invisible part of man," and all will
always have it, but in an attempt to prove a person now has an immortal soul they use "longing to
be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven" when they say that we are born with
it?
1. THE LOST do not and will never have "a building from God, a house not made with
hands, eternal in the heavens" They will never "be clothed upon with our habitation
which is from heaven." Therefore, if this house were an immortal soul or an immortal
spirit as many teach it to be, the lost do not and will never have an immortal soul or
spirit.
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2. THE SAVED are "longing to be clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven."
Therefore, if this house is an immortal soul or an immortal spirit as many teach it to
be, the saved do not now have an immortal soul or spirit but are longing to have one
or both.
3. Paul was not longing for a disembodied existence but the gaining of a body far superior
to this earthly body.
According to the immortal soul teaching of today, what is “mortal that is swallowed up of
life?” [2 Corinthians 5:4.
• At death, the body that is mortal dies and goes to the grave. The dead body has no life
and is not swallowed up of life.
• They believe the soul is now as immortal as it will be after the death of the body and as
immortal as it will ever be. Is there any swallowing of mortality by life here? No.
According to this view the body will be dead, and soul will have no more life after death
and be no more immortal than it now is, therefore, there will be less life than now.
Nothing will be swallowed up by life. According to this view, there is no way to make
any sense from what Paul said.
o The mortal person is swallowed up by life at the resurrection of the dead when
immortality will be put on. "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God,
who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee" [2 Corinthians 5:5 New Revised
Standard Version].
Summary: The teaching of some makes Paul be wrong when he said we are "longing to be
clothed upon with our habitation which is from heaven" for their teaching says we had it at birth
and will always have it even if we go to "Hell.
[5] IN THE BODY OR OUT OF THE BODY [2 Corinthians 12:1-2]
"But I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord" PAUL HAD NOT DIED,
THEREFORE, THERE ARE ONLY TWO POSSIBILITIES.
1. FIRST POSSIBILITY: PAUL WAS TAKEN TO THE THIRD HEAVEN IN HIS
EARTHLY BODY and given a revelation, which was not lawful for him to utter, and
then returned to Earth. He did not die. This would prove nothing about a disembodied
soul from death unto the resurrection. Being taken to Heaven alive in his body would
not even be a death. At the time he says this, he was still a living human being that
had not died, he was not a disembodied spirit or soul after the death of his body.
Then how can this be used to show that Paul had an "immaterial, invisible part of
man" that would not die when he did? "Whether in the body." God has the power and
could have taken Paul to the third Heaven when he was in his body, or He has the power
to have taken Paul to the third Heaven in a vision. Paul did not know which so we cannot
know. If Paul were caught up to the third Heaven this was special case, and not what
happens to all mankind instantaneously at death. It is not going to Abraham's bosom,
which is where many teach all the saved will go immediately at death. There is nothing
in this passage about what will be after death, nether before the resurrection nor
after the resurrection for Paul or for us; SO HOW CAN THIS PASSAGE BE USED
TO PROVE A PERSON BECOMES A "DISEMBODIED SPIRIT" AFTER
DEATH? Paul had not died, and nothing is said about him having a disembodied spirit
that went to Heaven without his body or after the death of his body. Those who believe
the Abraham's bosom version do not believe the spirit goes immediately to Heaven at
death so what are they trying to prove with it? If the soul goes to Heaven at death, it
could not go to "Abraham's bosom."
2. SECOND POSSIBILITY: THIS WAS A VISION: Neither would a vision prove
anything about a disembodied soul from death unto the resurrection. "Visions" in 2
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Corinthians 12:1 is translated from "optasia" and is used only four times in the New
Testament.
(1) "That he had seen a VISION [optasia] in the temple" [Luke 1:2].
(2) "They had also seen a VISION [optasia] of angels" [Luke 24:23].
(3) "Disobedient unto the heavenly VISION" [optasia] [Acts 26:19].
(4) And in this passage, "I will come to VISIONS [optasia] and revelations" [2
Corinthians 12:1]. A vision, which is something like a dream, cannot be used to
prove Paul or anyone has either an immortal soul or an immortal spirit.
EITHER WAY: If Paul were taken to Heaven or if this was a vision (1) this says nothing
about an "immaterial invisible part of man" (2) or nothing about anything that will be after death
either before or after the resurrection. Those who use this to prove a person has an immortal soul
must say they know what Paul said he did not know. They must say only a part of Paul, his "soul"
but not his body went to Heaven, and that this was not a vision. How could anyone know this
when Paul did not? According to the common view, when the soul leaves the body, the body is
dead, and death is the separation of body and soul. Therefore, if a part of Paul called "soul"
separated from the body and went to the third Heaven; his body was on the earth separated from
this soul, therefore, dead. According to what some say death is, Paul was dead and his return to
earth would have to be a resurrection from the dead. According to this teaching, his dead body
was on earth and his soul was in Heaven separated from his body, he died and was raised from
the dead and did not know it. We are told that "out of the body" means Paul's soul went to
paradise and left his corpse on the earth, therefore, Paul was dead according to their own
definition of death. Who can believe Paul was dead and resurrected and did not know it?
Summary: First ADDED, then CHANGED. First "psukee [life, soul, living being]" must be
ADDED into this passage when it is not in it, then the ADDED psukee must be CHANGED into
an immortal being. Theology had to go on a long trip to put what they wanted into this. There is
nothing in this passage about the intermediate time from death unto the resurrection; but that a
part of a person called "soul" is alive in the intermediate time from death to the resurrection is
what they are trying to prove with it. PAUL WAS SPEAKING ABOUT A VISION THAT
HAD HAPPENED FOURTEEN YEARS BEFORE [2 Corinthians 12:1], NOT A DEATH,
AND THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS PASSAGE (1) ABOUT A SOUL, (2) ABOUT
DEATH (3) OR ABOUT ANYTHING THAT WILL BE AFTER DEATH. How could this
possibly be used to prove Paul or anyone has a soul that is immortal?
[6]. THE BELIEF OF THE PHARISEES AND OF THE SADDUCEES
WHOSE WIFE SHALL SHE BE
THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB Luke 20:27-38
There is much conflict and confusion in what has been written about the beliefs of
both the Pharisee and the Sadducees. Below is a brief outline of their beliefs, which is in
agreement with most writers.
THE SADDUCEES: They believed in a strict following of the Law and believed that
the Law said nothing about an immortal soul, or about the resurrection of the dead. See
"The God of Abraham" in chapter one.
THE PHARISEES: The Pharisees originated in the time of the Maccabees and died
out soon after A. D. 70. A belief in some kind of resurrection was established among
some of the Jews in the time of Christ, but was not believed by most; but the teaching of
Christ in Mark 12:26-27, on anyone having eternal life and immortality after death was
new to them [2 Timothy 1:10].