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

are speaking the opposite of the
Bible. “In Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits,
then they that are Christ’s at his coming” [1 Corinthians 15:22-23]. The victory over
death is not instantly at death [1 Corinthians 15:54] but at the resurrection of the dead.
The “dead in Christ” shall rise at the coming of Christ, not at death. [1 Thessalonians
4:16].
• When "those who are asleep" is used to prove a person has an immortal soul, THEN IT
WOULD PROVE THE IMMORTAL SOUL IS ASLEEP, AND THEY PROVE "SOUL
SLEEPING," which they falsely accuse those of believing who do not believe a person
has an immaterial invisible something. It is the whole person, not just an immaterial
something in the person that is asleep unto the waking up at the Resurrection.
• THE DEATH OF LAZARUS: In John 11 is the account of the death of Lazarus and his
restoration to life on this earth. When Jesus arrived, the sister of Lazarus said, "Lord,
if You had been here, my brother had not died." Did Jesus comfort her by saying her
brother was a good person and was now happy in Heaven with other saints and
angels and would never again have pain and he was much better off than when he
was in this world but He was going to take Lazarus out of Heaven and bring him
back to this world; this is the way of today's theology but is not found in the Bible.
His reply was, "Your brother shall rise again." Martha declared her faith in the
resurrection as was taught by Jesus by saying, "I know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day" showing she did not believe he was then alive and in
Heaven. Paul says the same when he says that those in Christ who have fallen asleep
have perished if the dead are not raised [1 Corinthians 15:14-20]. If they were forever
alive in Heaven, they would not have perished if there were no resurrection. Today's
teaching is not found in the Bible and makes a lie of the Biblical teaching. Those who
have "fallen asleep in Christ" will be asleep unto the resurrection and without it they will
forever be asleep. "And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he has
given me I should lose nothing, BUT SHOULD RAISE IT UP AT THE LAST DAY" [John
6:39]. God could not have told us any clearer where we will be after death. PLATO’S
PHILOSOPHY OF AN IMMORTAL SOUL THAT CAN NEVER BE DEAD HAS
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REPLACED THE BIBLE TEACHING OF THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD AT
THE COMING OF CHRIST IN MANY CHURCHES.
Although "soul sleeping" and "annihilation" are often confused and thought to be the same, THE
TWO ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT.
• "SOUL SLEEPING" is the belief that a person has an invisible immaterial something
living in them that will never die, but from the death of the body unto the resurrection
that immaterial part of a person is "asleep," not "annihilated," and only the sleeping
immaterial, no substance soul will awake at the judgment to eternal life in Heaven or
Hell.
• ANNIHILATION is the belief that “the wages of sin is death” not eternal life in torment;
after annihilation no part of a person is asleep, no part of a person will ever wake up.
Annihilation is an unbiblical way of saying "the wages of sin is death," that all of a
person will be annihilated after the judgment. THOSE WHO BELIEVE "THE WAGES
OF SIN IS DEATH" DO NOT BELIEVE IN "SOUL SLEEPING" ALTHOUGH THEY
ARE OFTEN FALSELY ACCUSED OF IT. It is the person that is asleep and not just an
immaterial part of a person.
The second view solves these problems.
• Those who are "asleep in Christ" are asleep waiting for the return of Christ and the
resurrection.
• Makes the resurrection necessary.
• After the judgment when Christ returns to Heaven, those in Christ will go with Him. "We
that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" [1 Thessalonians 4:17]. GOD
WILL BRING [BOTH THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP IN CHRIST AND THOSE WHO
ARE ALIVE] WITH CHRIST WHEN CHRIST RETURNS TO HEAVEN AFTER THE
RESURRECTION AND JUDGMENT.
CHRIST WILL BE COMING FROM HEAVEN WITH HIS "HOLY ONES," THE ANGELS,
NOT DEAD SAINTS THAT ARE NOT DEAD. "Behold, the Lord comes with many thousands
of His holy [hagios] ones" [Jude 14 New American Standard Version]. "Saints" in the King
James Version is from "hagios," which is the same word that is translated "holy" 93 times in the
"Holy [hagios] Spirit." THOSE WHO COME WITH CHRIST FROM HEAVEN ARE THE
HOLY ANGELS, NOT THOSE WHO ARE ASLEEP IN CHRIST. "When the Son of Man shall
come in his glory, and all the holy [hagios] angels with Him" [Matthew 25:31, King James
Version]. "When he comes in the glory of his father with the holy [hagios] angels" [Mark 8:38].
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel"
[1 Thessalonians 4:16]. "The Son of man shall send forth his angels" [Matthew 13:41]. "At the
coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints [hagios-holy]" [1 Thessalonians 3:13], "holy ones"
New International Version; both Jude 14 and 1 Thessalonians 3:13 use "hagios." Strong's word
number 40 "Sacred...blameless or religious (most) holy (one, thing), saint."
[9]. "EVERYONE WHO LIVES
AND BELIEVES IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE" John 11:26
This passage is used to prove that all men now have an immortal "immaterial, invisible part of
man" that can never die, but when it is so used, it makes a problem for them. Christ is clearly
saying ONLY those that believe on Him "shall never die," therefore, those that do not
believe on Him SHALL DIE. If all have immortality from birth and can never die, what was He
saying? This passage makes "never die" be conditional on believing on Christ, not on a never
dying "immaterial, invisible part of man" that is read into it. It is used to prove all unconditionally
have an immortal soul and can never die, even those who do not believe on Him. Those who
believe on Him die a physical death, just as those who do not believe on Him. In what way do
those who believe never die? Their name is in the book of life and there will be a resurrection
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when they will "put on immortality" [1 Corinthians 15:54]. Their resurrection and their eternal
life are so sure that it is counted as if they now have it. They will not die the second death which
all that do not believe will die.
Summary: According to today's theology, when this is read, as many read it, "He that has the
Son has an immortal soul that shall never die," then it must also be read, "He that has not the Son
has not an immortal soul that shall never die" for today's theology says all now have an immortal
soul that shall never die if they believe or if they do not believe. EVEN THOUGH ETERNAL
LIFE AND NEVER DYING IS CONDITIONAL ON BELIEVEING CHRIST THEOLOGY
SAYS NOT SO, ALL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE AND CAN NEVER DIE.
[10] WHAT IS ETERNAL?
THE PUNISHMENT OR THE PUNISHING? MATTHEW 25:46
Many say the PUNISHMENT must last as long as the LIFE, but this does not say what the
punishment is. It is not a question of whether the punishment is eternal but whether it is an eternal
LIFE with torment, or eternal DEATH. It is SUPPOSED by many that punishment can only be
conscious suffering and their conditioning makes them read an eternal life of torment into it
although we are told repeatedly that punishment will be death, destruction, perish, die, lost, etc.;
but never that the punishment will be to be tormented by God forever. Nothing could be a more
eternal punishment than a death from which there will never be a resurrection. There are many
kinds of punishment, but from Matthew 25 all we can say is that there will be punishment, but
nothing more or less than punishment. To say Matthew 25 says where or what the punishment
will be is to say more than it says and, therefore, is adding to what God said. To know what the
punishment will be we must go to other passages. God's word must say what it is, and it
nowhere says God will be tormenting people forever. His word says, “The wages of sin is death,”
not eternal life with torment. If a person were put to death for a crime but could be restored to life
after one year, his punishment would end after one year. If he were never restored to life, his
punishment would never end. It would be eternal punishment but not eternal torment. The
Scripture clearly says that the punishment is death, the wages of sin [Romans 6:23]. Paul clearly
says what the everlasting punishment is, "even eternal destruction" [2 Thessalonians 1:9]. Christ
contrasts "eternal life" for the saved with "eternal punishment" for the lost. "Life" or "eternal life"
is promised to the saved repeatedly [See chapter two: LIFE and DEATH], but life is never
promised to the lost. It will be "death" for them [Romans 6:23; James 1:15]. "They that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
judgment" John 5:29. Christ says, "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and they
gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burnt" John 15:6. THE PUNISHMENT IS
NOT TO BE FOREVER DYING, OR IS NOT FOREVER LIVING SEPARATED FROM
GOD; BUT IT IS FOREVER BEING DEAD. THE PUNISHMENT FOR SIN IS DEATH
[Roman 6:23; James 1:15] AND THE PUNISHMENT OF DEATH IS JUST AS ETERNAL
AS THE LIFE. Punishment can have many forms, but because of the conditioning of some
[through their red glasses], they can see only fire and torment in Hell. We do not torment our
children when we punish them do we? The concept of Hell is not from the Bible. The name or the
place is not in it, and unto it is clearly shown that there shall be such a place, it cannot be said that
this punishment is going to be eternal life in "Hell;" or shown that “the wages of sin” is not death
that there will be any kind of life anyplace. After the judgment there is much said about the saved.
They will be in the image of Christ; they will be immortal and have incorruption. But, there is
nothing said about the lost, not what image they will have, not where they will be, or anything at
all except that they will be dead [the second death]. Those who read the Bible with their Hell fire
and damnation glasses on see Hell in Matthew 25:46, and on every page of the Bible.
Matthew 25:46 may be the #1 proof text for Hell. The name Hell is not in it. Today's concept
of Hell, a place after the judgment where God will cruelly torment forever is not in it. All that is
in it is that the lost will have a punishment that will be forever. BEFORE ANYONE COULD
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POSSIBLY SEE "HELL" IN THIS PASSAGE A PLACE CALLED "HELL" MUST BE
ASSUMED, AND THEN ACCEPTED AS A FACT, THEN GOD MUST BE MADE INTO
THE MOST CRUEL, SADISTIC, AND FIENDISH BEING THERE IS, FAR
SURPASSING EVEN SATAN IN CRUELTY. There is not one word in Matthew 25:46 about
where, or what the punishment will be. Other texts say it