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

soul shall live forever separated from God, but "YOU shall die." Why do many
that say they believe God but work hard to change His word? "But if by the Spirit YOU
put to death the deeds of the body, YOU shall live." It is YOU that will live or die, not A
PART OF YOU that will always live and cannot die.
“For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Not the death of the flesh which all
die, but the second death.
“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died
(apothncesko). This is the bread which came down out of Heaven, that a man may eat
thereof, and not die (apothncesko)” (John 6:48-50). All die the first death, even the
apostles, but there will be a resurrection and those who eat of the bread that came down
out of Heaven will not die the second death, all that do not eat of it will die the second
death”
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believes on me though he die
(apothncesko), yet shall he live; and whosoever lives and believes on me shall never die
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(apothncesko)” (John 11:25-26). Although those who believe will die the first death just
as all do, they will be resurrected and never die the second death; those who do not
believe will also die and be resurrected for judgment and will die the second death. “For
the hour comes in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29). “For if we sin willfully after
that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for
sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall
devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26-27).
“For the land (those who were once enlightened and fell away Hebrews 6:4-6) which
has drunk the rain that comes often upon it, and brings forth herbs meet for them for
whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing form God: but if it bears thorns and thistles,
it is rejected and nigh unto a curse; whose end is to be burned” (Hebrews 6:4-8). Those
that fall away will be burned in the lake of fire, which is the second death just as thorns
are burned.
“Why do we burn briers and thorns? To destroy them, to get permanently rid of them.” Ashley
Johnson, Founder and president of the Johnson Bible College, “The Resurrection And The Future
Life,” Page 413, 1913, Knoxville Lithographing Company, Church of Christ.
"As there is a second higher life, so there is also a second and deeper death. And as after that life
there is no more death, SO AFTER THAT DEATH THERE IS NO MORE LIFE" Afford. As quoted by
Homer Hailey in "Revelation."
The resurrection of all at the coming of Christ makes death be a sleep from which all
will awake, but there will be no resurrection from the second death. It will be permanent
and everlasting death.
MADE ALIVE AT HIS COMING, NOT AT DEATH: "In Christ all will be made
alive. But, each in his own turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who
belong to him" 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 New International Version. Paul says that those
who belong to Christ will be "made alive" at His coming. If the "immaterial, invisible
part of man" is very much alive in Heaven or Hell it could not be "made alive" at the
resurrection. Christ the first fruits of them that are asleep (now) then they that are
Christ's, at his coming. Unconditional immortality makes all, Christ, those that are His,
and those that reject Him now be alive before, not at His coming, therefore, Christ could
not have been the "first born" (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15-18) for all who died before
Christ died would have been alive before Him.
DEATH IS THE END: Paul says of those who are servants of sin that "the end of
those things is death" (Romans 6:21-22). But, many now say "the end of those things is
eternal life with torment without an end"? Who are you going to believe, God or man?
THE STING OF DEATH 1 Corinthians 15:54-57: After the resurrection when the
saved will have put on immortality, DEATH would have been swallowed up in victory.
Victory over what? Over death. We will have put on immortality, and will never again be
subject to death, but we are now subject to it and it takes away our life. If we now have
immortality we would now have the victory over death. If there is no death, then death
has no sting. The doctrine of unconditional immortality from birth makes nonsense out of
1 Corinthians 15:54-57, and gives all, those in Christ, and those not in Christ the victory
over death; and gives all this victory without the death and resurrection of Christ. If all
are born immortal and cannot die, then no one is subject to death from the day of their
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birth and never will be. What kind of victory could there be over the nothingness of death
that is not death to a soul that was never subject to death?
IS DEATH AN ENEMY OR A GATEWAY TO HEAVEN? A companion of Paul,
Epaphroditus, was nigh unto death but God had mercy on him. If death is a gateway to
Heaven, then when God had "mercy on him," was God not being cruel by keeping him
out of Heaven? Why do most do all they can to live a little longer even if it is in pain? If
death is a friend, why is this friend not a welcome visitor? Why are we grief-stricken and
not rejoicing when someone we love is taken by his "friend" to be with Christ and God in
Heaven? How could going from this life (from pain and troubles for many) to paradise be
an enemy? If death is a doorway by which we go to Heaven at the moment of death, why
would a person who had lived in pain for years, do everything possible to live a little
longer? Why do we mourn and not rejoice if a love one who lives in pain would go to
their everlasting residence in Heaven immediately after death where there is no pain? Is it
not because we know death is an enemy, not a friend (1 Corinthians 15:26), and they are
under the power of death, not in Heaven; do they not by their actions demonstrate beyond
any doubt that they do not believe what they profess, that death is a friend that takes there
loved one to be with Christ? We will not have the victory over death unto the
resurrection? But, many say going to Heaven is just what happens at death, even for the
Old Testament saints who died before the death of Christ, therefore before their sins were
paid for by His death. If this were true, death would then be a friend, not an enemy.
HOW CAN DEATH BE AN ENEMY TO AN IMMORTAL "IMMATERIAL,
INVISIBLE PART OF MEN" (W. E. Vine) THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO DEATH
AND IT AND CANNOT DIE?
What is it that will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26)? Just what is the "enemy?"
Could the enemy be anything other than changing from life on this earth to life in
Heaven? Is not this change what many say death is, moving from earth to Heaven or Hell,
is this moving an enemy that will be destroyed? There would be no death, and it is
impossible to die. DEATH (moving to Heaven or Hell) WOULD BE AN ENEMY
ONLY TO THE LOST WHO WERE MOVING TO HELL. IT WOULD BE A FRIEND
TO THE SAVED WHO WERE MOVING TO HEAVEN. But there is a problem. HOW
CAN THERE BE A RESURRECTION IF NO ONE IS DEAD? If no one is dead, the
Bible teaching of a resurrection is out of place and should not be in the Bible. Maybe this
is why the teaching of the resurrection is being abandoned in many churches. IF DEATH
IS NOT REAL, THERE IS NO RESURRECTION. IF DEATH IS REAL, THE
RESURRECTION IS OUR ONLY HOPE. Without the resurrection, we perish forever
when we die (1 Corinthians 15:18). Without the resurrection, the enemy of death will
never be destroyed and we will be forever dead.
DEATH IS TO BE "ABOLISHED" (1 Corinthians 15:26) American Standard Version
"DESTROYED" King James Version. How? By being cast into the lake of fire
(Revelation 20:14). Yet, some teach that when evil men are cast into this same lake of
fire, they are tormented by it, but not abolished or destroyed. DOES THE LAKE OF
FIRE ABOLISH DEATH BUT TORMENT PEOPLE? "Death shall be no more"
Revelation 21:4. Therefore, "being cast into lake of fire" cannot be "being separated from
God" (their definition of death), for then death will last forever and could never be
"abolished." Death is to be "abolished" before Christ will be subjected" to God (1
Corinthians 15:28ff), before when we will be in Heaven, "death shall be no more"
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(Revelation 21:4), therefore, all "wages of sin" (Romans 6:23) shall have been paid; if
not, they can never be paid as there will be no death; and cannot go on being paid in Hell
forever; for then death would last as long as the "wages" were bring paid, which would
be forever. If death is "being separated from God," then death must last forever. If death
did not last forever, Hell could not last forever, the last enemy (death) can never be
abolished (1 Corinthians 15:26). The people in Bible times would not have understood
"death" to mean "separation" any more than the people of the world today understand it
or use it in this way. It has never been used with this meaning, but theological makes it be
used in a way it has never been used, all because many do not want death to be death. We
use death in our everyday language to mean to be dead, not to have life, but in the
theology use of the word, it does not mean dead, but to be dead is to have life and be
more alive than we are while we are living! Why did God not just say what He means,
that death means alive not dead? Do some think God in some way apart from His word
revealed to them that He did not mean what He said in the Bible, but He only revealed
this to some and not to all?
IS DEATH LIFE SEPARATION FROM GOD?
IS THERE LIFE WITHOUT GOD?
Many who do not want to say, “You are going to Hell and be eternally tormented by
God” say, “You are going to be eternally alive separated from God.” They really believe
God is going to forever be tormenting most of humanity but this is so revolting that they
water down what they really believe. All who believe in Hell must use their theology to
explain death out of the Bible. Trying to put separation in the place of death is a poor try,
but is the best they could do. Such a radical redefining of death to be life is nothing more
that a denial of death. If death means "separation," then we can use it in place of
death. Try it.
• "And the LIVING ONE; and I WAS SEPARATED, and behold, I AM ALIVE
for evermore" Revelation 1:18. Therefore, if Jesus were always alive,
SEPARATED, but alive, there could not have been a resurrection. Jesus just
returned from somewhere, just a reunion, but He could not have been resurrected
from the dead if He were alive.
•