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

/> doctrine that there is no resurrection; for if there be no resurrection, then
there can be no judgment-no future state or rewards and punishment ; why,
therefore, should we bear crosses, and keep ourselves under continual discipline? Let us eat and
drink, take all the pleasure we can; FOR TOMORROW WE DIE, AND THERE IS AN END
OF US FOREVER."
JERRY CROSS: "It is important to notice that Paul argues for a resurrection, and not a release.
Paul does not have in mind some disembodied existence such as advocated by Greek thinkers
such as Plato. Furthermore, Paul is arguing for a resurrection that is a transformation and not a
continuation or resumption of life just as it had been laid down. The resurrected body is to be
radically different from the body of this earthly life (vv. 35-49). This is the same position argued
by Jesus against both the view of the Sadducees and that of the Pharisees (Matt. 22:23-33; esp. v.
30)" Magnolia Bible College 1984 Lectures, pages 47-48.
DILLARD THURMAN, Brown Trail Church of Christ: "The hope and aspiration of many has been
shifted from His coming again to receive His own, to an immediate immortality and heavenly bliss
immediately at death! Jesus DID NOT promise that!" Gospel Minutes, Volume 34, Number 5, February
1, 1985. “I have heard funeral orations extol the happiness and bliss the departed has instantly with
death: but on checking the New Testament assiduously, I have yet to find a single promise where the
dead go into heaven on an instant pass, or have immediate conscious happiness” Gospel Minutes,
Volume 34, Number 5, February 1, 1985.
The resurrection was the backbone of the belief and teaching of the New Testament
Church [Philippians 3:10-11; Acts 17:31, 23:6, 24:15, John 6:39-54, Luke 14:13-14,
Hebrews 9:27, 1 Corinthians 15:1-58]. If the body is only a house in which the soul lives,
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then the putting off this house is not a death; if the soul is alive and anything comes forth
out of the grave, it could only be the body of flesh; and then the "soul" must come back
from Heaven to rejoin the body, or we would have our dead earthly body resurrected but
with no "soul" on earth and our “soul” alive in Heaven both at the same time. THE
APOSTLES NEVER PREACHED A DISEMBODIED LIFE AFTER DEATH, BUT A
RESURRECTION FROM DEATH. "God both raised the Lord, and will raise up us" [1
Corinthians 6:14].
IF WE ARE NOW A TWO PARTS BEING OF BODY AND SPIRIT, WHAT IS
THE SPIRITUAL BODY THAT THE SAVED SOUL OR SAVED SPIRIT WILL "PUT
ON" [1 Corinthians 15:44]? Is the "soul" (as the word is used today) different from the
spiritual body that we will put on at the resurrection? Is the spirit part of a person, which
some teach we now have, going to put on another body at the resurrection, and become a
different spiritual body from what it is now? Will it be a second spiritual body? If we
now have this spirit or soul, how can it be changed in any way? Will it be different from
the soul we now have? If it will not be different, all we could do would be to put off the
body of flesh; and then our immortal part would be just as it will be in Heaven; if not,
why not? There could be no other change or a resurrection; nothing other than putting off
the body of flesh at death, and those who have died would have already done this and are
NOW without the resurrection just as they will always be. IF THE "SOUL" IS NOW
IMMORTAL THERE WILL BE NO RESURRECTION AND NO SPIRITUAL BODY
TO BE PUT ON AT THE RESURRECTION.
• "How are the dead raised, and with what manner of body do they come?" [1
Corinthians 15:35].
• "You sow not the body that shall be" [1 Corinthians 15:37].
• "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in
incorruption" [1 Corinthians 15:42].
• "And as we have born the image of the earthy [Adam], we SHALL also bear the
image of the heavenly [Christ]" [1 Corinthians 15:49].
• "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" [1 Corinthians 15:50].
• "We shall all be changed in a moment" [1 Corinthians 15:49].
• "The dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed" [1 Corinthians
15:52].
• "It is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be
manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is" [1 John 3:2].
Summary: THE REINTERPRETATION OF THE NATURE OF A PERSON, THAT
HE IS NOW A TWO PART BEING OF BODY AND SOUL OR SPIRIT, THAT HE
NOW HAS AN IMMORTAL SPIRIT and/or SOUL THAT IS JUST AS IT WILL BE
AFTER THE RESURRECTION, AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST ARE NOW JUST AS
THEY WILL ALWAYS BE. IF THIS WERE TRUE, THEN THE "SOUL," WHICH IS
NOW THE IMMORTAL PART OF A PERSON WERE ALIVE, IT COULD NOT PUT
ON IMMORTALITY, IT COULD NOT BE CHANGED, IT COULD NOT BE
TRANSFORMED, OR IT COULD NOT BE RESURRECTED AT THE COMING OF
CHRIST. IF THIS IMMMORTAL SOUL WERE CHANGED OR RESURRECTED
FROM THE DEAD THEN THE SPIRIT and/or SOUL SOME SAY WE NOW HAVE
CANNOT BE THE SAME SOUL AS THE SOUL THEY SAY WE WILL HAVE
AFTER THE RESURRECTION. The simple Bible truth is that the saved will be changed
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and resurrected with a spiritual body, not resurrected with the earthly body [1 Corinthians
15:53].
All this is only because unconditional immortality must have something come from
the grave that was dead, which could not be the "soul" for we are repeatedly told that it is
as much alive both (1) now and (2) after death before the resurrection (3) as it will ever
be after the resurrection; and it will be "at home with the Lord" from the time of the death
of the body before and without the resurrection. David Owen says it should be noted that
Paul says we will be raised with a spiritual body, not a spirit. 1996 Florida College
Lectures, Page 216. It will be "us" that is raised with a new "spiritual body," not an
undying inter spirit part of a person that is not dead being raised from Heaven?
If the resurrection were taken from the Bible, it would not affect the theology of many
churches today. They take a short cut and go directly to heaven at death without the
resurrection. Because they believe they are born with an immortal soul, which is the only
part of them that they believe will be in Heaven, they do not need to put on immortality at
the resurrection which they have bypassed.
A believer in unconditional immortality says, "Therefore, at the Second Coming,
all the resurrected saints are brought together and publicly displayed, not raised at
that time." From a web site at: http//www.tranexp.com/win/intertrans.gif.
The belief in the resurrection and the need for it is being abandoning by many. But,
the Bible teaches that all die, and none will live before the resurrection; and without it
there would be no life for anyone after death, no life for the saved or no life for the lost.
IF YOU BELIEVE THAT ONLY A PART OF A PERSON WILL BE SAVED, AND
THAT PART IS HIS IMMORTAL SOUL, WHICH CAN NEVER DIE, YOU CANNOT
BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION. BOTH CANNOT BE TRUE. IF THE SOUL
WAS IMMORTAL IT COULD NOT DIE AND IT NOW POSSESSES ETERNAL
LIFE, EVEN IF IT REJECTS CHRIST AND IT COULD BE RAISED FROM THE
DEAD. Satan's lie, "You shall not surely die" after being changed to "My soul shall not
surely die" has succeeded to the point that many now say, "No Christ, a part of me needs
no resurrection, my soul is immortal and at death it will come to you in Heaven; this part
of me will not wait to go to heaven unto after your second coming and the resurrection."
One of the "church fathers," Justin Martyr said those "who say there is no resurrection of
the dead, and that their souls, when they die, are taken to heaven are not Christian at all."
A faith in something God has not spoken is a vain useless faith, therefore; a faith
based on life after death because we have an immortal soul that is not subject to
death is a vain faith that is based on a lie.
[4] THE REINTERPRETATION OF THE WAGES OF SIN
MAKES "THE WAGES OF SIN" IMPOSSIBLE
BY ELIMINATING DEATH [Romans 6:23]
If the soul cannot die, it cannot pay the wages of sin, which is to die, therefore, the
wages of sin had to be changed from death to an eternal life of torment.
• Romans 6:23: "The wages of sin is death" has been reinterpreted to be an eternal
life with torment
• James 1:15: James should not have said, "And sin, when it is accomplished, it
brings forth death." He should have said, "And when it is accomplished, sin
brings forth eternal life in Hell to be eternally tormented by God."
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AS LONG AS A PERSON HAS LIFE, THAT PERSON IS NOT DEAD,
THEREFORE, AS LONG AS ANY PART OF THAT PERSON IS ALIVE, THAT
PERSON HAS NOT RECEIVED THE WAGES OF SIN. NOR CAN A PERSON BE
SAID TO BE DYING IF DEATH CAN NEVER BE REACHED. To an immortal soul
that cannot die, death cannot be the wages of sin. Mankind does not like death, and most
have made themselves believe THERE IS NO REAL DEATH. Even at the time of our
death, many believe we do not die, and have reduced God's death row to life in prison.
And as we now have immortality, the promise of "eternal life" must be reduced from
being eternal life to just being a reward [heaven]. If only the earthly body dies, not the
real "us," the resurrection could not be the center of the gospel [1 Corinthians 15:1-10]; it
could not even be a part of it; therefore, the undying immortal soul doctrine takes the
resurrection out of the Gospel; both the resurrection of Christ and our resurrection.
NEVER A VICTORY: Evil and good beings must live side by side. If death is only
separation from God, the separation must go on forever. THERE NEVER CAN BE AN
END TO DEATH. There never can be an end to separation, for if the separation did end,
both the lost and the saved would then be together. There will never be an end to evil.
Satan, evil angels, and evil men are just moved to another place, not ended, and not
defeated. They will remain just as evil, just as much in rebellion to God as they are now.
ACCORDING TO THE TRADITIONAL DOCTRINE OF HELL THERE WILL BE
TWO KINGDOMS, THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE KINGDOM OF SATAN
WITH THE KINGDOM OF SATAN BEING MANY TIMES LARGER THAN THE
KINGDOM OF GOD. WHAT KIND OF VICTORY WOULD THAT BE? IT MAKES
SATAN WIN.
DEATH WILL BE OUR ENEMY UNTO OUR RESURRECTION AT THE
COMING OF CHRIST.
[5] THE REINTERPRETATION OF THE JUDGMENT DAY
MAKES THE JUDGMENT A MOCKERY and NOT NEEDED: The judgment day at
the coming of Christ is opposed to an immortal soul being translated instantly to Heaven
or Hell at death. If the dead are now in Heaven or Hell, all would have been judged at
death and the judgment is going on now as each person dies. To take those who have
already been judged out of Heaven or Hell FOR A SECOND JUDGMENT only to put
them back in the same place where they now makes the Judgment be a useless and empty
show. It would make a mockery of