The First Lie...

[visionary]

In the very beginning of earth's history, Satan, while in the form of a serpent, told the first lie to Eve. He told her that if she disobeyed the command of God not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, she would

Gen 3:4 "not surely die,"

even though God had expressly warned her that

Gen 2:17 "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die:"

. Satan treacherously assured her (another monstrous lie) that upon eating the fruit

Gen 3:5 "your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil:"

The Bible is quite clear that

1 Tim 6:16 "only God hath immortality."

In fact, the Bible, on the other hand, contains a number of Scriptures that prove that mortal man receives not his immortality until the second coming of Christ -- at the time of the resurrection. (1.Cor. 15:5 1 55; John 5:28, 29).

Ecclesiastes 9:5 and 10: "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything....Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."

Are not seances meetings in which the devil tries to send his [more lies] messages to unwary people through a human medium? Mediums who are supposed to be able to communicate with the so-called spirits of the dead. The greatest of all seances in the Bible occurred when Saul went to the Witch of Endor, described in the Scriptures as

1 Sam 28:6 "a woman that hath a familiar spirit"

that is, a woman who received messages from an evil angel who claimed to be the "spirit" of a any dead person the seeker wants to talk to. Saul asked her to bring up Samuel from the dead since

1 Sam 28:7 "the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets?"

Since when does a believer of God go to the devil for advice when the Lord explicitly said

Lev 19:31 "Regard not them that have familiar spirits,...to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God"? ( check out also Isa. 8:19, 20).

The Bible plainly states

Ps 115:17 "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence;"

for when a man dies,

Ps 146:4 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."

 

[visionary]

So why do most people believe the devil's first lie, the now doctrine of immortality of the soul? I believe the problem exists because of a misinterpretation of Scripture.

Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

The Hebrew word for "soul" used in this text is nephesh. Besides being translated 428 times as "soul" in the Old Testament, nephesh is also translated as the following: life -- 119 times; person -- 29 times; and creature -- 19 times. "There is nothing in the words translated 'soul' or in their usage in the Bible that even remotely implies a conscious entity that survives the body after death, or that attributes immortality to it.

Nephesh is not part of the person; it is the person!" (Bible Dictionary by Siegfried H. Horn, Ph.D., p. 1061).

 

[visionary]

I believe the confusion stems from a misinterpretation of verses like

Ecc 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

Many people use this verse in an attempt to prove that the "soul" or "spirit" is, therefore, immortal and goes to God at the point of death. The "spirit" is simply the breath of life by which man lives, and which is only lent him of God, and at death goes back to the Great Author of life Many people use this verse in an attempt to prove that the "soul" or "spirit" is, therefore, immortal and goes to God at the point of death. But, if you look at Job 27:3, you will find a Scripture that will help you understand that the "spirit" is simply the breath of life by which man lives, and which is only lent him of God, and at death goes back to the Great Author of life - "All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils." The Hebrew word used here for spirit is ruach, which is defined in

Gesenius' Lexicon (a) spirit or breath; (b) breath of the nostrils; (c) breath of air.

When the spirit, or breath of the nostrils, goes back to God, the body, made originally from the dust of the earth, now begins its process of going back to the earth as it was and ceases to function as normally, and the non-breathing individual no longer exists as a living, conscious, thinking being, but will rest in the grave until he is called forth by the voice of Christ

John 6:39 "at the last day:"

The power of the resurrection is in the ability to bring you back to life.

John 5:28"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves 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 damnation."

The righteous dead will rise at the second coming of Christ and together with the living saints will meet the Lord in the air (see 1.Thess. 4:15-18), but the wicked dead will not rise until one thousand years after the resurrection of the righteous.

Rev 20:5 "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

How can someone "live again" except he has first experienced having death? Death is not living in some other form in some other place. Death is the opposite of life.

 

[visionary]

Job 14:10 "Man dieth and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost [breatheth out; Strong's Concordance], and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more

When will the heavens be no more.. when it rolls up like a scroll at the second coming (Rev. 6:14),

Job 14:12 They shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep."

And if that weren't clear enough, Job continues

Job 14:14 "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee."

Obviously, Job believed that he would sleep in the grave until Jesus called him out on Resurrection Morning. (See also Job 17:13-16).

 

[visionary]

Do you know how many Kings slept with their fathers?

1 Kings 2:10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
1 Kings 11:43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father:..
1 Kings 14:31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David.
1 Kings 15:8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him in the city of David: ..
1 Kings 15:24 And Asa slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father:
1 Kings 16:6 So Baasha slept with his fathers, and was buried in Tirzah:..
1 Kings 16:28 So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria:..
1 Kings 22:40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
1 Kings 22:50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father:..
2 Kings 8:24 And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David...

And the list goes on and on... 2Ki 10:35 2Ki 13:9 2Ki 13:13 2Ki 14:16 2Ki 14:22 2Ki 14:29 2Ki 15:7 2Ki 15:22 2Ki 15:38 2Ki 16:20
2Ki 21:18 2Ki 24:6 2Ch 9:31 2Ch 12:16 2Ch 14:1 2Ch 16:13 2Ch 21:1 2Ch 26:2 2Ch 26:23 2Ch 27:9 2Ch 28:27 2Ch 32:33 2Ch 33:20

Just like Yeshua explained Lazarus's sleep.

John 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.

 

[visionary]

I believe that Yeshua's use of the word "sleep" is a very appropriate synonym when used in place of the word death (the first death), because the word implies a temporary state--a state from which every soul

Dan 12:2 "shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt [the second death] (see Rev. 20:12-14)]."

 

[visionary]

Paul understood that he, too, would sleep in the grave until the second coming

2 Tim 4:6 "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure [death] is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His (Christ's) appearing."

Paul knew, as did Martha,

John 11:23 "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Resurrection of from death only comes at the last day, at the second coming of Christ, would he receive the reward of eternal life and be changed from mortality to immortality. Remember, it was Paul who told us that mortal man will not put on immortality until the last trumpet blast that calls forth the righteous dead at the coming of Jesus

1 Cor 15:51 "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [for some will be living when Christ comes], but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible [the Virgin Mary also], and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must out on immortality [Please notice when this happens--not at death, but at the second coming of Christ]."

Earlier in the chapter, Paul stated

1 Cor 15:20 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [Christ] came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming:"

 

[charis en excelcis]

So why do most people believe the devil's first lie, the now doctrine of immortality of the soul? I believe the problem exists because of a misinterpretation of Scripture.The Hebrew word for "soul" used in this text is nephesh. Besides being translated 428 times as "soul" in the Old Testament, nephesh is also translated as the following: life -- 119 times; person -- 29 times; and creature -- 19 times. "There is nothing in the words translated 'soul' or in their usage in the Bible that even remotely implies a conscious entity that survives the body after death, or that attributes immortality to it.

What about the appearance of Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration? Elijah one might contend concerning but what about Moses? Would you consider this a "séance"?

 

[visionary]

What about the appearance of Moses and Elijah at the Mount of Transfiguration? Elijah one might contend concerning but what about Moses? Would you consider this a "séance"?

Both were taken.... Moses resurrected after the angel won the argument for his body and Elijah by chariot.

 

[Alithis]

interesting thread .. bit of information overload .. subscribing for further perusal later

 

[charis en excelcis]

Both were taken.... Moses resurrected after the angel won the argument for his body and Elijah by chariot.

You add that conclusion based upon your a priori. I don't believe so. Moses died. God buried him.

 

[visionary]

Satan's dispute with Michael (Jude 9) was an insistence that Moses' body belonged in the ground. After all, Moses' grave (and, therefore, body) were never found (Deuteronomy 34:6).

 

[charis en excelcis]

Satan's dispute with Michael (Jude 9) was an insistence that Moses' body belonged in the ground. After all, Moses' grave (and, therefore, body) were never found (Deuteronomy 34:6).

Jude 5 does not indicate that Moses was resurrected. Yet he appeared with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. I think that this is a strong evidence of a pre-resurrection state after death, with God.

 

[visionary]

ok...