Talking about eternal heavenly place Jesus shares with His Father, and whereto He is soon returning to prepare places there for His disciples; He also promised to come back and take them there; “Jesus said to him (Thomas), I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Jesus Father is … “the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality” … (1.Timothy 6:15-16) …“the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God”… (1.Timothy 1:17).According to these verses immortality is what only eternal God is. This being so, all men are mortal including Jesus first disciples and millions after them; and all of them would die; this is why Jesus promised to come back and resurrect them; so they would forever be where His is. Jesus… lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 2 as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” John 17:1-3. If man already had an immortal soul; Jesus would not need to die for sins of men, and be resurrected. Nor could He give eternal life to those who were already immortal. This is confirmed by what Jesus said to Martha: …“Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” John 11:25. When Jesus said this to Martha, her brother Lazarus was in the grave; for he died 4 days before that. So why did Jesus and Martha talk about resurrection of Lazarus? If he already had an immortal soul there would be no need of resurrection to raise him from the dead at the last day. Moreover, if Lazarus had already gone to heaven after his death 4 days ago (as mainstream Christianity belief is) he could not have come out of the grave; but would have come down from heaven…
Biblical Truth On Mortality And Immortality
Biblical truth of mortality and immortality can be summed up as follows. (1) “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” Genesis 2:7. (2) “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23. And (3) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16.
According to this biblical evidence; (1) Man doesn’t have a soul; man is a soul. (2) If man was immortal he couldn’t die or perish. (2) However, man became a soul that sinned; and soul that sins dies. (3) Those who believe in Jesus will receive God’s gift of eternal life; not immortality as only God is immortal. (4) Thus man is a soul that sinned and became mortal.
So why do most mainstream Christians believe in the immortality of their souls? Mainly due to mainstream Christianity traditional conception that Man is composed of (1) a mortal, material body and; (2) of an immaterial, rational-moral soul. These two components are conceived of as united to one substance; where the rational-moral soul continues to exist as an independent substance after its separation from the body (at death). The conception of a disembodied immaterial soul comes from Greek philosophy. Bible tells us there is no disembodied immaterial soul, because man is a “living soul” Genesis 2:7 “… Moreover, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” Ezekiel 18:4b. “…for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return” Genesis 3:19b. Thus (1) the material man is a living soul that sinned. (2) Man the material soul that sins dies. (3) Thus when material soul (man) dies; man turns to dust it was made from; the breath of life returns to God who breathed it; and only dust remains.
In John 14:1-3 Jesus proclaimed this truth as follows: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also”… “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” John 5:28-29. So, according to Bible:
- Jesus came down from heaven; lived and died for our salvation; then went up to heaven to prepare a place for all His followers; and Jesus promised to come back again to take us to be where He is.
- At His Second Coming (and not before) all dead will hear His voice and come forth from their graves. Note the dead will not come down from heaven after hearing His voice…
- Those who have done good will partake in the 1st resurrection rising to receive eternal life. Resurrection to receive eternal life is the evidence there is no immortal soul living in heaven after death. An immortal soul needs no resurrection to receive eternal life.
- Those who have done evil will partake in the 2nd resurrection rising to receive eternal condemnation. Associated with the second death; and extinction in Revelation 20:6, 9. An immortal soul could not die nor suffer eternal extinction.
- Moreover, the universal resurrection of all dead coming forth from their graves at the Second Coming of Jesus; is the most compelling evidence there is no immortal soul. Many more are yet to come.
Yes, GOD said was the starting and concluding point in endeavours to find answers to this important question. Not religious tradition, but thus said our Lord Jesus Who created us, and Who was there from the beginning knows the complete truth; which He revealed as true answers in His Holy Word the Bible.