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EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH:
CLARENCE LARKIN:
THE SPIRIT WORLD:
PART 2: CHAPTERS 6-11
(A PDF Copy Of The Complete Book Is Available Here)
(A WordPerfect Copy Of The Complete Book Is Available Here)
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THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. THAT IS WHY HE IS GOD. |
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Do you know for a fact that if you were
to die today that you would not go to hell? If you do not know, click here. |
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Chapter
6: THE UNDERWORLD Chapter 7: THE SPIRITS IN PRISON Chapter 8: NATURAL LAW IN THE SPIRIT WORLD Chapter 9: RELATION OF THE "SPIRIT WORLD" TO THE "NATURAL WORLD" Chapter 10: MAN'S RELATION TO THE SPIRIT WORLD Chapter 11: SOUL SLEEP
To have a correct view of the other world, and of "Hell," it is necessary that we have a Scriptural understanding of –
The Hebrew word "SHEOL" is found 65 times in the Old Testament. It is translated 31 times, "HELL," 31 times, "GRAVE;" 3 times, "THE PIT." The corresponding word in the Greek of the New Testament is "HADES." It is translated 10 times "HELL." "Sheol" and "Hades" mean "The Unseen State," or the place to which the "Soul" and "Spirit" of the dead go between the death and the resurrection of the body. The "bodies" of the dead go into the "Grave," the word for which in the Hebrew is "GEBER," and in the Greek "MNE- MEION." Neither "Sheol" nor "Hades" denote the "Hell" of final punishment of the wicked. That is called in the Hebrew of the Old Testament "TOPHET," and in the Greek of the New Testament "GEHENNA." Neither do they denote "THE BOTTOMLESS PIT" (Rev 20:1-3), that is "ABUSSOS," nor the "prison house" of the "Fallen Angels" (2Pe 2:4, Jude 6), that is "TARTARUS." Their general meaning is – "THE UNDERWORLD." That we may the better understand the relation of the places mentioned above to each other let us turn to the Chart, "The Heavens." The word "Sheol" means a "hollow subterranean place," therefore "Hades" must mean the same. It has "gates," for Jesus said that the "Gates of Hell" (Hades), should not prevail against the Church. Mat 16:18. And Jesus after His return from "The Underworld," said?"I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the 'KEYS' (of the Gates) of hell (Hades) and of death (the Grave)." Rev 1:18. To get these "Keys" Jesus had to descend into the "lower parts of the earth." Eph 4:9. The Apostolic Creed says that Jesus descended into "Hell" (Hades). Therefore Hades, or "The Underworld," must be in the "heart of the earth," and is so pictured on the Chart. Jesus said to the penitent Thief "TODAY shalt thou be with me in 'Paradise.'" Luk 23:43. And as Jesus "that day" descended into "The Underworld" or "Hades," "Paradise" must have been in Christ's day in "Hades." But as it had been prophesied of Jesus that His "SOUL" (for His body was in Joseph's Tomb on the surface of the earth) should not remain in "Hell" (Hades), (Psa 16:10, Act 2:27), therefore, before His body could see corruption, Jesus came back from "Hades." But He did not come back alone. He seized the "Keys of Hades," unlocked the Gates of the Paradise Section (P) in which He was confined, and emptied it of its captives, and when He ascended on high He took them to the Paradise section of the "Third Heaven" (E), where they now are, and since then the Paradise Section of "The Underworld" has been empty. Eph 4:8-10. In the account of the experience of the "Rich Man" and "Lazarus" in the other world (Luk 16:19-31), Jesus gives us a description of "The Underworld" as it was in His day. According to the narrative, for it is not a parable, for parables do not give proper names as Abraham and Lazarus, both the "Rich Man" and Lazarus had died and their bodies had been buried, and what happened to them in the "Underworld," was descriptive of what happened to them in their "disembodied state." In that state they were conscious, could see, hear, speak, and recognized each other. The difference was that Lazarus was in the "Paradise" section of the "Underworld" (P), typified by Abraham's "bosom," while the "Rich Man" was in the "Hell" section (H), not the final Hell, which is "Gehenna" (Lake of Fire), but in the section of the "Underworld" where the "souls" of the "Wicked" dead go, and remain until the resurrection of the "Wicked" dead. Between the "Paradise" (P) section, and the "Hell" (H) section of the "Underworld" there is an "Impassable Gulf" (K), (Luk 16:26), which reveals the fact that there is no possibility of the "Wicked" dead ever getting out of "Hell" into "Paradise."
On the Chart this "Impassable Gulf" is represented as the entrance to the "Bottomless Pit," or "ABYSS" (A), the "prison house" of the "Demons" (Rev 9:1-21), and where Satan is to be bound for 1000 years. Rev 20:1-3, Rev 20:7-8. The Old Testament speaks of a place in "The Underworld" called in the Hebrew "ABADDON," and in the Greek "APOLEIA." The word is translated in the Old Testament, "DESTRUCTION" (Pro 27:20. Job 26:6, Job 28:22, Job 31:12. Psa 88:11. Pro 15:11), and the same in the New Testament (Mat 7:13. Rom 9:22. Phi 3:19. 2Pe 2:1, 2Pe 3:16). In Pro 27:20 it says?"Hell (Hades) and 'Destruction' (Abaddon) are never full," thus connecting "Abaddon" with "Hades" (Sheol). The inference is that "Abaddon" is a part of "The Underworld," and when we turn to Rev 9:1-3, Rev 9:11, this inference becomes a certainty, for there we-read that the "King" of the "Bottomless Pit" is called in the Hebrew tongue "ABADDON," but in the Greek tongue his name is "APOLLYON," that is, the King of the "Bottomless Pit" is named after the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated – "DESTRUCTION." Now the word translated "Bottomless Pit" is "ABUSSOS," or "ABYSS." Nine times do we read of this "Abyss" in the New Testament. Rom 10:7. Rev 9:1-2, Rev 9:11, Rev 11:7, Rev 17:8, Rev 20:1-3. It is the place into which the Demons besought Christ not to send them. Luk 8:31. The "Bottomless Pit" or "Abyss" (A) then is a deeper compartment in "The Underworld" than "Paradise" (P), or "Hell" (H), and is the place where the "Demons" and baser spirits are temporarily confined until they are finally consigned to the "Lake of Fire" to spend eternity with their Master, Satan. To the left of the "Bottomless Pit" is "TARTARUS" (T), the "prison house" of the "Fallen Angels." 2Pe 2:4. Jude 6. These "Angels" are not Satan's angels, for they are at liberty. These "Fallen Angels" confined in "Tartarus" are the "Sons of God" who married the "Daughters of Men," and whose abnormal sin caused the Flood. See the Chapter on "The Fallen Angels." They are to remain in their "prison house" until the "Great White Throne" Judgment, when they with the "Wicked Dead" are to be judged. Jude 6. To the right of the "Bottomless Pit" is "GEHENNA" (G). This is the "Final Hell" or "LAKE OF FIRE" prepared for the Devil and his angels, into which the "Wicked," after the "Great White Throne" Judgment, will be cast to spend eternity. Mat 25:41. Rev 20:12-15. It is called "TOPHET" in the Old Testament Hebrew (2Ki 23:10. Isa 30:33. Jer 7:31-32, Jer 19:6, Jer 19:11-14), and in the New Testament Greek it is twelve times called "GEHENNA" (Mat 5:22, Mat 5:29-30. Mat 10:28. Mat 18:9. Mat 23:15, Mat 23:33. Mar 9:43, Mar 9:45-47. Luk 12:5. Jam 3:6), and five times the "LAKE OF FIRE." It is as yet unoccupied. The first persons to get into it are the "Beast" and the "False Prophet" (Rev 19:20), then "SATAN" and his Angels a 1000 years later (Rev 20:10), and then after the "Great White Throne" Judgment the "Fallen Angels," now confined in Tartarus, and all the wicked whose names are not found written in the "Book of Life." Rev 20:12-15. On the south side of Jerusalem was the "Valley of Hinnom." At a high place in this valley called "Tophet," in the times of Isaiah and Jeremiah, parents made their children to pass through the fire to Moloch. 2Ki 23:10. This fire was kindled with brimstone. Isa 30:33. The locality afterward became a place for the burning of garbage from the City of Jerusalem. The fires were kept up perpetually, and the decaying matter as yet unconsumed bred worms. Jesus took this valley called "Ge-Hinnom," corrupted into "GEHENNA," and made it a type of "Hell" or the "Lake of Fire," where "their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Mar 9:43-48. At the upper part of the Chart "Heaven" is shown. It includes the present "Paradise" (E), and the "New Jerusalem" (J). And also gives the relative location of the "Judgment Seat of Christ" ©, and the "Great White Throne" (W). The "Arrow" marked lines give the course and destiny of the "Righteous" and "Wicked" dead. There are those who claim that "Sheol" (Hades) and the "Grave" are identical, and as there is no "knowledge" in the grave (Ecc 9:5, Ecc 9:10), therefore the soul "sleeps" until the resurrection of the body. But as it is only the "body" that goes into the "grave," it is only the "body" that "sleeps" or has no knowledge. The "Soul" and "Spirit" of a man goes to "Sheol," not to the "Grave." Among those who teach that the "Soul" at death goes to "The Underworld," are those who claim that the "souls" of those who are not as yet fully fit for Heaven go to a place called
The word "Purgatory" is not found in the Bible. The word means a "PLACE OF PURIFICATION." The "Doctrine of Purgatory" was not known in the first century, and was not promulgated as a doctrine until 600 years after Christ. It had its origin in the belief that the souls of men when they die are not fit to go immediately to Heaven, and so an "Intermediate Place" was invented where they might wait for a while and be purged of their sin. The instrument of purification is physical suffering. The Doctrine further teaches that the soul in Purgatory can do nothing towards its own deliverance, and is dependent upon "prayers" and "masses" said by the living. The purpose of the Doctrine was to secure revenue for the Church by so working on the sympathy of loved ones, that they would pay for "Masses" to deliver the souls of their relatives and friends from the torments of Purgatory. The "Doctrine of Purgatory" is unscriptural. There is no "INTERMEDIATE PLACE" to be seen on the Chart between "Paradise" and "Hell," and the "Impassable Gulf declares that there is no possibility of the occupants of "Hell" ever passing over into "Paradise." This nullifies the "Doctrine of Purgatory," and also the
The "Restoration Theory" is that after the "Wicked" have suffered in Hell for a time, and been sufficiently punished for their sins, that they will be restored and transferred to Heaven. The "Theory" includes Satan and his angels and all the "Evil Powers" of the Universe, and the final wiping out of Hell. The Scripture the advocates of this "Theory" use is –
The claim is that the "ALL THINGS" embrace everything in the Universe, and that therefore at the "Times of Restitution" (Restoration), "All Things" will be restored to their original glory and place. But there is a qualifying clause in the text which limits the "All Things" to what "God hath spoken by the mouth of all His Holy Prophets since the world began." Now we must not forget that these words were spoken on the "Day of Pentecost" to the JEWS, and were to show the Jews that Christ would not return until they repented and were converted (Act 3:19), and then He would restore to them the things that the Prophets had foretold He would. What were those things? (1). Their restoration to the land of Palestine. Amo 9:14-15. (2). The restoration of the Fertility of the Land. Joe 2:24-26. (3). The restoration of the Kingdom. Dan 7:13-14. (4). The restoration of Edenic harmony in the brute creation. Isa 11:6-9. (5). The restoration of Patriarchal years. Zec 8:4. (6). The restoration of the earth to its Original condition before the Fall. Rev 21:1. Nowhere in the Bible through the Prophets does God promise the restoration of the "Wicked," or the "Evil Powers" of the Universe, but clearly and distinctly states that they are to be punished FOREVER AND FOREVER, or unto the "Ages of the Ages." Rev 20:10. Matt. 25:46. If the Wicked are to have a "Second Chance" in the next world who is to proclaim it? If the things that are used by God in this life to lead men to Himself, such as providence, the Bible, the preaching of the Gospel, the striving of the Holy Spirit have no avail here, what is to lead men to God in Hell where those things are absent and their environment wholly evil? Character determines destiny. When character becomes fixed, condition is settled beyond change. "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still." Rev 22:11. These words of revelation declare the "FIXEDNESS OF CHARACTER" at death. But you say the sufferings of the Wicked, and the memories of the lost opportunities of this life will lead to repentance. It is doubtless true that they will be sorry for their sin, but it will not be "godly sorrow," for there will be no Holy Spirit there to lead them to "godly repentance," and without Him they cannot be saved. If punishment will turn men to God, then the Gospel is superfluous, and it would be better to punish men than to preach the Gospel to them. The fact is that punishment hardens criminals. The "Rich Man" in Hell (Luk 16:23-28) showed no repentance, he did not beg for mercy, nor express a desire to be out of his place of torment and be where Lazarus was. He simply wanted relief for his parched tongue. The whole teaching of the Scripture is that punishment hardens the wicked. In the Book of Revelation we read how those who suffered under the Plagues of the Book instead of repenting and calling on God, called on the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth upon the Throne. Rev 6:16-17. They also blasphemed God on account of the "Plague of Hail" (Rev 16:21), and even Satan after a 1000 years of banishment in the "Bottomless Pit" comes out as bad as ever. Rev 20:7-8. If men deliberately choose evil rather than righteousness in this world, they cannot keep Hell out of themselves, or themselves out of Hell. Men cannot sink so low in the moral scale but what they can sink lower, and the sad fact is that death will not retard their sinful development but will accelerate it, until it is beyond human conception to what depth the wicked will descend in Hell. But I think I hear someone say, Is it not possible for God to devise some way to save the Wicked in the next world? Does not the Bible say that God "Will have all men to be saved" (1Ti 2:4); that he has "No pleasure in the death of the Wicked" (Ez. 33:11); and that Christ "Tasted death for every man."? Heb 2:9. Yes it says all this and much more. But it also says – "Behold, NOW is the accepted time . . . NOW is the Day of Salvation." 2Co 6:2. I say it reverently, when God devised the "Plan of Salvation" through the death of His Son on the Cross, He went to the limit. If there had been any other way He would have provided it, rather than the Lord Jesus should suffer. But you ask does it not say in Phi 2:10-11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in 'Heaven,' and things in 'Earth,' and things 'UNDER THE EARTH' (in The Underworld); and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord?" And does not John in the Book of Revelation describe that day when he says - "And every creature which is in 'Heaven,' and on the 'Earth,' and 'UNDER THE EARTH,' and such as are 'in the sea,' and ALL that are in them, heard I saying, blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever?" Rev 5:13. Yes, the Bible says all this, but confession is not REPENTANCE. A conquered foe will admit the supremacy of the conqueror by virtue of necessity, but that does not imply a changed heart. Satan and his angels and all the "Powers of Evil," in Heaven, Earth, and Hell, will confess that Jesus Christ is not only Lord, but King of Kings and. Lord of Lords, but that will not restore them to Heavenly Glory. We must not forget that the issues of Eternity are settled in Time. Men and women are to be judged for what they do "IN THE BODY" (2Co 5:10), that is on this side of the grave, and not for what they do on the other side. Jesus said?"I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go YE CANNOT COME." Joh 8:21. This shows that if men die impenitent they can never go where Jesus is. The "Doctrine of Purgatory" is the result of
It implies that the "Death of Christ" was not sufficient, for if it was sufficient then those who die in the faith have no need to spend any time in a "Purgatory," but should go at once to "Paradise." The fact that "MASSES" are offered for the dead shows a misconception of the purpose of the "Lord's Supper." The "Lord's Supper" is not a "Sacrament." There is nothing saving in it. It is simply a "MEMORIAL" that looks back to the "Cross," and forward to the "Coming." 1Co 11:26. Between the "Fall in Eden" and "Calvary" there is the "ALTAR," between "Calvary" and the "Second Coming" there is the "TABLE," and between the "Second Coming" and the "New Heaven and Earth" there is the "THRONE." See the Chart on "The Two Comings." What right then has any one to set up between "Calvary" and the "Second Coming" an "ALTAR," where Christ has placed a "TABLE." To call the "Table" an "ALTAR" is to make that which is offered upon it a "SACRIFICE," and if the "Bread" and "Wine" represent the REAL BODY AND BLOOD of Christ, as those who teach the Doctrine of "TRANSUBSTANTIATION" claim, then every time a "MASS" is offered Christ is "SACRIFICED," and the partaker of the "Mass" is a "GOD-EATER," and also a "CANNIBAL" for feasting on the FLESH AND BLOOD of the Man Christ Jesus.
We must not forget the circumstances under which the "Lord's Supper" was instituted. It was after the "Passover Supper." Jesus was about to shed His blood on the Cross as the "Lamb of God," which the Passover typified, and as the Disciples had just eaten of the "Passover Lamb," whose blood had been previously shed, Jesus wished to show them that they must feed upon Him by faith as the "Lamb of God." So He took the "Bread" and said?"This is (represents) my Body which was broken for you, this do in remembrance of me." 1Co 11:24. "After the same manner also He took the 'Cup,' when He had supped, saying, This 'Cup' (the Fruit of the Vine in it) is the New Testament (Covenant) in My Blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. " 1Co 11:25. When Jesus offered His Disciples the "Cup" saying of its contents this is "MY BLOOD," did He open a vein and let His life blood flow into the Cup? Did the Disciples that night actually eat the FLESH and drink the BLOOD of Jesus? To ask the question is to answer it. What Jesus meant was that the "Bread" symbolized His Body about to be broken on the Cross, and the "Cup" symbolized His Blood about to be shed. What He desired to set before His Disciples was the fact that His death on the Cross would fulfil what the "Passover Lamb" typified, and that they would be reminded every time they partook of the Lord's Supper that all animal sacrifices had been done away with, and that the offering of Himself was "once for all," and that there is to be "no more offering for sin." Heb 10:12-18.
Annihilationism is the Doctrine that the wicked are to be destroyed at death, or later after Judgment.. The Doctrine is based on a false view of Death, and a wrong interpretation of the word "Destruction." If the wicked are destroyed at death then there is no such thing as the resurrection of the wicked dead and their judgment after resurrection, both of which the Scriptures clearly teach. John 5 : 28-29. Rev 20:12-15. We know from Luk 16:19-31, that the wicked "Rich Man" was alive in Hell, though as to his body he had died, and it had been buried on the earth. Judas died as to his body, but his soul went to its own place. Act 1:25. Again we are told that "endless punishment" awaits the wicked, but "Annihilation" would not be "endless punishment" or any punishment at all. The "Fallen Angels" were not annihilated, they are now in "Tartarus," and are yet to be judged. Jude 6. There is no such thing as "Annihilation" in nature. Things pass into another form or condition, but are not destroyed. The word "Destruction" as used in the Bible never means annihilation or the blotting out of existence. It simply denotes "loss" or "ruin," and that the thing "destroyed" is no longer fit for the purpose for which it was made or intended, and that the "form of its existence" is changed. To illustrate, the servants of Pharaoh said to him?"Knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed" – Exo 10:7. But Egypt exists today. And Jesus said?"Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." Joh 2:18-22. He meant the "Temple of His Body," and though they destroyed it by "Crucifixion," He raised it up on the third day.
In Mat 25:46 we read?"And these (the Wicked) shall go away into 'EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT;' but the Righteous into LIFE ETERNAL." Primarily these words are spoken of "The Nations" (Mat 25:31- Mat 25:32), but they apply to individuals. The words in this passage "Everlasting," and "Eternal," are both the same Greek word "AIONIOS," and should both be translated "ETERNAL." The word "Aionios" comes from the Greek word "aion," which is the same as the English word "aeon," or AGE. It has been said that the word means "Age-long," that is, a "definite period" with a beginning and an ending, and not necessarily eternal in duration. The word "Eternal" is from the Latin word ''aetas," or "Age." Now a year is a definite time. It has a beginning and ending. If we know its beginning we know that in exactly 365 days it will end. But an "Age" is an indefinite time. Of past "Ages" we know of their beginning and ending, though we may not be able to tell how long they were, for instance the "Creative Age." But of Future Ages we do not know when they will begin or end. So the word "Age" is the only word we have to express "indefinite time," and the phrase "Ages of the Ages" is the only way we have of expressing "Endless Duration," or "ETERNITY." The lifetime of the "Lord God Almighty" is said to be "For Ever and Ever." Rev 4:9-10, Rev 5:14, Rev 10:6, Rev 15:7. And means for the "Ages of the Ages." And that is the time given for the punishment of the "Satanic Trinity" (Rev 20:10), and the reign of the "Righteous." Rev 22:5. And as the "Wicked" are to exist as long as the "Righteous" they are to exist for the "Ages of the Ages" or for all "ETERNITY." So we see if "Hell" is to be blotted out, "Heaven" will be blotted out, the Universe will become extinct, Eternity will end, and God be no more, a thought which is inconceivable. It is a noteworthy fact that the "Doctrine of Hell" was mainly taught by Jesus Himself. It was He who said that the wicked shall be cast into the "Lake of Fire," and that there should be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mat 13:49-50. Mat 25:41. He also taught that the fire was quenchless, and their worm would never die. Mar 9:43-48. And as the Book of Revelation is the "Revelation of JESUS CHRIST," Rev 1:1, then whatever it teaches of the final doom of the Wicked, is the teaching of Jesus Christ. The Ethical value of the "Doctrine of Hell" and of "Endless Punishment" is beyond computation. Preach the doctrine of a "Second Probation" after death, that men and women after a life of sin here can get out of Hell and into Heaven by repentance and accepting the Gospel Plan of Salvation, and they will throw the reins of self-control on the neck of passion and ride at breakneck speed to perdition. It is the spread of such pernicious teaching that is the cause of the increase of lawlessness in the world. If there were more preaching of Hell in the pulpit there would be less of hell in the world. But why do men want to go to Heaven via Hell when they can go to Heaven direct? God is love, but God is JUST. He must preserve the Righteous from the Wicked. This demands that they be separated for all eternity. Therefore, O reader! if you are not a child of God, I beseech you to fly from the Wrath to come by accepting God's overtures of mercy ere it be too late.
Those who teach the Doctrine of a "SECOND CHANCE," base it on what Peter says about – "Preaching to the Spirits in Prison." The passage reads thus –
Who were these "Spirits in Prison"? The word "spirits" by itself without any qualifying word, as "unclean spirits," "evil spirits," "spirits of just men" (Heb 12:23), etc., always means in the Scriptures supernatural beings, therefore these "spirits" could not have been the spirits of dead men. When were these "spirits" disobedient? We are told that it was in the "Days of Noah." This clearly points back to the time of the "Flood." Were there any "Supernatural Beings" on the earth at the time of the Flood? We turn to 2 Pe 2:4-5, and read –
Here we are told that in the "Days of Noah" there were some "ANGELS" who sinned, and that their sin caused the "Flood." These "Angels" were not Satan's Angels, for they are at liberty, and when they are mentioned Satan is always mentioned with them (Mat 25:41. Rev 12:7-9), but these "Angels" are in a dark "prison house," and confined in chains, and according to Jude 6-7, their sin was in leaving their "First Estate," the Heavenlies, and committing fornication with "Strange Flesh," that is with the "Daughters of Men." Gen 6:1-4. See the Chapter on "The Fallen Angels." Then we must note that these "Angels" were not cast down to "Hell," but to a "prison house" called TARTARUS, which, while it is in the "Underworld," is a separate place from the "Hell Section" of Hades. See the Chart on "The Underworld." Now Jesus when He went down into the "Underworld," during the time between His Death and Resurrection, did not go to "Tartarus," He went to the "Paradise Section" of Hades, the place where the souls of the Righteous went before Jesus emptied it at His Resurrection, and He went there to meet the "Penitent Thief," and not to preach. Again we are told that Jesus Himself did not personally preach to the "Spirits in Prison," but that He preached through the Holy Spirit. This harmonizes with the account in Genesis, where God said to Noah, "My Spirit (Holy Spirit) shall not always strive with man." Gen 6:3. The instrument that the Holy Spirit used was Noah, called in 2Pe 2:5, a "Preacher of Righteousness." The preaching then to the "Spirits in Prison" was not after they were imprisoned, but BEFORE. And it was not the "Gospel" that was preached to them. Where the word "preach" is used without a qualifying word, it may mean anything. That it was not the "Gospel" that was preached to them is clear, for there was no "Gospel" at that time to preach, for Jesus had not yet made Atonement for "Sin." The statement then that Jesus preached to the "Spirits in Prison" cannot mean that Jesus personally went to "Tartarus" and preached, but that He preached by the Holy Spirit through Noah. As confirmation of this interpretation we have the statement of Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, where he says, "Jesus came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh." Eph 2:17. Now this was not literally true, for Jesus was never at Ephesus. What the Apostle meant was that Jesus had preached peace to them through him, for he was pastor at Ephesus for three years. Act 20:17-27. Again we must not forget that, as that preaching was to those who were disobedient in the "DAYS OF NOAH," it was preaching to a "special class," the "Spirits" who are now in prison, and was not a proclamation to the wicked dead in general. But I think I hear some one say, "Does it not clearly say in 1Pe 4:6, 'For this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.'"? Yes. But the context shows that there should be no chapter division, and that the dead here referred to were the "Spirits in Prison" of the preceding chapter (vs. 19-20), who, as we have seen, were not dead but alive when they were preached to, and though they were "Angels" they will be judged like men in the flesh for the deeds done in their bodies when they cohabited with the "Daughters of Men," and after judgment shall survive in their "Spirit bodies." The use of the word Gospel in the passage does not necessarily mean the Gospel as it is now preached, but merely the proclamation of "good news" of some kind. Therefore we have no Scriptural authority for believing or teaching that the "wicked dead," since their death, ever had, or ever will have, the "Gospel of Salvation" preached to them. To teach it is to go contrary to the whole trend of Scripture.
The difference between "Plant" and "Animal" life is, that the "Plant" has not "conscious" life, while the "Animal'.' has. The difference between "Animal" life and "Human" life is, that while animals have "conscious" life, a soul, man has more; he has a LIVING soul, that is a soul in which dwells a "SPIRIT." Gen 2:7. While man differs from a beast in having a "Spirit," yet he is as to his body only an ANIMAL. That is, his body is formed on the same general plan, and governed by the same laws, and its organs, and functions of respiration, digestion, and assimilation, are the same as those of an animal. When the Apostle Paul speaks of the "Natural" body (1Co 15:44) he refers to the "Animal" body, and when he speaks of the "Spiritual" body, he means a MATERIAL BODY adapted to the realm of the "Spirit World," for the "Spirit World" is just as much MATERIAL as the "Natural World" in which we dwell. We cannot imagine heavenly beings and places without material forms and substances. The only difference is that the bodies of "Spirit Beings" are adapted to the "Spirit World," just as the bodies of fish are adapted to the world of water, and the bodies of birds to the world of air. This is beautifully brought out by Paul in 1Co 15:39-40.
We know that there are all kinds and varieties of flesh; "FISH-flesh," "BIRD-flesh," "BEAST-flesh," and "HUMAN-flesh," and of "Beast-flesh" there is beef, venison, pork, mutton, etc. Why this great variety of flesh? The answer is that each kind of flesh is adapted to the needs and habitation of the creature to which it belongs. From this we see that our "Human" body is adapted to this physical world in which we now live, and at the resurrection we shall receive a body adapted to the "Spirit World." The unborn child has life, but not conscious life, its life is suited to its habitation. As soon as the child is born it finds itself in a new environment of vast extent, and with laws that completely change the character o its being. Through its five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing, it realizes that it is in a new world for which those senses adapt it.
We must not forget that in the Natural world, under certain conditions, one law may counteract another law. For illustration we may lay on a table a piece of steel, and suspend a foot or two above it a piece of steel in the form of a horse-shoe magnet, to which is attached a wire that leads to an electric battery. As long as the magnet remains demagnetized, the "Law of Gravitation" will hold the piece of steel firmly to the table, but the moment we magnetize the magnet, by turning on the current from the electric battery, the "Law of Magnetism" will overcome the "Law of Gravitation" and lift the piece of steel from the table and hold it suspended in the air. But the moment we turn off the current from the battery, the "Law of Magnetism" is withdrawn, and the "Law of Gravitation," no longer overpowered, again comes into play, and the piece of steel falls to the table. Apply this illustration to the Resurrection of Lazarus. Lazarus had come under the power of the "Law of Death," but when Jesus brought into play the higher law of "Resurrection" Lazarus was restored to life, but when later the "Law of Resurrection" was withdrawn Lazarus came again under the "Law of Death," and died the second time.
The "Natural World" and the "Spirit World" lie close together and there is an overlapping of their laws. In fact the laws of the "Spirit World" are only "natural laws" of a higher order. A miracle is not something contrary to nature, but the working of a higher law, that, thus far, is contrary to our experience. When we reach the "Spirit World" we shall find that what we now look upon as miracles are simply the working of the natural laws of the "Spirit World." For illustration suppose that we should take a trip to some tropical country in a submarine boat on which is a machine for manufacturing ice. Suppose the natives had never seen or heard of a submarine boat or an ice-machine, and a few days after our arrival we should invite the Chief and a few of the head men of the tribe to come on board. We tell them that in the country from which we came that at certain times of the year water becomes solid. They laugh at us and say it is impossible, for they have never seen it so. We show them the ice-machine and, putting some water in pans, we place the pans in the machine and in a little time take them out and empty from them solid cakes of ice. The natives are dumbfounded. They call it a miracle. Was it a miracle? No. It was simply the working of a law with which we are familiar, but of which they knew nothing. If we told them that in our country they "imprisoned" the songs and music of the people on recording plates and cylinders, so they could be reproduced at any time, and that we could speak for miles over a wire, they would declare it impossible. But when we started a Graphophone and they heard the sound of the human voice, and placing the receiver of a Telephone at their ear they heard the voice of an invisible person, they would declare it a miracle, would it be so ? If to cap the climax we should tell them that we were going to take a trip "under water, they would declare it impossible. That nothing but fish could live under water. But while we are talking orders are quietly given, the hatches are closed, the machinery is set in motion, the vessel dives downward into the sea, and through the lookout portholes the natives see the fish and submarine animals swimming in the sea, and they watch as we pass by sea ferns, and coral beds, and survey the landscape of the ocean's bed. And when after an hour's run we rise buoyantly to the surface of the sea, arid they find themselves almost out of sight of land, but safe, they call it a miracle. Was it? No. It was simply the working of higher laws than those natives knew anything about. To them we seemed to be a higher race of beings come from another world with a knowledge of certain laws that they knew nothing about.
Now apply these simple illustrations to the "Spirit World" and is it not clear that what to us appears miraculous is only the working of natural laws with which we as yet have not become acquainted. Take the Resurrection of Jesus. Jesus by His crucifixion came under the power of the "Law of Death," but on account of His Deity He could not be "holden" of death (Act 2:23-24), and through the greater power of the "Law of Resurrection" He was delivered from Joseph's tomb. When Jesus Ascended we are told that He was "taken up." Act 1:9-11. That is, the "Law of Ascension" overcame the "Law of Gravitation." Jesus could no more have remained on earth than the buoyancy of a mass of cork could be overcome by piling tons of sea- water upon it. So we see that there is a law of "Celestial Gravitation" as well as a law of "Terrestrial Gravitation."
Much of the miraculous and strange phenomena of the Scriptures can be explained when we understand the relation of the "Spirit World" to the "Natural World." Take for instance the "Fall" of the Walls of the City of Jericho. Jos 6:1-27. We are told that the Children of Israel were commanded to march around the City once each day for six days, and on the seventh day they were to compass it seven times, and then a long blast on a "Ram's Horn" was to be the signal for them to shout and the walls would fall down so they could take the city. This literally occurred. Now what is the explanation? Some claim that the walls were thrown down by an earthquake that was timed to occur at the "Psychological Moment" when the people shouted. If this be true, there was never an earthquake before or since like it, for only the walls of the city fell down, not a dwelling house was disturbed, nor any persons killed, and the part of the wall where Rahab lived, which was protected by the "Red Cord" in the window lattice, a type of the "Blood," was not thrown down. Others claim that the walls were thrown down by "Concussion," caused by the "blare" of trumpets, and the "shout" of the people. That is, the trumpets and voices of the people were "keyed" to the note of the walls and caused them to vibrate until they fell. But the fallacy of this explanation is seen in that Joshua never resorted to such a method to throw down the walls of other cities. What then is the explanation? We must go back a few verses into the preceding chapter to get the setting of the miracle. In Joshua 5 : 13 we read that when Joshua was about to besiege Jericho he was met by a "man" with a drawn sword in His hand. When Joshua asked Him whether He was a friend or an enemy, He replied that He was –
and as He commanded Joshua to take off his shoes, because the place where he stood was holy (vs. 15), the "MAN" was the same that commanded Moses to take off his shoes at the "Burning Bush" (Exo 3:1-6), or Jesus before His Incarnation. In the interview that followed (Jos 6:2-5) Joshua was told the part he was to play in the taking of the city, in which he was to be aided by the "Armies of Heaven" under the command of their "Captain," the "Lord of Hosts." So when Joshua and the people had fulfilled their part, at the sound of the Trumpet, the co-operating and invisible angelic army under the command of their Captain, the "Lord of Hosts," threw down the walls of the city excepting the part upon which the house of Rahab was built. Jos 6:22-25. As confirmation of this view we turn to 1Ch 14:13-17. The Philistines had spread themselves over the valley, and |King David inquired of God as to what to do, and God said unto him?"Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the 'Mulberry Trees.' And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of 'GOING' in the TOPS of the 'Mulberry Trees,' that then thou shalt go out to battle: for GOD IS GONE FORTH BEFORE THEE TO SMITE THE HOST OF THE PHILISTINES." Here we see the co-operation of an "Angelic Army," whose presence would be made known by the sound of "going," or marching of troops, in the tops of the Mulberry Trees, and it was really the "Angelic Army" that swept on before the "Army of David," that smote the Philistines that day.
When Jesus was about to be born, some "Wise Men" in the East saw a peculiar "Star" in the heavens, which indicated to them the nearness of His birth. They at once departed for Jerusalem, and naturally expecting that the "King of the Jews" would be born in a palace, they went to the home of King Herod. Not finding Him . there they were directed to Bethlehem. When they started for Bethlehem the "Star" that they had seen in the "Eastern Country" reappeared and "went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was." Mat 2:9. The "Star" then disappeared. What was that "Star"? Some claim that it was a "special star" that appeared for the purpose; others that it was the conjunction of three stars or planets; others that it was a comet or meteor, but none of these explanations fulfil the conditions. First the "Star" must have presented some peculiar appearance to attract the attention of the "Wise Men." Then it must have been a moving star, for when they left Jerusalem it reappeared and "went before them" as a guide to Bethlehem, and "stood" over the house (presumably not far above it), where the infant Jesus was, so as to point out the exact place, and then it disappeared. The only satisfactory explanation of the peculiar movement of the "Star" is that it was an "ANGEL" who assumed the form of a star. We know that angels were busy visiting the earth in those days. The angel Gabriel announced to Zacharias the birth of John the Baptist (Luk 1:11-17), and to Mary the birth of Jesus (Luk 1:26-35). And it was an angel that announced the birth of Jesus to the Shepherds. Luke 2:8-11. Why not an angel then direct the "Wise Men"? What more appropriate form could the angel assume than that of a "STAR." The "Wise Men" were from the East, from Babylon and Persia, the country of the Captivity of Israel. They may have been of the Jewish remnant left there, and acquainted with the prophecies relating to the Messiah, among them that of Balaam, who foretold as a "sign" that there should come a
The form of a "Star" then was the most appropriate the angel could assume to arouse the interest of the "Wise Men." In fact only a "Star Angel" could move about in the heavens and guide them to the exact spot where the child Jesus lay. This interpretation is confirmed by other instances in which angels assumed a "Star Form." In the Book of Revelation (Rev 9:1), we read that when the Fifth Angel sounded his Trumpet, that the Apostle John saw a "STAR" fall from Heaven. But it was not a literal star, for in the same sentence he says, "to HIM (the star) was given the 'Key' of the Bottomless Pit." A literal star could not handle a "key" or "open a door." So we see that the "Star" that guided the "Wise Men" was not a real star, but an "Angel," who for prophetic reasons assumed the form of a star.
The "Ministry of Angels" is seen all through the Scriptures. They are not only sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation (Heb 1:13-14), and to keep them in the way, and bear them up lest they dash their foot against a stone (Psa 91:11-12), but they minister in other ways. The Cherubim were placed as guardians over the Garden of Eden, lest men should enter and eat of the "Tree of Life." Gen 3:24. When the time came to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah two angels were sent to deliver Lot and destroy those two cities. Gen 19:1-29. At Bethel Jacob saw the angels ascending and descending. Gen 28:10-19. As Elijah lay under a Juniper tree despondent and praying that he might die, an angel brought him bread and water. 1 Ki 19:4-8. When Elisha was besieged at Dothan the angelic hosts were sent to deliver him, which they did by smiting the enemy with blindness. 2Ki 6:13-18. The Angel of the Lord smote in one night 185,000 of the army of Sennacherib the King of Assyria. 2Ki 19:32-36. When Daniel was thrown into the "Lions' Den" God sent an angel to close the lions' mouths. Dan 6:19-22. It was an angel that warned Joseph to flee into Egypt with the child Jesus, and when to bring Him back. Mat 2:13,19. After Jesus had fasted 40 days angels came and ministered unto Him. Mat 4:11. And at the close of His sufferings in Gethsemane an angel appeared to strengthen Him. Luk 22:43. It was an angel that liberated the Apostles from prison (Act 5:19, Act 12:5-10), and that notified the Apostle Paul that he, and all who sailed with him, would be saved from shipwreck. Act 27:21-24. At the close of "The Great Tribulation" the Son of Man shall "send His angels with a great sound of a Trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Mat 24:31. At the end of the Age the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just (Mat 13:47-50), and when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven, His "Mighty Angels" shall come with Him, and execute His vengeance upon them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Th 1:7-8. Lastly, as the heavens are peopled with the "Principalities and Powers of Evil," and Paradise the abode of the "Righteous Dead" is now in the "Third Heaven," we shall need the convoy of "Good Angels" as a bodyguard to protect us from these evil and malicious Spirits, when at death our Soul takes its flight to Paradise.
Man in his physical and spiritual makeup, was made for two worlds, the Physical and the Spirit world. Writing to the Thessalonians Paul says –
Writing to the Hebrews he says –
From these references we see that man is a Trinity, and is composed of "Body," "Soul," and "Spirit." Man was made in the "Image of God" and God is a Trinity. The Tabernacle was a tent surrounded by a court, which court was enclosed by a curtain fence. (See diagram of the Tabernacle.) The tent was divided into two parts, one twice the length of the other, by a "veil" or curtain. The larger part was entered from without by a curtained doorway, and contained the "Table of Shew- bread," the "Altar of Incense," and the "Seven-Branched Candlestick." This part was called the "Holy Place." The smaller part was entered from the "Holy Place" through the "veil" or dividing curtain, and contained the "Ark of the Covenant," on the lid of which, between the "Cherubims," God took up His residence in the "Shekinah Glory." This part was called the "Most Holy Place." There were no windows in the Tabernacle, and the only entrance was through the curtained doorway into the "Holy Place." The Tabernacle and its Courtyard is a type of the "Threefold Nature of Man." The "Courtyard" represents his Body, the "Holy Place" his Soul, and the "Most Holy Place" his Spirit, and as there could be no communication between the "Courtyard" and the "Most Holy Place," only through the "Holy Place," so there can be no communication between a man's Body and Spirit only through his Soul. After the completion of the Tabernacle it remained empty of the "Presence of God" until the "Spirit of God" descended and took up His abode in the "Most Holy Place." So a man may be complete as to body, soul and spirit, but his spiritual nature will remain unregenerate until the Holy Spirit enters and takes possession of the "spirit" compartment of his nature. This happens when the "New Birth" takes place. The "Threefold Nature of Man" is clearly brought out in the Diagram –
The outer circle stands for the "Body" of man, the middle for the "Soul," and the inner for the "Spirit," or what Paul calls the "CARNAL" (1Co 3:1-3); the "NATURAL" (1Co 2:14); and the "SPIRITUAL" (1Co 3:1), parts of man. In the outer circle the "Body" is shown as touching the Material World through the five senses of "Sight," "Smell," "Hearing," "Taste" and "Touch." The Gates to the "Soul" are "Imagination," "Conscience," "Memory," "Reason" and the "Affections." The "Spirit" receives impressions of outward and material things through the Soul. The "Spiritual Faculties" of the "Spirit" are "Faith," "Hope," "Reverence," "Prayer" and "Worship." In his unfallen state the "Spirit" of man was illuminated from Heaven, but when the human race fell in Adam, sin closed the window of the Spirit, and pulled down the curtain, and the "chamber of the Spirit" became a Death Chamber, and remains so in every unregenerate heart, until the "Life" and "Light" giving power of the Holy Spirit floods that chamber with the "Life" and "Light" giving power of the NEW LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS. We see then why the "natural" man cannot understand "spiritual" things. He cannot understand them until his spiritual nature has been renewed. But the Spirit of the Natural man is not only darkened, his "Will" stands as a "guard" at the door, and prevents the entrance of the Holy Spirit, and it is not until the "Will" surrenders through the power of the "Sword of the Spirit," the "Word of God," that the Holy Spirit can enter and take up his abode in the "Spirit" of man.
The "Threefold Nature of Man" may be illustrated by a peach. A peach is a "trinity." There is the meat of the peach corresponding to the "body" of man, the stone, corresponding to the "Soul," and the kernel, corresponding to the "Spirit." As you can remove the meat of the peach and the "kernel" will still have a body, the stone, so when a man dies his "Soul" and "Spirit" separate from the "Body," and the "Body" is laid in the grave, but the "Spirit" is not "bodiless," it has what Paul calls its "PSYCHICAL" or "Soulish" body. As this "Soulish Body" can hear, and speak, and think, and feel, it must have some "tangible" form. It is not a "ghostlike" structure. There are doubtless limitations in its use, or there would be no need for it to recover its "physical" body at the Resurrection. That there is such a thing as the "Soulish Body" is brought out in the story of the "Rich Man and Lazarus." Luk 16:19-31. The story is not a Parable, but a description by Christ of something that really happened in the other world to his own personal knowledge. It declares that both Lazarus and the "Rich Man" died and were buried. That is, their bodies were left on the earth. What happened to them in the "Underworld" then, is descriptive of what happened to them in their "disembodied state." In that state they were conscious and the Rich Man recognized Lazarus, which he could not have done if Lazarus had not a body, not his "physical" body, he left that on the earth, but his "Soulish" body. This is proof that the "Soulish" body is not simply a body, but that in its outward form and appearance it conforms to the earthly body of the owner, otherwise he would not be recognizable in the other world. Again the "Rich Man" could see, and feel, and thirst, and talk, and remember, proving that he possessed his senses and had not lost his personality. This proves that there is no break, as "Soul Sleep," in the Continuity of Existence, or Consciousness, in passing from the "Earth-Life" to the "Spirit-Life." Sleep in the Scriptures always refers to the "Body," not to the "Soul," and the expression "Asleep in Jesus" refers to the Believer only. Let us trace the life of the "Soul" and "Spirit" after they have left the "Body." In the account of the "Rich Man and Lazarus" we have a description of "THE UNDERWORLD." See the Chart of "The Underworld." Before the resurrection of Christ the Soul and Spirit of the "Righteous Dead" went to the "Paradise" compartment of "The Underworld." There Christ met the "Penitent Thief" after His death on the Cross. On the day of His Resurrection Christ's Soul and Spirit returned from "The Underworld." But He did not return alone. He brought back with Him all the occupants of the Paradise compartment and locked it up, and He now has the "Keys of Death and Hell." Rev 1:18. Here "Death" stands for the "grave" and "Hades" for "The Underworld." Some of those who came back from "The Underworld" with Christ got their bodies, and ascended with Him as the "First Fruits" of the' resurrection "from among the dead." Mat 27:52-53. The rest were taken up to the "Third Heaven" where Paul was caught up. 2Co 12:1-4. Paul called it "Paradise." There all the "Righteous Dead" that have died since Christ's resurrection go that they may be "WITH THE LORD." Phi 1:23. 2Co 5:8. There the souls of the "Righteous Dead" shall remain until the time comes for the resurrection of their bodies, then when Christ comes back to meet His Church in the Air, He will bring back the souls of the "Righteous Dead" from the "Paradise" of the "Third Heaven," for we are told that He will bring them whose bodies "Sleep in Jesus" on the earth WITH HIM (1Th 4:14), and they will continue on to the earth and get their "bodies"from the grave, and then ascend again together with the "Translated Saints" to meet the Lord IN THE AIR.
So far as we know the souls of the "Wicked Dead" are still in the "Hell Compartment" of "The Underworld," and will remain there until the "Second Resurrection," when they will return to the earth and get their bodies, and then go to the "Great White Throne" Judgment. After judgment they will be sentenced to the "Second Death," which means that they shall die again in the sense of losing their bodies the second time, and as "disembodied spirits" be cast into the "Lake of Fire," (Gehenna, the "Final Hell"), to suffer in flames forever.
The word "Dead" as used in the Scriptures does not always apply to the body. The unregenerate are spoken of as dead. "And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." Eph 2:1. When the "Prodigal Son" came home, his father said – "This my son was dead, and is alive again." Luk 15:24. The Apostle Paul in writing to Timothy said of worldly women, "She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth." 1Ti 5:6. From these passages we see that death does not mean non-existence or unconsciousness, that there is a sense in which a person may be said to be dead and yet have a conscious existence. Death is not the terminus of a man's existence; it is only a station. The death of the believer is described as "falling asleep." But the sleep has reference to the body only. Jesus said of Lazarus? "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth ; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said His Disciples, Lord if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death; but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus IS DEAD." Joh 11:11-14. Here Jesus speaks of death as a sleep, but it is clear that He refers not to the soul but to the body of Lazarus, for He said "I go to awake him out of sleep," which He did by raising his body from the dead. This is confirmed by the words of Martha, "By this time he stinketh," showing that only the body and not the soul of Lazarus was in the mind of the Disciples as that which was asleep. In Mat 27:52 it is recorded, that after the Resurrection of Jesus – "Many bodies of the Saints which 'slept' arose." The use of the word bodies implies that the word "slept" refers to them, and not to the soul of the dead, otherwise the word "bodies" would have been omitted and it would read "Many of the Saints which slept arose." In Act 7:54-60, we have the account of the death of Stephen, in which we are told that Stephen as a result of the stoning he received "fell asleep," that is, died. But the words "fell asleep" cannot mean that Stephen's soul passed into a state of unconsciousness, for in verse 55 we read that "Being full of the Holy Ghost, he looked up steadfastly into Heaven, and saw the 'Glory of God,' and JESUS standing on the right hand of God." And in verse 59 we are told that Stephen in dying said? "Lord Jesus receive my SPIRIT." Why such a prayer if the soul at death passes into a state of unconsciousness? In similar manner Jesus in dying commended His "SPIRIT" to God, and having done so, yielded up His "SPIRIT," that is permitted it to depart from His body, while His body was afterwards taken down from the Cross and buried. Luke 23:46.
In Acts 13:36, it is said of King David that, "after he had served his own generation by the will of God, he 'fell on sleep' (died), and was laid unto-his fathers, and saw CORRUPTION." What part of David saw corruption, his body or his soul? Surely not his soul. The words "fell on sleep" then refer only to David's body. This is confirmed by what follows in the next verse?. "But He (Jesus), whom God raised again, saw no corruption." This surely can refer only to the body of Jesus, for His soul did not sleep during the three days His body lay in Joseph's Tomb, for when it parted from His body as it hung on the Cross, it went immediately to Paradise to meet the soul of the "Penitent Thief" as promised. Luk 23:43. To avoid this clear evidence that the "Soul" of Jesus did not sleep while His body slept in Joseph's Tomb, there are those who claim that the sentence?"Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise," is wrongly punctuated. That the comma before the word "Today," should be placed after it, making the sentence read?"Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in Paradise," thus completely altering the sense, and making the passage read as if Jesus said – "I make known to you today, that at some future time you shall be with me in Paradise." As refutation of this latter interpretation it may be said, that this is the only passage in which Jesus uses the word "Today." In many passages He said "Verily I say unto you," etc., but did not add the word "Today." Hence Jesus by the use of the word in the above passage must have meant that very day. As confirmation of this the Apostle Paul tells us in Eph 4:8-10, that Jesus before He Ascended, descended into the lower parts of the earth, that is, into the "Underworld," and that must have occurred between His death and resurrection, for it was at that time that He fulfilled His promise to meet the Penitent Thief in the "Paradise" section of the "Underworld," and not at some time still future. While the bodies of Jesus and the Penitent Thief still hung on their respective crosses, their spirits were in communion in Paradise. Christ was the "First-fruits" of them that SLEPT. 1 Co 15:20. Here "sleep" clearly refers to the body and not the soul, for it is the RESURRECTION OF THE BODY that the Apostle is talking about in this chapter. Those who teach the doctrine of "Soul-Sleep" draw their arguments mainly from the Old Testament, where the light as to the state of the dead between the death and resurrection of the body is only in the "Twilight Stage." They lay much stress on the expression "Gathered unto His People," as if it meant the grave. "Then Abraham gave up the 'Ghost' (surrendered his 'Spirit'), and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years, and was GATHERED TO HIS PEOPLE." Gen 25:8. The expression "Gathered to His People" has no reference to the "Grave" or "Family Burial Place," for in Abraham's case the "Family Burial Plot" was over in Chaldea, while Abraham was buried in his own sepulchre, the "Cave of Machpelah." What "Gathered to His People" means is, that the soul of Abraham went to the "Underworld" (Sheol), where the souls of his ancestors had gone, and where he would be united to them. The same statement is made of Isaac (Gen 35:29), with the additional statement, "and his sons BURIED HIM," thus showing that while his "soul" was "Gathered to His People" in the "Underworld," his body was buried in the "Cave of Machpelah." Gen 49:29-31. When Jacob was led to believe that his son Joseph was dead his sons and daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted, and said?"I will go down into the 'grave' unto my son mourning." Gen 37:29-35. The word for "grave" in the Hebrew is "SHEOL" (the "Underworld"). So we see that Jacob did not mean that he would go into the "grave" to meet Joseph, but into the "Underworld." As proof of this we know that Jacob did not believe that Joseph was in the grave. He thought that a "wild beast" had devoured him (vs. 33), and there would be no comfort to go down into the grave to meet Joseph, if he was there, if the dead know nothing. Of Moses and Aaron it is said that they were "Gathered unto Their People," yet we know that neither of them were buried with their people. Aaron was stripped of his Priestly robes by Moses on Mount Hor, and died, and presumably was buried there (Num 20:23-29), while Moses died on Mount Pisgah and the Lord buried him in a valley of the land of Moab, and no one ever knew the place of his sepulchre. Deu 34:1-6. So the statement "Gathered unto His People" in their case must mean the same as in the case of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not slumbering in the grave is clear from the words of Jesus to the Sadducees, when He declared that God said to Moses at the "Burning Bush"?"I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and* the God of Jacob." And Jesus added?"He (God) is not the God of the dead, but the God of the LIVING." Mar 12:26-27. In other words while the bodies of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob rest in the "Cave of Machpelah," their souls are alive and conscious in Paradise. Such passages as the following seem to teach at first sight that the soul passes into a state of unconsciousness at death: "For in death there is no remembrance of Thee: in the grave who shall give Thee thanks?" Psa 6:5. "The dead know not anything." Ecc 9:5. "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." Ecc 9:10. However when we examine the context of these passages we see that the writer was balancing the temporal benefits of living, with their loss by dying, and humanly speaking a dead man knows nothing of the affairs of this world, and neither does the soul that has departed to another sphere of existence. Death breaks the connection and cuts off all intercourse between this world and the "Spirit" world. 2 Ki 22:20. The "Key" to the Book of Ecclesiastes is – "UNDER THE SUN." Ecc 1:14. In it Solomon was giving his estimate of life from a worldly viewpoint, and declared that "Under the Sun" all things were vanity, and humanly speaking to die was the end of knowledge. But when he rises "above the Sun" in the last chapter, and sees things from a Heavenly viewpoint, he says?"Then shall the 'dust' (the body) return to the earth as it was: and the 'Spirit' shall RETURN TO GOD who gave it" (Ecc 12:7), thus teaching that it is only the "body" that goes into the grave and that the "Spirit" returns to God. In the case of the son of the widow of Zarephath, whom Elijah raised from the dead, Elijah prayed – "O Lord my God, I pray Thee, let this child's SOUL come into him again. And the SOUL of the Child came into him again, and he (his body) revived." 1Ki 17:17-23. When Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus (Luk 8:49-56) we read that – "Her SPIRIT came again." That is, it returned to her body. If there is to be a resurrection of the body, the "soul" and "spirit" must be somewhere waiting to re-inhabit their body. |
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