The human soul is NOT eternal

The human soul

Many teachers out there teach that the human soul is inherently eternal, and consequently the souls of the wicked must also always exist which leads to the doctrine of Eternal Suffering. But is this true?

Some ask the inevitable question, “how can a God of love subject anyone to such a terrible fate? Let’s see if this idea of eternal suffering is true by looking at the very scriptures that these teachers use to support their teaching. Before we begin though, let’s think this hypothesis through.

First off, how are the wicked alive if they are cut off from the God of the living? Do they have another life power source apart from God? Or do they get to keep the breath that gave them life in the first place. If so, why does it say that the spirit goes back to God who gave it in Ecclesiastes 12:7?

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

And what happens when you forfeit your soul, does it mean you keep it?

And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? … For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? (Mark 8:36)

These scriptures answer our sensible questions regarding what eternal judgement must entail.

Are these just isolated scriptures taken out of context though? Let’s read on and discover more scriptures that tell a completely different story to the Doctrine of Eternal Suffering.

First we will investigate if the human soul is eternal as many assume.

  • the soul that sins shall die (Ezekiel 18:20)
  • Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.(Matthew 10:28)

This is enough to answer anyone who believes that the human soul never dies. We have to clear witness scriptures that teach that the human soul can actually die. But there is more. In fact there is a wealth of teaching about the possible destruction and death of the human soul and the destruction of the wicked. After all, do we not already hold to the fact that eternal life is for the righteous soul ONLY.

  • for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
  • hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.
  • But transgressors will be altogether destroyed; The posterity of the wicked will be cut off.
  • He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.
  • What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath–prepared for destruction?
  • And death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 
  • They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.
  • I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
  • I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
  • For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
  • and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
  • Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
  • Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
  • They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power
  • By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
  • For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Anyone who denies that the wicked will be destroyed, perish, forfeit their soul, die, or thrown into the Second Death that also destroys the present earth and heaven simply deny scripture and prophecy regarding what is taught on Eternal Judgment. In the Book of Revelation. we clearly read that Death and Hell are thrown into the Lake of Fire, and we know that the SAME fire that destroys the heavens and earth also destroys the wicked.

This teaching that says that both the righteous and wicked will have their soul exist for all eternity is clearly not aligned with scripture. But how important is the correct belief on Eternal Judgement? Well it is is one of the foundational doctrines of the true faith. See Hebrews 6:

1 Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. 4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. 7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. 9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case–things that accompany salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Viewing 20 posts - 481 through 500 (of 732 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #795475
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi T8,

    So you say there is no resurrection??

    Paul would lose heart at such a claim.

    #795477
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Read my post again. It does not in any way deny the joy of meeting the Lord when we die whether that is through death or being alive at the end.

    It also does not in any way deny the Day of the Lord.

    What it questions is the statement, that the dead in Christ are not with Christ.

    The ‘Dead in Christ’ if it were a descriptive would mean that they are dead and in Christ right?

    In other words, sounds very similar to: ‘to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord’.

    And if the dead in Christ are in Christ, then where is Christ now?

    #795486
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi t8,

    If you are not now in fellowship with the Spirit of Christ you are none of his.

    Meeting him clad in new bodies is another level of contact.

    He is in heaven but he meets us in the air

    #795621
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    And the Dead in Christ rise first, then we who are alive will meet them along with our Lord in the air.

    #795629
    kerwin
    Participant

    t8,
    You are misquoting the verse.

    If you look at 1 Thessalonians 3:16-17 then you will see the dead will rise from the grave and then together with those that had not died they would meet Jesus and his saints in the air as they descended.

    Paul is speaking of the first resurrection and the gathering together of the saints at the beginning of the Messianic Age. Air travel at its best.

    #795630
    kerwin
    Participant

    t8,

    The resurrection of the dead and then their ascension with those whose flesh God preserved in order to meet the Lord of both groups in person reveals the dead were not among the holy ones that descended with him. In other words they were no more with him than the living. When both groups meet him then they are with him.

    It sounds smother translating the verse this way but I do not know how the translators of this version obtained the word “this” out of the definite article. It may be something I do not know about Koine Greek but I do know it is a minority choice.

    2 Corinthians 5:8

    International Standard Version
    We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord.

    If he is correct then “this body” is referring to the mortal body and Paul is not teaching the Christians was to be dead in order to be with God but rather they want their new body in order to be closer to God.

    Note: The title “the Lord: may instead refer to Jesus.

    #795682
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    the dead in Christ will rise first.

    How much earlier do they rise first? By a second? A minute? A day? or what Kerwin?

    #799404
    carmel
    Participant

     

    a part or portion of a larger amount which is divided among a number of people, or to which a number of people contribute.

    So what actually Christ’s spirit OBVIOUS, Jesus when he was like all his brethren on earth did, obtained, and achieved, in order to have a share of all what he DID,OBTAINED AND ACHIEVED?”

    Can you please explain what this means.

    Nick,
    I misswrote, so Read again please:

    SHARE means to have a part or portion of a larger amount which is divided among a number of people, or to which a number of people contribute.

    So what actually Christ’s spirit OBVIOUS, Jesus when he was like all his brethren on earth,

    did, obtained, and achieved,

    in order FOR US

    to have a SHARE of all what he

    DID,OBTAINED AND ACHIEVED?”

    Peace and love in Jesus

    Charles

    #799408
    kerwin
    Participant

    Carmel,

    Jesus is still like his brothers as it is necessary to minister his position as High Priest.

    #799409
    kerwin
    Participant

    t8,

    The change occurs with both the dead and the living at the same time. When the bodies of the dead change from mortal to immortal they can no longer remain dead. It happens in a twinkling of an eye and the both the living and the dead ascend to meet Jesus Christ and the holy ones as they descend to start the Messianic Age.

    That seems the story from some passages of Scripture but others seem to imply there is death and dying during the Messianic Age.

    Is it that second idea you are going by?

    #799415
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi KW,

    We are changed

    The immortal is put on the mortal.

    They are not the same old battered natural bodies we die in.

     

    #799680
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Does God divide the living and the dead in Christ?

    The change occurs with both the dead and the living at the same time.

    …the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…

    The dead rise first.

    #810943
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Hell: You’ve Got it All Wrong!

    #810946
    kerwin
    Participant

    t8,

    What is the point you gleaned from the video?

    #810957
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    The notion that God burns alive sinners for all eternity is an incorrect teaching.

    #810962
    kerwin
    Participant

    t8,

    I cannot say whether it is or not since there is competing passages of Scripture. I favor the idea that for an age and age there is suffering in Gehenna but at the end of that the wicked are destroyed. Each of the age’s is an indeterminate amount of time. It is a Jewish belief that is supported by the relevant passages.

    In any case God is a just and merciful God and if he chose to have someone suffer for eternity then there is a reason for it. I cannot see such a reason but my vision is limited.

    #811578
    alex
    Participant

    If we are created in God’s image and were restored by His Spirit on Pentecost, and still do not grasp, understand, comprehend, imagine or reason, etc, how or why The Loving Lord Jesus would or could want to “torment” anything or everything, beast or man, forever, then perhaps there’s been some true meanings lost in the translations over thousands  of the years.  Him keeping Adam and us away from the “tree of Life”  in the garden by angels to disallow our soul to “… live forever”(Gen 3.22-24)  tells me that the soul will not go on forever except by being “…born again…” by The Holy Spirit that raised Emmanuel, the Lamb of God, the “Last Adam” from the grave. Ro 8.11. He did that FOR Adam and his race so that He could come and SAVE Adam’s race.

    #811579
    alex
    Participant

    Had Adam and Eve eaten from the tree of Life in the sinful state they were in, THEN that soul would have lived in that death state forever and would not have been able to die or be destroyed or perish or been even able or have or see the need or desire to repent.  God only know what the end would have been.  Thank Him for those Cherubims He saw fit for His purposes to place there.  Thanks for your comments.

    #811586
    Miia
    Participant

    Yes. It makes one wonder..

    #811596
    GeneBalthrop
    Participant

    Alex…..Good insites.

    peace and love to you and yours. …….gene

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