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 - 641 through 660 (of 732 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #822378
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Well spoken Miia.

    blessings

    #822410
    Miia
    Participant

    And blessings to you both

    #822685
    Anthony
    Participant

    It seems that we just have the wrong meaning of eternal   (age) which has a beginning and a end  which seem to be many of them (age) all the way till the new heaven and Earth… all so hell as you spoke of….. How could we possibly understand if we don’t look up some of these words …. ( God is a consuming ( fire)?

    #822689
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi Anthony,

    Welcome.

    I like your approach.

     

    #822692
    GeneBalthrop
    Participant

    Anthony. …welcome, and I to like your approach, we do a lot of diging here brother.

    There has been many false definitions used to through off Sincere truth seeker of over time, you will like this site even though it can get intense at times, and it’s good to not forget, “iron sharpens iron”. We definitely have “salt” here, and we try to maintain Peace also, we do love one another no matter how much we appear to disagree at times. No pushing a poster to conform to us or get kicked off, those days are gone the site master T8, lets the chips fall where they may. This is now beyond a doubt, the best site out there IMO.

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

    #822776
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    Hi Anthony. We do understand from scripture that hell is thrown into the Lake of Fire which is the Second Death. Thus hell is not eternal because it is not a permanent fixture whether we consider this age or the next, or the one after.

    #822777
    Proclaimer
    Participant

    True Gene. It was preferred that men could let their yes be yes and no be no, but many were not worthy.

    However, the chips fell where they may years ago too. It was just that breaking the yes be yes and no be no in the debate section took time for the penalty of being banned to take place. It was neither a quick reaction, a reaction based on one incident,  nor a permanent one. But it was imposed to repeat offenders of this for sure.

    The idea is if a person is really a truth seeker, they wouldn’t be scared of letting their yes be yes and no be no. After all, if we live like that, then we are letting the chips fall toward the truth and if it happens to fall away from our own current understanding, then praise God, we learnt something and so do the readers. How can that be bad right and Jesus didn’t say this for a joke or as an opinion right?

    But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

    It still amazes me that many cannot adhere to this. Very few in fact. Why? It really perplexes me somewhat. Why do many people in the crowd ignore this message in Jesus own sermon on the mount.

    Do you agree? Yes or no?

    lol. I know I will not get a clear answer to that, rather complex details.

    #822778
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi Anthony,

    Of course the HELL that t8 refers to is HADES, the waiting place of the dead who are not in Moses or Christ Jesus.

    See Lk 16.19f

    1Cor 10.2

    The Kjv sadly does not discriminate between it and the LAKE OF FIRE, or GEHENNA,  prepared for the devil and his angels.

    #822779
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi T8,

    You judge WORTHINESS here?

    With yourself as the paragon of worthiness?

    STOP JUDGING TILL YOU ARE PERFECT PLEASE.

     

    #822780
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi,

    Lk7.6f

    Then Jesus went with them. And when he was not now far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him

    ’Lord, trouble the not thyself; for I am not worthy that thou shouldn’t enter under my roof: therefore neither thought myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one go and he goeth, and to another come, and he cometh; and to my servant do this and he doeth it’

    When Jesus heard these things he marveled at him, and said to the people who followed him

    ’I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel’

     

    Worthiness is not ours to judge.

     

     

     

    #822782
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi T8

    Thanks.

    Acts 5.41

    And they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

    #822789
    Miia
    Participant

    Hi Anthony. Welcome.

    Yes God is a consuming fire, and only He is able to destroy both body and soul.

    The ages is a time.

    The possibility that God punished non Christians eternally in a hell was the biggest test of my faith, and I did not want to worship such a God, and was traumatized by the fact so many did. Eventually I asked Him, and was shown that He was love, and not to worry, trust Him. We have inherited our love and compassion from the true God.

    #822790
    Miia
    Participant

    Hi @NickHassan

    Do you believe in eternal concious torment?

    #822791
    GeneBalthrop
    Participant

    Miia…I to believe we all have more going for us then against us, not because of our rightiousness, but because of who our Heavenly Father is, he knows how to save us all. If that is his will, he can bring it about, nothing is impossible for him.

    Peace and love to you and yours. ……gene

    #822796
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi Miia,

    I believe in what is revealed.

    The place of waiting for the unsaved shown in Lk 16.19f is daunting enough.

    The Lake Of Fire can destroy both body and soul as Mt 10.28 shows.

    ‘Mercy triumphs over judgement’is a hope for mankind

     

    #822800
    GeneBalthrop
    Participant

    To all….OUR GOD, IS A “CONSUMING FIRE”. As Miia said, DONT WORRY OR FEAR A PHYSICAL PLACE OF FIRE, BUT FEAR “reverance” HIM WHO IS A “CONSUMING FIRE”, because HE has power to “destory” both “body” and spirit, our complete soul, in the grave, So that we “parish” forever.

    It is cruical we are resurected from the grave to continue to live. IMO

    Peace and love to you all and yours. ……gene

    #822856
    Miia
    Participant

    Yay Nick. So you do not believe in the eternal concious suffering of human beings. Rather that as scripture says, the punishment will be death. But you do believe in a temporary place of punishment, whatever that may be. Do I have that right?

    #822857
    Miia
    Participant

    Hi Gene. If we are resurrected to life, then that is a remarkable gift of God.

    #822858
    Miia
    Participant

    ‘And the wages of sin is death. But the gift from God is eternal life.’

    #822860
    NickHassan
    Participant

    Hi Miia,

    The parable of the rich man in Hades is in Lk 16.

    Read it and tell us what you think?

Viewing 20 posts - 641 through 660 (of 732 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

© 1999 - 2024 Heaven Net

Navigation

© 1999 - 2023 - Heaven Net
or

Log in with your credentials

or    

Forgot your details?

or

Create Account