THE CULTS OF JAHOVA'S WITNESSES, HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG and WILLIAM SOWDERS
Danny Macdowell
I grew up in a Church which was greatly under the influence of a notable radio personality named William Sowders. That name was heard many times in my home----"Brother Sowders says" this or "Brother Sowders says" that. I was so young at the time that I had no understanding of what it all meant. I only knew that the name of William Sowders was tantamount to SACRED around our house and around our Church. If Brother Sowders said it, it was the TRUTH.
Later in my life I came into the ministry of BIBLE PROPHECY and New Testament Christianity. This calling quite naturally called me into the study of Doctrine and Doctrinal Apologetics. Many years earlier I had read the book "The Kingdom of the Cults" by Dr. Walter Martin. In a description of the signs and symptoms of a CULT, I discovered that two obvious things that all cults have in common are---ISOLATION and CONTROL. Over the years I have found these things to be absolutely true. A CULT will absolutely ISOLATE it's members from outside influence, and CONTROL its members through fear and intimidation. The most common threat being the fear of loosing one's salvation and falling back into a sinful life even more dreadful than the life they had known prior to coming into the CULT. I have not actually BEEN a cult member, but the Church that I was "born again" in was nearing the place of crossing that bold line into being a CULT. Their constant focus was on WORKS, and SALVATION THROUGH WORKS. Their tenet was "Salvation is a matter of GRACE to save you, and WORKS to keep you from falling from grace." This belief led me to a state of desperate depression for years. Fortunately I found my way out of that terrible bondage and into the freedom of GRACE. I guess I had a calling set before me, and religious legalism would play no role in that calling.
One thing I had to learn in my work, was not to shy away from difficult issues. Another lesson that I learned was, YOU WILL LOOSE FRIENDS! These are not easy sacrifices. You will be shunned and harshly treated if you challenge LONG HELD BELIEFS----even in Evangelical Christianity. If you don't believe what I'm saying-----just try telling someone that EASTER is a PAGAN DAY and that Jesus was actually crucified at Passover and raised from the dead in the evening at the beginning of the DAY OF FIRST FRUITS [Jn.20;1]. You will forever be branded a KOOK!
Now I will begin to address the heresies of William Sowders and the development of a culture of fear in the Pentecostal Church.
Charles Russell
Charles Russell was born on Feb. 16, 1852 in Pittsburgh. He was raised in a strict Protestant family. His later study of the Bible led him to deny the existence of hell and the doctrine of the Trinity and etc…, Christ is God's Son and is inferior to him and was first of God's creations.
William Sowders
William Sowders, was born in Louisville, Kentucky on September 13, 1879,(nine years after Russell started his Bible Studies.) His studies led him to deny the existence of hell and the doctrine of the Trinity and etc.., Christ is God’s Son and is inferior to him and was first of God’s creations.
Jehovah’s Witness on HELL
The doctrine of a burning hell where the wicked are tortured eternally after death is false.
William Sowderson Hell
The doctrine of a burning hell where the wicked are tortured eternally after death is false.
Jehovah’s Witness on BABYLON
Believe that every religion outside the Jehovah’s Witnesses is false and part of Babylon the great whore of Revelations of which the Catholic Church is part of.
William Sowders on BABYLON
Believe that every religion outside the “Body of Christ” is false and part of Babylon the great whore of Revelations of which the Catholic Church is part of.
Jehovah’s WitnessKingdom on Earth
God will destroy present system of things in the battle at Har–Magedon and the Kingdom under Christ will rule earth in righteousness and peace.
William Sowders on Kingdom on Earth
God will destroy the present system of things at the battle of Armageddon and the Kingdom under Christ and the Bride will rule the earth in righteousness and peace.
Jehovah’s WitnessNumber of Christ's Bride
Teach that 144,000 elite Jehovah's Witnesses go to heaven (the "Israel of God") and not for the "great crowd," the remainder of Jehovah's Witnesses. Only a little flock of 144,000 goes to heaven and rule with Christ. The 144,000 are born again as spiritual sons of God.
William SowdersNumber of Christ's Bride
Taught that there would be 144,000 in the Bride of Christ. The remainder or “the number that no man could number, would live on the new earth, ruled over by the Bride (144,000). The 144,000 are the only ones who will be caught up in the rapture; the rest will be in the second resurrection.
Jehovah’s Witness on Eternal Judgment
Believes a person’s soul dies when the body dies and there is no resurrection for the ungodly.
William Sowders on Eternal Judgment
Believed a person’s soul dies when the body dies and there is no resurrection for the ungodly.
Godhead Jehovah’s Witness
The doctrine of the Trinity is "a false, unbiblical doctrine" originated by Satan. The doctrine of the Trinity is "a false, unbiblical doctrine" originated by Satan.
"Who ran the universe during the three days that Jesus was dead and in the grave...? If Jesus was God, then during Jesus's death God was dead and in the grave... If Jesus was the immortal God, He could not have died." "Who ran the universe during the three days that Jesus was dead and in the grave...? If Jesus was God, then during Jesus's death God was dead and in the grave... If Jesus was the immortal God, He could not have died."
My Father is greater than I.'... means `greater' not only as to office but also as to person." My Father is greater than I.'... means `greater' not only as to office but also as to person."
"Being God's first creation, he was with the Father in heaven from the beginning of all creation. Jehovah God used him in the creating of all other things that have been created." "Being God's first creation, he was with the Father in heaven from the beginning of all creation. Jehovah God used him in the creating of all other things that have been created."
The Bible shows that there is only one God ... `greater than His son.'... And that the Son, as the First-born, Only-begotten and `the creation by God,' had a beginning. That the Father is greater and older than the Son is reasonable, easy to understand and is what the Bible teaches." The Bible shows that there is only one God ... `greater than His son.'... And that the Son, as the First-born, Only-begotten and `the creation by God,' had a beginning. That the Father is greater and older than the Son is reasonable, easy to understand and is what the Bible teaches."
Jesus was `the Son of God.' Not God Himself!" Jesus was `the Son of God.' Not God Himself!"
"The very fact that he was sent proves he was not equal with God but was less than God the Father." "The very fact that he was sent proves he was not equal with God but was less than God the Father."
"...The holy spirit is the invisible active force of Almighty God which moves his servants to do his will "...The holy spirit is the invisible active force of Almighty God which moves his servants to do his will
William Sowders on the Godhead
The doctrine of the Trinity is "a false, unbiblical doctrine" originated by Satan.
"Who ran the universe during the three days that Jesus was dead and in the grave...? If Jesus was God, then during Jesus's death God was dead and in the grave... If Jesus was the immortal God, He could not have died."
My Father is greater than I.'... means `greater' not only as to office but also as to person."
"Being God's first creation, he was with the Father in heaven from the beginning of all creation. Jehovah God used him in the creating of all other things that have been created."
The Bible shows that there is only one God ... `greater than His son.'... And that the Son, as the First-born, Only-begotten and `the creation by God,' had a beginning. That the Father is greater and older than the Son is reasonable, easy to understand and is what the Bible teaches."
Jesus was `the Son of God.' Not God Himself!"
"The very fact that he was sent proves he was not equal with God but was less than God the Father."
"...The holy spirit is the invisible active force of Almighty God which moves his servants to do his will
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The early ministry of William Sowders was influenced by the teaching and doctrines of such notables as Charles T. Russell, and Joseph F. Rutherford whose ministries would eventually develop into the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society-----the Jehovah's Witnesses. Added to this mix was the preaching and teaching of Herbert W. Armstrong, a contemporary of William Sowders. The similarities between these Cult expositors is remarkable and stand in stark contrast to 1900 years of Christian orthodoxy. Now to our Biblical rebuttal;
HELL
1. Upon the wicked He will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup. (Psalm 11:6)
You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger; The LORD will swallow them up in His wrath, And fire will devour them. (Psalm 21:9)
For behold, the LORD will come in fire And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. (Isaiah 66:15)
For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh, And those slain by the LORD will be many. (Isaiah 66:16)
"And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:12)
"Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19)
"Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. (Matthew 13:40)
"The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41-42)
"So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:49-50)
"And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire. (Matthew 18:8)
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; (Matthew 25:41)
"And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire, (Mark 9:43)
"And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. (Mark 9:47-48)
"And His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Luke 3:17)
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. (John 15:6)
And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. (James 3:6)
Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)
he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." (Revelation 14:10-11)
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14-15)
2. "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." (Revelation 14:11)
3. "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41-42)
4. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
5. "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
6. "And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED. (Mark 9:47-48)
7. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
8. "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' (Matthew 7:23)
9. And behold, they cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29)
"And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the eternal fire. (Matthew 18:8)
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; (Matthew 25:41)
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46)
"And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' (Luke 16:23-24)
for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' (Luke 16:28)
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1-2)
then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, (2 Peter 2:9)
Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7)
"And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." (Revelation 14:11)
10. "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. (Matthew 7:13)
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24)
"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death." (John 8:51)
Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death. (Romans 6:21)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? (Romans 9:22)
For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)
For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. (Philippians 3:18-19)
And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:15)
We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. (1 John 3:14)
But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:7)
as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16)
'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.' (Revelation 2:11)
And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. (Revelation 19:20)
Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6)
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14)
And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)
"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
11. then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, (2 Peter 2:9)
12. And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds... And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-12, 15)
13. Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)
"But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
14. The book of life is a list of those who have been declared righteous through belief in Jesus Christ.
o Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3)
o 'He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I [Jesus] will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Revelation 3:5)
o All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb [i.e., Jesus] who has been slain. (Revelation 13:8)
o "The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come. (Revelation 17:8)
o and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's [i.e., Jesus'] book of life. (Revelation 21:27)
Those who believe in Jesus are absolutely righteous based upon that belief:
o even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; (Romans 3:22)
o He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
o and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, (Philippians 3:9)
15. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. (Revelation 20:12)
16. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)
and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:27)
17. "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." (Jesus Christ, John 5:24)
Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6)
BABYLON
To rebut this doctrine soundly takes only one scripture, but there are many
Rev 14:8
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
Rev 17:18
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
Rev 18:16
16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:16
16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!
Rev 18:19-2119
And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate.
20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her.
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.
As you can plainly see, Babylon is NOT A WORLD CHURCH----NOR ROME_____NOR ANY OTHER THING THAN WHAT THE WORD OF GOD CLEARLY DECLARES. BABYLON IS THAT GREAT CITY WHICH REIGNS OVER THE KINGS OF THE EARTH in the LAST DAYS. She will be destroyed in ONE HOUR! According to Revelation chapters 14 and 17, Babylon will be destroyed prior to the rise of the Beast. It is also relevant to note that the FALSE PROPHET [Pope] will support the efforts of the Beast and that Roman ecumenticism will be the religious entity of the Beast Government. These things clearly FOLLOW the destruction of Babylon.
Rev 14:6-9
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Verse 6----the Gospel is being freely preached
Verse 8----Babylon is fallen
Verse 9----the Kingdom of the Beast has come
Rev 17:16-18:1-----16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
It is absolutely clear, Babylon is NOT a religious entity. Babylon is a NATION which is represented by the Greatest City the world has ever know. She will be destroyed in ONE HOUR, and the TEN KINGS will give their power unto the Beast.
For those who would enjoy an exhaustive study into the identity of Babylon, please request at ibhyecj@gmail.com
CHRIST'S BRIDE
William Sowders, as well as a number of his contemporary heretics, claim that Christ's Bride are an elite gathering of 144.000 of the most dedicated of the Lord's followers. First we must identify the 144,000 to clearly understand the BIBLICAL identity of these people.
Rev 7:4-8
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
This passage leaves absolutely NO MISUNDERSTANDING about WHO the 144,000 are-----they are the Children of Jacob-----ISRAEL------JEWS!!
Now on to the identity of the redeemed;
Rev 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Here we see the Martyrs of the GREAT TRIBULATION-----they are crying out for justice-----they are given WHITE ROBES and told to wait just a little longer until their brethren in the earth have been slain
Rev 7:9-11
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
It is now the time that the LAST MARTYR has been slain and the saints of God stand before the throne [IN WHITE ROBES} and declare "SALVATION TO OUR GOD". This is the CHURCH. These are those elect who were gathered in Matthew 24---out of GREAT TRIBULATION [Rev. 7;14].
Matt 24:30-31
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he 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.
This is the ELECT whom Christ gathers following the GREAT TRIBULATION. There are so many of them that they cannot be counted. They are the LIVING and the DEAD and they shall meet Christ in the AIR. The SOULS of the righteous dead shall return with Christ to meet their resurrected bodies in the air------I Thess 4;14 "for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them which also sleep in Jesus will GOD BRING WITH HIM.--- JOHN 3;16----"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life".
Joel 2:31-3:1
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Brethren, I plead with you. Never except this heretical doctrine of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the followers of William Sowders., nor the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong. Christ's Blood is sufficient to embrace EVERY SINNER who will call on the name of Jesus. There is NO ELITE to the exclusion of the multitudes for which Christ died. THEY are GOD'S ELECT! The souls of which are found in Revelation 7;9-17
ETERNAL JUDGEMENT and Soul Sleep
There are those who believe when someone dies they enter a sleep stage. As the body is put in the ground, so is the soul. They interpret the word sleep in the Scripture to be a state of silence, inactivity, unconsciousness for the soul. Since the beginning of the Church those who have studied the Bible have never come to these conclusions, all have had the hope of heaven. Has everyone in Church history believed in error and died with a false hope of being united with Jesus after death?
First thing we need to establish is that man has a soul/spirit, and it is distinct from his body. We have a dual nature, physical (the body) and immaterial (spirit/soul).
Job 32:8: “But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” The breath is not the same as mans spirit but that which teaches him, being the Holy Spirit from God.
Isaiah 26:9 says this: “ At night my soul longs for Thee, indeed my spirit within me seeks Thee diligently.”
Zech.12:1: “Thus says the LORD, who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him:” Here we see that the physical man is different than the Spirit in him.
1 Cor. 6:20: “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.” Paul distinguishes the body from the Spirit, both existing simultaneously, yet both are united to make man.
1 Cor. 2:11: “For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” Mans spirit is not the same as Gods Spirit. Our spirit has certain capabilities to understand the things of man but fall short in understanding God unless he reveals them to us. The knowledge is not in our flesh but our spirit, certainly this cannot mean our breath for it knows nothing. There is a comparison here between mans spirit knowing the things of man and Gods spirit knowing the things of God.
Job.14:22: “But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.” Job makes the distinction saying the flesh is upon him and the soul is within him.
Now lets address the argument that some claim the soul or spirit is just another word for breath since this is what the Hebrew word Ruach means. That when someone dies their breath leaves them. Lets substitute the word breath where Spirit is and see if it makes any sense scripturally?
Job 34:14-15: “If He should set His heart on it, if He should gather to Himself Spirit (His breath?) and His breath, All flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.” Here both breath and spirit are distinguished otherwise one would be gathering to himself spirit and his spirit or breath and his breath.
Ps. 19:7: “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the Breath, the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;” The conversion is to ones soul, their inner being so it can rule over their body.
2 Cor. 7:1: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and Breath (spirit),” Does this mean we take breath mints?
Gal 6:8: “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the breath ( Spirit ) will of the breath (Spirit) reap everlasting life.”
Acts 23:8: “For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection-- and no angel or breath (spirit); but the Pharisees confess both.” Is there no breath or were they speaking about a spirit that is intelligent (a type of angel). What we will see is that Spirits do exist outside the vehicle of the body as does mans. V.9”Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees' party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.” Certainly they are speaking about a corporeal entity that communicates not just breath.
What of Jesus, did he use this definition? Matt. 12:43 “When an unclean Breath, (spirit) “goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.” Certainly he did not mean bad breath. Just as man can have the Holy Spirit live within him alongside his human Spirit so he can have a unclean spirit live in him.
Luke 4:36: “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean Breaths, (spirit) and they come out.”
Acts 5:16: “Bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean Breath,” (spirit), and they were all healed.” I guess some peoples souls need breath freshener! Jesus cast out spirit entities not peoples breath, and if he did they would certainly die on the spot.
Luke 12:19: “And I will say to my Breath, “ Breath,”(spirit), you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” Can ones breath eat and drink.
James 5:20 “ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a Breath, (soul) from death and cover a multitude of sins.” Can breath be saved or a person.
2 Pet. 2:8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous Breath, (spirit) from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)--
Ezek. 18:4: “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Can breathe die? Obviously this means something than just air in the lungs.
1 Sam 30:6 “ because the soul of all the people was grieved.” Num. 21:4 “ and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.” Prov. 21:10 “The soul of the wicked desires evil” Can breath do any of these things, or does it communicate emotion, intelligence and personality? Gen. 34:8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife.” Is Shechem's breath desiring a wife?
Pnuema means wind in Greek it also means breath and spirit. Ruach in Hebrew means wind, it too also can mean breath and spirit. Since Hebrew and Greek have only one word for wind breath and spirit one needs to discern what is meant by certain passages, the context defines the meaning. Jesus breathed on his disciples in John 20 saying receive the Spirit, the rushing wind in Acts is certainly to be interpreted as the Spirit. When Jesus breathed on the apostles the Holy Spirit in Jn.20:22 he wasn't giving them Breath for life but the Holy Spirit in some capacity.
If Spirit is breath and God is Spirit is He breath to? We can see how ludicrous this position of interpretation is. Certainly when Jesus spoke to the Father into your hands I commend my Spirit he was not speaking of his breath.
I think the point is clear, Spirit does not mean breath although at times it is used metaphorically.
There is a difference between man's breath and spirit
Isaiah 42:5: “Thus says the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk in it.” Two things are given the breath and the spirit if they were one thing it would not be written like this.
1 Cor. 2:11-12: “ For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? “ Could we ever substitute breath for Spirit? Mans center of knowledge is not in their physical human nature, neither in the brain which is just a vehicle. It is our spirit that has a will and recalls. When one dies it is because the spirit leaves this is why one cannot hear nor see our spiritual nature has left.” Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” Could we substitute breath and have the scripture read “No one knows the things of God but the breath of God?” “Now we have received, not the breath of the world, but the breath who is from God! Does God need breath to live? The Bible tells us God is Spirit (breath?) and that he has all knowledge, perfect knowledge of the past present and future.
James. 2:26: “the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” Meaning only the body dies, as James uses the example that faith animates our works so the Spirit animates the body. The relationship between the material and immaterial when broken means we die physically. Our spirit is not dead like the body. The Spirit is just as alive outside the body as it is inside the body. The resurrection only applies to the body. When our spirit returns, our bodies come alive again. The correlation made is that real faith (which is invisible) is displayed to others by having works to show it is alive .
Abraham died and was gathered to his people. Gen.25:8 Jacob said the same thing Gen.49:29 Rachel dying said her soul was departing and she died in Gen.35:18.
The description of what occurs at death is described in both the Old Testament and the New Testament as giving up the ghost, Abraham Gen.25:8. Isaac gave up the ghost Gen.35:29.
Jacob breathed his last Gen.49:33. Even Jesus Lk.23:46, and Sapphira in Acts 5:10. This is a common phrase to signify one is dying not that their soul goes to sleep.
In I Kings 17:20-22: “When the widows son died Elijah cried out three times to the LORD and said, “O LORD my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him.” Then the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived. Notice that it came in him. This is not just breath as one can make air go back into someone who just died and they would not revive, this says the soul of the child, it is something he possessed that had left him.
Luke 8:54-55: “he, however, took her by the hand and called, saying, 'Child arise!' And her spirit returned , and she rose immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat.” This shows without the spirit to animate the body we are dead. This does not mean the spirit is dead or sleeping. In all these instances we find the spirit entering the body again but never reviving or resurrecting because it already is alive. It is the body that is asleep and needs animation.
The Bible speaks of two different kinds of death…
1 Tim 5:6: “But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.” This does not mean one is a walking corpse in the physical body but they are dead in their spirit from sin and trespasses. This is remedied by a new birth, Jn.3 being born again by the Spirit.
The term “death” which is “thanatas” in Greek, does not mean to be non-existence or unconscious, it rather means to be separated. Some examples:
Colossians 2:13: “And when you were dead (separated form God--NOT “unconscious”) in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh...”
Ephesians 2:1: “And he made you alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” this is addressing the spiritual state of someone who was in sin and then made alive spiritually in Christ. (also Revelation 3:1)The unregenerate are dead but they are not unconscious or non existent.
The prodigal son in Lk.15:24 is said by the Father “This my son was dead and is alive again.” Jesus was not talking about a bodily or soul resurrection but of one who left fellowship with the father.
Jesus in Matt. 26:38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. He was not saying his soul was going to die and go to sleep.
What of Jesus in Lk.23:46 said to the Father into your hands “I commit my spirit,” isn’t this clear he is having his spirit received into the Fathers hands while his body is to be laid in the tomb. This is the very same thing Stephen states in Acts 7:59 Stephen cried unto the Lord saying “receive my spirit.”
Revelation 6:9-11: “And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.” Notice the timing is at the fifth seal, God gave them white robes and they are told to wait for their brethren who will be killed. This consummates in Rev.7:9-15 where they are gathered before the throne of God serving him day and night in his temple (v.15). This would be hard to do if one is asleep or out of existence.
The Bible teaches death is not a cessation of existence, but a separation of existence. The soul is our intellect, our personality, our identity. The real person will live on.
All the Old Testament passages need to be interpreted through the New Testament revelation. Without the New Testament teaching what was unrevealed in the Old Testament would stay a mystery as Paul states in 1 Cor.15:51: “behold I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” Speaking of the resurrection of the body. Matthew 13:11, 35; Rom.16:25; I Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 3:4-5 and 3:9 – these Scriptures give us a definition of a mystery as something that was unrevealed in the Old Testament and now revealed for the first time in the New Testament. Heaven was not explained in the Old Testament , the immortality of man, the resurrection to eternal life, the forgiveness of sins as permanent. There is the New Testament mystery of the revelation of God in Christ, 1 Tim. 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,” None of these were explained until we had New Testament revelation. Likewise so is the revealing of what actually transpires after death through the teaching of Christ and the apostles.
PROBLEMATIC OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES
Ps.6:5: “In death there is no remembrance of you.” Ps.146 :4: “the thoughts perish at death, the preceding words put this in context. “His spirit departs he returns to earth in that day his thoughts (plans) perish at death.” Eccl.8:8 “there is no man that has power over the Spirit to retain the spirit; in the day of death.” This describes the spirit departing from the body, that no one can hold it back not man nor the ground.
Ps.115:17: “The dead praise not the Lord neither any that go down into silence.” But it then says “But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and FOR EVERMORE.” Wouldn't this by necessity mean to be alive and conscious.
Eccl.3:19: “For what happens to the sons of men also happen to the animals, one thing befalls them, as one dies so dies the other, surely they all have one breath, man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.” Solomon is not describing the afterlife but that we all die, man is not eternal in the body. When we stop breathing we die like any other creature.
Eccl.9:5,10: “in Sheol there is no work or device or wisdom.” These passages that seem to imply a dead soul are really describing the normal functions of the body while one lived on earth are not the same afterwards. When one dies these are no longer possible, it ceases. Memory of them is forgotten” is not referring to those who die but those still living will no longer think of them. Ecclesiastes should be kept in its context. Solomon was engulfed in human philosophy and he was backslidden, although there are times rays of truth break through. It was written from a human perspective and the theme of the book is said over and over when a person dies he has no more portion under the sun as in vs. 10 of Eccl.9 (used 29 times). This is an idiom of in this world, where ones functions on earth are no longer possible. These were put in the Bible for an example of how far one can go away from the truth they once knew so well. Just as Satan's lie was recorded to Eve in saying “you will not surely die” so are the words of Solomon in his backslidden state that are not a revelation concerning truth.
Gen.3:19 gives us the report of mans design. “Dust thou art and unto the dust shalt thou return.” It was mans physical nature that was made from the dust not his spiritual nature. God breathed into man the spirit, the spirit was not taken from the ground. It came from God.
Likewise Solomon writes a similar narration. Eccl.12: 6-7 describes in poetry the shattering of life, that the dust returns to earth, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Yet, earlier, in verse 5, he writes a man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets. So Solomon is speaking about those who turn to God as he started off this chapter, stating remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before difficult days come. And then he speaks about our eternal home. If it is sleep in the grave, as people are claiming, then that means we are going to stay in the grave, the ground, forever, if our soul actually sleeps.
One will never read of a soul being resurrected from a physical death. Rather, bodies are resurrected from physical death (Matthew 27:52).Why? Because a soul does not literally die.
Many of these are languages of appearances related to the body only. (usually from mans view point. Showing the inability to function as we once did with the body.
Soul-sleep' which pertains to the deceased, is defined as silence, inactivity and an entire unconsciousness. That once death occurs it affects the spirit of man just as it does the body. This would mean the spirit is only alive when it has a body. We know this is not true and is contrary to the Bible. In Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus he was was not giving disinformation or representing them falsely. The rich man was very much aware of his misfortune as he suffered in Hades he had his thoughts (that temporary abode of the departed spirits of the wicked). While Lazarus enjoyed the blessedness of Paradise (Luke 16:19-31) It is obvious that the rich man is conscious, as Lazarus is conscious, and Abraham is conscious, though they are all dead. All the stories Jesus told always illustrated truth not something false. These two have recently died and one has been long dead. Indeed, their physical bodies are asleep but not their souls. Obviously, the Hadean realm, where all departed spirits remain until the final judgment, is experienced by those dwelling there. (Now excluding Abraham's bosom: Paradise).
In Jn.11:11-14 Jesus says of Lazarus that he sleeps referring to his body. Jesus then says “I will wake him out of his sleep.” He then raised his body from the dead.
In Mt.27:52 the Scripture tells us that at the time of of the resurrection “many bodies of the saints which slept arose.” The specific mention of bodies makes the meaning clear of what actually slept. It was not the saints themselves that slept but their bodies.
The term “sleep” when it is used of death is in reference to the body. Whenever the Bible speaks of death in the sense of sleep it is always used of the physical body and not the soul, because the appearance of a sleeping body and a dead body look very much the same. The term “sleep” is never applied to the soul or the spirit , but only the body. The soul and the spirit continue to exist after death. whenever the Bible uses the term “sleep” in reference to death of the body. It is never used of the unbelievers in the New Testament. It is a term used only of believers which shows God's viewpoint of the death of a believer. From God's perspective the death of a believer is a temporary suspension of physical activity. For example, in physical sleep there is a temporary suspension of physical activity until one wakes up, but there is no suspension of the activity of the mind, the soul or spirit, and the sub-consciousness keeps operating (as in Lk.16:19-36 death is not a cessation of existence for either the rich man or Lazarus.)
Jesus' own word's teach that there is an existence of rest and reward for the faithful and certain types of punishment and torment for those who are evil. In Lk.16 the story of the rich man and Lazarus, which is not a parable. The Lord would begin by saying he spoke to them in a parable, he did not use proper names as he did in this story (There was a certain man named Lazarus). However even if we were to grant this to be a parable, do we find any parable that did not tell the truth about the subject matter using illustrations for a real event? When the rich man died and was buried he spoke of being tormented in flame. It describes some type of heat that did not destroy him but made it extremely uncomfortable as he is existing in some type of form. He had his intelligence emotions and he could see, hear and speak as he asked for his family to be warned. He was still alive as he spoke, thirsted and remembered his family asking Abraham to send Lazarus to warn them so they would not end up in this PLACE of torment. (This word torment is used 5 times in the thirteen versus certainly making the point of how real it is).
So how can a spirit be able to do the same things he does in the body? Angels (both good and bad) are spirits and they certainly can see, hear, speak. The Bible does not give us much information about man after he dies. What we do know is that communication even among those in heaven requires much like we have here on earth, so any argument refusing this capability is going against what Christ said as a reality.
Mt. 10:28: “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Also Lk.12:4-5) After he has killed the body but not the soul? How is this possible if they are the same? If the soul and the body refer to the same thing then wouldn’t the soul die when the body does? God distinguishes the dual natures in man. Man's body is clearly not the same as his soul. Jesus himself taught in Mt. 10:28 there is a difference between the body of man and his soul by using the word both. When a person dies physically his soul lives. Jesus is distinguishing the material and non material and says although the body can be killed the soul cannot. “But are NOT ABLE to kill the soul.” Neither is the soul the body or the body the soul, they are different components of the same person. So if the body is killed the soul is not dead, it continues in its life. So then what does he mean by “fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body.” The Greek word here is Apollumi it does not mean to bring to utter destruction or ceasing to exist. This same Greek word is used of those living in Mt.10:6 (lost), Mt.15:24 the lost); Lk.19:10 (that which is lost). So this means to be in a lost condition, in context those in Hell that are in a eternally lost state, separated from God for all eternity. This also refutes any teaching of annihilationism, that we don’t exist after we die. Jesus says we do.
Moses' appearance at the Mount of transfiguration proved one exists after they die. Mt. 17:1-8 and Luke 9:28-36 are just a few of the passages on the transfiguration where we find Moses and Elijah appearing on the Mount with Jesus. Moses who died and was buried has his spirit speaking to Christ along with Elijah who never died. Elijah was taken to heaven alive while Moses died a physical death, yet, Moses is consciously alive just like Elijah. Moses couldn't have been resurrected, because Christ is to be the firstfruits of the resurrection and he had not risen yet. He had to die first. So this proves that Moses' spirit continued to exist after he died.
In response to those that teach the soul sleeping doctrine, the existence of angels shows that spirits can and do live and function apart from bodies. One of the reasons that people come to the conclusion that soul sleep is true is because they believe that disembodied spirits cannot function without a body. The existence of angels shows that spirit beings can and do live and exist apart from physical bodies (Hebrews 1:14). Man is both Body and Spirit.
God is Spirit we are told man was created in his image and likeness. Jesus said we would worship the Father in Spirit and truth. We need a spiritual nature to do this, only man was created like this and has this ability. When Adam was warned of the day he ate of the tree he certainly would die. He didn’t die physically but spiritually. He still existed but it meant a break, a separation in his relationship. If we read such passages as the Ezek. 18:4: “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die (which is to sleep according to those who hold to the soul sleep doctrine). This means that it is spiritual death a separation- not non existence, otherwise they would cease to exist as soon as they sin. There are many scriptures that say the soul is dead even when someone is alive.” Rom. 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Are we really dragging a dead body around? Can we actually believe that if someone sinned their soul went to sleep or out of existence when they were alive? Were they walking around with a dead soul and an alive body. How did the soul revive?
The body “sleeps” and goes back to dust. The following verses refer to the state of the body in death as sleep: Matthew 9:24: “He began to say, “Depart; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they were laughing at Him.”
The term sleeping is used only of believers showing a rest, a temporary cessation of physical activity. Rom. 8:23 It is the body we wait to be resurrected not our spirit or soul. Just as in 1 Cor.15 :3 15-20 speaks of Christ as the first fruits that slept, Referring to his body vs.35-38 speaks of how the dead are raised up. What you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain…but God gives it a body as he pleases and to each seed its own body. Paul goes on to explain in vs.42-54 that the natural will be transformed to a spiritual type of body (for more on this > flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of heaven)
A promised was made to the converted dying thief by Jesus when he was on the cross (Lk. 23:42). “Verily I say unto you, today shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” Some claim this is not correct in its punctuation and the comma should be before the today as if Jesus is meant “today I'm saying this to you.” But there are no commas found in the Greek writing to give weight to this. Besides Jesus is answering the thief who was asking to remember him when he comes into his kingdom. This would mean Jesus went into soul sleep as well. Did Jesus lie when he said to the thief today you will be WITH ME in paradise? For if either Jesus or the thief went out of existence then his statement was not true. Then the question is who was resurrected?
Then those who hold to the deity of Christ and soul sleep at the same time have to really stretch the Scriptures. For it was Jesus who said in Jn.2:19 He would raise up his own body, an impossible task to do if you no longer existing after death. For the Scripture states after he died he went and proclaimed his victory to the spirits in prison who were there since the time of the flood (1Pt.3:19-20).
Jesus meant that very day he and the thief would be united together in paradise otherwise there is no significance to the statement if it is left to some unknown future time.
Abraham's bosom (Paradise) is no longer located in the earth as it was in the Old Testament prior to Christs ascension. We find Paul was caught up to paradise (2 Cor.12:4) the third heaven. In Scripture there are three heavens described, as in Gen.1:1 God made the heavens and the Earth. God is called the possessor of the heavens (plural) and the earth. 1) Acts 14:17 “God gave you rain from heaven.” This is our immediate atmosphere surrounding earth (Gen.1:20; Mt.5:20). 2) There is the celestial heaven, the place of the sun the moon and stars (Gen.1:14) and the place where principalities and powers are (Eph.6:12, Eph.2:2 possibly some overlapping in this with the first heaven.) 3) is called the heaven of heavens where Gods throne is and where He dwells (Heb.8:1). Jesus prayed to the Father in heaven (Mt.6:9). This is the place Paul called Paradise and where John was taken to (Rev.4:1). Lk.24:51; Acts 1:9-11, Heb.7:55-60 show us Christ is in heaven, Paradise and the righteous dead are all associated with this place as well. It is the current place where believers go directly into his presence at death (Eph. 4:8-10; 2 Cor. 5:8).
We find in Eph.4 Jesus descended first into “the lower parts of the earth he then ascended on high” bringing a multitude with him (upward to be with him). So since Christ ascended all go upward to be with HIM.
This is the Scripture that is consistently neglected by those who promote soul-sleep. As in Phil.1:23 Paul states to be with Christ is far better and to die is gain. But I live in the flesh… For I am hard pressed between the two having a desire to depart and be with Christ which is far better nevertheless, to be in the flesh is more needful for you.” What does Paul mean by I live in the flesh if he is not referring to the body... To die is gain. This would hardly be so, it would be a loss if one ceases to be alive. How could this be far better, is non existence better than existence? How could this be better if one does not continue to live after. And notice he says he departs to be with Christ. This would be impossible if we go to sleep in the ground with the body, unless Jesus is in the ground too. When a believer dies their spirit goes to be with the Lord in heaven.” In Phil. 1:23-24, Paul states that he desired to depart to be with Christ, which is far better. Christ is in heaven, He's not in the ground, so if this was soul-sleep, he being with Christ, Christ would have to be in the ground.
2 Cor. 5:1-8 V.5 Paul writes when our earthly house is destroyed (our body) we have another building that is eternal in heaven built of God.V.4 while we are in this tent we groan looking to be further clothed. Examining this carefully we find Paul believed our Spirit /soul existed without the body. The very point he makes about we are in this tent, we groan to be clothed which is in heaven. There is an intermediate state before we have the resurrection where we are united with our former body that is transformed to house us permanently.
He sums it all up in verse 8 saying, “we are always confident knowing that while we are home in the body we are absent from the Lord. and he goes on to say to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Obviously something survives that has life after the body dies. What is absent when one dies? The soul. It becomes separated. Where is the Lord? In heaven. And that is exactly where Paul said all who die in Christ are headed. When all our earthly tent is dissolved, we can be assured that we will be in the presence of the One we serve and we love here on earth. We will be further clothed. We are immediately ushered into our new home like moving from one city to the next. in 2 Peter 1:13, Peter talks about putting off his tabernacle, or tent, calling it a temporary dwelling place. The person who is the spirit (soul -personality) leaves the body. The very meaning of death means that the believer enters immediately into the God's presence. That is the clear teaching of Scripture, that upon death, the believer enters where Christ is. So to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, death to the righteous means to be WITH Christ. Unfortunately there are some who are not confident. Christ is in heaven and so all believers go by his grace to be where he is.
Stephen in Acts 7 when he was stoned states he fell asleep. Does this mean his soul became unconscious? The term sleep is used only of believers not unbelievers. As death is a temporary suspending of our physical activity on earth but not of our Spirit. V.59 Stephen looked upward and cried out Lord receive my spirit. How can he receive it if its going to sleep in the ground? The Bible says this he said truthfully, being filled with the Holy Spirit. The Greek is explicit in that there is an urgency as in, receive it right now. There was no temporary stop over for Stephen. Just as Jesus committed his Spirit to the Father, Stephen committed his Spirit to the Son.
Heb.11 has the hall of the faithful who died Heb 12:1 tells us we are surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses. What kind of witnesses are these? Living ones who went before us. V.23 “to the general assembly and Church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.” (the word for witnesses means those who are able to testify which certainly mean living ones).
Jesus taught that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the living, not of the dead, referring to Moses at the burning bush. The purpose was to prove life exists beyond death, that God is still (not was) the God of the living. That the Saints of old were still alive “for all live unto Him.” This silenced the Sadducee’s who challenged Him on this matter because they did not believe in an afterlife and it should do the same for those Sadducees today who say that a soul cannot live after the body dies.
Acts 23:8: “For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, no angels or spirit.” In other words not in body or spirit. Jesus refuted their teachings saying he was the God of the living not the dead. Josephus wrote in antiquities b.28:4 “The doctrine held by the Sadducees is this, that the souls die with the bodies.” Exactly what 7th day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses believe. Jesus refuted them by saying, God is the God of the living not the dead. As Josephus wrote “They take away the belief of the immortal existence of the soul and the punishment and rewards of Hades. (War b. 8:14)
In Jn.11:25-26 Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whoever liveth and Believeth in me shall NEVER die. Here is the blessed assurance that one will live forever, that one possesses a present life that will continue forever, never die.
The early Church upheld the teaching of scripture many of those who were the apologists spoke out on this issue as they did on others.
Justin Martyr 150 AD “We have been taught that only they may aim at immortality who have lived a holy and virtuous life near to God. We believe that they who live wickedly and do not repent will be punished in everlasting fire” (First Apology, 21).
Second Clement 150 AD “If we do the will of Christ, we shall obtain rest; but if not, if we neglect his commandments, nothing will rescue us from eternal punishment” (Second Clement 5:5).
Athenagoras 177 AD “[W]e [Christians] are persuaded that when we are removed from this present life we shall live another life, better than the present one ... Then we shall abide near God and with God, changeless and free from suffering in the soul ... or if we fall with the rest [of mankind], a worse one and in fire; for God has not made us as sheep or beasts of burden, a mere incidental work, that we should perish and be annihilated” (Plea for the Christians 31).
Hippolytus 212 AD “Standing before [Christ's] judgment, all of them, men, angels, and demons, crying out in one voice, shall say: 'Just if your judgment!' And the righteousness of that cry will be apparent in the recompense made to each. To those who have done well, everlasting enjoyment shall be given; while to the lovers of evil shall be given eternal punishment. The unquenchable and unending fire awaits these latter, and a certain fiery worm which does not die and which does not waste the body but continually bursts forth from the body with unceasing pain. No sleep will give them rest; no night will soothe them; no death will deliver them from punishment; no appeal of interceding friends will profit them” (Against the Greeks 3).
To the martyr's that died they had immediate glory in God's presence in heaven. To teach otherwise is to go against the whole body of scripture and almost 1500 years of the Church (until of course the reformation where purgatory was ratified). Did they all die with a false teaching of being in heaven?
In the catacombs of Rome are found inscriptions on tombs such as “In Christ, Alexander is not dead, but lives-his body rests in the tomb.” “Gone to dwell with Christ.” “One who is lives with God.” I cannot find any instance of soul sleep among the writers (both good or bad) in the first three centuries of the Church.)
In agreement Heb. 9:27 states after death, the judgment. In other words the judgment is that one goes either to heaven or to hell, and it is determined at death, not afterwards in a resurrection. So we go to rest and fellowship with the Lord, eventually to receive our rewards or to punishment and eternal separation, not to sleep.
In Mt.27:52 The scripture writes that at the time of the resurrection of Jesus many Bodies of the saints which slept arose. Notice what slept, the bodies. And the bodies arose, not their souls. The spirit that continues to exists is put back in the body animating it to life. As Paul states in his teaching on the resurrection of the body (1 Cor.15:15-20) Christ is the firstfruits of those that slept.
1 Thess. 4:14-18 “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. Whether one believes this is the 2nd coming or the rapture, the point is made that there are those who come with Jesus to be united with their bodies. Since the dead rise first and those who are alive don’t receive a resurrection but a transformation. Vs.15 “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Where is Jesus coming from? Heaven. If Jesus is bringing some people with him and they don’t have resurrected bodies yet, doesn’t this mean they are immaterial spirits. What dead are rising? Certainly this are not those who are alive and remain. The dead are those who bodies are put to sleep. This is exactly what Paul explains in 1 Cor.15:52-54 “the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed (those who are still alive) previously Paul explains the body in vs.35-49 vs.42 so is the resurrection of the dead. The BODY is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.” So resurrection refers to the human body not the soul or spirit, it is the body that sleeps and will be resurrected. As we have seen our hope is to be immediately with the Lord, not wait for some undetermined future time.
James 2:26
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
NT:5565 choris (kho-rece'); adverb from NT:5561; at a space, i.e. separately or apart from (often as preposition):
KJV - beside, by itself, without.
One can clearly see in this profound verse that the "body" WITHOUT THE SOUL----is DEAD! Note the Greek word "without". This clearly speaks of the separation of Body and Soul at death. It is the dead BODY that KNOWS NOTHING, but the SOUL lives on!
2 Cor 5:6-8
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
NT:1553-----absent
ekdemeo (ek-day-meh'-o); from a compound of NT:1537 and NT:1218; to emigrate, i.e. (figuratively) vacate or quit:
KJV - be absent.
NT:1736-----be present
endemeo (en-day-meh'-o); from a compound of NT:1722 and NT:1218; to be in one's own country, i.e. home (figuratively):
KJV - be at home (present).
In conclusion it is the doctrine of soul sleep that needs to be put to death and out of existence.
GODHEAD
Jews say that the Shema (pronounced Shmah), "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord"1 contradicts the Christian doctrine that Jesus is God. In addition, there are a number of other verses that proclaim that God is one (see God is One). However, the triunity of God is taught throughout the Old Testament, including the Shema! How can a statement of oneness imply plurality? The word translated "one" from the Hebrew is echad, which demonstrates compound unity of oneness. Specific examples of how echad demonstrates compound unity are found below:
• For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one [echad] flesh. (Genesis 2:24)
• Now the whole earth used the same [echad] language and the same [echad] words. (Genesis 11:1)
• And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one [echad] people, and they all have the same [echad] language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. (Genesis 11:6)
• Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll settle among you and become one [echad] people with you. (Genesis 34:16)
• Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one [echad] voice, and said, "All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!" (Exodus 24:3)
• Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single [echad] cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. (Numbers 13:23)
• The whole [echad] assembly numbered 42,360, (Ezra 2:64)
• They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness [echad] of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. (Jeremiah 32:38-39)
These are a few of the many examples of how echad is used to show the unity of oneness. How would the Hebrew be different if God had wanted to express absolute oneness? There is another Hebrew word, yachid, that is used to express the idea of absolute oneness. Examples of it are shown below:
• And He said, "Take now your son, your only [yachid] son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." (Genesis 22:2)
• And he said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only [yachid] son, from Me." (Genesis 22:12)
• and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only [yachid] son, (Genesis 22:16)
• When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only [yachid] child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. (Judges 11:34)
• Deliver my soul from the sword, My only [yachid] life from the power of the dog. (Psalm 22:20)
• Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely [yachid] and afflicted. (Psalm 25:16)
• Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only [yachid] life from the lions. (Psalm 35:17)
• God makes a home for the lonely [yachid]; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. (Psalm 68:6)
• When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only [yachid] son in the sight of my mother, (Proverbs 4:3)
• O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth And roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only [yachid] son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us. (Jeremiah 6:26)
• "Then I shall turn your festivals into mourning And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring sackcloth on everyone's loins And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only [yachid] son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day. (Amos 8:10)
• "And I [YHVH]2 will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only [yachid] son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. (Zechariah 12:10)
Of course, the last verse is a famous messianic prophecy proclaiming how the Messiah would be killed (see Jesus Christ - Messiah of the Rabbinical Writers). If the Shema had intended to express absolute oneness, it would have used the Hebrew word yachid instead of echad. However, the word yachid is never used in reference to God (Elohim)!
The Hebrew word translated "God" is the word El or Elohim. Elohim is the plural form of El. The plural form is used 2607 of the 2845 times the word "God" is used in the Old Testament. Not only is the word for God usually used in the plural form, but several verses refer to God as "Us":
• Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Genesis 1:26)
• Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"-- (Genesis 3:22)
• "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech." (Genesis 11:7)
• Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8)
An example of how the Hebrew word Elohim is used in the plural is that it is translated "gods" (referring to idols) 235 times in the Old Testament. It is exactly the same word that is translated "God," referring to the Almighty. An example is given below:
"I am the LORD your God [Elohim], who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall have no other gods [Elohim] before Me. (Exodus 20:2-3)
Not only is the plurality of God found in the Old Testament, but the members of the triunity are also defined. Several Old Testament verses tell us that God is our Father:
• "Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you. (Deuteronomy 32:6)
• "He will cry to Me, 'Thou art my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.' (Psalm 89:26)
• For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
• For Thou art our Father, though Abraham does not know us, And Israel does not recognize us. Thou, O LORD, art our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Thy name. (Isaiah 63:16)
• But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, and Thou our potter; And all of us are the work of Thy hand. (Isaiah 64:8)
• "Have you not just now called to Me, 'My Father, Thou art the friend of my youth? (Jeremiah 3:4)
• "Then I said, 'How I would set you among My sons, And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!' And I said, 'You shall call Me, My Father, And not turn away from following Me.' (Jeremiah 3:19)
The Son is also found in the Old Testament:
• "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee. (Psalm 2:7)
• Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:12)
• Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son's name? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4)
• "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. "And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)
The third member of the triunity of God, The Holy Spirit, is also found extensively in the Old Testament:
Genesis 1:2 1 Samuel 11:6 Psalm 106:33 Ezekiel 3:24
Genesis 6:3 1 Samuel 16:13 Psalm 139:7 Ezekiel 8:3
Exodus 31:3 1 Samuel 16:14 Psalm 143:10 Ezekiel 11:1
Exodus 35:31 1 Samuel 19:20 Isaiah 11:2 Ezekiel 11:5
Numbers 11:17 1 Samuel 19:23 Isaiah 30:1 Ezekiel 11:24
Numbers 11:25 2 Samuel 23:2 Isaiah 32:15 Ezekiel 36:27
Numbers 11:26 1 Kings 18:12 Isaiah 34:16 Ezekiel 37:1
Numbers 11:29 1 Kings 22:24 Isaiah 40:13 Ezekiel 37:14
Numbers 24:2 2 Kings 2:16 Isaiah 42:1 Ezekiel 39:29
Numbers 27:18 1 Chronicles 12:18 Isaiah 44:3 Ezekiel 43:5
Judges 3:10 2 Chronicles 15:1 Isaiah 48:16 Joel 2:28
Judges 6:34 2 Chronicles 18:23 Isaiah 59:21 Joel 2:29
Judges 11:29 2 Chronicles 20:14 Isaiah 61:1 Micah 2:7
Judges 13:25 2 Chronicles 24:20 Isaiah 63:10 Micah 3:8
Judges 14:6 Nehemiah 9:20 Isaiah 63:11 Haggai 2:5
Judges 14:19 Nehemiah 9:30 Isaiah 63:14 Zechariah 4:6
Judges 15:14 Job 33:4 Ezekiel 2:2 Zechariah 7:12
1 Samuel 10:6 Psalm 51:11 Ezekiel 3:12 Zechariah 12:10
1 Samuel 10:10 Psalm 104:30 Ezekiel 3:14 Malachi 2:15
Finally, there are a number of verses in the Old Testament in which the triunity of God is directly expressed:
• Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son's name? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4)
• Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-2)
• "Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1)
• "Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit." (Isaiah 48:16)
• The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners; (Isaiah 61:1)
• In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them; And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them. (Isaiah 63:9-10)
Some of the verses above include all members of the triunity (Isaiah 42:1, Isaiah 48:16, and Isaiah 61:1). Therefore, the Old Testament does reveal the Christian concept of the Godhead, with God being one God, consisting of three persons. How can God simultaneously exist as both singular and plural? It is a logical impossibility if God were restricted to the three dimensions of space and one dimension of time of our physical universe. However, the attributes of God, given by the Bible, provide a reasonable explanation of how this paradox can be resolved.
The most convincing evidence of all is that great declaration "and shall call his name EMMANUEL----GOD IS WITH US"!
closing comment
i WOULD LIKE YOU TO KNOW THAT THESE FEW DOCTRINAL HERESIES ARE ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBURG WHEN IT COMES TO THE DEPTH AND BREADTH OF THESE CULT BELIEFS. HAVING BEEN IN ATTENDANCE TO MY MOTHER'S OWN DEPARTURE TO BE WITH THE LORD, I WATCHED AS SHE TOOK HER LAST BREATH IN DEPENDANCE ON THE GRACE AND MERCY OF GOD THROUGH THE BLOOD OF THE CROSS. I ministered to her, I sang songs of redemption with her, and watched as her spirit came to rest in Jesus and not her own works-----and she passed into the safety of God's presence. She had been seduced into a heretical cult, and yet, she was "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the earth" and nothing could prevent her from her appointment with eternity. Danny McDowell ibhyecj@gmail.com
