The Thief on the Cross

In the last article, we explained what Paul truly meant when he said he would rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord, and if you haven't read it, check it out by CLICKING HERE. 

We will address the second of the two most popular verses that many use to debate that once we die, we shall immediately be with the Lord. This one is the famous verse spoken by Jesus Christ while He was on the cross. A thief crucified next to him had repented and asked Jesus with a prickle in his heart,  "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:42

 

Firstly, We want to make sure our readers don't miss this. The thief asked for Jesus to remember him when Jesus comes into His kingdom. This doesn't occur until the second coming of Christ when He comes to receive His heavenly kingdom upon earth and the saints (us) shall reign with him for a thousand years. We also have several articles about this with many scriptures from the Bible. CLICK HERE if you would like to read more about this.

Going back to our point,

Jesus then turns to the thief in love and compassion and says:

"Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise ”(v43)

Let us remind everyone of the rule of the Bible. The Bible never contradicts itself. Keeping that in mind, let us understand all truth for there can only be one.

Why would Jesus tell the thief on the cross that he would be with Him today when Jesus told Mary after His resurrection that He had not yet ascended unto the Father yet? "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.." John 20:17

Why would Jesus tell the thief that he would be in Paradise with Him TODAY, and then tell Mary a completely otherwise story that Jesus had not yet ascended to His father yet three whole days later? That'd be a pretty cruel lie if it were what we thought it really was. But it wasn't.

Our Bible is the English translation of the original Hebrew and Greek text. It is the written Word of God in English, but the punctuations aren't infallible. It's amazing how one tiny comma can make a sentence mean an entirely different thing. With that in mind, let us remove the comma and take another look at the verse again,

Assuredly I say to you today you will be with Me in Paradise

Now try this,

Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.

Now we can see what a difference placing a simple comma can be!

When we die, we are asleep in the graves awaiting the coming of Christ. He promises us this, "I will come again and receive you to myself.." John 14:3  We are not received unto Him before then, but at His coming.

The dead are asleep in their graves and are unaware of everything below. All shall die even the righteous and the wicked, (Ecclesiastes 9:2,3). For the wages of sin is death, and since Adam sinned, all have sinned because of him and all shall die. Jesus shall come again and redeem us from our graves, and then death is swallowed up in victory at His coming.


"So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15:54

Read all of 1 Corinthians 15 for a detailed description of how the dead in Christ shall be brought out of their graves at His coming, and then they shall receive incorruption and immortality. They are mortal first before they are immortal and this doesn't occur until the last trump on the last day. That is the blessed hope we look for, that Jesus shall come to receive us, and  there we shall ever be with the Lord.

Job speaks of the wicked in chapter 21 and says, "Yet shall he be brought to the grave, and shall remain in the tomb." (v32)  And Job being a righteous man knowing his fate said,

"As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." Job 14:11-14 

Job is asleep in the graves and waiting there for his change to come where he will be raised immortal and incorruptible. Job knew he would have to wait until the heavens be no more, after the wrath is past which aligns with 2 Peter 3:10, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up."

Job is waiting for the Day of the Lord. So is the thief on the cross. So is the dead in Christ. We see that the wicked do not live again until the thousand years are passed, this is the resurrection unto damnation ( John 5:29, Rev 20:5)


Are our loved ones looking down from heaven at all the things we do and waiting for us there? It is a beautiful thought, but it is not truth. Our loved ones are actually very blessed because they do not know about all the things going on earth at the moment. The beautiful thing is that they won't have to miss us or experience the pain of longing to be with us again. At their last moment of awareness, they saw our faces. At their next moment they shall see us there with them and Jesus will be calling us all together unto Him. What an extraordinary moment it shall be!

We prayerfully urge our readers to continue studying about this and learning more about this. Please take a second glance at all these verses about the grave and about the resurrection, and try looking at it this way. See if it makes more sense and see if it matches all the other verses. If it be truth, it shall.

Does Man Have an Immortal Soul? A study of 1 Corinthians 15

In this phase of our study, I would like to dissect and explain 1 Corinthians 15:35-57, and show that the passage tells us that we do not have immortal souls, we are given the gift of eternal life by Jesus Christ.  In the introduction of this topic, we learned that the word "soul" in the Bible almost always means "a breathing creature" or "vitality."  The Bible never suggests it has anything to do with immortality - it basically says otherwise, that man will return to the dust and his breath will return to the God that first breathed it into him.

Now that we have established our definitive definition of the soul, let us finally look at 1 Corinthians 15.

[35] But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
[36] Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
[37] And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
[38] But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
[39] All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
[40] There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
[41] There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
[42] So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
[43] It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
[44] It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
[45] And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
[46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
[47] The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
[48] As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
[49] And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
[50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
[53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
[54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
[55] O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
[56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
[57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a rather lengthy passage, but it is imperative that you read it for yourself and really soak it in before we examine it.

The context of the passage is the resurrection of the dead.  Verse 35 starts by asking how the dead are raised up.  What body do they come up with?  This sets the stage for the rest of the passage.


[36] Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
[37] And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:

Paul is telling us that what man produces will eventually die.  It's finite.  This is an allusion to the fact that God is the One who quickens, so that we shall not die.


[38] But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
[39] All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
[40] There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
[41] There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

What are these verses saying?  Quite frankly, I have no idea.  Just kidding.  Paul is showing us the distinction between things of God's creation.  All is not the same.  Men, beasts, fish, birds, they all have their own glory or purpose in the world.  Verse 40 further shows that there are celestial (heavenly) bodies and terrestrial (earthly) bodies as well, and that they have their own glory.  They have a separate purpose, essentially.  He is leading up to a huge point.  Let's read further. 


[42] So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
[43] It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
[44] It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

Pretty awesome stuff here.  The resurrection of the dead is sown in corruption, but raised in incorruption.    Dishonour/glory, weakness/power.  Paul is showing us that we are wretched and that Christ raises us in glory and power.  Verse 44 shows that there is a distinction between the natural and the spiritual body.  He flat out says they are two different things.  These three verses show the contrast between mortal and immortal.  Mortal man is dishonourable, weak, and natural.  Christ is glorious, powerful, and spiritual.  God is a Spirit.  (John 4:24)  I know this may still be a little confusing at this point, but let's continue on, because it gets clearer.


[45] And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
[46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
[47] The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
[48] As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
[49] And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

So here we have Paul furthering the comparisons in the previous verses.  The first man (Adam) was made a living soul.  In other words, he was given the breath of life.  The last Adam was made a quickening Spirit.  Note the word quickening.  It was also mentioned in verse 36, right?  That verse shows that man does not have the power to quicken anything.  Verse 45 tells us that the last Adam is a Spirit, and can quicken us to life.  Verse 46, the first Adam is not spiritual but natural.  The last is spiritual.  47, the first is earthy, the second is the Lord from heaven!  So if we did not know who the last Adam is, it is plainly stated here. Verse 48 compares earthy Adam (us) to the heavenly (Christ.)

The next verse is crucial, and should raise a question. How can we bear the image of the heavenly if we are earthy?  How can our natural bodies turn spiritual?  Of course we know the answer to this.  Jesus is the quickening Spirit that gives us the gift of eternal life in heaven.

[50] Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

On the surface, this verse may not seem as deep as it really is.  Paul spends all this time showing us the comparisons between mortal and immortal.  Between wretched man and glorious Christ.  He shows us that they are separate from each other, and have distinct differences.  Yet in verse 49 he tells us that we will bear heaven's image!  Verse 50 reminds us that flesh and blood (mortal man) cannot inherit God's kingdom, and that corruption can't inherit incorruption.   Incorruption is eternal life.  From verse 42 we learned that the resurrection of the dead (to eternal life) began with a corrupt mortal, yet it is raised in incorruption.  The first Adam is raised by the last.  

I hope the final verses will make this crystal clear for us.

[51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
[52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.


This is simply telling us that the dead in Christ shall not sleep, but will be changed in what seems to be the blink of an eye.  Jesus will raise His people at the last trumpet, to an incorruptible life, in a changed body.

Here comes the clincher.  Are you ready?


[53] For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Corruptible, sinful mortal man must put on incorruption in order to have eternal life.  This mortal must put on immortality!  This verse tells us that we are mortal, and we "put on," or are given immortality through Jesus Christ!

[54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 

Paul states this again to emphasize the importance of this notion.   After those saved by Christ have "put on" immortality, death will be swallowed up, because it has no more power over those with eternal life. 

[55] O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
[56] The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
[57] But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The wages of sin is death.   (Romans 6:23)  Believers in the Lord Jesus are given the victory over death, because they are the ones that are given immortal life.  The unbelievers fall by the wayside and are conquered by death.  There is no other way that mortal can inherit immortal but through Jesus Christ. 

This is always a rather exhausting study for me, and I hope that I have conveyed it clearly to you.  In summary, there is a natural body and a spiritual body.  One is born of corruption (sin) and one is incorrupt and without sin.  There is a distinct gap between the two.  Sinful, mortal man is born in corruption.  Incorruption is only attained through Jesus Christ, the One who quickens us to immortality.  There is no other way that mortal man can put on immortality.  There is no form of eternal life that is corrupt.  Eternal life is a gift of God.  That means that not everyone will live forever.  If man had an immortal soul, those outside of Christ would be alive forever in a burning "hell."  This passage proves that to be an impossibility, because corruption (sinful nature) cannot inherit incorruption (the perfect nature of Christ).

I thank you for reading this, and hope that it has made a difference in your walk with God.  We welcome any comments or questions you may have.

Romans 8:
[11] But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Does Man Have an Immortal Soul? Introduction

Most Christians believe that at death, people either go to heaven or hell.  That our souls are immortal, so we either live with God forever or burn forever.  We at A Voice in the Wilderness have previously shown that at death we wait in our graves for Jesus Christ to return while the others await the judgment.

A few months ago, the Lord had shown me a gigantic revelation:  the wicked are burned up and destroyed forever, never to be remembered again.  The modern Christian idea of "hell" is an incorrect one, for the Bible supports destruction with hundreds of instances that we will slowly divulge at a later time. (Note:  We are not Jehovah's Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, or anything of the sort.  We are Bible-believing and reading Christians who seek to be molded by God's Word, regardless of what the mainstream thinks about it.)

For now, I would like to establish the Biblical fact that man is a mortal soul, and that immortality is a gift that is given us from our Savior Jesus Christ.  We will look mainly at 1 Corinthians 15:35-57, with additional supporting verses as they come to me.  But first, let us define the meaning of the word "soul."

Genesis 2:
[7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Let us go to the original Hebrew to find the definition of "soul" in this context:

H5315
נפשׁ
nephesh
neh'-fesh
From H5314; properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental): - any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, etc

I did not include the entire definition here for the sake of brevity, but as you can see, it has nothing to do with immortality.  It's simply a breathing creature; vitality.  The Lord breathed into man, and he became a living creature.  That's what this verse is saying.

Now, after a search with e-Sword (an amazing free piece of Bible software), we see that the word "soul" is mentioned 420 times in the Old Testament.  419 of these times it's the Hebrew word nephesh above.  The one other instance of the word is found in Job 30:15, and this is all it means:

H5082
נדיבה
nedı̂ybâh
ned-ee-baw'
Feminine of H5081; properly nobility, that is, reputation: - soul.

So immediately we have established one single, solid definition of "soul" from the Old Testament.  It's a breathing creature, something that has vitality.  Nowhere is immortality implied.

Ecclesiastes 12:
[7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.  

Man returns to dust, his spirit (from the Hebrew word ruach, meaning breath; wind) returns to God who gave it.  God giveth and taketh away.


As for the New Testament, every instance of the word soul comes from the Greek word "psuche:"

G5590
ψυχή
psuchē
psoo-khay'
From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]: - heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

For examples in the Bible, check Matthew 10:28, 12:18, 16:26, and  many more.  I strongly suggest you purchase a Strong's Concordance if you haven't already.  It gives us the ability to really dig into God's Word.

From our research into the New Testament, we see that it is in total harmony with the Old.  Not a surprise, the Bible is one cohesive unit and should not be taken piecemeal.  I could almost stop this study right now after showing the meaning of the soul.  The Bible leaves no other alternatives for what it means.  Nowhere is immortality implied.  However, in the next part of this little study I will dive into 1 Corinthians 15 and shed further light on this subject, through the direction of the Lord.  God bless you and thanks for reading!