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This is a non-WLC article. When using resources from outside authors, we only publish the content that is 100% in harmony with the Bible and WLC current biblical beliefs. So such articles can be treated as if coming directly from WLC. We have been greatly blessed by the ministry of many servants of Yahuwah. But we do not advise our members to explore other works by these authors. Such works, we have excluded from publications because they contain errors. Sadly, we have yet to find a ministry that is error-free. If you are shocked by some non-WLC published content [articles/episodes], keep in mind Proverbs 4:18. Our understanding of His truth is evolving, as more light is shed on our pathway. We cherish truth more than life, and seek it wherever it may be found. |
My pastor spoke about the importance of preaching and teaching the Kingdom of Yahuwah... He mentioned that, sadly, many mainstream Christian churches teach the belief that all men and women have an immortal soul that either flies straight up to heaven or drops straight into hell at the moment of death. At that time, the righteous and the wicked were rewarded for how they lived on Earth. As I was thinking about this, it popped into my mind that one could argue that of all the false doctrines and teachings the Christian church has put forward, the immortal soul could be the most devastating teaching ever to the cause of the Gospel of the Kingdom.
The doctrine of the immortal soul has to rank very high on the list of the most devastating doctrines the churches have ever taught. There are nine reasons for me making this severe charge against this teaching (not in any order of importance):
First, the doctrine of the immortal soul gives man something that man never has or had. Yahuwah said in Genesis 2:7 that man is the product of two things — the dust of the ground and the breath of life. Combine the two, and as Genesis 2:7 says, man became a living soul. Note this carefully — that man is a soul, not that man has a soul. The reverse is shown in Ecclesiastes 12:7, when at death, the dust returns to the ground where it came from, and the spirit (also translated as “breath”) returns to Yahuwah, who gave it. However, what does the immortal soul doctrine teach? It does not teach that man is a soul as Genesis 2:7 says, but that man has an inherently immortal part of him that never dies. This seems to go hand in hand with what the Serpent told Eve in Genesis 3:4: “You will not surely die.” But this is inconsistent with Genesis 2:7, or for that matter Genesis 3:19, which are the words of Yahuwah. Are we going to believe the words of the Serpent (the Devil, Rev. 20:2), who says that you will not surely die, or the words of Yahuwah, who says that you are dust and will die because of your sin? If Eve (and Adam; Gen. 3:6 says that Adam was there when the temptation occurred) had listened to Yahuwah instead of the Serpent, how much better would our world be?
The immortal soul doctrine teaches that heaven (or hell), not the earth, will be man's dwelling. It diminishes the importance of the Bible’s teaching that the earth will be restored and that Yahuwah will be among us.
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Second, it dismisses on several levels the coming Kingdom of Yahuwah and dismisses the importance of the resurrection of the dead, which the Bible continually tells us is the goal of all believers (Phil. 3:11). The immortal soul doctrine removes the focus on a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1). Instead, it aims the focus on the heavens as being the abode of the redeemed. This runs contrary to what Yahuwah says in several passages. For example, Yahuwah made the earth to be inhabited by men (Gen. 1:26-28). Yahuwah has given the earth as the possession of men while the heavens have been reserved for Him (Ps. 115:16). The immortal soul doctrine, however, teaches that heaven (or hell), not the earth, will be man's dwelling. It diminishes the importance of the Bible’s teaching that the earth will be restored and that Yahuwah will be among us and be our Yahuwah (Rev. 21:1, 3: note that we don’t go to Yahuwah, but that Yahuwah will come to us). It also diminishes the importance of Yahuwah conquering death through the resurrection. After all, why should I care a whit about my body being restored and living forever on the earth when I am already in heaven in the presence of Yahuwah? And if I am consigned to hell, why would I care a bit about a new heaven and earth? Where is the promise that the wicked will receive a new body that can live forever in the fire?
The Bible says that those who died “rested with their fathers”, which is a euphemism for death. Isaiah 26:19 says of the future resurrection: “you who lie in the dust, wake up and shout for joy”. Daniel says the same thing in Daniel 12:2, “multitudes who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will awake.” One must ask who is the “you who dwell in the dust” and who are the “multitudes sleeping in the dust of the earth” if immortal souls are already alive in heaven!
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Third, it dismisses the Jewish roots of our faith by appealing to Greek philosophy rather than the Old Testament writers. It was the Greek and Hellenistic way of thinking that taught that man will live forever either in the heavens with the gods or in the depths of Hades in torment (it can also be argued that it was pagan thinking like this which led to Christians believing in a triune god). But the Old Testament writers did not write this way. The Bible says that those who died “rested with their fathers” (see the accounts of the deaths of the kings of Israel and Judah in 1 and 2 Kings as well as the Chronicles), which is a euphemism for death. Isaiah says of the future resurrection: “you who lie in the dust, wake up and shout for joy” (Isa. 26:19). Daniel says the same thing in Daniel 12:2, “multitudes who are sleeping in the dust of the earth will awake.” One must ask who is the “you who dwell in the dust” and who are the “multitudes sleeping in the dust of the earth” if immortal souls are already alive in heaven! Do immortal souls sleep? Yahushua, in speaking about his friend Lazarus, said that “Lazarus has fallen asleep” (John 11:11), which he clarified to his disciples: “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14). Stephen, the first martyr for the Gospel, fell asleep when he died (Acts 7:60). Again, I must ask, who is the “he” who fell asleep if his immortal soul went to heaven at that moment? Yet much of this, if not virtually all, was pushed to the side with the advent of Greek thinking and philosophy being brought to churches to replace Jewish thought. One has to wonder how the church's history and its relation with the Jews would have turned out differently if we had remained faithful to what the Hebrew Bible, the OT, taught about death instead of what the Greeks taught.
As a side note, if the immortal soul doctrine is true, then Lazarus should have been angry at Yahushua for pulling him away from eternally worshiping Yahuwah and being in His presence and instead being yanked back to this sinful earth with all of its troubles and diseases.
Fourth, the idea of folks roasting and burning in an everlasting hellfire drives people away from the Gospel, and rightly so. One of the significant reasons that skeptics and atheists (both the scoffing, mocking kind and the ordinary seeker) reject Yahuwah’s existence is that they cannot accept the idea that an all-loving and all-compassionate Yahuwah would send people to a place where they would be roasted, tortured, and tormented consciously for all eternity, with no end ever. Not only do I not blame them for thinking this way, but it also runs entirely contrary to the Bible’s teaching on the destiny of the wicked. To list a few verses:
And it should be noted that fire is not a preserving agent but a destroying agent. Has anyone ever tossed a piece of paper into a fire? If so, could you take it out of the fire afterward and read what was written on it? Of course not, because that is not what fire does. Fire destroys; it burns up and consumes. It does not preserve or keep material as is, whether paper or flesh.
Yahuwah will only give immortality to those who serve Him and overcome the world. The immortal soul doctrine destroys this foundational teaching about the Kingdom of Yahuwah.
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Fifth, it makes Yahuwah a liar when He says that only the righteous will live forever. Yahushua says four times in John 6, for instance, that those who belong to him will be raised on the last day (verses 39, 40, 44, and 54). Have you ever heard a mainstream Christian teacher or pastor say, “Everyone will live forever; it’s just a matter of where you will live”? This statement comes from the belief in an immortal soul. Yet Romans 2:7 says that only those who persistently seek immortality and glory will gain eternal life. Note what Romans 2:7-8 does not say: “To those who persist in seeking Yahuwah’s glory, He will give them eternal life in heaven, but to those who are self-seeking and hate the truth, He will give them eternal life in hell.” Yahuwah will only give immortality to those who serve him and overcome the world. The immortal soul doctrine destroys this foundational teaching about the Kingdom of Yahuwah.
Sixth, it possibly diverts people from worshiping Yahuwah to the prayer and possible worship of dead saints, especially the Virgin Mary. Because of what Christ Yahushua did for us, we do not need a mediator or a go-between besides him. Because of the death and resurrection of Christ, we can approach Yahuwah’s throne and ask for mercy and grace (Heb. 4:16). The doctrine of the immortal soul, however, on many levels, takes away the need or desire for just one mediator. Consider Roman Catholic doctrine. It teaches that the souls of the saints are in heaven now, and we can pray to them to gain a mediator between us and Yahuwah the Father. I have heard that Catholics believe that the Virgin Mary is the mediator between Christ Yahushua and us, giving her titles such as the “Queen of Heaven” What happens to much of Roman Catholic doctrine if the immortal soul is not true? If Mary is asleep in the ground, awaiting the resurrection with the rest of the believers (Heb. 11:39-40), what are Catholics and others doing when praying to her or lighting candles in her honor?
Seventh, it makes death a friend to some rather than an enemy to all. The Bible continually refers to death as the enemy (1 Cor. 15:54-56, for example). Contrary to atheistic evolutionary teaching, death is the intruder. Man did not come into the world through death, but death came into the world through man (1 Cor. 15:21). Death is not natural in Yahuwah’s economy. It even says that the Devil is the one who holds power over death (Heb. 2:14). Can anyone possibly say that something which the Devil holds power over can be a friend to anyone, even a believer? Yet according to the immortal soul doctrine, death is now a friend to those who believe in Christ! Where is it ever taught that death is a friend? It is one thing to say that even in the curse, there can be a blessing. For example, death can bring relief to the suffering, which can be a good thing on a certain level. But there is a massive difference between saying that Yahuwah can use the curse to bring a blessing or relief and saying that death is an actual friend! If death releases the immortal soul to be with Yahuwah for eternity, how would it not be a friend in at least some sense?
People too often use eschatological arguments as a basis, either explicitly or implicitly, for not worrying about what they do to the world, and the immortal soul can add to that basis since it’s the spiritual that is good. Why then worry about what we do to the earth?
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Eighth, it creates the potential for looking at Yahuwah’s physical creation as a hindrance or evil rather than good. Earlier, I mentioned the influence of Greek and Hellenistic thinking in the Christian church. One of the aspects of Greek philosophical thinking is the idea that matter is evil, that the spirit world is good, and that one should strive to shake off the material world to embrace the spiritual. This is especially dangerous to Christians since we do have calls from the Bible to be in this world but not of this world (see, for example, John 15:19; Rom. 12:2; 1 Thess. 4:1; and 1 John 2:15-17). If this is taken to an extreme, however, it can end up being the cause for rejecting what Yahuwah has called good (1 Tim. 4:1-4; see also Ecc. 2:24-26; 3:12-13; 5:18-20; 9:7-10; 11:7-10). It could also potentially cause people to think that there is no need to take care of the world or anything in it since, after all, we are more than just our bodies. So who cares if we litter or intentionally pollute the air? We are just going to die anyway, and our immortal souls will fly up to a place where there is no litter and always clean air. This contradicts what Yahuwah told man to do — rule over the earth, subdue it, and use it for His glory (Gen. 1:26-28). People too often use eschatological arguments as a basis, either explicitly or implicitly, for not worrying about what they do to the world, and the immortal soul can add to that basis since it’s the spiritual that is good. Why then worry about what we do to the earth? This is not to say that people do believe this way; it is to say that the belief in the immortal soul can lead to this kind of thinking.
Ninth and last, it makes the final judgment of Yahuwah nonsensical. Consider the following timeline: A man dies and goes to hell because of his sins and unrepentant attitude. He is being tortured and tormented in eternal hellfire. Then, at some point in the future, he is yanked out of hell, stands before Yahuwah, hears Yahuwah’s pronouncement of judgment on him, hears Yahuwah’s condemnation of him, and then is tossed back into eternal hellfire for all time. Does this make any sense at all? And how is this consistent with what the author of Hebrews wrote in 9:27: “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...”? Yahushua said in John 5:28-29 that there is a time when all who are in their graves will come out, some to the life of the age to come and some to judgment (one must ask again: Who are the “all” in the graves of their immortal souls are in heaven or hell?). There is one time for judgment. Yet according to the immortal soul doctrine, there are two times for judgment. How does this hold up against biblical truth?
Any one of these reasons would be bad enough and would be a hindrance to the true Gospel of the Kingdom. When you combine all nine of these reasons, however, it points to a terrible disservice and destruction of what should be a life-saving message — that Yahuwah made this earth good, and, though it is badly marred by judgment because of our sin, He will one day restore it to what it should be; that Yahushua died just as we do; that Yahushua is alive just as one day we will be; and that Yahushua will be the ruler of this world just as one day we will be (under Yahushua, of course! Dan. 7:22, 27). We, therefore, have to ask ourselves a fundamental question: Are we going to listen to what the Scriptures say about who Yahuwah is, who the man is, and what our destiny is? Or are we going to listen to what the world says?
This is a question of authority, the authority of Yahuwah vs. the authority of man.
The serpent said to Eve, “You will not die.”
Yahuwah tells us, “You will die, but one day you will live if you remain in My Son and Me.”
Which is it going to be?
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see Yahuwah” (Job 19:25-26).
Remember the simplicity of Psalm 37, verses 9, 11, 22, 29, 34, and for the wicked, verse 20.
Psalms 37:9 For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on Yahuwah,
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This is a non-WLC article by Lonnie Craig.
We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team
