This morning I read a commentary entitled “The Soul Continues Forever”. The author said he knows that many people don’t believe there is life after death and he wants them to realize that physical death is when the spiritual soul separates from the physical body. His proof text was 1 Kings 17:21. While I agree with this part of his commentary; I disagree with his title. I disagree that every spiritual soul is immortal and here is why:
Matthew 10:28
“And fear not them which kill the body,
but are not able TO KILL THE SOUL:
but rather fear HIM which is able
to DESTROY BOTH SOUL and BODY in hell.”
While the soul of everyone continues to exist after the first death, the unsaved soul will not be made eternal or immortal. The second death will be a complete and total death of both body and spirit. GOD said “the wages of sin is death” and “the soul that sins it shall die”.
In Matthew 10:28 Jesus says that GOD the FATHER has power to completely destroy both soul and body and HE will. HE will not grant eternal life to any wicked person.
Eternal life is promised ONLY by the everlasting covenant.
Eternal life is inherited through that covenant and ONLY comes by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; BUT THE GIFT of God is eternal life THROUGH Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Immortality is ONLY promised to covenant keeping children of GOD by faith and through faith in GOD the FATHER and the Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal life is inherited. (“… and shall inherit everlasting life. Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:17; Luke 10:25; Luke 18:18)
Destruction really means destruction and death really means death; otherwise wouldn’t that make GOD a liar like Satan claimed in the garden of Eden?
Satan questioned, “Hath GOD said…?” then he called GOD a liar, “you shall not surely die.” We don’t want to be like Satan. We don’t want to be deceived like Eve. GOD is not a liar. HE is WHO HE says HE is and HE will do what HE says HE will do.
GOD has even declared that one day HE will completely destroy Satan too saying, “I will destroy thee”; “and never shalt thou be any more.” The devil and his unholy angels don’t get to live forever either because they sinned. They are not immortal, they will be completely destroyed. GOD is not a liar. Thank the LORD that HE will not tolerate sin, evil or the wicked in HIS perfect eternity. Thank GOD that HE wants everyone to turn from sin to HIM and salvation, HE made a way (Ezekiel 18:4-32).
First Witness:
Ezekiel 28:16-19
“By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence,
and thou hast SINNED:
THEREFORE I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: AND I will DESTROY thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, IT SHALL DEVOUR thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, AND NEVER SHALT THOU BE ANY MORE.”
Second Witness:
Hebrews 2:14
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; THAT through death He MIGHT DESTROY him THAT HAD the power of death, that is, THE DEVIL”