Addi, you asked the $64,000 question, in several parts.
Standard dogma is: You are equipped with an immortal soul which goes to heaven or hell, bliss or blister, it flies or it fries.
I'll stick to the Bible. It teaches that we live until we die, have no immortal soul, but may be resurrected into the kingdom of God; composed of new heavens and new earth. [meaning not a new universe but a perfect holy state of righteousness without satanic power or human wickedness.] Apparently this is near. Isaiah 65:17, 66:22 2 Peter 3:13 Revelation 21:1-5
The soul dies, isn't immortal
Animals are souls, Men and beasts die alike
The dead are non-existent, can't be tortured
No one fries
The hope for the dead is resurrection
There will be a resurrection of both righteous and unrighteous.
Unrighteous will have opportunity to repent and gain salvation
God's kingdom will restore paradise to earth
The unalterably wicked will sleep forever
Hell is the grave: [Hebrew: sheol Greek: hades]
Annihilation is symbolized by 2 terms: Lake of Fire & Gehenna
Thru Jehovah's love most of mankind will be saved
His gift of life is thru his Son, Jesus Christ our Saviour
Unfortunately the religions of christendom have mistranslated key words so to hide the truth of scripture and bring confusion. Example: Nephesh is translated 33 ways in the King James Version and 154 in the New International Version. This forces us to use standard reference works, concordances and lexicons.
"ANIMAL SOUL" is the definition given in Strong's Concordance for both the old testament Hebrew word Nephesh and the new testament Greek word Psuche. Nephesh simply means a "breather" and the first 4 times it appears it refers to animals. Genesis 1:20, 21, 24, 30. We read in Revelation 16:3: "Every living soul died, even the things that were in the sea." so fish are souls. So are oxen, asses and sheep: "Levy a tribute unto Jehovah of the men of war that went out to battle: one soul of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the oxen and of the asses and of the flocks" Numbers 31
Not one time in the 740+ appearances of Nephesh (animal soul) does the Bible say it's immortal, indestructible, everlasting or eternal. About 100 times it says the soul dies. "And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was none left that breathed." Joshua 11:11.
"That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea they have all one breath,; and man hath no preminence above the beasts." "For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything." "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in Sheol, wither thou goest."
Ecclesiastes 3:19 9:5&10 Quotes from American Standard Version 1901
More answers on the next post, Addi! |
