MAN IS MORTAL

MAN IS MORTAL
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead!" -- Phil. 3:11

It will be perceived at once that our subject title is at variance with the popular conception of man, who is generally supposed to be an immortal being living in a material body that is composed of organs necessary for the manifestation of his invisible inner self.

The fancied self is supposed to be his soul, or spirit, and a spark of the Creator, having keen intelligence and the power of existence independently of the body.

It is generally admitted that the body has been derived from the dust of the ground, but the supposed "immortal soul" is believed to have come from God, and returns to Him when death destroys the body.

At the time of death, the soul is believed to go to heaven if the person is good, but will go to hell if he has been wicked, and there will be tortured in hell-fire throughout eternity.

As a result of the acceptance of a belief in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, it became necessary to invent places for the soul to go to at the time of death. This has been accomplished by giving the people the doctrines of heaven-going, hell-fire torments, purgatory, the singing of masses, intercession of saints, and many other similar practices.

The doctrine of the immortality of the soul does not come from the Bible; it is strictly of pagan origin.

Herodotus, the Greek historian (484-425 BC), wrote --
"The Egyptians say that Ceres (goddess of corn) and Bacchus (god of wine) hold the chief sway in the infernal regions; and the Egyptians also were the first who asserted the doctrine that the soul of man was immortal" (Book 2, Sec. 123).

Stop and think for a moment. The Egyptians, who were steeped in extreme paganism, were the people who invented the doctrine of the immortality of the soul!

Then examine the teaching of the Roman Catholic and Protestant religious systems, and you will discover that they are both founded upon the doctrine of the Immortality of the Soul, the most pagan of all church doctrines.

But how can this doctrine be pagan, when it forms the very basis of Christianity? This is a familiar question, and usually followed by another, saying, "Is it not taught in the Bible?"

It has become a tremendous surprise to many to find that the Bible does not teach The Immortality of the Soul.

If we examine it carefully, we will soon discover that man does not possess immortality in any sense.

Not only that, but the Bible shows us that we are creatures of organized substance, and are only able to exist through life power that comes from God -- a power we share with all living creatures.

Both the Bible and natural facts show us that we only hold this life power for a short term of years, and when death overtakes us, this power returns to God Who gave it, and man returns to the dust, from which he was originally taken, and meanwhile ceases to exist.

If you are not familiar with these facts of life, it may come to you with a fearful shock. It has done to some, and they have refused to investigate. But surely that is not wisdom!

There are many reasons why we should enquire into this matter, but there is one in particular that comes to us from the apostle Paul in 2 Tim. 4:3 --
"The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine (teaching); but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

That statement alone should be sufficient to stir us up to action, and cause us to investigate and find out just where we stand in relation to truth. In doing this, we will submit two kinds of evidence: existing natural facts, and the declaration of the Bible.

Those who hold the popular conception of man, say that matter cannot think, and therefore it must be the soul that thinks. BUT IS THIS TRUE?

When a person receives a bad head injury, it is a well-known fact that thinking ceases altogether. Now if the popular idea were true, it would not make any difference whether we had a brain or not. We could still think.

And again, if the real person were a spark of the Creator, we would all possess the same mental capacity. We know, however, that such is not the case, for there are great variations in the human intellect.

We all know from experience that some have great power of thought, while there are many others who seem to have little power of thought, and in many cases, no power at all.

Now if the popular idea were true, we would not only have the same mental capacity, but it would be uniform from childhood to the day of death. Here again, we all know that this is not the case, for at birth a person knows nothing, and the process of learning is slow.

Let us face the facts; for man thinks, and he does it by the use of his brain.

And his thinking is in proportion to his brain development. We see this every day we live, and it is a fact we cannot brush aside.

So much for natural facts. Now let us turn to the Bible, and examine it carefully. If we do, we will discover that there is nothing there that supports the common ideas of the churches concerning our life. First, let us look at the record of creation in Gen. 2:7 --
"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."

This is unmistakably plain. Here we are informed that the being called "man" was made from the dust of the earth, and he was called "man" before the breath of life animated him.

The life, or "breath of life," was added to the man to give him living existence. The breath of life was not the man; but when breathed into his nostrils, it caused him to live. Therefore he, -- the dust-formed man -- became a living soul -- a living creature, such as we are.

And when that breath is taken away, man ceases to live, and death is the result.

There is nothing in this creation record, nor anywhere else in the Bible, to indicate any distinction between a man and his body, as we have been taught by the churches.

The man was then placed in a garden where all manner of trees and fruit had been prepared, and there he was to dress and keep it; but he was not left to himself to do as he pleased, for he was put in subjection to law; and that law is before us in Gen. 2:16-17 --
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat;
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Let us look at this law. If Adam transgressed, the penalty was death. That is, he should return to the state he was in before the breath of life entered his nostrils -- a state of nothingness.

If there is any doubt about this, it is set at rest by the sentence pronounced upon him when he disobeyed.

God said to him (Gen. 3:17-19):
"Because thou has hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it --
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken;
For dust THOU art, and to dust shalt THOU return."

It was the MAN Adam that was made from the dust, and it was the MAN Adam that returned to dust, after the breath was taken from him.

This proves conclusively that as the breath of life causes a man to live, so the withdrawal of the breath causes a man to cease from living.

But man is not alone in this state, for the Bible also reveals that all living creatures share this same breath of life with him.

This comes to our attention in Gen. 7:21-22. As a result of the flood --
"All flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died."

This is extremely clear. As far as the breath of life is concerned, man is grouped with all fowl, cattle, beasts, and even creeping things. And, further, this is not an isolated passage. It is consistent Bible teaching. About 1400 years later, Solomon confirmed it in Eccl. 3:18-20:
"I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath;
So that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
ALL GO UNTO ONE PLACE; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again."

It seems to us impossible to misunderstand these words.

The Word of Scripture stands out in unqualified condemnation of the immortal soul theory, which exalts perishing human nature to equality with God.

Before we leave this part of our subject, let us go back to the garden of Eden, and take particular notice of the precaution that was taken after sentence of death was passed upon the man (Gen. 3:22-24) --
"And the Lord God said, Behold the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live for ever --
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life."

Here, in the very beginning, the man was prevented from eating of the Tree of Life, "lest he eat, and live forever." This, in itself, is indisputable proof that man is not immortal in any sense.

If he were, it would have been both foolish and useless to expel him from the garden.

Thus do the Scriptures combine with natural facts in an emphatic declaration which shows man to be mortal.

The second part of our subject -- The Dead Unconscious -- follows in logical sequence, for we have clearly demonstrated from the Bible that when death comes upon man, it robs him of life.

Therefore in death he is just as unconscious as though he never existed, and apart from a resurrection he would perish forever.

Let us look at two death records in the Bible. The first is Joseph (Gen. 50:24-26) --
"And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying,
God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
So Joseph died, being 110 years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt."

A modern report would say that Joseph died and went to glory; and they embalmed his body, and put it in a coffin. But here it was JOSEPH that was embalmed, and JOSEPH that was put in a coffin.

Now David is described as a "man after God's Own heart," so let us look at his death record in 1 Kings 2:1-2 --
"Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying, I go the way of all the earth."

And in verse 10 we read --
"So David SLEPT with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David."

In the New Testament, it is worthy of careful note how Peter speaks of David's death. In Acts 2:29-34, he says --
"Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
DAVID IS NOT ASCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS."

One well-known bishop said a few years ago, "Five minutes after death, we shall be conscious, thinking, feeling, knowing, enjoying heavenly bliss."

How different from Peter who said --
"David is dead and buried; he has not ascended into the heavens."

The Bible always speaks of death as the ending of life, and never does it tells us of a dead man or woman having gone to heaven. Solomon says --
"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.
For there is no work, not device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest" (Eccl. 9:10).

And in verse 5 he says --
"For the living know that they shall die: BUT THE DEAD KNOW NOT ANYTHING."

Could anything be plainer? We do not see how it could.

No, the Bible settles it beyond question, and frees us from all speculation.

The question is not whether a doctrine is one of beauty, but whether it is TRUE. Truth is sometimes difficult to accept, but it is the mark of wisdom on our part to face facts, and accept what is true.

The teaching of the Bible proves to us that we are mortal, and unconscious in death; and therefore establishes the doctrine of the resurrection on the firm foundation of necessity, and teaches us clearly that a future life is only possible through resurrection.

How different from the popular view! Just a few days ago, a famous evangelist was talking about the second coming of Christ. Previously he had talked about going to heaven at death. But this time, he said that Christ would come and remain suspended in the air above the earth. Then the dead would come forth from their graves, and meet the Lord and he would take them bodily to heaven.

But that is not Bible teaching -- it is just plain confusion!

But it is not the fault of the Bible. It is the fulfillment of Paul's prophecy quoted earlier, and repeated here for emphasis:
"The time will come when they will not endure sound teaching;
But after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the Truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

It is not surprising therefore, that the true doctrine of the Resurrection has almost disappeared from Christendom.

Many think resurrection is strictly a New Testament doctrine; but that is not true. Isaiah says (26:19) --
"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.
Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."

Isaiah was not alone, for Daniel speaks of it also in 12:2 --
"Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Paul shows us that it was understood from the early days of the fathers. Speaking of Abraham (Heb. 11:17) he says --
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promise offered up his only begotten son,
Of whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called:
Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

Belief in the resurrection was quite general among the Jews at the time of Christ. The worldly Sadducees denied the resurrection, and when Paul stood before the Council, he said (Acts 23:6) --
"Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.
And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both."

Paul's teaching on the subject was both positive and lofty. When he stood before Felix he said (Acts 24:14-15) --
"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers,
Believing ALL things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets:
And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."

These are important items in Paul's teaching; but in 1 Cor. 15, he excels himself, and devotes the whole chapter to the subject of the Resurrection.

It is not our purpose to weary you with long quotations, but it would be unfair not to present some of the highlights of this chapter, as vs. 12-23 --
"Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's AT HIS COMING."

We should not forget any of these words of Paul, but there are some that should be stamped on our minds as though by a hot iron that would leave an impression that would never grow cold. Let us repeat them --
"For if the dead rise not, then Christ is not raised. And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain. Then they also which are FALLEN ASLEEP in Christ are PERISHED."

Just one more statement of Paul's (Ph. 3:7-11) --
"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord:
For whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."

And now look carefully at the next verse --
"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."

Why did Paul put so much stress on the resurrection? Why should he say --
"If by ANY MEANS I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead."

WHY? Because Paul knew the truth about the nature of man. He knew he was mortal. He knew that he did not possess an immortal soul, and would therefore be truly unconscious in death, and ONLY BY RESURRECTION could life be restored.

Before we leave this part of our subject, let us look at Jesus' teaching, for from him the apostles learned the Truth.

We could not do better than to turn to John 11. Here we read of his friend Lazarus, and his two sisters Mary and Martha. Lazarus had taken ill and died. In v. 11 Jesus said --
"Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.
Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead."

Jesus and his disciples started out for Bethany, and the sisters learned of his coming, and in v. 20 we read --
"Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him."

Let us now note carefully the conversation between Jesus and Martha, vs. 21-26 --
"Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again."

Now note carefully the effect of Jesus' teaching on these people, for --
"Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said unto her, I am the Resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."

These are unusual claims for a man to make; but Jesus was an unusual man -- being the Son of God -- and he was always capable of doing what he claimed he could do, and this was no exception to the rule.

He was now about to exhibit what Paul called "The Power of his resurrection." The small group proceeded to the place where Lazarus was buried, and at v. 41 we read --
"Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me.
And I knew that Thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent me.
And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin.
Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."

Here is the power of his resurrection demonstrated before many witnesses. Therefore should we not, with Paul, say as he said --
"IF BY ANY MEANS I MIGHT ATTAIN UNTO THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD!"

We now come to the concluding part of our subject, "Judgment and Reward at the Last Day." And we introduce it by a statement that Paul made in his second letter to Timothy, 4:7-8 --
"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me AT THAT DAY.
And not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

Paul speaks of Christ as the "righteous Judge." This is the first great work he will do after his resurrection. He speaks of it at length in Matt. 25:31-46. Reading vs. 31-32 --
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."

Paul, in Heb. 9:27, says --
"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

Jesus speaks again in John 12:48 --
"He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him:
The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him IN THE LAST DAY."

From these and other passages in the New Testament it becomes obviously plain that at the return of Christ to establish his Kingdom on earth, he will summon before him for judgment all those who are responsible to his judgment.

Those who have been raised from the dead will be brought together with the living, and come before him. This group of faithful and unfaithful will give an account of themselves. The faithful will receive the gift of immortality, and the unfaithful will reap corruption.

This statement is supported by Paul's words in Gal. 6:8 --
"For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
But he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

The common and popular view is that those who die are rewarded immediately after death. This, of course, is based upon the immortal soul theory. But the word of Jesus settles the matter (Matt. 16:27) --
"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and THEN he shall reward every man according to his works."

But the objector may say, Jesus also said in Matt. 5:12 --
"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven."

Yes, Jesus did say that, but he also said in John 13:33 --
"Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you."
What is the explanation of this apparent contradiction? It is beautifully simple.

Peter explains it in his first letter (1:3-4) --
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you."

Now anything that is "reserved" is kept somewhere, and at an appointed time will be brought forth, and given to those for whom it has been reserved. This is made unmistakably plain by Jesus in his last message (Rev. 22:12) --
"Behold, I COME quickly; and my reward is WITH ME, to give every man according as his work shall be."

The important question at this point is, What will the reward be? Paul says (Rom. 6:23):
"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

This is in harmony with the words of Jesus in that well-known verse, John 3:16 --
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

And again the words of Jesus in John 17:2 --
"Thou (the Father) hast given him (the Son) power over all flesh, that he should give Eternal Life to as many as Thou hast given him."

The change from mortality to immortality is described by Paul in Phil. 3:20-21 --
"For our conversation (RV: citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body (RV: body of our humiliation), that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

Then again, we have Jesus' words in Matt. 5:5 --
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall INHERIT THE EARTH."

Finally, we have the statement of assurance from Paul --
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1 Cor. 2:9).

Here, then, in the Bible we discover the answer to our many questions and problems; for, as Paul has said, it is --
"Able to make us WISE UNTO SALVATION through faith in Christ Jesus."