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Literature
The Keys to Happy Marriages and Families
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Introduction
Many marriages and families are in desperate need of repair, especially in this Western society where we have endless cycles of marriage—divorce—remarriage. Living together without being married has come to be the accepted norm while healthy, lasting marriages, and solid, happy families are notable exceptions.
Why do we find marriages in such a state of disarray in this Western society, today? First, understand that human relationships in life are a product of the principles we apply—if we apply wrong principles, we get bad results and if we apply right principles, we get good results.
Have we, then, overlooked vital keys that would unlock the understanding of how to produce happy marriages and families? Indeed, we have!
Surprisingly, these keys are not new. They have been available, in written form, for thousands of years. They simply have not been uncovered or understood, let alone practiced. And many who find these keys, “lose” them again by not having full regard in applying them to their lives.
These important keys can be found in a book that has been owned by more people than any other book. That book is the Holy Bible—the Word of God in print. Yes, the knowledge of how to have happy and lasting marriages, and successful and close families comes directly from our Creator! For too many people the passages relevant to human relationships have been a mystery. But it is time for this mystery to be unlocked. Do you know where in the Bible you can find these keys?
Part 1
The Christian Marriage
With regard to biblical principles for a happy marriage, present-day Christian churches teach a variety of ideas, some even to opposite extremes. Some ministers advocate totalitarianism of the husband and blind submission of the wife. Others teach the opposite—blatant liberalism of the wife—casting aside leadership of the husband, and even anarchy within the marriage. We see a lack of respect, a lack of love, and brutal abuse of responsibilities. And in our “throw-away” society, we discard the very thing that would make us happy—our family relationships.
Too many marriages face serious difficulties based on an improper understanding and exercise of the different roles and functions of husbands and wives, ending their relationship in divorce or legal separation. But we are called upon to return to the clear teachings of the Bible to produce happy, healthy, successful Christian marriages. Are we willing to listen to God and actually do what He says?
Divorce—a Solution?
Realize first of all, that God wants our marriages to succeed. God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). A couple that faces difficulties and looks at divorce as an easy “solution” to their problems may make a serious, and even fatal mistake. Divorce is seldom a positive solution. Biblically, divorce with the freedom to subsequently marry someone else is permitted only under very limited circumstances. God created the marriage unit and He intended that it should flourish and endure (Matthew 19:4–6). Two truly converted married Christians (as long as both remain alive and converted throughout their marriage to each other) must never divorce and subsequently marry somebody else! Their marriage, which has been bound by God, is for life (1 Corinthians 7:10–11; Romans 7:1–3; Luke 16:18).
What about a married couple where one mate is a true Christian, making every effort to apply God’s principles, and the other mate is not? Even in such a case, divorce and subsequent remarriage is not biblically permitted, unless the “unbelieving” mate departs from the marriage, by not fulfilling his or her marriage duties, and the “unbeliever” is no longer willing to live with the converted Christian mate (cp. 1 Corinthians 7:12–16). Such total departure from the marriage by the “unbeliever” can be seen in serious continuous violations of his or her marriage duties and responsibilities, such as the sinful practice of “sexual immorality” (Matthew 5:31–32; 19:9). But even then, counseling with one of God’s ministers is highly recommended, with the goal to restore, rather than to sever, the marriage.
The purpose of this booklet is to help the readers improve their marriages and family relationships by directing them to the clear instructions given in the Word of God on this subject. Application of these spiritual principles in a marriage and in a family will assist in the avoidance of separation, divorce and broken homes, thus helping these to become things of the past.
We All Need Improvement
In exploring God’s instructions on marriage in the Bible, let’s look at the roles of husbands and wives separately. Let’s be faithful in applying those principles which apply to us, and let’s not assume that one particular point only applies to our mate or to another couple. Let’s not judge one another but rather examine ourselves. And, if we do have problems with our mates, let’s remember, first of all, to heed the admonition of James 3:2, “For we all stumble in many things.”
Recognize that we ALL need to improve. No matter how long we have been around, there is always something we can and should learn to make things better.
The Roles of Husbands and Wives
Notice in Ephesians 5:2, 8, 10, 15, 21, “(verse 2) And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us… (verse 8) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light… (verse 10) finding out what is acceptable to the Lord… (verse 15) See then that you walk circumspectly [or: carefully], not as fools but as wise, redeeming [or using profitably] the time, because the days are evil… (verse 21) submitting to one another in the fear of God.”
Let us carefully analyze this! Whatever the roles and responsibilities of husbands or wives are, they must be examined and carried out based on what we just read. Unless we walk in the “fear of God” and “in love” toward the other person, any role carried out, even if done perfectly according to the letter, will not produce a happy marriage. Further, we must concentrate on how to carry out our roles. We must do so as “wise” persons—not as fools—and we must try to find out what the “will of God” is in any given situation—not, what we may want to do. Finally, we must make the best use of the “time” that God has given us—again, using our time to the glory of God and in submission to His will, not to ours. In doing that, we will “walk in love”—in love toward God and in love toward our mate.
And if we walk in this kind of love, we will be able to “submit one to another.” That is, we will be looking at the interests and needs of the other person—not just at what we may be interested in. Submitting one to another does not mean that we have anarchy—no leadership whatsoever—but it does mean that the one who is to lead is the one who is expected to serve the most. Does that surprise you?
Notice Philippians 2:3–5, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit [desire for vain glory], but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better [higher, standing above us] than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Jesus Christ.”
The Role of a Husband
Now we can begin to examine the biblically-ordained role of a husband in a Christian marriage. As we will see from the pages of the Bible, the husband is to be the leader in the marriage. But notice in what regard the husband is to lead. Ephesians 5:25 reads, “Husbands,love your wives just as Christ also loved the church…”
Husband Is to Love His Wife
When husbands love their wives, wives will respond in kind. God and Christ loved us FIRST (cp. Romans 5:8). We are to respond in kind by loving Them back (cp. James 1:12; 2:5). We just read that Christ esteemed others, in lowliness of mind, as being “higher” than Himself. He was willing to lower Himself to the point of death, so that others could live. That’s the kind of love a husband must have for his wife. Greater love, Christ says, has no one than he who gives his life for his friends (John 15:13). That’s the kind of love that the husband is to give to his wife—his best friend—in words and in deeds. The wife needs to know, and she needs to know that she knows, that her husband would even die for her to protect her. With that kind of love expressed to her, the wife’s response can then be one of willing submission to her husband.
The wife will see a loving husband who is concerned for her—not a tyrant who takes pleasure in exerting authority over her. Wives have become very sensitive in that regard because authority has been abused by men. When women get the impression that the husbands are “lording it over them” they become discouraged, frustrated, and defensive. A husband must be aware of this. He should never belittle his wife and he should never speak harshly to her, trying to show that he is in command.
Husbands are to love their wives just as Christ loved His church. And how did Christ love His church? Let’s continue in Ephesians 5:25, “…and gave Himself for her…” Christ was willing to die for her. He was willing to give up His state as a glorified, immortal God being to become a human. He was willing to go through the terrible ordeal of suffering as a human, of being tempted in all points as we are, of being forsaken by all his friends, of being betrayed, tortured, and finally crucified. He was willing to do that for the church. In fact, although God the Father and Jesus Christ had complete confidence that Christ would not sin, it was nevertheless possible for Him to sin. So we see that Christ was even willing to give up His eternal Godhead for the church, His future wife. If Christ had sinned, the Father would not have resurrected Him back to eternal life, as only the death of Christ’s sinless life was decreed by God as being sufficient to forgive human sin. If Christ had only sinned once, He would not have been restored to His former glory as a member in the God Family, and there would have been no hope for mankind to ever become born-again members in God’s Family, either.
Can we really see how much Christ loved the church, and to what extent He was willing to prove to us His love for us? Fully understood, it should not be too difficult for us to submit to Jesus Christ, our Lord, seeing all that He went through for us. If a husband loves his wife and gives his life for her in the same way, then the wife should have little or no difficulty submitting to her husband’s leadership.
What Does It Mean for a Husband to Give His Life for His Wife?
For a husband to give his life for his wife, as Christ gave His life for the church, is so much more than to be willing to die for her when, or if, the moment arises. Giving one’s life the way Christ did is a life-long practice. Jesus Christ gave up His immortal and eternal life as a God being to live as a human. He lived as a human for over 30 years. Any sin committed by Him would have ended it all. He, in the truest sense of the word, gave His life for us.
Likewise, a husband must do the same for his wife. It is a life-long endeavor. If a husband wants to be “master” of his wife, then he must be the “servant” of his wife (cp. Matthew 20:25–28). Christ said that He came to serve. He also taught His disciples that if they wanted to be great, they needed to serve.
Using this principle then, a husband gives his life for his wife by serving her—by looking after the things that his wife wants, not just the things that he wants. A husband is to view his wife with honor and respect, and he is to show it in the way he treats her. A Christian husband is to have one goal in mind—to help his wife reach her full spiritual potential. If he constantly criticizes her or scrutinizes everything she does, she will become fearful of using her God-given abilities and talents, and, indeed, her very spiritual growth will be hindered.
Notice Ephesians 5:26–29, “…that He might sanctify [set her apart] and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.” When a husband loves his wife, he also loves himself. We read in Ephesians 5:33, “Nevertheless, let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself.”
This includes, as we just read, nourishing her and cherishing her—both physically and spiritually. Barring extraordinary circumstances, the husband is supposed to be the breadwinner—providing the financial support for the family—showing his wife thereby how much he loves her and that he is willing to nourish her physically.
And he is to cherish his wife—like a treasure—like the most precious treasure this world has to offer. On a physical level this means he is to look after her needs. He is to compliment her for the good things that she does. He should never take his wife, and what she does, for granted. And on a spiritual level, he is to teach his wife. This requires that he develop a close relationship with God, learning to lead his wife and family in God’s way by setting a right example himself.
The Proverbs 31 Husband
Much can be said about the Proverbs 31 wife, but notice what is said about the husband in Proverbs 31:28–29, “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.’ ”
When we study the famous passage in Proverbs 31 on the “virtuous woman,” we might be surprised to learn all that the virtuous wife does. But, notice also that her husband allows her to do these things! He is not a controlling person, preventing her from accomplishing good things. Rather, we read that he “safely trusts her.” (verse 11). She rises early to “provide food for her household,” (verse 15), and she “considers a field and buys it.” (verse 16). She plants a vineyard “from her profits.” (verse 16). Notice, it is she who does that—not her husband. She is capable of making wise decisions. “She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes to the merchants.” (verse 24). Finally, she “watches over the ways of her household.” (verse 27). She is productive and is capable of directing the activities of her home.
We read that she acts “willingly” (verse 13). She cannot act “willingly” if her husband does not show his love for her by giving her room to express herself in her personal interests, again, manifesting the kind of love that submits one to the other.
Husband Is Not to Be Bitter!
Let’s notice some additional biblical admonitions and guidelines for the husband. Colossians 3:19 reads, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.”
We are told that we need to give up all bitterness. All of us have to do that. Bitterness is like cancer. It will eat us up internally, until our light within us has become darkness. If we love another person, we cannot really be bitter toward that person. If there is still bitterness in our hearts toward another person, and especially, if a husband has bitterness toward his wife, then one has not come to the perfect love that is required of us. Notice Ephesians 4: 31–32, “Let all bitterness… be put away from you… And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as Christ forgave you.”
Are husbands kind and tenderhearted toward their wives? Are they willing to forgive them? Or do husbands feel offended, and do they feed on that offense? Will they allow bitterness to creep into their hearts? If husbands do that, then they are walking on dangerous ground and unless quickly overcome and removed, that bitterness will quench their love for their wives. And then, it is the husbands who are in violation of God’s commandments not to be bitter towards their wives, and to love them as themselves.
Notice the kind of love that God requires of the husbands toward their wives. “Love does no harm to a neighbor.” (Romans 13:10). If husbands really love their wives, they will not hurt them physically nor emotionally—they will not harshly “lord it over them.”
How a Husband Should Love His Wife
Let’s look now at 1 Corinthians 13, the famous “love” chapter of the Bible, and see what we can learn from it in regard to the relationship between husbands and wives. Let’s analyze how the husband is to love his wife.
We read in 1 Corinthians 13, beginning in verse 4, “Love suffers long…” If husbands love their wives, they will have patience with them. They might even suffer for a while, or even for a long time, enduring the wives’ shortcomings without blowing up and responding in kind. God is very patient with us. Husbands need to share Godly patience with their wives.
“[Love] is kind…” Godly love is kind even in the face of trials caused perhaps by misunderstandings—when something does not go the way we want it to go. Can husbands be kind to their wives when they forget to do what they were asked to do? When they did something wrong? God is kind toward us. He does not condemn us when our hearts are right. A husband needs to be kind to his wife, appreciating what his wife desired to do for him, even though it might not have worked out as planned.
“[L]ove does not envy…” How much strife would cease, if that aspect of Godly love would be practiced more often? The envy-less spirit of a husband permits the wife to continue in her efforts. The spirit of envy, however, is anxious to put down and even stop her accomplishments. Godly love, though, does not know envy. The husband’s love permits his wife to continue with what she is doing. Husbands need to have that kind of Godly love for their wives. Husbands need to allow them to do what they are good at. Husbands must not envy them for, or feel threatened by, the qualities and abilities that God has given their wives.
“[L]ove does not parade itself…” True love is not boastful. We are not to be boastful and proud of what WE can do. Godly love is humble and looks at the qualities and accomplishments of others. When we do good things, are we looking to make sure that others saw it too so that we can get praise and glory from them? If so, God says we will then have received our reward—from men—not from God (cp. Matthew 6:1–4). Husbands need to have that kind of boastless love for their wives. Husbands are to do good things for their wives because they want to—because they love them—not BECAUSE they want to be praised by their wives. We should praise each other for accomplishments, but that is not the reason WHY we do good things for the other person.
“[Love] is not puffed up…” or “arrogant.” True Godly love is selfless. It wants the best for others. Arrogance, on the other hand, is introverted. It’s the “me-me” attitude that says, “I’m first, and I don’t care about others.”
“(verse 5) [Love] does not behave rudely…” This includes behaving with good manners. Husbands are to behave in a friendly, socially acceptable way towards their wives, and not just when others are around to notice.
“[Love] does not seek its own…” Love is not motivated by selfishness. Love entails the way of give, not of get. Love wants to serve, not to be served. Love will motivate others to give and contribute, yet, love does not know envy or jealousy, but rejoices when someone else accomplishes something that is good. If love is not focused on the good and welfare of others, it is empty, selfish and useless.
“[Love] is not provoked…” Godly love is not easily angered. When a wife does something wrong, her husband who is living the way of love, will not blow up like a volcano. If a husband truly loves his wife, as Christ loves us, he will be patient with her, trying to understand what happened, and why, and he will try to help her to overcome whatever weakness caused the problem.
“[Love] thinks no evil…” If husbands truly love their wives, they will not treat them with suspicion, scrutinizing their every decision. The heart of the husband “safely trusts” the virtuous woman, as we read in Proverbs 31:11. The New International Version translates this passage in 1 Corinthians 13:5 (Love “thinks no evil”) as, “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” The Living Bible says, “Love holds no grudges.” Other translations have here, “Love keeps no score of wrongs,” or, “Love does not store up grievances.”
How true that is. We read that love covers all sins, but that hatred stirs up strife (Proverbs 10:12). It is the ungodly person that digs up evil (Proverbs 16:27). On the other hand, it is the one who covers a transgression who seeks love (Proverbs 17:9). It is to his glory to overlook a transgression (Proverbs 19:11). It is an honorable thing for a man to stop striving (Proverbs 20:3). How much better would our marriages be if that principle of NOT keeping records of wrong would be applied. But sadly, just the opposite is true in so many cases.
“(verses 6 & 7) [Love] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” If husbands have such an attitude of love toward their wives, and they show it, how could their wives not respond in kind?
Husbands Need to Understand Their Wives
We have seen that husbands are expected by God to express true Godly love for their wives—the kind of love the world does not generally know. In order to really and truly love someone, one must know his or her needs. One must understand how the other person thinks—what his or her desires are, his or her dreams, his or her wishes, his or her likes and dislikes.
And so we read in 1 Peter 3:7, “Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.”
Husbands need to understand their wives. If a husband doesn’t understand his wife, he needs to ask her, what she would like to do—what her dreams are, her preferences, and her dislikes. A husband needs to spend a lot of time communicating with his wife, as with his closest friend. He needs to respect her—to show her honor, to praise her for what she does. A husband must never put her down before others. Nothing hurts a woman more than being shown disrespect by her husband, especially in front of others. All husbands have done that at times. All husbands must repent of such disrespect.
The husband’s guidance must be given with love and honor and respect for his wife. And, what is the purpose for such guidance? Is it so that HE can be regarded by others as the “RULER” of the household? So that HE can glory in front of others in the fact that he is “obeying God’s commandments” and his wife is obeying him? Far from it! That’s the kind of vain glory that we must not have!
The reason why the husband is to give loving guidance to his wife is that God ordained that the husband and wife are one flesh—they are one entity, spiritually. Their Christian goal is to enter the kingdom of God together—to become inheritors of eternal life together, of which they are already heirs. So, the husband is to act out of true Godly love for his wife, and his wife, knowing that this is the reason why he acts the way he does, will be much more willing to overlook the shortcomings of her husband. If her husband shows that his love for her is so great that he is willing to lay down his life for her, on a continuing, life-long basis, and that he is concerned for her—spiritually and physically—then what Christian woman would not willingly respond to the leadership of her husband?
On the other hand, when the marriage is on the rocks, then even our individual and personal relationship with God is impaired. That’s why Peter says to husbands to “dwell with your wives with understanding, give them honor and respect, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:7). Peter places the responsibility on the shoulders of the husband to see to it that the prayers of husbands and wives are not hindered.
The Role of a Wife
If there is one area in the role of a husband that is responsible for the downfall of the marriage, it is the lack of the husband’s expression of true Godly love for his wife.
And if there is one area in the role of a wife that is responsible for the downfall of the marriage, it is the lack of the wife’s willingness to submit to her husband.
The Bible makes it very clear, however, that the husband is supposed to be the leader of the family—not a dictator, not a tyrant, not a proud and arrogant brute—but rather, he was made by God to lead the family. And if he leads in a Godly way, the wife will have little or no difficulty in following.
A Wife Needs to Submit to Her Husband
Notice 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.”
Notice what is being said here. As God the Father is the head of Christ, so the man or husband is the head of the woman or wife. God the Father and Jesus Christ are totally one—totally united in mindset, in goal, in purpose. And they love each other perfectly. God the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (cp. Matthew 3:17). God LOVED the Son (John 3:35). And Christ LOVED the Father (John 14:31). He submitted to the Father, even to the point of death, knowing that His Father loved Him deeply, and that He would never ask Him to do anything that would be bad for Him. If a man wants to be the head of his wife and family, as he should be, he needs to act as God the Father acted toward Christ, and, in turn, his wife is to act toward her husband as Christ acted toward the Father.
In order to have the same kind of relationship that the Father and the Son had and have, we need to read and learn about that relationship and how we can apply it to our marriage relationship between husband and wife.
How Submission Is Possible
We can glean much from the book of John concerning the relationship that God the Father had and has with His Son, Jesus Christ. Notice the principles of submission revealed in the following verses:
- John 3:35, “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.” Godly love shares! Husbands need to share their possessions with their wives. This willingness to share creates mutual trust. There cannot be an attitude of ‘This is mine and that is yours!’ Notice Christ’s words in John 16:15, “All things that the Father has are Mine.”
- John 5:20, “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does.” Godly love communicates! The husband needs to let the wife know what he is doing. This openness creates mutual trust and a common bond.
- John 5:22–23, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” A loving husband wants his wife to be honored by others. He is willing to share his honor with her. He does not belittle her and put her down in front of others, thereby dishonoring her. And he does not stand idly by when others dishonor his wife.
- John 5:43, “I have come in My Father’s name.” The wife acquires the name of her husband. This shows the oneness of the two. They are no longer separate, but the two have become “one.” That’s how God intended it to be—ONE Family—ONE marriage. The TWO have become ONE flesh. And what did Christ say about His relationship with God the Father? We read in John 10:30, “I and My Father are one.” They were—and are—totally united in will, purpose and goal. And as Jesus could act for His Father, so the wife can act for her husband. This oneness between the two creates mutual trust and confidence in and for each other, and shows the world, “here is a happy couple that is truly united.”
- John 8:29, “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” A loving husband will not leave his wife alone either, if the wife does what pleases her husband. And the wife will do what she knows is pleasing to her husband, if her husband shows her Godly love.
- John 8:54, “It is My Father who honors Me.” As Christ honored His Father, so His Father honored Him. In the same way, both husbands and wives must honor each other. This shows mutual love and respect for one another. We do read in Ephesians 5:33, “…let the wife see that she respects her husband.” We see, then, that honor and respect must be mutual. It goes both ways. If the husband, though, behaves in a way that totally abrogates his responsibilities—if he is a drunk, if he abuses his kids, or if he constantly yells at his wife, then it is very difficult for his wife to respect him. So, husbands must behave in such a way that inspires respect by their wives.
- John 10:15, “As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father.” How well do husbands and wives actually know each other? Only if they really know each other, can they grow in love of and respect for each other. And they must do so, if they want their marriage—a relationship of true Godly love—to succeed. Christ accepted the Father as His Head because He knew Him. He knew that His Father would never abuse His authority over Him. Do wives know the same about their husbands?
Submissive Women ARE to Teach—Here Is HOW!
Notice Titus 2:4, “…[Older women are to] admonish the young women to love their husbands…”
Again, God demands mutual love from both husband and wife toward each other. As we read earlier, husbands are to love their wives. Now we are told that the wives are to love their husbands. If the husband truly loves his wife, then his wife WILL love her husband in return. The problem arises when the husband does not love his wife, and when he instead abuses his authority over his wife.
Continuing with verse 4, “…to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.”
Notice the context. Paul is talking here about older women teaching YOUNG women with young children. In such a case, it is not advisable to work outside the home. Rather, it is better to stay at home—to focus on being a mother and homemaker. Young children need their mother at home. We also read that older women are to teach younger women to be obedient to their husbands so that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Why would the word of God be blasphemed if wives were not obedient to their husbands? Because it is God who says that they should be obedient and submissive to their husbands! And, if their husbands love their wives with Godly love, they will not require anything of their wives that is not good for them and the family. Therefore, the wives CAN be joyfully obedient to their husbands.
Can we see how all these commandments go together? One complements the other. These are not isolated rules. A husband and a wife are a team, and a successful marriage requires a team effort.
Submissive Women Are Not to Preach in the Church
Notice 1 Timothy 2:11–15 where Paul says, “Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.”
Notice, too, the parallel passage in 1 Corinthians 14:34–35, “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak; but they are to be submissive, as the law also says. And if they want to learn something, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is shameful for women to speak in church.”
We find described here the aspects of the role of the woman that deal with submission, including submission to her husband.
Wives are not to speak, teach or preach in church, but they are to ask their husbands at home. This requires, of course, that the husband can be asked—that he is approachable and not too busy to talk to his wife, and that he is knowledgeable enough to give his wife the answers that she needs. If he does not have the answers, he should ask those who know.
It is true that there were prophetesses in the Old Testament (Exodus 15:20; Judges 4:4), and it is also true that some women prophesied in New Testament times (Acts 21:9). There will come a time, when young women will prophesy again (Joel 2:28). These passages cannot be used, however, to justify women preaching in church, as Paul made it clear that this should not be permitted.
Some quote Acts 18:24–26 as authority to permit women to preach in church. In that passage, Aquilla and Priscilla took Apollos aside, whom they had heard preaching in the synagogue, and “they explained to him the way of God more accurately.” (verse 26). It is not clear from that passage, to what extent Priscilla did the teaching, or whether she was just agreeing with her husband. In any event, it is noteworthy that they took Apollos aside. Priscilla, especially, did not teach Apollos in front of others.
In today’s world of mass communication, churches often use radio, television, the printing press or even the Internet to publish spiritual material. Women should not deliver sermons on radio or television, either, nor should they write biblical, prophetic, ecclesiastical or spiritual articles. They could write articles in addressing topics such as child rearing, homemaking, cooking, or other matters relating more to our physical lives, thereby avoiding a possible conflict in writing about spiritual matters.
Let’s take a look at some interesting commentaries on this subject.
Rienecker’s Lexikon zur Bibel points out, under “Women,” “The relationship between man and woman, ordained by God, can also be seen in the role of service and function within the church. Women do prophecy (1 Corinthians 11:5; Acts 21:9), but only men are specifically referred to as prophets (v. 10). Paul does not allow the women to teach, that is, to fill the office of teacher in the church (1 Timothy 2:12). It is different when Apollos is introduced more fully, in a personal conversation with Aquilla and Priscilla, to the teachings of God. (Acts 18:26).”
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown state in regard to 1 Corinthians 14:34–35, “For women to speak in public would be an act of independence, as if they were not subject to their husbands (cf. Chapter 11:3; Ephesians 5:22; Titus 2:5; 1 Peter 3:1)… Women may say, ‘But if we do not understand something, may we not “ask” a question publicly so as to “learn”’? Nay, replies Paul, if you want information, ‘ask’ not in public, but ‘at home’: ask not other men, but your own particular (so the Greek) husbands.”
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown comment on 1 Timothy 2:11–12, “Learn—not teach… She should not even put questions in the public assembly… She might teach, but not in public (Acts 18:26).”
The Scriptures make it very clear that a woman is not to assert authority over her husband. God chided Old Testament Israel for having permitted women to rule over men (Isaiah 3:12). Husbands are to exert proper authority over their wives. They must do so with Godly love and they must never abuse that authority. But, as it is shameful for a wife to exert authority over her husband, and especially in public, so it is shameful for the husband to let his wife exert authority over him.
In 1 Corinthians 11:7–8 we read, “…woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man.” The woman was created by God to be a helper of her husband —not to take over her husband’s role and exert authority over him. God did not create the wife to tell her husband what to do, and to become angry when her husband selflessly decides, after careful deliberation, meditation, and prayer, not to do a particular thing.
Submission to God Comes First!
Notice Colossians 3:18, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.” Note the fact that it would not be fitting or pleasing to the Lord, if the husband gave unreasonable orders; if he acted selfishly; or if he ceased to love his wife. Although the command to be submissive is directed to the wife, it presupposes that the husband himself submits to God first and that he does not require of his wife things that are ungodly. For instance, if a husband asks his wife to lie, the wife is not to do that. God’s commands always come first. We have to obey God rather than man (cp. Acts 5:29). Wives must not sin in “submitting” to their husbands. They must not violate their biblically-based conscience (cp. Romans 14:23). The application of that principle can sometimes be difficult and may require individual advice from one of God’s ministers. It is very important to handle any such conflict with love and respect for the mate, rather than with an arrogant, self-righteous attitude.
Notice Ephesians 5:22, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord…” Note again that we do not submit to God if we break His commandments. Likewise, wives are not to submit to their husbands if doing so would mean breaking one of God’s commandments in the letter or in the spirit.
Verse 23, “…For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body…” Consider that, as Christ is Savior of the body—the church—so the husband is to be “savior” of his wife, in a manner of speaking. He is to do everything he can to see to it that his wife will be successful in her spiritual life.
Verse 24, “Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” That is, as long as that does not violate any of God’s commandments.
Let’s also note that this command is directed to husbands and wives in the Church—it does not require that any man has authority over any woman. Otherwise, consider the paradoxical conclusions, as this would mean that a grown son (a man) would have authority over his mother (a woman). We must understand that the Bible does not treat women as “second-class citizens” in society. Rather, both men and women are “equal in Christ.” We read in Galatians 3:28–29, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Submission to Unbelieving Husbands?
It is true that 1 Peter 3:1–6 requires of the wives to be submissive to husbands who are not obedient to the word of God. Notice, though, the wording and the advice: “(verse 1) Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, (verse 2) when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear…”
This is not talking about fear or torment because of the husband, but rather that women should live in the fear of God. Notice Proverbs 31:30, “But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.” We have already read in Ephesians 5:21 that we are to submit to one another “in the fear of God.” Peter is not saying here that wives need to live in fear and torment of their disobedient husbands, but rather that they need to submit to their husbands in the fear of God. Again, they would not obey their husbands if the husbands require of the wives to do something that would be contrary to the word of God.
Let’s continue with 1 Peter 3:3, “(verse 3) Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—(verse 4) rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God…”
Notice here a parallel passage in 1 Timothy 2:9–10, “[I desire…] in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation [or, discretion], not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”
Continue with 1 Peter 3:5, “For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God [that’s the “fear” or respect talked about here—fear of and respect toward God] also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, (verse 6) as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.”
Notice how the New Revised Standard Version renders the last two verses, “It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you.”
There Is Always Hope!
In light of these passages, we should all realize that none of us—whether husbands or wives—have fulfilled our responsibilities perfectly. We ALL have failed in many different ways. But there is always hope. God forgives, and He gives us the power to go on and to do better.
If you have reached an eroded and troublesome relationship in your marriage because of mistakes that might have been made, please ask God for His help and for a change of heart. If you can, do it together with your mate by laying your situation before God in prayer. Please ask Him to help you with a willingness to accept His guidance in order to forgive past mistakes and to heal the relationship.
In that spirit, let’s read Philippians 3:12–14, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Our Spiritual Marriage—Still Ahead!
Our physical Christian marriage foreshadows a most glorious eternal marriage relationship between Jesus Christ, the bridegroom, and us, His church and bride (Compare Ephesians 5:30–32 where Paul applies the institution of marriage to our spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ, who is identified as the bridegroom in Matthew 25:1). What a tremendous future lies ahead of us. Let’s see to it, then, that we make every effort to create and maintain happy and successful marriages now, looking forward to the soon-coming fulfillment of our destiny—to marry our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when He returns (cp. Revelation 19:7–9; Hosea 2:19–20).
Part 2
The Christian Family
As the Bible gives clear instructions as to the individual roles and functions of husbands and wives, it also explains the duties and responsibilities of fathers and mothers toward their children, and of the children toward their parents.
As we have far too many marriage problems, we also have FAR too many family problems. Too often, parents know little about proper parenting, and rebellious children are the result. Children who are victims of divorce are expected to be resilient when someone they love suddenly disappears from their life. More often than not, they grow up with multiple mothers, fathers, and grandparents due to remarriage, and yet are left to fend for themselves too much of the time, because no one has time for them.
We read, in fact, a startling and sobering prophecy in the Bible for the very last days—just prior to the return of Christ—that addresses the tragic reality of broken families. Sadly, this situation HAS also affected the attitudes of true Christians, and God says that unless these conditions change, something terrible will happen to this planet.
Our Family Life Must Improve!
Let’s read in Malachi 4:5–6, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse [utter destruction].”
In verse 1, this “day of the LORD” is described as a day “Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up.”
We are reminded of Christ’s words in Matthew 24:22 that says that no one would be “saved,” or better, saved alive, if God would not intervene. In other words, if God would not shorten those days, no one would physically survive. That includes you and me. We ALL would die! But God IS going to shorten those days “for the elect’s sake” (same verse). There IS going to be a group of people that WILL be spared from the terrible days to come, and BECAUSE of them, the earth will NOT be totally destroyed.
Malachi 4:2 tells us more about that group of people that will be different, “But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings.” If we fear God, we WILL experience healing. Healing is still necessary. It requires God’s healing to bring about a turning of the hearts of the parents and children toward each other. It is GOD who leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4; 2 Timothy 2:25). Repentance toward God and toward each other will bring about a restored or healed relationship with God and with each other.
This presupposes, then, that even among those who fear God, the relationship between parents and children NEEDS healing—it is NOT as it should be. And it will get worse, before it will get better! It is therefore high time that we focus on the clear biblical instructions to parents and children to see what we can and must do to participate in the Godly process of healing our marriage and family relationships.
The Role of the Parents
Let us begin with the role of the parents toward their children. As we will see, the biblical concept of the father does include the mother as well—that is, both parents are to participate in the process of child rearing and education.
Ephesians 6:4 tells us, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
Train Up Your Child In The Lord!
Fathers and mothers are to raise their children in a Godly environment. They are to continually teach their children God’s principles. How? Children learn by what they see. We teach by our actions, as well as by our words. We are not teaching or properly training if our actions do not match our words. We don’t teach Godly principles either, if our words and actions don’t correspond with God’s commandments.
So, if we teach our children by our words or by our actions that it is sometimes justified to lie, to steal, to kill, to commit adultery, or to use God’s name in vain, then we are not teaching our children God’s word—we are not bringing them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Notice in Deuteronomy 6:25 what parents should be teaching their children, “Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.”
This presupposes, of course, that parents keep the commandments diligently themselves (cp. Deuteronomy 6:17). If they do, then this will prompt the child to ASK the parents WHY they are doing what they are doing (verse 20). And once a child asks, the parents are to respond (verse 21). They are NOT to let this golden opportunity go by. In addition, parents are to teach their children even if they don’t ask.
In order to be able to teach God’s word effectively, it must first be settled in the hearts of the teachers themselves. Notice Deuteronomy 6:6–7, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.”
If the words of God are NOT in our hearts, HOW CAN WE teach them diligently to our children? If we ourselves are not sure whether God’s instructions always apply in every situation without fail, how CAN we teach our children or teens that they do?If we doubt whether it is ALWAYS right NOT to lie, NOT to steal, NOT to kill, NOT to break the Sabbath, NOT to cheat on our wife or husband, how CAN we bring up our children or teens in the admonition of the Lord?
Don’t Provoke!
Remember, we read in Ephesians 6:4 what NOT to do. We are NOT to provoke our children to wrath. We can do that in many different ways. At the same time, we often do provoke them in such a way that they become discouraged (Colossians 3:21).
This could happen if parents expect too much from their children all at once. Our children are still learning, they are not yet mature, and we need to have patience with them. If we give them the impression that we are never satisfied with what they do, they may become angry or discouraged. They may even come
to the point where they become willing to give up this way of life. They may say, “I can never please my parents, no matter what I do, so why even try?” Parents could also provoke their children to wrath, leading to their discouragement, by never complimenting them for the good things they do, or by not comforting them when they do badly, and by not encouraging them to do better next time.
Notice how, according to the apostle Paul, a father and a mother SHOULD train their children in the admonition of the Lord. We read in 1 Thessalonians 2:10–12, “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged [or implored] every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”
HOW To Train Up Your Child In The Lord!
A father and a mother who want their children to walk worthy of God need to exhort, comfort and charge or implore their children. But, first of all, fathers and mothers must themselves walk devoutly and blamelessly and justly. For instance, in walking “justly,” their judgments must be just. They can’t be based on preference, where one child is placed before the other. Then, children must see that their parents are walking “devoutly” before God—that their lives are devoted to Him. And, parents need to keep God’s Law themselves “blamelessly,” because they want their children to do likewise.
Following that, parents need to “exhort” and “implore” their children to follow their right example, remembering to “comfort” their children along the way. When children feel down because they did not do well in school or in college, their parents need to give them a helping hand and encourage them to go on and to do better next time. Rather than discouraging them, parents need to encourage them. At the same time, parents must never ever compromise with God’s Law.
The reason, then, why we parents raise our children in the way we do, must be with the expectation and goal that our children become obedient to God’s Word.
1 Timothy 3:4 tells us that a bishop or a minister must be ruling “his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence.”
Titus 1:6 tells us that a bishop or a minister must have “faithful children not accused of dissipation [lit. incorrigibility] or insubordination.”
HOW can a child become a faithful, reverent and submissive child, rather than an incorrigible and insubordinate one?
Just as there are keys for happy, successful marriages, there are also keys in the Bible for successful parenting and happy families.
Keys For Successful Parenting!
Notice Hebrews 12:5–7, “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons, ‘My son, do not despise the chastening [discipline] of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.’ If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?”
We find listed here numerous principles that are to be applied by a father and a mother toward their children. Let’s take a closer look.
Parents Must LOVE Their Children
First of all, father and mother must LOVE their children because GOD acts with LOVE toward us. Whatever we as parents do with our children, it must be because of LOVE—because we LOVE them, because we want the best for them. We don’t act toward our children with anger because they annoy us and because we want to have our peace. If our children know that we act toward them because of LOVE, as we know that God acts toward us because of LOVE, then, our children may be less prone to despise our actions toward them or to become discouraged because of them.
We sometimes need to correct our children, or as the Bible says, chasten and rebuke and scourge our children. But what do those words mean?
Parents Need to “Chasten”
Let’s start with the terms “chastening” and “chasten.” The noun is translated from the Greek “paideia,” and the verb is translated from the Greek “paideuo.” The literal meaning according to Young’s is, “instruction” or “training,” or “to instruct” or “to train up.” Strong’s gives this definition under Nos. 3809 and 3811, “tutorage, i.e. education or training; by implication disciplinary correction…; to train up a child, i.e. educate or (by implication) discipline (by punishment): chasten, instruct, learn, teach.”
There is nothing biblically wrong with punishing a child if the child behaves wrongly and deserves punishment. The punishment must never be excessive, however, but it must be administered in a consequent fashion, as corresponding to, and fitting the infraction. We read that Christ “rebukes and chastens” (Greek, “paideuo,” i.e. educates, trains, disciplines) everyone whom He loves (Revelation 3:19). He does it because He loves us. So we, as parents, must do it because we love our children. But even then, we must never forget to be merciful and forgiving. Christ chose at times not to inflict a certain punishment on people who had sinned. He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery because He saw that the woman did not need any further punishment; she had learned her lesson (cp. John 8:1–11).
Parents Need to “Rebuke”
What does it mean to “rebuke”? Christ rebukes us, and so we need to rebuke our children. But how do we do it?
The Greek word for “rebuke” is “elegcho.” Young’s defines it with “to convince” or “to convict.” Strong’s gives this rendering under No. 1651, “to confute, to admonish, to convict, to convince, tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.”
We see from these definitions that we have to make it clear to our children what they did wrong. It’s not good to punish them for wrongdoing, without explaining to them what they did and WHY it was wrong.
But note the problem if our actions don’t back up our words. For instance, if we tell our child that he or she should not have lied and the child responds by saying, “But you did the same yesterday,” then we have not been very effective teachers.
When our boy gets in a fight and we rebuke him for that, and he responds by saying, “But you watched TV last night and yelled to shoot the bad guy,” then we have not been very effective teachers.
When our teenage son tells us that he is thinking of joining the army, and we tell him not to do that, and he responds by saying, “But you said only yesterday that this country needs to attack other countries,” then we should not be surprised about our son’s reaction—because we have not been very effective teachers of God’s law.
When our teenage daughter confesses to us that she wants to go live with her boyfriend and we react with anger and frustration, and she reminds us of our affair with our secretary or the neighbor, then we have not been very good teachers.
When our pregnant daughter explains to us that she wants an abortion, and we tell her not to have an abortion, and she responds by saying, “But you said that an abortion may be justified in certain circumstances,” then—again—we have not been very effective teachers of God’s law.
All the effects that we see in our young people today have deep-seated roots in the past that have led to their present ideas and conduct. Children follow the example of their parents. Abraham lied repeatedly by saying that Sarah was his sister (Genesis 12:11–13; 20:1–2, 13), and his son Isaac later did exactly the same regarding his wife Rebekah (Genesis 26:6–7).
Parents Need to “Scourge”
We have also read in Hebrews 12, that God scourges every son or child that He receives. The Greek word for “scourge” is “mastigoo” and means, according to Young’s, “to whip, to scourge, and to flog.” But before we draw hasty conclusions, consider how God is scourging us. He scourges us in many different ways. Notice how Strong’s defines the word under No. 3146, “to flog—literally or figuratively.”
There is never a justification for physical abuse. On the other hand, to totally ban spanking and define it as physical abuse only shows how liberal and anti-biblical our Western society has become. This is of course the fruit of the anti-authoritarian education that has brought about a curse on our Western world. As parents, we must be aware, though, that in certain countries, spanking is illegal, and could result in the authorities coming in and taking away our children. And even in countries where spanking is not illegal, many governmental officials look at such practice with great disfavor. There have been cases where Social Workers in the United States tried to take away children from Christians, because the Christian parents believed and practiced—in moderation and with great love and care—biblically-endorsed spanking.
Note what the Bible clearly teaches in regard to corporal punishment in Proverbs 13:24, “He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who LOVES him disciplines him promptly [or early].”
Since using the rod is compared with prompt or early discipline, it is clear that this passage includes the concept of spanking, where and when appropriate. Of course, we don’t spank a teenager or an adult, so the spanking needs to be done early in the life of the child. But note, again, we discipline our children, because we LOVE them. If we discipline our children for any other reason, or because of any other motive, we do NOT follow God’s instructions. Spanking should never cause physical injury to a child. The intent is to break a rebellious spirit, not to bruise skin.
Note how the Ryrie Study Bible comments on this verse, “The discipline referred to here is training either by word ([Proverbs] 15:5; 24:32) or deed (23:13).”
Proverbs 23:13–14 reads, “Do not withhold correction from a child, For if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. You shall beat him with a rod, And deliver his soul from hell.” The Ryrie Study Bible comments, “A wise teacher warns of neglecting child discipline… Discipline may deliver a child from an untimely death.”
We have heard a lot about child neglect. But one kind of child neglect is seldom ever mentioned—the neglect to discipline the child, in LOVE, when the child deserves, and must have, discipline for his or her own good.
Proverbs 19:18 says, “Chasten your son while there is hope, And do not set your heart on his destruction.” Lamsa translates it this way, “Chasten your son while there is hope, and let not your soul share his dishonor.” The Ryrie Study Bible comments, “[D]o not neglect child discipline and thereby bring on your son’s death.”
But why would that be? What is the connection between lack of child discipline and the death of the child? Let’s note Proverbs 22:15, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of correction will drive it far from him.”
Remove the Child’s Foolishness!
Foolishness, if not overcome, can have terrible consequences. The discipline of a child must be administered by the parents with the desire and motivation to HELP the CHILD to get rid of foolishness. If we get angry with our kids and lock them up in their rooms because we “can’t” deal with them right now, then we have missed the entire point of child rearing. Rather, as concerned parents, we must try to do whatever we can do to see to it that the foolishness in the child disappears.
Human nature is hostile against God because Satan has been putting his thoughts and his desires into our hearts from our youth. Satan’s thoughts and desires are foolishness to God. So, converted parents must help to reverse the process—they must help the child to get rid of that foolishness. If the child lives with and feeds on his foolishness, it will get worse.
As mentioned, both father and mother have responsibilities when it comes to child rearing. Notice Deuteronomy 21:18–20, “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ ”
The final punishment at that time was disastrous, as verse 21 explains, but it was ordained by God. Today, parents are not to inflict such penalties. God, however, might very well decide, through manifold ways and circumstances, to directly bring about harsh punishment for the child if foolishness remains in the child’s heart—and many times, such penalties and punishment are an automatic consequence of the child’s bad conduct.
As we will discuss more fully later in this booklet, no matter how perfect the child-rearing by both father and mother may be, when children become adults they still have their role to play. They are free moral agents and are responsible for the choices they make. One could not think of a better parent than God, but first Lucifer, and later Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. And, in passing, one couldn’t think of a better husband than God, but ancient Israel—pictured in the Bible as being married to God (Jeremiah 3:14; 31:32)—also chose to disobey God.
Although children have to make their own decisions, it must still be the parents’ ultimate objective to teach their children the ability to make right choices based upon God’s Word.
Shared Parental Responsibilities
Deuteronomy 21:18–20 taught us that husband and wife have a shared responsibility in rearing their children. BOTH discipline. BOTH give commands. And BOTH take actions to deal with their children’s continued transgressions.
Notice also in Proverbs 1:8, “My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother.” It is the mother, as well as the father, who passes on the law to the child. And her law must of course be the law of God, and it must not be contrary to it.
Now, notice Proverbs 29:15, “The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.” An unrestrained child brings shame to his mother, as she should have restrained the child.
A Child Is A Child!
We read in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” The Ryrie Study Bible comments, “[It says,] in the way he should go. Lit. according to his way, i.e., the child’s habits and interests. The instruction must take into account his individuality and inclinations, and be in keeping with his degree of physical and mental development.”
Our children grow up too quickly. We give them hardly any time to play and to enjoy their childhood. We don’t let them pursue their interests as children, but want them to be young men or young women far too early. This is especially true in the entertainment industry, but this wrong concept has permeated our entire society and thinking. It is customary in the U.S. and in many other Western nations to place a child at the age of five, or even younger, in a preschool for the convenience of the parents. Many educators warn against such practice, saying that this is far too early to be separated from parents.
When we look at our societies, especially in the Western world, we find a totally different way of life than what God intended. We read about the kind of family life that God intended, where the father would be present and available to teach his son or his daughter. But in our modern world, the father is basically gone all day, working somewhere away from home.
In addition, children are being handed over to preschools at an early age, thereby being separated further from the benevolent teachings of their Christian parents. And when, on top of it, young mothers go to work and place their kids in day care centers, then even the last remaining positive influence of the Christian parents on their children has been abolished as well.
Remember that young women are admonished to love their children and to be homemakers, so that the word of God may not be blasphemed (Titus 2:4–5). God tells young women to love their children by staying home with them. Their priceless influence on the children to teach them God’s way of life must not be left to others.
The point is, we need to do whatever we can, in this world that is presently ruled by Satan, to work against Satan’s influences. If there are exceptional circumstances forcing the young mother to work outside the home, she should see to it that she can schedule her work hours in such a way as to be able to be with her young children as much as possible, spending as much quality time as possible with them.
Opportunity and Responsibility of the Young Mother
A young mother has a tremendous opportunity, as well as a huge responsibility to train up her children in the way that they should go. And notice how the Bible underscores that responsibility and challenge in 1 Timothy 2:15 [in the literal rendering], “But she shall be saved through childbearing, if they abide in faith and love and sanctification with discreetness.”
One way of understanding this passage is, that women, through the continuation of bearing children, will be saved (alive)—that is, they won’t die prematurely. In addition, as the Ryrie Study Bible points out, the phrase “saved in child bearing,” may also mean, “that a woman’s greatest achievement is found in her devotion to her divinely ordained role: to help her husband, to bear children, and to follow a faithful, chaste way of life.”
Paul might also have had the mother’s satisfaction with her children in mind, if they continue in a Godly lifestyle. Notice, how this passage is rendered in the Lamsa translation, “Nevertheless, if her posterity continue in faith and have holiness and chastity, she will live through them.”
In other words, it is truly a joy for a mother to see her children grow up within the guidelines of the Bible and to remain loyal to the word of God. Rather than bringing shame to the mother, the mother will have a sense of fulfillment for having taught her children the way of God, and thereby experience joy and happiness to see her children remain on the right track.
We can see, then, that the role of the woman in child-rearing is extremely important. The mother is to teach her children good habits and, most importantly, a good understanding of God and His law.
The Role of Biblical Women In Childrearing
Let’s note the influence of historical women on their children, as recorded in the Bible. In many cases, their belief in God was not shared by their husbands. Still, they were able to bring up their children in “the fear of God.” When reading those passages, we should not forget that the Scriptures tell us that children ARE holy or sanctified, that is, set apart for a holy purpose, even if only one parent is converted (cp. 1 Corinthians 7:14). This means that children of just one converted Christian parent have access to God. God CAN be approached and reached by them—He hears them and they CAN expect answers from God.
Note the following example of Ahaz in 2 Chronicles 28:1–4, “Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD, as his father David had done. For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals. He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.”
Here we have a description of a very evil and wicked king. But now, notice what happened when he died and his son Hezekiah became his successor in 2 Chronicles 28: 27, and 2 Chronicles 29: 1–2, “So Ahaz rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the city, in Jerusalem; but they did not bring him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. Then Hezekiah his son reigned in his place. Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Abijah the daughter of Zechariah. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.”
Surprisingly, perhaps, Hezekiah did well even though he was the son of a very wicked king. This has to be attributed to the positive influence of his mother, Abijah, who is mentioned by name.
The story continues in 2 Kings 20:21; 21:1–2, “So Hezekiah rested with his fathers. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place. Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.”
Hezekiah had been a righteous king. His son Manasseh, however, turned out to be one the most evil kings in the history of Judah. He became king when he was twelve years old. His mother Hephzibah is mentioned by name. It is obvious that her evil influence was highly responsible for the evil conduct of her son Manasseh.
Manasseh was followed by his son Amon, another evil king. But notice what happened when Amon’s son Josiah became king, as recorded in 2 Kings 22:1–2, “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”
Josiah was eight years old when he became king. His mother is mentioned by name—Jedidah. Although the son of an evil father, he turned out to be one of the most righteous and outstanding kings that have ever lived (cp. 2 Kings 23:25). It is obvious that his mother Jedidah had trained him up “in the fear of the Lord.”
Can we see the enormous positive influence that a righteous mother CAN have on her children? Why, then, do so many Christian women feel today that there are more challenging and rewarding tasks to be found outside the home, than “just” being a mother and a homemaker? Women who don’t want to have children because they don’t want to give up their jobs or their careers do not follow God’s instructions for them. Women who don’t want to stay at home with their young children because they don’t want to give up their jobs and their careers do not follow God’s instructions for them, either. Understand, of course, we are not talking about women who can’t have children or who haven’t found a suitable husband to marry. But barring that, in God’s eyes, being a mother and being at home with her young children, is the highest challenge, vocation, occupation, and career that could possibly exist for a woman.
The Roles of the Children
In order to have a happy and successful Christian family, the children have a part to play also. And all of us are children, whether young or old. We all have parents. In some cases, our parents may be dead, but in many cases, our parents, or at least one parent, are still alive. Just what responsibilities and functions do children have?
Are our hearts—the hearts of the parents and the children—turned toward each other, as we read in Malachi 4:6? Do we allow God to heal our family relationships if those relationships need healing? If we don’t live close to our parents, do we still have regular contact with them? Do we write them or call them? Do we make time to visit them? Do we show respect for them? Are we thankful for them, and for what they have done—and still may do—for us? Do we honor them as God commands us to?
“Obey Your Parents in the Lord”
Notice the clear instructions that the Bible gives to us, the children, in relationship to our parents. Paul says in Ephesians 6:1–3, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ which is the first commandment with promise: ‘that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’ ”
As children, we are to obey our parents in the Lord. This means, we are not to obey them if it would not be in the Lord—that is, if it would be in contradiction to God’s commandments—either from a literal or a spiritual standpoint. Once a child is old enough to understand God’s way of life, he or she must follow God.
Christ did just that. He told His parents, when He was twelve years old, that He had to be about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49). Yet, as a young child, He remained obedient to His mother and His stepfather (Luke 2:51), when He could do so without violating God’s will for Him. Even as an adult, He honored His mother’s wish to change water into wine (John 2:1–11). He did not obey His mother, however, when it was contrary to the will of God. When He was busy teaching and His mother asked Him to come out of the house to see her, He refused (Mark 3:31–35; Matthew 12:46–50). Nevertheless, He always honored His parents. He saw to it, while hanging on the cross, that His mother would be taken care of by John, the disciple with whom He had a very close relationship (John 19:25–27). We must follow that example. There is never an excuse for not honoring our parents (Levitcus 19:3; Deuteronomy 5:16; Exodus 20:12). After all, without them, we would not even exist.
Notice also in Colossians 3:20, “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord.” We must obey our parents in all things, unless the instructions of our parents contradict the letter or the spirit of God’s Word. It is never well-pleasing to God if we disobey Him. We discussed that wives cannot disobey God by obeying their husbands. In the same way, children must not obey their parents either, if this would violate God’s Law. They are not to lie or to steal or to kill or any such thing in “obedience” to their parents’ “orders.”
Harmony Between Parents and Children IS Possible!
Notice Philippians 2:22, in the Revised English Bible, “But Timothy’s record is known to you: you know that he has been at my side in the service of the gospel like a son working under his father.”
Now, this is a very interesting passage. It pictures a harmonious relationship between father and son. Both work together. Both are willing to work together. The son is not too proud to be under his father’s authority, and if the father is gentle, loving, and helpful, and at the same time, just and Godly, then there is no reason why the son should not want to be under his father’s authority, willing to honor him and to obey him.
Christian children must not develop the kind of attitude that is prevalent in the Western world today, where children want to rule over their parents. Realize what the consequence would be, as recorded in Isaiah 3:5, if parents did not deal immediately with such an attitude of their children towards them, “The people will be oppressed, Every one by another and every one by his neighbor; The child will be insolent toward the elder [aged], And the base [despised, lightly esteemed] toward the honorable.”
We quoted Isaiah 3:12 earlier to show that God does not want a woman to rule over her husband. God also tells us in that passage, “As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them…”
True Christians are God’s people. Does this passage in Isaiah 3:12 describe true Christians today? Are children our oppressors and do we allow our wives to rule over us? If so, we had better get this changed in a hurry! God’s ways are very clearly revealed to us. Women are not to rule over their husbands, and children are not to oppress their parents. Only if all of us understand and carry out our respective roles properly will there be truly happy and successful marriage and family relationships that are blessed by God.
Children Need to Respect Their Parents!
Notice Hebrews 12:9, “Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect.”
Paul makes this statement as if it were a self-evident and universally accepted fact of life. And apparently at the time of Paul’s writing it was so. Unfortunately, in our societies today, the respect for parents is not self-evident, and actually is rare. How many children respect their parents today? How many children respect the teaching of their parents and accept their correction? Do children respect the rules of the house? Or do they have total disregard for them? Even as full-grown adults, when we visit our elderly parents, do we respect their desires? Or do we insist on conforming them to our way, for our convenience?
Let’s take a look at a few admonitions in the book of Proverbs that tell us how to have a right relationship with our parents. These valuable instructions apply to all of us as children, young or old.
Notice Proverbs 19:26, “He who mistreats his father and chases away his mother Is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.” It is a terrible indictment against our so-called “Christian” Western society that there are far too many cases of abuse of parents, where sons and daughters actually hit their parents, or refuse to help them, or even chase them away when they are old and dependent. This conduct, if done by true Christians, brings reproach on the word of God.
Proverbs 20:20 reads, “Whoever curses his father or his mother, His lamp will be put out in deep darkness.” Cursing our parents is the opposite of honoring them. We must never curse our parents, not even in our thoughts. If not repented of, we will be suddenly visited by calamity, as the Scripture says.
Proverbs 23:22 points out, “Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.” God used our parents to give us life. Without them, we would not exist. We need to listen to them. They have been around a lot longer than we have, and let’s not despise them or belittle them when they are older. If our parents have “strange” ways of doing things—so be it. Let’s not develop an attitude of despising them. That would be so dangerous for us, spiritually speaking.
Note Proverbs 30:11, “There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.” Do we bless our parents? Do we see to it that they are happy? Do we take the time to thank them for what they did, and still do, for us? It’s one thing not to curse them, but do we actually bless them? And do we let them know that we are blessing them? Do we help them when they need it? Are we deeply appreciative of what they are doing and have done for us?
Proverbs 30:17 tells us, “The eye that mocks his father, And scorns obedience to his mother, The ravens of the valley will pick it out, And the young eagles will eat it.”
Have you heard young people say, “What—you actually obey your mother? You actually do what she tells you to do? Oh come on, in what world are you living? You have respect for your ‘old man’? We are living in the 21st century, you know. That kind of stuff is ancient.” But is it? God thunders at us, if the hearts of the parents don’t turn to their children, and if the hearts of the children don’t turn to their parents, then God will not even preserve mankind alive! Thankfully, some will respond to God’s challenge, as we are told that God will save mankind from utter destruction (cp. Matthew 24:22).
Use These Keys!
We have seen from the Bible the vital keys to happy marriages and families. God wants mankind to apply His perfect laws for our own good. In fact, if we do, God will be in our marriages and in our families, guiding and protecting us as we seek to follow His lead. In Isaiah 66:2, God promises to help us, if we have an attitude pleasing to Him, “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.”
In the book of Malachi, God takes special note of those who fear or respect Him and who esteem His name. Consider what God says to those people, “‘…And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.’” (Malachi 3:17).
God is revealed in the Bible as our Father (cp. Matthew 6:9; 23:9). He wants His family to be happy, and the way for us to do that is to apply His keys revealed to us for this tremendous purpose.
We have been given an awesome privilege of knowing HOW we can better our marriage and family relationships. But with knowledge comes responsibility! We need to ACT upon what we know! Rather than being forgetful hearers or readers, let’s become DOERS of the Word of God (James 1:22–25). And if we do that, the product will be happy and successful relationships, and our marriages and families will stabilize and will last.
It’s up to us now to respond to God’s challenge—are we going to apply God’s Word in our lives, or not? Our very physical and spiritual survival—as well as the survival of our families—will depend on it!
Letter to the Brethren – May 1, 2002
Letter to the Brethren – March 15, 2002
Dear Members and Co-workers,
It is truly remarkable how fast times goes by, and how quickly prophesied end-time events are
developing. I just reread our member letter to you, dated November 30, 2001. I canít help but
wonder at how much has happened since then. In that letter, we wrote:
“More terrible things will have to happen first, before the end is here… Imagine that! The terror
attack on New York and the subsequent war in Afghanistan, for example, are only the
‘beginning’ Terror and wars will increase!”
The Bible forewarns that Christ must return to save man from himself and ensure his very
survival (Matthew 24: 21-22). By then, most people will have died. We read in Is. 24:5-6: ‘The
earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the
ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earthÖ and few
men are left.’ “God will destroy those who destroy the earth (Rev. 11:18).”
Consider, what all has occurred since then. The increasingly violent hostilities in the Middle
East have now been correctly described as “war.” The keepers of the “doomsday clock” advanced
its hands, on February 27, to seven minutes to midnight (“midnight” meaning “doomsday”). This
is the closest since 1953, when the United States tested the first hydrogen bomb.
At the same time, the friendship between the United States and Europe has somewhat cooled
off. President Bushís signing a measure in early March to impose tariffs of up to 30% on imports
of foreign steel for three years, has prompted sharp protests from the European Union, and
Great Britain and Germany in particular. European newspapers were quick to ask whether the
United States will have to be held responsible for another trade war.
And now, the world learned of a secret report by the Bush administration, directing the U.S.
military to prepare contingency plans to use nuclear weapons against at least seven countries.
As the Los Angeles Times revealed on March 9, the classified report, called the ìNuclear Posture
Review,î (NRP), was signed by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and delivered to
Congress in early January. It points out, ìThe Pentagon needs to be prepared to use nuclear
weapons against China, Russia, Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria. It says the weapons
could be used in three types of situations: against targets able to withstand nonnuclear attack;
in retaliation for attack with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons; or “in the event of
surprising military developments.”” The report goes on to say that “the Pentagon should be
prepared to use nuclear weapons in an Arab-Israeli conflict, in a war between China and
Taiwan, or in an attack from North Korea on the south. They might also become necessary in an
attack by Iraq on Israel or another neighbor.” Although Russia is no longer regarded an enemy,
according to the report, the huge Russian arsenal, including about 6,000 deployed warheads and
perhaps 10,000 smaller “theater” nuclear weapons, remain a concern.
Reactions to the report were mixed. Some conservative analysts, according to the L.A. Times,
insisted that the Pentagon must prepare for all possible contingencies, and that the report
outlines the right way to develop a nuclear posture for a post-Cold War world. Others
disagreed. One nuclear arms expert was quoted, stating, “”This clearly makes nuclear weapons a
tool for fighting a war, rather than deterring them.””
Much of the European press responded with fear and anger. The German weekly magazine, Der
Spiegel, pointed out in its Online editions of March 10 and 11, that China, Russia, Syria, France
and South Korea reacted with “deep shock,” “concern,” and “puzzlement.” Germany’s foreign
minister, Joschka Fischer, reemphasized the absolute need for reduction of nuclear weapons.
Der Spiegel quoted a member of the Russian Parliament as saying that a large arsenal of U.S.
nuclear weapons is directed against Russia, ìëforcing us to draw our own strategic conclusions.íî ó 2 ó
This world is indeed facing nuclear war. John Isaacs, President of the Council for a Livable World,
was quoted by the L.A. Times as saying, “They’re trying desperately to find new uses for nuclear
weapons, when their uses should be limited to deterrence. This is very, very dangerous talk.”
God’s Church has long understood that, according to Biblical prophecy, worldwide nuclear war
is coming. At the same time, we must make sure that God will not hold us, in any way,
responsible for the destruction of this world. We must do what we need to do, to be counted
very worthy to be called Godís people (cp. Luke 20:35-36; 2 Thessalonians 1:5. The Greek word
“kataxio,” translated as “counted worthy,” literally means, “reckoned very worthy.”).
God tells us that, if it were not for His people, this earth would be stricken with utter destruction
(cp. Malachi 4:6). If Christ would not intervene and stop impending cosmocide, no flesh would
be saved alive (cp. Matthew 24:22). Nobody would survive! But Christ will intervene – for the sake
of His elect people!
Can we see the tremendous responsibility that God has placed on the shoulders of His children
who are living in this last generation? If we were to fail in our Christian tasks and duties, this
world would be obliterated from existence!
If we want to be Godís children, we must be pure in His sight. When we sin, we must repent of
it. Christ died for us so that we donít need to perish (cp. John 3:16); provided, however, that we
repent and accept His sacrifice for the payment of our sins. The annual memorial of Christís death, as
commemorated by us at the Feast of Passover, reminds us of the Father’s and Christ’s awesome
love for us. We will be keeping Passover this year on the evening of March 26, 2002, reflecting on
our need for Christís sacrifice and the forgiveness of our sins (cp. 1 John 1:8-10).
But, in order to receive God’s forgiveness, we must forgive others (cp. Matthew 6:12, 14-15). At the
same time, we are not oblivious to the fact that we, too, have sinned against our fellow man. In
dealing with one another, being human as we are, we all make mistakes. We all need to repent of
wrong conduct, of wrong actions or reactions. God forgives us only when we repent!
We all need God’s forgiveness of our sins against God and man. How thankful we must be that
God is ready and willing to forgive us. Let us not hold grudges against others, and letís be equally
ready to forgive those who have wronged us.
Our commitment to God must be ongoing. We must strive not to sin. And so, following the
Passover, we will observe, for seven days, the Feast of Unleavened Bread from the sunset of
March 27 until the sunset of April 3. These seven days teach us that we must not remain in, or
return to sin, once we have received Godís forgiveness, but that we must strive to come out of sin,
and to live a sinless life. When God lives in us, we will become more and more perfect, as our
Father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48), and we will be counted “very worthy,” [” kataxioî in the
Greek]“, ‘to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.’ (Luke 21:36).
We wish you all a meaningful and spiritually rewarding Passover season.
With brotherly love,
Norbert Link
Do We Have an Immortal Soul?
To Request a FREE hard copy of this booklet, please write to: contact@eternalgod.org
Introduction
What happens to us when we die? Does our soul continue to live on, while our body decays in the grave? Do the souls of bad people continuously burn in hell fire for all eternity? Do the souls of good people ascend to heaven at the time of death—or do they go to a place called limbo or purgatory, if they were not quite as good? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” then why do we need to be resurrected from the dead—or do we? Do humans possess immortality within themselves? If you are seeking to understand the truth on this subject, then the answers can be found in God’s Word, the Bible.
Early in the Bible we find that Adam and Eve were not created with the ability to live forever. They did not possess immortality. They were offered eternal life, but they did not accept the offer. After they sinned, God drove man out of the Garden of Eden so that they could not “take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” (Genesis 3:22, New King James Bible, hereafter: “NKJB”).
The story of the sin of Adam and Eve is certainly well-known, but do you realize that it also includes the very first recorded lie in Scripture? Satan, who is the father of lies (John 8:44), enticed Eve to eat from the forbidden fruit by assuring her that she would not die if she ate it. Remember that God had previously told Adam and Eve that they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17, NKJB). The devil, however, challenged the accuracy of God’s statement, and told Eve, “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4, NKJB). Eve believed Satan, and she and her husband ate from the fruit. As a consequence, both of them died (Genesis 3:19; Genesis 5:5).
The fact that man was not permitted to eat from the tree of life, and that he died as a result, shows that he was not, nor did he have within him, an immortal soul that continued to live on after death. But those called by God can obtain what Adam and Eve were not permitted to obtain then—immortality. They do not have it yet, but God is offering it to them. 1 Corinthians 15:52–53 tells us that the dead will be “raised incorruptible,” and that at the time of their resurrection, “this mortal” will put on “immortality” or “deathlessness” (“athanasia” in the Greek). Only then will death have ceased to exist for them (1 Corinthians 15:54).
The Bible clearly teaches us that the “wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). Since we have all sinned (cp. Romans 3:9–10), we have all “earned” death as a “reward.” God must eradicate the death penalty hanging over our heads, and grant us eternal life. And so we read, in Romans 6:23, second part, “…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (because of His sacrifice that grants us, upon acceptance, forgiveness of our sins).”
1 Corinthians 15:21–22, 42, clearly tells us how we can have eternal life:
“For since by man (Adam and Eve) came death, by man (Jesus Christ) came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die (because all have sinned), even so in Christ shall all be made alive… So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption…”
People die and must be brought back to life. But Satan told Eve, in effect, that she could not die because she had an immortal soul and was incapable of dying. Rather than viewing immortality or deathlessness as something that had to be obtained from God, Eve erroneously believed that she, or her soul within her, was already immortal. She believed Satan’s first recorded lie—and almost everyone has believed that lie, or a variation of it, ever since. Even most professing Christians today believe that they have an immortal soul, a concept that is virtually universally accepted by almost all non-Christian religions as well.
The Universal Idea of an Immortal Soul
In ancient times, people viewed the shadow of a person as his immortal soul, a belief still held today by some so-called “primitive” tribes. The natives of Greenland used to believe that every man has two souls—his shadow was one of the two souls that would leave the person during the night and return in the morning. Certain Native Americans believed that the soul, after it had left a sleeping person, would actually experience what the person dreamed. It was therefore prohibited to awaken a sleeping person abruptly, as it was feared that in such a state, his soul might not be able to return quickly enough to the body. Likewise, one was not allowed to carry a sleeping person to another location, or to place a mask on his face, so as not to prevent the soul from finding or rightly identifying the body.
Natives in China believed that the soul of a sick person might leave him, and it was commonly thought that the soul might leave the body when the sick person sneezed. In that case, a magical formula would be said in order to prevent the soul from departing. Natives in the Philippines once believed that the souls of dead people lived in trees, so they would bow down before trees when they heard the wind in the leaves.
Funk & Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia, Vol. 24, states under “Soul”: “Belief in some kind of soul that can exist apart from the body is found in all known cultures. In many contemporary nonliterate societies, human beings are said to have several souls— sometimes as many as seven—localized in different parts of the body and having diverse functions. Disease is frequently explained as ‘soul-loss,’ which can occur, for example, when witches steal the soul, or evil spirits capture it.”
This encyclopedia goes on to say that early Hinduism identified the soul or “atman” with the divine, “adding an eternal dimension to the soul. Bound up with matter, the human soul is caught in the cycle of reincarnation until it achieves purification” and enters “Nirvana.”
According to the teachings of Islam and of the Koran, “God breathed the soul into the first human beings, and at death the souls of the faithful are brought near to God.” On the other hand, Buddhism “has no conception of a soul or self that can survive death.”
Judaism Embraces the Idea of an Immortal Soul
Although most adherents of the Jewish faith today believe in an immortal soul, this was not originally the case. Ancient Judah considered the soul to be “mortal.” The word “soul” was associated with the concept of “breathing” and “oxygen” [similar to the Latin word “anima,” from which the German word “Atem” is derived, which means “breath.”]. In fact, in Job 41:21, a close association between “soul” and “breath” is clearly conveyed. When talking about the creature Leviathan, God says, beginning with Verse 20, “Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.” The Hebrew word here for “breath” is “nephesh,” and as we will see later on, this word—used throughout the Old Testament—has been translated as “soul” on many occasions.
It was only after Persian and Greek philosophies influenced Judaism that we find a gradual adaptation of the concept of an immortal soul. The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. VI (1941) points out on pp. 564 and 566, “The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is a matter of philosophical or theological speculation rather than of simple faith, and is accordingly nowhere taught in Holy Scripture… The belief in the immortality of the soul came to the Jews from contact with Greek thought and chiefly through the philosophy of Plato, its principal exponent, who was led to it through Orphic and Eleusian mysteries in which Babylonian and Egyptian views were strangely blended.”
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia agrees, “We are influenced always more or less by the Greek, Platonic idea that the body dies, yet the soul is immortal. Such an idea is utterly contrary to the Israelite consciousness, and it is no where found in the [Hebrew scriptures].” (ed. 1960, Vol. II, p. 812)
Orthodox Christianity Embraces the Idea of an Immortal Soul
According to Catholic belief, the immortal soul enters a person at the time of conception, having been directly and individually created by God with free will and consciousness. The individual soul is present in its totality in each and every organ of the person. Proofs for the accuracy of the teaching of the immortality of the soul are mainly given in light of, 1) alleged appearances of dead people; 2) the universal belief in such a concept; and 3) the biblical statement [discussed herein] that “man cannot destroy the soul.” (Matthew 10:28). Originally, Catholics believed that the soul of a dead person enters heaven or hell immediately at the time of death—the idea of a purgatory only became dogma in A.D. 590. Most Protestant denominations, following to a large extent the lead of the Catholic Church in this regard, believe in the immortality of the soul as well.
Orthodox Christianity adopted the concept of an immortal soul from pagan beliefs. The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology points out in its 1992 edition, on p. 1037, “Speculation about the soul in the subapostolic church was heavily influenced by Greek philosophy.”
Again, quoting from Funk & Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia, Vol. 24, article on “Soul”: “The Christian doctrine of the soul has been strongly influenced by the [Greek] philosophies of Plato and Aristotle… 13th century theologian Thomas Aquinas… accepted Aristotle’s analysis of the soul and body as two conceptually distinguishable elements of a single substance.”
One of the early proponents of the concept of the immortality of the soul was a Catholic church father by the name of Origen (c. 185–254 A.D.). Around 200 A.D. he claimed that “souls are immortal,” stating at the same time that he was a “Platonist who believed in the immortality of the soul.” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. IV, pp. 314, 402).
Further, as we point out in our free booklet, “Don’t Keep Christmas,” followers of the Greek god Mythra believed in an immortal soul as well. Many of those pagan beliefs associated with Mythra were later adopted by, and absorbed into, Orthodox Christianity.
Some Reject the Concept of an Immortal Soul
We have briefly noted the many different concepts that man has held regarding the immortality of the soul, and there is, indeed, an astounding array of false ideas and misconceptions about this subject. But despite the strong universal influence, there have been some down through history who did not believe in any of these concepts. For example, Arnobius, a Catholic writer, spoke against those who held the “extravagant opinion of themselves that souls are immortal.” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VI, p. 440).
Also, at the time of the Reformation, William Tyndale put it quite succinctly when he wrote, “In putting departed souls in heaven, hell or purgatory, you destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul prove the resurrection… The true faith putteth the resurrection; the heathen philosophers, denying that, did put that souls did ever live…If the soul be in heaven, tell me what cause is there for the resurrection?”
Another Reformer who questioned the immortality of the soul was Martin Luther. He declared that the Bible did not teach the immortality of the soul, and he suggested that the soul died with the body, and that God would hereafter raise both the one and the other. He wrote in 1522, “It is probable, in my opinion, that… indeed the dead sleep in utter insensibility till the day of judgment… On what authority can it be said that the souls of the dead may not sleep… in the same way that the living pass in profound slumber the interval between their downlying at night and their uprising in the morning?” (Michelet, Life of Luther, p. 133).
While most Protestants today have long forgotten these words of Martin Luther, some Christian groups today still do not teach the immortality of the soul. The Seventh-Day Adventists, for example, do not believe that the soul of a dead person continues to live a conscious life. The Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations, likewise, universally reject the concept of an immortal soul.
With such a wide variety of ideas and opinions, how can we know what to believe? How can we conclusively determine the truth of the matter? We’ll go to the source of truth, the Bible, the words of God Himself.
Occurrences of the Word “Soul” in the Bible
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “nephesh” has been translated as “soul” in many cases, but notalways. “Nephesh” is used, either alone or in combination with other words, 723 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. The Authorized Version of the King James Bible, however, only translates it 428 times as “soul.” Otherwise, more than 25 different renditions and variations are used. This means that almost 300 times, the Hebrew word “nephesh” is not translated as “soul” in the Authorized Version.
In the New Testament, the Greek word that has been translated as “soul” in many cases, and conveys the same meaning as the Hebrew “nephesh,” is “psyche.” The Greek word “psyche,” or a variation of the word, is used 103 times in the New Testament. However, the Authorized Version only renders it 58 times as “soul,” while it translates it 40 times as “life,” 3 times as “mind,” and once each as “heart” or “heartily.”
We will now begin a detailed study in how the Bible uses the words “nephesh” and “psyche” in order to see the meaning conveyed about the soul. In this way, we will also gain a better understanding of the subject of immortality that needs to be bestowed by God to man as a gift.
We will see in this study that the word “soul,” or the Hebrew word “nephesh,” as well as the Greek word “psyche,” applies to men and animals alike, and can refer to either a living or a dead person or animal. The soul is a “living being” as long as the being is alive. We will read where man became a living soul when he was created, but that when he dies, he becomes a dead soul, and that a dead soul does not continue to live. Insofar as the word “soul” describes “life,” it is always temporary life. We will learn that the word “soul” can be a reference to the living, breathing person or animal, but it can also be a reference to the psyche of the living creature; it can describe the heart—the feelings and motivations. We will also learn that when the soul dies, it goes into the grave or the pit, and that death is a state of silence without consciousness, knowledge, activity or planning. We will find that a dead soul decays, or experiences “corruption,” and that, in order to live again, God must bring the soul or the person back to life through a resurrection from the dead. Finally, we will learn the truth on the grossly misunderstood subject of “hell” and the fate of the wicked, and whether or not “communication with dead people” is possible.
Old Testament Study of “Soul”
We will begin our study with a look at Old Testament Scriptures, where we will learn conclusively that man’s soul is not immortal, and neither is it a conscious element or entity within man. Simply stated, the soul is the temporary, physical person, with all of his desires, wants and feelings.
The Hebrew Word for Soul Applies to Animals
The very first time that the word “nephesh” is used in the Old Testament is in Genesis 1:20 where God says, “‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures.’” (NKJB). The word for “living” is a translation of “nephesh.” It applies here to living water animals. The Authorized Version translates this passage as follows, “And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life (“nephesh” or a “soul.”).’”
Continuing with verse 21, in the NKJB, “So God created great sea creatures.” The word for “creatures” is “nephesh.” The entire phrase could be translated, in context, as “sea souls.” Again, in verse 24, we read, “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth.’”(NKJB). The word for “creature” is “nephesh,” so here the word for “soul” applies to land animals, including creeping things.
Notice, too, this interesting passage in Genesis 1:30, “‘Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food.’” (NKJB). The word for “life” is “nephesh” in Hebrew. So we read here that there is a “soul” in creeping things, as well as in the beasts of the earth and the birds. But this does not say that creeping things have immortal souls. Rather, as long as they are creeping around, they are alive.
So the Bible, at its very beginning, applies the word “nephesh” or “soul” to animals in four places, including those animals that creep on the earth. Notice that when God created the animals, they were living souls. He did not create animals as dead bodies that He then made alive. That is why God said at the very beginning, let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature which has “life” or a “soul.”
After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah that would have benefits for animals as well. God said in Genesis 9:9–10 and 16, “And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you; And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth… And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.” In both cases where the word “creature” is used, the Hebrew word is “nephesh.” God again says that living animals are living souls.
Notice also in Leviticus 11:10–11, where God tells us what kind of seafood we are not to eat, “And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing [or “soul”—“nephesh” in the Hebrew] which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you… ye shall not eat of their flesh.”
Again, God emphasizes in Leviticus 11:46 that animals, whether sea animals or land animals, are “souls,” when He says, “This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature [“nephesh”] that moveth in the waters, and of every creature [“nephesh”] that creepeth upon the earth.”
In Isaiah 19:10, the word “nephesh” or “soul” is again used for sea creatures, “And they shall be broken in the purposes thereof, all that make sluices and ponds for fish.” The word translated “fish” is “nephesh” in the Hebrew. In Leviticus 24:18, the word “nephesh” is applied three times to domestic animals or “beasts”: “And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.”
Man Became a Living Soul
When God created man, He created him as a lifeless or a dead person. God then breathed into man’s nostrils and man became alive. Notice how this is described in 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 [“nephesh”].”
When man was created, he was not yet alive, unlike the animals when they were created. Only when God breathed air into his nostrils did man become alive—he became a living soul. Before that, he was a lifeless soul.
The Life, or Soul, Is in the Blood
Notice how the Bible describes the human or animal soul in relationship to human or animal life. Genesis 9:4–5 reads, “But flesh with the life [“nephesh” or “soul”] thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives [“nephesh” or “souls”] will I require… at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life [“nephesh” or “soul”] of man.”
Notice, too, in Leviticus 17:11, 14, “For the life [“nephesh” or “soul”] of the flesh is in the blood… for the life [“nephesh” or “soul”] of all flesh is the blood thereof.”
Finally, note Deuteronomy 12:23,“Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life [“nephesh” or “soul”]; and thou mayest not eat the life [“nephesh”] with the flesh.”
First, we see from these passages that one can eat the soul—the blood—but that one should not. Then, we are told that a man or an animal is alive as long as their blood circulates within them. If one loses too much blood, one dies. So the blood keeps the person or the animal—the SOUL—alive. The soul, or the life, is equated with the blood. It is physical, and it cannot mean that the soul will keep living when the body dies.
Man IS a Soul
The concept that persons ARE souls is expressed in many passages, when they are translated correctly. Genesis 12:5 reads, “And Abraham took… the souls [“nephesh”] that they had gotten in Haran.” Here the word “souls” describes people.
The same is expressed in Genesis 14:21, “And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons [lit. “souls” or “nephesh” in the Hebrew], and take the goods to thyself.”
Note how Genesis 46:15–27 equates “souls” with “persons”: “(15) These be the sons of Leah… with his daughter Dinah: all the souls [“nephesh” throughout] of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three… (18) These are the sons of Zilpah… even sixteen souls… (22) These are the sons of Rachel… all the souls were fourteen… (25) These are the sons of Bilhah… all the souls were seven. (26) All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six; And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.”
Exodus 1:5 confirms this, “And all the souls [“nephesh”] that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls [“nephesh”]: for Joseph was in Egypt already.”
In Exodus 12:4 we read God’s instructions regarding the Passover, “And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls [“nephesh”].”
Notice also in Exodus 12:16 and realize how the word “soul” describes the physical person—it does not at all describe anything that is immortal. “…no manner of work shall be done in them [on the first and seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread], save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you.” The word “man” is a translation of the Hebrew word, “nephesh.” So, the correct rendering would be, “…save that which every soul must eat.” The soul must eat something in order to stay alive. It’s not immortal, but rather physical.
Note these additional examples, clearly proving that the word “soul” describes the physical, temporary person—not something immortal within the person:
(1) “Or if a soul [“nephesh”] touch any unclean thing… he also shall be unclean.” (Leviticus 5:2). “…the soul [“nephesh”] that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.” (Leviticus 7:18). “But the soul [“nephesh”] that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings… even that soul [“nephesh”] shall be cut off from his people.” (Leviticus 7:20). “Moreover the soul [“nephesh”] that shall touch any unclean thing… even that soul [“nephesh”] shall be cut off from his people.” (Leviticus 7:21). “For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast… even the soul [“nephesh”] that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.” (Leviticus 7:25). “Whatsoever soul [“nephesh”] it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul [“nephesh”] shall be cut off from his people.” (Leviticus 7:27). “And every soul [“nephesh”] that eateth that which died of itself… he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even.” (Levitcus 17:15). “The soul [“nephesh”] which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.” (Leviticus 22:6). These scriptures show that a soul can physically touch something unclean and be considered unclean as well. The soul can also eat food and bathe.
(2) “Or if a soul [“nephesh”] swear, pronouncing with his lips to do evil, or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall pronounce…” (Leviticus 5:4). “For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls [“nephesh”] that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.” (Leviticus 18:29). “…his life abhorreth bread, and his soul [“nephesh”] dainty meat.” (Job 33:20). We learn from this that a soul can swear and that a soul can abhor food. Again, all of these characteristics describe a physical being—not something immortal within the physical being.
The Soul CAN Die!
Notice in Ezekiel 18:4, “Behold, all souls [“nephesh”] are mine; as the soul [“nephesh”] of the father, so also the soul [“nephesh”] of the son is mine: the soul [“nephesh”] that sinneth, it shall die…” And God repeats this fundamental statement in verse 20 to make sure we understand Him. Once dead, the living soul has become a dead soul.
The biblical teaching is that the soul can be put to death. Levitcus 24:17 reads, “And he that killeth any man [“nephesh” or “soul”] shall surely be put to death.” In other words, the soul that kills another soul must be killed itself.
Notice, too, the following two statements from the books of Exodus and Leviticus:
“Ye shall keep the sabbath [the weekly Sabbath—the time from Friday evening to Saturday evening] therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul [“nephesh”] shall be cut off from among his people.” (Exodus 31:14). “And whatsoever soul [“nephesh”] it be that doeth any work in that same day [the Day of Atonement—an annual Sabbath], the same soul [“nephesh”] will I destroy from among his people.” (Leviticus 23:30). Here we see again that a soul is subject to death.
David knew, too, that his “soul,” his life, could be killed. In Psalm 22:20, he prays, “Deliver my soul [“nephesh”] from the sword.” David also expressed this thought, “…none can keep alive his own soul [“nephesh”].” (Psalm 22:29). A strange statement indeed, if man already had an immortal soul!
Job, too, made a revealing statement showing that he did not believe in the immortality of the soul. This is interesting, as he did believe, on the other hand, in a resurrection from the dead (cp. Job 14:14–15). In Job 7:15, we read, “So that my soul [“nephesh”] chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.”
Another revealing statement is made in Deuteronomy 19:11–12. Reading from the Authorized Version, one would not realize that the original text shows the mortality of the soul, “But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities [of refuge]: then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die.” The Hebrew word here for “mortally” is “nephesh.” The rendering “mortally” accurately reflects the meaning conveyed in this passage—namely, that the soul is mortal and can die—it is not immortal, living on forever. The New Revised Standard Version translates it this way, “… and takes the life of that person…” The Revised English Bible says, “…and strikes him a fatal blow…”
The Hebrew Word for Soul Also Applies to DEAD Persons
We find that the word “nephesh” is used for dead persons, as well as living persons. This should not surprise us by now, as the soul referred to can be alive or dead. We read in Leviticus 19:28, “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead [“nephesh” or “soul”], nor print [tattoo] any marks upon you.”
In relationship to the special Nazarite vow, a Nazarite could not touch a dead person for the duration of his vow. We read in Numbers 6:6, “All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body [“nephesh” or “dead soul”].”
Notice, too, in Numbers 19:11 and 13, “He that toucheth the dead body [“nephesh” or “soul”] of any man [here the emphasis is on man, rather than animals] shall be unclean seven days… Whosoever toucheth the dead body [“nephesh” or “dead soul”] of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himself, defileth the tabernacle of the LORD; and that soul [“nephesh”] shall be cut off from Israel…”
Note that one can touch the soul of a dead person! Think about it! How could this be, if the soul were the immortal part of the man within the man? According to Orthodox Christianity, the soul departs from the dead person at the time of his death. There is no way that one could touch a departing soul. But the Bible teaches that the soul can be touched, and it can be dead or alive. So then, the soul is the person. Again, it is not something immortal within the person.
The Hebrew Word for Soul Can Describe the Entire Person
As we have already seen, the word “nephesh” or “soul” describes many times the entire person—his whole being. Notice the following additional examples:
Genesis 12:13, “[Abram told Sarai:] Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul [“nephesh”] shall live because of thee.” Here, Abram equates “his soul” with himself. In saying that his soul should stay alive, he wished that he would stay alive. This shows, too, that he, as well as his soul, could die.
Notice, too, in Genesis 27:4, “[Isaac told Esau:] And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul [“nephesh”] may bless thee before I die.” Later, though, we are told that Isaac blessed Jacob, thinking it was Esau (v. 23). So again, Isaac’s statement that his soul would bless Esau meant that he, Isaac, would bless him. Isaac’s soul and Isaac were one and the same—in fact, Isaac was a soul.
In another example, Lot asked the angels who had come to destroy Sodom and Gomorra to be able to flee to a nearby city, rather than into the mountains. In Genesis 19:20, he says, “Oh, let me escape thither… and my soul [“nephesh”] shall live.” He wanted to stay alive and to be as content as possible under the circumstances. It was he who wanted to “live”—and he equated himself with “his soul.”
The Hebrew Word for Soul Can Describe Human Feelings
We also find that the word “nephesh” or “soul” can emphasize the emotions or feelings of a person. In other words, the emotional or psychological aspects of a person are sometimes identified with his “soul.” The word “soul” still describes the person,—not something in the person—but it may emphasize from time to time what could otherwise be described with the “heart.”
Notice it in Genesis 34:3, 8, “And his [Shechem’s] soul [“nephesh”] clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel… And Hamor [father of Shechem] communed with them, saying, The soul [“nephesh”] of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter…”
A person has feelings. These feelings are sometimes described as originating in, and coming from, the heart or the soul. But this does not make the soul or the heart something separate from the person, something immortal that lives on when the person dies.
Notice in Genesis 44:30, “Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life…he will die.” A literal translation is, “seeing that his soul is bound up in the lad’s soul.” In both cases, the word is “nephesh” in the Hebrew. One could say in today’s language, “The two were one heart and one soul.” They had deep love and affection for each other.
Another example shows that when we become extremely frightened or fearful, it is sometimes presented in the Bible in such a way that “our soul” becomes afraid. Genesis 42:21 states, “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul [“nephesh”], when he besought us, and we would not hear.” Also, note Leviticus 26:16—a prophecy for today, addressing the modern tribes of Israel: “I [God] also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart [soul or “nephesh” in the Hebrew].”
The Authorized Version translates the Hebrew word “nephesh” 15 times as “heart.” In several cases, the emotional side of anguish, fear, grief and anxiety is emphasized in those passages. Note a few examples:
“And the man of thine… shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart [“nephesh”].” (1 Samuel 2:33).
“Give… wine unto those that be of heavy hearts [“nephesh”].” (Proverbs 31:6).
“…and they shall weep for thee with bitterness of heart [“nephesh”] and bitter wailing.” (Ezekiel 27:31).
Consider, too, the following expression about the “soul,” showing that it can refer to the emotional part of man. The Israelites were complaining about lack of food in the wilderness stating, “But now our soul [“nephesh”] is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” (Numbers 11:6).
Later, Moses would reassure the Israelites that they would have flesh to eat in the Promised Land. Note, though, how he expresses it in Deuteronomy 12:20, “When the LORD thy God shall enlarge your border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul [“nephesh”] longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatever thy soul [“nephesh”] lusteth after.” Again, Moses could have said, “…whatsoever you lust after.” The soul, then, is describing the person, with a certain emphasis, at times, on the emotions and desires of the person.
Note, too, Deuteronomy 23:24, “When thou comest into thy neighbour’s vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes thy fill at thine own pleasure.” The word “pleasure” is translated from the Hebrew “nephesh,” showing the desires of the person.
In two places, the Authorized Version even renders the word “nephesh” with “appetite,” showing again the aspect of the fleshly desires of man. We read in Proverbs 23:2, “And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite [“nephesh”].” Also, note Ecclesiastes 6:7, “All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite [“nephesh”] is not filled.” The Elberfelder Bibel has the following annotation to Ecclesiastes 6:7, “Literally, ‘his soul is not filled.’”
Perhaps now, we can better understand why God commands us to seek Him with all of our heart [Hebrew, “lebab”] and soul [“nephesh”] (Deuteronomy 4:29), and to love Him “with all thine heart [“lebab”], and with all thy soul [“nephesh”] and with all thy might [Hebrew, “meod”].” (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is just another way of saying that our entire being—everything we are, including our desires and emotions—must seek God and love Him beyond anyone or anything else.
The Hebrew Word for Soul Can Describe Emotions of Animals
We should also note that the word “soul” or “nephesh” does not only describe the “emotional” side of man. This word is also used to describe the emotional side of animals.
Let’s read Jeremiah 2:24, describing a wild ass in its sexually active times. “A wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away?” The word “pleasure” is a translation of the Hebrew word “nephesh”; the passage could therefore be literally translated, “…according to the lust of her soul.”
Notice, too, this passage in Proverbs 12:10, “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.” The word for “life” is the Hebrew “nephesh.” Here the thought is conveyed that the righteous person looks after the “soul” or the physical needs of his animals.
The Hebrew Word for Soul Can Describe God’s Feelings
God uses the Hebrew word “nephesh” to describe even His own emotions and feelings. However, it should be clear that there is not an immortal soul living in the immortal God, and it should be also clear that, insofar as God is concerned, His life is not dependent on blood circulating in His body. Rather, the meaning is conveyed here that “nephesh” or “soul” describes the very being of God, with His emotions and desires.
For example, in Leviticus 26:11, God says what would happen if Israel would obey Him, “And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul [“nephesh”] shall not abhor you.” Conversely, if Israel should disobey, the consequences would be quite severe as given in Leviticus 26:15, 30, “And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul [“nephesh”] abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments… I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul [“nephesh”] shall abhor you.”
As Israel’s soul would abhor God’s judgment, so would God’s soul abhor Israel. The word “soul” here describes the innermost feelings of the persons, both of God and of man, not something immortal within the person.
Both Humans and Animals ARE Souls
There are passages in the Bible that refer to both animals and men as “souls” in the same context. Early in the Bible, right after we were introduced to the concept that the word “nephesh” can describe men in Genesis 2:7, we are told that the same word “nephesh” also describes animals. As we know by now, animals, too, are souls. We read in Genesis 2:19, “And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air… and whatsoever Adam called every living creature [“nephesh”], that was the name thereof.”
Notice in Numbers 31:28, “And levy a tribute unto the LORD of the men of war which went out to battle: one soul [“nephesh”] of five hundred, both of the persons, and of the beeves [cattle], and of the asses, and of the sheep.”
Also, Job 12:9–10, “Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul [“nephesh”] of every living thing [including both men and animals], and the breath of all mankind.”
We learn that man and animals are alike when it comes to their physical composition. They are all souls, made out of the dust of the ground, and will all become dust again when they die. Ecclesiastes 3:19–20 points out, “For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.” (NKJB).
Unless God grants man immortality, or deathlessness, man will die just the same as the animals do. Both man and animals are souls. Man has no advantage over the animals in this regard. They all go to one place. [We should point out here, though, that there does exist a fundamental difference between man and animals, but that difference is not the soul. To find out more about this extremely important subject, request our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—A Fairy Tale for Adults?”]
Does the Soul Depart at the Time of Death?
There is at least one passage that says that the soul departs from a person when the person dies. We read in Genesis 35:18–19, “And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-o’-ni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried…”
This passage does not teach us that the soul of a person is immortal and continues to stay alive after the person has died. Remember, we learned that the blood is the life, or the soul, of the person. Once the blood stops circulating, the person dies. So this passage in Genesis tells us that the soul, or the LIFE, of the person departed—another way of saying that the person died. The German Luther Bibel translates this as, “When her life departed from her and she had to die…”
There are two additional passages that may imply, if not analyzed carefully, that the soul “departs” when a person dies. Jeremiah 15:9 reads, “She that hath borne seven languisheth: she hath given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day.” Then in Job 11:20 we read, “But the eyes of wicked shall fail, and they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.”
In both passages, the Hebrew word for “ghost” is “nephesh.” Does this mean that the soul, after it “departed,” continued to live? No, this is just another way of expressing the thought that the person died, that the person’s life ended. Note how the New Jerusalem Bible translates Job 11:20, “Their only hope is to breathe their last.” The Revised English Bible states, “Their only hope is death.”
Thus, we see that the word “nephesh” or “soul” can refer either to the fleshly person or to the life [blood] of the person. “Nephesh,” then, describes our temporary, physical life, which we have in common with the animals, and which is supplied by the transfer of oxygen through the blood.
The “Soul” in the New Testament
We will return to a few more Old Testament passages, involving the soul or related concepts, later in this booklet. At this point, let us turn to the pages of the New Testament. Do we learn something different there about the soul? Does the New Testament teach us that our soul is immortal, and that it goes to God or to the devil at the time of our death? The Greek word translated as “soul” in the New Testament Scriptures is “psyche.” And, as we will see, it is used in the same way as the Hebrew Scriptures use the word “nephesh.” We will find confirmation in the New Testament of what we learned in the Old Testament.
Animals are Souls that Can Die
As in the Old Testament, we find proof in the New Testament that animals are called “souls” and that those souls can die. Revelation 8:9 states, “And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died.” The word for “creatures” is “psyche” in the Greek. So we could say, “The souls in the sea that had life, died.” Although men are included, the primary emphasis here is on sea animals.
Revelation 16:3 applies the word again to sea animals. Notice, “And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man, and every living soul died in the sea.”
The Greek Word for Soul Describes People
The New Testament also reveals that people are souls. Souls are not something within the people—rather, souls are people. In 1 Corinthians 15:45, when talking about the resurrection from the dead, Paul quotes from the book of Genesis, telling us what man is and how man came into existence. We read, “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a livingsoul [“psyche”].” But this living soul, as well as all other living souls since Adam, died, and have to be made alive again (cp. v. 22). They have to be “raised up.” (vv. 35, 42).
And, as the man Adam was a soul, so other humans are also called “souls” in the New Testament. Stephen makes clear that the Hebrew word for soul, “nephesh,” is totally identical in meaning with the Greek word for soul, “psyche,” when he says in Acts 7:14, “Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls [“psyche”].”
Notice this additional reference to the Old Testament in 1 Peter 3:20, “…when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls [“psyche”] were saved by water.” These eight “souls” or people, i.e. Noah, his wife, his three sons and his three daughters-in-law, were “saved” from the flood. They survived it, they stayed alive. This is not talking about eternal salvation, but rather preservation of their physical bodies.
Luke writes in the book of Acts about Paul’s warning of a great storm and Paul’s subsequent reassurance to the shipmates that they would not die in the storm, “…Paul admonished them, And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives [Greek “psyche” or “souls”]… And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life [“psyche”] among you, but of the ship… And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls [“psyche”].” (Acts 27:9–10, 22, 37).
In the 18th chapter of Revelation, the commercial side of the modern city of Babylon is described. In Verse 13, some of the items are listed with which modern merchants will trade, “…And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls [“psyche”] of men.” We see that they will trade with people—not only with slaves, but also with “free” men. They are not trading with some immortal element within the men.
Greek Word for Soul Describes Human Feelings
As with the Hebrew word “nephesh,” the Greek word “psyche” may describe the entire human being, or aspects of the person. It may emphasize the feelings, emotions and desires of the heart, while other aspects of the person might be described in different terms.
We read in Acts 2:43, “And fear [awe or respect] came upon every soul [“psyche”]: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.”
Romans 2:9–10 shows, too, that although the person is the soul, a special relationship is expressed or described between the soul and the person’s feelings, “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul [“psyche”] of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: for there is no respect of persons with God.”
The “soul of man” in the passage above is equated with “man,” and with “persons.” It’s all one and the same—but here it is especially the “soul” that will experience “anguish.”
Note, too, Revelation 18:14, “And the fruits that thy soul [“psyche”] lusted after are departed from thee.”
Again, the soul is equated with lusts for physical food, and with special feelings. It is the person, of course, who has those desires and feelings, but special emphasis is given to the psychological aspect of a person here, describing it as the “soul.” (Interestingly, the English word “psychological” is, in fact, derived from the Greek word “psyche.”)
When these psychological aspects are to be emphasized, the word “soul” is sometimes used in combination with other human aspects—but this does not make the “soul” an immortal element or entity within the man.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit [Greek “pneuma”] and soul [Greek “psyche”] and body [Greek “soma”] be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In dividing the person into three aspects or “components,” Paul did not address the issue as to whether some of the aspects were mortal or immortal. Rather, the “spirit” of the person describes his mind, the “body” describes his physical flesh, and the “soul” describes his “temporary physical life.” The Christians were asked to preserve blameless their minds, bodies and lives. To say that this verse teaches the immortality of the soul would mean that the “flesh” or the “body” would also have to be “immortal,” which it clearly is not, as we will prove from Scripture.
Matthew 6:25
Notice another “distinction” between the “soul” and the “body.” Jesus warned us in Matthew 6 not to worry about our physical life. If we focus on God and His righteousness first, all necessary physical needs will be supplied (cp. also Matthew 6:33), “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought [of a worrying nature] for your life [Greek, “psyche”], what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body [Greek, “soma”], what ye shall put on. Is not the life [“psyche”] more than meat, and the body [“soma”] than raiment?” (Matthew 6:25).
Our lives or souls need to eat and drink in order to stay alive. Our bodies need to be clothed in order to be warmed and not get sick. God knows that we need food and clothing. But Christ tells us that we don’t exist just to look after our physical needs. We don’t live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Man’s life does not consist in, or depend on, the abundance of the things that he may possess (Luke 12:15). Our focus must be on GOD to meet our needs, rather than on the needs themselves.
If Matthew 6:25 teaches that the soul is immortal, does it also teach that the body is immortal? After all, Christ said in Matthew 6 not to worry about our life or our body. Nobody claims, though, that our bodies are immortal. We read in Romans 6:12: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body [Greek “soma”].”
The Greek Word for “Soul” Refers to the Temporary Life of a Person
As we saw regarding the Hebrew word “nephesh,” the Greek word “psyche” also describes the physical life of people. Again, this life is always temporary—it never applies to immortal or eternal life.
We read in Acts 15:26, “Men… have hazarded their lives [“psyche”] for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is clearly a reference to physical life—it could not refer to any immortal soul, as the idea of an eternal soul within the person would of course not allow that the person could endanger his or her “immortal soul” by standing up for Jesus Christ—quite the opposite would be the case.
The same statement is made in Revelation 12:11, “And they [true Christians] overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives [“psyche”] unto the death.” Again, this refers to temporary lives—“souls” that could die. This cannot be a reference to a lack of love for their “immortal” souls. True Christians must be willing to die for Christ, if necessary. They must value their physical life less than Christ, so that they can obtain [not, give up or disregard] eternal life (cp. Luke 14:26, “If any man come to me, and hate not [a better rendering is, “love less in comparison”] his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and sisters, yea, and his own life [“psyche”] also, he cannot be my disciple.”)
Notice Matthew 16:24–26, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life [“psyche” or “soul”] shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life [“psyche” or “soul”] for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul [“psyche”]? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul [“psyche”]?”
Note that the translation is quite inconsistent here. The first two times “psyche” is translated with “life,” while it is subsequently rendered twice with “soul,” so as to imply some kind of “eternal” or “immortal” life. When looking at the entire passage in a consistent rendering, we see that it refers strictly to physical life. If one would want to accept the false concept of an immortal soul, it would be incomprehensible that one could lose his immortal soul “for the sake of Christ.” Christ tells us here that if we love our physical life more than Him, we will die—without the possibility of living forever. And then He explains that even from a logical human standpoint, this kind of “love” for one’s own physical life and the world does not make sense—because our physical life could end in the next moment.
Christ makes this very point abundantly clear in Luke 12:18–20, showing that human souls can die, and that the soul and the person are one and the same. In this parable, a rich man had been blessed with a plentiful harvest. Rather than using it for the benefit of others, he contemplated how he could use it for himself, “And he said, This will I do: I will put down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul [“psyche” throughout], Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?”
Again, the reference to soul is as to a physical being, not an immortal being. The rich man said that his soul was to eat, drink and be merry because he had provided well for himself. Yet this man was going to die that same night. He was not willing to lay down his life for others, or, in his case, to share his wealth with others. He was not concerned about giving up his possessions for Christ. And so Christ gives the lesson in v. 21, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Cp. Matthew 6:19–21, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth… But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”)
Let’s notice Paul’s example, showing his willingness to give up his “soul” for the sake of Christ in order to obtain eternal life. He understood that the soul he was willing to “lose” was NOT an “immortal” soul. Reading Paul’s words in Acts 20:22–24, “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit [he already foresaw this in a vision] unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost [Spirit] witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life [“psyche” or “my soul”] dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
Paul wanted to finish “his course” with joy, even if that meant to give up his physical life or “soul.” He knew what awaited him once he had finished his course, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 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.” (2 Timothy 4:6–8).
Paul knew that God would give him eternal life at the time of the “appearing”—the return of Christ and the resurrection of the just. He had shown God that he loved Him more than even his own physical life.
What Happens to the Soul at the Time of Death?
We have seen biblical proof that the word “soul” refers to both man and animals, and that we all die the same. But what does happen to the soul at death? What is that “place,” referred to in Ecclesiastes 3:19–20 (discussed before), to where the souls of men and animals go? Does the Bible give so much as a hint that they would go to heaven or to an ever-burning hell, or to a place called purgatory or limbo at the time of death? Actually, the Bible reveals quite a different destination.
Notice Psalm 89:48, “What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul [“nephesh”] from the hand of the grave?” The soul goes to the grave at the time of death. The Hebrew word for “grave” is “sheol.” It conveys the meaning of a grave or a pit. In fact, death is equated with the grave. Notice Psalm 30:3, “O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul [“nephesh”] from the grave [“sheol”]: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.” The Hebrew word for “pit” is “bowr” and has the meaning of “a pit hole.”
We read in Job 33:22, “Yea, his soul [“nephesh”] draweth near unto the grave [Hebrew “shachath”—a pit, corruption, destruction, ditch, grave—cp. Strong’s #7845], and his life to the destroyers.” When the soul goes to the grave or to the pit, it will be corrupted, or will decay. Again, this shows that the soul is the person.
Christ’s Soul did not See Decay and Corruption in “Hell”
Let’s notice how the New Testament describes the death of Christ. Christ’s soul—that is, the human being Jesus Christ—would go to the grave as well. However, Christ would not stay in the grave to see corruption, but He would be resurrected from the dead after three days and three nights. Acts 2:27 refers to Christ when quoting from Psalm 16:10: “Because thou wilt not leave my soul [“psyche”] in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption [decay].” The dead person or “soul”—Christ—was in the grave, in fact, in a tomb in which no one had been laid before. The Greek word here for “hell” is “hades” and means the grave. Christ would not stay in the grave for such a long time that his body would decay.
Note how the New International Version (NIV) translates Acts 2:27, “You will not abandon me [Greek “my soul” or “psyche”] to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” The Greek word “hades” means the same thing as the Hebrew word “sheol”—it describes “the grave.”
Note, too, how the Revised English Bible (REB) renders this verse, showing that they understand, too, that the word “hades” describes the grave or death in general, “…for you will not abandon me [again in the Greek “my soul” or “psyche”] to death, nor let your faithful servant suffer corruption.”
The translation of “hades” as “hell” is misleading today, given the wrong association with the false modern concept of “hell.” However, when the King James Bible was written, the word “hell” simply meant a “hole in the ground”. People would talk about putting their potatoes “into hell” during winter. In German, the word for “hell” is “Hölle” and is closely associated with the word “Höhle,” meaning a “cave.”
We might also note something else: In replacing the term “my soul” with “me” in their translations of Acts 2:27, both the NIV and the REB show their understanding that these terms describe one and the same—the person and the person’s soul are identical. It is the person who goes to the grave!
WE—Our Souls—Go to the Grave!
When we die, we go to the grave. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says to you that you won’t do anything “in the grave, whither thou goest.” Now notice Psalm 94:17, “Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul [“nephesh”] had almost dwelt in silence.” In other words, unless God would have helped, the soul would have died and gone to the grave.
Again, we see that the person and the soul of the person are one and the same. Both go to the grave, where there is silence and total lack of consciousness or activity. In other words, both die. That is why the Bible describes death consistently as a dreamless sleep [cp. John 11:11–14; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 27:52; 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Kings 2:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17]. God must awaken us out of that sleep of death in order for us to live again—and God will do so at the resurrection of the dead.
King Hezekiah fully understood what would happen to him and his “soul” when he died. Listen to his heart-rending prayer to God, pleading with Him to let him stay alive for a while. It’s recorded in Isaiah 38, beginning in Verse 10, “I said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave [“sheol”]: I am deprived of the residue of my years. (11) I said, I shall not see the LORD, even the LORD, in the land of the living… (12) from day even to night wilt thou make an end of me… (17) Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul [“nephesh”] delivered it from the pit [Hebrew “schachath”] of corruption.”
The soul that dies will decay, or will see corruption, in the grave or the pit. The soul does not continue to live, nor does it go to heaven or to an ever-burning hell, ruled by Satan and his demons.
The Grave is a Place of Silence and Unconsciousness
The grave is described as a place of silence, without any activity, thought, or consciousness. The dead do not even remember God their Creator. Psalm 6:5 points out, “For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave [“sheol”] who shall give thee thanks?”
Notice this additional statement in Psalm 115:17, “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” These would be strange statements if it were true that souls of dead righteous people would keep on living a conscious life and go to heaven. Wouldn’t they give God thanks upon their arrival in heaven? And since when is heaven a place of silence? But the Bible tells us that in death, they don’t even remember God—or anything else, for that matter. [It is true, however, that each man has a spirit, and that spirit does go back to God in heaven when man dies. However, the spirit in man does not remain conscious when man dies—and this spirit is not the soul, either. If you want to learn more about the amazing truth about the human spirit, request our free booklet, “The Theory of Evolution—a Fairy Tale for Adults?”]
Isaiah 38:18 reiterates that there is no activity in the grave—that to go in the grave is the same as to go into a “pit”—and that the grave and death are one and the same, “For the grave [“sheol”] can not praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10 tells us, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave [“sheol”] wither thou goest.”
We are also told in Ecclesiastes 9:5 that, “…the dead know not any thing.”
Psalm 146:4 adds, “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.”
Did Jesus Christ Have an Immortal Soul?
In spite of what we have learned so far, some will still insist that the New Testament does teach that souls remain conscious after a person dies. Let’s review, then, a few additional New Testament passages dealing with the death of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus Christ came to die for our sins. If He had not died for us, we would not have a Savior. It was His blood that He willingly shed for us that paid for our sins. Knowing this, notice Matthew 20:27–28, “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The word for “life” is “psyche” in the Greek—Christ gave His “soul” for us. He died for us by shedding His blood, and, as we already know, the blood is the soul (Deuteronomy 12:23). Christ did not give up an immortal soul for us. He gave His physical life for us. Take note of the fact that Isaiah prophesied that Christ would do just that. We read in Isaiah 53:12, “…he hath poured out his soul [Hebrew “nephesh”] unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors…”
Jesus Christ Gave His Life for Us
We read in several passages that Jesus said that He had come to die for us—to give His life for us. But what He really said has been obscured in most translations. For example:
John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” The word for “life” is “psyche” and literally means, “soul.”
John 10:15, “I lay down my life [“psyche” or “soul”] for the sheep.”
John 10:17–18, “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life [“psyche” or “soul”], that I might take it again. No man taketh it [Christ’s life or soul] from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power [authority] to lay it down, and I have power [authority, right, entitlement] to take [receive] it again.” Christ was not talking here about an immortal soul that He would give up and later receive again.
Only Christ has Acquired Immortality Until Now
At this point, the only human being who has acquired immortality through a resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:3–4) is Jesus Christ, the “firstborn of many brethren.” Christ had been God eternally, but He became a Man in order to be able to die for man. Through the resurrection, He became God again, living today in a state of deathlessness, incapable of dying. (For more information, please request our free booklet, “Is God a Trinity?”).
We read in 1 Timothy 6:14–16, Lamsa rendering, “Obey this charge without spot and without stain until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is to be revealed in his due time, blessed and almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in the light that no man can approach, and whom no man has seen, nor can see [in His glorified state].”
Christ died and was dead in the grave. When here on earth as a human being, He did not have immortality. He had given up that immortality which He had had before. After His death, He received life from God the Father when He was resurrected (cp. Ephesians 1:19–20). See also John 3:13–15.
1 Peter 3:18–20
Some claim, however, that Christ was not really dead and in the grave, but that He—or His “immortal soul”—preached during the time of His “death” to the evil spirits in “hell.” They support this claim by referring to 1 Peter 3:18–20. Let’s notice, though, what this passage actually tells us:
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”
Properly understood, this passage tells us that Christ, through His Spirit, preached to demons at the time of Noah. Demons are “imprisoned” spirits or spirit beings. It is their unrepentant and evil minds that hold them “captive.” They had become disobedient and rebellious, and they are waiting now, in spiritual “chains of darkness,” for their final judgment (cp. Jude 6; 2 Peter 2:4; James 2:19).
Note these remarks from The New Bible Commentary: Revised, copyright 1970, “…it can be argued from such passages as 2 Pet. 2:4–10; Jude 6… that the spirits in prison are the fallen angels, and that this interpretation is more consistent with the usage of the word pneumata, spirits, in Scripture when it occurs without qualification. This would seem on the whole the best interpretation of a difficult passage…”
The passage in 1 Peter 3: 19–20 teaches us that the preincarnate Christ preached to these wicked spirits or demons (cp. Ephesians 6:12), who had disobeyed long ago. Christ preached to them, though, at the time of Noah, when God’s patience or longsuffering “waited.” Please realize that in the original Greek text, there is no punctuation. Note how the Interlinear Literal Translation renders this passage (Admittedly, it sounds strange in English, but it is a literal, word-for-word-translation from the Greek):
“… but made alive by the Spirit in which also to the in prison spirits having gone he preached disobeyed sometime when once was waiting the of God longsuffering in days of Noe being prepared ark…”
The Greek word “kerusso,” translated as “preached,” might be better rendered as “proclaimed.” The New American Standard Bible translates “kerusso” as “proclamation.” Christ apparently revealed, at the time of Noah, to the demons at least a part of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind and the eventual fate of the evil and disobedient spirits. Consider that Peter had pointed out earlier (in 1 Peter 1:12) that even obedient angels “desire to look into” the things contained in the gospel. If even obedient angels did not fully understand the gospel, how much more would this be true for the demonic world? Please realize that demons are cut off from God’s Holy Spirit by which He reveals spiritual truth!
This passage in 1 Peter 3:19–20 does not teach us that the “Spirit of Christ”—or His “immortal soul”—preached to spirits in hell while Christ was dead and in the grave. As we have seen, the Bible clearly teaches that Christ, or His Spirit, could not have done so, since a person is without consciousness, when in the grave. Neither does the passage teach us that the spirits or souls of wicked people are right now suffering in hell. We will discuss the fact that evil persons are not suffering in “hell” in more detail later in this booklet.
Human Souls Die and Must Be Brought Back to Life
When people die, they are dead. Death is the opposite of life! In order to live again, dead people must be resurrectedfrom the dead to either physical life or to eternal life.
In Revelation 20:4, both types of resurrections to physical life and to eternal life are discussed, with special emphasis on a resurrection to eternal life, “…and I saw the souls [“psyche”] of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus… and they lived [as spirit beings] and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished [but they will be resurrected afterwards to physical life]. This is the first resurrection.” [This phrase refers to those souls that were brought back to life to reign with Christ for a thousand years.].
Notice that the souls that had been killed lived again. So the souls were dead, but they were brought back to life in a resurrection from the dead. How clear it is that persons are souls and that souls die. Souls do not continue to live on after death.
More Than One Resurrection
God’s Word clearly reveals more than one resurrection. There is a spiritual resurrection to eternal life of those who are in Christ at the time of Christ’s coming (1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Those who are in that “first” resurrection will rule with Christ for a thousand years here on earth (Revelation 20:4; Revelation 5:10).
Since there is a “first” resurrection, there must at least be a “second” resurrection. And so we read that the rest of the dead won’t live until those thousand years have expired (Revelation 20:5). At that time, the vast majority of mankind will be resurrected into—what has been termed indeed—a “second resurrection.” This second resurrection is one to physical life (cp. Ezekiel 37 regarding the physical resurrection of the house of Israel). This “second resurrection” is also commonly referred to as “The Great White Throne Judgment” period. (Revelation 20:11–12). Those in this second resurrection will be given their first opportunity to accept Christ and to live by His word—a chance they never had in their former life. They will live for perhaps one hundred years, until their judgment is pronounced (Isaiah 65:20; Hebrews 9:27).
Following the “second resurrection,” there will be still another, or “third resurrection” to physical life of all those who did know better, but sinned in total and deliberate defiance of God. They refused to repent and, instead, developed a malicious and hateful attitude towards God, making any repentance impossible. They are judged to have committed the “unpardonable sin” (more fully discussed below). It is they who are being thrown into a lake of fire, to be totally consumed by its flames (Revelation 20: 14–15).
Lazarus and the Rich Man in Luke 16
The fact that God will resurrect everyone, but each in a certain order or time sequence (1 Corinthians 15:23, first sentence), including those who have committed the “unpardonable sin” (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28–29), is also clearly taught in the famous, albeit terribly misunderstood, parable of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19–31). Some claim that this parable teaches that we have immortal souls that continue to live on after we die. However, in analyzing this parable carefully, we find that it teaches just the opposite.
Christ gave the parable to the Pharisees who were covetous (Luke 16:14). Luke 16:19–21 introduces us to a rich man who was covetous as well, and who did not care about others, including the hungry and sick beggar Lazarus, who was laid at the gate of the rich man. Lazarus desired to at least eat the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table—but it appears that not even the crumbs were given to him by the rich man. Additionally, the rich man ignored the sickness of Lazarus—only the dogs would come to lick his sores.
Christ is picturing here a totally selfish person. This rich man reminds us somewhat of the selfish rich man of Luke 12:18–20 (discussed above), whom Christ introduced to us earlier. The rich man of Luke 16 committed the unpardonable sin and will eventually be thrown into the lake of fire to be burned with the wicked.
What is the Unpardonable Sin?
From other Scriptures we know that there are at least two ways in which the unpardonable sin can be committed.
Jesus warns us in Mark 3:28–29, not to “blaspheme” the Holy Spirit, regardless of whether we are converted or not. If we do, we reject the only power that can convert and change us. And if we continue with that course of action of resisting God and refusing to repent, then we might reach a point when it will become impossible for us to repent. We will then have made the final, irrevocable decision never to repent and to change. Such an attitude will lead to actual hate and resentment for God and His way. You see, if we don’t want to repent, God will not grant us repentance. And without repentance, there can be no forgiveness. That is why a sin which we refuse to repent of, will not be forgiven.
In addition, converted people who have received the gift of God’s Holy Spirit, can commit the unpardonable sin, if and when they later fall away and irrevocably reject God’s way of life (cp. Hebrews 6:4–6; Hebrews 10:26–29).
As long as we have the desire to go God’s way and to change—as long as we hate the wrong things that we do—as long as we want God’s Holy Spirit to enable us to overcome our sinful carnal nature, we have not committed the unpardonable sin. If, on the other hand, we have received understanding and then begin to reject that understanding and God’s way of life, then we are walking on dangerous ground.
What is our attitude towards sin? Are we indifferent about it? Does it matter to us whether we sin or not? Do we try to justify sin, or to blame others for sin in our lives? This approach will never grant us favor with God—will never allow us to continue repenting of the wrong in our lives.
On the other hand, if we love God’s way, if we want to go God’s way, if we want God to help us to get rid of what’s wrong with the way we are, then God will help us—and we don’t need to worry whether or not we have committed the unpardonable sin.
Christ, in his parable as recorded in Luke 16, portrays a rich man who is totally indifferent to sin and to the pain and suffering of others. Although Christ does not give us many details about the wicked life of the rich man (as He does not give us many details about the righteous life of Lazarus, either), it is clear from the context that the rich man has indeed committed the unpardonable sin—he has reached the final point of no return, as he has become unwilling to repent and to change.
Different Fates of Lazarus and the Rich Man
Luke 16:22 says that the beggar died and that he was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom. It does not say that the beggar was “carried by the angels” into “Abraham’s bosom” immediately at the time of his death. From other scriptures, we know that a considerable length of time passed between his death and the activity of the angels. In fact, Christ will send out His angels to gather the righteous at the time of His return and the resurrection of the just. Matthew 24:31 tells us, “And he [Christ] shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Why, then, does Christ say that the angels carried Lazarus “into Abraham’s bosom?” This term describes a close intimate relationship between two or more persons. Compare John 1:18, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”
The Jews at the time of Jesus were familiar with this term, as it was used several times in the Old Testament to describe such a close personal relationship [cp. 2 Samuel 12:1–3; Isaiah 40:11; Numbers 11:12].
Luke 16:22 also tells us that the rich man died and was buried—presumably with great pomp and ceremony. Luke 16:23 explains that the rich man lifted up his eyes in “hell,” “being in torments,” and seeing Abraham “afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” Verse 24 goes on to tell us that the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus “that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool” the tongue of the rich man, as he is “tormented in this flame.”
What Does Luke 16 Really Teach Us?
First of all, let’s notice that we are not told how much time passed between the death of the rich man and his lifting up of his eyes in “hell.” The word “hell” is a translation of the Greek word “hades.” “Hades” is never associated in Scripture with “fire”—as we have already seen, it just describes the grave or death. What Christ is saying here is that the rich man lifted up his eyes, while in the grave—in other words, he is being resurrected from the dead. And when he opens his eyes from his “sleep” of death, he sees Abraham and Lazarus “afar off,” and he notices that flames are awaiting him. He is actually seeing the flames of the “lake of fire,” referred to in Revelation 20:14. He is close enough to experience some physical pain from the flames—but his real anguish and torment is one of a psychological nature. That is, he knows that he had committed the unpardonable sin and that he will now have to face the eternal consequences—a death from which there will be no resurrection.
What is being described here is the third resurrection. We read in Revelation 20:13–14 that “death and hell [“hades” in the Greek] delivered up the dead” (which would include the rich man), and that “death and hell [“hades” in the Greek] were cast into the lake of fire.” The rich man was resurrected to physical life to be cast into the lake of fire. And those who are to be cast into the lake of fire will suffer psychological torment when they face that moment. They will face “everlasting punishment”—that is, a punishment with everlasting consequences for all eternity—their existence will end forever. (The fact that they will not suffer forever in a fiery hell is discussed in greater detail below.) Their psychological torment is described in Matthew 13:42, “They will be “cast…into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Luke 13:28 adds, “There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye [we might include here, “the rich man”] shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets [we might include here, the “beggar,” see below], in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.”
The parable of Luke 16 continues that Abraham does not honor the request of the rich man to send Lazarus to him. Instead, Abraham points out that “there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” (vv. 25–26).
This great gulf that is “fixed” is the difference between mortality and immortality. Those who are with Abraham at that time are immortal spirit beings in the Kingdom of God. (If you want to learn more about your potential to become an immortal spirit being in the Kingdom of God, write for our free booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God.”). Those who are like the rich man are mortal, destined to die the eternal death. Their fate is sealed. Nothing can change or reverse that final decision. The immortal spirit being cannot become mortal again, and the mortal physical being cannot become immortal.
In Luke 16:27–28, the rich man asks that Lazarus be sent to his brothers to warn them about what would await them if they ended up like he. Abraham denies that request (v. 29) because by that time it is too late. The third resurrection occurs after everyone, including the rich man’s brothers, have had their chance.
Realize here that the rich man has had no consciousness while dead in the grave. He did not know how much time had gone by. He died, and insofar as his consciousness is concerned, he woke up within the next second. So he insists again that Abraham send Lazarus to warn his relatives (v. 30). And Abraham responds, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (v. 31).
We see, then, that this parable is about people who die and about the resurrection from the dead. It does not talk about people’s souls that are conscious and alive, while the persons are dead. Quite to the contrary, it addresses resurrections from the dead.
A Fiery Eternal Hell?
But, you might ask, don’t the wicked go to hell? Did not Christ say very clearly, in Matthew 10:28, that we can be cast into hell? And doesn’t this mean, then, that the rich man is going to suffer for all eternity in the flames of the lake of fire?
Matthew 10:28
Let’s notice what Matthew 10:28 does say: “And fear not them which kill [“apokteino”] the body [“soma”], but are not able to kill [“apokteino”] the soul [“psyche”]: but rather fear him which is able to destroy [“apollumi”] both soul [“psyche”] and body [“soma”] in hell [“gehenna”].”
Some have used this passage as support for their idea that “immortal souls” of the wicked will be tortured for all eternity in hell. But let’s notice what the passage actually does teach us. First, Christ tells us not to fear those who can “kill” [in Greek, “apokteino”] the body, but not the “soul.”
Meaning of the Greek Word “Apokteino”
The Greek word for “kill” (“apokteino”) is translated in the Authorized Version 55 times with “kill,” 14 times with “slay,” and six times with “put to death.” In every case, it refers to the “killing” of a mortal human being, mostly by humans. It never refers to the extermination of a human being for all eternity without the possibility of a resurrection. This becomes very clear in the parallel passage in Luke 12:4–5, where we read, “And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill [“apokteino”] the body [“soma”], and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed [“apokteino”] hath power to cast into hell [“gehenna”]; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”
Luke 12:5 is one of the very few places where the word for “kill” or “apokteino” is used in connection with God. As we mentioned, normally it refers to killing by and through man. But we clearly see that something more happens after the “killing” of the physical body. Luke 12:5 says that God has power to “cast into hell.” Matthew 10:28 says that God has power to “destroy [in the Greek, “appollumi”] both soul and body in hell.”
Meaning of the Greek Word “Appollumi”
The Greek word for “destroy,” “appollumi,” is rendered in the Authorized Version with, “destroy” [23 times] or “be destroyed” [three times]; with “lose” [28 times] or “be lost” [three times]; with “be marred” [one time]; with “perish” [33 times]; and with “die” [one time]. Although this word has a wide variety of meanings, including certainly the “killing” of a physical human, it also includes the final judgment of men, and even demons. The following examples show that the word “apollumi” can refer to the final extermination of humans from which there is no further resurrection back to life.
In Romans 14:15, Paul warns us not to “destroy” [“appollumi” in the Greek] our brother spiritually. Since judgment has begun at the house of God (1 Peter 4:17), if we who have been enlightened with the truth fall away, we can only look forward to the final condemnation of God that will “devour” us (Hebrews 10:26–27). The word for “devour” is “esthio” in the Greek and means, lit., to “eat” or to “eat up.” It is used many times to describe people eating food. Once the food is eaten, it’s gone. It does not continue to exist forever and ever in the stomach of the person who has eaten it. That is why the “destruction” Paul is talking about in Romans 14:15, is one with final spiritual consequences.
In addition, James 4:12 tells us that God is the one who “is able to save and to destroy [Greek, “apollumi”].” God can save our physical lives and even give us eternal life, or He can destroy our lives in a final judgment and give us eternal death.
Notice, too, this interesting passage in Matthew 5:29, “And if thy right eye offend thee [tempts you to sin], pluck it out, and cast it from thee [don’t use it to look at tempting things]: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish [Greek ”apollumi”], and not that thy whole body [“soma”] should be cast into hell [“gehenna”].”
We must “destroy” our eye once and for all—that is, we must stop using it for sinful purposes. This is, of course, not talking about literally “plucking out” our eyes—it is a figurative way of saying that we must stop using our eyes or other members of our bodies for sinful purposes. Romans 6:19 (NKJB) tells us: “For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.” We could, of course, not present our members as “slaves of righteousness,” if we pluck them out and cut them off our bodies.
Notice, too, that the Lamsa translation explains that the terms “plucking out your eye” and “cutting off your right hand” are Aramaic idioms, meaning “stop envying” and “stop stealing.”
Christ alludes, in Matthew 5:29, to our final commitment that we make at the time of our baptism. Otherwise, if we don’t overcome sin, God will cast “our whole body” into “hell.” But isn’t that strange—have you not been told that only your “soul” would be cast into hell, when you die, while your body is dead and in the grave? The truth is, God is addressing here the final fate of both “body and soul”—that is—of the entire being or person.
When God gives us eternal life, we will not perish or be destroyed. Note this in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life [we don’t have it yet—we do not have an immortal soul within us]; and they shall never perish [Greek, “apollumi”].”
Returning to Matthew 10:28 and Luke 12:4–5, we can understand what God is telling us. We need not fear man who can only kill us, taking away our physical lives. That is all man can do—man cannot prevent God from resurrecting us from death to give us life again. Instead, we must fear God, who not only can take away our physical lives, but who can also throw us—both “body and soul”—into “hell,” taking away our opportunity for eternal life.
Notice, too, that in Matthew 10:28 and Luke 12:4–5, as well as in Matthew 5:29 (discussed above), the Greek word for “hell” is “gehenna,” not “hades.”
Meaning of the Greek Word “Gehenna”
The word “gehenna” and the very concept of it are derived from the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem in which the corpses of dead people, mainly criminals, would be burned up. It is another expression for the “lake of fire” in Revelation 20:15, in which all who have acted wickedly, and who have refused to repent, will be thrown into, to be burned up or “devoured.” (Remember that Hebrews 10:27, discussed above, tells us that the wicked wait for God’s fiery indignation that will “devour” them.). That is the “hell” or the “gehenna” fire that Christ is talking about here—“the second death” from which there will be no resurrection.
Those who sin deliberately, willfully and maliciously, God will resurrect to physical life to throw them—their physical body and their soul or their “life”—into “gehenna” or the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13–15; 21:8). They won’t burn there forever—rather, they will be burned up. They are the “chaff,” that will be “burned up” with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12)—that is, no human can quench it. Notice that this fire will ultimately even burn up or bring to dissolution “heaven and earth,” so that a “new heaven and a new earth” can be created by God (2 Peter 3:10–13).
The wicked, such as the rich man in Christ’s parable in Luke 16, will not burn forever and ever, for all eternity, in an everlasting hell fire, but they will be “burned up” (cp. again Matthew 3:12). The Greek word for “burned up” is “katakaio”—conveying the meaning that nothing of what is burned up will remain. We read in Revelation 18:8 that modern Babylon “shall be utterly burned with fire.” The word for “utterly burned” is, again, “katakaio” in the Greek. And we are told that “that great city Babylon [will] be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.” (Revelation 18:21). In the same way, the wicked, such as the rich man in Luke 16, that are thrown into “gehenna” or the lake of fire, will be “burnt up”—they “shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up… that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” (Malachi 4:1). They will become ashes under the feet of the righteous (Malachi 4:3); it will be as if they had never existed (Obadiah 16).
The Souls Under the Altar
It is true that Revelation 6:9–11 talks about “souls” of dead martyrs that “speak” to God and ask for speedy intervention. But Revelation 6:9–11 is clearly a vision. The “souls” are figuratively pictured as if they were speaking, in the same way the blood of Abel is pictured, as if it spoke and still speaks to God (Genesis 4:10; Hebrews 12:24).
When a soul dies, it is “sleeping.” It does not continue to live a conscious life. That Revelation 6:9–11 cannot be taken literally is also clearly seen by the fact that the souls are laying “under the altar” of God, and that they are told to “rest” and lay there “yet for a little season.” This altar of God is in heaven (Revelation 8:1–5). We already know from Scripture, however, that the souls go to the grave, here on earth, when they die—not to the altar of God in heaven. Peter stated that David is still dead and buried (Acts 2:29), and that he did not ascend to heaven when he died (Acts 2:34). But David will be alive again—when he is raised from the dead at the time of the resurrection of the just (cp. Jeremiah 30:9). Also, Jesus told Nicodemus that no one has ascended to heaven (John 3:13).
The souls are pictured as lying under the heavenly altar, just as the physical altar in Israel protected life. While one touched the horns of the physical altar, he could not be killed. The dead in Christ, who have been martyred for Him, sleep, or are dead, with the assurance that they will be resurrected to eternal life. As Christ said earlier, they will inherit eternal life, and no man can pluck them out of His hand (John 10:28).
The Gospel Preached to the Dead?
Some say that dead people must still be alive after death, and therefore must have an immortal soul, because the gospel was preached to the dead. To support their claim, they quote 1 Peter 4:6, which reads, “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”
Note that the Scripture says that the gospel WAS preached to them that ARE dead. They are dead NOW, but they were alive when the gospel WAS preached to them.
Communication with the Dead
Many feel, though, that the appearances of the “spirits” or “ghosts” of those that have died prove the immortality of the soul and a conscious life after death. In fact, as we learned in the beginning of this booklet, this “fact” is one of the proofs given by the Catholic Church that man has an immortal soul. Many have been confused about this subject and feel that communication with the dead does happen. They state that Scripture supports the possibility of communication with departed spirits or souls. But does it?
The attempts to communicate with the dead seem to be as old as mankind. Ancient Israel was specifically warned not to try to engage in such practices. We read in Leviticus 19:31, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them…” So it is possible, although prohibited by God, to seek after “familiar spirits.” But are those “familiar spirits” the departed spirits or souls of dead people, as some claim?
Let’s continue to read more about “familiar spirits.” Leviticus 20:6 and 27 tell us, “And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person…A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death.” (NKJB).
The Bible tells us that Baal worship included the practice of witchcraft and sorcery, as well as the consultation of mediums and spiritists or wizards (cp. 2 Chronicles 33:3, 6). Psalm 106:28 indicates that ancient Israel might have engaged in those pagan practices while wandering through the wilderness.
Acts 16:16–19 gives us a clue who or what those familiar spirits are: “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.” (NKJB). This spirit of divination was a familiar spirit—a demon. It was not a departed soul.
We also learn that the demon told the truth—Paul and his companions were in fact servants of God, preaching the way of salvation. Likewise, demons proclaimed that Christ was the Son of God. Demons don’t always lie, but they always want to thwart God’s plans and purposes.
Saul Consults a Medium
We read in 1 Samuel 28, in the New King James Bible, that Saul consulted a woman who was a medium. The Authorized Version describes her as a woman “with a familiar spirit.” In other words, Saul consulted a witch possessed with a demon. This witch was asked by Saul to bring up Samuel. We read in Verse 12, “When the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice.” (NKJB). The following passage tells us that Saul saw nothing. He asked the woman, “What did you see?” Notice her answer, “I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth.” (Verse 13—NKJB). When she described the form of that spirit as one of an old man, we are told that “Saul perceived that it [was] Samuel.” (Verse 14). The word “was” is not in the original. So one could add “pretended to be,” “appeared to be,” “claimed to be,” etc.
Some claim the witch actually brought back Samuel—or his spirit—from the grave. The Ryrie Study Bible comments, “On this occasion God miraculously permitted the actual spirit of Samuel to speak and announce Saul’s imminent death.” But is this true?
Notice that Saul did not see the “spirit” or “ghost” or “soul” of Samuel at all. Samuel had died and had been dead for a while (cp. 1 Samuel 25:1; 1 Samuel 27:7–8; 1 Samuel 31:6; 2 Samuel 1:1–2). God did not answer Saul in dreams or by the prophets (1 Samuel 28:6)—and Samuel was a prophet (Acts 13:20; 1 Samuel 3:20). When the “old man” appeared and answered Saul, that could not have been Samuel or his spirit or departed soul—otherwise, Samuel would have answered Saul in the capacity of a prophet of God. We also read in 1 Chronicles 10:13–14, that this seance was not of God—rather, Saul was killed by God because of conducting it. Saul died “for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it; and inquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him.”
We read that “Samuel” answered Saul and told him that Saul would die the next day. The real Samuel, dead and in the grave, could not have known that. Earlier in this booklet, we learned that the dead “know not any thing.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). But Satan and demons do sometimes know God’s plan and purpose (cp. 1 Kings 22:19–23; Revelation 12:12; James 2:19). So it is clear that the demon, the familiar spirit, pretended to be Samuel, and spoke as Samuel to the witch. Note in 1 Samuel 28:7, in the NKJB, that the woman was a “medium.” The Authorized Version renders it, “a woman with a familiar spirit.” In the Hebrew it says literally that she was “the possessor of a spirit,” in other words, of a demon.
We see, then, that, apparently, the very demon that had possessed the witch, appeared to her—not to Saul!—in the form of Samuel, convincing the witch, and through the witch, Saul, that he was in fact Samuel. The true Samuel, however, as a prophet and servant of God, would have never spoken to Saul through a witch, especially after God had refused to talk to Saul. And God would not have supernaturally brought Samuel—or his soul or his spirit—back to life, to allow him to speak to Saul through a witch—after God had refused to speak to Saul directly.
The concept that the souls or spirits of dead people can be contacted is demonic. Isaiah 8:19 tells us, “And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?” (NKJB). To consult mediums (those possessed with demons or familiar spirits) and God is incompatible. Also, Isaiah is not saying here that the spirits of the dead can be consulted. He is asking, “Should anyone try to seek the dead?’
Notice, too, Isaiah 29:4, “…thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground.” This is a reference to the voice of a demon, a familiar spirit that has possessed the medium. It may appear as if the medium speaks, but it is, in fact, the demon within the medium that does the speaking. That is why Paul, in Acts 16:16–19, spoke to the familiar spirit or demon of the possessed slave girl—and not to the slave girl herself.
Notice Deuteronomy 18:10–11, “There shall not be found among you any one that… useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.” A “necromancer” is somebody who “consults with the dead, or with a spirit to answer questions.” Note, how the New American Bible brings this phrase, “…one who consults ghosts and spirits or seeks oracles from the dead.” This phrase does not say that communication with the dead is possible—it tells us, though, not to try it, as this will bring us in contact with demons.
The very concept of communication with the dead is demonic—it does not prove that we have immortal souls that continue to live after we die. Satan started the lie that we have an immortal soul in the garden of Eden. And to “prove” the accuracy of that lie, he convinces people through the powers of darkness that communication with the spirits or immortal souls of dead people is possible. As we saw at the beginning of this booklet, many, even within orthodox Christianity, have accepted not only the lie, but also this erroneous “proof” for the lie.
The Truth About Immortality
Ultimately and inescapably, God’s Word proves that eternal life is a gift of God, and that physical mankind does not possess an immortal soul. The deceptive and false doctrine of inherent “immortality” has held countless millions in a state of confusion, false hopes, and tormented fear.
The Bible reveals that Satan is “the god of this age.” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NKJB). He is also referred to as the “ruler of this world.” (John 12:31, NKJB). Paul was inspired to say of Satan and those who serve him, “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:14–15, NKJB).
In the eleventh chapter of the book of Romans, the apostle Paul gives us a glimpse of God’s great masterplan. It includes the “reconciling of the world” and “life from the dead.” (v. 15, NKJB). Verse 26 gives us the promise that “all Israel will be saved.” (NKJB). But God’s plan of salvation is not limited to Israel—it includes all mankind—all who have ever drawn breath or ever will. It is appointed by God for man to die (Hebrews 9:27), but through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, all who repent of their sins and accept Christ’s sacrifice can live again—they can become immortal members in the Family of God. Our hope rests in God, and in Him alone, to give us eternal life in the future. Let’s make sure that we are willing to believe the truth, and that we, too, will be found worthy to be given God’s gift of immortality in due time (1 Thessalonians 2:10–12; Luke 20:35–36).
Letter to the Brethren – February 19, 2002
Letter to the Brethren – January 10, 2002
Dear Brethren and Co-Workers,
The Church of the Eternal God is entering its seventh month of existence. Month after month, God has continued to bless our unified efforts. We, also, have all had individual roles in sustaining our small work. Many have rallied mightily in so many ways to faithfully serve God. Thank YOU!
Now, we are looking forward to our upcoming ministerial conference in early February. Our goal is to broaden the efforts of the work we have before us while continuing to meet the needs of our brethren. In both of these areas, we are mindful of the need for God’s continual help and your encouraging participation.
Brethren, although we have begun well, our task is nothing short of awesome as we seek to follow the clear Biblical challenges set before us. The hard part is yet ahead of us—we must FINISH that part of the work God has committed to each one of us.
Christ did just that during His lifetime. Note what Christ said to the Father in John chapter 17 and verse 4: “ ‘I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.’ ” We, brethren, who are called “Christians” face this same challenge.
How can you and I glorify God? How can we finish what God has given us to do?
Again, we find the answer in the teachings of Christ in John 15:8, “ ‘By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.’ ” We know that Christ and the disciples He taught individually and worked with were very fruitful—they, indeed, did glorify God. In turn, if WE are to like- wise glorify God, WE must also be very fruitful.
That kind of productivity comes from first getting ourselves acceptable in God’s sight. We must set our own house in order (CP Mat 7:1-5). But we are not to stop there!
For us to “bear much fruit,” we must be actively involved in the ONGOING WORK OF JESUS CHRIST—preaching the good news of God’s imminent Kingdom and its establishment on this earth. Let us all remember that Christ is alive and now actively guiding His Church in His office as High Priest over the spiritual household of God.
Returning to John 17, notice what Christ said to the Father about His disciples in verse 18, “ ‘As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.’ ” In verse 20, He further shows that His prayer included all of us who would later follow in the calling to God’s way: “ ‘I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word.’ ”
Considering what is here stated in the book of John, we should be ever vigilant of the opportunity that we have. It seems that people who lose sight of their responsibility to finish the job are soon filled with confusion and lack of discernment.
In the face of our trials, are we able to stay focused on the goal that God has established for us? Jesus did! We find this interesting statement that He made against the backdrop of their physical hunger in John 4:34, “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’ ”
In the difficult times in which we find ourselves—both in this trouble filled world and in the scattered remnants of the Church—we must be careful stewards of that which God has committed to us. Many of us remember the final letter from Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong that was dated January 10, 1986, in which he stated: “It may be that the Work God has given me to do is complete, but not the Work of God’s Church, which will be faithfully doing God’s Work till Christ, the True Head of this Church, returns… The greatest work lies ahead..” Although he died six days later, his words ring loud and true for all of us.
In Matthew 25, we find the parable of the talents. Christ here praises and rewards those who were faithful in, as He puts it, “…a few things.” What is implied is an important lesson for us. These who were given their individual talents took care of what they had been given. They didn’t dilute their efforts by focusing on the amount of talents that others might have been given. They didn’t make excuses—unlike the faithless and fearful individual with the one talent. They simply took care of their master’s goods until he returned.
Brethren, the first two servants finished their jobs. They were fruitful with those things entrusted to them.
What are our talents?
From the standpoint of the work ahead of us, our talents involve you, the converted Christians who live their lives dedicated to God. It is you, the elect of God, whose prayers God hears. It is you with whom we are joined to the Father and Christ by one Spirit—called brethren with Christ!
In 2 Timothy 4 and verse 7, Paul states: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” He participated in the same task that has been placed before all Christians—finishing their individual part in the work of God!
We have MUCH AHEAD of us—as individuals and as a Church. We have begun to produce booklets that are carefully prepared. Right now, this is material that each of us can use, personally. However, these publications are destined to go beyond the borders of our membership. They will serve as very important tools in reaching people with the truth of God.
Our Web site has valuable information to assist both the Church and those drawn by God to His way. In addition, we have continued to organize the administration of the Church to fulfill God’s instructions in caring for as many of His people as He gives us opportunity. The ministry is endeavoring to visit local groups as resources permit.
But this is all preliminary to those things God may have in store for us.
Brethren, let each one of us continue to zealously commit ourselves to our calling from God. He has placed us in His spiritual body—His Church. It is God who has given us of His Spirit along with an important job that we must be prepared and dedicated to finishing—His WORK!
In Christ’s Service,
David J. Harris
Letter to the Brethren – November 30, 2001
Letter to the Brethren – October 18, 2001
Dear Brethren and Co-workers,
As we begin to take stock of where we are after the Feast of Tabernacles, the first thing we want to do is to give thanks and credit where it is due. What a peaceful, rewarding and joyful feast we have just experienced! God has blessed us richly in every way. Our hope and our strength have been renewed, and we are continuously being encouraged to go forward. As the dust settles, more and more brethren who have remained steadfast in the faith have been coming together in this common effort.
Once again, God has given us the opportunity and a voice to be able to declare His words. Therefore, our thanks are twofold – first of all to God, and then to all the brethren. Your prayers, your encouragement, your willing offerings, your tithes, your voluntary service and your gifts to God make it all possible.
We find an example of this kind of “thanks” when King David was inspired to pour out his gratitude to God, and to all the brethren for their very generous freewill gifts:
“Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory
and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.
Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In
Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And
to give strength to all. Now therefore, our God, We thank You And
praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this?
For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You.
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers;
Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope.” (1 Ch 29:10-15)
What a blessing it is for us, not only to be a part of God’s great plan, but also to be able to continue to actively serve Him. Less than four months ago, we did not know if it would be possible for all of us to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles together this year. There was no assurance we would be able to continue the full time preaching and publishing of the whole uncompromised gospel. We asked ourselves, “How long will we be able to boldly stand for the Truth and uphold the moral high ground?”
As brethren, scattered geographically, but together in spirit, we can only thank God when we consider what He has done for all of us. He has been richly blessing us as it says in Luke 6, “in giving us good measure, pressed down and running over.” Because of the blessings of God, and the very generous nature of His people, we have come away from the Fall Holy Days, not only with a renewed vigor to continue His work, but also with the financial resources to do so. We are not ashamed to express our generosity just as King David did. For this, we give You, O Lord, the thanks and the glory.
Our brethren have come away from this feast having been fed with the undistorted meaning of the Holy Days. All of us are invigorated and stirred to action. Many are saying, “This was the best feast ever – or he best feast in a long, long time.” Let’s not let down. We must hold fast, be zealous, and remain uncompromising as we continue to do God’s will.
During these Fall Holy Days, whether in Great Britain, USA, Belgium, Canada, Philippines, at home or wherever our brethren were observing the feast days, there was a renewed awareness of end time events and an increased expectancy for the return of Jesus Christ. These are dangerous times. Never before have there been so many “winds of doctrine and prophetic speculations” clouding men’s minds, to draw away God’s people.
Because conditions are dangerous and changing rapidly, we must speak and write with a renewed clarity and fervor. Never before, on the way to and from the feast, have we seen armed military men patrolling air terminals in the United States. The fear of terrorism is beginning to take its toll, not only on the peaceful environment that we had in America, but terrorism’s impact is affecting the economy in a way that has the financial experts dismayed. Worse yet, world geopolitics are being rewritten. The real danger for us, however, is of a spiritual nature. Time is short, and there is much to be done.
How will God continue to call some “at the last hour” as in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard? God’s work is not yet complete – we must be “so doing” when Christ returns. If God’s work is not over, then our work is not over. For our little group, this is the essence of our existence – we must continue – it is not our strength, but God who does the Work. But, brethren, we do have our part in it.
God is pleased with our standing up, not seeking security or status, and continuing in His uncompromised Truth. He would not be pleased with haughtiness and arrogance. So, we say thank you, humbly, to our Father for sustaining us and allowing us to go forward.
As much as we are being blessed, we must always remember then, that it is not by our might, power, or any such thing. Let us continue to pray for a humble attitude, recognizing that anything we give to God already belongs to Him. Or, as David so eloquently put it, “For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.” (1 Ch 29:14)
We must always remember that God’s plan is sure, and right on His schedule. We can be happy, and rest assured for that. Success will be His, and He wants us to share in that ultimate success with Him and his Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, we have much to be thankful for, brethren.
It is only our Father’s appreciation that any of us truly desire. Let’s recognize that He is the one who says to us, “Thank you.” And, as we jointly thank God, let me also say to you, thank you brethren, most of all for standing strong in God’s Truth.
Your brother, in Christian love,
Warren M. Zehrun
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
To Request a FREE hard copy of this booklet, please write to: contact@eternalgod.org
What Is the Gospel?
When you hear the word Gospel, what comes to mind? Do you think of the gospel of grace? Do you think about the four gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Do you think of the gospel about the person of Jesus Christ?
There seems to be quite a bit of confusion and some misconceptions when it comes to the gospel. What then, is the Gospel? And where can we find irrefutable answers to this most VITAL subject? We’ll go to an irrefutable source—God’s Word—the Bible.
Only One True Gospel
The word “gospel” simply means “good news.” Jesus Christ was a messenger sent by God the Father to proclaim the Gospel or the good news. But people did not want to hear it and eventually killed Christ. His true disciples were also persecuted when they continued to proclaim the very same message that Christ brought. What was it about this message that created so much hostility among the listeners? And why does there continue to be such a variety of ideas about what the Gospel is?
There is only one true gospel, but many counterfeits. Already at the time of the Apostle Paul, another gospel, a counterfeit, was being preached. Paul warned everyone not to accept or believe this counterfeit—in fact, not to accept any message which is not the true and only good news that Christ brought.
He states in Galatians 1:6-9: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ [the good news that Christ brought]. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that we have preached to you, let him be accursed. And as we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”
And why could Paul be so sure that the gospel that he had preached to them was the only true one? Because he had received this message directly from Christ, as he states in verses 11-12: “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Christ, the messenger of the good news, revealed it to Paul. Just what was this message?
Good News of the Kingdom of God
Let’s turn to the book of Mark. This account is sometimes called the “gospel of Mark,” but that is really an inaccurate designation. The New King James Bible introduces it as “the gospel according to Mark.” Let’s read in Mark 1:1 to see who brought this gospel. We read: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
Jesus Christ brought good news from God the Father. He said many times that whatever He taught was not of Him, but of God the Father. It is true that the gospel includes news and information about Christ Himself and the reason He became human, but the gospel of Christ includes more than just news about Christ.
Notice Mark 1:14-15: “Now after John [the Baptist] was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel…’”
The Bible repeats time and again that Jesus Christ preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God. In fact, Christ’s whole message had to do with the Kingdom of God—WHAT it is, WHY we need to understand it, and HOW we can have a part in it.
The Jews at the time of Christ were so upset about the message of the Kingdom of God that they killed Christ. Their understanding of what the Kingdom of God is, and who would be in it, was quite different from what Jesus taught. That is why they were so intent on killing Him.
Mark 4:11-12: “And He said to them [His disciples]: ‘To you it has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.’”
Here we see that Christ’s disciples would understand what the Kingdom of God is all about—but that people who were not called would not understand—to them it would be a great mystery, beyond comprehension. We also see that the Kingdom of God has to do with “turning” and “forgiveness of sin.” We read that people who are outside would not “turn.” Earlier, we read that Christ said, people who hear the gospel must repent.
It’s really the same thing—when we repent, we turn around, go the other way, leaving the wrong way and going the right way. And we ask for forgiveness of our past wrong conduct, of our sins, of what we were, realizing that our past ways were sinful.
So the disciples of Christ would do that—they would turn or repent and ask for and receive forgiveness of their evil past, so that they could go on without a guilty conscience on their way toward the Kingdom of God. Those outside, though—those who are not called in this life—would not believe the gospel of the Kingdom of God and, as a consequence, they would not understand that repentance and forgiveness are prerequisites to entering the Kingdom of God.
Turn to Luke 8:1, “Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God.” The margin of the New King James Bible has here, “proclaiming the good news” of the Kingdom of God. Jesus came to preach the gospel or good news of the Kingdom of God. It is GOOD news—the BEST news one can imagine, once we understand what the Kingdom of God IS—and that WE can become part of it.
Jesus would continue preaching the good news, as we read in Luke 9:11: “He received them and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God.”
God has not changed, and neither has His message. He sent His disciples out at that time to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God (cp. Luke 9:2), and He does not expect anything less of His true servants today. But in order to preach the gospel, we must know, of course, what the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is. This means, we must belong to those whom God has specifically revealed this knowledge. Remember, only the true servants of Christ would understand the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Luke 8: 9-10: “Then His disciples asked Him, saying, ‘What does this parable mean?’ And He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’”
The Bible makes it very clear that we are not yet in the Kingdom of God, even if we are Christ’s disciples, and it also makes it clear that the Kingdom of God is not something within us. Rather, we must indeed enter into it—in the future—if we remain faithful.
Kingdom of God Has Not Yet Come
Jesus Christ gave a parable that shows the Kingdom of God is not yet here. Mark 10:17-22: “Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ So Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and your mother.’ And he answered and said to Him, ‘Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.’ Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, ‘One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.’ But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”
Realize now, this was a command that Christ gave to this rich man because He saw that his riches stood between him and the way to eternal life. Remember, the man had asked Christ what to do that he could INHERIT eternal life. He knew he did not have it yet. And Christ told him that if he wanted to have eternal life, he needed to keep the commandments (cp. Matthew 19:17). And one of the commandments is, You shall not have any other gods before Me. The young man had placed the god of riches before the true God. And he did not want to give it up.
Continuing now in Mark 10:23: “Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the Kingdom of God.’” Here we see that entering the Kingdom of God is the same or synonymous with inheriting eternal life.
Verses 24-26: “And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is for those who TRUST IN RICHES to enter the Kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.’ And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, ‘Who then can be saved?’” The disciples understood that inheriting eternal life, entering the Kingdom of God, and salvation are all one and the same.
Christ did not disagree with that perception. Quite to the contrary, He confirmed it, by saying in verse 27: “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.’” Even the salvation of a rich person, upon repentance and belief.
Continuing in verses 28 – 30: “Then Peter began to say to Him, ‘See, we have left all and followed You.’” So Jesus answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.’” God promises eternal life to those who place more importance on attaining the Kingdom of God than on material possessions, even if it means suffering.
The Gospel Must Be Preached In All the World
Turn now to Mark 13:10 where we find a remarkable prophecy of Christ for our time today, again relating to the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Christ was answering the questions of His disciples as to when He would return. We read: “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.”
There is only one gospel, as we have seen—the gospel of the Kingdom of God. In the parallel account of Matthew, we find the gospel clearly identified. We read in Matthew 24: 14, “And this gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
Look around you. The end is not here yet. Christ has not returned to this earth yet, as He promised He would. His prophecy about the gospel being preached in all the world is still to be fulfilled. The only sign for His imminent return that Christ specifically referred to in Matthew 24:14, is when the gospel of the Kingdom is being preached in all the world as a witness. Then the end will come.
Mark repeats the fact that Christ’s gospel would be preached in all the world [to all nations] in Mark 14:9. By way of background, a woman had come to anoint Jesus’ feet with precious fragrant oil. The disciples rebuked her for that, but Christ came to her defense, realizing that the woman had done it in anticipation of His death. And so Christ said: “‘Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.’”
We also read in Mark 16:15-16 the commission Christ gave His disciples: “‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.’” This is a continuing obligation of Christ’s disciples—to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Notice, it did not say to preach a gospel, but rather, to preach the gospel. Again, there is only ONE gospel.
We Are Not Yet Saved
When people hear this gospel and believe the message, they are to respond by repenting and being baptized as an outward sign of inward repentance. They will then receive the gift of the Holy Spirit that will enable them to do what Christ told them to do—to keep the commandments. In doing so, they will move toward the Kingdom of God so that they can finally enter it, at the time of their resurrection. So their process of salvation began with their conversion, but it will not be completed until they have been resurrected or changed to immortality.
That will be the time when they WILL ULTIMATELY BE saved—not before. Remember what Christ said, “He who believes and is baptized WILL BE [future] saved.” Remember, final salvation is the same as inheriting eternal life and entering the Kingdom of God. We are not yet saved!
Notice, too, Christ’s words in Matthew 24:13: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” To enter the Kingdom of God requires overcoming, endurance, perseverance, long-suffering and patience in the face of pressure, adversity and even persecution. Revelation 14:12 tells us what kind of patience God requires: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus [the faith that Jesus had when He was human and with which He was able to resist and overcome Satan the devil—the faith that God will help us to keep His commandments].”
Many have correctly understood this in the past, but have yielded to the pressures of this world and have given up. Christ warned us through several parables that many would fall by the wayside. But we don’t have to give up. We can endure until the end—until we die or until Christ returns, whichever is earlier.
The Kingdom of God Will Be Here On the Earth
Luke has much to say about the gospel of the Kingdom of God and the rulership of Jesus Christ. Let’s read a familiar passage in Luke 1:30-33 where an angel was sent to Mary to announce to her that she would become pregnant, but not from a man: “Then the angel [Gabriel] said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His Kingdom there will be no end.’”
Jesus Christ Was Born to Be the King
There is a lot being said here by the angel Gabriel. Let’s take a closer look. Jesus Christ was born to become a KING. Remember that He told this to Pilate, and the Jews used this as a reason to have Him killed. The angel proclaimed that Jesus would become a King to RULE over the House of Jacob FOREVER. If He rules forever, then this would imply eternal life. This account also says that Jesus Christ would rule from the throne of His father, or forefather, David. So we read that the throne of David has a connection with this eternal rulership. And finally, there will be no end to His Kingdom—once established, it would rule and exist forever—eternally.
The angel Gabriel quoted here in part from Isaiah 9:6-7: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.”
Isaiah had been inspired to write about the birth of Christ, and also about His second coming, as well as the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on earth. After all, the throne of David is here on earth, not somewhere in heaven. And Isaiah foretold that this Child had been God prior to His human birth, and that He became man, but would become God again when He was resurrected, to rule as God in the Kingdom of God, which is also called a kingdom of peace.
Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, would rule over this earth with justice and in a peaceful way. Once the peoples [nations] of this world really understand God’s way of life, they will not want to learn war any more, as we read in Isaiah 2:4, but will, in fact, beat their swords into plowshares. War and strife will be replaced with peace and harmony. That is what the Kingdom of God on this earth, under the rulership of Jesus Christ the King, will accomplish.
Christ knew why He had come to this earth. He knew what His mission was, and what He had to proclaim. Let’s notice it in Luke 4:43: “I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
But that was not what many expected. They thought Christ would establish the Kingdom of God on earth right then and there—they did not expect Him to just preach about it, and the message they heard was not what they expected to hear. Even John the Baptist, when he was in prison, began to wonder whether Jesus was really the Christ, and so he asked Jesus through his disciples, “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Notice what proofs Jesus gave to John’s disciples that He was the Christ, the King of the coming [future] Kingdom. As recorded in Luke 7:22: “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them.” Christ preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God—one of the proofs that He was the Messiah.
Let’s continue reading in Luke, where we find another statement made by Jesus Christ pertaining to the Kingdom of God. A statement which must have shocked His listeners—especially those who believed that the Kingdom of God was something physical, composed of physical human beings. The truth is that the Kingdom of God will rule over humans, but it will not be composed of humans. Notice in Luke 7:28: “For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”
John the Baptist was born of a woman, but he had the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:15). And having God’s Spirit so abundantly and from his mother’s womb, is what made him such a great prophet. Now, John the Baptist was not in the Kingdom of God yet, and this account we just read in Luke, compares John’s human status as being less than anybody in the Kingdom of God. Let’s understand why.
Human Beings Cannot Enter the Kingdom of God
Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:50: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” Are you still human? If so, you cannot inherit the Kingdom of God as you are. So then, how can we enter the Kingdom?
We Must Be Changed
Paul explains in verses 51 and 52: “Behold, I tell you a mystery…we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” That is, how we can enter the Kingdom of God. Our human bodies need to be changed. But changed to what?
Verses 42-49: “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body…(verse 47) The first man [Adam] was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man [Jesus Christ] is the Lord from heaven…(verse 49) And as we have borne the image of the man of dust [human], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man [spirit].”
Did you catch that? Is it true that we will bear the image of the heavenly Man, Jesus Christ? Is Paul really saying that we, in the resurrection, when entering the Kingdom of God, will look like Jesus Christ? Yes, that is EXACTLY what Paul is saying.
And the same message was written by the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. In I John 3:1-2, we read: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God…. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be [we are still flesh and blood—we have not been changed yet to spirit beings], but we know that when He is revealed [when Christ comes back in power and glory, to establish the Kingdom of God on this earth], we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
No human being can look at God in His glorified state, as He is, and live. But when we are changed, we can look at God and His Son Jesus Christ in their glorified state and live. Why? Because we will be like them, Jesus Christ being the image of God the Father. And what does it mean to be like Christ? To bear His image? It means that we will look like He looks. And how does He look in His glorified state? Let’s read Revelation 1:14-16, which gives us a glimpse of what Christ looks like today: “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire. His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters…and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.” That’s exactly how we will look too, when we are changed and are in the Kingdom of God.
There is another description of God the Father and Jesus Christ in the Old Testament, in the writings of the prophet Daniel. We read in Daniel 7:9-14: “I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days [a reference to God the Father] was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire…And behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven [describing the ascension of the resurrected Christ to heaven]! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him [the Son of Man] was given dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”
We Will Rule With Christ in the Kingdom
Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who is also God, receives rulership over the peoples of the world from God the Father, the Ancient of Days. Christ will establish this Kingdom, the Kingdom of God, on this earth. It’s a Kingdom ruled by God. It’s a Kingdom composed of God—the Father and Jesus Christ.
But remember, we learned earlier that we also will be in that Kingdom. Notice Daniel 7:27: “Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven [that is, on this earth] shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”
So WE, the resurrected saints, those who have been faithful, will be given dominion over all nations, once we are in the Kingdom of God. Christ tells us in Revelation 2:26-27: “‘And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—he shall rule them with a rod if iron [that is, he will not allow rebellion and crime and evil as we see in this world]; they [those who want to continue to live with violence and hatred and who will try to bring about destruction and misery] shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels, as I also have received from My Father.”
Let’s also note this remarkable statement in Revelation 20:4 and 6: “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them…. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years… Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection…they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
And where will they reign? In heaven? Let’s read Revelation 5:10: “[You] have made them [as it should be—the angels are singing this song about the saints—us] kings and priests to our God; and we [again, it should say: they] shall reign on the earth.”
Do you understand what all these scriptures are telling us? We will be like Christ, we will bear His image, we will look like He does, we will be in God’s Kingdom, we will reign with Christ. What does this all mean? Does this mean that we will be like the angels of God—higher in essence than man, but lower in essence than God?
No, because Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6: 3 that we will rule over, and judge, angels. So we will be higher than the angels. Further, angels won’t be in the Kingdom of God, because they are not God. Rather, Hebrews 1:14 tells us that they are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” (Authoried Version) They are beings created by God, but without the potential of becoming God. Lucifer, the cherub, wanted to become like the most High God, as we read in Isaiah 14:14, and actually tried to throw God from His throne, but he was defeated, of course, and became Satan the devil.
No, the Bible is very clear that whoever is in the Kingdom of God must actually be God. We must become God beings, sharing in Christ’s glory, the firstborn of many brethren. That is indeed a mystery that only very few understand today—that God is a Family, consisting presently of God the Father and the Son Jesus Christ, but that God is enlarging His Family. We are already called His children, but we have not been glorified yet. And when we are glorified at the time of our resurrection to eternal life, we will be entering the Kingdom of God, as literal God beings, as glorified sons and daughters of God, made immortal.
Why Were Humans Created?
Have you ever wondered why God even created man? God the Father tells Jesus Christ in Genesis 1:26, “‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.’”
God is a Family, and when He created man, He began His awesome work of adding to His Family. He wanted to bring children into His Family. Note how the NIV translates Hebrews 2:11: “Both the one who makes man holy [God] and those who are made holy [that’s us] are of the same family”—that is, the Family of God.
Let’s also read Ephesians 3:14-15: “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven [a reference to God the Father and Jesus Christ] and earth [that refers to us] is named.” (Authoried Version) The Family of God IS the Kingdom of God. We will be permitted to enter that Family, that Kingdom, if we endure and live worthy of our calling.
The Awesome Human Potential
That we are to become members of the God Family, or God beings, is clearly taught in scripture. Let’s look at a few more proofs.
In Psalm 17:15, we read about man’s potential: “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.” David understood that we will look like God when we are resurrected.
Also Phil. 3:20-21: “For our citizenship is in heaven… [Our names are written in heaven, where God is. We belong to Him, we are His children. We belong to a different country, a heavenly government, which will come down to this earth when Christ returns.]…from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body.” We already read that we shall bear the image of Christ, we will look like He does, in His glorified state.
But more than that—we will actually BE GOD BEINGS. We are told that it is our potential to be filled with the fullness of God. That is what it says in Eph. 3:19. Paul wants us “to be filled”—ultimately—“with all the fullness of God.”
What does this mean? It means that we will be God beings, since we read in Col. 1:19 that “it pleased the Father that in Him [in Jesus Christ] all the fullness should dwell.” That was after Christ was resurrected—He became God again, as before His human birth. And as in Christ all the fullness of God dwells, so in us also all the fullness of God will dwell—when we are resurrected.
We understand that Christ was God before His human existence, because John 1:1 says that in the beginning was the Word—the Logos, as it is called in Greek, meaning, the Spokesman. This Logos was none other than Jesus Christ, and this Word or Logos, according to John 1:1, was with God [God the Father], and He was God. But He gave up His divine nature and became a man—flesh and blood. Phil. 2:6-7 tells us that Jesus, “being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” John 1:14 tells us that the Word, Jesus Christ, became flesh. He had to become human in order to overcome sin in the flesh, and in order to die. But after His resurrection, Christ became God again. He is called God in Titus 2:13, where we read that we are “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
And as the Man Jesus Christ became God in the resurrection, so will we. Christ himself confirmed this human potential in John 10:31-36: “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?’ The Jews answered Him, saying, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said, You are gods?” If He called them gods, to whom the Word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, You are blaspheming, because I said, I am the Son of God?’”
What is Jesus Christ telling us here? That He, the Son of God who had become man, would be God again. But also, that it is man’s potential to become God beings as well. Although stated in a present tense, Christ was mainly referring to the future, speaking about future things as if they already existed (cp. Romans 4:17). God created man so that man could become God—a member of the God Family.
God is Reproducing Himself
Those of you who are familiar with us know that we have been preaching this truth for a long time. Herbert W. Armstrong, the late human leader of the Church of God in the 20th century, wrote a book entitled, “Mystery of the Ages.” On page 170, he wrote: “Consider why God created mankind in the first place. God is reproducing Himself through man. He is creating in Man God’s own perfect holy and righteous spiritual character. And that, in turn, is purposed to restore the government of God over all the earth. And further, to create BILLIONS OF GOD BEINGS …”
This knowledge that it is man’s potential to become God has also been understood by several Christian authors over the centuries. In her book, “A History of God,” former Catholic nun Karen Armstrong [not related to Herbert Armstrong], quotes several early professing Christian writers who believed and taught this truth. She writes on page 98: “Clement [of Alexandria, ca. 150-215 A.D.] also believed that Jesus was God… If Christians imitated Christ, they too would become deified: divine, incorruptible and impassable. Indeed, Christ had been the divine logos, who had become man, ‘so that you might learn from a man how to become God.’”
She also quotes, on page 129, Maximus the Confessor, who lived from ca. 580-662, as saying, “The word was made flesh in order that ‘the whole human being would become God, deified by the grace of God become man.”
Theophilus (A.D. 115-181) wrote: “A man, by keeping the directions of God, may receive from Him immortality…and become God.”
The Trinitarian author Spiros Zodhiates writes regarding John 1:18 [“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son (God) who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”]: “The word (for only-begotten) monogenees actually is a compound of the word monos = ‘alone,’ and the word genos = ‘race, stock, family.’ Here we are told that He who came to reveal God—Jesus Christ—is of the same family, of the same stock, of the same race, as God. There is ample evidence in the scriptures that the Godhead is a Family.” (“Was Jesus God?”, page 21)
Further, the most recent Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, which was published in 1994 under the auspices of Pope John Paul II, states that the official Catholic position is, that man is to become God. Now this might not be very well known even among Catholics, but here are some quotes from the Catechism:
“The Word became flesh to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’: For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God.’ ‘For the Son of God became man so that we might become God.’ ‘The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods.’” (pp. 128-129, Section 460. The last quote is attributed to Thomas of Aquinas.)
An Important Job for All Eternity
When we become members of God’s Family, we will be ruling this earth, as we have seen, for a thousand years, together with Christ who received His authority and power from God the Father.
But what after that? What is going to happen once the thousand years have expired? Our reign will never stop. Notice Revelation 22:4-5, which speaks about a time long after the 1000 years: “They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads [the name of God will be their name as well]…the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
What will we do for all eternity? Over what will we reign, forever and ever? We have not been told everything yet, but one thing we do know: We will beautify our entire universe. Notice Romans 8:18-23: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility… in hope; because the creation itself [the entire universe] also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption [better translated ‘sonship’], the redemption of our body.”
This passage indicates that once we are God beings and full members of the God Family, we will participate in the process of beautifying and finishing the creation of the presently unfinished universe. The universe is in decay—the planets are, from all that we can tell, waste and empty. But it is our human potential to become God and to free the universe from decay and corruption under the leadership of Jesus Christ.
God says that ultimately, He will make all things new (Rev. 21:5). And He tells us this, in Rev. 21:7: “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My Son.”
You see, as Christ is the Son of God, so will we be sons and daughters of God. Of course, God the Father will always be greatest of all, and Christ will always be greater than we. But still—we will be God beings in the Family of God, literal children of our loving Father, and brothers and sisters of our elder brother Jesus Christ. What an awesome potential—what a destiny!
Now it’s clear WHY Christ said that although John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets born of a woman, everyone in the Kingdom of God will be much greater than he was at the time he was human.
How Do We Get There?
What are some of the requirements to gain entrance into the Kingdom of God—to become a member of the God Family? We read Jesus’ words in Luke 6:20: “‘Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.’”
When comparing this with the parallel passage in Matthew 5:3, we understand that it refers to those who are “poor in spirit,” not necessarily those who are physically poor. Jesus did not mean those who have only a little bit of God’s Spirit, either. Rather, it means that we must be humble, willing to take correction and admonishment from God. If we have a humble attitude, as a little child, then we will be able to enter God’s Kingdom.
If you can see and understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, then this is a fairly good indication that God has opened your mind. If so, then God expects you to respond, because God does not give understanding to someone for no reason. The response God expects from you is to live within the law of God, doing what God tells you to do. Remember, we are told in the Bible time and again, if we want to enter into life, we must keep Gods’ commandments.
When Will the Kingdom Come?
Reading from the New King James Bible, Luke 17:20-21 states: “Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, ‘The Kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, See here! or, See there! For indeed, the Kingdom of God is within you.’”
Is the Kingdom of God Within Us?
Just what did Christ mean with the statement, “The Kingdom of God is within you?” Remember, He was speaking to the unbelieving, hypocritical, envious and self-righteous Pharisees. The answer to the question is that the phrase “the Kingdom of God is within you,” is wrongly translated. It should read, as the margin of the New King James Bible points out: The Kingdom of God is “in your midst.”
The Revised English Bible, the New American Bible, and the New Jerusalem Bible all render this phrase with, “among you.” The Moffat Bible puts it this way, “The Reign of God is now in your midst.”
The Ryrie Study Bible has the following annotation to this verse: “It cannot mean, ‘within you,’ for the Kingdom certainly was unconnected with the Pharisees to whom Jesus was speaking.”
John the Baptist had already identified Jesus as the King of the Kingdom of God, who was among them, when he stated, in John 1:26: “I baptize with water, but there stands One AMONG YOU whom you do not know. It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”
Jesus, the future King of the Kingdom of God, was standing among them in person. But He was not glorified yet. The Kingdom was not established yet on the earth. Christ Himself had asked His disciples to pray, in Luke 11:2, “Your Kingdom COME.” We still pray that prayer today. The Kingdom has not come YET—we are still waiting for it!
But what did Christ mean with the phrase in Luke 17:20, “The Kingdom of God does not come with observation”? Does this mean that we cannot SEE the Kingdom of God? Remember, the Kingdom of God is the Family of God ruling over creation.
If we can’t see the Kingdom of God, or the two present members of that Family, how do we explain passages like Rev. 1:7? Here we read about the return of Jesus Christ, bringing to the earth the government or rulership of the Kingdom of God. It says: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him.”
Jesus Christ Himself describes His return in Matthew 24:30: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes [nations] of the earth will mourn, and they will SEE the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
Also, notice Luke 17: 24: “For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.”
So here people will SEE the returning Jesus Christ, the ruling King of the Kingdom of God. But Christ said, the Kingdom does not come with observation, so that people could not say, Here it is, or there it is. What did He mean by that?
Also, consider John 3:3 where Christ told Nicodemus: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
Are We Born Again Now?
Are we born again now? Some believe they are, but let’s read in John 3:6: “That which is born of the flesh IS flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit IS spirit.” We are still flesh and blood, not spirit, so we cannot see the Kingdom of God yet.
Christ goes on to explain what it will be like once we are born of the Spirit. John 3: 8: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes [you cannot see the wind, although you can feel its impact or power]. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” So Christ is saying here that unless you are Spirit, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.
But then we read in Luke 13:28: “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.”
Also, we read that the rich man in Luke 16:19, who is waking up in the grave to be thrown into the lake of fire, sees Lazarus and Abraham “afar off.” (Verse 23). We understand that by that time Lazarus and Abraham will be in the Kingdom of God, but that the rich man is not, and will never be. Rather, he has committed the unpardonable sin and will be destroyed in Gehenna fire. So there are people, then, still flesh and blood, who will see the Kingdom of God.
So what does this all mean? How do we harmonize all these seemingly different and contradictory statements? Let’s go through them again, but now much more carefully:
Let’s start again with John 3:3: Unless we are born again, we CAN’T SEE the Kingdom of God. If we are born again, we are born of the Spirit—we will BE spirit. As a matter of fact, we will be God beings. And when we are spirit beings and full fledged members of the God Family, we can SEE the Kingdom of God in its power—we CAN see the other members of the God Family—we CAN see God the Father, Jesus Christ, and other Christians made immortal.
The word for “see” here is the Greek word, “eidon.” It is the same word as used in Luke 9:27, where Christ said that some of the disciples would SEE the Kingdom of God in power and glory, before they died. And they DID see it—but in a vision, as you recall. They were still flesh and blood, but they SAW the glorified Christ. They could only do that IN A VISION.
We DO read that Moses SAW the form of the Lord in His glorified state—but he was only allowed to see God’s back. Read it in Numbers 12:8: “I speak with him face to face [but not in His glorified state], even plainly and not in dark sayings, and he SEES the form of the Lord.” Now read Ex. 33: 18-23: “And he said, ‘Please, show me Your glory….’ (20) But He said, You cannot see My face [in its glorified state]; for no MAN shall see Me and live…. ( 22) So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen!”
The Greek word “eidon” used in John 3:3 and Luke 9:27, is usually and accurately translated as “see.” It is used in many passages throughout the Bible and has this meaning. For instance, we read in Matthew 4: 18 that Jesus SAW two brothers, Simon and Andrew, casting a net in the sea. Afterwards, He SAW two other brothers, James and John (v. 21).
On the other hand, we have read that those outside the Kingdom of God will SEE those inside the Kingdom of God. But how can that be, if flesh and blood cannot see the Kingdom of God?
For instance, we read in Rev. 1:7, that those who mourn over Christ’s return will SEE Him. Now, those people who are mourning that Christ comes back won’t be in the Kingdom—at least not at that time. But it says that they SEE Him. We also read, in Matthew 24:30, that all the tribes of the earth will mourn, when they SEE Christ return. Again, the tribes won’t be in the Kingdom of God, but they still see Him, the King of the Kingdom. And remember, Christ comes back in glory.
Also, we read in Luke 13:28 that those who weep because they have not been allowed to enter the Kingdom, SEE Abraham and others in the Kingdom. And finally, we read in Luke 16:23 that the rich man who is in torment because of his impending death, SEES Abraham afar off.
It is interesting that in all those passages, except in the ones in John 3:3 and Luke 9:27, the Greek word, translated “see,” is NOT “eidon,” but “horao.” This word “horao” CAN have, and many times does have, the meaning of seeing in a literal sense. For instance, we read in Matthew 5:8 that the pure in spirit will SEE God. The Greek word is “horao” and has the literal meaning.
Also, we read in 1 John 3:2 that we, when we are glorified, will SEE the returning Christ AS HE IS. The Greek word here is “horao” as well. This passage is interesting, as it implies that others who are not glorified, who are not in the Kingdom, will see Christ, too, but NOT AS HE IS.
That explains HOW the world will SEE the returning Christ. They will see Him, even in glory, but not to the degree of glory that would kill them immediately. We [those who are resurrected at His return] will SEE Him as He is, but the world will not see Him in His fullest glory.
In addition—this Greek word “horao” can ALSO have a figurative meaning. That is, it can also mean, “acknowledge, understand, comprehend, experience, discern, take heed behold, perceive.”
Consider the following examples.
John 8:38: “I speak what I have SEEN with My Father, and you do what you have SEEN with your father.” In both cases, the word is “horao.” The first time, the term describes, or at least includes, the literal act of seeing, but the second time, it can only describe a figurative way of seeing, as the father referred to here is Satan the devil—no human has actually seen the devil, a spirit being. And Satan cannot manifest himself, although he can possess men or even animals.
1 Thess. 5:15: “SEE that no one renders evil for evil to anyone.”
3 John 11: “He who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not SEEN God.”
So the people of this world and the rich man who SEE Abraham in the Kingdom, see him in the sense that they recognize and discern and understand the fact that he is in the Kingdom, while they are not.
Kingdom of God Does Not Come With Observation
Now, let’s go back to Christ’s statement in Luke 17:20 that “the Kingdom of God does not come with observation.” What did He mean by that?
The Greek word, translated here as “observation,” is “parateresis” and shows up only this one time in the entire New Testament. The “para” in “parateresis” means, “intensive” or “intense.” “Teresis” is a noun. But the verb “tereo,” which is derived from the noun “teresis,” appears 75 times in the New Testament.
In most cases, it has the meaning of “to keep,” such as, to keep the commandments (Matthew 19:17), or to keep or observe God’s word (John 15:20), or to keep good wine, in the sense of holding it back (John 2:10). It can have the meaning of “preserve,” as in John 17:11, or of “protect,” as in John 17:15. It is rendered “reserved” in I Peter 1:4, and it can have the meaning of keeping a prisoner under guard, as, for instance, in Matthew 27:36 and in numerous other places.
When this word “tereo” is combined with the word “para,” the meaning of which was “intensive” or “intensely,” the verb “ para – tereo” would mean then, that something is kept intensely, in the sense that it is either observed intensely, or guarded or protected or held back in an intense fashion, depending upon the context.
The verb “paratereo,” which is derived from the noun “parateresis,” which is used in Luke 17:20 and rendered there as “observation,” appears six times in the New Testament:
Mark 3:2: “So they watched Him closely…so that they might accuse Him.”
Luke 6:7: They “…watched Him closely…, that they might find an accusation against Him…”
Luke 14:1: “He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, … they watched Him closely.”
Luke 20:20: “So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor.”
Acts 9:24: “And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him.”
Gal. 4:10: “You observe [keep or watch closely or intensely, but in a negative way] days and months and seasons and years”—a reference to pagan holidays, NOT God’s Holy Days.
So we see that the Greek word “paratereo” is exclusively used in the New Testament in a negative way. It is used to convey an intense close watch on someone in order to trick him, accuse him or kill him. In Gal. 4:10, it is even associated with the superstitious keeping of pagan holidays.
Going back to Luke 17:20, which was translated in the Authorized Version as, “The Kingdom of God does not come with observations,” Christ is telling us that the Kingdom of God does not come in a negative way. Remember, it is the good news of the Kingdom of God that we are to proclaim. One cannot watch or observe it closely in a negative, superstitious way and one cannot gain it by deceit or craftiness. One cannot get it either in such a way that one wants to keep it under a guard, such as a prisoner. Remember, the Pharisees had attempted to “shut up the Kingdom of God against men.” They did not want to go in, but they would not allow others to go in either. (Matthew 23:13). It is for that reason that the Kingdom of God “would be taken away from” them and given to “a nation bearing the fruits of it”—the church of God (Matthew 21:43).
Christ was telling the Jews at His time that the Kingdom of God was already among them—but not in the way that it had been already established. They could not point at it and say, “Here it is.” Rather, Jesus Christ was standing among them in person. He was the representative of the Kingdom. He was the future King of the Kingdom, and the Savior through whom we can have access to the Kingdom. But it would not come for those who were looking for it in a negative way. Those who like to find fault with it, or try to gain it by trickery or fraud, or to keep it under guard, preventing others from entering it, would not gain access to it.
The Kingdom of God Has Come Upon You
In Luke 10:8-11, we read that the disciples were to preach that the “Kingdom of God has come near to” those who would be receptive to the message of the Kingdom of God. It was not established yet, but it was near to them who were willing to listen.
But, what about Luke 11:20, where Christ says that “the Kingdom of God has come upon” you? He was casting out demons by the power of God when He made that statement. The thought expressed here is the same expressed in Luke 17:20—the passage we just covered, where Christ said that the Kingdom was among the people. Christ, the future King, had been given the power from God to cast out demons. Many times, the Bible uses the word king and kingdom interchangeably.
In the book of Daniel, for example, we read about an image, symbolizing four world-ruling kingdoms. But the first kingdom, that of Babylon, is simply equated with the king over that kingdom, Nebuchadnezzar. We read in Dan. 2:37-38: “You, O king, are a king of kings. You are this head of gold.” But it goes on to say, in verse 39: “But after you shall arise another kingdom…”
The same principle applies in what we just read in Luke 11. Jesus Christ, the King of the Kingdom, had come to them, He was standing among them, and He healed people and cast out demons with the power of God. He gave them a glimpse of the power and the rulership and government of the Kingdom of God, once it was fully established in power here on earth.
Count the Cost
Let’s turn now to a passage in Luke 9, which tells us about the Kingdom of God and our relationship to it. Beginning in Verse 57: “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, ‘Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’”
Christ is telling this man to count the cost. He is talking about inheriting the Kingdom of God as we will see in a moment, but He is saying in effect, ‘Count the cost, because once you start, there is no turning back, even in spite of difficulties encountered.’
Continuing in verse 59: “Then he said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, let me first go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the Kingdom of God.’” He was actually called into the ministry, and Christ was telling him that once he is in the ministry of Christ, nothing else is more important than preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God.
Continuing in verse 61: “And another also said, ‘Lord I WILL FOLLOW YOU, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.’”
We are not to look back, as Lot’s wife did, once we have begun to look for, and work for, and live for, the inheritance of the Kingdom. That means, we are not to desire the things we left behind because of the Kingdom, like Israel desired the “good times” in Egypt, when they were facing trials in the wilderness. Christ admonishes us not to give up, but to continue in our mission to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world until He returns to establish the rulership of the Kingdom of God on this earth.
Again, He tells us in Luke 12:31: “‘But seek the Kingdom of God, and all these [material] things shall be added to you.’” The parallel passage in Matthew 6:33 is perhaps better known, where we read that we are to “seek FIRST the Kingdom of God AND His [God’s] righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
We read in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
We are admonished to set our priorities straight. We cannot serve God and think, that at the same time, we can serve something or someone else. If we serve mammon, then we become distraught and discouraged and start to worry when mammon does not come. But when we serve God, we are told that we need to cast all our burdens on Him, and He will carry them for us. When we do that, we do not have to worry about tomorrow. And so we read in Matthew 6:25, “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life…” When we really serve God, and nothing else besides God, then God will take care of us. He will open up possibilities to get a job, earn money and provide food and housing.
Back to Luke 12:29: “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink [Don’t make the pursuit of material possessions your goal and fulfillment in life], nor have an anxious mind.” Verse 32: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” God WANTS us in His Family—His Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is a Growing Family
In Luke 13:18- 21, we are taught that the Kingdom of God begins small, but grows. Right now, the Kingdom of God, which is the Family of God, consists of God the Father and Jesus Christ. But the God Family is a growing Family. God is adding to His Family. God is reproducing Himself.
We who are called today, are already sons and daughters of the Family, but we are not glorified God beings yet. That will happen when Christ returns. Even so, God has only called very few today. And many of those who are called do not respond to the call. That is why we are called FIRSTfruits, and Jesus Christ is called the FIRST of the Firstfruits. The designation of Firstfruits then, implies that there will be others who will be called later. This will happen in the millennium and during the Great White Throne Judgment period.
And so the God Family will grow, and the government of the Kingdom of God will grow too, that is, it will reach into the uttermost parts of the earth, and after that, into the entire universe. The rulership of Christ will start from the throne of David, which is here on earth—in Great Britain—and which will be located in Jerusalem when Christ has returned—and His rule will spread from there until it has covered the whole earth, as leaven starts small, until it has leavened the entire loaf.
What God does, begins small. Many think Christ’s mission was to save everyone at the time of His first coming, and that it is also the mission of the church today to convert as many as possible. This idea is totally false. Christ spoke to the multitudes in parables so that they could NOT understand. He would only tell the few—those He had called—what His parables meant. Likewise, God calls only very few today. Nobody can come to Christ unless the Father draws him or her.
Only One Way to Enter God’s Kingdom
Let’s note Luke 13:23-24: Christ is telling us that if WE are called to salvation, we must be serious about it. We must strive, put effort into it, to enter through the narrow gate into the Kingdom of God. When we read verses 28 -29, we see that the context is entering the Kingdom of God. So Christ is telling us that MANY will seek to enter it, but they will not be able to. This is a very serious warning. Christ is apparently talking about people who DID understand the truth about the Kingdom of God, and because they understood, they were anxious to inherit it and to enter it. But they would not be successful. Why?
The reason seems to be that they GAVE UP. They ceased obeying God and still thought they would be able to enter the Kingdom of God. They thought they could enter the Kingdom of God in another way, perhaps, NOT through the narrow gate. Read Luke 13:24 again! Christ said that it is IMPOSSIBLE to enter the Kingdom of God except through the NARROW gate. There is only ONE way to enter it.
Reading on in Luke 14: 16-24, we are warned again by Jesus Christ to not to have ANY priorities before that of seeking the Kingdom of God. Notice too, that what is being described here is occurring on earth, not in heaven.
Verses 21 and 23 describe people whose priorities are NOT the things of the world. They don’t own land or oxen, and may not even be able to marry—not that it is wrong to have land or oxen or to want to get married. But it is wrong if that is becoming the most important priority in life—if it is more important than serving God and entering the Kingdom of God. This means we should not get married to someone whose foremost interest is not the Kingdom of God, as this will invariably create marriage problems and could even lead to a lack of zeal and dedication in the one who began well.
“The Law and the Prophets were until John…”
Consider now this passage in Luke 16:16: “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the Kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.” Until the prophet John came, only the Old Testament scriptures—the law and the prophets—were known. In Luke 24:44, the entire Old Testament is summarized as the “Law of Moses, and the Prophets, and the Psalms.” The Kingdom of God had already been preached in the Old Testament, but not with such magnitude and clarity as Christ came to preach. NOW was the real possibility to enter it—since Christ had already qualified as King of that Kingdom, so that He could, with authority, proclaim the Kingdom of God as a future certainty for mankind. NOW it had become NEAR.
And because of Christ’s preaching, many responded by trying to get into the Kingdom. But unless they were called, they would still not know HOW. Remember, Christ told us in Luke 13:24 that many would TRY to enter it, but would not be able to. Christ warned those of His time, as well as us today, that not everyone who would just say “Lord, Lord” to Christ, would enter the Kingdom of God, but only the person “who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21)
This same thought is expressed in Luke 16:16: Everyone wants to desperately enter the Kingdom of God. But what does Christ tell us in verse 17: “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.” In other words, if you want to enter into eternal life, keep the commandments. Only those who do the will of the Father, which is, to keep the commandments of God, will enter the Kingdom of God. And now Christ continues to give us an example of such a commandment to be kept, in verse 18: “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.”
“You shall not commit adultery” is one of the commandments that we are to keep. And divorcing someone for any other than Biblical reasons and then marrying again, is a violation of the law against adultery.
In order to enter the Kingdom of God, in order to be part of the Kingdom of God, we must keep God’s Law. It is the SAME Law, as we are told in Luke 16:16, that had already been preached up until the time of John the Baptist. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the Law to fail.
We Must Be About Our Father’s Business
As we saw earlier, when Jesus Christ came preaching the Kingdom of God, people thought that He would establish it right then. Note in Luke 19:11: “Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the Kingdom of God would appear immediately.”
Although He, the future King of the Kingdom, was among them, the establishment of the Kingdom of God here on this earth would come much later—at the time of His second coming. He gave a parable in Luke 19 to explain this. Remember, He spoke in parables so that the world would not understand, but so that His disciples would understand.
We Must Be Faithful in Our Duties
Luke 19:12: “Therefore He said: A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.” Christ is talking about Himself. He is the nobleman who went into a far country—the third heaven—to receive from God the Father the kingdom or government or rulership over this earth. We read about this already in the account of Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man would appear in the clouds before the Ancient of Days to receive everlasting dominion and a kingdom that shall not be destroyed, so that all peoples and nations should serve Him.
And the angels confirmed this in Acts 1:11, when they told the disciples at the time when Christ ascended to heaven: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
Before Christ, the nobleman, departed for the far country, he instructed his servants to keep busy during his absence. We read in Luke 19:13: “So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas [a mina was worth about three month’s salary], and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.”
What the master gave his servants was valuable. And they were to DO something with what they had received. They were not to sit back and do nothing. Over and over we read in the Bible that Christ expects action from His disciples. He tells us in Matthew 28:19-20 that we are to make disciples of all nations, “‘teaching them to observe ALL THINGS that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” We already read in Mark 16 that we are to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”
Also, He admonishes us in Matthew 24 to watch and to be ready when He, the Master, returns. Beginning in Verse 45: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. But if that evil servant says in his heart, My master is delaying his coming, and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and to drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant…will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.”
Again, we see that Christ expects His servants to BE DOING something—but it has to be the RIGHT kind of work. In this parable, the head servant is charged with feeding his fellow servants healthy physical food while his master is gone. The analogy here is that of the ministry feeding the sheep healthy spiritual food until Christ returns. As Christ told Peter three times, “feed my sheep.”
In Acts 20:28, Paul admonishes the ministry: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost [Spirit] hath made you overseers, to FEED the church of God which he has purchased with his own blood.” (Authorized Version)
The apostle Peter stated the same in 1 Peter 5:1-2, Authorized Version: “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed THE FLOCK OF God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.”
Let’s go back to the parable again, to Luke 19:14: “But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.”
We see that the citizens, the Jews at Christ’s time, did not want Christ to rule or govern over them. In fact, they said, “We have no king but Caesar.” Also, we read in John 1:11: “He came to His own [His own people], and His own did not receive Him.” This can also be applied to the Church today. How many do really want Christ to rule over their lives?
We see, too, that the citizens understood that the nobleman was to RULE as a king over them—but they did not like that. Again and again, we are told that the Kingdom of God is God RULING over others. Some will accept God’s rulership over their lives, and others will not. But in rejecting God’s rulership, they are in fact rejecting Christ’s sacrifice and are still living in sin.
Continue with verse 15: “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.”
We Are Accountable for the Way We Live
At that time, Christ will be sitting on the throne of David here on earth, to judge the nations. But before He does that, He will ask His servants, His disciples, you and me, to come forward to give an account. A very similar parable is given in Matthew 25. The only difference is that each servant received from the outset a different amount of money. The first one would get five talents, the second one two talents, and the third one one talent, “according to his own ability.” A talent was worth 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the day’s wage for a worker. When the master of the servants comes back, this is what he does, according to Matthew 25:19: “After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.”
What we read here is about giving an account to Christ for what we did, or what we did not do, with what He gave us. Notice the following passages in this regard:
Romans 14:10-12: “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”
2 Cor. 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
Heb. 4:13: “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Matthew 12:36-37: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
All of these passages speak about an accounting in the future, when we appear before the judgment seat of Christ AFTER His return. It is true, of course, as 1 Peter 4:17 points out, that the time has already come for judgment to BEGIN at the house of God. We are being judged today on how we live. Nevertheless, we still have to give account at the time of Christ’s return. And there is a reason for that, as we will see in a moment.
Continuing then with the parable in Luke 19, verse 16: “Then came the first [servant], saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’” This servant had done something with what he received from his master. This servant participated in preaching the precious truth of the Kingdom of God that he had received. He did it either directly, or indirectly through prayer, encouragement, financial support, or simply by living the way Christ told him to live, setting a right example to others, as a light shining in a dark room. He brought forth fruit with the seed he had received.
And let’s notice Christ’s answer, in Verse 17: “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’”
Christ is using here symbolic language. He points out that the servant did bring fruit, that he grew, spiritually speaking. He was able to overcome his weaknesses, at least to a large degree. He served Christ well. He was faithful even in little things. He was willing to let Christ work through him, as a potter would shape clay into something useful.
Remember what Christ told us in Rev. 2: 26: “And he who overcomes and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—He shall rule them with a rod of iron.”
Since the servant overcame, he was rewarded with a certain rulership position in the Kingdom of God.
There is a great deal of confusion in the Christian world today about God’s gifts and His rewards. There is clearly a distinction, and it is important that this distinction is understood. God gives us eternal life in His Family as a gift. We cannot do anything to earn it. Notice it in Luke 22:29: “And I bestow upon you a Kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me.”
Gifts and Rewards
The Kingdom of God is the Family of God ruling over all creation. So we will become part of that Family of God by a GIFT. God GIVES to us the enormous privilege to become a God being within His Family. God gives us everything we need to make it into the Kingdom (I Corinthians 1:4-8).
But God will NOT give the gift of membership in His Family to anyone who disqualifies him- or herself from that gift, by showing God through the way he or she lives that he or she does not really want what God is offering. Our lifestyle must reflect the fact that we really WANT to inherit eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
And if we received more from God than others, then more is required of us. That is why we read in 2 Thess. 1: 4-7: “we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you also suffer, since it is a righteous thing with God to… GIVE YOU who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.”
Also, we are told in Luke 20:35-36, we will be, in the resurrection, SONS OF GOD, if we “have been counted WORTHY to attain that age, AND the resurrection from the dead.”
So, our lifestyle will determine whether God is going to GIVE US the gift of eternal life and membership in His Family—in the Kingdom of God. We can’t earn it—but we CAN live unworthily and thereby become disqualified. (Cp. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Ephesians 5:5).
When it comes to what exactly we will be doing in the Kingdom of God, HOW and TO WHAT EXTENT we will rule, that is very much dependent on how we live today. Our reward—that is, the extent of our rulership positions in the Kingdom of God—is dependent on how much fruit we produce today.
Notice in Rev. 22: 12: “And behold, I am coming quickly and My REWARD is with Me, to give to every one ACCORDING TO HIS WORK.”
1 Cor. 3: 8: “Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own REWARD according to HIS OWN LABOR.”
Luke 14:13-14: “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be REPAID AT THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST.”
Luke 6: 22-23, 35: “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets…But, love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return [this does not mean, you lend without hoping to get the money back; it means, when you lend, you don’t do it with the motivation that now you deserve to really get something great back in return]; and your REWARD WILL BE GREAT, AND you will be sons of the Most High.”
2 John 8: “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive A FULL REWARD.”
Our reward has to do with rulership. To the extent that we learn in this life to be ruled by God, we will be allowed to rule over others. We need to stay humble (Matthew 5:3). If we allow God to rule over us, we will develop the love of God in our lives, and only with that love in us can we be permitted to rule over others so that we won’t abuse the authority He gives us.
The servant who beats his fellow servants will not be given authority in the Kingdom of God. He has never learned how to use authority the right way. So God won’t give him authority in the World Tomorrow, so he cannot abuse his subjects on a greater scale. Those who are called into the ministry today and are given authority over God’s sheep have a great responsibility. They are being judged by God as to how they are doing. And if they are abusive, and if they refuse to feed the sheep proper and healthy food, and if they refuse to use the responsibilities given to preach the gospel in all the word as a witness, then, as we have read, Christ will come back at a time that servant will not expect, and cut him to pieces. It is THAT serious.
In the parable in Matthew 25, the servant who received five talents was able to double what he had received. And this is what the master tells his servant (Matthew 25: 21): “‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’” This is virtually the same response as the one given to the second servant in Luke’s parable who had gained ten minas.
Let’s return to Luke 19:18: “And the second [servant] came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’” So this servant was successful, too. He did not sit idle all day. He let God change his life, too. But he was not as diligent and as persistent as the first servant, who had gained ten minas. But still—he DID overcome to an extent. So let’s see Christ’s response, in Verse 19: “Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’”
Not quite the same enthusiastic response as the first servant received. We don’t read here that Christ said, “Well done, good servant.” BUT, He grants him authority over five cities. NOT over ten. Not AS MUCH authority as to the first servant. But he had overcome enough to be granted authority over five.
Compare this with Matthew 13:8, where seed falls on good ground. But even then, the seed does not yield the same crop in each case. It says that some yielded hundredfold, some yielded sixty, and some only thirty. Christ admonishes us in the next verse to think about that. To hear, if we have ears to hear. Our reward then, is the extent of our rulership positions in the Kingdom of God over this earth, which is dependent on how much we overcome, and how much fruit we produce, in this life.
What is being described in the parable of Luke 19 is our appearance as spirit beings before the throne of Christ here on earth, after His return. When we appear before Him, we will be God beings, since the resurrection or our change took place. NOW it will be announced what REWARD of rulership positions we will receive. The first two servants in both parables, who will appear before Christ as glorified God beings and full members within the Family of God, will receive a reward.
Going back to the similar parable in Matthew 25, we see somewhat of a distinction there. The second servant in Matthew 25:22-23 traded in or gained only two additional talents. But remember, HE had only gotten two talents to begin with. So he traded in or overcame as much as the first servant, who had added five talents, but he had received five talents at the start. Therefore, Christ’s reward for the second servant in that parable is the same as the reward for the first servant. Both had overcome the same—according to their abilities. And so Christ’s words to the second servant are exactly the same as His words to the first servant. Christ could have given the second servant more talents, but He did not. Christ knows what we can handle individually. We really have no excuse for not using what God is giving us.
No Eternal Life for the Wicked
But let’s go now to the third servant in BOTH parables. This servant won’t get ANY reward. Let’s see why, in Luke 19: 20-21: “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief. For I feared you, because you are an austere [a severe] man. You collect what you do not deposit, and reap what you do not sow.’”
This servant had not done any business with what he had received from his Master. He was not trying to overcome sin nor his bad habits. He showed through his conduct that he was not willing to have God change him. He did not want to be clay that could be formed in the hand of the potter. And since he showed that he was not willing to let God rule over him, Christ was not willing to give him responsibility to rule over others.
Wrong Concept of God
This servant had a wrong concept of God. He FEARED Him, because he thought that God was a severe man. God does not want us to sin, and if we do, He will punish us, but He does so in love, for our good. We need to fear God in the sense that we must respect Him, but not fearing Him in the sense that the servant did. This servant did not have the love of God in him; otherwise, he would not have feared God in the way that he did. Remember what we read in 1 John 4:18 : “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” But this servant apparently feared that whatever he would do, he could not satisfy his master anyhow. So he decided to do nothing.
This servant also had a wrong concept of what was required of him. Christ HAD told all of them to do business with what He had given them, but the servant refused to do so. He thought perhaps, in spite of what the Master told him, as long as he didn’t lose the mina, his Master would still be pleased, and that he could still be in His Kingdom and rule over others. He was afraid to use his mina, perhaps thinking that he may lose it if he were to use it in business. So rather than being obedient to God’s command, he thought that he could go about it in a different way.
In the similar parable in Matthew 25, we read that the servant said that he was AFRAID, and so he hid the talent in the ground (Matthew 25: 25).
We are clearly told that if we are afraid, timid, fearful, or without courage, we will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God. We will NOT receive any rulership positions, either. The following scriptures confirm this:
Rev. 21:8: “But the cowardly, unbelieving…and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Luke 9:26: “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.” And WHY would anybody be ashamed of Christ and His words?
The previous verses tell us, beginning in verse 23: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily [by enduring trials and persecution and ridicule], and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life, will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed and lost?”
And then Christ goes on to talk about those who are ashamed of Him. But the context is, trying to gain acceptance from people, trying to fit in, trying to be politically correct, even if that means, NOT saying certain things that Christ says must be said. The reason? FEAR! Fear that we might offend. Fear that we might be persecuted. FEAR that people might not like us anymore. BUT—Christ says that if we are fearful and ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us and reject us. And that’s what He did with the third servant in Luke 19.
Let’s read Luke 19, beginning in verse 22: “And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant [we read earlier that we will be judged and condemned out of our own mouth]. You knew [that is what this man thought about God] that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’”
This does not mean that Christ really is that way. But Christ is saying: If YOU THOUGHT about me that way, then why did you not ACT accordingly—if not out of love for me, then at least because you should have been afraid of Me. But you, Christ said, did not do ANYTHING. That’s not even logical. The point being that the servant makes excuses here for not having overcome. In the parable in Matthew 25, Christ calls him not only “a wicked servant,” but, “a wicked AND LAZY servant.” (verse 26). But now we see how Christ reacts when we are UNWILLING to overcome and to DO what God wants us to do, and then make excuses for our failure:
Luke 19, Verses 24-26: “And he said to those who stood by [perhaps the angels, perhaps some of us having been made immortal], ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’ (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’) For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has [or what he thinks he has] will be taken away from him.”
Christ gave the servant with the ten minas [the one who had overcome the most] another mina, that is, a rulership position over an additional city. He knew what that servant would be able to handle. He had proven this to God in this life.
The worthless servant did not receive ANY rulership position. In fact, he did not even receive eternal life. He did not enter the Kingdom of God. He did NOT appear in front of God as a glorified being, but as a human being who had not died, but who was still alive at the time of Christ’s return.
The parable in Matthew 25 ends this way, in verse 30: “And cast the unprofitable servant [the one who had received one talent and hid it in the ground] into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
He won’t rule in the Kingdom of God. He won’t even be there! If he thought that the one mina or the one talent gave him a guarantee to be in the Kingdom of God, without having to do anything with it, then he was now terribly disappointed. Whatever God gives us must be put to proper use.
Let’s see now, how the parable in Luke ends. Luke 19: 27: “’But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’” Neither the unprofitable servant, nor the enemies of Christ will be in the Kingdom of God. Neither one was willing to accept God’s rule over their lives—to do what God told them to do.
We must be different! These are stern warnings for us. We must be about our Father’s business, so that we will hear the words of our Master, Jesus Christ, at the time of His return: “Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”