FEEDBACK: THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION OF THE UNSAVED
11/3/09
We
appreciate feedback on the studies posted on this website. It helps us to see
if there is anything on this website that does not agree with the Bible.
Below is an email received from a viewer of this
website and OUR response
I have read several portions of the study and would like to offer some
comments. First, I think several people confuse the resurrection of everlasting
contempt with the torment of the five months. There are indeed several verses
show that the unsaved will have consciousness when they are cast alive into
hell (the grave) during the 5 months of torment. These people will express
sorrow and distress as they behold millions of dead bodies after a great
earthquake. They will express anger and madness when they begin to recognize
that they have been left behind or when they see the desecrated graves of the
church fathers. But the dead will not experience any of these emotions because
they will not regain consciousness. Now, let’s look at Daniel 12:2 to discover
why the dead will “awaken” to everlasting contempt.
When we carefully examine Daniel 12:2 we will discover that awakening is not
concerned with psychological or physiological responses of dead people. Rather
the awakening has to do with being translated from physical death to our
eternal abode. Over the past 13,000 years, the dead bodies of unsaved man were
buried in the dust to await the final destruction. The souls of these dead
people were extinguished the moment they died. Their souls are not in a place
called hell where they are dying of thirst nor are they being hidden in some
secret chamber for sleeping souls. These ideas come from theologians who
invented the doctrines of soul sleep and purgatory which are figments of man’s
imagination.
Da 12: 1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which
standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble,
such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that
time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in
the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt<01860>.
Let’s begin by examining the word “contempt” in Daniel 12:2—it is only found in
one other place--Isaiah 66:22. In Isaiah 66:22 we read that the carcasses of the
unsaved will be eaten by worms that will never die. Here God is using worms to
demonstrate His contempt (abhorring—Strong’s 01860) for the dead bodies of the
unsaved. In this portrait, God shows us that these worms will never die to
indicate that unsaved man will never live again because he is being consumed.
But in verses 22, God contrasts this language by stating that the name (memory)
of the believers will remain along with the new heavens and the new earth—which
is their eternal abode.
Isa 66: 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall
remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.23
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one
sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have
transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall
their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring <01860>
unto all flesh.
Now, let’s examine the meaning of everlasting life. When we study the phrase
“everlasting life” we know it refers to the fact that the believers will be
translated from this world into the
Da 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some
to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Mt 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall
receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him.
Joh 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise
him up at the last day.
Let’s take a brief look at the word “awake” as it relates to the dust of the
earth. In Isaiah 26:14 we read that God will destroy the memory of the unsaved
dead after they are slain. However, God assures us that the believers will
awake and sing when they rise from the dust of the earth. Additionally, we read
that they will come into the chambers (heaven) where they will be hidden from
the indignation (wrath) of God. Sadly though, in Isaiah 26:21, we read that the
dead bodies of the unsaved will be uncovered on this earth so that they will
experience God’s indignation. And this indignation (Strong’s 02195) always ends
with destruction (Isa 10:25, Isa 30:10, Eze 21:31, Zeph 3:3). The Bible says
nothing about resurrecting the souls of the unsaved to conscious life. All the
language is focused on God’s contempt for their dead bodies.
Isaiah 26:14 They are DEAD, they shall not live; they are deceased, they
shall NOT RISE: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all
their memory to perish.
Isa 26:19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my DEAD BODY shall
they arise. Awake <06974> and sing, ye that dwell in dust
<06083>: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out
the dead. 20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors
about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation
be overpast.21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her
blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
Da 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust <06083> of the
earth shall awake <06974>, some to everlasting life, and some to
shame and everlasting contempt.
So, while this website provides several verses that seems to infer that the
unsaved will regain consciousness; the Bible says they will remain dead to
experience God’s indignation on judgment day. This indignation involves
bringing shame upon the dead bodies of the unsaved. However, the indignation of
the living unsaved will come during the five months of torment. These unsaved
people will express anger, sorrow and distress when God’s judgment is poured
out but the dead bodies of the unsaved will simply be objects of contempt (like
dung). We must be careful not to confuse the reactions of the unsaved with dead
people.
BELOW
IS THE RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE EMAIL
When
we read the words “life” and “death” in the Bible, normally, we
think that “life = existence or consciousness” and “death = cessation of
existence or a corpse”. This is how that we use these words in our everyday
speech.
However,
if we examine the Bible carefully, we see that God does not use the words “life”
and “death” in that way for mankind.
Let’s
consider how God uses these words in relationship to mankind.
This
is a summary of the material contained in these two studies:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/life1.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/dust1.htm
First,
we notice that God says two times, that God Himself is “the life”:
John
11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live:
John
14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
In
these verses, God did not say that He was the giver of life. He said that He is
“the life”.
Another
thing we notice is that in Genesis 2:17, we read that in the day that
Adam sinned he would “surely die”. We read this two word phrase “surely
die” because God actually put the Hebrew verb “to die” two times in that
verse. We remember from Genesis 41:32 that when God doubles up, He is making a
point.
According
to the Bible, Adam really did die the day he sinned.
God
gives additional verses to insure us that unsaved man is already dead. Here are
a few of these verses:
1
Peter 4:6 For 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.
Ephesians
2:1 And you hath he quickened,
who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Ephesians
2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath
quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Colossians
2:13 And you, being dead in your sins
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him,
having forgiven you all trespasses;
Matthew
8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me;
and let the dead bury their dead.
Proverbs
21:16 The man that wandereth out of the
way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
When
we read these verses we may change them in our minds to say that unsaved man is
“spiritually dead”. What we are really saying is that his spirit is dead, but
his body is alive.
God
never uses the language of “spiritually dead”. We have adopted it on our own.
God
indicates that man’s body is dead also.
We
read in Romans 8:10:
And if Christ be in you, the body is
dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
This
verse is talking about the true believers. It says that the “Spirit is life”. The KJV translators
correctly understood that the word “spirit” here refers to God’s Spirit,
so they capitalized it. We can know that this is talking about God’s Spirit
because God uses the noun “life” in the Greek language and not the
adjective “alive”.
Man’s
spirit is not “life”, the noun. But God’s Spirit is “life”
because God is Spirit and God is life (John 11:25, 14:6). Romans 8:10 is saying
that God’s Spirit is the “life” that is in the true believer. This
actually agrees with John 11:25 & 14:6. God is “the life”.
However,
notice the first part of Romans 8:10. It says that the “body is dead”.
Maybe
we change this verse in our minds to read the “body
is spiritually dead” or the “body
is dead to the life in Christ”, but we should not do this. To
learn truth, we have to read the Bible the way God gave it to us.
God
is saying that the true believer’s body is “dead”. If the true
believer’s body is “dead”, then the unbeliever’s body is also “dead”.
With
the help of Romans 8:10, God is telling us that when He says that Adam died and
that unsaved man is dead, He is including the body of man.
We
receive confirmation of this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:29. We read there:
Else what shall they do which are baptized
for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the
dead?
Throughout
1 Corinthians 15, God is speaking of the resurrection of the body of the true
believers. In 1 Corinthians 15:29, God is talking about the body of the true
believers. Three times in this verse God talks about the “dead”. God is
referring to the body of the true believer that is “dead” according to
this verse.
When
it talks about being “baptized for the dead”, it means that the washing
away of our sins that God has done, covers not only our spirit, but also our
body. The application to our body does not come until the Rapture in which we
receive a new body that is without sin.
However,
the important point here is that 3 times in this verse God refers to the true
believer’s body as being “dead”. If the true believer’s body is dead,
then the unbeliever’s body is dead also.
So
far, we’re seeing that when Adam died, he died both in body and spirit,
according the Bible. No where does God refute that. No where does God say that
man only died spiritually (in his spirit).
In
Ephesians 2:1-5, God mentions the fact that unsaved man is “dead” two
times. From Genesis 41:32, we’re reminded that God doubles up to make a special
point. Therefore, let’s look at that passage to get more information about what
it means that unsaved man is “dead”.
We
read there:
1 ¶ And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all
had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath,
even as others.
4 ¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he
loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in
sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
God
mentions in both verses 1 & 5, that before salvation we are “dead”.
Because God doubles up on the word “dead”, this is a worthwhile passage
to examine to learn more about what God means by the word “dead” for
mankind.
We
ask one question: Is God describing someone that has ceased to exist?
The
answer is no. Ephesians 2:1-5 describes someone that is existing and doing
things just as much as any true believer.
We
ask another question: Does Ephesians 2:1-5 describe the nature of unsaved man
in just his spirit or rather, is God describing the nature of unsaved man in
both his spirit and his body?
Ephesians
2:1-5 describes the nature of mankind in his whole personality. Before
salvation, both in body and spirit, we want to sin and do our own will.
After
we are saved, we read in Romans 7:14-25 about how the true believer in his
spirit-essence desires to do the will of God, but his body still desires sin.
The reason for this is covered more in the study on the Biblical definition of
“life” and “death” for mankind. The link is given above.
However,
before salvation, both in body and spirit, we desire sin. Ephesians 2:1-5
describes the nature of unsaved man, in both his body and his spirit.
Therefore,
when God says in Ephesians 2:1-5 that before salvation, we are “dead” in sins,
God is talking about both the spirit and the body of man, because Ephesians
2:1-5 describes the nature of unsaved man in both his spirit and his body.
We
have seen three passages that indicate that unsaved man is already dead in both
his body and in his spirit: Romans 8:10, 1 Corinthians 15:29 and Ephesians
2:1-5.
That
means that according to the Bible, unsaved man is already both spiritually and
physically dead. The word “spiritually” has to do with the spirit and the word
“physically” has to do with the body.
So,
we must continue studying the Bible to learn: What is the Biblical definition
of death for mankind?
First,
let’s ask another question: Does unsaved man still have a spirit? Or, has his
spirit ceased to exist?
We
read in 1 Peter 3:18-20:
18 ¶ 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:
19 By which also he went
and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 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.
In
verse 19, God talks about “spirits in prison”.
God is talking about the unsaved people during the days of Noah. God calls
unsaved people “spirits in prison”.
They are in prison because they are in bondage to their sins.
Notice,
God calls them “spirits”. This means
that the unsaved still have a spirit-essence.
If
unsaved man’s spirit has ceased to exist, he could not be a “spirit in prison”. He would have to be either a
“body in prison” or a “person in prison”.
The
fact that God calls unsaved man a “spirit in prison”
shows that unsaved man still have a spirit-essence.
We
read in Psalm 78:5-8:
5 For he established a
testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our
fathers, that they should make them known to their children:
6 That the generation to
come might know them, even the children which should be born; who
should arise and declare them to their children:
7 That they might set their
hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments:
8 And might not be as their
fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not
their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
In
verse 8, God talks about the “fathers” of the Israelites. Sadly, they
and their fathers never trusted in the God of the Bible. Their fathers were “a stubborn and rebellious generation”. They
never became saved. Their “spirit was not stedfast
with God”. They never trusted God. However, notice that they did
have a “spirit”. These unsaved people had not ceased to exist in their
spirit essence.
We
read in Daniel 2:1-3:
1 ¶ And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep
brake from him.
2 Then the king commanded
to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the
Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the
king.
3 And the king said unto
them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Notice
in verses 1 & 3, God talks about the “spirit” of Nebuchadnezzar. His
“spirit” was troubled means that this dream really did trouble him, in
both body and spirit. In Daniel 2, King Nebuchadnezzar was certainly an unsaved
man. In chapter 3 he proceeds to build a great idol out of gold and to command
all the people to worship that idol. A true believer would never do that. So,
we know that Nebuchadnezzar was not saved in chapter 2. However, God talks
about his “spirit”.
So,
we have seen 3 verses in which God confirms that unsaved man still has a
spirit. There are more proofs that the unsaved still have a spirit-essence
which are given in the detailed studies.
The
Bible teaches that Adam died, both in his spirit and in his body, the day that
he sinned and unsaved man is already both spiritually and physically dead. Yet,
unsaved man still has a body and spirit. He has not ceased to exist in any of
his personality.
Then,
what does it mean that Adam died, body and spirit, the day that he sinned?
Ephesians
2:2 helps us to understand what happened to Adam the day he died both in his
spirit and in his body. We read there:
Wherein in time past ye walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
Among
other truths, this verse tell us that the devil, who is the “prince of the power of the air”, now “worketh” in the unsaved.
This
Greek word translated “worketh” is also
found two times in Philippians 2:13. We read there:
For it is God which
worketh <1754> in you both to will and to do <1754> of his good
pleasure.
Philippians
2:13 is talking about the true believer. God “worketh” in the true
believer. This is the Greek word “energeo”
from which we get the word “energy”.
Based
upon Philippians 2:13, we can say that God “energizes” the true believer. God
uses this Greek word two times in Philippians, putting extra emphasis on this
point.
However,
according to Ephesians 2:2, before salvation it is the devil that “worketh” in mankind. God is saying that the
devil “energizes” unsaved man, rather than God.
When
Adam sinned, he lost his “energizing” by God. He was no longer “energized” by
God. Adam became like the unsaved are today.
We
read a related truth in Romans 8:9:
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so
be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
When
we become saved, God Himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, indwells us. If
we do not have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us, then we are not saved,
according to Romans 8:9.
When
Adam sinned, he became like the unsaved. Adam no longer had the Holy Spirit
indwelling him.
Before
Adam sinned, everything, including Adam was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).
Salvation brings us back in the direction of the state of everything being
“very good”. An important part of that is God indwelling man.
Man
was made in the image of God and was designed to be “energized” by God and for
God to indwell him. This “very good” state is partially restored upon
salvation.
However,
when Adam sinned, he was no longer indwelt by God. He was no longer “energized”
by God. Adam effectively became “separated” from God in that sense.
The
definition of “death = separation” will fit for Genesis 2:17, Romans 8:10, 1
Corinthians 15:29, Ephesians 2:1-5 and what happened to Adam the day he sinned.
However, the definition “death = cessation of existence” will not agree with
those verses and what happened to Adam the day he sinned.
According
to the Bible, Adam died, both in body and spirit, the day he sinned. Adam was
no longer indwelt by God. He was no longer energized by God. Both of these
conditions would be a part of a “very good” creation.
Adam’s
spirit did not cease to exist, nor did his body cease to exist.
The
Bible teaches that God Himself is “life” (John 11:25, 14:6). We have seen how
“death = separation” from God will fit for Genesis 2:17 and the fall of Adam.
Let’s look at other verses that use the words “life” and “death” in
relationship to mankind.
We
read in 1 John 5:12:
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life.
This
is a very interesting statement that goes along with John 11:25 & 14:6. In
John 11:25 & 14:6, God says the He is the “life”. Then, in 1 John
5:12, God applies that to mankind. Of course, the “Son” is the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is God Himself. God says that he that has the Son has “life”.
God repeats the statement, but in the opposite. God says that he that does not
have the Son, does not have “life”.
God
says that He is “life”. Then, In 1 John 5:12, God applies that to
mankind by saying that “life” for mankind has to do with his
relationship to God, who is “life”.
We
think of “life” for mankind in terms of existence or consciousness. But, God is
defining “life” for mankind in terms of his relationship to God, who is the
“life”.
Some
people read this verse, and other verses, and change them to say “spiritual
life” or “life in Christ”. However, we cannot do that and obtain truth.
For
example, the Bible talks about the “faith of Christ” in Galatians 2:16. People
change that to “faith in Christ”. In 1 Thessalonians 1:3 and in 2 Thessalonians
1:11, God talks about the “work of faith”. People change that to the “work
produced by faith”. If we make these changes, then we do not have truth
anymore.
In
order to learn truth, we cannot change verses. We must read them as
God
has given them.
Let’s
consider another verse. We read in John 6:53:
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no
life in you.
When
God says that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood, we know that means
that we are to partake of the Bible, the “bread of life” (John 6:35). The Lord
Jesus is the Word of God Himself. Unless we partake of the Bible, we are not
saved.
For
those that are not saved, notice what God says about them, “ye have no life
in you”.
Does
this mean that regarding the unsaved, “ye have no existence in you”?
No.
The unsaved exist as much as the true believers exist.
Rather,
regarding the unsaved, God is saying, “ye have no God in you”.
The
unsaved do not have God, who is “life”, indwelling them.
John
6:53 is another verse in which God shows us that the definition of “life”
cannot be existence. Rather, like God says, “God is the life”. John 6:53
confirms that “life” for mankind has to do with his relationship to God, who is
“life”.
We
cannot change this verse to say “spiritual life” or “eternal life”. God did not
say that. God put the word “life” there.
Let’s
look at some more verses that use the words “life” and “death”.
We
read in John 5:24-25:
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and
shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is
coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they
that hear shall live.
These
two verses are talking about salvation. When we read verse 24, we don’t have
any problem understanding the phrase “hath everlasting life”.
However,
regarding the one who has become saved, we read the phrase “but is passed from
death unto life”.
When
we have become saved, have we “passed from non-existence unto existence”?
The
answer is no.
If
“death = cessation of existence” and “life = existence”, then John 5:24 is
saying that when we become saved we have “passed from non-existence unto
existence”.
Earlier
we looked at verses which show that unsaved man does have a spirit. He has
existence in both his body and his spirit, just like the believer.
Let’s
recall two important things that happen when we become saved.
We
read in Romans 8:9 that God the Holy Spirit comes to indwell us. We also read
in Philippians 2:13 that God now “energizes” us.
When
we have become saved we now have God, who calls Himself “life”, indwelling us
and energizing us.
We
are no longer separated from God. Rather, God who is “life”, now indwells us.
Earlier
we saw verses that taught that for mankind “death is separation” and “life” for
mankind has to do with his relationship with God who is “life”. With these
definitions, the phrase “but is passed from death unto life” fits
perfectly.
When
God saves us, we have “passed from separation from God unto God indwelling
us”. Upon salvation, God now indwells us (Romans 8:9) and now energizes us
(
This
agrees with the next verse, John 5:25. We read that “the dead shall hear the
voice of the Son of God”. We saw that the Bible teaches that unsaved man is
dead, both in his body and his spirit. He is already physically dead and
spiritually dead.
We
remember that “spiritually” has to do with the spirit of man. The word
“physically” has to do with the body of man.
The
unsaved are the “dead”. They are spiritually and physically dead, but yet they
still have both a spirit and a body.
We
read in the next part of verse 25, “they that hear shall live”. This is
talking about those that become saved. The first part of verse 25 says that
they were “dead”, but when God saves them, they shall “live”.
If
“death” is a cessation of existence and “life” is existence, then John 5:25
would have to be saying that the unsaved in either their spirit or body did not
exist, and then upon salvation they “shall exist”. But, that is not
true. We have seen that the unsaved already exist in both body and spirit.
When
we became saved, it is not true that then we “shall exist”. Unsaved man
already exists before in body and spirit.
However,
if God is “life”, and “death” is separation, then John 5:25 fits perfectly.
Unsaved
man is separated from God. He is not indwelt by God nor he is energized by God.
However, upon salvation he “shall live”. That is, he will have “life”. He will
have God, who is “life”, indwelling him and energizing him.
We
read some similar statements in 1 John 3:14-15:
14 ¶ We know
that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that
loveth not his brother abideth in death.
15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer:
and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
In
verse 14, we read the same phrase “we have passed
from death unto life”. This phrase does not fit with the definitions
that “life = existence” and “death = cessation of existence”. However, it fits
perfectly when we learn that God is “life” and “life” for mankind has to do
with his relationship with God.
Notice
that the end of verse 14 says that the unsaved person “abideth in death”. If “death” is a cessation of
existence, then the unsaved are “abiding in non-existence”. However, one
cannot abide in non-existence. If you do not exist, then you are not abiding at
all.
However,
if “death” for mankind is separation from God, then we read that the unsaved “abideth in separation” from God.
Is
that true? Yes, it is true.
The
unsaved abide in separation from God. They have not ceased to exist in either
body or spirit, but they are separated from God. They are not indwelt by God,
nor does God energize them like He does the true believer (Romans 8:9,
Philippians 2:13).
We
read another interesting usage of the word “life” in Mark 9:43:
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better
for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into
the fire that never shall be quenched:
God
says that when we become saved that we “enter into life”. We read this
same language in Matthew 18:8-9, 19:17 and Mark 9:45.
Do
we “enter into existence” upon salvation?
No.
Unsaved man already exists.
However,
we do “enter into God” when we become saved. We enter into God, His
Kingdom and all His blessings. He indwells us, he energizes us and guides us.
We are eternally in God and He is in us.
We
are tempted to say that we “enter into spiritual life” or “enter into
life in Christ”.
However,
God did not say that. If we change verses, then we can get the Bible to say almost
anything we want. There are a few verses that say “faith of Christ”.
People don’t understand those verses, so they change them to say “faith in
Christ”.
But,
we cannot do that. We must read the Bible the way God gave it.
Mark
9:43 and the 5 companion verses also teach that “life” for mankind has to do
with his relationship with God, who is “life”.
We
read in 1 John 5:16:
If any man see his brother sin a sin which is
not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not
unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
This
verse talks about salvation. It is an interesting verse. We will just look at
one point. In this verse and many others, God identifies salvation with “he
shall give him life”.
In
this verse and others, God says that when He saves us, He gives us “life”.
If God had said that He gives us “eternal life”, then we would have no
problem understanding this verse as “eternal existence”. However, God
did not say “eternal life”. God said “he shall give him life”.
When
someone becomes saved, it is not that “he shall give him existence”.
Rather,
when someone becomes saved, “he shall give him God”. God gives us God
Himself, who comes to indwell us and be our God in every way.
Let’s
look at one more verse, Psalm 80:18. We read there:
So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we
will call upon thy name.
We
know that the word “quicken” is the old English word for “make us
alive”. There are a number of verses, mostly in the Psalms, that have this
petition, “make us alive”.
The
Psalmist is asking God to “make us alive”.
Is
the Psalmist asking God to “make us exist”? No.
However,
to be “made alive” means that you are given “life” or you have “life”.
We have seen a number a verses that teach that when we become saved, we are
given God, who calls Himself “life”.
We
have seen a number of verses that teach that God Himself is “life” and that for
mankind “life” has to do with his relationship with God and death is
separation. These verses will not fit for the definition that “life = existence
or consciousness” and “death = cessation of existence”.
There
are more verses that teach the same truths. Please see the studies at these two
links for more verses:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/life1.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/dust1.htm
Now,
we must consider an important question: What about “life” for the unsaved?
The
Bible is clear that the unsaved are “alive”. That is, they have “life”. The
unsaved have “life” even though they are not saved.
We
have seen many verses which support the teaching that God is “life” and that
“life” for mankind has to do with his relationship to God. Is this also true
for the unsaved? The fact that they have “life”, is that because they have God,
who is “life”?
God
provides an answer for this question in Acts 17:24-29. We read there:
24 God that made the world and all things
therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples
made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as
though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all
things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men
for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before
appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they
might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 For in him we live, and move, and have our
being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his
offspring.
29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or
stone, graven by art and man’s device.
This
passage is talking about all mankind, including the unsaved. In verse 25, God
says that He has given “life” to all mankind. Normally, when we read
that statement we think that God has given “existence” to all mankind. However,
we should keep in mind that God says “I am the life” and all of the above
verses that we have been studying.
In
verse 28, God gives more explanation to what He means by the fact that He has
given “life” to all mankind. God says that “For in him we live, and move,
and have our being”. The “in him” is God Himself.
Acts
17:28 agrees with the definition that “God is life” and that “life” for mankind
has to do with his relationship with God.
In
verse 28, God is talking about how He has given “life” to the unsaved.
In this, God is describing unsaved man’s relationship to God, who is “life”.
The
unsaved still have God to some degree. According to Acts 17:28, unsaved mankind
is “in him”. That is, they are “in God” also. The unsaved “move”
in God. They have their “being” in God.
In
this world, unsaved man is not completely separated from God. God has also
given unsaved man “life”, which is God Himself, to some degree. Unsaved man is
“in God”. He “moves in God”. He has his “being in God”. We
see this in God’s many blessings that He gives to unsaved man.
Acts
17:24-28 show that for unsaved man also, He has “life” in that to some degree,
he has God, who is “life”. Unsaved man is still “in God”. He “moves” in God and
has his “being in God”.
However,
when unsaved man’s body finally fails and sleeps in the dust, then he is
separated from God again. How is unsaved
man separated from God when his body fails?
When
unsaved man’s body fails and sleeps in the dust, he is no longer “moving in
God”. Corpses do not move.
Acts
17:28 no longer applies to him. He has lost God, who is the “life”, that was
given to him in Acts 17:25. His body and spirit die a second time. They are
separated from God a second time.
That
is why unsaved man dies a second time. While he is in this world, he still has
God to some degree. He “moves” in God.
But,
when his body fails and sleeps in the dust, he is again separated from God. He
no longer “moves in God”. Acts 17:28 no longer applies to him. He is
separated from God, which is the Biblical definition of “death” for mankind.
When
unsaved man departs from this world, two things happen to him simultaneously:
1.
His body fails. He sleeps in the dust. There is no more consciousness in his
body.
2.
He dies. That is, he is separated from God. He is no longer “moving in” God.
Acts 17:28 no longer applies to him. Therefore, he no longer has his “being”
in God.
The
problem is that God focuses on what is important and mankind focuses upon what
he can see, so that he confuses “death” with a body sleeping in the dust.
God
focuses on what is important: Man’s relationship to God. So, God talks a lot
about “death” because God is concerned about man’s separation from God.
Man
focuses upon what he can see. Man sees the corpse. Man thinks that the corpse
is “death”. But, according to the Bible, the corpse is a body sleeping in the
dust.
Let’s
examine more about what the Bible says about the corpse?
We
read many times in the Bible about someone who dies and then there is no
consciousness in their bodies. We are left with a corpse. For example in
Genesis 5:5 we read about Adam:
And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and
thirty years: and he died.
We
read a lot of verses in the Bible that talk about people dying and then there
is a corpse. Also in our common language, we identify death with a corpse.
However,
we have overlooked the fact that God talks about a body sleeping in the dust.
We
see the first introduction to a “body returning to the dust” in Genesis 3:19:
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till
thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return.
In
Genesis 3:19 God tells Adam that “unto dust shalt thou return”.
As
we go on through the Bible, we read about both believers and unbelievers who
are sleeping in the dust. For example:
Daniel
12:2 And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt.
Deuteronomy
31:16 And the LORD said unto Moses,
Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go
a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be
among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with
them.
2
Samuel 7:12 And when thy days be
fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after
thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
1
Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1
Kings 14:20 And the days which Jeroboam
reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and
Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
1
Kings 16:6 So Baasha slept with his
fathers, and was buried in Tirzah: and Elah his son reigned in his stead.
1
Kings 16:28 So Omri slept with his
fathers, and was buried in
1
Kings 22:40 So Ahab slept with his
fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
2
Kings 10:35 And Jehu slept with his
fathers: and they buried him in
2
Kings 13:9 And Jehoahaz slept with his
fathers; and they buried him in
2
Kings 13:13 And Joash slept with his
fathers; and Jeroboam sat upon his throne: and Joash was buried in
2
Kings 14:16 And Jehoash slept with his
fathers, and was buried in
We
see that God uses the language of “slept” with his fathers and was “buried”
to speak of many of the evil kings of the
Also,
God uses the same language to speak of the true believers.
So,
God uses the language of “sleeping in the dust” to speak of both believers and
unbelievers.
Maybe
we say that “sleeping in the dust” is a synonym for “death”. However, that does
not agree with the many verses that we have been studying. Adam truly “died”
the day he sinned, yet his body did not sleep in the dust until he was 930
years old (Genesis 2:17, 3:19 & 5:5).
We
have seen many verses that indicate that man’s body is already “dead” and that
“death” for mankind has to do with separation from God.
We
have prepared these two studies with more Bible verses that show the
distinction between “death” for mankind and a “body sleeping in the dust”
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/life1.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/dust1.htm
So,
that corpse that we see is a body sleeping in the dust and the “death” is the
separation from God that man had in Acts 17:28.
A
big problem that we have is that God focuses upon what is important, which is
man’s relationship to God. Therefore, God talks a lot about “death” because God
is very concerned that man has become separated from God.
However,
man focuses on what he can see, which is a corpse. So, when the Bible talks
about “death”, God is talking about man’s separation from God, but man looks at
what he sees, which is a corpse.
Why
don’t we read about “life” for the unsaved in eternity future?
This
is why we don’t read about “life” for the unsaved in eternity future. It is not
because they don’t exist, but rather, because they will be completely separated
from God, who is “life”. That is the horror story.
That
is why God has written Daniel 12:2 the way he has. We read there:
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt.
God
talks about the unsaved and the saved “awaking”.
To
understand what God means by the word “awake” we must compare Scripture with
Scripture. God defines words by how He uses them in the Bible.
When
we do this, we find that “to awake” always means to have some greater
consciousness. This Hebrew word is never used to speak of an inanimate object
“awaking” without any consciousness.
Here
are some examples:
Proverbs 23:35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and
I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when
shall I awake <06974>? I will seek it yet again.
Psalms 3:5
I laid me down and slept; I awaked <06974>; for the LORD
sustained me.
Psalms 139:18
If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand:
when I awake <06974>, I am still with thee.
Jeremiah 31:26 Upon this I awaked <06974>, and beheld; and my
sleep was sweet unto me.
Proverbs 6:22
When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep
thee; and when thou awakest <06974>, it shall talk with
thee.
In the above verses, someone is waking from
sleeping at night. He has increased consciousness.
Psalms 35:23
Stir up thyself, and awake <06974> to my judgment, even
unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
Psalms 44:23
Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise <06974>, cast us not
off for ever.
In these verses, the Psalmist is asking God
to “awake” or “arise” to his need. The Psalmist is asking God to become more
conscious of his problem. God knows all. However, God is not responding to
the Psalmist’s problem. So, the Psalmist is asking God effectively to “wake up”
to his problem. He is asking God to be conscious about his problem and to help
him.
Psalms 59:5
Thou therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake <06974> to visit all the
heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.
Psalms 73:20
As a dream when one awaketh <06974>; so, O Lord,
when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
Here the Psalmist is asking God to “awake” to
bring His judgment. The world continues down it’s sinful path and God is not
stopping it. It is like God is not conscious of all the sin in the world. The
Psalmist is asking God to be “conscious” of the sin of the world and bring
judgment.
God already knows everything. However, at
times, God speaks about Himself as if He were another person like us.
Isaiah 26:19
Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall
they arise. Awake <06974> and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for
thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Here, God is talking about consciousness
coming into the true believer’s body that is presently sleeping in the dust.
Joel 1:5
Awake <06974>, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl,
all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine; for it is cut off from your
mouth.
Here, God is using the idea of “awaking” to
refer to unsaved man “waking up” to his relationship to God. Generally, unsaved
man is not conscious of how he is under the wrath of God. The command is to
become conscious of your standing before God.
When we examine each of the verses with this
Hebrew word translated “awake”, it always signifies increased consciousness.
In fact God makes a significant statement in
Habakkuk 2:19:
Woe unto him that
saith to the wood, Awake <06974>; to the dumb stone,
Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and
there is no breath at all in the midst of it.
God
is telling us that we are not to say that an inanimate to “awake”. They cannot
have consciousness. They cannot “awake”. From Habakkuk 2:19, we can know that
God does not intend this word to refer to inanimate objects like bones or dust.
He is talking about someone awaking to consciousness.
In
addition, God gives a key verse with this word. We read in 2 Kings 4:31:
And Gehazi passed on
before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was
neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him,
saying, The child is not awaked <06974>.
2
Kings 4:31 has this same Hebrew word “awake”. 2 Kings 4 discusses the
resurrection of a child who died, whose body was sleeping in the dust. In verse
31, his body was still sleeping in the dust. Regarding that unconscious corpse,
Gehazi, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says that it is not “awake”.
This
is a very important verse. People are saying that a corpse or bones can be
“awake” without consciousness, but 2 Kings 4:31 says they are not awake.
In
2 Kings 4:31 God says that an unconscious corpse is not awake. Therefore, when
God says that the unsaved also will “awake” at Judgment Day, God is saying that
an unconscious corpse does not count as being awake. This is an important proof
that the unsaved will awake to consciousness at Judgment Day.
Daniel
12:2 says that the unsaved who are sleeping in the dust will awake and God
indicates that an unconscious corpse is not awake, with the same Hebrew word.
Therefore, Daniel 12:2 & 2 Kings 4:31 are teaching that the unsaved will
awake to consciousness and will not remain as unconscious corpses.
To
“awake” has to do with consciousness in the body. To have “life” has to do with
our relationship to God, who is “life”.
This
material is explained in more detail in these studies:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/proofs1.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/life1.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/dust1.htm
Let’s
go back to Daniel 12:2. We read there:
And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt.
We
read about the believer’s awaking to “everlasting life” and people think
in their minds “everlasting existence”. However, we have already seen
that the definition “life = existence” does not agree with many verses in the
Bible. Rather, God gives many verses which define “life” for mankind has to do
with his relationship with God.
In
fact, “everlasting life” or “eternal life” is another name for
Christ. We read:
1
John 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and
we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
1
John 5:20 And we know that the Son of
God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is
true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This
is the true God, and eternal life.
In
these two verses, and other verses, Christ is called “eternal life” or “everlasting
life”. This name has the extra significance that we have God, who is “life”,
forevermore.
So,
when John 3:16 and other verses talk about the true believer’s having “eternal
life”. Yes, that means that they have God, who is “life”, forevermore.
However, it also means that they have Christ, who is “eternal life”,
indwelling us and energizing us.
So,
Daniel 12:2 is saying that the true believer’s body, that is sleeping in the
dust, will awake to consciousness. At that time, his body will have Christ, who
is “eternal life”, indwelling it.
While
he was in this world, the believer’s body was still “dead”. His body was
not indwelt by God. Please see the following study for the verses that show how
God relates to the believer’s body:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/life1.htm
The
bodies of the unsaved will also awake to consciousness. However, they will not
have Christ, who is “eternal life”, indwelling them.
The
word “contempt” that we find in Daniel 12:2 provides no help in determining if
the unsaved awake to consciousness or not. The use of the Hebrew word “awake”
shows that they must awake to consciousness.
There
are many more proofs of the conscious awaking of the unsaved at Judgment Day,
however, to keep this email shorter, they are not included here.
Some
of these proofs may be found at these links:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/proofs1.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/rev6v15.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/everyknee.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/proofs2.htm
There
are many verses in the above studies that do not simply seem to infer that the
unsaved who have died, whose bodies are sleeping in the dust, will awake to
experience conscious affliction. They go beyond that. They teach that this will
happen.
In
your email you mention Isaiah 26:14. We read there:
They are
dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise:
therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to
perish.
If
we read this verse carefully, we see that it is describing the present state of
the non-elect unsaved. It is not describing a future state for them.
The
verse begins “They are dead” or in the Hebrew “dead”. It
is common in the Hebrew to leave out the present-tense connecting verb: “am,
are, is”.
The
first phrase is saying that they are already “dead”. This same verb is
found in Genesis 2:17:
But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely <04191> die <04191>.
We
have listed many verses above that teach that the unsaved are already “dead”.
They are separate from God, who is “life”.
We
also read that they are “deceased”. This word is translated “dead”
in the other usages. The translators probably put “deceased” in Isaiah 26:14
to have a different word in this verse.
The
same Hebrew word translated “deceased” in Isaiah 26:14 is also found in
these verses:
Proverbs 9:14-18:
14 For
she sitteth at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,
15 To
call passengers who go right on their ways:
16
Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: and as for him
that wanteth understanding, she saith to him,
17
Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.
18 But
he knoweth not that the dead <07496> are there; and
that her guests are in the depths of hell.
Proverbs 21:16 The man that wandereth out of the way of
understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead <07496>.
In
these two verses, this same Hebrew word is already applied to the unsaved in
this world.
We
also read that these unsaved people “shall not live”.
We
get help in understanding this phrase by looking at Psalm 80:18. We read there:
So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we
will call upon thy name.
The
Hebrew word translated “quicken” is the same Hebrew word found in Isaiah
26:14, “live”.
If
we write Psalm 80:18 with contemporary English, we obtain:
So will not we go back from thee: make us alive, and
we will call upon thy name.
God
will “make alive” the elect unsaved. Because of that, they “shall
live” when God saves them. This agrees with what we read in John 5:25:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming,
and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that
hear shall live.
When
God saves us, then we “shall live” at that moment. We have “life”
which is God Himself indwelling us.
However,
God will not “make alive” the non-elect unsaved. They shall not be
saved. Therefore, they “shall not live”.
Both
the elect unsaved, which “shall live”, and the non-elect unsaved, which
“shall not live”, have existence. According to the Bible, “life”
for mankind has to do with his relationship with God, and not with existence.
So,
Isaiah 26:14 that says “they shall not live” is talking about the
present condition of the non-elect unsaved. God will not fulfill Psalm 80:18
for them.
Next,
we read in Isaiah 26:14 “they shall not rise”. When we read about “rising”,
we often just think of physical location. We think about corpses in a tomb that
will not “rise” out of it.
However,
we have to let the Bible be it’s own dictionary. God uses the word “rise” and
“fall” to talk about our standing with God and not our physical location. We
read in Ephesians 2:6
And hath raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
When
God saved us, He “raised us up”. We did not change any physical
location. Rather, we changed in our standing with God. We have been “raised
up” towards God or towards heaven.
Therefore,
when Isaiah 26:14 says that “they shall not rise”, it does not have to
be talking about the physical location of a corpse.
Rather,
it can mean that what happened to the true believers, according to Ephesians
2:6, will not happen to the non-elect unsaved. God will not “raise them up”
towards God or towards heaven.
Now,
Let’s skip ahead to the last part of Isaiah 26:14. We read there “made all
their memory to perish”.
When
we read about God not remembering the unsaved or God forgetting the unsaved, some
people conclude that this means that the unsaved are annihilated.
However,
we must follow the Biblical rule of comparing Scripture with Scripture to
understand what God means by words and phrases. We have a complete study on the
question of what it means that God forgets the unsaved. However, right here,
let’s just look at three passages:
We
read:
Psalm
13:1-2:
1 <<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of
David.>> How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt
thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having
sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
Psalms
42:9 I will say unto God my rock, Why
hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the
enemy?
Psalms
44:24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and
forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
In
Psalm 13:1-2 and Psalm 42:9 the Psalmist is asking God why God has forgotten
him. The Psalmist is suffering and is crying out to God. At this point, God has
not delivered him out of his affliction. The Psalmist asks God why He has
forgotten him.
In
Psalm 44:24, the Psalmist talks about why God has forgotten his affliction and
oppression.
The
fact that God has “forgotten” the Psalmist, or does not “remember”
the Psalmist does not mean that the Psalmist does not exist.
In
these verses, and other verses, God defines what it means when God “forgets”
someone, or God does not “remember” someone. It does not mean that the
person does not exist. Rather, it means that God is not helping him in any way.
God is not listening to his cries with any intention of helping.
In
this world, God still cares for the unsaved. They can cry out to God for mercy
and there is the possibility of salvation. Even if they are not saved, God
sometimes provides deliverance. And, in general, God cares for all mankind.
However,
once men are cast into the lake of fire, God will have completely forgotten
about them. God will never again listen to their cries with any intention of
helping them. In that way, God will have “forgotten” about them. God
will “remember” them no more.
For
more information on this, please see the study:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/forgotten.htm
Going
back to Isaiah 26:14, we read that God has “destroyed them”.
This
also ties into another part of your email. You talk about how God’s wrath ends
in “destruction”.
For
many people, when they read about the “destruction” of the unsaved, they think in
their minds “destruction = annihilation”.
However,
like in all Bible study, we must follow the rule of 1 Corinthians 2:13 to
compare Scripture with Scripture to understand what God means by the
“destruction” of the unsaved.
In
the Old Testament, we read about cities being burned and destroyed and some
people jump to the conclusion that these events were the actual punishment for
sin.
However,
we also read about other events in the Old Testament that were illustrations of
salvation, but not the actual salvation.
For
example, we read in Numbers 21:4-9 that the people of
This
event is an illustration of salvation, not the actual salvation itself. Numbers
21:4-9 is not teaching that those people that looked at the serpent and “lived”
actually became saved. Rather, this is an illustration of salvation.
In
the Old Testament, we read about other illustrations of salvation. It did not
mean that those people were actually saved, but those historical events were
illustrations of salvation. Likewise, we read about destructions in the Old
Testament. It does not mean that those events were the actual punishment for
sin, but they were illustrations of the punishment.
God
teaches this truth about the destruction of
In
both Hebrews 8:5 and 9:23, God is talking about the Old Testament ceremonial
law. The Old Testament ceremonial law was a pattern of God’s salvation program,
but not the actual salvation program itself. When someone held the Passover
ceremonial that was a pattern or picture of the payment that Christ made for the
believers’ sins. However, that was not the actual payment.
God
is using this same word in 2 Peter 2:6, translated “ensample”, to
describe the destruction of
The
misunderstanding of the destruction of
There
is a detailed study on this available at:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/jude7.htm
So,
when we read about destructions in the Bible, just like when we read about
people being “healed” or “living”, we have to be careful not to jump to
conclusions too quickly. In the Old Testament and in the New Testament, God
gave many illustrations of His salvation program and His judgment. These were
illustrations, but not the actuality.
Going
back to Isaiah 26:14 and the “destruction” of the unsaved, in
Deuteronomy 28:15-68, God uses a common Hebrew word for “destruction” 7
times. It is the same Hebrew word that we find in Isaiah 26:14. We read:
Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing,
vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until
thou be destroyed <08045>, and until thou perish quickly;
because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
Deuteronomy 28:24 The LORD shall make the rain of thy land
powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be
destroyed <08045>.
Deuteronomy 28:45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon
thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed <08045>; because thou
hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments
and his statutes which he commanded thee:
Deuteronomy 28:48 Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies
which the LORD shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in
nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron
upon thy neck, until he have destroyed <08045> thee.
Deuteronomy 28:51 And he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and
the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed <08045>: which also
shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase
of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep, until he have destroyed thee.
Deuteronomy 28:61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is
not written in the book of this law, them will the LORD bring upon thee, until
thou be destroyed <08045>.
Deuteronomy 28:63 And it shall come to pass, that as the
LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will
rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought <08045>; and ye shall be
plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Each
of these 7 verses has the same Hebrew word “destroyed” from Isaiah
26:14. This is a common word for “destroy” in the Old Testament. In each of
these 7 verses, the tense or spelling of this Hebrew word translated “destroy”
is not in the past tense. According to tense, these verses are
describing an on-going “destroying”. They are not describing a completed
action. That is why the translators put “be destroyed” as if to indicate
a state of being. However, a better translation is “until thou are being
destroyed”.
In
Deuteronomy 28:15-68, there are many words and phrases of conscious affliction.
Also, verse 15 directs the passage to all of the unsaved throughout time. In
Deuteronomy 28:15-68, God is describing the “destruction” that He plans for the
unsaved. According to Deuteronomy 28:15-68, it is a “destruction” of on-going
conscious affliction.
We
have prepared a more detailed study on Deuteronomy 28:15-68. It found at this
link:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/proofs1.htm
We
have a study that examines how God uses the words “destruction”, “perish”, etc.
in the Bible. It is at:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/manywords.htm
Also,
we have a more detailed study on Isaiah 26:14:
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/isaiah2614.htm
In
Isaiah 26:21, you make a comment about the phrase “and shall no more cover
her slain”.
When
we read the word “slain” we think of unconscious corpses. However, we
have to let the Bible define it’s own terms.
We
read in Romans 7:9-11:
9 For I was alive without the law once: but
when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
10 And the commandment, which was ordained
to life, I found to be unto death.
11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
deceived me, and by it slew me.
Notice
in verse 11, that when Adam sinned, God “slew” Paul. This means that
Paul was “slain” by God. Also, Adam and Eve and the whole human race
were “slain” by God. That is parallel language to the fact that Adam and
the whole human race died, in both body and spirit, the day Adam sinned. They
became separated from God, who is “life”.
We
read in Ezekiel 37:9:
Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy,
son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.
Ezekiel
37:1-14 is talking about unsaved people who will become saved. In verse 9 God
calls the unsaved people in this world right now “slain”. That is
because they are spiritually and physically dead, according to the Bible.
According
to the Bible, unsaved man in this world is already “slain”. He is
separated from God, who is “life”.
When
unsaved man gets old, finally, his body fails. He sleeps in the dust. There is
no consciousness in his body.
However,
at the end of the world, he will “awake” to consciousness. He will still be “slain”,
just like he was in this world. He will still be separated from God, who is
“life”.
We
read in Isaiah 26:19, that the earth “shall no more cover her slain”.
The unsaved in this world are already the “slain” according to the
Bible. When their bodies fail, they sleep in the dust. Their bodies are put in
a grave. In that sense, the earth is covering her slain.
However,
at the end of the world, they will awake to consciousness. They will still be “slain”,
like they were in this world.
Right
now, the earth is covering the unsaved (the slain) that are sleeping in the
dust. But, they will awake and come forth out of their tombs. They will still
be the “slain”, but the earth will no longer cover them.
The
Bible talks about the unsaved at Judgment Day as “dung” in several
places. When this term is searched out in the Bible, we learn that this means
that the unsaved as Judgment Day are rejected by God. Please see the following
studies for more Biblical information about how God uses the word “dung”
in relationship to the unsaved at Judgment Day.
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/eagles1.htm
http://www.isannihilationtrue.com/jer8a.htm
This
is a summary response to your points. On the website, these subjects are
covered in much more detail with many more verses given.