The Results of the Fall
The book of Job reflects Satan's attitude toward the entire human race. God allowed Satan to do his worst to Job, but he had to spare his life. Satan ignored God's command and tried to permanently extinguish Job's life by causing him "to curse God and die." Job 2:9. Job represents the entire human race. Satan seeks to annul forever the good lives of all of humanity. His attempt to annul humanity exists as the spiritual death, which is totally evil, that Satan has injected into the inner beings of every human. But God loves the good lives of all humans whom He created, and He will never allow the faith that He has put into every human spirit to ever fail. I Corinthians 13:8; Romans 12:3. In the future Judgment Seat of Christ in the end of the world, God will resurrect all of His good lives confined to the regions of the dead because He will cause them all to return of their own free will to the faith that He put into them when He created them. Romans 12:3; Revelation 5:11-14; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:5. God will separate all of their spiritual deaths from them and cast them into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15.
God does not regard the physical deaths of His saints as being death at all. Psalm 116:15; Mark 5:39; John 11:11; John 11:26; I Thessalonians 4:13. Physical death simply means a transition of life from a lower dimension to a higher one. Physical death and spiritual death exist as two different events entirely. God holds the right to dissolve any system that He has created. Physical death simply dissolves the material body to its constituent elements that God can use to create new life systems. Spiritual death means the eternal separation of the human soul and spirit from God's Love. God will allow the temporary spiritual deaths of all humans not saved by grace, but because of the temporary spiritual death of His Son, God will purge permanent spiritual death from the lives of all humans. Hebrews 2:9.
Many humans who have turned their lives over to do evil have cursed God, but their good lives, no matter how feeble, can never die forever. Even the worst humans have done some good that came from God which demonstrates that the dim light of faith within their good lives, although greatly subdued, cannot be put out by the Devil. Isaiah 26:12; Romans 12:3; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ecclesiastes 12:14; Revelation 22:12. Even Hitler was good to his mistress and his dog. Stalin's daughter testified that although her father murdered millions, including his wife and son, he was always good to her. Can God ever lose anything He has ever created and loves? According to Ecclesiastes 3:14 and I Corinthians 13:8, He cannot.
Just as God completely dissolved Lucifer's system, stripped him of all the good ideas that God had put into him, and exiled him to earth as a totally empty and evil negative consciousness; so God will strip all of the total evil from all humans within the regions of the dead, resurrect their good lives that He created and loves, and cast their spiritual deaths into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:11-15.
Jesus prophesied in John 12:25 that those who try to save their lives will lose them. Matthew 10:39; Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; Luke 17:33. All lost sinners consider their lives to belong to themselves, not to God. They try to save their own lives which they consider to be both the good and evil parts of themselves. Christ will judge them after they physically die, and He will cast their good and evil natures into one of the regions of the dead. Hebrews 9:27; Revelation 20:13. In the end of the world when Christ judges these lost sinners, He will use His consuming fire to dissolve their systems to separate their good lives from their evil natures. All of the Old Testament burnt offerings symbolized this event. I Corinthians 3:11-15. When Christ resurrects and recreates these living souls and spirits with new bodies to live as righteous humans on His recreated earth, they will not retain the same identities and personalities that they had on the former earth. In other words, they will lose their former lives. Those who chose to lead good lives on the former earth may retain some of their former identities and personalities, but those who chose to practice evil will retain none of their former lives. All humans who obtain salvation by grace while living on the former earth will retain their former identities and most of their personalities when they die and go to heaven. John 12:25; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 21:1-5; II Corinthians 5:8.
Monday, May 11, 2020
Saturday, May 9, 2020
The World and the Word
The Results of the Fall
The fact that the Nimrods of the earth have controlled much of its
history suggests that perhaps the Devil inspired the Fallen Angels to return to
earth and mate with the Adamic women. The superior humans that resulted from
such encounters possessed such a lust for power and wealth that they misled the
quiet and trusting humans into horrible wars and other cruel inhumanities.
However, some of these superior humans actually desired to provide
good leadership for their fellow humans. Mostly, those who believed in God to
some degree. God gave humans life and liberty and the desire to pursue their
own individual happiness. Some superior leaders have recognized this fact which
inspired them to create governments that protect these human rights. When the
creative liberties of all the people become unleashed, they can create
societies of tremendous prosperity which benefit all the people who live under
such liberal governments. Such governments have been rare in human history
however.
God counterattacked the Devil's efforts to annul human life by gaining
control over it when He scattered them over the earth and confounded their
language. God's judgment annulled the Devil's efforts to completely ruin the
human race by separating it from God's Love forever and thereby causing God to
lose something that He created and loves. But according to Ecclesiastes 3:14
and I Corinthians 13:8, God can never lose control of anything He has ever
created and loves. By scattering humans over the earth, God was able to deal
with every nation and ethnic group individually. As a result, God decided to
choose one particular people through whom He would keep the light of His Love
for humanity forever lit. Through these Israelites, God would cause them to
write His Word of Love to humanity and bring the Savior of humanity into the
world. Luke 24:44-45.
Friday, May 8, 2020
The World and the Word
The Results of the Fall
The story of the Tower of Babel in chapter 11 actually precedes the story of chapter 10. Genesis 10:8-10 relates how one of these "mighty" men became the ruler of the entire human race and caused them all to dwell in one land called Shinar and required them all to speak one language. This tyrant called Nimrod misled these people to desire to build "a city and a tower" that would "reach heaven" and thereby make a "name" for themselves. They desired not just a tower but also a city that would reach heaven. They were smart enough to know that they could not build a tower to heaven. They actually desired something quite different.
They actually desired to establish a heaven on earth so that they could become independent of God's rule. Many philosophers and rulers since then have had that same desire. Satan was behind this rebellion against God because he knew that their desire for independence from God would lead to the Devil's absolute control of humanity and possibly give him the power to finally annul their living souls and spirits that God had created.
In Genesis 11:6, God made a very interesting and intriguing comment about the rebellious efforts of these people. God said, "... and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do." God certainly could not have meant that they could succeed in becoming independent of Him. Their efforts in that regard would only lead to disaster because the Devil would gain complete control over them. Humans can never become independent of God's Love because He will never allow their living souls and spirits that He created to become subject to the Devil's annulment. I Corinthians 13:8.
God must have meant by His statement about these people that He knew that they possessed the necessary intellect and talents that would allow them to gain such tremendous scientific and technological knowledge that, in the future, they would be able to do miraculous things. Certain modern scientists and engineers have gained such miraculous knowledge and abilities that it far exceeds anything displayed in the Star Wars movies. But the governments of the world keep that knowledge a secret from the common people. But no matter how powerful human knowledge may become, it can never cause humans to become independent of God's Love and protection. God will never allow that. Most humans do not realize that their very lives depend on God's Love and protection. Some humans even desire the annihilation of human life. How jejune and dead is that. The Devil seeks to crush all the lives of humanity completely out of existence. Humans who desire this tragedy have no idea what love and goodness really mean. I Corinthians 13:8.
The story of the Tower of Babel in chapter 11 actually precedes the story of chapter 10. Genesis 10:8-10 relates how one of these "mighty" men became the ruler of the entire human race and caused them all to dwell in one land called Shinar and required them all to speak one language. This tyrant called Nimrod misled these people to desire to build "a city and a tower" that would "reach heaven" and thereby make a "name" for themselves. They desired not just a tower but also a city that would reach heaven. They were smart enough to know that they could not build a tower to heaven. They actually desired something quite different.
They actually desired to establish a heaven on earth so that they could become independent of God's rule. Many philosophers and rulers since then have had that same desire. Satan was behind this rebellion against God because he knew that their desire for independence from God would lead to the Devil's absolute control of humanity and possibly give him the power to finally annul their living souls and spirits that God had created.
In Genesis 11:6, God made a very interesting and intriguing comment about the rebellious efforts of these people. God said, "... and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do." God certainly could not have meant that they could succeed in becoming independent of Him. Their efforts in that regard would only lead to disaster because the Devil would gain complete control over them. Humans can never become independent of God's Love because He will never allow their living souls and spirits that He created to become subject to the Devil's annulment. I Corinthians 13:8.
God must have meant by His statement about these people that He knew that they possessed the necessary intellect and talents that would allow them to gain such tremendous scientific and technological knowledge that, in the future, they would be able to do miraculous things. Certain modern scientists and engineers have gained such miraculous knowledge and abilities that it far exceeds anything displayed in the Star Wars movies. But the governments of the world keep that knowledge a secret from the common people. But no matter how powerful human knowledge may become, it can never cause humans to become independent of God's Love and protection. God will never allow that. Most humans do not realize that their very lives depend on God's Love and protection. Some humans even desire the annihilation of human life. How jejune and dead is that. The Devil seeks to crush all the lives of humanity completely out of existence. Humans who desire this tragedy have no idea what love and goodness really mean. I Corinthians 13:8.
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
The World and the Word
The Results of the Fall
Noah had to offer a blood sacrifice before he could offer the burnt sacrifice. The second offering cannot work without the first. Jesus had to shed His blood and water on the cross to wash away all of the sins and evil of all believers saved by His grace before He could descend into hell to provide a lesser form of salvation for the rest of humanity by the use of His consuming fire. This constitutes the meaning of Hebrews 9:22. The burnt offering cannot be effective without the blood offering. Hebrews 13:10-13 clarifies this meaning.
The story of Genesis 9:20-27 demonstrates the fact that the evil within the Adamic race will inevitably cause some of them to commit even the most horrible sins. But the fact that Shem and Japheth went backwards with a garment to cover their father's nakedness prophesies that God will save the entire human race. At that time, Noah represented the entire Adamic race. Canaan abused his father in a very evil way and did not repent. The fact that God punished Canaan more than He did Shem and Japheth prophesies that God will assign greater punishment to those who deliberately practice evil. All judgment belongs to Christ. But one can surmise that Christ will consign all those who deliberately practice evil and refuse to repent to a burning hell following their physical deaths. Hebrews 9:27. But even the worst humans in hell still retain a living soul and spirit that has done some good. Their living souls and spirits and all the small amounts of good that they did were created by God and belongs to Him forever. God can never lose anything He has ever created. God will recover all that He has created, cleanse it of all sin and evil, and He will recreate it. Ecclesiastes 3:14; Revelation 21:5; Luke 20:38; Romans 11:36; Psalm 145:14-17; Psalm 138:8; Psalm 111:7-9; Romans 8:18-23; Colossians 1:15-20.
God commanded Noah's sons to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." Genesis 9:1. Genesis chapter 10 records how the Adamic race spread out over the earth. Some built cities and civilizations, but others reverted to primitive ways of life. Most humans simply desire to live in peace and contentment with their fellow humans. But as Genesis 10:8-9 indicates, some humans who possess superior intelligence and talents, desire to gain power and control over their fellow humans. Many of these types of people gain control over governments, become tyrants, and mislead the quiet humans into evil wars and other horrors. Sadly, this has been the history of much of humanity. The fact that evil humans like Nimrod exist may mean that the fallen angels returned to earth to again mate with women after the flood.
Noah had to offer a blood sacrifice before he could offer the burnt sacrifice. The second offering cannot work without the first. Jesus had to shed His blood and water on the cross to wash away all of the sins and evil of all believers saved by His grace before He could descend into hell to provide a lesser form of salvation for the rest of humanity by the use of His consuming fire. This constitutes the meaning of Hebrews 9:22. The burnt offering cannot be effective without the blood offering. Hebrews 13:10-13 clarifies this meaning.
The story of Genesis 9:20-27 demonstrates the fact that the evil within the Adamic race will inevitably cause some of them to commit even the most horrible sins. But the fact that Shem and Japheth went backwards with a garment to cover their father's nakedness prophesies that God will save the entire human race. At that time, Noah represented the entire Adamic race. Canaan abused his father in a very evil way and did not repent. The fact that God punished Canaan more than He did Shem and Japheth prophesies that God will assign greater punishment to those who deliberately practice evil. All judgment belongs to Christ. But one can surmise that Christ will consign all those who deliberately practice evil and refuse to repent to a burning hell following their physical deaths. Hebrews 9:27. But even the worst humans in hell still retain a living soul and spirit that has done some good. Their living souls and spirits and all the small amounts of good that they did were created by God and belongs to Him forever. God can never lose anything He has ever created. God will recover all that He has created, cleanse it of all sin and evil, and He will recreate it. Ecclesiastes 3:14; Revelation 21:5; Luke 20:38; Romans 11:36; Psalm 145:14-17; Psalm 138:8; Psalm 111:7-9; Romans 8:18-23; Colossians 1:15-20.
God commanded Noah's sons to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth." Genesis 9:1. Genesis chapter 10 records how the Adamic race spread out over the earth. Some built cities and civilizations, but others reverted to primitive ways of life. Most humans simply desire to live in peace and contentment with their fellow humans. But as Genesis 10:8-9 indicates, some humans who possess superior intelligence and talents, desire to gain power and control over their fellow humans. Many of these types of people gain control over governments, become tyrants, and mislead the quiet humans into evil wars and other horrors. Sadly, this has been the history of much of humanity. The fact that evil humans like Nimrod exist may mean that the fallen angels returned to earth to again mate with women after the flood.
Monday, May 4, 2020
The World and the Word
The Results of the Fall
God also made a covenant with Noah that all future generations should establish good governments to restrain all humans who would surrender to practice evil. These governments should have the power to execute the worst evildoers. Good people would be required to run these governments. However, for the most part, humans have miserably failed to keep this covenant. The history of the world demonstrates that most governments have been run by the evildoers who oppress and execute any good people who get in their way. The people have seldom had good governments who restrain the evildoers and provide liberty for its people. Genesis 9:6.
God destroyed the evil human race in sorrow, not in His wrath. God understood that they had become overwhelmed by evil because they had lost much of their free will that they could use to choose to combat evil. This meant their evil was not their fault. Genesis 6:6-7. God realized this fact, and He still loved these people. For this reason, God became deeply grieved because He had to destroy good lives that He had created through no fault of their own. God decided He had to separate their evil, fleshly natures from their spirits which still retained a consciousness of Him, although greatly subdued, by using a great worldwide flood. But God also knew that their fleshly natures would dissolve into nothingness with the decay of their flesh. In order to effect the cleansing and separation of their spirits from their fleshly natures, the great flood also contained the water that flowed from Jesus on the cross.
God had to consign the spirits of these evil humans to the bottomless pit because sin still stained their good spirits. But after His passion, Christ came to them and preached the gospel to them that He held the power to cleanse their good spirits of all sins by washing them in the spiritual water that flowed from His side on the cross. They all repented and believed, and Christ restored their full consciousness of Him and their fellowship with Him. No doubt, Christ also raised them from the dead and created new, righteous bodies for them. I Peter 3:18-21.
God uses four methods to cleanse all sin and evil from all His living humans that He created and loves. He uses His shed blood, His shed water, His Spirit, and His consuming fire which constitutes His wrath against evil. I John 1:7; Ephesians 5:25-27; I John 5:8; Isaiah 6:6-7; I Corinthians 3:11-14. God used the great flood and the water that flowed from Jesus on the cross to thoroughly purge all sins and evil from the living spirits of the pre-Adamic race because He had no wrath against them. The Holy Spirit holds the power to change the blood and water that flowed from Jesus on the cross to spiritual blood and water. I Corinthians 6:11.
God put a rainbow in the cloud as a promise to the Adamic race that He will never again destroy humanity with a flood because He will never again allow humanity to become totally overwhelmed by evil. After the Devil has done his worst to humanity, then God holds the right to exercise His Almighty Power to move to protect His living humans from eternal spiritual death which the Devil seeks to impose on them. Job 2:4-6. While the Adamic race will inevitably sin because of weakness, it can also willfully and deliberately choose to do good or to do evil. God holds the Adamic race responsible for all the good and evil that it does. But God also only punishes His living humans temporarily for their sins and evil because He understands that their sins are inevitable and their evil is foreign to them. God has provided for the eternal salvation of all living humans, some by His grace and all others in a great worship service as recorded in Revelation 5:11-14. John 5:24.
Christ purges all sin and evil from all believers while still alive in the flesh with His shed blood and water and gives them His righteousness and eternal life the moment they believe. John 5:24; Romans 6:16; Romans 6:23. Christ also purges all sins and evil from all repentant sinners confined within the regions of the dead by the use of His consuming fire. I Corinthians 3:11-15; Revelation 5:11-14; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 22:11-12; Genesis 9:8-17. Revelation 20:11-15 clearly teaches that God will cast only the dead into the lake of fire, not living humans. These dead are totally evil, and they may possess some negative consciousness but not a living, positive consciousness which God created for them. Jesus referred to this negative consciousness as being like worms. Mark 9:44, 46, 48. Revelation 22:11-12 also teaches that God will effect an absolute separation of all that is good from all that is evil. God will also provide a positive reward for the good works of all humans. They will have to be alive to receive these rewards.
God also made a covenant with Noah that all future generations should establish good governments to restrain all humans who would surrender to practice evil. These governments should have the power to execute the worst evildoers. Good people would be required to run these governments. However, for the most part, humans have miserably failed to keep this covenant. The history of the world demonstrates that most governments have been run by the evildoers who oppress and execute any good people who get in their way. The people have seldom had good governments who restrain the evildoers and provide liberty for its people. Genesis 9:6.
God destroyed the evil human race in sorrow, not in His wrath. God understood that they had become overwhelmed by evil because they had lost much of their free will that they could use to choose to combat evil. This meant their evil was not their fault. Genesis 6:6-7. God realized this fact, and He still loved these people. For this reason, God became deeply grieved because He had to destroy good lives that He had created through no fault of their own. God decided He had to separate their evil, fleshly natures from their spirits which still retained a consciousness of Him, although greatly subdued, by using a great worldwide flood. But God also knew that their fleshly natures would dissolve into nothingness with the decay of their flesh. In order to effect the cleansing and separation of their spirits from their fleshly natures, the great flood also contained the water that flowed from Jesus on the cross.
God had to consign the spirits of these evil humans to the bottomless pit because sin still stained their good spirits. But after His passion, Christ came to them and preached the gospel to them that He held the power to cleanse their good spirits of all sins by washing them in the spiritual water that flowed from His side on the cross. They all repented and believed, and Christ restored their full consciousness of Him and their fellowship with Him. No doubt, Christ also raised them from the dead and created new, righteous bodies for them. I Peter 3:18-21.
God uses four methods to cleanse all sin and evil from all His living humans that He created and loves. He uses His shed blood, His shed water, His Spirit, and His consuming fire which constitutes His wrath against evil. I John 1:7; Ephesians 5:25-27; I John 5:8; Isaiah 6:6-7; I Corinthians 3:11-14. God used the great flood and the water that flowed from Jesus on the cross to thoroughly purge all sins and evil from the living spirits of the pre-Adamic race because He had no wrath against them. The Holy Spirit holds the power to change the blood and water that flowed from Jesus on the cross to spiritual blood and water. I Corinthians 6:11.
God put a rainbow in the cloud as a promise to the Adamic race that He will never again destroy humanity with a flood because He will never again allow humanity to become totally overwhelmed by evil. After the Devil has done his worst to humanity, then God holds the right to exercise His Almighty Power to move to protect His living humans from eternal spiritual death which the Devil seeks to impose on them. Job 2:4-6. While the Adamic race will inevitably sin because of weakness, it can also willfully and deliberately choose to do good or to do evil. God holds the Adamic race responsible for all the good and evil that it does. But God also only punishes His living humans temporarily for their sins and evil because He understands that their sins are inevitable and their evil is foreign to them. God has provided for the eternal salvation of all living humans, some by His grace and all others in a great worship service as recorded in Revelation 5:11-14. John 5:24.
Christ purges all sin and evil from all believers while still alive in the flesh with His shed blood and water and gives them His righteousness and eternal life the moment they believe. John 5:24; Romans 6:16; Romans 6:23. Christ also purges all sins and evil from all repentant sinners confined within the regions of the dead by the use of His consuming fire. I Corinthians 3:11-15; Revelation 5:11-14; Revelation 20:5; Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 22:11-12; Genesis 9:8-17. Revelation 20:11-15 clearly teaches that God will cast only the dead into the lake of fire, not living humans. These dead are totally evil, and they may possess some negative consciousness but not a living, positive consciousness which God created for them. Jesus referred to this negative consciousness as being like worms. Mark 9:44, 46, 48. Revelation 22:11-12 also teaches that God will effect an absolute separation of all that is good from all that is evil. God will also provide a positive reward for the good works of all humans. They will have to be alive to receive these rewards.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
The World and the Word
The Results of the Fall
All through the Bible (KJB), God speaks of the physical deaths of His saints in a positive way. Psalm 116:15. When the Old Testament saints died, they were "gathered to his people." Genesis 25:8. The Old Testament speaks of the physical deaths of the wicked in a negative way. They become "consumed with terrors," which means God must continue their temporary suffering for their unrepentant sins by casting their sinful souls and spirits into one of the regions of the dead. Psalm 73:19; Revelation 20:13; Hebrews 9:27.
Jesus often spoke about the physical deaths of His believers as if it did not exist at all. John 8:51; John 11:26. Jesus spoke about the little girl He raised from the dead as being asleep, not dead. Luke 8:52. Jesus spoke of Lazarus as being asleep, not dead. John 11:11. Jesus only admitted that Lazarus was physically dead because His disciples displayed confusion about what Jesus meant by saying he was asleep. John 11:14. The Apostle Paul spoke about the Church in their graves as being asleep, not dead. The recreated, spiritual bodies of the Church believers are asleep in heaven, but God will awaken them at the graves of His saints in the Rapture of the Church. I Thessalonians 4:13-14; II Corinthians 5:1-4. Even though recreated, the resurrected, spiritual bodies of His Church believers will retain the same identities that their physical bodies had on earth. John 12:25. All of this means that God does not regard the physical deaths of His saints as being any form of permanent separation from Him, but rather, as the means by which He can restore their fellowship with Him in body, soul, and spirit forever in heaven. In other words, God considers the physical deaths of His believers as not being death at all, but merely a transition from a lower form of existence to a higher eternal life.
All through the Bible (KJB), God speaks of the physical deaths of His saints in a positive way. Psalm 116:15. When the Old Testament saints died, they were "gathered to his people." Genesis 25:8. The Old Testament speaks of the physical deaths of the wicked in a negative way. They become "consumed with terrors," which means God must continue their temporary suffering for their unrepentant sins by casting their sinful souls and spirits into one of the regions of the dead. Psalm 73:19; Revelation 20:13; Hebrews 9:27.
Jesus often spoke about the physical deaths of His believers as if it did not exist at all. John 8:51; John 11:26. Jesus spoke about the little girl He raised from the dead as being asleep, not dead. Luke 8:52. Jesus spoke of Lazarus as being asleep, not dead. John 11:11. Jesus only admitted that Lazarus was physically dead because His disciples displayed confusion about what Jesus meant by saying he was asleep. John 11:14. The Apostle Paul spoke about the Church in their graves as being asleep, not dead. The recreated, spiritual bodies of the Church believers are asleep in heaven, but God will awaken them at the graves of His saints in the Rapture of the Church. I Thessalonians 4:13-14; II Corinthians 5:1-4. Even though recreated, the resurrected, spiritual bodies of His Church believers will retain the same identities that their physical bodies had on earth. John 12:25. All of this means that God does not regard the physical deaths of His saints as being any form of permanent separation from Him, but rather, as the means by which He can restore their fellowship with Him in body, soul, and spirit forever in heaven. In other words, God considers the physical deaths of His believers as not being death at all, but merely a transition from a lower form of existence to a higher eternal life.
Friday, May 1, 2020
The World and the Word
The Results of the Fall
All humans tend to possess an innate philosophy of life. Many humans adhere to a materialistic philosophy in that they believe only in physical reality and reject any form of spiritual reality. Jesus shed His blood and water on the cross to provide an eternal, spiritual life for all humans who will believe in Him while still alive in the flesh. All of the Old Testament blood sacrifices of animals symbolized this salvation by grace that Christ accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection. For this reason in Genesis 9:4, God prohibited the eating of the blood of slain animals because that would amount to a misuse of the symbolism of the blood sacrifice. Eating is for the purpose of keeping the physical body alive. The blood sacrifice symbolized keeping the soul and spirit alive, not the physical body.
The physical bodies of humans cannot last forever. All physical bodies must die and return to the elements which formed them. This fact happens to be God's general rule for all humans without exception. Genesis 3:9. Enoch and Elijah were bodily translated to heaven, and they may have lived there for a very long time, but eventually they had to physically die. In the Rapture of the Church, all of the saints still alive in the flesh must leave their mortal bodies behind and receive new, spiritual bodies that Christ will bring with Him from heaven. I Corinthians 15:51-53; II Corinthians 5:1-4. The physical bodies and fleshly nature of all humans are filled with sin and corruption, and God always completely eliminates all unrepentant sins and evil before He recreates any human. I Corinthians 15:50. At the Rapture of the Church, all of the alive saints will put off their mortal bodies and put on their spiritual bodies similar to a person taking off old clothes and putting on new ones. I Corinthians 15:53. Christ did change His own physical body to a spiritual body when He resurrected, but His body was sinless.
Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were neither mortal nor immortal. They existed in a neutral position. Whether they became mortal or immortal depended on whether they ate first of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or of the tree of life. They sinned and spiritually died that same day. Genesis 2:17. The fact that they became ashamed and made clothes of fig leaves to try to hide from God symbolized their spiritual deaths. They had become alienated from daily fellowship with God. But God came to them with His plan to restore that fellowship through a future Savior who would eliminate their sins and spiritual deaths. Genesis 3:15.
God punished Adam and Eve, and all future humans, with a temporary suffering for sins in lives of hard labor and pain. But God Himself would save them from eternal suffering which the Devil desired to impose upon them. God would also punish all future humans who rejected salvation by His grace by consigning their living souls and spirits to one of the regions of death following their physical deaths. Hebrews 9:27. But after their temporary suffering, Christ will cleanse all these living souls and spirits of their sins and evil with His consuming fire and resurrect them to new, recreated lives on His recreated earth. I Corinthians 3:11-14; Revelation 5:11-14; Revelation 20:5.
God did not punish humans with physical death. God simply informed humans that after lives of suffering for their sins, they would physically die and return to the elements from which they had been formed. Genesis 3:19. The dead bodies of humans are completely nonconscious. Therefore, physical death cannot be a punishment for sins.
All humans tend to possess an innate philosophy of life. Many humans adhere to a materialistic philosophy in that they believe only in physical reality and reject any form of spiritual reality. Jesus shed His blood and water on the cross to provide an eternal, spiritual life for all humans who will believe in Him while still alive in the flesh. All of the Old Testament blood sacrifices of animals symbolized this salvation by grace that Christ accomplished through His death, burial, and resurrection. For this reason in Genesis 9:4, God prohibited the eating of the blood of slain animals because that would amount to a misuse of the symbolism of the blood sacrifice. Eating is for the purpose of keeping the physical body alive. The blood sacrifice symbolized keeping the soul and spirit alive, not the physical body.
The physical bodies of humans cannot last forever. All physical bodies must die and return to the elements which formed them. This fact happens to be God's general rule for all humans without exception. Genesis 3:9. Enoch and Elijah were bodily translated to heaven, and they may have lived there for a very long time, but eventually they had to physically die. In the Rapture of the Church, all of the saints still alive in the flesh must leave their mortal bodies behind and receive new, spiritual bodies that Christ will bring with Him from heaven. I Corinthians 15:51-53; II Corinthians 5:1-4. The physical bodies and fleshly nature of all humans are filled with sin and corruption, and God always completely eliminates all unrepentant sins and evil before He recreates any human. I Corinthians 15:50. At the Rapture of the Church, all of the alive saints will put off their mortal bodies and put on their spiritual bodies similar to a person taking off old clothes and putting on new ones. I Corinthians 15:53. Christ did change His own physical body to a spiritual body when He resurrected, but His body was sinless.
Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were neither mortal nor immortal. They existed in a neutral position. Whether they became mortal or immortal depended on whether they ate first of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or of the tree of life. They sinned and spiritually died that same day. Genesis 2:17. The fact that they became ashamed and made clothes of fig leaves to try to hide from God symbolized their spiritual deaths. They had become alienated from daily fellowship with God. But God came to them with His plan to restore that fellowship through a future Savior who would eliminate their sins and spiritual deaths. Genesis 3:15.
God punished Adam and Eve, and all future humans, with a temporary suffering for sins in lives of hard labor and pain. But God Himself would save them from eternal suffering which the Devil desired to impose upon them. God would also punish all future humans who rejected salvation by His grace by consigning their living souls and spirits to one of the regions of death following their physical deaths. Hebrews 9:27. But after their temporary suffering, Christ will cleanse all these living souls and spirits of their sins and evil with His consuming fire and resurrect them to new, recreated lives on His recreated earth. I Corinthians 3:11-14; Revelation 5:11-14; Revelation 20:5.
God did not punish humans with physical death. God simply informed humans that after lives of suffering for their sins, they would physically die and return to the elements from which they had been formed. Genesis 3:19. The dead bodies of humans are completely nonconscious. Therefore, physical death cannot be a punishment for sins.
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