Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1921-08-31
IS The SOUL IMMORTAL? A Bible Study
BY w. H. GOODRICH
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not be necessary for our Lord Il
2 spend eternity in torment that hi
e might pay this corresponding price
I TO redeem man from such a fate
! Reasoning thus we see that the doc.
! trine of eternal torment has no basis
I for the Scriptures say that mans
sentence was death, that Christ pour.
: ed out his soul unto death to redeem
!, man. Gen. 2:17 margin; lisa. So
l0-l2)
In the Old Testament the words
grave and pit are "a times translated
from the same Hebrew word, Sheol
which translates "hell." And if prop
erly translated grave" in one in
stance, it could with equal propriety
/ be so translated in every instance
(see r. W. He'll is an old English
word, meaning a pit, and this is the
place TO which Jacob went-Sheol,
the grave, the pit, hell. Gen. 42.3S.)
The Greek equivalent Of sheol in the
| New Testament is hades. See Re
vised version, where these words are
left untranslated.)
Some say that hell is a place of
FIRE, yet Job 1921 describes it as a
place of darkness.
! Some think hell is a place of in
f. desCribable woe, pain, suffering, and
+ remOrse. Yet Ps. SS:11-12 speak Of
/ it as a condition of forgetfulness.
Some think the dead are conscious
at demise. Yet Eccl. $40 says the
dead know not anything.
If hell is a place where the shrieks
and groans of the damned are heard.
why does Ps. 1l5:17 describe it as
place Of silence?
If hell is a place where there is life
In any sense, why does Ps. 1864 say
that when a mans breath goes forth
he returneth TO his earth, and in that
very day his thoughts perish?
How could man be tormented in
he'll when there is no knowledge or
wisdom or device in the grave (sheol,
hell) whittier thou goest? (Eccl. 9:
10.)
If, in the parallels of the wheat
and tareS, sheep and goats Matt. -:
33-43; 25:3l-33l you recognize these
as symbols, representing certain
classes of people, why not recognize
that the fire also is a symbol--of
destruction.
Some think that this expression
teaches deathlessness of the soul In
eternal torment: "Where the worm
dieth not and the flame is not quench-
ed" mark 9:43-4S). Read the con-
text and remember that our Lord
spoke always in parallels to the peo-
pie Mark 4:34), that he opened his
mouth in figures and obscure sayings
Matt. 1895; Ps. 1922 He knew that
the earnest truth seeker would soon
learn the truths he sought to teach
in these parallels, while the unworthy
would take parallels literally and not
be able to DISCERN the truth. Our
Lord was here illustrating the final
ity of the fate of those who enter
Gehenna (helD, symbol of the second
death, from which there is 40 recov-
cry. The figure was drawn from the
Valley of Himon, whefe the offal,
ETC., of the city of Jerusalem was
burned-destToyed. The bodies OF
dead animals, thrown from the cliffs,
would sometimes lodge on the rocks
and were destroyed by worms in
stead Of fire. In extreme cases the
bodies of executed criminals were
thrown into this valley of fire which
symbolized that for such there could
be no resurrection. This fire was
never allowed to go out. Hence the
expression, where the worm dieth
not and the fire is not quenched," is
a symbol of total destruction of all
who enter the second death, pictured
in Rev. 20:l4; 21:S as the lake of
fire and birthstone.
The key to the parable of Lazarus
and Dives is found in Ezekiel %.
Here are two women representing
two countries or classes of people
Samaria and Judah. Apply the same
to Dives and Lazarus
and all is clear. Dives represents the
Jewish nation. for 1S45 years rich in
the favor of God. thee only have l
known Of all the families of the
earth.-Amos 3:2.) Rejecting Christ,
the Jews died as a nation, yet are
alive as individuals. They have been
severely prosecuted by all people
among whom they have lived. Thus
they have lifted up their eyes being
Gentiles who were without hope and
God in the world. After the rejec-
ton of the Jewish nation, God turn
ed his favor to the Gentiles (Laz-
arus) who were, figuratively speak
ing, taken TO Abraham's bosom. APP
ply the whole parable literally and
see how illogical and unreasoning
literal Interpretation is. For in
stance, if a man is rich he goes to
eternal torment; if he is poor and
full of sores, he goes to heaven--no
character qualifications necessary.
Search the Scriptures, and you will
not find a single text that teaches
that man has an everything, immor-
tai soul. COntrariwise, / Tim. GIG
and John SPA state that only Jesus
and Jehovah God hath Immortality.
Furthermore, Rom. 2:7 state that we
seek Immortality. Does one seek for
that which he already possesses?
Cor. 1858 states that this mortal
must put on Immortality. If we are
immortal now, then we need not put
ON Immortality but rather shuttle off
the mortal. Nor are we mortal if
this theory be correct. Hence those
Who teach that man is inherently i'm
mortal, in effect, declare st. Paul an
unsafe guide. Which shall we be-
lieve-God's inspired apostle or the
theory of immortality as taught by
Plato, a pagan philosopher?
Some believe that the wages of sin
j. death (the death that never dies,