Kingdom Ready

© 2011 Matthew Elton
matt@faithfirstmedia.com

Two Views: Eternal Torture vs. Soul Sleep

According to a popularized Christian belief, when a person dies his or her soul departs from the body and either floats up to a place of eternal paradise (heaven) or down to a place of eternal torture (hell). This belief has become so widely accepted among Christians that it is often assumed that it must have originated in the Bible.

This is what Easter is suppose to be about. When you strip away all the commercialism and pagan customs, it is about remembering why we can escape the death penalty we all deserve as sinful humans.  It was this one human man, the 2nd Adam, the Messiah of Almighty Yahweh that died an undeserved death in our place and became the FIRSTFRUITS of those who are asleep!

Acts 17:30-31

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.

Music has always been a big part of my life.  My parents often listened to classical records, big-band stuff, and had their own personal favorites (mother – The Sound of Music soundtrack, father – Johnny Cash records).  As a kid of the late 60’s & all through the 70’s and then coming to age in high-school & college during the 80’s, music for me meant rock & roll (now termed “classic rock”) and its emerging sub-genres of the day – “new wave” and “modern rock”. Of course a little cable channel start-up in 1981 that played “music videos” 24/7 also had a big impact back in the day in culturing my fondness for these new “alternative” rock bands.

Death. It’s not a pleasant thing, nor is it something which to look forward to with anticipation. It is something to be hated, despised, abhorred. Yet, most people, when asked the question, “What happens to you when you die?” they would quickly answer, without even pausing to consider, “I will go to heaven when I die.” Even people who marginally believe that there is a God, believe that heaven is where they will go upon their death.

Introduction

All four of the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – contain accounts of the resurrection of Jesus. Basically, after Jesus had been in the grave for three days, God resurrected Jesus – that is, God brought Jesus back to life. According to the apostle Paul, that resurrection is the entire basis of our faith. (See 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.)

Since the resurrection is such an important concept, I’d like to explore two items about it in more detail.

Is Jesus currently a human being, or a spirit being?

Recently here on Kingdom Ready there’s been a discussion on whether or not after being resurrected from the dead, one has a body that is actually “physical” or is immaterial.  The following paper by tektonics.org goes pretty in-depth into this subject and brings up many interesting points.

Originally posted on – http://www.tektonics.org/lp/physrez.html

On the Nature of The Resurrection Body

Going way WAY back into some old-school literature this week with a pamphlet that is 65 YEARS OLD! This one-time radio sermon was broadcast just a few months after the close of World War II in November of 1945!  I thought I would bring this sermon tract into the digital age and give it new life as it is a great explanation of how Paul’s famous expression is NOT a support for the immortal soul belief – but is instead a Resurrection truth like all of Paul’s other writings. 

Enjoy! 

 

PAUL’S DESIRE TO DEPART AND TO BE WITH CHRIST

by

VICTOR L. HARRISON

Radio Pastor and Evangelist

Program of “The Advent Christian Church of the Air”

This post is by Dr. John Roller, an expert on the doctrine of Conditional Immortality. You can visit his blog at johnroller.com and hear an interview I (Sean) did with him on Truth Matters or download his e-book about the historical development of the doctrine of hell. The following question and answer was sent out as part of the “Roller Update.”

Coming to you live from Anthony Buzzards’ 19th Annual Theological Conference in Atalanta GA… I’m on the laptop and wirelessly connecting to the web.  Yeah, isn’t technology great!

Anyway, here’s an article I’ve been trying to write forever it seems.  Finally, I got around to getting it done over some downtimes over the past couple of days.  The subject is the 11th Chapter of John and the wonderful truths I believe that can be learned from it.

 

Life after death – according to Martha & Jesus

By Ron Shockley

Happy Resurrection Sunday everyone! Today, most Christians commemorate the resurrection of Jesus – and as we know, that resurrection is the basis of our faith. (See 1 Cor 15:1-5.)

Since the resurrection is such an important concept, I’d like to explore one item about it in more detail. Basically, when God resurrected Jesus, what kind of “being” did Jesus become? In other words, is Jesus currently a human being, or is he a spirit being?

There are a number of verses that are used to support both views. However, here are the two most explicit verses that I have found, which appear to address this question: