Kingdom Ready

Alright, time to get back in the habit of posting new content here on KR!  Sorry everyone for being absent from around here. I’ve got a ton of stuff from last month’s Theological Conference in Atlanta and this month’s One God Conference in Austin to share and publish here.

I’ll start today with a paper I just received the other day from Dr. John Roller on the importance of Conditional Immortality.  I really enjoyed it and I hope you will too!

How Important Is “Conditional Immortality”?

by Dr. John H. Roller

Introduction

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.”

Q: How do you respond when someone who knows that you believe in “soul sleep” goes through the death of a loved one and tells you that they find comfort in thinking that that loved one is in Heaven looking down?

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.”

1 Thessalonians 4:14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

Mainstream Christianity fixates on the myth of the immortal soul (an idea that came from the famous Greek philosophers). As a result, when many read this verse, they conclude that when Jesus returns, he will bring with him the souls of those in heaven to be reunited with their bodies in the resurrection. What follows is Dr. John Roller’s response to this objection. Dr. Roller is an expert on the doctrine of Conditional Immortality (also called “the sleep of the dead” or “soul sleep”). His impassioned defense of the importance of this doctrine can be watched or listened to on our Death is Sleep resource site. More information about Dr. John Roller, including some articles, may be found on his website.

In the Old Testament, tucked away in first Samuel, lies the incident in which Saul (the first king of Israel) asked a witch to bring up the prophet Samuel from the dead in order to get advice on what to do. This account is sometimes used to teach that dead people are really conscious in the grave. What follows is Dr. John Roller’s response to this objection. Dr. Roller is an expert on the doctrine of Conditional Immortality (also called “the sleep of the dead” or “soul sleep”). His impassioned defense of the importance of this doctrine can be watched or listened to on our Death is Sleep resource site. More information about Dr. John Roller, including some articles, may be found on his website.

I don’t know if any of you receive the emails that Dr. John Roller sends out, but I really enjoyed this last one. Dr. Roller is an expert on the doctrine of Conditional Immortality (also called “the sleep of the dead” or “soul sleep”). His impassioned defense of the importance of this doctrine can be watched or listened to on our Death is Sleep resource site. More information about Dr. John Roller, including some articles, may be found on his website. What follows is his explanation of the meaning of Mark 9.48. Before quoting his exposition, it may be helpful to remind you of what the verse says in its context.