06.01 - Chapter 35 - The Immortality of the Soul

Part VI ESCHATOLOGY: THE STUDY OF THE FUTURE

Chapter 35 THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL Definition of Eschatology Eschatology is the study of the future in general and the study of last things in particular. The Bible teaches that the grave is not the end of life. There is more to come. There is life beyond the grave for there is a heaven and there is a hell. And there is also the promise of a new heaven and a new earth for all who love Christ (2 Peter 3:12-13) "Because human history is moving towards great and final events of cosmic proportions, individuals would do well to consider the question of the immortality of the soul." (David Clark) Denials of Immortality

• Atheism. Periodically in history there is an movement to reconsider the belief that the soul is not immortal. However, since the dawn of civilization the heart has longed for life beyond the grave revealed in the ancient civilization’s great preparations for life after death. The mighty pyramids and the artifacts of old preserved in burial chambers of past cultures testifies to the belief in immortality. People long for a meaning to life. The heart rises up to protest the words found in Shakespeare’s MacBeth, Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.

Atheism, as a philosophical system has never had a wide following though its followers have made the argument for Materialism.

• Materialism. In materialistic philosophy all attributes of mind are conceived of as properties of matter. There is no immaterial substance, there is no spirit. All exhibitions of thought and feelings are only functions of matter due to its chemical structure and the arrangements of atoms. When the body dissolves, all spiritual functions of thought, consciousness, and feeling cease to be. For this reason alone materialistic philosophy has proved destructive of religion and morality not to mention hope or meaning to life.

• Pantheism also denies the immortality of the soul. The only immortality pantheism will acknowledge is the endurance of the human race. Pantheism teaches that at death, all individuality loses itself in The Reservoir of Being out of which it arose. There is no personal existence after death. For this reason, Pantheism, like Materialism, is an adversary of moral conduct in the universe despite any objection to the contrary.. The Evidence for Immortality

One of the strongest arguments for immortality is the Analogical Argument which offers evidence from comparison. The restoration of the earth after winter, the germination of the hidden seed, the reproductive cycle of nature forms a basis for belief in the immortality of the soul. "Our Lord has written the promise of the Resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime" (Martin Luther). Another argument for immortality is the realization that life is too short to be the end of all things. Virtue should someday be rewarded and sin should be punished. Since justice is not fully manifested in time, there is a moral necessity of additional life. From the beginning of recorded history, mankind has universally believed in immortality.

Such a long-standing belief should not be easily dismissed.

Tell me not in mournful numbers, "Life is but an empty dream!" For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal;

"Dust thou art, to dust returnest," Was not spoken of the soul.

Revealed Religion: Old Testament The ancient Hebrews had a much clearer view of immortality than the nations about them reflected in the fact that the Old Testament speaks of the dead being gathered to their fathers. The sacred record reveals the appearance of Samuel to Saul, and David’s hope of seeing his child (Psalms 16:11; Psalms 17:15; Psalms 48:14; Psalms 73:24-28; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2).

Revealed Religion: New Testament The New Testament has many passages revealing the immortality of the soul some of which may be noted. The Parable of Dives (the rich man) and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 is one of the more familiar ones.

♦ Luke 23:42-43. "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

♦ John 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.”218

♦ John 14:2-3. "In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

♦ 2 Corinthians 5:8. "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be Absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

What about Conditional Immortality?

Conditional immortality is the belief that immortality is conditioned on regeneration which means that there is no immortality apart from spiritual life. In other words, there is a heaven but there is no hell. But is it true? The biblical response is, “No.” Jesus taught that in the resurrection there would a body suited for eternal life and a body suited for eternal judgment (cp. John 5:28-29).