Many of our readers do not have access to any libraries of much size. You might be interested in what some of the earlier writers believed. Such a study will show the beginnings and spread of apostacy and the creeping of heathen philosophies into the churches.

In "The Duration and Nature of Future Punishment" by Henry Constable (1868), we find a little table of early writers and their views on this subject. The death date of each is given.

Barnabas (90), Clement of Rome (100), Hermas (lO4), Ignatius,Martyr (107), Polycarp,Martyr (147). Justin,Martyr (164), and Theophius, of Antioch (183); all held to the Scriptural view that the supreme penalty for all who did not have life was eternal death.

Then came a couple of minor writers:

Athenagoras (190) and Tatian (200), who were steeped in the Greek philosophies of Plato and Aristotle. The Greeks got their ideas from Babylon. So these two advanced the idea of the immortality of the soul "Thou shalt not surely die", the lie of Satan). Their writings were not taken too seriously and they were considered more or less as heretics.

Two more writers, true to the Word, came in about this place. They were Irenaeus, Martyr (202) and Clement Alexandrinus (212).

Then the Greek influence again was felt. Tertullian (235) not only came out with the theory of the immortality of the soul, but he also taught the eternal conscious torment of the lost. This idea came especially from the Greek myths, which they themselves did not believe. They were simply stories to entertain. Hippolytus (240) followed with the same ideas.

This was so revolting to Origen (253) that he invented the idea of universal restoration because he accepted the theory of the immortality of the soul. Something had to be done with the soul. Since man had become as God, (another lie of Satan), and had immortality and could not die, even God not having power to destroy him, there was a question of what to do with man.

Arnobius {303) still held to the teaching of the Scriptures. He was about the last of those who had the truth. Then followed Augustine {430). He fastened both false teachings, the immortality of the soul and the eternal conscious torment of the wicked, on to the church and it has stuck till now. It is so strongly imbedded that no reformation can eradicate it.

Now you can begin to see why there is so little said today about resurrection. It is not needed by an immortal soul. Why bother with a body? And not only is the deity of Christ denied, but His work as well. How few today believe that He died for sinners, for the ungodly! And even sin itself is denied. What a mess! Thou shalt surely die.

The dream of men in past ages was that there might be some way to obtain immortality. Some philosophers dreamed that man had an immortal soul. But they did not know God, nor His Word.

Only One has had immortality so far. That is the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 6:16). He had a near competitor in the person of Achilles (A mythological Greek character). Christ is the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God (1 Timothy 1:17).

That which is immortal cannot die. It is not subject to death. It is man's desire. Can it be obtained by mortal man? Do the Scriptures hold out any hope that man could ever become immortal? Yes.

But this obtaining of immortality is only on God's terms, not by any philosophies of the heathen or the creeds of the churches. It is only reasonable that one must partake of the divine nature in order to have a resurrection and immortality. See 2 Peter 1:4.

The idea that Achilles should be mortal in his heel shows the foolishness of the heathen mind. True immortality has been brought to light only by the gospel. It is incorruption. See 2 Timothy 1:10.

The traditions of men and their religious institutions tell us that immortality is put on at death. But that is contrary to Scripture. There we are told that the dead shall be raised incorruptible. Then is when this mortality puts on immortality and this corruption puts on incorruption, and not some time before. Read 1 Corinthians 15:52-54. (Although this is for a past dispensation, resurrection is not a dispensational blessing, but the hope of every believer of all time). Members of the dispensation of the mystery will have this experience in the day of redemption (resurrection). See Ephesians 1:14; 4:30.

But some may insist and ask if there is a chance that any might obtain this great gift without death and resurrection. Yes, it is possible; and many will have this experience in that day. We are told that when the Lord comes, those believers who are living shall never die (John 11:26). We have good reason to believe that all these will be of Israel, not Gentiles. But that is another subject.

But these who never die must have a change. They are no longer mortal. And so it is (1 Corinthians 15:52). At the last trumpet, and in the twinkling of an eye, both the dead and the living put on immortality.

No man has the seed of immortality in him till he has been begotten from above, or again (1Peter 1:3,23, and notes in margin of Companion Bible). That is why that resurrection (being born again) depends on a begetting or obtaining of everlasting life (John 3:16). Those who do not believe the Son will never see life, and therefore never have immortality (John 3:36).

Note that the Scriptures nowhere speak of the reincarnation of the dead. If they are raised, it is to immortality, not a fleshly or carnal body. That dashes to the ground any hope men may have that their enemies will be reincarnated in a fleshly body that can feel and suffer, and either be tortured or die a second death. All those raised will be immortal and not subject to pain or suffering.

At death, do some go one way and some another? All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again (Ecclesiastes 3:20).

Does knowledge cease at death? The dead know not anything (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

Is dust the only name for the condition of the dead? All go to the same place and it is named. There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest (Ec 9:10).

What other names are given to the grave? In the Hebrew it is Sheol, and in the Greek it is Hades. It can be translated either hell or grave. Sometimes it is the pit. See Appendices 35 and 131 in the Companion Bible.

Are there other words translated hell in the Bible? Yes, there appears the word (gehenna several times. For instance, it occurs first in Matthew 5:22 and is in connection with fire. It is nothing more than the city dump where all refuse, dead animals, and dead criminals were disposed of. The worms and the fire did their work there. Notice in Isaiah 66:24 these are spoken of as carcases, that is, dead bodies. They therefore are not conscious of the fire and the worms, superstitions notwithstanding.

Are there any exceptions of any dead not going to the grave? Not a single exception. Even our Lord went there when He died.

Have any escaped out of that place? Yes, just one instance. In Acts 2:31, Peter is quoting from Psalms 16:10, His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. This had to be done to fulfil the promise in Psalms 132: 11 of Christ sitting on the throne of David. See Psalms 2:6 also.

But do not some folks go to heaven when they die? Never! Not even our Lord went to heaven when He died, not till 40 days later. And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of man Which is in heaven (John 3:13).

Are there other passages on this theme? There certainly are. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept (1 Corinthians 15:20). Who is the beginning (of the new creation), the Firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18). The Firstborn of every creature (creation) (Colossians 1:15).

What is this new creation? It is made up of all who have life and resurrection. Christ is the beginning of this creation. These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the beginning of the creation of God (Revelation 3:14). Christ is the beginning of the new creation, the saints that arise from the dead.

What is death like? For the believer, it is a sleep. See 1 Corinthians 15:20 above. For others it is simply the end. There is no remembrance of them. They perish (John 3:16).

Then there is an escape from hell or the grave? Yes, by resurrection only. See Matthew 16:18.

In the A.V. you will find immortal once, and immortality 5 times. All in the NT.

For further study of the terms look up incorruption and incorruptible. Also this will help to define what immortal and mortal mean. That which is mortal is not abiding, but subject to corruption. That is simply a return to the dust from which it is made. This is the biblical use of the terms.

The risen Christ is spoken of as the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, in 1 Timothy 1:17. He was raised in a glorified immortal body and is the firstfruits of them that slept, the firstborn from among the dead. This points to a future harvest.

Just recently a man said that he was sure that he had immortality. Blasphemy! The appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in His times He shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; which no man hath seen, nor can see(1 Timothy 6:16). According to this man's claim, he must be Christ!

The expression "immortal soul" is very common among the heathen and the philosophers, but there is no such expression in the Word of God. Immortal, nor any of its synonyms, ever appear in connection with such expressions as soul, spirit, etc.

In Romans 2:7 we are told that those who seek for immortality (they do not have it now), will receive a reward, eternal life, in the kingdom. Of course this is in a past dispensation, but it gives us a basic that.

Immortality is first spoken of in Genesis 3:4, Ye shall not surely die. This can be quoted out of context and used to prove that man is immortal. But it was Satan who said those words to Eve, and they are the lie. It is commonly thought that life and immortality were here brought to light by Satan, and later confirmed by Plato. And we find this written into the creeds of Christendom. But God has said, Our Saviour Jesus Christ...brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10). Just whom are we to believe, Satan, or God?

Immortality is something to be sought after, to be hoped for (Romans 2:7). It does not become our possession till resurrection. In a past dispensation we find the words, ...the dead shall be raised incorruptible...for this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1Corintians 15:52,53).

Immortality therefore is conditional. It is not for all, but only those who have a resurrection. There is no Scripture which asserts that the dead are raised mortal or corruptible, which would be a simple reincarnation, another heathen belief. We must remember that resurrection is the answer to death, the only escape from the grave or hell. It cannot hold those who are to be resurrected. Its gates are not strong enough for that, for when the Lord calls, all those that are His will come forth.

Since resurrection then is the key to immortality and incorruption, it should be sought with all diligence. It is a birth which follows a begetting.

1 Corinthians 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. Note that perish is in present tense and so it could read, are perishing. This immediately presents a problem. Orthodoxy teaches that there is no perishing in this life, but in a life to come. So here is a contradiction.

But can we find anywhere in the Scriptures that folks are resurrected and then die again? No one has ever pointed out such a passage. All are silent on this question. Then what is the truth?

John 3:16 also uses the present tense, and tells us that those who believe have everlasting life here and now, and that those who do not have this life are perishing. This is again set forth in 1 John 5:12. Those that have the Son have life here and now; and those who do not have the Son do not have life. If they do not have life, are they then in the category of the perishing?

There was danger before the provision was made known. Adam was perishing before he heard the words of Genesis 3:15. Did these words of the good news postpone or terminate this perishing until another life? This provision was made not only for Adam, but for all the world, all those in Adam.

Can we say that with the coming of this gospel, and the coming of Christ, this perishing is postponed and one has to rise in another life to perish? Or can it just be that the believer has a hope and the rest are not affected in any way, but just go on perishing? They perish, not because they have lost a resurrection life (which was never promised to them in the first place), but because the death that now works in them in this life is final in its results. We have this illustrated in Psalms 49:12,20 where those that have not understanding (life) perish as the beasts of the field. That is in this life.

There is an argument along this line in 1 Corinthians 15: 12-19. Read this passage carefully. An un-risen Christ is the same as no Christ at all. This we can believe. If Christ is not risen, faith is vain (empty). We would yet be in our sins. But the argument in Romans 4:25 is that Christ was raised because of our being justified, that is, sins taken away. He was delivered to death for our offenses. But if He is not raised, then these offenses are not removed; we are yet in our sins. Faith could be no object.

Now the proposition we have to consider is just this: if these folks were living in a vain faith and in their sins (without a risen Christ), how about those who had died in the same condition? It says that they ALSO have perished. And why have they perished? Their dying in an un-risen Christ did them no good. It left them where they would have been without a Christ. It was the same as if there was no Christ at all. Then they must have perished when they died, for if Christ were not raised, then they could not have a resurrection so that they could perish in another life. Did you get lost here? Read it again.

For further that, can you find any place where folks are warned of a second death except in the Revelation? Was Adam warned? Did the Lord or the apostles in Acts ever mention it? Search and see.

Death is a state of being; hell, hades, or gravedom as some call it, can be likened to a prison house that holds the dead captive.

These are cast into the lake of fire, implying annihilation. The language is necessarily figurative. In other words, death and hell are combined as a personification, giving the idea of something literal and visible being cast into the lake of fire so we can better understand the teaching.

This is the second death: the casting of death and hell into the lake of fire to end their existence forever and ever. This act does not include the dying a second time for the billions of unsaved people of past centuries. They would have to experience a resurrection to be included. But the unbeliever will never see life, resurrection (Joh 3:36). Some men in this life will be tormented with fire and brimstone, but not a lake of fire (Re 14:9-11), not unlike men being tormented with cold today.

The purpose of the cleansing by fire is to rid the universe of all things that offend to prepare the way for the New Heavens and the New Earth wherein dwells righteousness.

John 8:51 If a man keep My saying, he shall never see death. The meaning of this verse has been lost somewhat in the translation. In the Interlinear (Stephens Text) it reads, "If anyone My word keep, death in no wise shall he see forever."

But this is still hazy. If we were to paraphrase it in modem English, or make a version of it, it would read, "If any one keeps My word, he shall not stay dead forever." See note on this verse in Companion Bible, page 1539.

This is equivalent to saying that the believer shall not perish. The word perish is defined for us in 1 Corinthians 15:18. There it is plain that if folks do not have a resurrection, then they have perished.

So we see that John 8:51 and 3:16 have a great deal in common, that they mean the same thing in the long run. In 3:16 the believer shall not perish (remain dead forever), but shall have everlasting life (which makes possible the resurrection that follows it).

We have 4 expressions in John 6 which express the same sentiment, and tell what comes from everlasting life:

1. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day (6:39).

2. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day (6:40).

3. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day (6:44).

4. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day (6:54).

All this is about life and resurrection. The unbeliever is not in the picture. It is the believer that has the advantage of being raised from the dead. The unbeliever has no life, therefore will never rise from the dead. This is the meaning of perish. No amount of human reasoning can make perish here mean anything else.

Perish means perish, not something else. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord declared that the gates of hell (grave, sheol, hades) shall not prevail against the church (believers). The plain inference is that those gates will prevail against the unbelievers, will not let them out of the grave. When the Lord calls in that day, all that are His will come forth, as did Lazarus.

In Ephesians 1:19 it is plainly stated that resurrection power is to us-ward who believe. We can be assured that this great power which raised our Lord from the dead-and which works in the believer, will never be profaned by its use on those who do not believe and who perish. Now you can see that death forever is eternal death, in contrast with eternal life.  

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