"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead!" -- Phil. 3:11
It will be perceived at once that our subject title is at variance with the popular conception of man, who is generally supposed to be an immortal being living in a material body that is composed of organs necessary for the manifestation of his invisible inner self.
The fancied self is supposed to be his soul, or spirit, and a spark of the Creator, having keen intelligence and the power of existence independently of the body.
It is generally admitted that the body has been derived from the dust of the ground, but the supposed "immortal soul" is believed to have come from God, and returns to Him when death destroys the body.
At the time of death, the soul is believed to go to heaven if the person is good, but will go to hell if he has been wicked, and there will be tortured in hell-fire throughout eternity.
As a result of the acceptance of a belief in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, it became necessary to invent places for the soul to go to at the time of death. This has been accomplished by giving the people the doctrines of heaven-going, hell-fire torments, purgatory, the singing of masses, intercession of saints, and many other similar practices.
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul does not come from the Bible; it is strictly of pagan origin.
Herodotus, the Greek historian (484-425 BC), wrote --
"The Egyptians say that Ceres (goddess of corn) and Bacchus (god of wine) hold the chief sway in the infernal regions; and the Egyptians also were the first who asserted the doctrine that the soul of man was immortal" (Book 2, Sec. 123).
Stop and think for a moment. The Egyptians, who were steeped in extreme paganism, were the people who invented the doctrine of the immortality of the soul!
Then examine the teaching of the Roman Catholic and Protestant religious systems, and you will discover that they are both founded upon the doctrine of the Immortality of the Soul, the most pagan of all church doctrines.
But how can this doctrine be pagan, when it forms the very basis of Christianity? This is a familiar question, and usually followed by another, saying, "Is it not taught in the Bible?"
It has become a tremendous surprise to many to find that the Bible does not teach The Immortality of the Soul.
If we examine it carefully, we will soon discover that man does not possess immortality in any sense.
Not only that, but the Bible shows us that we are creatures of organized substance, and are only able to exist through life power that comes from God -- a power we share with all living creatures.
Both the Bible and natural facts show us that we only hold this life power for a short term of years, and when death overtakes us, this power returns to God Who gave it, and man returns to the dust, from which he was originally taken, and meanwhile ceases to exist.
If you are not familiar with these facts of life, it may come to you with a fearful shock. It has done to some, and they have refused to investigate. But surely that is not wisdom!
There are many reasons why we should enquire into this matter, but there is one in particular that comes to us from the apostle Paul in 2 Tim. 4:3 --
"The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine (teaching); but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."
That statement alone should be sufficient to stir us up to action, and cause us to investigate and find out just where we stand in relation to truth. In doing this, we will submit two kinds of evidence: existing natural facts, and the declaration of the Bible.
Those who hold the popular conception of man, say that matter cannot think, and therefore it must be the soul that thinks. BUT IS THIS TRUE?
When a person receives a bad head injury, it is a well-known fact that thinking ceases altogether. Now