My Religious Questions & Views

5/5/10

INFORMAL BIBLE STUDIES TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO

DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH WITH BIBLE EXPERTS

BY JOHN L. D.

DEFINITION OF THE SOUL

The early Jewish Bible describes a body as a soft clay container that is useless until God breathes life into and it becomes a living soul, a person made in the image of God. At death the body rots and the spirit goes to God.

The later Jewish Bible changes the meaning to the spirit of God or the thing that goes down into Sheol or Hell at death, but still uses the first definition in other places.

The New Testament Jewish Bible of Jesus’ Church seems to include both understandings of the soul. The soul can be a person or in another context it is the spirit God gave us that either waits in the good Hell:  Abraham’s Bosom or the bad Hell:  Gehenna, for its final judgment from God.

IS THE SOUL OR SPIRIT ETERNAL?

Lets define eternal and everlasting and forever and ever. Wait are we going to define it according the Bible or modern terminology? If we use the Bible do we mean the Jewish Bible or the Christian Bible or the Catholic Bible with Apocrypha?

A MODERN DEFINITION OF ETERNAL, EVERLASTING, ETC.

Eternal:  God is eternal, without beginning or end, but don’t use God, that’s religious. If there was only one “Big Bang” then the Universe is finite, if it happened many times  it is possibly eternal as Hinduism, some Scientists, etc. and Atheists might believe. If the Universe & our souls were part of the Oscillating Universe then we might be eternal, part of us—the piece of the Universal soul. Because we have an infinite imagination we wonder if our soul or mind are eternal and only limited by our body. We don’t know or understand eternal.

Everlasting:  a long, long time or eternal. This word is often misused and since no one except the Universe or our souls (that we are not in perfect communication with), understands thousands of years of time or eternal. “My love for you is eternal, it will last forever, it’s an everlasting love” I may have said to dozens of women and some of them I still love and some I don’t, but I have to think of them to have that feeling of love. I don’t walk around every moment loving them in my mind. These past romances, many of which were unknown to the girl, ended and so did the effects & actions of my “love”. Do they need my love? No, apparently not. Do I? No. Do I understand everlasting? No.

Forever:  See Eternal and Everlasting.

Immortal:  eternal or everlasting and created or with a beginning but without the ability to die & have an ending.

A RELIGIOUS DEFINITION OF ETERNAL & EVERLASTING, ETC.

Eternal:  God is eternal, without beginning or end. The Universe was created by God, so it is not eternal. God breathed into Adam the breath of live and he became a living soul [Genesis 2:7]. Man’s body isn’t eternal, because it had a beginning. If God is eternal and if His breath is eternal then our spirit is eternal and it goes back to God when we die or it goes to Sheol or Hell. But if God’s breath or spirit is created or changed in interaction with bodies then our spirit or soul is not eternal. Because we have an infinite imagination we wonder if our soul or mind is eternal and only limited by our body. We don’t know or understand eternal or the soul.

Everlasting:  a long, long time or eternal. This word is often misused by man who lives a short life time. God alone is both everlasting and eternal. The universe, sun or earth could be everlasting or made to last a long time, but it can cease to exist. Created long-lived beings or angels or spirits, or possibly our souls could be everlasting, but not eternal. “My love for you is eternal, it will last forever, it’s an everlasting love” I may have said to dozens of women and some of them I still love and some I don’t, but I have to think of them to have that feeling of love. I don’t walk around every moment loving them in my mind. These past romances, many of which were unknown to the girl, ended and so did the effects & actions of my “love”. Do they need my love? No, apparently not. Do I? No. Do I understand or use the word everlasting correctly? No. Our souls are everlasting as they wait for thousands of years in Sheol, Hell & Paradise and Hell for the resurrection of the body.

Forever:  See Eternal and Everlasting.

Immortal:  eternal or created never to die. It can’t be killed, commit suicide or die of natural causes. If the whole universe implodes or exploded the immortal would still live.  No silver bullet or stake in the heart can kill an immortal being. The majority of Christians believe in an immortal soul which will live an everlasting life or death in Heaven or Hell-Fire. It can not die or cease to exist. If God wanted to end the immortal angels, principalities, powers, demons, & human souls’ existences He could, but most orthodox Christians believe, He just wouldn’t do that. God is immortal. The angels are everlasting , but they were created and have free will to sin and be subjected to the Lake of Fire as the demons and evil angels are. But the evil ones will suffer with eternal life separated from God, who is the source of life and love. If the Lake of fire can kill the soul and the demons & evil demons then they would not be immortal, but everlasting [Matthew 10:28]. This is a mystery.

Do we need God’s love to have mortal life?

Yes, but we don’t have to love God back in order to live this life.

Do damned souls need God’s creative power or love so they can burn in Hell forever and maintain immortality?

Some believe evil souls don’t need anything from God to suffer for ever, what does your conscience or the Holy Spirit tell you? You can have your own opinion and your church must have its opinion. I don't deliberately attack my churches Biblical positions, but that's just me.