Matthew 10:28, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

I. The Bible Recognizes The Distinction Between The "Body" And The "Spiritual Nature" of Man.

A. Job 14:22, "But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn."

B. I Corinthians 6:20, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

C. I Thessalonians 5:23, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

D. Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

E. Daniel 7:15, "I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of [my] body, and the visions of my head troubled me."

F. John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

II. Man Is More Than A Mere "Mortal Body".

A. Job 32:8, "But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding."

B. Zechariah 12:1, "The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him."

1. I Corinthians 2:11, "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?"

(More About This Later From A Scientific Point of View!)

2. Acts 7:59, "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

C. Paul --- II Corinthians 12:1-3, "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)"

Your body is Not the real you!

D. II Kings 2:11, "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven."

1. Death is Not the end of man!

2. James 5:17, "Elias (Elijah) was a man subject to like passions as we are,"

3. Matthew 17:3, "And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias (Elijah) talking with him."

E. Genesis 1:26, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:"

1. Acts 17:29, "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God,"

2. John 4:24, "[God] <is> a [Spirit]: ..."

3. Hebrews 12:9, "... in subjection unto the Father of spirits, ..."

III. The "Soul" As Applied To Man, Is More Than Mere "Self-Conscious Life."

A. Matthew 26:38, "Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me."

B. John 11:33, "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,"

C. John 12:27, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."

D. Psalms 42:1-6, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where [is] thy God? When I remember these [things], I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and [why] art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him [for] the help of his countenance. O my God, my soul is cast down within me:"

1. The Soul was created By God and For God!

2. Nothing, Outside of God Himself, can satisfied the Thirst of the Soul for God!

IV. Science Testifies:

It is a known fact that the matter in our body is gradually and constantly changing. We are not the identical persons we were seven (7) years ago. New cells are continually being added to our bodies, while other cells are continually being removed as waste products. The old cells are gradually, being replaced by new ones. After this process has continued for a period of Approximately Seven Years, All The Cells Have Been Replaced, and None of The Old Cells Remain. The body, as to actually cells which compose it, has been changed, thus we have a new body in a very short time. This means we have a New Brain --- an Entirely Different Brain approximately Every Seven Years.

It is a remarkable fact that while we have a new brain in a very short time yet Memories Remain. People can remember clearly events that occurred many, many years back. Aged people especially are noted for their memory of childhood days. The Brain May Have Been Changed Many Times, yet with an Entirely Different Brain one is able to remember to the smallest detail events and experiences of previous years. We can also acquire new experiences, but they like those of the past, cannot be erased from our memories --- they are indestructible. What is the explanation to this Phenomenon? There is but one, namely: that there is an indestructible spirit or spiritual nature in man.

Certainly there can be no doubt about the existence of the human spirit. It is the spirit, the real individuality, distinct from the body, that remembers and remains long after the body has been changed many times. It carries the memories and survives all the great bodily changes.

This is in perfect harmony with --- I Cor. 2:11, "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?"

This shows that the Seat of Knowledge in man is not in the flesh and bones, not even in the brain, but in the "Spirit" which is in him. It shows that the physical brain is not the source of "thought" and "will", and "memory". While The Brain Is Unconscious In Sleep The Spirit Can Have Real Experience. It is not the body, but the spirit that thinks, wills, plans, remembers, and communes with God.

When a person dies, the brain, eyes, ears, nerves are still the same members --- they are still there in the body --- yet the Brain cannot think, the Eyes cannot see, the Ears cannot hear, the Nerves produce no feeling and the Nose cannot smell. Why? Because it was not the body, but the real spiritual nature within the body, that did the thinking, seeing, hearing, and feeling and smelling.

Luke 16:23-24, "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame."

Here is Another Note which should be of interest.

The Associated Press contained an article about Dr. William Mayo, world famous surgeon, senior of the two equally distinguished Mayo Brothers, and Chief of Staff at the Mayo Clinic at Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Mayo Said: "The keen blade of my scalpel may never uncover The Soul as a tangible part of the mystery called man, but I Know It Is There. I am as Confident of its presence as I am of the most elemental truth to which my own medical science adheres."

V. The Scriptures Show That "Death" Is Merely The "Separation" of The Spiritual Nature (Spirit) From The Body.

A. Ecclesiastes 8:8, "[There is] no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither [hath he] power in the day of death:"

B. Ecclesiastes 12:7, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

1. I Kings 17:21, "And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again."

2. Luke 8:55, "And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat."

3. James 2:26, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

4. II Timothy 4:6, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand."

5. II Peter 1:13-15, "Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting [you] in remembrance; Knowing that shortly I must put off [this] my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance."

C. II Corinthians 5:1-9, "For we know that if our earthly house of [this] tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in [this] tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing [is] God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore [we are] always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, [I say], and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him."

D. Philippians 1:21-23, "For to me to live [is] Christ, and to die [is] gain. But if I live in the flesh, this [is] the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:"

VI. The "Spirit" And "Breath" of Man Are Not One And The Same.

Job 34:14-15, "If he set his heart upon man, [if] he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust."

A. When The Word "BREATH" Is Substituted For The Word "SPIRIT," It Shows The Folly Of Teaching That The Word "SPIRIT" Has The Same Meaning As The Word "BREATH."

1. Acts 23:8, "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor (breath) spirit: but the Pharisees confess both."

2. Romans 2:29, "But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the (breath) spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God."

3. I Corinthians 5:5, "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the (breath) spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus."

4. II Corinthians 7:1, "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and (breath) spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

5. Galatians 6:18, "Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with your (breath) spirit. Amen."

B. When The Word "BREATH" Is Substituted For The Word "SOUL" It Shows The Folly Of Teaching That The "SOUL" And "BREATH" Of Man Are One And The Same.

1. Psalms 19:7, "The law of the LORD [is] perfect, converting the (breath) soul:"

2. Psalms 106:15, "And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their (breath) soul."

3. Psalms 142:4, "I looked on [my] right hand, and beheld, but [there was] no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my (breath) soul."

4. Matthew 10:28, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the (breath) soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both (breath) soul and body in hell."

5. II Peter 2:8, "(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous (breath) soul from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds;)"

VII. The Soul (Spirit) Is "Conscious" After Death.

A. Luke 16:19-31, "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that [would come] from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."

B. Matthew 17:3, "And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him."

C. Hebrews 12:1, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,"

D. Matthew 22:32, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."

E. 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, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise."

F. Revelation 6:9-10, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:"

G. Revelation 14:13, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."

VIII. "Sleep," "Slept," "Fell Asleep," When Used In Reference To Death Does Not Mean "Unconsciousness" or "Non-Existence".

A. The word "Sleep" used in reference to the dead, Always Applies To The Body.

1. Acts 7:59-60, "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."

2. Matthew 27:52, "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,"

3. John 11:11, "These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." --- V. 14, "Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead." --- V. 43-44, "And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go."

4. I Corinthians 15:20, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and] become the firstfruits of them that slept."

5. Ephesians 4:8, "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."

B. No Where in the Bible do we find that the Soul separated from the body is Said To Be Sleeping.

IX. Death does Not mean "Annihilation".

A. II Samuel 12:23, "But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

B. Romans 6:11, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

C. Ephesians 2:1, "And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;"

D. Luke 15:24, "For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."

E. I Timothy 5:6, "But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth."

F. I John 3:14, "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death."

X. I Thessalonians 4:14, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."

Travis Case
Tearing Down Walls & Building Bridges