The Greatest Deception That Has Befallen Mankind
Compiled by Solomon Tweneboah
"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (Genesis
2:17, NKJV). God’s warning was ‘in the day you eat of the forbidden tree you
shall SURELY DIE.’ It was the devil,
that old serpent, called Satan, which came around and said: “eat, you shall NOT SURELY DIE”. The Word of God and
the word of Satan were distinctly different. But until today many people still
believe Satan’s word that when a person dies he is not surely dead. Even
professed Christians believe the word of Satan. Which of these, the
Word of God or the word of Satan, do you believe?
At a glance, it may seem Satan's word is true; but actually it is absolutely false. Indeed, Adam and Eve were supposed to die on the same day they transgressed God's commandment because the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). But the good news is, SOMEONE died in their place. Someone offered Himself a ransom; to bear the consequences of their guilt. Someone paid the price of their disobedience. That is the everlasting gospel. On the same day they were supposed to die, an animal was killed and the skin of that animal was used to make coverings to cover their nakedness (Gen. 3:21). That covering given them is the robe of Christ's righteousness He put on them on that same day. Talking about the beast, John writes in Rev. 13:8, "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." So from the foundation of the world, the Lamb of God was slain as man's substitute.
In John 10:10, Jesus declares "The thief does not come
except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have
life and that they may have it more abundantly” (NKJV). The thief who intends
not only to steal but also kill and destroy, would not attack his victim with
bare hands. Instead, that thief would attack with the deadliest weapon he can
lay hands on. Therefore, being so disappointed with his defeat and subsequent
expulsion from heaven, Satan attacked our first parents with the deadliest of
all his weapons – YOU SHALL NOT SURELY DIE.
A few months back I read an interesting article dubbed ‘When
is man supposed to die?’ from a BlogSpot (http://richardadupoku.blogspot.com/2018/12/when-is-man-supposed-to-die.html?m=1) and the writer, who, I suppose, is
a staunch Christian emphatically wrote and explained that when a person dies,
the body dies but both the spirit and the soul live on. And supporting his argument
with various Bible quotations, he was basically supporting the word of Satan –
you shall NOT SURELY DIE.
The mention of the spirit of man and the soul of man-made me ask
myself some questions.
What is the soul of
man?
The ‘soul of man’ first
appeared in the Bible in Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust
of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul.” Therefore,
Dust of the ground + Breath of life = soul
of man (living soul). Dust of the ground was used to form the body of man and
the breath of life was breathed into his nostrils, and then life began; soul
was created. The dust of the ground alone was not soul, so also the breath of
life alone was not soul. Soul was created only when the breath of life was
added to the dust of the ground. Thus, Soul
= Body + Breath of life.
The term ‘soul’ has been misconstrued by many for centuries.
Most Christians think the ‘soul of man’ is the same thing as the ‘spirit of
man’ but that meaning is not biblical. The soul of man is the living human
being. The first living soul God created was called Adam and Adam was not a
spirit. Adam was a human being just as we are today.
What is the spirit of
man?
Job 32:8 says “But there is a spirit in man, And
the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” In these words, we
see that the spirit in man is the breath of the Almighty and that is what gives
man understanding. Exodus 31:3 says, “And I have filled him with the spirit of God,
in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of
workmanship.” Proverbs 14:33 says, “Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has
understanding.” Psalm 119:34 says, “Give me understanding, and I shall keep
Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” In effect, wisdom
is a product of understanding; and an understanding heart keeps the law (Word)
of God. Therefore, the spirit of man is the breath of life God gave him, which gives him understand.
What happens in man's death?
Ecclesiastes 12:7 says “Then the dust will return to the earth as
it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.” God's word is clear - This is exactly
what happens when a person dies. Whether a good or bad person, the Bible says, at
death, the dust returns to the ground where it was taken and the spirit returns
to God who gave it; reversing the soul-creation process. When the dust returns
to the earth and the spirit returns to God, nothing is left; no body, no
spirit, no soul. The spirit alone that returns to God is not soul, so also, the
body alone that returns to the earth is not soul either. The spirit must be
united with the body to form a soul. It is, therefore, evidently clear that the
human soul does not continue living after death. That is why God told Adam – when you eat of the forbidden tree, YOU SHALL SURELY DIE. God knows everything;
so if Adam would still live after death, why would He say to Adam “YOU SHALL SURELY DIE”.
It was Satan who told Eve that “you shall NOT SURELY DIE”. And Satan is a liar
and the father of it (John 8:44). In order to reinforce his false statement,
Satan uses his demonic spirits and all sorts of false teachings and hallucinations
to make people, even Christians believe his words. John 3:16 says, "For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Those who have eternal
life are the people who believe only Jesus – the Word of God; not those who
believe the Word of God and the words of Satan at the same time.
The spirit, soul, and
body of the Thessalonian church
1 Thessalonians 5:23-26 says, “Now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is
faithful, who also will do it. Brethren, pray for us. Greet all
the brethren with a holy kiss.”
The parable of Lazarus
and the rich man
Smith’s Bible Dictionary describes a parable as a short
narrative under which some important truth is veiled. Christ Jesus used several
parables in most of his public teaching and His parables included the wise and
foolish builders (Mt 7:24-27), the sower (Lu 8:5,11), wheat and tares (Mt
13:24-30,36-43), the mustard-seed (Mt 13:31-32), the treasure hidden in a field
(Mt 13:44), the pearl of great price (Mt 13:45-46), the net cast into the sea (Mt
13:47-50), the unmerciful servant (Mt 18:23-35), the hired labourers (Mt
20:1-16), the two sons (Mt 21:28-32), the wicked husbandmen (Mt 21:33-45), the
marriage-feast (Mt 22:2-14), the good Samaritan (Lu 10:30-37), the prodigal son
(Lu 15:11-32), the rich man and Lazarus (Lu 16:19-31), and so many more. About
50 parables were employed by Jesus to illustrate or veil various biblical
truths. Parables are narratives, therefore, the scenes portrayed in them are
not real. Jesus used parables to compare things and to form parallels or
similitudes of them with other things. A careful study of the parables of Jesus
reveals that all His parables were not actual, real stories. Rather, each
parable had a specific truth (lesson) to teach.
Because Satan wants people to believe his lies, he has
succeeded in letting most Christians believe that, among all Jesus’ parables,
that of the rich man and Lazarus alone (Luke 16:19-31) was a true-life story.
But like all the others, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus was also a
parable; not a reality. The biblical truth Jesus taught with the rich man and
Lazarus parable is revealed in verses 27 – 31 of Luke 16. In the parable, Lazarus
begged father Abraham to send someone to his father’s house to warn them. But Abraham
said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. The rich
man insisted that if someone goes to them from the dead (grave), they will
repent. But Abraham reiterated, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’
In narrating the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus
never indicated that it was a true story. Instead, Jesus used this parable to
teach the lesson that the activities of every human being comes to an end at
death. After death there is no repentance or change of mind. No amount of
prayers of living loved ones can change the record of a dead person’s life.
Those who are dead know nothing, and there is nothing they can do to help the
living because they are lifeless. When the breath
of life leaves the body, the
body returns to the ground where it was taken and the spirit returns to God who
gave it; no life continues.
Ecclesiastic 9:5,6 says, “For the living know that they will die;
But the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them
is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;
Nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun." The Bible
does not contradict itself because it is the Word of God and God does not
contradict Himself. Using the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus emphasized
that it is the living who must warn the living. It is not possible for the dead
to return to life to warn the living. The dead have no life. No dead person is
currently in purgatory, burning in hell or rejoicing in paradise. The dead
continue to rest in the grave until the sounding of the last trumpet.
Of course, in Christ Jesus there is resurrection and eternal
life. In John 5:28,29 Jesus says, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is
coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come
forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who
have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." Daniel the prophet
prophesied about this about 500 years before Jesus was born. Daniel 12:2 says, “And
many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt." What hour is the resurrection of the righteous? In 1Thessalonians 4:16,17 Apostle Paul
explains, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will
rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be
with the Lord.” This event will occur at the hour when Jesus Christ
comes again the second time (Hebrews 9:27).
Until then let us hold on to the faith in Jesus; believe only
God’s Word, and continue praying for The Holy Spirit.
God bless you.
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