(PART 5)

WHO then, has immortality? What does the Bible say?

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall show, 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; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. ~ 1st Timothy 6:11-16

It unequivocally and clearly states that only God has immortality. This includes the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. If God only has immortality, then we do not have it, at least not until our resurrection, when we will again be given access to the tree of life.

However, the righteous believers are promised eternal life.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. ~ John 5:24

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. ~ John 5:28,29

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. 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. ~ John 6:39,40

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. ~ John 10:27,28

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? ~ 1st Corinthians15:51-55

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; ~ 2nd Timothy 4:1

At the last day, the second coming, that is when the righteous will receive judgement and their reward of immortality, but they do not have it before then. Here is the promise of eternal life.

And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life. ~ 1st John 2:25

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. ~ Hebrews 9:14,15

The Holy Spirit is the eternal spirit and Jesus died to redeem us from our sins, that we may receive the eternal life that is promised. We don’t receive this eternal life until after we have been judged righteous. This happens at the second coming. Until then we have the promise of eternal life.

Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, ~ Romans 2:6-8

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. ~ Revelation 2:7

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. ~ Revelation 22:12-14

We pursue immortality but we don’t have it YET. Only the righteous will receive it at the second coming, from God Himself. The wicked, however, will not be given access to the tree of life, so immortality is simply not possible for them. They will not live forever. They will perish.

Jesus brings the gift or reward of eternal life to the faithful at the second coming, not before. So when we die, we sleep in the grave. We have no thoughts, no consciousness, until our resurrection. At the time of death, there is no conscious soul to go to heaven, hell (the grave) or purgatory.

Following the judgment at the second coming, the righteous will receive eternal life. The wicked however, after a thousand years, will perish forever in the lake of fire. Anyone that teaches that everyone lives forever is merely repeating the first lie told in the Garden of Eden. "Ye shall not surely die".

Now that we have seen what happens at death, we need to determine if the concept of eternal torment in hell or an eternal burning hell is Biblical.