What is meant by the term “immortal soul" and where did this concept come from?

Where did the “Christian Church” get such strange beliefs about death?

Matthew 15

12 Then came his disciples, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended, after they heard this saying?

13 But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.

14 Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

Matthew 16

6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

12 Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Matthew 15

9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

James 2:26

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

The body without the spirit is dead

Job 27:3

“All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils;”

The SPIRIT is the BREATH (Heb. Ruwach / Greek- Pneuma - breath)

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.”

The soul is the combination of breath and body.

Dust + breath = Living soul Body + breath = Living soul

Psalm 22:29

“All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.”

None can keep alive his own soul

Ezekiel 18:20

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”

Souls are not immortal but die

Revelation 16:3

“And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.”

A soul can even refer to a fish: a soul just means "a living, breathing creature" Heb - Nephesh/ Greek Psuche

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

Ecclesiastes 3:19, 20

“For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”

A man dies just like an animal and they both "go" to the same place, the grave.

Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. …

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

When a person dies, they know nothing. They have no reward, nor memory, nor love, nor hate, nor work, nor knowledge, in the grave.

Psalm 146:4

“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.”

When the breath leaves the body the thoughts perish or cease.

Ecclesiastes 12:7

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”

The spirit, or breath returns to God at death. The body turns to dust, and waits in the grave.

John 5:25

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.”

The dead do not now hear the voice of God, but the "hour" is coming when they will hear his voice.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

John 5:28, 29

“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.”

That "hour" is on the resurrection morning, at the second coming of Jesus.

Job 17:13, 16

“If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness. … They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.”

Until the Resurrection Day, the grave, or "pit" is our "house."

Acts 2:29, 34

“Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. … For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand.”

The prophet David is dead in his tomb and has not ascended to Heaven

Psalm 17:15

“As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”

David looked forward to the resurrection morning when he would awake.

Psalm 115:17

“The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.”

If the dead went to heaven at death, they would praise God, but David says "The dead praise not the Lord."

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

Luke 23:52-54

“This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on.”

Jesus died on Friday (Preparation day)

Luke 23:39-43

“And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Jesus could not have promised the thief that "today" (Friday) he would be in heaven (Paradise) with Him, Because:

(See text below)

John 20:1, 17

“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. … Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Jesus did not go to heaven on Friday and still had not ascended to heaven by Sunday morning!

Jesus was resurrected on Sunday (First day) and said He had not ascended to His Father, so He was not in heaven while He was dead.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

Luke 23:43

“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee To day, thou shalt be with me in paradise.”

When the original scriptures were written in the Greek, there was no punctuation (no comma's, etc.). Punctuation was not even invented until many years later. If the "comma" is placed after the word "To day," a different meaning is implied which is consistent with the rest of the scriptures.

Christ simply was assuring the thief he would be in heaven with him some day.

Daniel 12:2

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

Daniel called death a sleep.

John 11:11-14

“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. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly. Lazarus is dead.

Jesus also called death a sleep.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

I Thessalonians 4

13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

Paul spoke of death as a sleep and told us this, so that we would "not be ignorant and "sorrow as others"... who do not know the true condition of man in death, and therefore have "no hope."

Matthew 27

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

After Jesus was resurrected, "many of the saints which slept, came out of their graves" and went into the city and "appeared unto many."......

IF the saints were already in heaven, instead of in their graves as the bible says, it would have been an awful punishment to have to come back down to this earth.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

Luke 24:36-43

“And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.”

After Jesus had been resurrected, He had a real body of flesh. He was not a ghost or "spirit."

Acts 1:9-11

“And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”

Jesus went back to heaven with a real body and He will return with a real body.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

Revelation 1:7

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.”

When Jesus comes the second time, every eye will see His real body.

Job 19:25, 26

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:”

Job expected to be in a real body again, after worms destroyed his body in the grave, but not until his Redeemer came back for him "at the latter day."

Isaiah 66:22, 23

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.”

Throughout eternity we will gather together as flesh to worship God on the Sabbath.

Job 14:12, 14

12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. … If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

The dead will remain in their graves, "asleep" until the appointed time, the resurrection day. They will stay in their graves "until the heavens be no more".

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

Revelation 6:14, 15

And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;”

The second coming of Christ will be the day when "heaven departs as a scroll."

I Thessalonians 4:16, 17

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

At Christ's second coming the righteous dead will be resurrected and caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

I Corinthians 15:12-23

“

>Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

The righteous "shall be made alive" at His coming.

BIBLE TEXT

COMMENT

I Corinthians 15:51-54

“Behold, I shew 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.”

When Christ comes the second time mortal man will put on immortality. Death will be conquered at last.

Isaiah 38:18, 19

“For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth.”

Now is our probationary period to love, serve, and praise the Lord. Now is the time to learn God's truth, while we are alive. The dead "cannot...hope for the truth."

ALIVE

(“Awake”)

DEAD

(“Asleep")