We Are Not Immortal!

One of the most quoted verses in the New Testament is John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Authorized Version).

Many have read this verse, but how many believe it? Taking it exactly as it is written - without trying to force some other meaning into it - the message is clear: we do not already have eternal life, but must believe on the Son to receive it. If we do not believe, we will perish.

When we perish, we also do not go to “heaven” or “hell.” To perish is just that - to die, to cease to exist. This teaching of the Apostle John agrees completely with what the bible says in Romans 6:23:

“The wages of sin is death [not life]; but [on the other hand, or in contrast] the gift of God is eternal life.”

Eternal life is not something we naturally have. We were not born with it. Going to either heaven or hell means we have eternal life inherent - as a reward either in heaven or as eternal condemnation and misery in hell. We are born mortal, needing to put on immortality (I Cor. 15:53). Those who are dead are asleep in their graves awaiting a resurrection. THEN they are given a choice either accepting an eternal life through the obedience of God’s laws, or rejecting it and being cast into the lake of fire.

Ecc. 9:5 agrees with this assertion, saying: “For the living know they shall die, but the dead know not any thing.” They can’t, because they have no consciousness until they are resurrected. That’s what your Bible says. Why then do not most ministers preach it and most people believe it?

Here then are some graphic examples of how not to read - or study - the Bible! The Bible means what it says and interprets itself. Take it for what it says. Don’t try to reason around it or to change its intended meaning. To one degree or another, most people who read the Bible either assume it says what it clearly does not say, or they misinterpret it, or ignore what it says altogether. Either way, it ends up  that they are wrong.