Life’s True Purpose

Tree of Life (AI-generated by deeznutz1, Pixabay)

The digital magazine of ideas, philosophy, and culture, Aeon, published an essay by Michael Ruse. 

Does life have a purpose?

Nobody expects atoms and molecules to have purposes, so why do we still think of living things in this way? 

There’s no sense for most scientists that a star is for anything, or that a molecule serves an end. But when we come to talk about living things, it seems very hard to shake off the idea that they have purposes and goals, which are served by the ways they have evolved.

As I have written about before in Aeon, the chemist James Lovelock got into very hot water with his fellow scientists when he wanted to talk about the Earth being an organism (the Gaia hypothesis) and its parts having purposes: that sea lagoons were for evaporating unneeded salt out of the ocean, for instance. And as Steven Poole wrote in his essay ‘Your point is?’ in Aeon earlier this year, the contemporary philosopher Thomas Nagel is also in hot water since he suggested in his book Mind and Cosmos (2012) that we need to use teleological understanding to explain the nature of life and its evolution.

Some have thought that this lingering teleological language is a sign that biology is not a real science at all, but just a collection of observations and facts. Others argue that the apparent purposefulness of nature leaves room for God. Immanuel Kant declared that you cannot do biology without thinking in terms of function, of final causes: ‘There will never be a Newton for a blade of grass,’ he claimed in Critique of Judgment (1790), meaning that living things are simply not determined by the laws of nature in the way that non-living things are, and we need the language of purpose in order to explain the organic world. 

Why do we still talk about organisms and their features in this way? Is biology basically different from the other sciences because living things do have purposes and ends? Or has biology simply failed to get rid of some old-fashioned, unscientific thinking — thinking that even leaves the door ajar for those who want to sneak God back into science? 

(https://aeon.co/essays/what-s-a-stegosaur-for-why-life-is-design-like ── accessed 9 August 2025). 

Indeed! Life does have a purpose! A grand and most wonderful purpose!

Those who teach that life evolved are not actually being logical. 

Let us consider this from Dr. George Wald, an American scientist who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Psychology or Medicine ──  

“One has only to contemplate the magnitude of this task to concede that the spontaneous generation of a living organism is impossible. Yet here we are - as a result, I believe, of spontaneous generation.” 1 

Incredible. He concedes that it is impossible for a living organism to spontaneously generate, yet continues to believe in spontaneous generation.

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “impossible” as ── 

im▪pos▪si▪ble \ (,)im-‘pä-sə-bəl \ adj [ME, fr. MF & L; MF, fr. L impossibilis, fr. in- + possibilis possible] (14c) 1 a: incapable of being or of occurring b: felt to be incapable of being done, attained, or fulfilled: insuperably difficult 2 a: extremely undesirable: UNACCEPTABLE b: extremely awkward or difficult to deal with ─ impossibleness n  2 

Surely it’s illogical to believe that something impossible can happen spontaneously. 

Notice God’s living word ──   

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates of the city. 15) But outside [will be] dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” – Revelation 22:14-15.

Wouldn’t teaching something that you certainly know is impossible be loving and practicing a lie? 

Also, the fact that evolution and this world’s faith are actually not at odds. Notice this from the Pew Research Center ──

Are faith and belief in evolution necessarily at odds? According to Pope Francis, the answer is no. Indeed, the pope recently reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church’s view that “evolution in nature is not inconsistent” with church teaching on creation, pushing the debate on human origins … 

1) The Roman Catholic Church has long accepted – or at least not objected to – evolutionary theory. …

2) A minority of Americans fully accept the scientific explanation for the origins of human life. According to a 2013 Pew Research Center survey, 60% of Americans say humans have evolved over time, …

3) … roughly one-in-ten white evangelicals (8%) say that humans evolved through natural processes. …

5) A series of court decisions prohibit the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in public schools. 3 

Nearly everyone who holds to their belief in evolution does not look into any proof that it is not truth. They do not look into why they are here on this beautiful jewel of a planet, nor what their life is supposed to be about. 

Our beloved Apostle Paul warned Timothy, as well as all of us ──

“O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21) Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen .” – 1 Timothy 6:20-21, KJV.

While in Athens, the Apostle Paul came across, at least for one day, Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, i.e., by a God that is immersed in nature itself. According to the Stoics, the universe is a material reasoning substance, which was divided into two classes: the active and the passive. The passive substance is matter itself, while the active substance is an intelligent aether or primordial fire. 4 Do you recall the blockbuster movie, The Fifth Element, with Bruce Willis? That’s what the fifth element is: their view of a so-called “intelligent aether.” 

Now… there are scientific aspects to God’s living word, i.e., Isaiah 40:22, Job 26:7; 28:5, Ecclesiastes 1:7, Amos 9:6, etc. And let us always remember our LORD God’s word in regards to man and his often fickle word ──

“Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” – Psalm 37:5.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6. 

“ … Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: ‘That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.’” – Romans 3:4.

Also, the Apostle Paul had written Timothy ── inspired by the very mind of the LORD God ── that there would come to be people “in the last days” who are “always learning and NEVER able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” And continuing ──  

“Now as Jannes and Jambres [two magicians in the Book of Exodus; the “wise men and the sorcerers”] resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9) but they will progress no further [in their thinking], for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.” – 2 Timothy 3:7 9.

Let us not be foolish. Let us believe the living word of God. Be sure to read our free online booklet, “Does God Exist?”   

Yes! The LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God ── which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) DOES EXIST! And the LORD God has a purpose for everyone that has ever been born (even including unborn babies)!

Yet, this glorious and wonderful Master Plan… From the Beginning is a mystery that is wrapped in an enigma to nearly everyone. 

The LORD God's purpose for humanity is to “plant the heavens” (Isaiah 51:16). Sadly, even the overall majority of so-called Christians are not aware of this grand purpose. As I wrote in “God… THE FATHER” ── THAT WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE GOD AS GOD IS GOD! 

Yes, life has a purpose! □

1 George Wald, Scientific American, 191, 1954, pg. 45. 

2 Webster M. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, impossible, 1996, pp 584. 

3 Masci, D., 5 facts about evolution and religion, Pew Research Center, 30 Oct. 2014.

4 Wikipedia contributors. "Stoicism." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Aug. 2025. Web. 9 Aug. 2025.    

GOD – the GREAT LIFE GIVER!

by Leonard V Johnson

In this article, let’s go through some of the New Testament and see why it is that a great many people believe exactly opposite of what God’s living word truly says – and they are participating and practicing customs that are the very antithesis of the things that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, did. Because He said that we should do as He did, and that we should follow His example. 

Why are there people worldwide who believe things that were never believed by our Lord Jesus ── never taught by our Lord Jesus? And, for that matter, never believed or taught by the Church of God that He founded?

So, with your Bible in front of you, let’s go through some of the Books of the New Testament on what our Lord Jesus did teach, as well as what He did not teach. He certainly didn’t teach what so many people are taught and believe throughout the world. Turn to the 5th chapter of the Book of John ── 

“’ For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27) and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. 28) DO NOT MARVEL at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29) and come forth …’” – John 5:26-28, 29. 

So, where will they be? Well… not up in the third heaven. They will be in their graves, their tombs, their catacombs. And, they shall “ …’ 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 [judgment]’” – vs 29. 

Notice: Two Resurrections mentioned. One, a resurrection unto life, and the other to judgment. Now, let’s grab our magnifying glass and look more closely at this. Our Lord Jesus DID NOT speak as if there were anyone up in the third heaven that is hearing His voice. In fact, He emphatically says, “’ No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, …’” – John 3:13.

Speaking in the third person, He Himself is the Son of Man. He has been with Father God from eternity. We read of this in the 1st chapter of the Book of John ── that He was the Logos, the Word (the Spokesman). And, the word Logos (λόγος) in Greek means the Word. It means the One who does the speaking, who delivers the word. So, our Lord Jesus speaks, and it is done. “’ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … 3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. … 14) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” – John 1, 3, 14; vs 14 KJV.

So, we see here that the Word became our Lord Jesus Christ, and the fact that He has been with Father God from eternity. 

GOD Is... the Life Giver

Now, in a sermon some years ago ── and I believe we have this in article and in audio ── we were looking into scientific proof of the existence of God. Here, let’s focus on whether God is life and has life inherent. Because, after all, where did life come from? Did it ── as so many dreamers proclaim ── arrive on Earth clinging to an asteroid from outer space? Did life originate from what the likes of Carl Sagan had argued? “That the early atmosphere of the Earth was hydrogen-rich, and that the origin of life occurred before the hydrogen was lost, and that such gases sparked, creating life. That life began in the ocean with temperatures that began to fall and the amino-acids, and the proteins and the nucleotides – and how these different chemicals and the different aspects of this old earth – which condensed out of interstellar gas and dust some 4.5 billion years ago – and how they came together to form the earliest stages of life – a kind of organic soup!?” 1

How is it that matter comes alive? And what we found is that science can prove that life cannot come from non-life. Life cannot be imparted from the absence of life. LIFE ONLY COMES FROM LIFE. And we have proved, beyond any shadow of doubt, that the LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) is the ONLY SOURCE from whom all life has come. Our Lord and Savior says, “’ For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.’” – John 5:26.

So, God is life, and has life inherent in Himself. What is “life inherent”? It literally means life that exists in someone as a permanent and inseparable element. And sadly, billions of our peoples worldwide have been deceived into believing that they have this life inherent. A life that will survive after this physical body dies, a life that will live for eternity. And I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but let me tell you point-blank. You have been trusting in people without any evidence. Kinda like the Russiagate ── but let’s not get into that. Because the LORD God’s living word says exactly the opposite. We have no life inherent in ourselves. Life comes from the LORD God. And God has not given eternal life to human beings. In fact ── and I’ve mentioned this several times ── that even if Adam had taken of the tree of life,  he was going to die anyway, no matter if they were to choose the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He did not impart eternal life to Adam. There is nowhere in Scripture that speaks about man having eternal life. 

God Personally Taught Adam 

The LORD God (the Elohim) taught Adam, whom They created, in the Way that would have made them much happier. The LORD God “took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it” – Genesis 2:15. It was literally Paradise on Earth. Well… There Were These Two Trees that were in the midst of the garden. One tree, the tree of life. The other, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And, the LORD God had commanded Adam & Eve, saying, “’ Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil YOU SHALL NOT EAT, in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” – Genesis 2:16 17.

So, there was eternal life available in the garden of Eden ── the tree of life. But, Adam & Eve never took of that tree, they did not gain eternal life. And, again, the LORD God did not create Adam & Eve with eternal life. And, if anyone reading, watching, or listening to this ── if you can find it within God’s living word, let me know! Show me Scripture that says that the LORD God did! But eternal life was available in the garden of Eden. 

The LORD God said, “ … ‘in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”    

Then, the enchanting Whisperer came along. “ … that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; …” – Revelation 12:9 and said to the woman, ‘O, here, here now. God knows better. Listen Linda, God is lying to you! You can’t believe God! The LORD God is trying to deceive you. Believe me. It is I who has divine authority. Why… just look at that tree. It’s good for food. Isn’t it pleasant to the eyes?’ And indeed, “ … when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” – Genesis 3:6. 

And Satan, shrieking with glee, said to the woman, ‘Ah! Excellent! Now you’ll be just like the LORD God. You will not surely die! You now have life inherent ── you are now immortal.’ – Genesis 3:4, paraphrased. 

But what did the LORD God say to her? “ …’ in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” – speaking of the second death. The eternal death (see: Revelation 20:14; 21:8). “ …’ The soul who sins shall die.’” – Ezekiel 18:4, 20.

Man’s FIRST Sin    

I was watching the old Hollywood Squares ── the one with the original host, Peter Marshall ── and the question of “What was the original sin?” came up. And I quickly answered. “Believing a lie!” But, the famous actor in the square answered, “Eating from the forbidden fruit.” And that’s the standard answer. But, in reality, it was when Adam & Eve believed that most diabolical of lies that spewed forth from Satan the Devil’s mouth, “’ You will not surely die.’” A lie that claims that you have an immortal soul and that you are just like God. Friends, are you continuing to believe this lie ── the Most Horrendous Lie Perpetrated Upon Mankind ── in this twenty-first century? Sadly, nearly everyone on this planet has come to believe this first lie.

Adolf Hitler wrote in his book Mein Kampf, “In the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily; and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie.” His Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, simplified this by saying, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”

And look what happened. Adam & Eve believed Satan the Devil, thinking that they could be like God ── knowing (or rather, determining for themselves) good and evil. For that is what they desired. That is what they lusted after. That one tree that belongs to God, and to God alone. The knowledge of good and evil. They reached out and stole what the LORD God had commanded them not to touch. Now… they had another god ── an angel of light ── and they obey him! 

The Apostle Paul – under divine inspiration – tells us, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” – Romans 6:16.  

They obeyed Satan. They disobeyed the LORD God. They dishonored their Father ── indeed, they were the children of God. In Apostle Luke’s version of the genealogy of our Lord Jesus, you’ll see that it ends with “the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” – Luke 3:38. And so, Adam was a direct creation of God. Adam was the son of God. He was not born ── and he did not have a belly button. He was created.

Also ── and I won’t go deep into here in this article ── but, in chapter 3 of the Book of Genesis, the LORD God announced, “’ Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil.’ … 23) therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.” – Genesis 3:22, 23. 

The LORD God drove man out of the garden of Eden because they had sinned against Them. And, again, “ … sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4.

They broke the Law of God. They broke the TEN COMMANDMENTS. And, “ … He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the Way to the tree of life.” – vs. 24.

Lest… and focus on this… lest they go back into the garden of Eden, take of the tree of life, and gain eternal life upon their death. And how had they decided that they would live for all eternity? The same as Lucifer ── now known as Satan the Devil. An eternal life in rebellion against the LORD God! 

Adam Never Gained Eternal Life      

As I’ve been mentioning, had they chosen the tree of life, they would still have lived out their days and died; and indeed we find this did happen, “So all the days that Adam lived were 930 years; and he died” – Genesis 5:5 – but would have, after losing consciousness, “in the twinkling of an eye,” been resurrected unto eternal life! The LORD God never granted Adam eternal life. But rather, drove out the man from the garden of Eden lest he go back and eat of the tree of life, and gain eternal life. Why was man now forbidden to eat of the tree of life? Because man had chosen rebellion against the LORD God, of disobeying the Law of God. And, the LORD God had no desire for another being, IN DISOBEDIENCE, having eternal life ── as what had occurred with Lucifer. And, this is the way we’ve been living in this mortal life – in disobedience to the LORD God! You have been living in accordance with and in the customs of men. According to the way of this civilization, this society ── which was originally built upon the kingdom of Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar – see. Genesis 10:8-12. All build upon pagan reasoning, contrary to the holy and righteous Law of God. Just the way that Adam began living – under the spiritual influence of Satan the Devil.

So, man had chosen the way of life that was only going to bring ── in the end ── sorrows, sufferings, and unhappiness. As our Lord Jesus has said, “’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.’” – Luke 13:28. What kind of God would They (cf. Genesis 1:26) have been if They had let Adam & Eve live ── in that state of rebellion ── for all eternity? It would have been a tragic outcome! Adam & Eve would have lived forever in sin and rebellion against the LORD God, without the possibility of salvation through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, returning to this, our Lord Jesus said, “’ For as the Father has life-giving power in Himself, so has the Son, by the Father’s gift.” – John 5:26, NEB.

Yes. Life came from some place ── and it has come from the LORD God! God created matter. Matter is defined as a material substance that constitutes the observable universe. God has life inherent in Himself. God is the great LIFE GIVER.

So, the Word, who became our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, “emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men” – He divested Himself. And, contrary to the false doctrine of kenosis, which claims, and I quote: “In coming to earth, the Son of God did not cease to be God.” 2 Because, if that was true, He could have resurrected Himself. But He did not. It was God the Father who raised our Lord Jesus – cf. Acts 2:24. Our Lord Himself said, “’ I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. …’” – Revelation 1:18. Well… God cannot die, yet He did. Because He had divested Himself of His glory and power and came down to this earth as a human being to die for the sins of all mankind. He plainly said that He could of Himself do NOTHING. (John 5:30).

So, once again, by the glorious gift of Father God, our Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected unto life ── life inherent. 

“And this is the TESTIMONY: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12) He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God DOES NOT HAVE LIFE.” – 1 John 5:11-12.

So, here it is IN BLACK AND WHITE! If you have not the Son of God, you have no life ── no eternal life ── abiding in you! 

Again ── not only are you being taught that our Lord Jesus Christ didn’t really die, because “the Son of God did not cease to be God” ── but you’re also being taught the very first lie that Satan the Devil spewed forth from his mouth! “’ You will not surely die.’” And mankind has believed it ever since. But the LORD God has never taught you that! □   

1) Sagan, C., Cosmos, Random House, New York, 1980, pp. 30.

2) Theologians Galore, What is the kenosis? What does it mean that Jesus emptied Himself? Got Questions, Retrieved 25 July 2025.  

Is Abortion A Sin?

 by Leonard V. Johnson

Good Morning, Altoona, IA; Prineville, OR; Ashburn, VA; and Tokyo and Milan. And, thank you to everyone here today. Welcome to the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries. I’m Leonard V. Johnson.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever addressed the subject of abortion directly before ── but today I would like to do so. Yes, I realize that it is a controversial subject that many don’t want to talk about ── they tend to shy away from it. Just simply saying, “It’s the woman’s right to do with her body what she wishes.”

But, we’re going to view abortion how the LORD God views abortion, and not how mankind views it. Is abortion a sin? Is it a crime? The LORD God is the family of God, which at this time consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Now, for those of our faith and belief, this will likely be redundant ── I will cover things that we, true Christians, have already likely been taught by the LORD God. For others, it will certainly astound you to finally rightly learn what your Bible truly says on this subject of abortion.

Let’s begin by giving the definition of what sin is. 

“WHOEVER commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” – 1 John 3:4. 

Sin is the transgression of the LORD God’s spiritual Law ── summed up in the Ten Commandments (cf. Exodus 20:117). Crime as defined in the Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary is ── 

\’krīm \ n [ME, fr. MF, fr. L crimen accusation, reproach, crime; prob. Akin to L cernere to sift, determine] (14c) 1: an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law. 1

During the last presidential debate, I gave a Personal From… The Trump and Harris Debate, and the Christian Vote, in which I briefly spoke about the fact that Taylor Swift had endorsed Kamala Harris as the next president. 

“After last night’s Presidential debate, the pop star publicly endorsed Kamala Harris because “she is a steady-handed, gifted leader” who fights for “LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body. . .” 

CNN had posted an article on what was her “banking issue” ── 

A fired-up Vice President Kamala Harris adopted a rapid-response mentality to seize on the key issue of abortion rights …

Referring to people behind abortion bans as “these hypocrites,” she argued at a hastily arranged campaign event in Atlanta that some US communities now dealing with abortion bans have for years been neglected on the subject of maternal care. “Where ya been?” she asked. 

(https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/20/politics/kamala-harris-abortion-whatmatters/index.html, retrieved 29 June 2025).

It’s evident that the majority of this world, truly, doesn’t know what is right, and what is wrong ── morally, ethically, or spiritually. 

On planet Earth, there is only ONE WAY to properly know what is right and what is wrong. And all human governments ── with their legislations, and laws, should come from that ONE WAY! – the LORD God’s Way. In your Bible, we find the LORD God speaking – and there is only one supreme authority throughout the known universe… and as I just read today, are you aware that Voyager I has only traveled into outer space 1 light-day distance from Earth? At some 15.5 billion miles from Earth at a speed of roughly 38,000 miles per hour ── it’s only at 1 light-day from Earth! The LORD God’s universe is ENORMOUS IN SIZE! So, there is only one supreme authority that knows, definitely, and tells us whether abortion is or is not a sin. 

The Beginning 

Let’s turn in our Bibles to the Book of Genesis, chapter 1. The very first words written down for all humanity ── “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

And down in verse 26 ── “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …’”

So, notice that it does not say, “Me,” or “My,” but rather, “Us,” and “Our.” The reason being is that God is a family. Sadly, that is something that most people are ignorant of ── or blatantly disregard. “’ Let Us make man in Our image.’” And what this means is that God is reproducing humans after the God kind. After His own likeness. And sure enough, we see in verse 25 this fact is brought to the forefront, “And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”

Now, in the article Why Death? I speak of whether there was death before Adam sinned. Be sure to read that article, it’s very interesting and informative. Discover in that article ── taught directly from God’s living word ── that animals indeed did die before Adam sinned (death and decay are a natural law), and that God still considered what He saw as “very good.”

So, God created the beasts of the earth after their kind, the cattle after their kind ── wolves after their kind, elephants after their kind, horses, and so forth and so on. And then in the very next verse, He addresses man. That God would reproduce man after the God kind. And, sadly, this is a living truth that practically no one appears to accept ── including many of the religions of this world.

The greatest truth on planet Earth is the fact that God ── the Creator of the whole universe, with all of its galaxies, suns, gases, and dark matter, and everything else ── is reproducing the God kind from physical human beings. A truth that I have shared with my unconverted wife, in which she responds, “It’s hard to believe that,  as vast as the universe is, with the billions of planets throughout the universe, there is no other life out there!” And my answer to her is ── unless the LORD God, or a right representative of God (i.e., an angel), tells me different. The only physical life in the universe is on planet Earth.

A single human being is of great value ── because one single human being can lead to an immortal spiritual God.

Turning to the 2nd chapter of Genesis, verse 7, we see that 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.” 

Here is that word, soul. In Hebrew, it is nāpash, meaning “life, soul, creature, person.” 2 

So, “man became a living being.” A soul came from the dust of the ground, and not from spirit. A soul is not immortal and is not spirit. And to this soul “formed from the dust of the ground,” the LORD God said there was a tree in the midst of the garden that was forbidden to eat. The LORD God said, “’ In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” So, he was not immortal. As I’ve said many times, even if Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life, they would have died anyway, no matter whether they had chosen the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Had they chosen the tree of life, they would still have lived out their days and died. But, like what the apostle Paul wrote, “at the twinkling of an eye,” they would have been resurrected wholly spiritual beings. Have you ever thought of this before? The LORD God was speaking of a second death ── a death in which you are not resurrected again. A permanent death (cf. Revelation 20:14; 21:8). The LORD God says here that the soul would die.

Now, whether there were literal trees, or this is just a metaphor ── shouldn’t be the issue. I personally believe there were literal trees (I reference our Lord Jesus’ words, “ …’ On earth as it is in heaven.’”), But there were two trees, the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life. A tree that was real life ── not only a temporary existence.

Mankind was given “the breath of life” ── in other words, a chemical existence. Mankind has not been granted life like the LORD God has. The LORD God is immortal – eternal life. The LORD God does not need to breathe oxygen. Mankind requires oxygen to live. This “breath of life” fuels our cells by oxidizing food, which creates energy and heat.

However, the LORD God offered life to man. Adam, the first human being ever created, was offered the life that the LORD God has. But man chose to take unto themselves the knowledge of good and evil. They disobeyed God and partook of the forbidden tree. Thereupon, God “drove out the man; and placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” – Genesis 3:24. It wasn’t until the time was fulfilled ── until our Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam, that the tree of life was able to be accessed again. 

Appointed For Men To Die Once 

The LORD God has appointed men “to die once, but after this the judgment” – Hebrews 9:27. In 1st Corinthians chapter 15, verse 22, we see that “in Adam all die,” and indeed, all of mankind has been dying in Adam ever since. “Even so in Christ all shall be made alive” ── all by a resurrection. And, as I’ve said so many times, the LORD God, from the beginning, had a Master Plan. Mankind was no afterthought. Everyone who has ever lived – past and present – is going to be brought back to life and be given an opportunity to be given God life and made immortal children of God. 

So, when the time was fulfilled ── and according to biblical dating, at around 4,000 years after Adam was created ── the Word “became flesh and dwelt among us” as the second Adam to accomplish what the first did not do. Our Lord Jesus says that He “’ came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’” – John 10:10. He came that we might have life ── which the first Adam could have had, but refused to take it.

And sure enough, in 31 A.D. when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, the Apostle Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’” – Acts 2:38-39.

We see in the Book of Romans chapter 8, and verse 9, that we, true Christians, live not in the flesh but in the Spirit ── the Holy Spirit of God ── if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they are not His. In other words, they are not a true Christian. Truly, those who are true Christians are those who have truly repented, been properly baptized and have had hands laid upon them, and have received the glorious gift of the Holy Spirit. Those that have come “out of her” ── came out of this world’s religions and ways. They are Christ’s. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.” – Romans 8:14. 

Also, the Apostle Paul – under divine inspiration – in that same chapter says, that “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [that] dwells in you.” – Romans 8:11.

So, if we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us, and we are led by His Spirit, we are already children of God ── the unborn children of God. 

Returning again to 1st John chapter 3, this time verse 2, we find it says that, “now we are children of God.” We are already children of God, but not born yet. And it’s basically the same way that a baby inside a mother’s womb is yet unborn.

So, we find ourselves, true Christians that is, yet unborn, and when we are born, we’re going to be quite different. We will be changed “in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet [the SEVENTH TRUMP]. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:52. Notice in the 1st chapter of Revelation, we see just what our Lord Jesus Christ looks like in His glory. “His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters.” – Revelation 1:14-15.

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus who came to our Lord Jesus by night and said, “‘ Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs [these miracles] that You do unless God is with him.’” It’s amazing – here it was that he understood that Jesus was someone of extreme importance and that His ability to perform these miracles – he knew that the Man came from God, yet here he is out at night – incognito – so that no one sees him. It reminds us of religious people today. They claim to be Christian, but are very afraid to truly keep the commandments of God and have and defend the testimony of Jesus Christ. They are afraid to speak out against such issues as homosexuality, marriage, bi-sexuality, or even what they are now calling pansexuality. They are afraid to speak out against such terrorist organizations as Black Lives Matter, Antifa, or even radical Islam. 

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”

And Nicodemus said in bewilderment, “ …’ How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’” 

Nicodemus just couldn’t understand. And our peoples today also cannot properly understand.

Sadly, the overall majority of this world’s ministers DO NOT properly understand it. Again, from the popular Protestant website Got Questions, they answer ──  

“The phrase translated “born again” can also be translated as “born from above.” … How does the new birth come to be? … When one is saved, he has been born again, spiritually renewed, and is now a child of God by right of that new birth.” 3        

They are wrong! 

They claim that they are “born-again Christians.” Are they? Well… I’m going to tell you about an article in PDF format, which is free to read and study. What do you mean… BORN AGAIN? It’s important to know the truth. Far too many people are just believing whatever a minister says and are not going by the living word of God, the Holy Bible. And God’s living word is indeed inspired by the LORD God. It is God speaking. Our Lord Jesus answered, “’ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.’” – John 3:1-8.

So, the LORD God is Spirit. God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ are the Spirit ── 2 Corinthians 3:17. These so-called Christians are still human beings, not spiritual beings. They are not spirit and are not composed of spirit. Our Lord Jesus said, ‘You are a spirit once you are born again.’ 

Then we can turn in our Bibles to 1st Corinthians chapter 15 again. Verse 50. A verse that groups such as the Seventh Day Adventists seemingly don’t properly understand. “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” Also, we read in verse 53, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” A simple and straightforward verse. Brethren, the very second (“at the twinkling of an eye”) that you lose the irreversible loss of consciousness, and the inability to breathe (in other words, death), you will be changed from mortal to immortal ── and “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Notice Romans, chapter 1 ── 

“Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2) which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3) concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4) and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, BY THE RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD.” – Romans 1:1-4.

So we see, brethren, that it is in the plainest of language ── easy to understand. Those who have truly repented of their sins, that is, turned away from the way they were living to the Way of God. And again, sin is the transgression of God’s Law. And, we notice ── and it is indeed a prolific teaching throughout the world ── that the churches of this world teach that God’s Law is done away, “nailed to the cross” as they say. And they also claim that all one needs to do is just “accept” Christ, and you will be saved. That if you will only receive Him and accept Him ── then He’ll just forgive all your sins. And, apparently, you can just go on sinning, as long as you confess to your local priest once in a while. Or, like they tell my Sister, “You have to stand up and confess your sins to the congregation!” Certainly taking 1st John 1:9 completely out of context! All of that is a deception! All of that is a blatant LIE! It is not the truth of the LORD God! It is not the truth of God’s living word! Because, when you sin against God, you are a sinner, and you are under the condemnation of sin, which is the wages of death. Eternal life is a gift from God. Only the LORD God holds the power of life or death – cf. Romans 14:9.

Back when I had first read Romans 6:23, some 44 years ago now, I was ecstatic! Because I began to understand it the correct way. Once, when I was 5 years old, while I was living in Lakeland, FL., I went to Sunday school with my neighbor and friend, Rusty. And I can distinctly remember hearing the teacher talk about “the immortality of the soul,” along with “going off to heaven.” In essence, they are teaching just the opposite of what our Lord Jesus is teaching us. They are saying that the wages of sin is immortality ── either eternity in heaven, or eternity in hell. Yet, we read the LORD God’s living word, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” And we also see that, “’ the soul who sins shall die.’” – Ezekiel 18:4, 20. The LORD God said to Adam, the day that you eat of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil ── you will die. It was not ambiguous.

It's truly a matter of believing the LORD God, or not. You know, there is a great difference between believing in Christ and believing on Christ. Our Lord Jesus is the living Word of God in person ── and the Holy Bible is the same loving and living Word of God, only in print. And these words are living. And whether you have the penalty of death still hanging over your head, or whether you have now accepted the glorious promise of the resurrection and of eternal life, all depends on believing on what Christ Jesus says in His living Bible.

 Is Abortion a Sin? 

On this question of taking a human life that is called an abortion ── it’s truly the taking of a human life.

I say to you on the authority of Jesus Christ and of His word, the Holy Bible, that whether a fertilized egg or an embryo ── or even, God forbid, a newly born baby ── abortion at any time after conception, it is the taking of a human life and it is therefore the breaking of the 6th commandment! It is murder! “’ You shall not murder.’”      

  

Will aborted babies (aborted for any number of reasons), along with babies that die not long after being born (such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), will the baby live again?

Unborn or born babies, little children ── and even our loved ones that have died,  having not understood the mysteries of God, or not understood enough for them to have been responsible ── had no true opportunity for this kind of spiritual growth. They were not called out of this present evil age. They all were mortal and had no eternal life within them because they had not received the glorious Spirit of God ── the very life of God which imparts eternal life. Almighty God be praised forever more! 

There will be a time when the LORD God will raise from the dead those that are dead, “small and great, standing before God, and books” will be opened. And “another book” will be opened, “which is the Book of Life.” – Revelation 20:11-13. They will be offered for the first time the glorious gift of eternal life. And, all aborted babies and all of our loved ones that had died, having not understood the mysteries of God, or not understood enough for them to have been responsible ── will be there in the “Great White Throne Judgment”!

To further understand this hope in us (Titus 1:2), watch our sermon “Salvation OFFERED To All.” 

You have heard that it was said that aborted babies will not be resurrected because they had not breathed “the breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). But, is this what makes them human? “But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.” – Job 32:8.

Animals do not have a spirit. Man needed this spirit to empower his brain with mind power - see 1 Corinthians 2:11. This human spirit enters the human embryo at conception. The spirit is like the “hard drive on a computer” – it stores information. The spirit essence is NOT an immortal soul or an eternal spirit. The spirit in man is NOT the man. It is something in the man. It has no life of itself. At death, it has no consciousness of itself, for it sleeps (1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 Corinthians 15:51; 1 Thessalonians 4:14). Like a tape recorder, it forms a permanent record of the qualities of mind and character built by a man during his lifetime. And much like a used tape is stored lifelessly on a shelf till activated in a recorder, so also does the spirit of man “return to GOD who gave it” after death, until the resurrection when life is again given to a person (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This was the way that our Lord Jesus Christ – through His servant – explained it to me and I hold fast to this that is good. Furthermore, the spirit in man was transmitted from Adam. Spirit comes from the father from a sperm cell, from Adam, all down through all humanity.

So, of all life forms – be it amoebas, humpback whales, or spiritual angels – in all of God’s creation, MAN ALONE was created to eventually be born into the FAMILY OF GOD! 

And, the LORD God ── gracious, merciful, and full of compassion ── will never forget an innocent unborn child. □ 

Bibliography

1 Webster, M. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, “Crime” Merriam-Webster's Incorporated, 1996, pp. 274.

2 Harris L. R., Archer, L. Gleason, Jr., and Waltke K. Bruce. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 1980, #1395a, pp. 587.

3 Got Questions, What does it mean to be a born-again Christian?, Retrieved 30 June 2025.  

Why Death?

by Leonard V Johnson

Why do people die?

God’s living word gives us the answer. 

The first mention of death is in the first Book of the Holy Bible ── 

“ …’ Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17) 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 2:16-17. 

Both Adam and Eve ended up eating from the ‘tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ (Genesis 3:6). But, was it our first death that the LORD God was warning about? 

No.

The LORD God was not speaking of a first death ── our physical death caused by the second law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of increasing decay. Because, and I’ve mentioned this several times now ── that even if Adam had taken of the tree of life, he would die anyway, no matter if they were to choose the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Had they chosen the tree of life, they would still have lived out their days and died. But, like what the apostle Paul wrote, “at the twinkling of an eye,” they would have been resurrected wholly spiritual beings. Have you ever thought of this before? The LORD God was speaking of a second death ── a death in which you are not resurrected again. A permanent death (cf. Revelation 20:14; 21:8). 

Indeed, both Adam and Eve ended up dying (Genesis 5:5).

Now ── let’s ponder on this a moment. We certainly know that plants were able to die before Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden tree. Because they were to serve as food for humans and animals throughout the Earth ── 

“’ Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food’; and it was so.” – Genesis 1:30. 

Certainly, you would not dispute this truth. However, many will argue that plants are not thought to be “alive” in the same sense as humans and animals. Unlike humans and animals, plants are not described in God’s living word as being a “living being” – nephesh chayyah. However, plants do die in some sense (cf. Job 14:7-12; John 12:24), and this tells us that death is a process that was created by the LORD God.

Originally ── and I have spoken of this several times ── Adam, Eve, the land animals, the birds of the air, and every creeping thing were only to eat plants (cf. Genesis 1:29-30). Again, some will want to argue that the LORD God’s creation could not have been “very good” (Genesis 1:31) if there was death. Yet, we see that creation can still be deemed “very good” by the LORD God, even with death (speaking of our first death).

Logically, if there were no death and decay, there would have been rapid overpopulation ── without death, the population would grow exponentially, potentially straining Earth's resources like food, water, and living space. 

God’s living word teaches us ──  

“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2) A time to be born, And a time to die; ... ” - Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2.

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23) But each one in his own order …” – 1st Corinthians 15:22, 23. 

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23. 

Now, a great many continue to teach that the Apostle Paul (the above-quoted passage) was speaking of a first death ── that, because of sin, men die. However, the Apostle Paul ── under divine inspiration ── is speaking of the second death. The wages of sin is DEATH. Remember, there was sin before the creation of Adam and Eve. Some angels sinned (2 Peter 2:4). 

And here is a crystal-clear passage that teaches that death (the first death) would eventually come to man ──

“And as IT IS APPOINTED FOR MEN TO DIE ONCE, but after this the judgment.” – Hebrews 9:27.

So, God’s living word teaches us that our God Most High, and our Lord Jesus Christ,  has a Master Plan for a gift of eternal life through our Lord Jesus!

While death and decay do happen to all flesh ── death is not the finality. 

Death itself is like deep unconsciousness. A deep state of unconsciousness is where a person is completely unaware of their surroundings or the passage of time. So, the dead are NOT SUFFERING AT ALL! God’s living word speaks of death ──

“For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, …” – Ecclesiastes 9:5. 

The understanding that death is likened to sleep is exactly what our Lord Jesus teaches us ──

“While He [our Lord Jesus] spoke these things to them, behold a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.’ 19) So Jesus arose and followed him, and so did His disciples.

23) When Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the flute players and the noisy crowd wailing, 24) He said to them, ‘Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.’ And they ridiculed Him.” – Matthew 9:18-19, 23-24; see also Luke 8:49, 55.

These things He [our Lord Jesus] said, and after that He said to them, ‘Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ 12) Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ 13) However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14) Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.’” – John 11:11-14. 

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, uses the term “sleep” to describe their condition ── which is a euphemism for death that is found elsewhere in God’s living word (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

Everyone knows what sleep is ── “a condition of body and mind that typically recurs for several hours every night, in which the eyes are closed, the postural muscles relaxed, the activity of the brain altered, and consciousness of the surroundings practically suspended.” We lose a sense of time during sleep. Seven to eight hours go poof! One main factor: Consciousness Shutdown. When we sleep, especially during deep stages like REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, our conscious awareness of the passage of time is essentially “turned off.” 

So, our Lord Jesus was speaking about death ── but He likened it to sleep because it was NOT the permanent, eternal death. Our Lord Jesus said that they were merely  “sleeping.” All who “sleep” in their grave will be resurrected unto life and hear His voice (John 5:28). He showed a foretaste of this by resurrecting those people.

The Apostle Paul also likened death to sleep ── 

“For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30) For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” – 1 Corinthians 11:29-30. 

“Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” – 1 Corinthians 15:18. 

“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed ── 52) in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet [the SEVENTH TRUMPET BLAST!]. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. 

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:13.

Brethren, we are comforted by the LORD God’s Master Plan ── which includes “the creation itself also will be delivered from the BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. … 24) For we were saved in this hope, …” – Romans 8:20-25.

The CERTAINTY OF DEATH   

Throughout my five and a half decades of life, dozens and dozens of people I’ve known have died. Most were very close to me ── and I have cherished memories ── remembering the way they were, the things they said and did, their personality and character. Yet, they all died. 

In this modern world, for the most part, death is kept at arm’s length ── often ignored by most people. Sadly, people become immune to death ── it happens in video games, i.e., player characters (PC’s) when they are shot and “die.” ── and then the next time you play the game, that p.c. is “alive” again. Then, there is psychological distancing. People tend to push uncomfortable realities, like mortality, to the back of their minds unless directly confronted by them. It’s a form of self-preservation. DEATH HAS BECOME INDIFFERENT.  

“Only a humanity to whom death has become as indifferent as its members, that has itself died, can inflict it administratively on innumerable people” – Theodor Adorno.

However, as Benjamin Franklin was known to have said, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” 

Well… death is the subject. It’s time we admit that there is such a thing. And, it’s time we know the truth about it.

Contrary to a growing number of people, there is no “dead” person you can conjure up to talk to about this subject. Science cannot give you the truth. Many self-proclaimed “experts” say they know ── because, as they claim, they have died and come back. Yet, there is only ONE SOURCE from which you can receive the truth concerning death ── and that is God’s living word!

 God’s People Also Died

Both John the Baptist and James ( a brother of our Lord Jesus) were murdered. The LORD God allowed it.

The Prophet Elisha, who was one of the greatest of the LORD God’s faithful servants ── who even had raised many dead back to life again ── eventually became sick and died. 

“Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. …” – 2 Kings 13:14.

Yet, he died in faith – “So it was, as they were burying a man, that suddenly they spied a band of raiders; and they put the man in the tomb of Elisha; and when the man was let down and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and stood on his feet.” – vs. 21. The LORD God wanted no one to reason amongst themselves that the Prophet Elisha had lost faith, so He inspired this to have been written. 

The point is ── the LORD God’s servants do die.

It was merely time for the Prophet Elisha to die. He had served the LORD God faithfully. Elisha became sick, and the LORD God simply allowed him to die. In a sense, God took him from the evil that was to come. 

LIFE AFTER DEATH 

One cannot truly speak of death without speaking of life. Death (our first death) is linked to life.

Let us recall what the Prophet Job was inspired to say concerning life after death ── 

“’ Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past [speaking of the prophesied Day of the LORD!], That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! 14) If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes.’” – Job 14:13-14. 

The Prophet Job knew about the glorious resurrection of the dead! And so do those who know of the glorious promises of the LORD God! Your Holy Bible speaks of a RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD ── A RESURRECTION TO LIFE! 

The Prophet Daniel was inspired by God’s Spirit to write for us ── 

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life [speaking of a FIRST RESURRECTION], Some to shame and everlasting contempt [speaking of a SECOND RESURRECTION].” – Daniel 12:2.

Later, when the time was fulfilled, our Lord Jesus quoted these same words ──

“’ For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22) For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23) that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 

24) Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25) Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. …

28) Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice. 29) and come forth ── those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of [judgment].’” – John 5:21-29. 

So, our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of more than one resurrection. 

Let us also notice Revelation chapter 20, which I referenced above ── 

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls [the lives; the Greek word psuche] of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, … And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5) But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. …” – and then he finishes his thought concerning verse 4, “This is the first resurrection.” 

The RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD was the hope ── the whole heart and center of the glorious gospel message of our Lord Jesus’ early Church! It completely dominated the messages of the Apostles Peter and Paul ── i.e. 

“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death; 24) whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, …” – Acts 2:23-24. 

God’s living word teaches us the RESURRECTIONS! It says nothing about the completely pagan doctrines of an “immortal soul,” or “going to heaven,” or “going to hell” when one dies.   

Be sure to watch our sermons, “'No One Has Ascended To Heaven'” and “Are the Dead In Heaven?” along with “Is There A Hell?”

The Apostle Peter goes on and emphasizes that even King David ── a man after God’s own heart ── that “he is both dead and buried” (Acts 2:29), and that “David did not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:34), but was rather waiting in his tomb, until the glorious RESURRECTION OF THE JUST!

The Apostle Paul was inspired to write a whole chapter concerning the subject of the RESURRECTIONS! The Apostle Paul ── again under the inspiration of God’s Spirit ── answered those questions that all people have since birth. 

“But someone will say, ‘How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?’”

And, again, his answer to this question ── a crystal-clear passage that teaches that death (the first death) would eventually come to man ── 

36) Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies.” – 1 Corinthians 15:35-36.

We would NEVER want eternal life living in these physical earthly bodies! As he says later, “For this corruptible MUST PUT ON INCORRUPTION, and this mortal MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY.” – verse 53. 

And true to these questions, we all have since birth ── what about those nearly three thousand that died during the September 11 attacks? What about our sailors who died during the attack and sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis in 1945? What about our peoples who are cremated? WHAT ABOUT THEM? 

Is it IMPOSSIBLE for the LORD God because the original body no longer remains? 

Our Lord Jesus says, “’ Do not marvel at this!’” This is exactly what our Lord Jesus inspired the Apostle Paul to write, “ … The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43) It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44) It is sown a natural [physical] body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. … 46) However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and AFTERWARD the spiritual.” – 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, 46. 

Just as the Prophet Job taught, there is a complete CHANGE at the glorious resurrection! The resurrected person is given spirit life ── not any “zombie” body, maimed or mangled, shot or burnt, deformed or disabled physical body. 

“ … and we shall be changed.”   □ 

Additional Information:

The Two Resurrections (PDF online booklet)

What Happens After Death? (PDF online booklet)