The Ohio Independent Baptist, March 1967

eat - en? (The Theory of Soul Annihilation Refuted) By John Lineberry Jvf an i<, an everla ting being having had a beginning. but will never have an end. will never cea e to be. ince man originated by the direct creative fiat of God (Gen. 1: 26), he cannot ever pa from exi tence to non– exi tence. in view of the fact that God created man in Hi own likene and in1age (Gen. 1: 27). God i man' Originator. God created man, cau ed him to be. The Greek word for ' 'man" i a11tlzropos, meaning '"the upright vlalk1ng one.' ' That de cription of n1an i ignificant ince man can walk \\ ith houlders erect, head up, with eye gazing into the heaven where his od , ht benign Creator, is. Man o~'es h1~ life, hi s entire being to 1od. The Hebrew word bara " to create.. 1 the tronge t word u ed in the Hebrew language to expre 4 ab– olute origination. " God i the ab– olute Originator of "the heaven and the earth., (Gen. I : 1), of "every li vi ng creature tha t moveth" (Gen. I :21 ) , and of ..man" (Ge n. 1: 26-27). The Soul is Eternal he very fac t that n1an i the crown of od creation, a signed in the beginning to rule supremel y over aU the creature of the earth ( C1en. l :26-31) establi he the 1mpo 1bility of n1an· per onality being blo tted out 111 annihilation . Hence one 1 not " to fear then1 which kill the body, but re not able to k ill the oul .'' The word for •'fear" i /J l l<> IJeo Hto fea r, be afraid, to be truck wi th f car, o l,e eized 'tVith alarn1." 1.. he verb onstructio11 i J)resent in1perat ive ~ 1th 111e in a J)rohibition wh ic l1 co11- truct1011 de111a11d the ces a tion of ar1 .tctm 11 alread}' i,1 progre , ir1 wh ich tts 111 tra11 lati 11 is, ' t J) fe,1ring l1o~c "110 viii tl1e b d)' l)ut do 1101 , a, e t 11e J> " er t i 11 t 11 e o LI 1." \ i t l1 .. ,11pt1a11c n tc tl1 criJ)tL1res ,, se1 t h t 111 ul ca1111 t lJc l illt:d. 11 ~ t rut 11 1l1at 1l1er 1 110 eq t1al c - l1dm1g ~ 11 II 111 \.\' rld r 11 a11 oul J>I tJ1at )1i ul ca1111 t Ll d c a"" a ) j 11 t t }1 11 t 11 i 11 g- c ( 1an 11 g LI I ll d l) I J I J)I an I C fl J) ( 1 1 t1e . a d • I' II ) t f :2 ; J I .. l . ' e t I , it will be rai ed tip. The word ' kill" apokte,1110 Hto kill in anyway what– ever, o a to put out of the way. ' Phy ical death i the temporary u - pen ion of the pirit and oul from the body re u]ting in the body' death (1 ame 2: 26) beyond which con– dition man pirit and oul immateri– al part of n1an' being (Gen. 2: 7b) , live on in another phere, in joy and ble ing ineffable for the aved and in woeful torment for the un aved ( Luke 16: 19-31) awaiting the re ur– rection the literal phy ical ri ing up of the body and it reunion to the pirit and oul. All of which mean that man cannot be annihilated , can– not cea e to be, will never fly off into the region of nonexi tence. Turning from the tatement that one i to top fearing tho e who can kill the body but have no power to kill the oul , the in pired writer goe on to exhort man whom he hould fear , declaring HBut rather fear Hin1 which i able to de troy both oul and body in hell. " The word "fear ' again i phobeo, which mean , when u ed with referenee to our fearing od '"to reverence venerate, to treat with deferenee or reverential obedience. ' ' 1 o fear od then i to reverence, to venerate Him. To fear the Lord i to tru t in the Lord J e u a per onal av1our, enabling the believer to find 1n the avi our al vation from sin ( Act\ 4 : l 2), ' trong confidence" ( Prov. 14:26); "A f untain f life" ( Prov. 14:27 ), and " rest fr n1 fear" {1\a tah 14:3). he v rb ·· fear' ' 1 1n the pr ~cnt 1n1pera t1 ve \.Yh1ch con1- 111and \ the do ing o f ,tn act and 1t~ cont 1nuancc. the tran ' la t1on bc i 11g, " l)ttl ra ther be fea ring H i 111 who hu"i J)OV-'er t o bri11g l)oth S()ttl a11d botl} t o t l1e cc)1d itic) n oJ Ltlt cr rt1i 11 ~tnd e,,cr– lasting 111i er in hell " \.\'htch co11- clitio1 s h t)WS the t11 gcr1cv o t l)e1 11g sa cd rigl1 t ncl v.' , toda}' · ( )11e is le> ,t 'l i111111ediately in re i,•i11g hri "t a Sa, ioLtr, 1 1aking t l1c afet , of l1i st t1l Sllft: ill l SJ'>l 11 l ) 1lld' J)l'Lff l (f grace . A Misunderstood Word I J1 I 11gl isl1 \\ r I . ) tr " t as llS d • 111i t&llll r t ,ll 111 lll \ I I I> t t "'d \ l }1 ltl-ann1t1il - l I 11 t 11 I • ti k \\ I l - ~, I u I (If J 'J // 11 I I I i , ' l It llJ l ll Rev. John Lineberry Eel. N ote : This dear brotl1er is t i / rienci of ) 1 011r eclitor. He is a,z AL1t/1or . Bihle Lec· t11rer a11d Eva11[!e list pres– en ti)· ervit1l! as pastor o / 1 li e M 1. Tahor 8 (1pti t C l11~r(-l1 . Bec·k le}' , West Vir_!finic1. o f true or eternal life : to be delivered up to eternal mi ery, to be lo t, t be ruined. " The word wa u ed in the papyri writing in the follo\\in o l:> entence and in each in t, nee i rendered by the \.\ ord " Jo .. : ..The n1oney which they thought had been lo t••; ··1 am quite up et at Helen · lo of the n1oney" ~ .. I blan1e v tt grea tly fo r the lo f two pig O\: Jing lo the fatigue f the journey.'' he per on who di e un aved, die without per a nally r eceiving the rd Je u a Saviour, incur the lo , ol eternal l1f and ble ing, and i de.. - tined to be con igned to the \\' Oe ft1I conditi n of utter ruin and \ erla t– I ng mi ·er, in the litera l fire of hel l ( G el1e1111t1, ·1a tthe\\ 5. _2 ,ll\O). 1n the lake of fire, the reg1 n 1 the doo111ed. de t1nie t1nch,tnge,1bly Ii e(I ( Re\ ela tion 20: 1 1- L5). \\ h1ch t)n– u it1o r1 1\ the ccond deat h. the c 1 dle~\ \ cpara t101 o t the entire pct\l)tl"\ltl) t r() 111 ( 1() I' \ 111erc\, gr,\CC ,lt1ti lt)\t~. What The Bible Teaches 1~hert: lt)I c the i11fallil1 lc tl:\t1111 ,11, " tll ho l, 'iCI 11tt11 t; ( t>\,ll111 l J l) ~l) tlccl.11 e~ tl1,1t th~ t1r1\,l\ e l ,, 111 tll'l ' dlln ll, be ar1r1ihilLltctl t1lt)ttcd t llt ,1 t: 1 .... 1cr1Lc. l1L1t L.t)11t1 111,, t\C the l1ri t– lcss \VIII l)c tl1e tlhjc ts lt 1l ll s ,, r 1tl1 a11tl tlisJ)lt=d tire as the 111t1st r k ,11 \\ it t1 a l ltll ~ > l \\ lltlsc.: ctt: r11~tl i11, tt1 I )f' I J c: \ls 11, be 11 s lll'11 I a11d r jc lt: I, tl1 rcstllt stl }1 l I, I t1c111- , lts t1 atr11 111 I tl1 1, it,t]r I c 111g 1t1 , rla ti11g J) nail >f in I 111g I I I l t)l l) t tic i1111~1 I 11 11 I l l lt I 111 111 i11 111 I, nd f d 11 , ,, 1t l1 lit , n h I f r ~, 1 , 1 t 11 t 1 t 111 1" ( ont ir1u d n p 1 ) MARCH 1967 PAGE 5