Question: Please give scriptures proving that “mortal man” is really immortal!

Question: In one of your talks you quoted, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel:18:4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
See All...) and, “The wages of sin is death.” You then said that this means “separation from God forever.” On what grounds do you define “death” as an immortal existence? Re total annihilation vs. ever-burning hell, we do not believe that “the natural man” has innate immortality because of scriptures like the first one above and “rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell” (Matthew:10:28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
See All...); and “He that converteth the sinner from error shall save his soul from death” (James:5:20Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
See All...). Please give scriptures proving that “mortal man” is really of and by himself immortal!

Response: Unfortunately, your definition of death and immortality does not agree with the Bible. In the very day that Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit they died—but they were not annihilated, as you define death in your attempt to escape the biblical statements about eternity in the “lake of fire.”

What did it mean that Adam and Eve were dead, yet still living? Spiritual death brought instant separation from God the moment Adam and Eve rebelled against Him by eating of the forbidden fruit. In this earthly life, however, there is hope of that spiritual separation being ended by reconciliation with God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for sin and “tast[ed] death for every man” (Hebrews:2:9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
See All...). Those who reject Christ will experience “the second death” (Revelation:2:11He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
See All...; 20:6,14; 21:8), which is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire (Revelation:19:20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
See All...; 20:10,14,15).

Your idea of “immortality” assumes that the lost must be immortal in order to exist eternally in hell. Not so. The word “immortal” occurs only once in the entire Bible (1 Timothy:1:17Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
See All...) and is a description of God, who alone is eternal, having neither beginning nor end:

“Who alone hath immortality...” (1 Timothy:6:16Who 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.
See All...). The immortality that God gives to man refers to the new body that can never die (1 Corinthians:15:53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
See All...,54), received by the redeemed. Angels, demons, Satan, and mankind were created and therefore have a beginning. There is not one verse in the Bible, however, to indicate that their existence ever ends--—but endless existence is never referred to as “immortality.”

Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of God: and they that hear shall live” (John:5:25Verily, 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.
See All...). He was, of course, referring to the spiritually dead hearing the gospel and receiving eternal life. Those who reject the gospel remain in spiritual death. Of them, Jesus said, “The hour is coming [clearly a future “hour,” because He leaves out the phrase “and now is”], in which all that are in the graves...shall come forth” (John:5:28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
See All...,29). This is the yet future resurrection of the saved at the Rapture to eternal life in heaven; and later (after the last rebellion at the end of the millennial reign of Christ) of the damned to eternal death in the lake of fire.

John clearly states, “I saw the dead [i.e., those who remained in spiritual death by rejecting the gospel], small and great, stand before God...” (Revelation:20:12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
See All...). This is at the end of the world, the final judgment. These people are both spiritually and physically dead, but they are not annihilated. Instead, they are standing before God and being judged according to their works to determine the level of punishment each will eternally endure. Those standing in that judgment have been taken from hell itself (“and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them”—Revelation:20:13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
See All...). The lost are “dead” and in hell, but they are still conscious. At the final judgment they are brought forth to stand before God, then cast into the lake of fire—and there is never a hint that their consciousness will ever end.

Christ tells us of these poor souls through the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This is not a parable, because He never used names in a parable, but is about real people who have lived on this earth and died. Even if you were to turn it into a parable, what would it illustrate? The very thing you don’t want to believe, i.e., that the punishment of the lost is eternal: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation:20:14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
See All...).

When “death and hell” are cast into the lake of fire,” the “rich man” to whom Christ referred will be among these doomed because he went to hell when he died: “...the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments...” (Luke:16:22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
See All...,23).

In warning about hell, Christ referred to the “fire that never shall be quenched” (Matthew:18:8Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
See All...,9; Mark:9:43-48 [43] And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: [44] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. [45] And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: [46] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. [47] And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: [48] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
See All...). We are told that in the lake of fire, “the beast and the false prophet...shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation:20:10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
See All...). We have every reason to believe that the lost who are taken from “death and hell” to the final judgment and then cast into the lake of fire will also be tormented in that flame forever. This can only be the “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew:25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
See All...), which Christ warns man to avoid at all cost.