Three-fold nature of Man

Thanks for the caution, but yes, I believe there is a PLURAL application of life in the tree. It's leaves are for the saved gentiles (Rev. 22:2; 21:24) whereas its fruit is for the overcoming church members (Rev. 2:7).

I fully understand that the Hebrew plural may be used for the idea of abundance or plural of majesties in some cases but not in all cases especially where there is abundance of scripture to support it. I believe the scriptures support my use and does so "abundantly."

If I were basing my doctrine upon Genesis 2:7 alone your point is well taken but I am not. Genesis 2:7 is only being used as a supportive text.

 

Paul was giving His preference. He wanted to be living in his body when Jesus came from heaven. The only other alternative was the "naked" state of the soul/spirit or the spirit/soul existing apart from the body. However, even in that bodiless state of Paul, he would enter into the mansions in heaven while he awaited the resurrection when Christ would bring his immaterial self with him to be rejoined with his glorified body:

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

Regardless, Paul was confident that if he stayed in his body the Lord was with him here on earth but if out of the body he would be present with the Lord in heaven. This confidency your position cannot have as you have complete cessation of Paul between physical death and the second coming.


Furthermore, the explicit language will not fit your position. There is something at "home in the body" and there is something "present with the Lord" at physical death that leaves the body so that it is no longer his home until the resurrection. The Aorist infinitives also deny such a gap of conscious existence between phyiscal death and the resurrection.

Your position is that of the Saduccees which both Paul and Christ refuted as it was the position of the Saduccees that at physical death all conscious existence ceased.

 

Without the resurrection of Christ there would be no salvation at all. We are being saved from our sins and the wages of sin is death. If Jesus did not rise victorious over death then sin is still the victor over Christ and us.

That is right, if his body dissolved - died, He would be without this earthly house and thus "naked." What is "naked" - Paul - the conscious immaterial self. Where would He be if he were without the body? He would be in his house in heaven as a spirit. This "naked" spirit would come with Christ (1 Thes. 4:14) and then be clothed upon by the glorified resurrected body.

Paul did not say "it" but "I" the personal conscious self. The Sadducees denied the resurrection because they also denied any conscious existence of the immaterial part of man (spirit) after physical death. Jesus strongly rebuked the Pharisees on both of these points. Jesus did not say that God "was" the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but "I AM" the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Sadducees believe Abraham Isaac and Jacob no longer existed.

I Thessalonians 4:14 explicitly states that Christ will bring them "with" him. Hebrews 12:23 and Rev. 6:9-11 clearly demonstrate that such "spirits" of just men made perfect are now in heaven.

God and angels are "spirit" without physical bodies and are able to take up the human form as well. Part of being made in God's image is the ability to exist within or without such a material body.

There is a tremendous amount of Scriptural evidence to demonstrate that the human existence does not cease at physical death. The term "death" simply means separation. Spiritual death is separation of man's spiritual nature from God. Physical death is separation of the spiritual nature of man from the physical body. The Second death is eternal separation of the lost person both body and spirit from God. Death never means cessation of existence but "death" and "life" are two opposing forms of existence. Jesus told Martha that He gives unto them eternal life and they shall NEVER DIE (Jn. 11). However, you cannot believe that because you believe that all men do die because you limit the human existence to merely physical life and thus at physical death complete cessation of all existence.

 

Is there any record that Tabitha complained or any of her friends complained?

No human enjoys suffering and diseases and the agony that often accompanies the act of dying. Remember the consequences of sin are not joys but miseries.

Look, some at Thessalonica were acting like lost people at the funerals who had no hope after death because those lost people believed like you - death ends it all.

Paul was telling them that the burial of believer's bodies at the funeral was merely like a "sleep" for the body - temporary in nature, but they were in heaven with Christ and they had the first priority over living Christians when Christ returned "with them" as they would be reunited with their bodies and called up first before the living were caught up to be "with them."

The words "even so" refer to the basis of hope which is Jesus Christ. He died and his body was buried but He himself went with the spirit of the repentant theif to paradise (Lk. 23:43) but then he was reunited with his body on the third day as it was raised again out of the grave "even so" shall those that died are in heaven with Christ and Christ will bring them with him and they shall be reunited with their body and be raised from the grave.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

 

Paul went to the third heaven and returned (2 Cor. 12). Do you think he liked coming back from heaven? So much for your Tabitha argument.

Your commentators are saying exactly what I said. Because Jesus Christ died, was buried but rose again "even so" there is resurrection hope for those who have died and gone to heaven because Christ will bring them "with him" when he comes back and they are given PRIORITY among the saints at His return.

 

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth such an one caught up to the third heaven. - 2 Cor. 12:2

 

The prepositional phrase "through Jesus" (dia Iesou) defines the sphere of salvation as obtained by his death, burial and resurrection for believers. Paul is saying that the death burial and resurrection of Christ provides the basis for Christians to believe that death witnessed at the funeral parlor is temporary and not permenant but as a "sleep." However, in regard to the soul of the believer, it never dies -

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
- Jn. 11:28

The question to you is "beleivest thou this?" Your final interpretation of this passage would deny you believe this.

You are correct that Greek scholars are divided upon the correct application of the words "God will bring with him." You are right that they deny the words "bring with him" refer to the souls. However, JFB and others do not suggest their interpretation means that the resurrection of the bodies of the saints chronologically occurs contemporaneous with the resurrection of the body of Christ from the grave as his grave was emptied 2000 years ago and these will be in their graves at the coming of Christ. Neither do they suggest that their interpretation denies that Christ will bring the souls of the saints with him when the resurrection of their bodies occur. Their idea is that those who sleep in Christ share the same resurrrection hope "with" Christ because of his victory over death, because Christ acted as a representative person for His people in obtaining victory through His death, burial and resurrection. What God did for Christ is what God will do for those who "sleep THROUGH (dia) Christ." Therefore "with Christ" is all inclusive of the entire process of victory over death in glorification. This phrase "sleep through Christ" restricts this hope to believers only as well as restricts the basis upon which this hope is founded. It is "through Christ" we have hope of all aspects of salvation including glorification.

Therefore the phrase "God will bring with him" has reference chronologically to the Second coming not when God raised Christ from the grave. The term "bring" translates the common word for "go" or "lead" or to be "led." This work of leading is attributed to God and is comprehensive of the complete work required in full glorification of the bodies of the saints. It begins with God leading the souls from heaven at the second advent into this atmosphere and then raising the physical body and reuniting the soul with that body and then leading it back up into the clouds all completed before the living are transformed and raptured to the same place.

 

The words "flesh and blood" refers to man in his natural state as he enters this present world not the regenerate and/or glorified state. Simply check out all references to the phrase "flesh and blood" and you will see that it is not to be taken literally but is an expression for the natural state of man as he enters into this world.

 

Your quotations prove that when the body dies something within never dies and at the resurrection the body will be raised to life never more to die.

The New creation has not yet arrived and therefore the old Testament saints did not obtain that. Instead, they are reserved in heaven until the Lord saves a great number out of the gentiles before He returns and ushers in that new world.

John saw "the souls" (Rev. 20:4) before they were reunited with their bodies in the first resurrection. Their souls he saw were not buried in the ground but in heaven awaiting the resurrection of their bodies. They "lived" in this world again through reunion with their bodies.

We enter into the kingdom of God or under His rule now when we are born again, and what is born of Spirit "is spirit." Some day His kingdom will be on earth and visibly manifested with Him reigning over this world as King of kings and Lord of lords and all the saints that have died with bodies buried and spirits in heaven will "live" in their human bodies on earth once again through the first resurrection.

I John 3:9 is "now" (see I Jn. 3:1) and refers to that which is born of God - what is born of Spirit "is spirit" (Jn. 3:6).

The promise given to the Old Testament saints was the NEW JERUSALEM ON EARTH (Heb. 11:10). They were looking for it ON EARTH but did not find it. They still have not obtained that promise and won't until they come back to earth through the resurrected bodies and that city comes down (Rev. 21:1).