DO YOU HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL?
By E. Frank Brown
Please note:
The true Names of the Creator, Yahweh,
and His Son, Yahshua the Messiah,
are used throughout this booklet,
instead of the common but erroneous
forms found in most translations of the
Holy Scriptures.
These Names are found thousands of times
in the Original, Inspired Scriptures,
but most translators say they have "followed long-
standing tradition" by inserting substitutes such
as "LORD" and "GOD" in place of Yahweh’s
Name, and the Savior’s True Name has been
corrupted by centuries of Greek, Latin and French
influence. For more information, or for additional
copies of this booklet, please write:
"Search the Scriptures" Ministry
P. O. Box 32
Clarksville, AR 72830
Email: efbrown@r-v.net
Do You Have An Immortal Soul?
By Frank Brown
As promised, here is an article that fits more in the category of "milk of the Word," for those of
you who are just beginning to seriously study the Bible, which is Yahweh’s book of instruction for mankind.
Paul, in I Cor. 3:2, told the Corinthians that he had fed them with "milk, and not with meat," because
they were yet "carnal," and unable to accept the meatier, or deeper subjects of Yahweh’s Word.
The writer of Hebrews says basically the same thing (Heb. 5:11-14). The apostle Peter says that we are to lay aside
our carnality and become as "newborn babes," desiring the sincere milk of the Word, "that ye may
grow thereby:" (I Peter 2:2).
When we first begin to learn Yahweh’s truths, we have to separate those Biblical truths from man’s traditions of
myths, lies and false doctrines that we were all brought up in. Some are bewildered by the realization that all
our lives, we have been the victims of Satan’s deception.
When we discover that much of what we have held near and dear, thinking it came out of the Bible, is in reality
only a myth, there is sometimes a mixture of anger and resentment toward our former religious teachers for teaching
us error., And, at the same time, a sense of relief and thankfulness that at last we are beginning to understand
for ourselves.	
And such is the subject we have chosen to discuss today. One of the most cherished beliefs among Christians and
others, is that humanity is endowed with an immortal soul that flits off to heaven when we die if we have been
"good," or to hell if we have been "bad."
This belief generally assumes that the saved will spend eternity in heaven, either looking up into the Master’s
face adoringly, like a good doggy, or floating around on a cloud in the heavens, plucking soulfully on a golden
harp for eons without end, and with not much else to do.
While this is going on, the lost souls will be plunged to the center of the earth, Satan’s domain, to spend an
unending future sizzling and frying in eternal flames of hell, in excruciating pain and agony.
Is this, or a slight variation, what you have been led to believe? Is this your idea of the future? Do you worship
a Mighty Creator who has planned such a future for you and your loved ones? Do you think such ideas came out of
the Bible? Yes? Then prepare to be shocked and pleasantly surprised.
First, if you believe something similar to the above scenario, please, right now, go somewhere and pray to your
Creator that He will open your eyes to understand His Word, the Bible. Next, get your Bible out, blow the dust
off of it, and look up the Scriptures we are going to be studying. Then study them. Look up
others on the same subject. There are so many scriptures relating to this, that we can’t possibly cover them all
in this short article.
Let’s begin at the beginning, the Book of Genesis. In chapter 1 we read of the creation of the first man and woman
(vv. 26-27). Then chapter 2 gives more detail of this creation. Verse 7 tells us that Yahweh formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Hebrew Ruach, meaning
AIR) and man became a living soul. Notice it does not say Yahweh put a soul into the man, but that the man Adam
became a living soul. He was a soul - not that he had
a soul living inside him.
This word, soul, is translated from the original Hebrew word, "nephesh," Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary word
#5315, which means "properly a breathing creature, i.e. animal or (abstract) vitality; -- any, appetite, beast,
body, breath, creature" --, etc.
In fact, this same word, nephesh, is translated "creature" in Gen. 1:21, 24; and 2:19, and refers to
animals, land animals and beasts of the sea. Again, in Gen. 9, verses 10, 12, 15 and 16, this word is translated
as "creature" and refers to both man and beast. So it is just as accurate and proper to refer to an animal
as a "soul," as it is to refer to a human being this way. Absolutely nothing denoting immortality is
stated or implied here.
Then where did such an idea come from? How could man have gotten the idea that he HAS an immortal soul, rather
than that he IS a soul; a living, breathing, fleshly being?
Turn to Genesis chapter 3, and let’s read about the first recorded lie in history, and see who told it. Read this
for yourself. I’m going to paraphrase parts of it.
The serpent was more subtil (Subtle: elusive, cunning, crafty) than any beasts which Yahweh had made. This is that
"old serpent" of Revelation 12:9, that has deceived the whole world. And notice, he said to the woman
(the weaker vessel, 1 Pet. 3:7), "Yea, did Elohim say, ‘ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’"
Of course He did, and Satan knew it! He was setting the stage to trap Eve; to create within her desire, lust, envy,
greed.
Instead of fleeing this talking salesman--er--I mean serpent, Eve carried on a conversation with it. "We may
eat fruit of any tree in the garden except this one in the middle. Yahweh says we will die if we eat it, or even
touch it."
Now the infamous 4th verse: And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall NOT surely die. V.5, For Elohim
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as Elohim, knowing good
and evil." And then the woman began to desire this fruit above all the fruit in the garden. She became greedy
for it; she was envious of Yahweh for withholding it, and she lusted for it so much, that she finally reached out
and stole it.
Just think! Here was a large garden, filled with trees, bushes, vines, plants of all kinds, most of which were
probably loaded with fruit, and she could have her choice of ANY of them (Gen. 2:16), EXCEPT this one lone tree
which stood in the middle of the garden. And which one did Eve want? Why, that one, naturally.
Yahweh owned them all, and freely gave them ALL to the man and woman, with this one exception. He reserved it to
Himself because it was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and they were not ready for this knowledge.
So she pulled the fruit, took a bite and gave one to Adam who was with her.
And from that moment on, their lives were changed forever. Their family life became one tragedy after another for
the rest of their lives.
But their life story is not my point here. Satan’s lie is the point. He told them, in effect, that they were immortal;
that they had an immortal soul and could not die. Furthermore, he said Yahweh had lied to them, and Eve apparently
believed it.
Liars are a sad lot. Some do it for personal gain; some lie to influence people to their way of thinking, or to
get them to do as they wish; some lie to build themselves up in the eyes of those lied to; and some, it’s said,
would pay to tell a lie even if they could tell the truth for free. Satan’s purpose was to cause man to sin, thus
thwarting Yahweh’s plan for mankind (or so he hoped).
This lie that Satan told Eve was the grand-daddy of all lies, since it is, incredibly, still being believed by
millions of people today, 6,000 years later. Almost every religion on earth has adopted some form of this "immortal
soul" doctrine into their belief system. And without one scripture in the entire Bible to back it up, believe
it or not!
The truth of the Scriptures is that the Resurrection of the just is our hope of eternal life. When we die, we rest
in our graves until the resurrection. The righteous who have already died or who will die before Yahshua returns,
will be resurrected as spirit beings and will rule and reign with their Elder Brother and King, Yahshua the Messiah,
in the Kingdom of Yahweh. Those alive at that time, will be changed instantly from flesh to spirit.
Everyone else will be in the second resurrection, and those who refuse to repent will be cast into the Lake of
Fire at the time of the end to be burned up and destroyed, not tortured forever. Everyone who has ever lived will
have one chance for salvation.
There are many scriptures which verify what I have just said, so let’s examine some of them. Please keep an open
mind and be willing to accept new truth, if you see it from the Scriptures themselves, and that it is not just
what some man says.
As noted at the beginning of this article, the word "soul" refers to living, breathing beings, both animal
and human. It does not refer in any way to a spirit being living within our bodies or minds that is the real us,
and that is released at death to go to heaven or hell to spend eternity.
Acts 24:14-15, "But this I confess unto you, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship
I the Elohim of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: and have hope
toward Yahweh, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just
and unjust."
These are the Apostle Paul’s words. Yahshua said something similar in John 5:28-29, "...the
hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his (the Son of Man’s) voice, and shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation (Judgment).
Some, recognizing that resurrection is indisputably taught in the Bible, try to have it both ways. "We
float off to heaven when we die," they say, "then, at the resurrection, our souls are crammed back into
that old diseased body." But ask them where the logic is in this, and they simply shrug and say something
like, "we’ll understand it all bye and bye."
But the Bible can be understood now. We don’t have to wait; all we have to do is believe what we read. But that
is where the problem arises. You see, people try to make their preconceived notions fit the Bible, instead of letting
the Bible correct them.
Scripture says the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything (Eccl. 9:5). Verse 10 adds:
Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge,
nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest."
Eccl. 3:19-21 tells us, "For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even
one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man has no
preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all return to dust
again. Who know the spirit of man that goes upward, and the spirit of the beast that goes downward to the earth?
"See," some will say, "it says right there that man’s spirit goes up. That must be the
soul going to heaven." No, that word means "breath." The Hebrew word is "ruach" and simply
means the breath of life, the same as Yahweh breathed into Adam when He created him.
Psalm 146:4, speaking of mortal man, says, His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very
day his thoughts perish.
I have attended many funerals where the speaker would say something like this, "Don’t grieve over
the departed. Of course you will miss him (or her), but they are now up in heaven, joyfully happy and looking down
on us."
If that is true, then these Scriptures just quoted are nothing but lies. Shall we believe the Bible, or some man’s
ideas about it? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? If the Bible is not true, then none of us have any hope of salvation.
Paul said, in I Cor. 15:13-14, ..if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Messiah not risen,
and if He be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
Verses 17-22, And if Messiah be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also
which are fallen asleep in Messiah are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Messiah, we are of all men
most miserable. But now is Messiah risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since
by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead, for as in Adam all die, even so in Messiah shall
all be made alive.
Paul goes on in 1 Cor. 15:51-52: Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep (die),
but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Paul is saying that there will be some still alive when Yahshua returns to gather His elect, but those
who have died beforehand (and are resting in their graves, knowing nothing), will be raised to life - Spirit life.
Verse 53 says we must put on immortality. It is not something we already have.
Immortality is something we seek for, not something we have inherently within ourselves. Romans 2:7: To
them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life:
1 Tim. 6:14-16 reminds us that Yahshua only has immortality at this time: That you keep this
commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Master, Yahshua the Messiah: which in His times
He shall show, who is the blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords: who only hath immortality,
dwelling in the light which no man can approach to---.
The Apostle John informs us (1 John 3:15) that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Ezekiel
tells us twice that the soul that sins will die (if he does not repent). Eze. 18:4 and 18:20 both state, .."the
soul that sinneth it shall die." The New Testament book of Romans, chapter 6 and verse 23 verifies this:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of Yahweh is eternal life through Yahshua the Messiah our
Master.
"But what about all the scriptures that tell us we are going to heaven when we die? Or to a place
of eternal torment called hell, if we are bad?" Well, shocking as it may seem to some, there aren’t any!
But there are a few that seem to say something like this, especially to those looking for
support for a belief they already hold. Let’s examine some of those.
Probably the most famous is found in John 14:2-3, In my Father’s house are many
mansions (this word can be translated as rooms, abodes, jobs, or offices): if it were not
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
He is now gone away (to heaven), to prepare these mansions, positions, offices, jobs, etc for us. Now
note very carefully. When He comes again, where will He be? Here, of course. He will receive us to Himself here,
because that is where He will be. The day He returns, after gathering the saints from the "uttermost part
of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven," His feet will descend on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Zech.
14:1-4 and Rev. 14:1), and Law will go forth from Jerusalem (Zion), Isaiah 2:3 and Micah 4:2). This is the beginning
of Yahweh’s 1,000-year Kingdom on this Earth, to be ruled over by Yahshua and those resurrected saints who will
share His throne (Rev. 2:26-27 and 3:21).
Yahshua, in the Sermon on the Mount (Mat. 5:12), said, "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great
is your reward in heaven:" But He did not say we go there to get it. Just the opposite. He will
bring our reward with Him when He returns.
You see, that reward is reserved in heaven for us (1 Peter 1:3-4, Blessed be the Mighty One and Father
of our Master, Yahshua the Messiah, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Yahshua Messiah from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you).
He will give it to us when He returns (Isaiah 40:10, Behold, the Sovereign Yahweh will come with strong
hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with Him). This is reiterated in Rev. 22:12,
where Yahshua says, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according
as his work shall be."
Yahshua said no man had ascended to heaven, except Himself, who came down from heaven (John 3:13). In
Acts 2:34, the Holy Spirit-filled Apostle Peter, on the day of Pentecost in 31 CE, declared that even David ( a
man after Yahweh’s own heart, Acts 13:22), is not ascended into the heavens.
Revelation 20:4-6 tells us that we will reign with Messiah in His kingdom for a thousand years, and Revelation
5:10 tells us this will take place right here on this earth.
Then what about the wicked, some are wondering. Surely they go to an ever-burning hell to be punished? We have
already seen scriptures showing that the wicked die. But some say "death merely means separation from God."
But is this true? Not according to the Bible. Let’s take another look at Revelation 20: Verse 4 shows the first
resurrection, as verse 5 says.
But verse 5 also reveals that at the end of the 1,000 year period, there will be another resurrection. This is
the beginning of the Final judgment, also called the Great White Throne Judgment (v. 11-12), and those whose names
are not found written in the book of life will be cast into the Lake of Fire (verses 13-15). This is called the
second death (verse 14 and Rev. 2:11).
Malachi 4 (the last book in the Old Testament) explains what will happen to those sinners who refuse to repent
during this end-time: Verses 1-3: For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Yahweh
of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch (No immortal soul left sizzling in "hell").
But unto you that fear My Name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go
forth, and grow up (frolic) as calves of the stall.
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall
do this, saith Yahweh of hosts.
These scriptures fit in with Mat. 25:46, which is speaking of those unrepentant sinners who will be cast into the
lake of fire. "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life
eternal.
They are not going into everlasting punishing, you see, but punishment. They will be burned completely
up, suffering the second death for all eternity. Their memory will soon be forgotten. Eccl. 9:5 again, "For
the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the
memory of them is forgotten."
The concept of an immortal soul within a human body arose from Satan’s attempt to confuse mankind and
cause him to falsely worship Satan by obeying his doctrines instead of following Yahweh’s commandments. The idea
of "hell" as a place of eternal torture came not from the Bible but from the pen of an ancient writer
named Dante Alighieri, who wrote a book called, "The Divine Comedy." He was not
a theologian, but a poet and writer, among other things. This idea came out of his head, not the Bible.
In scripture, the word translated "hell" most often simply means "the grave." So in that sense,
almost all of us do go to "hell" when we die. But we simply rest there in our graves until Yahshua comes
to call us out. Even the Old Testament patriarch Job recognized this fact.
Job 19:25, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth:
Job 14:12-15, So man lies down, and rises not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not
awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that you would hide me in the grave, that you would keep me secret until
your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time and remember me. If a man die, shall he live again? All
the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shall call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt
have a desire to the work of thine hands.
To conclude, we see that man IS a soul; he does not HAVE an immortal soul dwelling in him. The words,
"immortal soul" do not appear in the Bible. This is a pagan belief, pure and simple. The word "soul"
in the Bible is used to denote a living, breathing creature, either human or animal. "Souls" can and
do die.
To escape the second death in the lake of fire, we must repent of our sins, accept the death of Yahshua the Messiah
to pay for those sins, have faith that He is alive and will save us from the second death. Then we must be obedient
to Yahweh’s Commandments (Acts 2:38 and 5:32). In this way, we will be granted immortality at His coming.
There is much more, but maybe these scriptures will get you started searching for the truth that will set you free.
John 8:32: And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Free from what?
From Satan’s wiles and lies; from the deceptions of the world and its religions, and free from sin that enslaves
us.
Romans 6:16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience
unto righteousness? HalleluYah!.
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