THE MOST CONVINCING PROOF.
THE immortality of the soul is neither taught nor even assumed in the word of God. No such attribute as immortality or deathlessness is ever predicated of the soul or spirit or being of sinful man. Man, apart from Christ, is without life. Were it not for the second coming of Christ, and the resurrection, which takes place at his coming, his own people, even, who sleep in death, would never live again, and none would be made immortal. See 1 Cor. 15:13–20, which shows that a resurrection is necessary in order to a future life, and 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; 1 Cor. 15:51–55; Matt. 16:27, where it is expressly stated that this resurrection, the boon of immortality, and the eternal reward, will take place when Christ comes the second time. And yet people believe in the immortality of the soul, as they believe in the Sunday-sabbath, despite the teaching of the Bible, and because of early teaching, feelings, impressions, etc. As an illustration of dependence on this sort of evidence, here is what a noted Bible teacher, Mrs. Sarah B. Cooper, of San Francisco, whose weekly Bible class has been known for years, has to say:— “I have stood beside sixty-seven death beds, and watched the gradual receding of the physical faculties and the quickening of the spiritual. In the cases of consumptives oftentimes I have heard them call out the name of some dearly loved one who had gone before, and the look of glad recognition as they passed from earth does more to convince me of the truth of the resurrection belief than all the books ever written. There must be immortality of the soul.” But this is no proof at all. God gives glorious visions of the future to loved ones to cheer them as they fall asleep; but this is not proof of life beyond the grave. The Gospel of Christ, which tells us that the dead sleep, is, or ought to be, to a Christian all-convincing proof that life is assured to the righteous, that man has not inherent immortality, and therefore a resurrection is necessary.