Mike,<\/p>\n

This is a very interesting email that you sent on the soul. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I find them very instructive and helpful. I don’t understand how you come to the conclusion that the soul in scripture means, “God’s knowledge of who we are.” Everything in the rest of the email is clear to me.<\/p>\n

I look forward to your response,
\nM____<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Hi M____,<\/p>\n

Thank you for your encouraging words. I am glad you were edified by the e-mail exchange concerning what is the soul.
\nYou say:<\/p>\n

\n

I don’t understand how you come to the conclusion that the soul in scripture means “God’s knowledge of who we are.” Everything in the rest of the email is clear to me.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The way I arrive at that conclusion is that Christ tells us plainly that man can destroy the body but not the soul.<\/p>\n

Mat 10:28 And 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<\/u><\/strong> in hell.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At the same time we are told that if there is no resurrection, then they that are asleep in Christ are perished.<\/p>\n

1Co 15:16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:<\/strong>
\n1Co 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith (is) vain; ye are yet in your sins.
\n1Co 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished<\/u>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing<\/strong>, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Since “the dead know not anything” and since they which are fallen asleep in Christ “are perished” if there is not a resurrection of the dead, it is obvious that the spirit which returns to God who gave it is God’s knowledge of who each of us is.<\/p>\n

Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Since God knows who we are when we die, and since “man can kill the body but cannot kill the soul” when we are resurrected, He alone is completely aware of who will still be needing purification in the lake of fire. He knows who to raise up into that “blessed and holy first resurrection” to rule with him during the “thousand years” when He places each of us within spiritual bodies. He also knows who to raise up “when the thousand years are expired” (Rev 20:7) in “spiritual bodies” with “terrestrial glory” still in need of being purged of so many false doctrines.<\/p>\n

1Co 15:40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another<\/u>.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A resurrected spiritual body is glorious when compared to a natural body, but if it is still full of the doctrines of that spirit called the devil, who is still in need of being purified himself, then it is still in need of being “destroyed in Gehenna fire” so as to be purified and “saved yet so as by fire.”<\/p>\n

1Co 15:41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth<\/u> from another star in glory<\/strong>.
\n1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead<\/strong><\/u>. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
\n1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
\n1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body<\/strong><\/u>. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

1Co 3:14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward [first resurrection, rulership during the thousand-year reign, judging of spiritual bodies in lake of fire].
\n1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss<\/strong><\/u> [of all of the above]: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Those bodies in the second resurrection who have “suffered loss” He will then place into spiritual bodies, and put them on “his left hand” and cast into the symbolic “lake of fire.”<\/p>\n

Mat 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
\nMat 25:32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth (his) sheep from the goats:
\nMat 25:33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mat 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand<\/u>, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting [Greek: aionios<\/em>] fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That is the same event which happens to all men. However, it happens to some first, and it happens to others later. We all must relinquish these “marred in the hand of the Potter… vessels of clay.” At that time we are either “asleep in Christ” or simply “asleep” as Lazarus was and as most men have and will die. Since we know that the death of the body is not the death of the soul (Mat 10:28), and since we know that “the dead know not anything” (Ecc 9:5), and since we know that God knew us “before the world began,” it is obvious that the ‘soul’ is who God says it is when He raises us from the dead.<\/p>\n

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world<\/u> unto our<\/u> glory<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us<\/u> in Christ Jesus before the world began<\/u>,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is not generally understood.\u00a0Our days were all ordained for us before there were any of them.<\/p>\n

Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book<\/u> they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee<\/strong><\/u>, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hope this all helps to explain why the soul is God’s knowledge of who we are, and is not simply a conscious entity of either spirit or flesh and blood. Man can kill the body, but man cannot kill God’s knowledge of who we are when the time comes for us to be resurrected.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, God is quite capable of destroying the old you and me, and through that destruction and death bring forth a new soul, which is conformed to His own image.<\/p>\n

Psa 11:5 Jehovah trieth the righteous; But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul<\/u><\/strong> hateth.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

God, too, has a soul in the sense that He knows Himself:<\/p>\n

Jdg 10:15 And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.
\nJdg 10:16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul<\/span> was grieved<\/strong> for the misery of Israel.<\/p>\n

1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth<\/u> no man, but the Spirit of God.<\/u><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Your brother in Christ,
\nMike<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike, This is a very interesting email that you sent on the soul. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I find them very instructive and helpful. I don’t understand how you come to the conclusion that the soul in scripture means, “God’s knowledge of who we are.” Everything in the rest of the email is clear to me. I look forward to your response, M____ Hi M____, Thank […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[786,32,787,789,788],"class_list":["post-2788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-faqs","tag-appointed-time","tag-biblical-concepts","tag-bodysoul","tag-breath","tag-celestialterrestial","series-appointed-time","series-biblical-concepts","series-bodysoul","series-breath","series-celestialterrestial"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2788"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25858,"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2788\/revisions\/25858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/server1.xploreseo.com\/iswasandwillbe\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}