By this time the reader has probably noticed that this is the second series I have posted concerning the same subject–the Book of Acts. Recall that the four gospels all have the same subject–the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth. You will also notice that each of the gospels is somewhat different from the other three. Accordingly, you will find that several Scriptural Truths are presented in this series that were not found in the original postings. In my website and YouTube presentations I have followed the prophets’ and apostles’ example by repeating Bible facts and teachings numerous times. I am a firm believer that one cannot hear or read God’s Truths too often.

Chapter two verses twenty-three through thirty-one: In verse 23 it is noted that Jesus came to earth, lived, died and arose in accordance with His and the Father’s “determinate counsel,” meaning that the Messiah’s earthly life and death followed a predetermined plan. Both Gods (Jn. 1:1-4) knew that without a human blood sacrifice the Father’s plan for the salvation of man would not be possible. As the Apostle Paul said, mortal man cannot comprehend the mind, will and way of the living God.

In verses 24 and 27 we read the words of King David where he stated that, though the Messiah would die for the sins of mankind He would be raised from the dead after a short period so that He (His body/soul) would not decay (Ps. 16:8-11). In verse 26 David said that because the body of Jesus would be resurrected, upon his (David’s) death his SOUL would rest in hope, knowing that his BODY, like that of His Messiah, would be resurrected at a future time. In verse 27 David declared that his “soul” and his “flesh” were one in the same by stating that “my FLESH shall rest in hope” because “You (God) will not leave my SOUL in hell (the grave).” See Hell. Note that in verses 31 and 32 he says the same thing about Jesus when he used the words “flesh” and “soul” to refer to the Lord’s physical body–the part that spent 3 days and nights in the earth. Note that David said that Jesus’ “SOUL was not left in hell” so that His “FLESH would not see corruption (decay).” This is one more proof that Jesus was totally man. A God’s body cannot die, nor can it decay because it is spirit. See The Man-soul Deception and Jesus Christ: God, Man or God-man.

For almost 2000 years church people, myself included, believed that man has a soul, and that it is immortal–cannot die–and that it will live forever either in heaven or hell. See Heaven. Over the centuries this Satanic doctrine has been preached by thousands of false prophets and believed by billions of false Christians in spite of the Lord telling us 2 times that “the soul that sins, that soul DIES” (Eze. 18:4,20). In the Hebrew language the soul/flesh is called “nephesh.” We are told that all breathing creatures (creations), including man, have a nephesh, and that the nephesh of each species is unique to that species, and that the nephesh of all creatures dies when breath is removed from it, and that all nepheshes return to earth upon death. Recall that when God breathed the breath of life into His creation, man became a LIVING soul, meaning that prior to this he was a DEAD soul. When man dies he becomes a DEAD soul once again and returns to the earth out of which he was formed. When Jesus was resurrected (born again) His soul ceased to exist and He was once again a spirit. Upon the resurrection of His saints their souls will, like His, cease to exist and they will, like Him, be totally spirit. In sum, man does not have a soul that cannot die; man is a soul that does die (Eze. 18:4,20). With the exception of Jesus Christ, everyone who has ever lived and died is still dead and will remain dead until their respective resurrections. See The Resurrections.

Satan has used the “immortality of the soul” ruse to deceive church people into believing that, because their supposedly immortal souls are supposedly “saved” in this life, they do not need to obey God for the rest of their lives in order to attain eternal life. See Hope and Salvation. The church’s perverted gospel (Gal. 1:6-9) proclaims that the believer’s immortal soul is already saved, therefore they need merely to repent following their inevitable sins (thanks to Adam). Being “sinners saved by grace,” Christ’s death guarantees them eternal life simply because they believe it. And Satan smiles. L.J.