DEAD SOUL SYNDROME

DEAD SOUL SYNDROME The theory of the book is that the spiritual nature of humans, frequently called the “soul” in English, is utterly and completely DEAD. This is due to sin. The soul has been dead in mankind ever since Adam disobeyed. That very day in Eden he spiritually died. This death was not metaphoric for separation from God. Adam’s spirit-man, a real sentient life form (sort of similar to an angel in essence) literally died.

DEAD SOUL SYNDROME Initially this theory does not sound too radical from standard traditional Christian teaching. Genesis 2:17 NASV “for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Adam did not fall over physically dead, so Dead Soul Syndrome, that has now infected all of humanity, sounds reasonable, even to staunch traditionalists. Ephesians 2:1 NKJV “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Our spiritual resurrection at the new birth is evidence that previously we had been dead. This is not usually disputed by believers, until the consequences for the afterlife state of mankind are realized…

The Great White Throne The Cross b.c. a.d. Eternity Saved Body and spirit dead awaiting redemption. Body dead awaiting resurrection. Spirit with Christ in heaven. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth. Unsaved Body and spirit dead awaiting judgment. Body and spirit tormented until utter extinction.

The horizontal rows on the chart represent “Saved” and “Unsaved The horizontal rows on the chart represent “Saved” and “Unsaved.” There are only two types of human being. The saved and the not saved. There is no third group. Every person ever born in all of history is one or the other of these two categories. Inclusion into the saved is by God’s mercy and righteous judgment. My book does not attempt to qualify parameters for being saved. God alone will judge. The chart is comprehensive of all humans that have ever existed, whatever their status in each may be. Saved Unsaved

The Great White Throne The Cross b.c. a.d. Eternity The vertical columns on the chart represent epochs of time. All of time can be divided into three epochs. From creation until the time of Jesus’ redemption is the first column, labeled “B.C.” From the resurrection of Christ in circa 33AD until the general resurrection of humanity at the Last Judgment is the second column, labeled “A.D.” The final eschaton is eternity future in the last column. The chart is comprehensive of all centuries that have ever existed or will ever exist.

The chart, given in the book, divides the afterlife condition of all persons who have ever lived into 6 permutations based on these time periods. The saved and unsaved before the advent of salvation, after the advent of salvation and into future eternity. Let’s look at these six permutations one at a time… starting with the least controversial...

First The Great White Throne The Cross b.c. a.d. Eternity Saved Body and spirit dead awaiting redemption. Body dead awaiting resurrection. Spirit with Christ in heaven. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth. Unsaved Body and spirit dead awaiting judgment. Body and spirit tormented until utter extinction.

First The Great White Throne Eternity Saved Christians should easily agree that the ultimate eternal condition for the redeemed, saved believer is eternal life. Eternal life is physical with a resurrected body upon a redeemed New Earth, not wispy and spiritual in a celestial heaven. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth.

New Earth Rev 21:5 KJV “Behold, I make all things new.” Notice Jesus did not say that He will make all new things. Instead, He makes all things new. God does not admit defeat with the current universe and start from scratch. Instead, God shall redeem (buy back) the existing universe and recreate it and substantially remodel so that it is better than new.

New Earth Although few traditional evangelical Christians deny the bodily resurrection and physical nature of eternal life, most do not thoroughly emphasize this point. It is studied in part 2 of the book. Our hymns dwell on “going to heaven” when I die. This is a phrase never found in the Bible. I do not dispute it, as our next permutation of afterlife will show. But celestial heaven dwelling is not the goal. It is a fringe benefit. The physicality of eternal life is not well understood in our society. Eternal life will be upon Earth in a redeemed flesh body, very similar to Adam’s before the fall: breathing (John 20:22), eating (Lk 24:42), tending (Gen 2:15), and ruling (Mat 25:23). Life is a physical experience. Eternal life is bodily. The book gives a detailed explanation of bodily life in eternity.

Second The Great White Throne The Cross b.c. a.d. Eternity Saved Body and spirit dead awaiting redemption. Body dead awaiting resurrection. Spirit with Christ in heaven. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth. Unsaved Body and spirit dead awaiting judgment. Body and spirit tormented until utter extinction.

Second The Cross A.D. Saved Many Christians will agree that during the church age a deceased believer goes to the celestial abode of the Father to be with Jesus consciously and spiritually until the resurrection. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth.

Heaven Soul sleepers will dispute the intermediate state of heaven, but I think the bible teaches that when a saved person’s body dies, that their soul immediately, time concurrently and mentally conscious go to the spiritual heaven where Christ sits at the right hand of God. The body is dead and will rot in the grave, but the soul of Christians has been quickened, made alive, regenerated, born again. It is vibrant and alive.

Heaven For the soul to go heaven it must be capable of existing separately from the body (a condition with which soul sleepers dispute). Jesus affirms that the soul can in fact live and die separately from the body: Matthew 10:28 NIV “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” The author of Hebrews also affirms the separable nature of soul from spirit: Hebrews 4:12 NKJV “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit.” The intermediate state in heaven for believers is chapter 3 of the book.

Third The Great White Throne The Cross b.c. a.d. Eternity Saved Body and spirit dead awaiting redemption. Body dead awaiting resurrection. Spirit with Christ in heaven. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth. Unsaved Body and spirit dead awaiting judgment. Body and spirit tormented until utter extinction.

Third The Great White Throne Eternity Unsaved This square is where traditionalists will have the biggest dispute. If the human soul died when Adam first sinned (with which they agree) then the human soul is not immortal. If the soul is not immortal, then it can die again: the Second Death, which is the wages for sin. Body and spirit tormented until utter extinction.

Hell Instead of being an eternal home for the unsaved, the bible teaches that the Lake of Fire is a place of destruction. Instead of being a place of eternal life away from God, the bible teaches that the unsaved will experience death a second time. The 1st death was when your body ceased moving, acting, thinking, being sentient, having personality, emotions or feeling. The 2nd death is when your soul ceases these behaviors forever.

Hell This is a lengthy doctrine for discussion. There are hundreds of relevant bible verses. For a visual easy reading PowerPoint on the topic, see my Hell PowerPoint study by Edward Fudge. For a thorough doctrinal study see my book, chapter 6. Remember, in the beginning of this study, we said that the spiritual nature of Adam truly died when he sinned. What does death mean? Torture and pain or silence and non-existence? This understanding of Hell as a place of death and extinction is called Conditional Immortality. Immortality (living forever, eternal existence) is available as a gift to humans, but only upon God’s conditions. The condition is faith in Jesus Christ. Those that are not given the gift of immortality remain mortal, subject to death. They will die in hell. Death means cessation of being.

Forth The Great White Throne The Cross b.c. a.d. Eternity Saved Body and spirit dead awaiting redemption. Body dead awaiting resurrection. Spirit with Christ in heaven. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth. Unsaved Body and spirit dead awaiting judgment. Body and spirit tormented until utter extinction.

Forth The Cross b.c. Saved Body and spirit dead awaiting redemption. This square includes righteous Jews who lived and died before Christ Jesus. Abraham, Moses, David, are Isaiah are among its members. The common thought is that they went to heaven when they died. However the bible teaches that they awaited time in the grave with hope for their redemption. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead.

Grave with Hope Righteous saints who lived and died before the atoning work of Jesus were NOT yet redeemed. The payment for their lives had not yet been made. The contract for their rescue from death had not yet been sealed with blood of the savior. These people all suffered the consequences of humanity’s sin: death. God’s holiness prohibits Him from being in fellowship with sin, so these OT saints went to the grave with hope of redemption.

Grave with Hope Righteous saints who died before Christ are promised a resurrection (Job 19:26, Isa 26:19). They are promised to live forever with God (Ps 23:6). However they could not receive that promise (Heb 11:13) until in real time Jesus made it happen. It is theologically critical to realize that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18). Jesus is the first ever to see God (John 1:18, 1Jo 4:12). Jesus is the first man to conquer the grave. No one beat Him to the punch. Thus no one had an afterlife. They were all unconscious in the grave, until Jesus paid the price for our life. Jesus paid for the life of our body (resurrection in New Earth) and he paid for the resurrection of our soul to enjoy heaven during the intermediate state. Without Jesus there is no life anywhere, anytime. For further details check out this study about Enoch and Elijah at my website. For comprehensive details read the book.

Fifth +Sixth The Cross The Great White Throne b.c. a.d. Eternity Saved Body and spirit dead awaiting redemption. Body dead awaiting resurrection. Spirit with Christ in heaven. Body and spirit whole with life eternal upon Earth. Unsaved Body and spirit dead awaiting judgment. Body and spirit tormented until utter extinction.

Fifth +Sixth The Cross The Great White Throne b.c. a.d. Unsaved Body and spirit dead awaiting judgment. These two squares are bisected by the advent and sacrifice of Jesus. However, these people are not of His flock and have not heard His voice (John). These final two squares have the same effect. They are dead, unconscious in the grave awaiting the final judgment.

Death without hope Mainline churches frequently teach that upon death the wicked immediately and consciously proceed to Hell. They are punished in Hell BEFORE the judgment. They have not yet stood before the Judge. They have not yet been convicted of a crime. There has not yet been 2-3 witnesses of their evil deeds. Yet God does not break Mosaic Law (Numb 35 , Deut 17) which He Himself wrote. He will not execute judgment before the trial.

Death without hope Contrary to popular theology, the Bible teaches that God has not yet judged the unsaved world. The tares and the wheat grow together until the harvest (Mat 13:30). The rain falls upon the just and the unjust alike (Mat 5:45). This is why Christians are not allowed to judge other people. The verdict has not yet been given. If the judgment had already happened, then it would be permissible for us to uphold the Father's word. But He has not given the final word yet, due to His longsuffering patience. God eagerly hopes that some of these people will repent and turn toward Jesus. Since the judgment has not occurred, then the execution of punishment (going to Hell) has not occurred either. The unsaved in the grave are simply dead without being or knowledge. When the sea and the grave give up the dead (Rev 20:13 at the Last Judgment of the Great White Throne), then they will receive the just rewards for their sinful lives. Re-death awaits them without hope for life of any sort.

WWW.DEADSOULSYNDROME.COM The thesis of the book is that humans outside of Christ are spiritually dead. To be dead means without movement, without thoughts, without sentience, without response to stimuli, without consciousness. To deny that humans are totally dead in the spirit, is to deny that Jesus suffered and died for our spiritual rebirth as well as our physical rebirth in the bodily resurrection. To accept the lack of life for the human race without Christ, has enormous schema changing consequences for the afterlife as detailed in these 6 permutations. Visit us the web to buy the book.