We should not fear human armies or government who can kill us temporarily, but God who can totally destroy us to where there COULD NEVER BE A RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD. If God can destroy you completely, that means no one presently has an immortal soul. Salvation is SALVAGING FROM DEATH.
Who Has Immortality?
If you believe that you go immediately to heaven or hell upon death, then you believe in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul ¾ that it cannot die or be destroyed. THIS MEANS THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE IMMORTAL!!! What does the Bible say? Not your minister or church, rather God in the Bible!
I Tim. 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, IMMORTAL, invisible, the only wise God…" This states clearly God is immortal. Look what Paul writes to the Romans! Rom. 2:7, "To them (Christians) who by patient continuance in well doing SEEK for…IMMORTALITY, eternal life;" There it is in your own Bible.
God has immortality, but we are seeking it; therefore, we do not yet have immortality. I Tim. 6:15-16, "which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; who ONLY hath immortality…" The Bible states that God is immortal; Jesus ONLY has immortality that has lived on the earth; Christians presently are SEEKING immortality.
Even the Resurrection chapter states clearly that we are mortal at the present time. I Cor. 15:53-54, "For this corruptible (body that dies, rots, decays) must PUT ON incorruption, and this MORTAL (body) must put on IMMORTALITY. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, THEN shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." Notice, cessation of life-Death-is to be reversed through a Resurrection from the dead to EVERLASTING LIFE-IMMORTALITY.
Jesus came preaching the "good news" that we could now receive immortality and see death abolished by His sacrifice. II Tim. 1:10, "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and IMMORTALITY to light through the gospel:"
Since you are to be saved FROM death, cessation of life, what will you be like when you are given eternal life? Jn. 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh IS Flesh (our present bodies); and that which is born of the Spirit IS spirit." When you are born as God's son, your body will be COMPOSED of spirit that will give you immortality, everlasting life.
Present Composition of Man
What does the Bible reveal concerning the present composition of our bodies? I Cor. 15:47, "The first man (Adam) is of the EARTH, EARTHY:…" Earthy is from the Greek #5517 which means dusty, dirty or soil-like. This statement verifies the description of Adam's creation in Gen. 2:7, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man BECAME A LIVING SOUL." God formed man of the physical elements of the ground. The only other ingredient to life was oxygen to be blown into his lungs ¾ THEN man became a LIVING SOUL. Without that breath today, we die because we are mortal. (Greek ¾ liable to die).
Man does not continue to exist alive in heaven or hell after the heart stops pumping blood or the breath no longer circulates to oxidize the cells of the body. Jesus states with his own mouth that the Father and Himself only has immortality, deathlessness, life inherent within themselves NOW. John 5:26, "For as the Father hath life IN HIMSELF; so hath he given to the Son to have life IN HIMSELF;" No one else presently has life within themselves.
Why Death ¾ Cessation of Life?
I've known of people turning bitter toward God because of a child dying, or a mate dying, and they can not understand why. Accidents on the highways, airplane crashes taking multiple lives at once. WHY MUST PEOPLE DIE? Believe your Bible! It has the answers.
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: BUT YOUR INQUITIES have separated between you and your God and your SINS have hid His face from YOU, that He will not hear" (Isa. 59:1-2). There it is! INIQUITY, SIN ¾ cuts us off from God, and He will not hear our cries to intervene. The only solution is to seek an answer to 'what is sin' and STOP sinning.
SEEKING GOD
How do we seek God? Is there MORE to seeking God than just calling him 'Lord, Lord' or believing in Him? Let Jesus give the answer! "NOT EVERY ONE that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me (Jesus) in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils (demons)? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I (Jesus your Saviour) profess unto them, I NEVER knew you: depart from me, ye that work INIQUITY" (Matt. 7:21-23).