Brings up the next question. What is a soul and can a soul die? You've all heard the expression about the immortal soul. The Bible says the soul is not immortal. Ezekiel 18:4, "The soul that sins-" Shall what? "The soul that sins will die."
Now, I will ask you and you can answer me. Name one verse in the Bible that says that man has an immortal soul. We've got several hundred people here. I'm always very secure when I ask this question. Someone might misquote something, but you're not going to find a verse that I know of in the Bible that says that man possesses an immortal soul.
Folks are shocked to hear that, because so many preachers preach about it, and so many people sing about it, and yet the Bible doesn't say one time the man has immortal soul. Matter of fact, it says the opposite. It says we are mortals. When Jesus comes, then this mortal puts on immortality. But right now we're mortal, and mortal means you can die.
A lot of confusion in the cemetery. So often people say, "You've got an immortal soul to save." The Bible doesn't teach that. Bible teaches if you want immortality, you get that from God. Matter of fact, in Job 4:17, "Shall mortal man be more just than God?" Now notice, does it say mortal or immortal? Mortal. That means you die. Immortal means you can't die. Who is it that has immortality, man or God?
1 Timothy 6:15-16, "The King of kings and the Lord of lords; who only has immortality." Who is it that only has immortality? God. This common teaching that is so pervasive all through, even the Christian church, that we are all immoral and you're either going to live forever in Hell, or you're going to live forever in Heaven.
Bible doesn't teach that. The Bible teaches, for God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son. Whoever believes in Him, can have immortality, everlasting life. Otherwise, you perish. Two choices. Perish or everlasting life.
What was the first lie the Devil ever told? In the Garden of Eden, what did he say to Eve? "You shall not surely die." What did God say to Adam and Eve? "If you eat the forbidden fruit, you will surely die." The Devil said, "You will not surely die." The biggest joke the Devil's ever played on the Christian churches.
He now has pastors echoing the life of the Devil. The Devil said, "You won't really die, you're immortal." God said, "You will die. If you want to live, it's on my terms." Yet the majority of the Christian church, Catholics and Protestants around the world are teaching the first lie. If you want everlasting life, it's a gift of God. Otherwise, it's perish.
Now, I want to try and do these things in some logical sequence. I think it's important for us to understand, there is a resurrection, there is immortality, there is punishment and resurrection for the wicked, there is a lake of fire. Why it does not burn through endless ages? The wicked are punished in the lake of fire, sometimes called Hellfire.
But nobody is in Hellfire now. The vast majority of people who die, they're not in Heaven yet. That shocks a lot of people when they first hear that.