God said in Genesis 2:17 "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for if you eat of it you SHALL SURELY DIE."

Then the devil came along and told Eve, in Genesis 3:4 "You WILL NOT SURELY DIE! God knows that when you eat from it (the forbidden tree), your eyes will be opened and you will be as gods, knowing good and evil."

So this was the devil's lie from the beginning!
The devil promises immortal godlikeness even to sinners.

However, the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 6:16, that only GOD is immortal.
"The King of kings, and Lord of lords;
Who ONLY HAS IMMORTALITY, dwelling in the light which no man can approach; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."

When will people enjoy immortality?

1 Corinthians 15.51-56
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal 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.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."

Here we see several things plainly stated and we will find more texts to support each conclusion.

1. The first death is a sleep.
2. At the last trumpet the dead will be awakened and rise incorruptible
3. God bestows immortality on the righteous dead at this time.
4. These have gained victory over death (they will not suffer the second death)

THE FIRST DEATH IS A SLEEP

How does Jesus speak of death? When his good friend Lazarus died Jesus said to his disciples:
John 11:11-14 Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go, that I may AWAKE HIM OUT OF SLEEP. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is DEAD.

Lazarus was dead four days. Yet we see no evidence that he tells everyone of his wonderful time in heaven during this time and how disappointed he is to come back to this earth. No Jesus said, he was sleeping and needed to be awakened.

We see Jesus again calling death a sleep when he went to raise Jarius' daughter
Matthew 9.24 "He said unto them (the mourners), Make room: for the maid is not dead, but sleeps. And they laughed him to scorn." "For they knew she was dead."(see also Luke 8:53)

Both Paul and Peter spoke of King David.
Paul tells us
Acts 13.36 "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, FELL ON SLEEP, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:"
Peter tells us Acts 2.34
"For David is not ascended into the heavens:"
Yet he could not be in hell either for:
Acts 13:23 God said, "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will. Of this man's seed has God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:"
So he must be in his grave in the sleep of death.

Paul writes:
1 Thess. 4.14-17 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which SLEEP in Jesus will God bring with him.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:"

This text has been used by both sides of the soul sleep/soul in heaven issue, but look, why would Jesus bring SLEEPING (koimaomai) people with Him, to then raise them from their graves. It is confusion. No, the people in Paul's day were distressed because their friends and relatives were dying and being laid to rest in their graves and they were afraid that only those alive would go home with Christ at his second coming.
So Paul says vs. 4:13 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope." Jesus will bring the sleeping saints home to heaven as well! He will raise them with a shout, with the trump of God,
1 Thess. 4.17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up TOGETHER with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

THE DEAD ARE ASLEEP! This is stated three times in this passage and the Greek word is "koimaomai" which means "to be laid down in death or sleep".

We can also look in the Old Testament and find a large number of texts telling us the dead are in an unconscious state.

Job, in his distress longs for the sleep of death, which he tells us will last till the course of this world is finished and then God will remember him and call him forth and change him. (Identical theology to what Paul taught as we have already seen and will further explore in the next section)
Job 3.11 Why died I not at birth?... For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest.
Job 14.10-15 But man dies, and wastes away: yes, man gives up the ghost, and where is he? So man lies down, and rises not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
O that you would hide me in the grave, that you would keep me secret, until your wrath be past, that you will appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee:

David also called death a sleep, defining it as an unconscious state. He also had the hope of being called forth in the future.
Psalms 6.5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
Psalms 146.4 His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Psalm 104.29,30 You hide your face, they are troubled: You take away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. You send forth Your spirit, they are created: and You renew the face of the earth.
Psalm 17.15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

King Solomon, renowned for his wisdom, tells us the same thing:
Eccl. 9:5,6,10 "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.
Whatsoever thy hand finds to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither you go.

SLEEP OF DEATH LASTS TILL THE TRUMP SOUNDS AND AWAKENS THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD.

Let's look at the words of Jesus first as He tells us that the reality of the promised eternal life begins "at the last day.".
John 6.33 "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."
6.39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should RAISE IT UP AGAIN AT THE LAST DAY.
6.40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which sees the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY.
6.44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY.
6:53,54 Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY.

Jesus also tells us this LAST DAY is when the LAST TRUMP will sound.
Matt. 24:30,31 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Now let's turn to Paul's writings and again we see reference to the raising of God's people at the "last trump".

1 Cor. 15.52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the LAST TRUMP: for the trumpet shall sound, and the DEAD SHALL BE RAISED incorruptible.

1 Thess. 4.16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Revelation has seven trumpets which blow, announcing woes upon the earth. Six of these trumpets show turmoil and trouble descending on the inhabitants of the earth, but the seventh, the last trumpet announces "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (Rev. 11:15)

When Christ receives His kingdom, He will awaken His sleeping saints to join Him and be eternal citizens of that kingdom.

IMMORTALITY IS BESTOWED ON THE SAINTS AT THE SECOND COMING .

Jesus said in Matthew 16.27
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; AND THEN he shall reward every man according to his works.

Jesus repeats the words in Revelation 22:12:

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Paul mentions that the rewards to be given are ETERNAL LIFE or wrath.
Romans 2:5-8
"On the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and IMMORTALITY, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, "

2 Cor. 15.53-55
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal 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. O death, where is thy sting?"

THOSE RAISED AT CHRIST'S SECOND COMING WILL NOT BE SUBJECTED TO THE SECOND ETERNAL DEATH.

Rev 2:10-11
"Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death."

Revelation 20.5
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. (The righteous are raised at Christ's second coming at the last trump BUT note, THE REST OF THE DEAD LIVE NOT until after the 1000 years)

Revelation 20:6
"This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

After the thousand years the rest of the dead live for a short time again, march on God's holy city and (Revelation 20.9)
"And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."
Revelation 20.14
"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

THIS IS THE END FOR THE WICKED— THERE IS NO LIVING FOR ETERNITY IN AGONY FOR THE BIBLE SAYS:

Rev. 21.4
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

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