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gery in an attempt to recapture at
Jeast the appearance of lost youth.
In search of a more substantial
remedy, researchers are hard at
work discovering ways to actually
extend the human life span. Innu–
merable diets, exercise plans, vita–
min and drug therapies and other
approaches have been devised,
reputed to be effective in rejuve–
nating not-so-youthful bodies.
lt
is certainly true that food does
make a difference, that exercise is
beneficial, that sorne drugs are
effective in prolonging youth.
But stay young
forever?
No.
Eventually, the physical body
will simply wear out, as do all
things physical. This can be post–
poned, but not prevented.
It
is inev–
itable. And whether death finally
comes at 80 or 100 or 120, it still
comes "too soon" for most.
Sorne few people have even gane
to the length of having their bodies
frozen and stored at the time of
death, hoping to be reanimated at
sorne future time when advances in
scientific know1edge make such a
feat possible. Though most scien–
tists remain highly dubious about
the prospects for success, the very
fact that bodies are being frozen
shows just how desperate sorne are
to hang onto physical life.
What Next?
In the absence of the discovery of a
fountain-of-youth drug in our life–
time, there is no alternative but to
view death as inevitable.
"It is appointed unto men once
to die," the Bible declares (Heb.
9:27).
So what, many ask, of uncom–
pleted plans? Unfulfilled ambi–
tions? Unrealized dreams? Will
they die with us, never to be
accomplished? Or are there future
opportunities-somewhere beyond
death?
Sorne would have us believe
there is nothing after death, that
this transitory physical life is all
there is.
Others claim that one's "immor–
tal soul" will spend eternity either
in "heaven" or in "hell," depending
on one's conduct in life. (For an
in-depth look at this question write
for our free reprint article "To Hell
and Back. " )
16
Mankind has pondered these
ideas for centuries. Few, if any,
have failed to ask themselves,
"What next?"
The answer to this burning ques–
tion is that there
is
a future beyond
death- and what a profound and
awe-inspiring future it is!
What God has in store for man–
kind- as shall be amply demon–
strated-is an eternity of absorbing
and creative productive activity! He
offers us unlimited opportunities–
as bis immortalized sons and
daughters- to realize our many
unrealized potentials, to embark on
adventures in learning and accom–
plishing that we may never have
dreamed of during our physical
lifetimes!
Not Just for a Few!
Befare examining this great destiny
in greater detail, it is important at
this juncture to clear up a widely
misunderstood point.
We are not here describing a
future destined for an exclusive
few. Rather, it will
be
the destiny
of the overwhelming majority of all
people who now live or have ever
lived!
Understand this: The vast major–
ity who have ever lived have never
heard the name of Jesus Christ–
the only name whereby "we must
be saved" (Acts 4: 12)! What kind
of God would
condemn
countless
millions of Hindus, Buddhists,
Confucianists and others for no
fault of their own?
Moreover, the vast majority of
people who have heard the name of
Jesus Christ have been deceived
into believing a false Christ and
"another gospel" (11 Cor. 11:4).
Satan and bis ministers, masquer–
ading knowingly or unknowingly as
"ministers of righteousness" (11
Cor. 11: 14-15), have blinded and
deceived these people. Would ajust
God hold them accountable for not
acting on vital knowledge they nev–
er received? By no means!
The simple fact is that the vast
majority of people in the world
today are neither "lost" nor
"saved"! Likewise, the vast majori–
ty of those who have ever lived
since the time of Adam are neither
lost nor saved!
Don't be misled. God is not
locked in sorne sort of spiritual
combat with Satan for "souls." If
that were the case, Satan would
clearly be winning! Is Satan more
powerful than God?
Satan can do only what God, for
a time,
allows.
And Satan's time is
about up! God is working out a
great purpose on earth-and
no
power
can prevent it from being
accomplished!
Where Are the Dead?
If
the vast majority of all people
who live today or who have ever
lived are neither "lost" nor
"saved," where are they now? And,
for that matter, where are those
true Christians who have died
throughout history?
The answer is simple: They are
al/ in their graves!
Nottce: "The dead know not any
thing," the Bible clearly teaches
(Ecc. 9:5). And again: "His
[man's] breath goeth forth, he
returneth to bis earth; in that very
day bis though ts perish" (Ps.
146:4).
Those who have died over the
centuries and millennia of his–
tory-including many of your rela–
tives and loved ones, whether true
Christians or not-are all "asleep"
in the grave, "on hold" as it were,
awaiting future disposition.
The Bible use of the word
sou/
(in Hebrew,
nephesh;
in Greek,
psuche)
designates one's physical
life. The soul is mortal, not immor–
tal.
lt
can "die" (Ezek. 18:4, 20).
The journalist who declared that
' '1500 souls perished in the sinking
of the Titanic" was using the word
correctly.
Understanding that the soul is
mortal makes it easy to compre–
hend Jesus' statement in John 3:13:
"No man hath ascended up to
heaven...." Jesus also told bis own
apostles that "whither [where]
1
go, ye cannot come" (John 13:33).
If
the apostles were not to go to
heaven, how could we expect to?
So what, then, will become of
these thousands of millions of dead
who today lie unconscious beneath
the earth?
Three Resurrections
Since man does not have an immor–
tal soul that continues living after
death, the only hope for a personal
(Continued on page 26)
The PLAIN TAUTH