The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

IV. Basic Fallacy of Immortal-Soul Presumption

1. INNATISM AND “ETERNAL TORMENT” BOTH UNSCRIPTURAL

Probing the fallacy of the popular contention of universal Innate Immortality, Ellen White asserts its threefold conflict with Scripture, reason, and human compassion: CFF2 723.8

“Upon the fundamental error of natural immortality rests the doctrine of consciousness in death,—a doctrine, like eternal torment, opposed to the teachings of the Scriptures, to the dictates of reason, and to our feeling of humanity.” ³¹ CFF2 723.9

This accentuates the fact that were the righteous dead in heaven from death onward they would be acquainted with all the griefs, disappointments, and anguish of their friends still on earth. But that is not all. It is opposed to all feelings of humanity: CFF2 724.1

“How utterly revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body, the soul of the impenitent is consigned to the flames of helll To what depths of anguish must those be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to enter upon an eternity of woe and sinl Many have been driven to insanity by this harrowing thought.” ³² CFF2 724.2

2. TESTIMONY OF OLD TESTAMENT ADDUCED

Marshaling the supporting testimony of Scripture, she writes that in the Old Testament- CFF2 724.3

“David declares that man is not conscious in death. ‘His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.’ (Psalm 146:4.) Solomon bears the same testimony: ‘The living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything.’ ‘Their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in any thing that is done under the sun.’ ‘There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10.) ³³ CFF2 724.4

And Hezekiah adds:
“‘The grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day.’ (Isaiah 38:18, 19.) Popular theology represents the righteous dead as in heaven, entered into bliss, and praising God with an immortal tongue; but Hezekiah could see no such glorious prospect in death. With his words agrees the testimony of the psalmist: ‘In death there is no remembrance of Thee; in the grave who shall give Thee thanks?’ ‘The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.’” (Psalm 6:5; Psalm 115:17.) ³⁴ CFF2 724.5

3. WITNESS OF PETER AND PAUL MARSHALED

And to these the New Testament witness of Peter and Paul is added: CFF2 724.6

“Peter, on the day of Pentecost, declared that the patriarch David ‘is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. ‘For David is not ascended into the heavens.’ (Acts 2:29, 34.) The fact that David remains in the grave until the resurrection, proves that the righteous do not go to heaven at death. It is only through the resurrection, and by virtue of the fact that Christ has risen, that David can at last sit at the right hand of God. CFF2 724.7

“And said Paul: ‘If the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.’ (1 Corinthians 15:16-18.) If for four thousand years the righteous had gone directly to heaven at death, how could Paul have said that if there is no resurrection, ‘they which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished’? No resurrection would be necessary.” ³⁵ CFF2 725.1

4. NULLIFIES NEED OF PREVIOUS JUDGMENT

But there is yet another factor. Entrance into heaven necessitates a previous judgment. CFF2 725.2

“Before any can enter the mansions of the blest, their cases must be investigated, and their characters and their deeds must pass in review before God. All are to be judged according to the things written in the books, and to be rewarded as their works have been. This judgment does not take place at death. Mark the words of Paul: ‘He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead.’ (Acts 17:31.) Here the apostle plainly stated that a specified time, then future, had been fixed upon for the judgment of the world. CFF2 725.3

“Jude refers to the same period: ‘The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.’ And again he quotes the words of Enoch: ‘Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all.’ (Jude 6, 14, 15.) John declares that he ‘saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened;... and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books.”’ (Revelation 20:12.) ³⁶ CFF2 725.4

Then the question is pertinently asked: “But if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of heaven or writhing in the flames of hell, what need of a future judgment?” ³⁷ CFF2 725.5

5. FALLACY OF INNATISM ATTACKED BY LUTHER

Ellen White ties in this whole issue with the mighty stirrings of the Reformation and Luther’s recognition of the issues, as has already been noted in detail in a previous chapter.” ³⁸ CFF2 725.6

“The theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines that Rome, borrowing from paganism, incorporated into the religion of Christendom. Martin Luther classed it with the ‘monstrous fables that form part of the Roman dunghill of decretals.’ Commenting on the words of Solomon in Ecclesiastes, that the dead know not anything, the Reformer says: ‘Another place proving that the dead have no... feeling. There is, saith he, no duty, no science, no knowledge, no wisdom there. Solomon judgeth that the dead are asleep, and feel nothing at all. For the dead lie there, accounting neither days nor years, but when they are awaked, they shall seem to have slept scarce one minute.” ³⁹ CFF2 726.1

6. AWAKE FROM SLEEP To GLORIOUS IMMORTALITY

Mrs. White supports this sound position in this summarizing paragraph:
“The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go immediately to heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the resurrection. In the very day when the silver cord is loosed and the golden bowl broken, man’s thoughts perish. They that go down to the grave are in silence. They know no more of anything that is done under the sun. Blessed rest for the weary righteousl Time, be it long or short, is but a moment to them. They sleep; they are awakened by the trump of God to a glorious immortality.” ⁴⁰ CFF2 726.2

The issues of the nature and destiny of man are brought squarely before the reader. ⁴¹ CFF2 726.3