Evil Does Not Exist - James Aguilar (books to read in your 30s txt) 📗

Satan evidently thought. So a wrong desire built up in his heart. Eventually, he took action to deceive Eve by telling her lies about God. (Genesis 3:1-5) I believe in that he thus became a “Devil,” which means “Slander.” At the same time, he became “Satan,” which means “Opposer.” The bible teaches by using lies and trickery, Satan the Devil caused Adam and Eve to disobey God. (Genesis 2:17; 3:6) As a result, they eventually died, as God had said they would if they disobeyed. (Genesis 3:17-19) Since Adam became imperfect when he sinned, all his offspring inherited sin from him. (Romans 5:12) The situation might be illustrated with a pan used for baking bread. If the pan has a dent in it, what happens to each loaf of bread made in the pan? Each loaf has a dent, or an imperfection, in it. Similarly, each human has inherited a “dent” of imperfection from Adam. That is why all humans grow old then die. (Romans 3:23) I believe in that the bible teaches the real reason humans die.
I believe in that the bible teaches that humans once were perfect and did not age then die. God told Adam: “The day you eat from the tree in the middle you will positively die” (Genesis 2:17). The bible teaches when God told Adam he would positively die, it did not mean right away. He sinned therefore became imperfect so he aged then died. I believe in that the bible teaches the truth and this is the only reason human beings age then dies because humans are the offspring’s of Adam and inherited imperfection. God has no blame for humans to age then die, because God promises he will repair the bad sin Adam committed. I believe the bible teaches this is God’s promise he will do in the near feature: “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more” (Revelation 21:4). What happens to humans when they die? I believe in that the bible also has the real answer for this question.
This question is what humans have thought about for thousands of years. It is an important question. No mater who we are or where we live, the answers concern each one of us. We try to live as long as possible. Still, we wonder what will happen to us when we die. When our loved ones die, we mourn. Then we may ask: ’what has happened to them? Are they suffering? Are they watching over us? Can we help them? Will we ever see them again?’ I believe in that the world’s religions offer differing answers to these questions because they don’t know the answer. Some teach that if a person lives a good life, the person will go to heaven but if the person lived a bad life, the person will burn in a place of torment. Other religions teach that at death, people pass on to the spirit realm to be with their ancestors. Still other religions teach that dead go to an underworld to be judged and are then reincarnated, or reborn in another body. Scientist teaches when a person dies the spirits energy travels to a living tree. They teach this because they say energy can not be created nor destroyed. I believe in that such science and religions teachings all share one basic, that some part of us survives the death of the physical body. According to almost every religion, past and present, we somehow live on forever with the ability to see, hear, and think. Yet, how can that be? Our senses, along with our thoughts, are all linked to the workings of our brain. I believe in that the bible teaches at that at death, the brain stops working. Our memories, feelings, and senses do not continue to function independently in some mysterious way. They do not survive the destruction of the brain. What really happens at death? I believe in there is a realistic and true answer found only in the bible.
Also, I believe in that the bible teaches what happens at death is no mystery to Jehovah, the Creator of the brain. He knows the truth, and in His word, the bible, He explains the condition of the dead. Death is the opposite of life. The dead do not see or hear or think. (Ecclesiastes 5, 10; Psalm 146:3, 4) Not even one part of us survives the death of the body. I believe in that the bible teaches mankind like Adam and everyone else was made to be a soul, not given one. (Genesis 2:7; 1 Corinthians 15:45) We do not posses an immortal soul or spirit. Now, lets emphasis on these two things. First, let us consider the soul. We recall that the bible was originally written mainly in Hebrew and Greek. When writing about the soul bible use two. The bible writers used the Hebrew word ne’phesh or Greek word psy~khe`. These two words occur well over 800 times in the Scriptures, and the New Word Translation consistently renders them “soul.” I believe in that when we examine the way “soul” or “souls” is used in the bible, it becomes evident this word basically refers to first people, second animals, third the life that a person or an animal enjoys. Let us consider some scriptures that present these three different senses. First people, Exodus 16:16 mention instructions given to the Israelites regarding the gathering of manna. They were told: “Pick up some of it . . . according to the number of the souls that each of you has in his tent” (Exodus 16:16). So the amount of manna that was gathered was based upon the number of people in each family. Some other biblical examples of the application of “soul” or “souls” to a person or to people are found at Genesis 46:18; Joshua 11:11; Acts 27:37; and Romans 13:1. Second animals, in the bible’s creation account, God went on to say: ’Let the earth put forth living souls according to their kinds, domestic animal and moving animal and wild beast of the earth according to its kind.’ And it came to be so.” (Genesis 1:20, 24) In this passage, fish, domestic animals, and wild beast are all referred to by the same word “souls.” Birds and other animals are called souls at Genesis 9:10; Leviticus 11:46; and Numbers 31:28. Third life as a person is soul. Sometimes the word “soul” means one’s life as a person. Jehovah told Moses: “All the men who were hunting for your soul are dead. “ (Exodus 4:19) What were Moses’ enemies hunting for? They were seeking to take Moses’ life. In these bible passages, the word “soul” clearly refers to life as a person. You will find more examples of this sense of “soul” at 1 Kings 17:17-23; Mathew 10:39; John 15:13; and Acts 22:10. I believe in that a further study of God’s Word will show that nowhere in the entire bible are the terms “immortal” or “everlasting” linked with the word “soul.” Instead, the Scriptures state that soul is mortal, meaning that it dies. (Ezekiel 18:4, 20) Therefore, the bible calls someone who has died simply a “dead soul.” (Leviticus 21:11) I believe in that the bible teaches the truth about the soul and it is mortal. Let’s consider “spirit” of the human.
Second, lets us now consider the bible’s use of the term “spirit.” I believe in that the bible also teaches the truth about the spirit. Some people think that “spirit” is just another word for “soul.” However, that is not the case. The bible makes clear that “spirit” and “soul” refer to two different things. How do they differ? Bible writers used the Hebrew word ru`ach or the Greek word pneu`ma when writing about the “spirit.” I believe in that the Scriptures themselves indicate the meaning of those words. For instance, Psalms 104:29 states: “If you [Jehovah] take away their spirit [ru`ach], they expire, and back to their dust they go.” James 2:26 notes that “the body without spirit [pneu`ma] is dead.” In these verses, then, “spirit” refers to that which gives life to a body. Without spirit, the body is dead. Therefore, in the bible the word ru`ach is translated not only as “spirit” but also as “force,” or life-force. “Spirit” thus refers to an invisible force (the spark of life) that animates all living creatures. The soul and spirit are not the same. The soul is compared to a person. That poor soul suffers. That poor citizen suffers. The word soul is just like the same word as citizen. The spirit is the source of life. I believe in that the bible teaches that the body needs the spirit in much the same way as radio needs electricity, in order to function. To illustrate this further, think of a portable radio. When we put batteries in a portable radio and turn it on, the electricity stored in the batteries brings the radio life, so to speak. Without batteries, however, the radio is dead. So is another kind of radio when it is unplugged from an electric outlet. Similarly, the spirit is the force that brings our body to life. Also, I believe in that like electricity, the spirit has no feelings and cannot think. It is an impersonal force but, without that spirit or life-force our bodies “expire. Then the body back to their dust they go,” as the Psalmist stated. I believe in that when a person dies its life-force is no more. When a battery runs out of energy the battery cell is what is left then is thrown away. The same occurs with a human being when it dies. The body runs out of “spirit” or life-force and it is left with the body that turns back to dust. (Genesis 3:19) I believe in that the bible teaches the truth. Spirit and soul are not the same. Also, spirit and soul are not immortal. These two stop existing when the human being dies. How can we be sure if our love ones that have past away are not suffering? I believe the answer is found in the bible like every other question that mankind has.
Let’s consider what Jesus said about death. Jehovah says through Solomon when a man dies: “his thoughts do perish” (Psalms 146:4). Mankind is mortal and do not survive the death of our body. The life we enjoy is like the flame of a candle. When the flame is put out, it does not go anywhere. It is simply gone. Jesus Christ spoke about the condition of the dead. He did so with regard to Lazarus, a man whom he knew well and who had died, Jesus told his disciples: “Lazarus our friend has gone to rest.” The disciples thought that Jesus meant that Lazarus was resting in sleep, recovering from illness. They were wrong. Jesus explained: “Lazarus has died” (John 11:11-14). Notice that Jesus Christ compared death to rest and sleep. Lazarus was neither in heaven nor in burning Hell. He was not meeting angels or ancestors. Lazarus was not being reborn as another human nor was his energy transferred to a living tree. He was at rest in death, as though in a deep sleep without dreams. Other scriptures also compare death to sleep. For example, when the disciple Stephen was stoned to death, the bible says that he “fell asleep.” (Acts 7:60) Similarly, the apostle Paul wrote about some in his day who had “fallen asleep” in death. (1 Corinthians 15:6) I believe in that the bible teaches the truth when a human being dies. Death is compared to a deep sleep which only Jehovah can wake up. Jehovah woke up Jesus Christ friend Lazarus from this deep sleep or death. Jesus in his prayer just before calling out to Lazarus, he made