back to kingdomready.org

1 Thessalonians 4:14
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.

Mainstream Christianity fixates on the myth of the immortal soul (an idea that came from the famous Greek philosophers). As a result, when many read this verse, they conclude that when Jesus returns, he will bring with him the souls of those in heaven to be reunited with their bodies in the resurrection. What follows is Dr. John Roller’s response to this objection. Dr. Roller is an expert on the doctrine of Conditional Immortality (also called “the sleep of the dead” or “soul sleep”). His impassioned defense of the importance of this doctrine can be watched or listened to on our Death is Sleep resource site. More information about Dr. John Roller, including some articles, may be found on his website.

In the Old Testament, tucked away in first Samuel, lies the incident in which Saul (the first king of Israel) asked a witch to bring up the prophet Samuel from the dead in order to get advice on what to do. This account is sometimes used to teach that dead people are really conscious in the grave. What follows is Dr. John Roller’s response to this objection. Dr. Roller is an expert on the doctrine of Conditional Immortality (also called “the sleep of the dead” or “soul sleep”). His impassioned defense of the importance of this doctrine can be watched or listened to on our Death is Sleep resource site. More information about Dr. John Roller, including some articles, may be found on his website.

I don’t know if any of you receive the emails that Dr. John Roller sends out, but I really enjoyed this last one. Dr. Roller is an expert on the doctrine of Conditional Immortality (also called “the sleep of the dead” or “soul sleep”). His impassioned defense of the importance of this doctrine can be watched or listened to on our Death is Sleep resource site. More information about Dr. John Roller, including some articles, may be found on his website. What follows is his explanation of the meaning of Mark 9.48. Before quoting his exposition, it may be helpful to remind you of what the verse says in its context.