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Let me write to-night on a subject that is of importance to mankind and should be fully explained, that they may know the truth that will show them the way to immortality and light.
I know that men have debated all down the centuries the question of man's immortality, and have attempted to prove the reality of its existence by various arguments and by reference to the analogy of the workings of God's universe in the fulfillment of His designs as displayed by the various creations of animate nature. In all these discussions they have not succeeded in definitely and satisfactorily established the fact of immortality. And why? Because they have not, in the first place, understood what immortality means, and without a correct conception of that which it is desired to prove, it becomes very difficult to successfully prove the existence of the thing sought for. I know that at times some idea of what immortality is has been conceived of and almost understood by some of the writers on the subject, and their efforts have been directed to show that by man's inner consciousness as well as by the appearance of those things in nature which die and live again, man is justified in inferring that man himself is immortal, or was intended by his Creator to be immortal.
But the inner consciousness of man, meaning the knowledge of the possession of certain desires and aspirations, as well as the realization that his life on earth is too short to enable him to accomplish those things that his efforts and strivings attempt, and that what he really accomplishes in the way of his own mental and moral development, if they end with the physical death of men would mean only a useless exercise of the faculties and powers given him by God--is not sufficient to prove the immortality of the real man. Neither is it evidence of the uselessness of man's creation, though he is in one moment, deprived of all the learning and other benefits of a developed intellect, as well as of moral progression.
There is a difference between the state and condition of a human soul that continues in the spirit world the life that it had when embodied in the flesh, and the state that not only continues this life but makes the extinction of this life an utter impossibility--even by God, who in the beginning of man's existence created that soul.
TRUE IMMORTALITY THEN, IS THE STATE OR CONDITION OF THE SOUL THAT HAS KNOWLEDGE THAT BECAUSE OF THE ESSENCE AND QUALITIES OF ITSELF, IT CANNOT EVER CEASE TO LIVE--THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF IT'S EVER CEASING TO LIVE BEING KNOWN TO IT, AND A FACT.
It has been said that whatever has a beginning may have an ending--that which was created may be dissolved into its elements. And the possibility of this is true, and no man or spirit can deny the truth of the assertion. In your earth life you find that all things have an ending, that is in their individual and composite form; and in the spirit world why may not the same fate attend created things. The fact that there are things in the spirit world that exist as a continuation of things of earth does not mean that they shall endure forever.
The mere change, caused by the death and disappearance from the vision of men, of things that were once alive does not establish the fact that as they continue to live in the spirit world, they must live forever. Death which is looked upon as a destroying angel is merely the result of the change from that which is visible to the invisible, and does not in any way determine the everlasting existence of the thing changed.
The soul of man while in the flesh is the same soul as to its identity and individuality, as it is when it becomes an inhabitant of the spirit world, and if it is immortal while in the spirit world it is also immortal while in the body; and if it may cease to have an immortal existence in the one state, it may in the other.
Suppose that men by their arguments of the nature mentioned show that the soul of man does not die when the physical body dies but that it continues its existence in the spirit world as the identical, personal soul, then I ask, does that prove immortality as I have defined it? Death of the body and the continuing life of the soul thereafter do not work any change in the qualities or essence of that soul--it is still the same created soul that it was in the beginning, and why may it not be true, that being a thing created it may have an ending? This is logical and not unreasonable.
Then I say, even if men by their arguments prove to the satisfaction of many, that the soul after the death of the physical body continues to live in the spirit world with all its faculties and powers in active operation, they do not prove, nor do all the facts possible for them to discover and marshal prove, that that soul is immortal. The soul of man did not always exist--it is not eternal, self existing or independent of everything else, but dependent upon the will of God that called it into existence, and why is it not reasonable to infer that in the long period of time to come, it will have served the purpose of its creation and be disseminated into the elements of which it was created?
But I will say here, for the benefit of those mortals who believe in the immortality of the soul that from the time of the creation of the first man to the present, no spirit in the spirit world has any knowledge of any human soul that has ceased its existence and been dissolved into its elements. And further, that there are myriads of souls in the spirit world that are in just the condition of perfection that was the condition of the soul of the first man when created and God pronounced his creation, "very good." But as mortals have no assurance that at some time the life of their souls will not end, so also spirits who have gained the perfect condition of their creation have no such assurance. They have hope and belief that such may be their destiny, and also a knowledge that their progress as the perfect man has ended. They are in that state which limits their progress as the perfect man, although their enjoyment as such is not limited--to them in God's universe there is always something new and unknown appearing. But yet they have not the knowledge that they are immortal, and realize that they are dependent upon the will of God for their existence, and to many of these spirits, immortality is as much a subject of concern and speculation as it is to the mortals of earth.
Men in their meditation, study and arguments of this question of immortality do not start from the foundation of the subject. They have no truthful premises from which they can draw a correct conclusion, and consequently their arguments fail. They reason that because of the existence of certain things in and outside of man--all things of mere creation--that tend to show God's intentions and plans as regards man, therefore, in order to carry out such intentions, man must be immortal. They do not consider or lose sight of the fact that all these things that they use as the foundation for their conclusions are things dependent and not self existing, and at one time or another the objects of God's creation. What God has called into existence He can also declare shall exist no longer. And knowing this, man cannot, or spirit either, rightfully conclude that the soul is immortal.
But there is a way in which the immortality of the soul, or some souls--can be proved, and which, assuming the facts that enter into the argument to be true, necessarily establish the conclusion without possibility of refutation.
Then in commencing the argument what is the only reasonable way to approach the subject?
FIRST, TO DISCOVER AND ESTABLISH THAT WHICH IS IMMORTAL, AND NEXT TO SEARCH FOR AND FIND THAT WHICH THOUGH NOT IMMORTAL, YET BY REASON OF CERTAIN OPERATIONS AND EFFECTS UPON IT OF THAT WHICH IS IMMORTAL, BECOMES ITSELF IMMORTAL. ONLY FROM THE IMMORTAL CAN IMMORTALITY BE ACQUIRED.
Well this is a good place to stop as you are tired; I am well pleased with the way in which you have received my message. Have faith and pray, and all will be well.
Good-night my dear brother, for you are in truth my brother.
Your friend and brother,
JESUSVol. I, p. 47
