You Will Not Die

Read Genesis 3:4. What are the many different ways this lie has been

repeated through the ages?

One powerful manifestation of this lie is seen in the common belief in

the immortality of the soul. This notion was the basis of many ancient reli-

gions and philosophies. In ancient Egypt, it motivated the mummification

practices and the funerary architecture, such as that seen in the pyramids.

This theory also became one of the main pillars of Greek philoso-

phy. For example, in The Republic of Plato, Socrates asks Glaucon:

“Are you not aware that our soul is immortal and never perishes?” In

Plato’s Phaedo, Socrates argued in a similar tone, saying that the “soul

is immortal and imperishable, and our souls really will exist in Hades.”

These philosophical concepts would shape much of the Western culture

and even post-Apostolic Christianity. But they originated much earlier,

in the Garden of Eden, with Satan himself.

At the core of the Edenic temptation, Satan assured Eve, “ ‘You cer-

tainly will not die!’ ” (Gen. 3:4, NASB). With this emphatic assertion,

Satan put his own word above the word of God.

In contrast to immortality of the soul, what do these verses teach, and

how can they be used to counter this lie? (See Ps. 115:17; John 5:28,

29; Ps. 146:4; Matt. 10:28; 1 Cor. 15:51–58.)

The satanic theory of the natural immortality of the soul has per-

sisted, even in our modern world. Books, movies, and TV programs

have all continued to promote the idea that when we die, we simply

pass into another conscious state. How unfortunate it is that this error

is proclaimed in many Christian pulpits, as well. Even science has got-

ten involved. There is a foundation in the United States trying to create

technology that, it claims, will enable us to contact the dead, whom they

believe are still alive but exist as PMPs, “postmaterial persons.” With

this error so prevalent, it’s no surprise that this deception will play a

crucial role in the final events of human history.

In what ways is this lie manifested in your own culture? Why

must we rely on the Word of God over what our senses tell us?