Did you know there is a text in one of the apostle Peter’s letters where he is inspired of God to give out a warning about one of his fellow apostles, the apostle Paul? I now quote from Peter’s second epistle, verses 15 and 16: “And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation – as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in ALL his epistles, speaking in them of these things, IN WHICH ARE SOME THINGS HARD TO UNDERSTAND, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the scriptures.”
Peter warns that those who are untaught, or unlearned, in the scriptures as a whole – especially the Hebrew scriptures – and who are unstable spiritually, exhibiting great godliness one moment and walking in the flesh the next, will “twist” or misinterpret what Paul is saying, thinking Paul is saying one thing when in actuality he is saying something quite different if not the very opposite of what they think he is saying.
If one is not intimately familiar with what God has already said about the state of the dead, immortality and the resurrections, that reader, when reading the apostle Paul’s letters – especially his letter to the Philippians – will think that Paul clearly says that when a believer dies his “soul” goes immediately to heaven to be with Jesus Christ and with other believers who have preceded him in death.
Also notice that Peter warns that not only do they misinterpret what Paul has written, but that they also do the same with “the rest of the scriptures!” Once one has adopted a preconceived mindset that humans have “immortal souls” that live on after death, they will have a tendency to misinterpret what the scriptures actually reveal about the state of the dead. Satan’s blinding power then has free play in their minds and he is able to deceive honest-hearted, clean-living, well-meaning folks into believing his lies! They, in turn, pass these lies on to others and Satan’s lies become established “truth” in many congregations and denominations in the Christian religion. They remember Elijah’s chariot ride, Enoch’s “translation” and our Lord’s promise to the thief on the cross, as well as several other scriptures and utterly forget Satan’s mind-boggling power to deceive. May God grant my reader the ability to set aside preconceived ideas, surrender once-and-for-all every atom of their being to obedience to Jesus Christ in all areas of their life and then begin studying the Word of God anew. Only then can Satan be bound securely and one’s spiritual eyes be opened to discern God’s truth from human and satanic error.
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley
Christ’s Faithful Servant (Galatians 1:10-12),
Donald Wiley