IMMORTALITY

By Alyce McPherson

In the golden age of the first man Adam, life prevailed to the extent that Adam’s race lived and did not die. This life was manifest both in his spirit and mortal body. This life affected the earth to the extent it produced in strength and abundance.

When Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and they saw themselves naked, a curse of death was placed upon Adam and the earth . The result of this curse was that the earth would no longer yield it’s strength to mankind. In order to keep the way of life God drove Adam and Eve from the garden and man began to die.

Since the time Adam was driven from the garden, mankind has been searching for the way back into a place where man would live and not die.

After the flood, mankind’s one desire was to build a tower that reached into heaven so that they could make a name for themselves.

In the days of Abraham, it was believed that immortality was living on through your offspring; therefore it was a curse not to produce a son to carry your identity from generation to generation.

In Homer's Iliad, Akhilleus, the greatest of all Greek warriors, is driven towards immortality by his own need for self-preservation. Akhilleus embodies the driving goal of Western culture in its attempt to preserve society and make the individual immortal through unity with it. In the story, Akhilleus leaves the fighting and then returns to it because of his struggle to attain this immortality. He attempts to evade his fate of death at the shores of Ilion by quitting the battle to search for divine immortality, a search he knows to be futile. Upon realizing his defeat , he returns to battle in order to obtain mortal glory.

For Akhilleus, only two options exist: there is divine immortality and human immortality. The immortality of the divine is eternal youth and life; but for humans, immortality is glory (being remembered after one's death).

Recently as I was giving a prophetic message to the church, the Lord spoke through my mouth the following: “You are looking for immortality, as a change in the physical body, but true immortality is a nature of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.”

After I recovered from the shock of this utterance , that had totally by-passed my religious mindset, I began to seek the Lord for more understanding concerning true immortality.

When God breathed the breath of life into the first man Adam, He was given immortality in his spirit. When he sinned, he fell into a realm of darkness and began to die physically, but his spirit and those of his descendants lived on.

Proof of this is given in;

1 Peter 3:18-20 (KJV)

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: [19] By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; [20] Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

Paul declares righteousness, peace and joy as a kingdom.

Romans 14:17 (KJV)

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

The kingdom of God is not an earthy kingdom, that gratifies the earthy desires of man but is a divine consciousness that manifests itself in righteousness, peace and joy.

The church world has taught us that righteousness is refraining from fleshly lusts and desires, and in order to help us to be righteous, Religion has created a list of things that describe unrighteousness.

When I was a young child I attended a Nazarene church with my Grandmother who was very religious. She was proud to tell everyone that she believed in holiness. I thought my Grandmother was a saint and I wanted to be just like her until the day I heard the Pastor read the list of things you could not do in order to join the church.

Some of the forbidden things on the list were the following : Alcohol, gambling, adultery, murder, no makeup, no movies, and last but not least no snuff. After the list was read, I knew at my very young age I could not join the church.

Righteousness has the meaning equity of character or act. King David declared in Psalm 17:15: As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake, with thy likeness. He knew that in order to see the face of God, He must see it in equity of character or act. The result would be, awakening in the likeness of that same image he was beholding.

Luke 17:20-21 (KJV)

And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: [21] Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Physical immortality will be the result of an inward change in character that works its way outward as a catalyst that changes everything it comes into contact with but itself remains the same. The seed that it is, creates its own body.

There are two Greek words in the New Testament that are used for the word immortality:

2 Tim. 1:10 (KJV)

But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:

Jesus Christ has revealed unending existence and incorruption by abolishing death in his flesh. This immortality was revealed in His resurrection from the dead. His physical body still bore the scars of his crucifixion, yet had been consumed by the inner nature and character of righteousness, peace and joy. The result was a body that housed both the earthy and spiritual nature living as one in immortality.

This word for immortality is found in:

1 Cor. 15:53-54 (KJV)

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. [54] So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

The word athanasia is composed of two words, Alpha meaning the first and thanatos meaning deathlessness.

Paul declares that this mortal must put on incorruption, and must put on immortality. This manifestation but happen so that death is swallowed up in victory.

We know that Jesus abolished death , why then does the scripture say that we have to put on immortality before true victory can be declared? 　

Jesus declared: “I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.”

In His victory over death and corruption, He became the Alpha or the first, the original of a new specie that could walk visibly in the realm of the earth, yet having its head in the heavens , the realm of eternal life.

He was the seed of a new creation man that walked two thousand years ago in the nature and manifestation of life and immortality.

He is also the Omega, or the last. This was accomplished on the day of Pentecost when He returned to the earth in the person of the Holy Ghost, to dwell within mankind.

The Holy Ghost is the divine nature of Christ Himself indwelling man. This life will reproduce itself and become righteousness, peace and Joy. This divine mindset will manifest itself in a body fashioned unto His glorious body.

I will close with the following glorious promise:

Romans 8:11 (KJV)

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.