Page 111 - THE REVELATION OF THE THIRD HEAVEN and THE MEAT OF THE WORD

at any time the combination of both the mind of the flesh and the mind of the spirit
which for a Christian are locked in a continual battle (Rom 7:25, Eph 4:23).

The soul of a man or animal or other living thing is the total combination of their
alive flesh and spirit or spiritual body and spirit (Gen 35:18, Job 12:10, Eccl 3:18-
21, 1 Thes 5:23, Rev 20:12). More precisely for men it is a combination between
their pre-resurrection physical body, made for exposure to the gospel, and their
basic spirit (1 Kings 17:21-22 ‘revived’ as in made whole again and restored to
prior functionality, Luke 16:23-24, 1 Pet 3:19, where we see spiritual body souls
called ‘spirits’). The spirit of Man can be detached from the flesh body under
stress, temporarily, without death resulting (Judges 15:19). All flesh creatures have
spirit (Num 16:22, 27:16), as indeed does every living thing and they have souls
(Job 12:10). When a soul is described as returning whilst someone is being raised
from the dead (not resurrected at first or second resurrection) this refers to the fact
that the whole process of the flesh becoming alive and the spiritual body and spirit
both returning (the flesh revives whilst it is the spirit that returns in that order) can
be said to be that of the soul returning to where it was (1 Kings 17:21-22). The soul
is an aggregate creation. This does not make animals or men spirits in the same
way as angels (Isaiah 31:3). The Word, God, determines whether the Spirit of
God, the Holy Ghost, is in a man or not (Gen 3:24, Rom 10:17). This is the
meaning of dividing asunder (or joining) the soul and spirit (Rom 10:17, Heb
4:12). The Holy Ghost or Spirit of God is sometimes referred to without
capitalisation in the Word (Mat 4:1).

The spirit of a Christian is perfect before God (1 John 3:6, 9, 5:18). The flesh of a
Christian however is continually sinning (Psalm 14:3, Romans 1:7, 2:1,1 John 1:8,
2:12,) and being forgiven (1 John 1:7, 2:12). This does not remove the obligation
to do better in the flesh (John 14:15) even as the Christian is perfect in spirit (1
John 3:3). At death, the flesh being separated from the spirit, a Christian becomes
perfect and goes to Heaven (Job 5:24, Romans 8:19-23, 1 Cor 5:5, 1 Peter 4:1 -
hath suffered-, Rev 14:13). Salvation also continually makes righteous the flesh,
even as it sins, such that the now perfect basic spirit is unaffected, this is also
further entrenched by the burial of the flesh at baptism (Col 2:11-12). We are dead
to sin (Rom 6:11) and born again (Col 3:3).

A Christian's spirit is perfect and does not sin (Rom 7: 14, Rom 8:9, 16, 22-23, 25,
1 Cor 5:5, 2 Cor 4:16, Heb 10:14 - ‘hath’ and ‘forever’, 1 Pet 4:1). A Christian’s
flesh is forgiven even as it sins (Psalm 103:12, 17, Rom 8:26-27, 2 Cor 5:21, 1 Pet
2:24, 1 John 2:2, 12) although it should be perfect (1 John 2:6).