Built for Eternity?

TENTATIVE SERIES OUTLINE

Week 1 Intro: Are we Made for Eternity?
Week 2 What happens when we die?
Week 3 Hell: Eternal Torment?
Week 4 Hell: Universal Reconciliation?
Week 5 Hell: Conditional Mortality?
Week 6 Heaven: What Will Heaven be Like?
Week 7 Heaven: What Will Heaven be Like?
Week 8 Conclusion: Living w/Heaven in Mind

ARE WE MADE FOR ETERNITY?

Evidence A We Naturally Believe in God
Evidence B We Imagine Something Greater
Evidence C We Treat Death as an Intruder

WOULD ADAM & EVE HAVE LIVED FOREVER?

Option A Unconditional Mortality
Death was always part of the plan
Option B Conditional Immortality
Conditioned upon eating from tree
Option C Unconditional Immortality
People are immortal by nature

* I favor option B. I think Adam & Eve probably did eat from the tree of life. I'd imagine it was the first tree they ate from. But once they had sinned against God, they were no longer granted that privilege. I think the tree of life was meant to be daily nourishment. I don't think humans are, by nature, immortal. Our immortality is conditioned upon our being connected to God. He alone is immortal.

WHAT IS A SOUL?

Option A Materialist View (Atheistic)
Flesh = Person
Option B Monistic View (Ancient Hebrew)
Person w/various aspects = Person
Option C Dichotomist View (Ancient Greek)
Flesh + Spirit = Soul/Person
Option D Trichotomist View (Charismatic)
Flesh + Soul + Spirit = Person

* I favor option B, while allowing for option C (I don't consider the 2 all-together different). By primary biblical usage, we don't HAVE souls, we ARE souls. I believe in the holistic nature of mankind. We are 1 soul with various aspects (material & immaterial being a typical distinction). Unlike some monists, however, I believe the immaterial aspect of a person can have some level of consciousness after death. This consciousness is based on their spiritual connection to an eternal Father (one could say they exist within the memory of God).

HOW DO WE GET OUR HUMAN SPIRIT?

Option A Pre-existence View
Eternal spirit awaiting body
Option B Traducianist View
Human spirit passed by reproduction
Option C Creationist View
Each human spirit created by God

I favor option B. I believe the immaterial aspect of mankind is 'built in' so to speak. The immaterial is passed along with the material code upon conception. Every conception involves the creation of a new human being. Option C sounds like a good and spiritual position, but raises questions as to WHEN God places a spirit into the body. If at conception, OK. If at birth, this would open the door to abortion prior to birth.