(Bible Analysis of Man) Man's Soul — Willie Mullan

Five hundred and sixty-six please. He is a lovely little man, amid the trials that I meet, amid the thorns that pierce my feet, one thought remains supremely sweet, thou faintest Lord of me. Five hundred and sixty-six please.

You can see your notes tonight. You know for the past, I think it's ten weeks that's passed because we did one or two weeks on the body, and for ten weeks past we've been looking at the Bible analysis of man.

We've looked at man's memory, at man's understanding, at man's imagination, and we took two or three weeks looking at man's body. We looked at man's mortal body. And then we looked up at Pagio's body, and then we looked up at Pagio's glorious body, the body that rose again from the dead, and we had about three weeks then.

Arguments Against the Existence of the Soul

Now we're going to look at man's soul this evening. And before we get into the exposition of truth on this, I want to look at some of the arguments that they raise themselves against this great doctrine of man's soul.

You know there are acts and acts, and they array themselves against it. Not the likes. There's no such thing as soul. And the millennial dogmas, which is the same thing of course. No such thing as soul.

It's just what you see. No more. Now I know that we use the sociology day after day, and it's got a head for them in their arguments. I want you to get the hold of that. You see when the ship is sinking at sea, there is an SOS pronounced across the world by radio.

And the SOS means, save our souls. And I assure you when the captain is standing about he's not thinking about souls at all. He's just thinking about bodies. And you see it's the sort of phraseology we all use.

I was talking to a lady this morning, and we were both on our best behaviour, and she was saying, do you know Mrs. So-and-so? And I said, yes. She said, isn't she a lovely soul. And sometimes we use this, you see, but we're using it for the person.

That's thinking about a soul at all. And we say, so-and-so, he's a nicely soul. And we say, he's a good soul. And we use this phraseology all the time, and we're talking about persons. Yes, I want you to get the hold of that.

The Bible Uses “Soul” for the Whole Person

Now I want you to get this into your mind, that the Bible also uses this sort of phraseology. And the Bible uses the word soul when it means person. Believing that you would understand what it's about, I'll show you.

Let's go to Acts chapter 2 for the moment. And Acts chapter 2, it's the day of Pentecost, isn't it? And Peter preaches. And what a wonderful preacher he was. And he was filled this day with the Holy Ghost.

And you know, it says here, verse 40, coming to the end of the sermon, and with many other words did he justify and exhort, saying, feed yourselves from this untold generation. Verse 41 says, then they that gladly received his words were baptized.

And I think you can see the facts again. I don't want to get onto baptism again. They can't help it, it's here, isn't it? You don't want me to imply a passage, do you? Then they that gladly received his words were baptized.

They were believers, they had received the message. And the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. You don't think they were just souls either, do you? I'll tell you, we're talking about real people.

People with names and people with ages. People of different sizes. There were three thousand new members enter the church that day, and the word soul was used. Used in that fashion. And it's used a hundred times right through the Old and New Testaments like that.

Have a look at 1 Peter, so you can see it again. 1 Peter, and we're up to 3rd chapter. 1 Peter, chapter 3, and the way down the chapter there, verse 18, you get the proper connection. 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, capital S. By which also he went, it was by the Spirit he went and preached. Unto the spirits in prison, which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah.

In case you're puzzled about this, the Lord went by the Spirit when the long-suffering of God was waiting in the days of Noah and preached. Don't think that they went to hell and picked off a select few.

Oh, I shall have to ask you why. Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, and that's when it was done. While they afterwards were preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved.

Those souls were there. See the word being used, don't you? Ah, there were eight persons in there. Yes, and you see some of the boys who argue just turn these sorts of things up and they say, they say, the soul that's in us shall surely die.

And it's the same thing again, it's the man that's in us. And this is used for persons, and it's used a hundred times. Oh, you can multiply this right through. Look, let me do it again for you. Have a look at Genesis 14, and we'll have to get on with the job then.

Genesis 14, and you remember, Abraham went to war in this chapter, and this is the first time we have the word war in this Bible of ours. And we don't want to follow that through. But when Abraham was returning from this war, and he had won the day because God helped him greatly.

Verse 17, we're at Genesis 14, verse 17. And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedor Lamar. And of the kings that were with him at the valley of Shaddai, which is the king's deal.

And Melchizedek, king of Shalom, brought forth bread and wine, and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram, of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth.

And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thy enemies into thy hand. And he, that is Abraham, gave him tithe of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abraham, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.

Now do you see all the verses that I've looked up just up to this moment, in Acts 2 and over at Peter, and a hundred more. It was the word souls, well the same Hebrew word is translated here, persons.

Actually one of the old translations says, Give me the souls. Sometimes that sort of language is used. But just because that sort of language is used, I don't think you can build a doctrine on that and say well, there's no such thing as souls, they're only persons, it's only man.

I don't think you can do that. And I think this is the most dangerous thing in the world to do, is to take something out of this book and try to build a doctrine on it without taking all the rest into consideration.

Predestination, Prayer, and the Whole Counsel of Scripture

I was preaching at Coleraine University, all some years ago, and I preached on the power of prayer. And afterwards, one of the doctors there said to me, I didn't like this too much. Well I said, I don't mind whether you like it or not, but I believe what I said.

He said, do you believe in predestination? I said, of course I do. He said, were you predestined? I said, yes. And what does that really mean? I said that before the hills and all the studor earth was made its frame, God, who foreknew everything, could look down the ages and see me, and I was predestined to be conformed to the image of God's Son.

He said, this is sovereign choices. I said, yes, I was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. This is election, is it? Yes. He said, you see, this is what I believe. And I believe if God looked down, and he pleased his kind, and he elected, and you were chosen, then I don't think we need preaching, and I don't think we need prayer.

It didn't work out the way God wanted it to work out. Well, he's going to eat me all right. I said, now, where did you learn this? Where did you learn about this predestination? I learned it in the book.

And in the book you didn't learn anything about prayer. Nothing at all. You didn't hear the Lord Jesus saying, may not all reach the frame of the faith. Did you ever hear that? You didn't hear God saying, you should pray without seeking?

Oh, what jokes we have. Now, don't start on this truth of taking apart and laying the rest out. It won't do. Now, I know, I know already, that this word soul is through this book, and it's used the way we use it every day.

When we say he's a good soul, or a nice soul, or she's a very sweet soul. Yes, it's for the person. I know all about that. Ah, but there's more in this book about that. And so then, I have to prove the reality.

Jesus Distinguishes the Body from the Soul

Let's have a look at that, the reality of the soul. Let's go over here and find this. Let's have a look at Matthew's Gospel, chapter 10. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 10. And our Lord Jesus here, in this tenth chapter, if you were to follow it, he's sending out his disciples, two by two, you know, and they're going out to preach, and he's warning them, they're going to come up against some stiff opposition, and he's telling them what not to fear.

See, verse 28, he said this to them, and fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. You just answer the questions now, that's all. Is our Lord Jesus differentiating between body and soul here?

That's it, just answer the question, that's all. So he believed that the body and soul were different. He believed that there were men who would be able to kill the body. All that the devil murderers in our land can do to me tonight would be to kill the body.

They cannot kill the soul. I would think that that proves there's a difference. We might use the word loosely, oh but our Lord Jesus is correcting things and will need to take the whole Bible with us one day.

The Souls Under the Altar in Revelation

Look at the book of Revelation, and John is seeing things in heaven, and seeing things on earth at the same time. It was a mighty revelation. We're in chapter 6, and the chapter begins, and I saw when the lamb opened one of the seals, and he's talking about this book that was in heaven, that had the seven seals, and the lamb that stood before the throne saw these same things in heaven.

But you see as he opened this book in heaven, certain things took place on earth. You see it says the way down in the chapter there, verse 9, and then he had opened the sixth seal. I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God.

I want you to get the hold of this. The bodies were slain. It's the enemy was able to kill the body. Way down on earth, men were taking a stand before the Antichrist and his forces. Oh, but he was determined to block those people out.

And the bodies were slain. Maybe the bodies were beheaded, and you can see the body and the head lying. Oh, but the souls are under the altar in heaven, and there is no soul sleep about it. These souls are talking.

You see he says, verse 9, and then he had opened the fifth seal. I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain by the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season unto their fellow servants also, and their brethren that should be killed. That was very well, for these were killed.

And they are not killing people in heaven. Oh no, they were being killed on earth, but the souls were under the altar in heaven. I think you can see the difference, can't you? I would have thought you could have seen that.

Paul’s Vision and Being Absent from the Body

Have a look at 2 Corinthians, and we are at chapter 12. And what a mighty chapter it is, and what might he say for here. Yes, Paul is writing to the Corinthians, verse 1,. It is not expedient for me, doubtless to glory, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

A new man in Christ, above 14 years ago. Whether in the body, I cannot tell. Or whether out of the body, I cannot tell. So you can see the difference between in the body and out of the body. But we'll come to it.

God knows, such a man caught up to the third heaven. And in case you would question what he said, he said it over again. I knew such a man, whether in the body or out of the body, I cannot tell. God knows how he was caught up into paradise.

Now when he says, I knew a man in Christ above 14 years ago, if we can depend on the dates given us in the Bible and the chapters, on the chronological dates, if you measure back 14 years here, you'll go right back to the day when Paul was at Lystra.

And you know by preaching and gathering the clubs to listen to the gospel, the Jews were annoyed. And they dragged him out of the city, stoned him and left him for dead. They thought he was dead. I believe that was the day that the Lord took him out of the body.

Because God took him up to have a look round heaven. And I can tell you if some of the boys I know had had an experience like this, they would have to put about ten more pages in the telegraph this Saturday night.

Because they would have such wonderful things to say. Oh but Paul kept quiet about it. And I see it clearly. You see this will tell us this, that the real man can move out of the body. You see when Paul is talking about the death of a believer, he says for a believer to die, it is absent from the body, present to the Lord.

Oh I would wonder how you couldn't get this thing right. There's a vast difference between body and soul. Yes I think you can see the reality this year. And I think you can see the eternality this year.

I don't need to go into all this again. Because men cannot kill the soul. Oh we'll meet enemies on earth and some of the best men that ever walked in shoe leather were burned at the stake. Yes men killed the body.

But they cannot kill the soul. Yes and John saw these souls after the body was slain. I want to touch on this personality of the soul. You know I think we'll hold on to where we are here just for the moment.

The Soul’s Personal Consciousness After Death

Whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell. You see I would like to say this to you just to comfort you because of loved ones that you have lost recently. And you know you stood by while I came into the room the day of the funeral and stood by the coffin there and your loved one was lying still.

The body was dead. And you had tears in your eyes and great sorrow in your soul because the loved one had gone. He had departed. That's the right word. If he's out of the body, not if he was a believer.

He was outstripped from the body. Get it now. Present with the Lord. Oh I could never expound on what it means to be present with the Lord, to see Jesus. To look on his wonderful face. Face is gone and now it's all by sight.

Present with the Lord. Want you to get this. That our loved ones who have left the body and are present with the Lord, they don't know whether they're in the body or out of it. I was there all night. I was caught up in it.

Whether I was in the body or out of the body I don't know. That's a mighty thing. I guess we're walking about heaven. Yes. I'll tell you this is something we want to get into our minds. They're not like a ghost you know.

No they're fitted out for the place they are just now until the resurrection of this body because it will be raised. Want you to get that you know. Let's go to 1 Kings chapter 17. 1st book of Kings and when it's chapter 17 I think I must do this bit.

Elijah, the Widow’s Son, and the Soul’s Personality

You know this is the story of Elijah and you remember that he walked into the palace of King Ahab one day and told them there would be no more rain. But according to my words. Big thing to say you agree.

It stayed the heavens by breath. And for three long years and six months there was no rain. And that certainly gave them a headache in the land of Palestine. And of course God hid them down at the brook Chios for quite a while.

And then God told them to go to Saripha. See verse 9. 1 Kings 17. God's talking to Elijah. God said arrive get thee to Saripha which belongeth to Zidon way over on the coast there. Just near to where the battle was the other day.

Tyres inside them you know. And dwell there. Behold I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain me. Went away along to live with this widow woman for a while. And you know the story of the handful of meal in the barn.

And you know it just never went on. And then of course it came to pass verse 17. It came to pass after these things that the son of the woman the mistress of the house fell sick. And the sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him.

And she said unto Elijah what have I to do with thee O man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance and to slay my son? And you know we are always apt to get things wrong. And we blame God and we blame the servants of God.

It wasn't anything like that at all. And he said unto her give me thy son. He took him out of her bosom and carried him up into a loft where the abode. And laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord and said O Lord my God hast thou brought evil upon the widow which through my sojourn by slaying her son.

And sometimes the servants of God get it wrong too. So you have to be very careful because you can be wrong. And he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried unto the Lord and said O Lord my God our gravy let this child's soul come into him again and you are bound to see the difference between body and soul here.

Because the body is empty and he is dead. Let this child's soul. So it was the personality about soul you know. It was this child's soul. You know when our Lord Jesus is rebuking the world. He says you know it's possible to gain the whole world.

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and lose his own soul. Ah yes there's a personality about it. Let's get that settled. And there's a capability about the soul. Let's look at Luke's gospel chapter 1.

The Soul’s Capacity for Worship and Joy

I think this is one of the nicest things in the scriptures of course. Luke's gospel chapter 1 and the angel came to the blessed virgin Mary here and announced to her that she was to be the mother of the Messiah.

And she agreed to this. Look how lovely she said this verse 38. And Mary said behold the hands made of the Lord be it unto me according to thy word. The angel departed from her. She's going to be the mother of the Messiah no matter what people think.

And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste into the city of Judah and entered into the house of Zechariah and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary the bead leaked in her wound.

That was Elizabeth's bead from the Baptist. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost and she spoke out with a loud voice and said blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me. She had no doubts at all about it. For as soon as the voice of thy salutation thundered in my ears the bead leaked in my wound for joy.

Oh we're not able to follow this of course. But this is truth enough. That John the Baptist yet unborn leaked for joy. Of the salutation. I can't understand it but I believe it. Now we come to Mary and Mary said my soul doth magnify the Lord.

Wants you to get the hold of that now. Because you see we don't only want to get the reality of the soul and the eternality of the soul and the personality of the soul but we're at the capability of the soul now.

And you know the soul can magnify the Lord. Because we know that the soul can long. Yes David talks about the Lord satisfying the longing soul. And Solomon talks about God will make shut the liberal soul.

And you remember that Lot vexed his righteous soul from day to day. Because the soul is capable of love and hate and joy and so on. And you can see the capabilities can't you? You see Mary went a little bit further here and this is where I like it.

Verse 46 Mary said my soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit. And she did from then she hid between soul and spirit. And my spirit rejoiced in God my Saviour. And if you take the Blessed Virgin Mary at that point God has got her body and God has got her soul and God has got her spirit.

Mary’s Virgin Birth and the Necessity of the Saviour

Oh God let's make any mistakes about this blessed woman. I'd be annoyed when old Superman and Weatherhead say things about her. And I don't think we should stand for it at all. And I don't know how the ecumenalists are going to get together.

Because some of them they say so many terrible things. Old Weatherhead said that Zacharias got this young girl and shut her up in the temple and kept her there until he made her pregnant and that's where the baby came from.

That's blasphemy. How are they going to get united with this crowd? Oh let's give her her place but no they'll give her her place. Yes she's the Blessed Virgin Mary and make no mistakes about that. And God had her body.

She gave him her body. People are going to misunderstand her. Joseph's going to have a hard time with this when she says I'm going to have a baby but I didn't know a man sexually. He's going to have a bitter battle with us.

And to this day these black arts malign her. I don't think we are putting up with that. You wouldn't like me to associate with that. Not for a moment. Not for a single moment. If the Virgin Mary was a bad woman and played with some man in the dark and got pregnant then the child is a bastard.

Make no mistakes about the words. It's in your dictionary. Oh my friend if she's a bad woman and had a baby to a bad man then the child is a sinner. A child born from a sinful father by a sinful mother must be a sinner.

And that sinner can't be my saviour. And the whole cross work crumbles before you. I wonder if we put up with them at all. My God what do we really need? We would need to hunt them. I mean that verily.

The Danger of Losing One’s Soul

Yes. Can you see this? And you know the possibility? Man can lose his own soul you know. Oh you can climb to the top of the football world and then lose your own soul you know. And you can climb to the top of the financial world and lose your own soul.

The man arrested for life across the water who has millions. You have to be careful now. He could lose his own soul yet. Dear friend you've got something that belongs to you. Your own soul. Talked to a woman on Sunday on the very edge of eternity and her eyes blinking and she said to me she said I've wasted my life.

Doctor sitting behind me holding her purse. Wasted my life. Wasted it on the dance floor. Wasted it in the pub. We're going to waste the rest of it in hell. The doctor says you don't mince words like this is meant for you to feel any better and worse.

Go to hell and be lost. I'm damned. Wake up a little bit. You can lose your own soul you know. Go to hell and be lost. Yes. I want you to get this. Oh I must do this. Let's have a look at this picture of the day.

Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews 6. This is the passage you should get into your mind and never forget. I think you'll be thrilled with this when you get the hold of it. Verse 13. Hebrews chapter 6 verse 13.

Oh when God made promise to Abraham. Because he could swear by no greater he swore by himself. You know that was a big thing wasn't it? You know you think that the promise of God would be thought of enough if God promised you something.

Oh God didn't only promise him. When God made the promise he swore by himself. See if I have to go to court and I have to take an oath and I know the law allows me to do without doing it. I can either do it or not do it but I will do it.

And I will say I swear by almighty God that the evidence I shall give to this court shall be the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. And I'm on oath now. And you see it doesn't really matter these days because there are boys just say this goodly and it doesn't mean a thing to them.

And the evidence they give doesn't mean a thing either because half of it lies. Oh but when God made promise and when God took an oath. Oh it's got a double something. So God made promise and then God swore by himself saying surely blessing I will bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee.

And so after he Abraham had waited and patiently endured he attained the promise. When God promises you can depend he will fulfil it sooner or later when it pleases him. For men verily swear by the greater.

We always if we're taken an oath we swear by the greater. I swear by God. And an oath for confirmation the oath should confirm the thing. And that brings an end of all strife at least it used to do maybe not now.

Wherein God willing more abundantly does he want in the years of promise the immutability of his counsel. Confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things. You see when God speaks and promises. Well he's not like a fellow standing in the witness box you know it's impossible for him to lie.

And that should be quite enough. But there are two immutable things here. It's impossible for him to break his own oath isn't it. So this is a pretty steadfast foundation. The God that cannot lie and the God who cannot break his oath.

So Abraham was pretty secure with his promise. Wherein God willing more abundantly does he want in the years of promise the immutability of his counsel. Confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie.

Now the whole thing switches from Abraham to us now. Because God makes promises to us. We might have a strong consolation to have fled for refuge. You remember fleeing for refuge. Oh I remember when I was a drunkard and when I was down and out and when nobody had any hope for me.

I heard the gospel that God loved a thing like me and sent his son and Christ died and rose again. And if I would come to him I would get everlasting life and I would get pardon and peace and I fled for refuge.

Remember the day. That we might have a strong consolation to have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us. Because God's word and God's oath gives us a greater. Which hope we have of an anchor of the soul.

This is the bit on us. But this soul of mine's got an anchor. This for me is much more sure and steadfast which entereth into that within the veil. Oh this anchor of my soul is within the veil tonight.

Whether the forerunner is for us entered even Jesus. This word forerunner is a great one. Because this is an old nautical term. Belongs to the sea and sea-faring men. You know if you sometimes look at the map and you see the Adrian Sea there.

You'll find that it goes right up there and you'll find Asia Minor on this side and you'll find that's Philippi and Perthelonia and all the rest are on the other side. But you'll find that these were harbors that were there in those days.

They had a very narrow little entrance into the harbor. You know what the harbor is a sort of square wall in there and there's deep water and then there's just a little narrow entrance from the sea. And it's very difficult to find in the fog.

Portobogo Harbor was like this once upon a time when I used to go fishing with the Portobogo fishermen. And if you were coming in in the dense fog you couldn't see the lights of Portobogo and you couldn't see anything.

But the old fellow that I sailed with was called Tommy Orr, Captain Tommy Orr. And there's a rock lying out off Portobogo. It may be about three miles up, I don't know, it may be five. It's called the Bear Rock, there's a bell on it.

You Portobogo foot know this. And the old fisherman coming up from the Irish Sea, many a time I was in the bridge with him, and he always dropped the boat to the Bear Rock just that he could almost just know the rock was there and he could hear the bell.

Now he would slow the engine down to a certain speed. Now he would set the compass at a certain angle. Now he would time the watch and he knew from the speed of the boat and the run of the tide, he knew that he would be at the little narrow entrance in about 35 minutes.

He used to say to me, now just watch the watch. He had her going the right road, he knew about that, he had her going at the right speed. And you know, I would never see the wall of the harbour coming.

But he would say to me, go over to the side now. And if I'd hit the side of the boat, the wall would pass me there. The little narrow entrance. And he was a masterpiece at this. All the men said, well nobody could do this the way Tommy Orr could do it.

Now in the old harbours down in the deep waters there, the little narrow entrance had another problem. You see the sand gathered in there. The tides brought up sand. And then when the tide was out, when the boat was coming at low tide, it couldn't get over that sand barrier.

It had to lie out for maybe so many hours till the tide came back again. Oh but this is what they did, they left the ship out here, they put a little flat bottomed boat down there, and they put the anchor of the ship in the boat.

And the man in the boat is called the forerunner. And he takes this flat bottomed boat in, on in. And this flat bottomed boat goes over this sand barrier. And he goes right into the harbour, within the veil he lies.

And he drops the anchor in there. Then they tell us sleeping tonight, that the anchor of my soul is within the veil. The forerunner is in, and he has taken it in with him. Don't you talk to me about being lost again, you don't know nothing about this.

The anchor of my soul is already there within the veil. I'll tell you what you'll have to do to get me lost again. You'll have to storm heaven and take him from the throne. And bring him and anchor and all else, before I'll be lost and you'll not be able to do it.

Oh the devil and his angels in. Oh my soul secure tonight. He got the hold of this. I know it's been rushed, but I can't help it. Next week we are going to look up the spirit of man. Because the body is one thing, and the soul is another.

And the spirit is yet another. If you mean to be baptised on Thursday, just to obey the word of the Lord. And you need to see me tonight and just tell me you're saved and you want to come and be baptised.

We're not looking for your nomination for the meeting or anything like that. Just if you want to obey the Lord. Now we have wasted the time. She's ready for God. Have you the shoes on or off? I never knew you had to take your shoes off to play the organ.

I never knew that before. I thought you had to be sure that your left hand didn't know what your right hand was doing. That was all I thought. Oh we will not sing any more bless you. She's just a school girl learning and we're proud of her.

And we want her to be a bereave of this place. Let's pray together. Lord we thank you for this book and for the truths that are in this book. We thank you for the day when each one of us fled for refuge.

We thank thee that the anchor of our soul is within the veil tonight. We're only lying outside the harbour here waiting till the high tide comes and you'll take us in. Lord we're as sure of heaven as if we were there.