Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Edition
Coming
Soon!
In This Issue:
1 Editorial: Rejoicing in Our Sufferings
David Burge
2 This is My Story — Part 2
Tom Bennett
7 Resurrection Revealed — Part 13
Beryl Ching
11 From Off the Shelf — a Review of Joel Green’s Book
David Burge
14 How to Persevere
Rev. Jefferson Vann
19 Where is Hell?
David Burge
Production
From Death to Life is a quarterly publication produced by:
Resurrection Publishing for The Conditional Immortality Association of
New Zealand.
Edited: David Burge, Design & Layout: Garry Schäche
Print & Distribution: Noah Burge & Tarnya Burge
Subscription
Print subscriptions may be sent in the amount of NZ$15 for four issues to:
Resurrection Publishing
PO Box 202-162
Southgate
Takanini 2246
New Zealand
Alternatively subscriptions and donations can be made via our website.
A printable electronic version is available free online at our website:
Rejoicing in Our Sufferings
Editorial—David Burge
Beryl Ching, in Romans 12:12 tells us, “Be joyful in
her article on the hope, patient in affliction, faithful in
resurrection in prayer.”
Acts, mentions a When the Hebrew Christians, under
time when Peter the strain of constant persecution,
and the other were wavering in their devotion to
Apostles were Christ they were told: “Remember
called before the Sanhedrin to give those earlier days after you had
account for their witness to the received the light, when you stood
resurrection. The upshot of it all was your ground in a great contest in the
that they were flogged and then let face of suffering. Sometimes you
go under orders never to speak in were publicly exposed to insult and
that name (the name of Jesus again). persecution; at other times you stood
The reaction of the Apostles amazes side by side with those who were so
me: “The apostles left the Sanhedrin, treated. You sympathized with those
rejoicing because they had been in prison and joyfully accepted the
counted worthy of suffering disgrace confiscation of your property,
for the name” (Acts 5:41). I don’t because you knew that you
know about you but I struggle to yourselves had better and lasting
rejoice in my suffering! possessions.” (Hebrews 10:32-34).
Romans 5:2-5 says, “And we rejoice in Notice that they “joyfully” accepted
the hope of the glory of God [The the confiscation of their property.
glory of God is often a synonym for And notice why. It was because they
the kingdom, Matthew 10:21, Mark knew that they had “better and
10:37]. Not only so, but we also lasting possessions”, not at home
rejoice in our sufferings, because we hidden under the mattress, but in the
know that suffering produces form of eternal life in the coming
perseverance; perseverance, kingdom of God.
character; and character, hope. And If you want to be able to rejoice in
hope does not disappoint us, because your sufferings get to know more of
God has poured out his love into our the hope of the glory of the kingdom
hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he of God.
has given us.”
This is My Story—Part 2
Tom Bennett
Looking back now I can see Gods me Glenyss. For Glenyss and her
fingerprints over all the events of my family have been the means by which
journey. But my journey was far from God has brought the truth of
over, it had only just begun. The Conditional Immortality to my mind.
advice from my sister Marie (I think As my relationship grew with Glenyss,
of her as my spiritual mother) was I began attending midweek studies
“read your Bible”. I did and I couldn’t and Sunday services at the Church of
put it down, God was opening my Christ Life and Advent. For the first
mind as I read His word, words that time I was confronted with the
once seemed empty and meaningless teachings of Conditional Immortality.
now teamed with life and meaning.
God was leading me on a new
journey, on His path to peace.
While staying at my sister Marie’s
home, my brother-in-law Con found
me a job with the courier company
he worked for. He told me there was
this lovely Christian girl there who
would be nice for me to meet. I
imagined that I would probably be
introduced to someone’s Interestingly at the time of meeting
grandmother (No offence to all those Glenyss I was very much a Catholic
grandmothers out there) and wasn’t boy in my thinking, but that was all
very interested, having decided to going to change as Glenyss’ family,
pursue Christ rather than a and friends confronted my beliefs
relationship. However, needless to about death and hell and
say that lovely Christian girl is now immortality. I was given a copy of
my beautiful wife of almost 19 years. Sidney Hatch’s book “Why I believe in
God’s plans for me have been Conditional Immortality” 1. Writings
amazing and I thank Him for giving about Hell, the Soul, life etc. When I
examined God’s word and that wasn’t there. God made us
contemplated the implications of the from the dust of the earth and
Conditional Immortality teachings I back to it we are going.
couldn’t deny its truth. Below is a list “You will not surely die” - Genesis
of 10 bible teachings that convince 3:4; “Satan is a liar and the
me that Conditional Immortality is an Father of Lies” - John 8:44.
important biblical truth: Believing that you won’t die and
return to the dust, as God has
said is believing God to be a liar
and Satan to be the truth teller.
“The Lord God formed the man
from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life and he became a
living being.” - Genesis 2:7.