My name is Jefferson Vann. I am a former Christian missionary, father of three, grandfather of nine, and a very grateful citizen of God’s kingdom.
That kingdom is coming down from the sky – any day now. King Jesus will bring it with him when he returns. Are you ready for that?
I came to Christ at age 10, and have never looked back. He has given me the joy of serving him in many ways, in many places. Right now, I live in the United States. This blog records some of the things I have written over the past few years, and what I’m reflecting on now.
This blog replaced several of my old ones, which I have retired. Anything that I do not post on my Devotions blog will be posted here.
Many thanks to Tarnya Wessels, who has archived the contents of three of my older blogs into this one. See more of Tarnya’s handiwork at Build Your Website.
Jefferson Vann
Delco, North Carolina, USA
jeffersonvann 
Hi Jefferson
I came across your website and am eager to link up with others who believe in Conditional immortality. I used to live in New Zealand when I was a child, and must return DV in the future! My book was recently published which is on amazon, it´s called “What hell are you talking about”, (although my book is not the main reason for contact) I have been a Missionary here in Peru for 20 years, and sadly the result of the books publication means I will be censured and our support withdrawn in the not too distant future. At the moment we have no idea what our future is going to look like, whether we can get enough support to continue here, or whether as a family we will need to return to the UK. It is not easy to find churches that adhere to conditional immortality. But looking at your site; there is at least one in New Zealand! Do you have any links with similar churches that need ministry? It would be great to plant another church here in Peru with a statement of faith that would not be so divisive as many churches. Perhaps we could plant a church here with the support of churches of the same mind. As a family we are just seeking the Lord and investigating any possibilities, in preparation for our impending execution. (thankfully not literally!) I look forward to hearing from you as time avails.
Every Blessing
Anthony Green
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Even this traditionalist website stated that Adam and Eve LOST THEIR IMMORTALITY in the garden of Eden! Please read this. This is a small portion of my book on conditional immortality. Sincerely, Robert G.
And so I will come back once again to a fundamental truth of the Bible, which is this: fallen humanity is mortal, not immortal. We can see that right in the first part of Genesis. God would not allow Adam and Eve to exist forever in their fallen, sinful state. Please read this next passage. Genesis 3:22-24 (ESV)Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore, the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.26 So there it is, as clear as day. God prohibited immortality for the sinful Adam and Eve. This passage could not be made any clearer. God even placed the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life—and immortality. Nowhere can you see this“inherent immortal nature” that so many Christians swear that all people have. But there is one more thing that I have to show you concerning this very revealing part of Scripture. Read this commentary which I noticed on the traditionalist website. In this part of the article, they are explaining about the tree of life and how Adam and Eve lost their immortality. Yes, even traditionalists cannot help but admit the truth! Just look at what they wrote. “More details concerning the tree of life come after Adam and Eve’s sin: “The LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever’” (Genesis 3:22). In his disobedience, Adam lost his eternal life. The tree of life in Eden must have had some role to play in maintaining the life of Adam and Eve (and possibly the animals). Adam would “live forever,” even in his fallen condition, if he had eaten the tree of life after his sin. God placed a sword-wielding cherub at the entrance to the garden specifically “to guard the way to the tree of life” (verse 24). It seems access to the tree of life would have prolonged Adam’s physical life indefinitely, dooming him to an eternity in a cursed world. It was a mercy that God kept us from the tree of life. By barring access to the tree of life, God showed compassion in His omniscience. Knowing that, because of sin, earthly life would be filled with sorrow and toil, God graciously limited the number of years men would live. To live eternally in a sinful state would mean endless agony for humanity, with no hope of the relief that comes with death. By limiting our lifespan, God gives us enough time to come to know Him and His provision for eternal life through Christ but spares us the misery of an endless existence in a sinful condition.”27 So this traditionalist writer just answered a fundamental question: Is God a God of mercy? And here’s their clear answer: “It was a mercy that God kept us from the tree of life.” This Scripture is so powerful that this writer mentioned 5 times that God does not want to keep people locked into their sinful condition for eternity. Apparently, they forgot all about the traditionalist definition of hell! Without intending to, they declared the scriptural truth of the inherent mortal nature of mankind. But I also want to point out how this individual subtly introduced a lie. Pay attention to this statement: “It seems access to the tree of life would have prolonged Adam’sphysical life indefinitely, dooming him to an eternity in a cursed world.” This Scripture does not say that Adam and Eve would be immortal only in this world. The clear implication is that they would simply be immortal—if they were able to eat from the tree of life. So the writer added this extra little phrase because it would obviously have to include the possibility of eternal damnation if this totally false part of the statement wasn’t added. Because if Adam and Eve were able to eat from the tree of life, and if they never repented, then they would surely be doomed to an eternity in hell. Because there will never be an “eternal cursed world.” The Bible tells us that this world is going to end. And this writer knows that.
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