鈥淭he doctrine that the human soul聽is immortal and will continue to exist聽after man鈥檚 death and the dissolution聽of聽his body is one of the cornerstones of Christian philosophy and theology.鈥濃€斺€淣EW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA.鈥?br>
THE above-quoted reference work, however, admits that 鈥渢he notion of the soul surviving after death is not readily discernible in the Bible.鈥?What, then, does the Bible really teach about what happens to the soul at聽death?
The Dead Are Unconscious
2 The condition of the dead is made clear at Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, where we read: 鈥淭he dead know nothing .聽.聽. There is no pursuit, no plan, no knowledge or intelligence, within the grave.鈥?(Moffatt) Death, therefore, is a state of nonexistence. The psalmist wrote that when a person dies, 鈥渉e goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish.鈥濃€擯salm 146:4.
3 So the dead are unconscious, inactive. When pronouncing sentence upon Adam, God stated: 鈥淒ust you are and to dust you will return.鈥?(Genesis 3:19) Before God formed him from the dust of the ground and gave him life, Adam did not exist. When he died, Adam returned to that state. His punishment was death鈥攏ot a transfer to another realm.
The Soul Can Die
4 When Adam died, what happened to his soul? Well, remember that in the Bible the word 鈥渟oul鈥?often simply refers to a person. So when we say that Adam died, we are saying that the soul named Adam died. This might sound unusual to a person who believes in the immortality of the soul. However, the Bible states: 鈥淭he soul that is sinning鈥攊t itself will die.鈥?(Ezekiel 18:4) Leviticus 21:1 speaks of 鈥渁 deceased soul鈥?(a 鈥渃orpse,鈥?Jerusalem Bible). And Nazirites were told not to come near 鈥渁ny dead soul鈥?(鈥渁 dead body,鈥?Lamsa).鈥擭umbers聽6:6.
5 A similar reference to the soul is found at 1聽Kings 19:4. A severely distressed Elijah 鈥渂egan to ask that his soul might die.鈥?Likewise, Jonah 鈥渒ept asking that his soul might die, and he repeatedly said: 鈥楳y dying off is better than my being alive.鈥欌€?(Jonah 4:8) And Jesus used the phrase 鈥渢o kill a soul,鈥?which The Bible in Basic English renders 鈥渢o put to death.鈥?(Mark 3:4) So the death of the soul simply means the death of the person.
鈥淕oing Out鈥?and 鈥楥oming Back鈥?br>
6 But what about the tragic death of Rachel, which occurred as she gave birth to her second son? At Genesis 35:18, we read: 鈥淎s her soul was going out (because she died) she called his name Benoni; but his father called him Benjamin.鈥?Does this passage imply that Rachel had an inner being that departed at her death? Not at all. Remember, the word 鈥渟oul鈥?can also refer to the life that a person possesses. So in this case Rachel鈥檚 鈥渟oul鈥?simply meant her 鈥渓ife.鈥?That is why other Bibles render the phrase 鈥渉er soul was going out鈥?as 鈥渉er life was ebbing away鈥?(Knox), 鈥渟he breathed her last鈥?(Jerusalem Bible), and 鈥渉er life went from her鈥?(Bible in Basic English). There is no indication that a mysterious part of Rachel survived her death.
7 It is similar with the resurrection of a widow鈥檚 son, recorded in 1聽Kings chapter 17. In verse 22, we read that as Elijah prayed over the young boy, 鈥淛ehovah listened to Elijah鈥檚 voice, so that the soul of the child came back within him and he came to life.鈥?Once again, the word 鈥渟oul鈥?means 鈥渓ife.鈥?Thus, the New American Standard Bible reads: 鈥淭he life of the child returned to him and he revived.鈥?Yes, it was life, not some shadowy form, that returned to the boy. This is in harmony with what Elijah said to the boy鈥檚 mother: 鈥淪ee, your son [the whole person] is alive.鈥濃€?聽Kings 17:23.
The Dilemma of the 鈥淚ntermediate State鈥?br>
8 Many professed Christians believe that there will be a future resurrection at which time bodies will be joined with immortal souls. Then, the resurrected ones will be consigned to their fate鈥攅ither a reward for those who led a good life or retribution for the wicked.
9 This concept sounds simple. But those who adhere to belief in the soul鈥檚 immortality have trouble explaining what happens to the soul between the time of death and the time of resurrection. Indeed, this 鈥渋ntermediate state,鈥?as it is often called, has stirred speculation for centuries. Some say that during this period the soul goes to purgatory, where it can be purified of venial sins so as to become fit for heaven.
10 However, as we have seen, the soul is simply the person. When the person dies, the soul dies. Hence, there is no conscious existence after death. Indeed, when Lazarus died, Jesus Christ did not say that he was in purgatory, Limbo, or any other 鈥渋ntermediate state.鈥?Rather, Jesus simply said: 鈥淟azarus has fallen asleep.鈥?(John 11:11, New English Bible) Clearly, Jesus, who knew the truth about what happens to the soul at death, believed that Lazarus was unconscious, nonexistent.
What Is the Spirit?
11 The Bible says that when a person dies, 鈥渉is spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground.鈥?(Psalm 146:4) Does this mean that a disembodied spirit literally departs and lives on after a person鈥檚 death? That could not be, for the psalmist next says: 鈥淚n that day his thoughts do perish鈥?(鈥渁ll his thinking ends,鈥?NEB). What, then, is the spirit, and how does it 鈥榞o out鈥?from a person at the time of his death?
12 In the Bible the words translated 鈥渟pirit鈥?(Hebrew, ru鈥瞐ch; Greek, pneu鈥瞞a) basically mean 鈥渂reath.鈥?Thus, instead of 鈥渉is spirit goes out,鈥?the translation by R. A. Knox uses the phrase 鈥渢he breath leaves his body.鈥?(Psalm 145:4, Knox) But the word 鈥渟pirit鈥?implies much more than the act of breathing. For example, in describing the destruction of human and animal life at the time of the global Deluge, Genesis 7:22 says: 鈥淓verything in which the breath of the force [or, spirit; Hebrew, ru鈥瞐ch] of life was active in its nostrils, namely, all that were on the dry ground, died.鈥?So 鈥渟pirit鈥?can refer to the life-force that is active in all living creatures, both humans and animals, and that is sustained by breathing.
13 To illustrate: Electric current powers a piece of equipment. If the current stops, the equipment ceases to function. The current does not take on a life of its own. Similarly, when a person dies, his spirit ceases to animate the body cells. It does not leave the body and move on to another realm.鈥擯salm 104:29.
14 Why, then, does Ecclesiastes 12:7 state that when a person dies, 鈥渢he spirit itself returns to the true God who gave it鈥? Does this mean that the spirit literally travels through space into God鈥檚 presence? Nothing of the sort is implied. Remember, the spirit is the life-force. Once that life-force is gone, only God has the ability to restore it. So the spirit 鈥渞eturns to the true God鈥?in the sense that any hope of future life for that person now rests entirely with God.
15 Only God can restore the spirit, or life-force, causing a person to come back to life. (Psalm 104:30) But does God intend to do so? Many who believe the soul continues on living, have been lied to, by religious leaders.
Rather than taking to time to look into the facts themselves, they just go along with it.
God cannot make it clear, plainer or more easily understood than this:
(Ezekiel 18:4) .聽.聽.Look! All the souls鈥攖o me they belong. As the soul of the father so likewise the soul of the son鈥攖o me they belong. The soul that is sinning鈥攊t itself will die. "The soul that is sinning, it itself will die"...as in go to hell! I could argue every point in that question, but I don't have the time right now, if you want me to, I will be more than happy to to....guess what?? I'm not even religious, and I disagree with your answers completely Report It
I'm not a biblical scholar but what about Jesus refering to "paradise" when he was talking to the thief on the cross?
What about the scenes in Revelation when the martyrs (those who have died during the tribulation) are standing beneath the throne of God asking Him to avenge their deaths?
Also, what about the verse in Hebrews where it says (and I don't have my bible in front of me so I am paraphrasing) but it says it is "appointed to a man once to die, then the judgement seat of Christ".
I don't really understand the answers to those questions but the way it was explained to me was that time only exists here on earth. God - who is eternal - has already lived the past, present and future. Also the bible talks about how a thousand years is like a day to Him. So, when we die we step out of the existance of time and into eternity. Who knows but that we die and the next instant we are waking up to the final judgement or the resurrection at the same moment every other person who has or will ever die does the same thing. Maybe we won't even be aware of a gap because it doesn't exist in that dimension. |
