The Soul of Mankind

What exactly is the soul? Is it immortal? Does it leave the body at death and go to heaven or hell? This seems to be the teaching of the Church today, a teaching I have heard all my life. Let's discover what the Bible actually says about the soul.

Let's start at the first mention of the word "soul" in the Bible. Genesis 2:7 "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." The Hebrew word used here is nephesh. It is properly rendered a breathing creature and  refers to both man and all other living creatures. 

Prior to God breathing life into Adam, he was simply  lifeless body of clay. When God breathed into his nostrils, Adam came alive and then became a living soul. The soul is not the body, which is created from the dust of the ground, The soul is the result of God breathing life into that body. Every living being is a soul. What distinguishes the human soul from all other living creatures? Genesis 1:26 "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

Mankind is elevated above all other living beings in that God not only gave man the breath of life, but with that life something more; a spirit, the ability to think and reason and plan. It's this spirit in man that forms our character and the intelligence to make decisions and create, the ability to actually have a relationship with our Creator that all other creatures have not been given though they too are a nephesh or soul. 1Corinthians 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?"

But, again, does this soul depart from the body at death and enter another realm? Is it immortal outside of this fleshly body? Speaking of God, we are told in 1Timothy 6:16 "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen."

Let's continue in Genesis with Adam and Eve in the garden. Genesis 2:16 -17 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Genesis 3:1-5 "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Satan has been peddling that lie for the last six thousand years and the Church has bought into it.

What was God's response to their disobedience? Genesis 3:19 "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

 Genesis 3:22  "And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

If Adam and Eve had obeyed God they could have partaken of the tree of life but, instead, they listened to Satan's lies and were banished from the garden.

They did not possess an immortal soul. God told Adam that in the day he ate of the forbidden fruit, he would die.  2 Peter 3:8 "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Genesis 5:5 "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died."

Adam's disobedience resulted in death, not only his but also his offspring. Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

We are made of dust and to dust we shall return at death. Psalm 115:17 "The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence." Ecclesiastes 3:20 "All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." Ecclesiastes 9:5 "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten."  Ecclesiastes 12:7 "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."  We are living souls. At death, that lifeforce returns to God for safe keeping until our resurrection.. Throughout the Bible, death is likened unto sleep.

Hebrews, chapter 11 recounts the lives of our ancient forerunners who lived by faith; men and women like Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many more.

 Hebrews 11:13 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." 

Hebrews 11:39-40 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."

The Old Testament books of  Kings and Chronicles, speak of the death of each king as sleeping with their fathers, beginning with David. 1Kings 2:10 "So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David."

Did David ascend to heaven at death? In Acts 2:29 Peter addressed the crowd on the Day of Pentecost with these words. "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day."

Daniel was given a vision of the last days. Daniel 12:1-2 "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

Daniel 12:13, Daniel was instructed by the angel "But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."

The scriptures are replete with the state of the dead, too numerous to include here. Man is not immortal in his present state, nor contains an immortal component that ascends from him at death. He is simply asleep awaiting the resurrection.

Job 14:14 "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come."

Yes, man will indeed live again and those who put their trust in Jesus have a glorious future ahead of them. The day will come when they will arise from their sleep and be forever with their Lord in the Kingdom of God.

Please read my article "The Resurrection" to discover when and how these mortal bodies will be exchanged for immortal bodies that will never die.

The Resurrection

 Does the Bible reveal a time when God will grant the gift of immortality to human beings? Yes, but surprisingly to the majority of mankind, it will not be at our death. 1Corinthians, chapter 15, often called the resurrection chapter, gives a detailed account of mankind, beginning with Adam. In this chapter, the Apostle Paul speaks a great deal about the resurrection of Christ and what it means to the believer. Through Adam, death entered into the world but through Christ, the resurrection of the dead.

When will this resurrection occur? 1Corinthians15:22-23 "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.." 

1Corinthians15:51-54 "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

1Thessalonians 4:13-17 "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus comforted Martha with the knowledge that her brother would live again. John 11:23-24 "Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." She fully understood that Lazarus had not ascended to heaven, but that he was dead.

Four times in John, chapter 6. Jesus taught the resurrection from the dead.

John 6:39 "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." 

John 6:40 "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." 

John 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." 

John 6:54 "Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

 Death is an enemy. It is not a passport to heaven. 1Corinthians 15:55 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" 

1Corinthians 15:26 "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

 Revelation 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."

 Revelation 2:11 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death."

 Revelation 20:6 "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

 Revelation 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."

Death is the consequence of sin.  Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Believers will be raised to life through the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord, who gave his life a ransom for our sins."

The second death is the penalty for those who refuse the precious gift of God and will be eternal death, not eternal life in hell. 

Malachi 4:1-3 "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts."

 

    

A Matter of Life and Death

What exactly awaits mankind following the end of his physical life upon this earth? There is no subject wrapped in more mystery, no teaching more misunderstood in all of the bible, yet the bible itself could be no clearer regarding the answer. From Genesis to Revelation, we see the plan of God unfolding; a plan that takes mankind from his temporary, physical existence upon this earth to eternal life as spiritual beings in the kingdom of God.

However, there remains this mystery surrounding life after death. What does the source of all knowledge, the bible, teach us? We need to begin with death itself. What exactly is death? What actually happens when we cease to live? When we take our final breath of life upon this earth, where do we go, if anywhere?

We are told in Deut. 31:16a, “And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers”. The same thing is said concerning King David in II Sam. 7:12. Acts 2:29 records Peter's words concerning David, "Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day". Job spoke of sleeping in the dust, Job 7:21 and Job 14:12. David spoke of the sleep of death in Psa. 13:3. In Dan 12:2 we read, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” There are numerous biblical passages that refer to death as sleep.

We also see that death is spoken of as “rest” in the Bible. In Dan 12:13, the angel of the Lord told Daniel, “But go thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” When Job was bemoaning the terrible state he found himself in he felt it would have been better had he not been born. He stated in Job 3:13, “For now should I have lain still and been quiet, I should have slept: then had I been at rest.” David wrote in Psa 16:9, “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.”

Is there any knowledge or activity in the grave for those who have fallen asleep? God told Adam in Gen 3:19b, “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Eccl. 3:20 explained, “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.” And in Eccl. 9:10 we are told, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, wither thou goest.” Eccl 9:5 confirmed, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” Although Solomon was speaking strictly of man’s physical existence in Ecclesiastes, and not life after death, his words give us great insight into the subject of death. We can see from all of these examples that our physical bodies will die and return to the dust of the earth in sleep. There is no knowledge in the grave, no activity.

Job asked the question that we all ask in Job 14: 14-15. “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.”

I Cor 15 is often referred to as the resurrection chapter in the Bible and provides us with an excellent understanding of the subject of life after death, including how and when it occurs. First, we need to understand that God alone possesses immortality, I Tim 6:16. Man, on the other hand, is mortal and subject to death. As such, he cannot inherit the kingdom of God, I Cor 15:50. He must be resurrected from the dead. In verse 53 Paul explained that the corruptible body must put on incorruption and the mortal must put on immortality. Our bodies must undergo a change in form. The bible teaches that all who have ever died are asleep in their graves awaiting a resurrection from the dead. Paul taught the Christians of his day in I Cor 15:51-52, “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (in death), but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” In I Thes. 4:13-17, he told the church not to be ignorant concerning those who had previously died, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

Christ was the first to be resurrected from the dead as an immortal, spirit being. Although there are several instances in the Bible of people being brought back to life, these were awakened out of sleep and continued their physical lives for a time. Paul stated in I Cor 15:3-4, “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” Continue with I Cor 15:20, “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.” I Cor 15:23-24 gives us the timing of our future resurrection, “But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”

There are two resurrections for mankind spoken of in the Bible. As we have seen already, Christ is the firstfruits, or the first to be resurrected from mortal to immortal. At his coming the dead in Christ, along with the living who belong to him, will rise to meet him in the clouds. Rev 20:6 reads, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Verse 5 says, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” These will all rise in the great white throne judgment according to Rev 20:11-12. John tells us in verse 12, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened (God’s Torah or law): and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”

Christ came to earth the first time to die for our sins and become our Savior. When he returns the second time, it will be as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to set up the government of God upon this earth. At that time, he will resurrect all who have accepted his call during their lifetime; both those who died prior to his coming and those who are still alive. They will then be changed to spiritual beings and rule with him for one thousand years, teaching God's laws to the mortals who are alive at the end of the age. To the believers of his day, the apostle John wrote in I John 3:2,"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is". Again, the rest of the dead remain asleep until the thousand years are complete. They will then rise together to stand before Christ and receive judgment according to their deeds. Matt 12:36 quotes Jesus as saying, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment". These masses will then be taught by the resurrected saints and granted an opportunity to accept Christ as their Lord and savior. Christ spoke of that day when chastising the Pharisees for their unbelief. He said in Matt 11:21-24 that it would be more tolerable for the cities of Sodom, Tyre and Sidon in the judgment then for them. He explained that, if those wicked cities had witnessed his mighty works in their day, they would have long ago repented in sackcloth and ashes. In Matt 12:41-42 he told them, "The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here".

Mankind's eternal fate is not sealed at the time of his death. All are not being called during their physical lifetime. John 6:44 recorded the words of Jesus, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day". In John 15:16 he reminded his disciples that they had not chosen him but he had chosen them and ordained that they bring forth much fruit. There are parallels in our democratic societies today. When a president is elected to office, his first order of business is to select his cabinet to rule with him. These individuals rule by the laws, statutes and judgments of the government that have been established for that nation. The citizens of the nation are expected to abide by those laws, and are judged according to those laws. Likewise, Christ is coming again to set up the government of God upon this earth. He has already proven himself worthy to become it's King and, throughout man's history, he has been selecting his cabinet. As we have seen, these are the saints that will rule with him when he returns to establish God's kingdom. The citizens of his kingdom are the remainder of mankind who were not called during their lifetime. These will be raised up at the last day and taught by the righteous saints who paved the way before them. Upon their acceptance of Christ as their eternal king, they will be granted access to the tree of life, whereby they too will be changed from mortal to immortal to partake of eternal life.