Christianity Explained Information

Find Christian Unity in Biblical Explanations of the Doctrines That Count!

You're Invited

You have a choice to make: You can either believe the opinions of theologians, atheists, or agnostics, or you can determine for yourself what the Bible says by studying it.

If you do nothing else, be sure to read thIs --------------------------->

[For more information, click on any underlined text.]

What difference does it make?

Topics

What Is Christianity Explained Information?

What Is Religion and Where Did It Originate?

Who or What Is God?

What Is Christianity?

What Is the Bible, and How Relative Is It to My Life?

Can I Understand the Bible?

What Are Messianic Prophecies?

Who Was Jesus of Nazareth, Really?

Why Are There So Many World Religions?

Why Are There So Many Christian Denominations?

What Is the Law and How Does It Apply to Me?

The Ten Commandments

What's All This About the End of the World and End-time Prophecies?

Isn't the Book of Daniel a Closed Book?

Revelation: How can anyone understand all that symbolism?

How Do I Identify a Cult?

Who or What Was Jesus' Mother, Mary?

Why Are We Here?

Where Do We Go When We Die?

Didn't Darwin Disprove Creation?

What's the Truth About Faith and Works?

Christian E-mails: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Complete Directory of Articles/Studies

Title Abbreviations for Books of the Bible

Genesis - Ge
Exodus - Ex
Leviticus - Le
Numbers - Nu
Deuteronomy - De
Joshua - Jos
Judges - Jud
Ruth - Ru
I Samuel - 1sa
II Samuel - 2sa
I Kings - 1ki
II Kings - 2ki
I Chronicles - 1ch
II Chronicles - 2ch
Ezra - Ezr
Nehemiah - Ne
Esther - Es
Job - Job
Psalm - Ps
Proverbs - Pr
Ecclesiastes - Ec
Song of Solomon - So
Isaiah - Isa
Jeremiah - Jer
Lamentations - La
Ezekiel - Eze
Daniel - Da
Hosea - Ho
Joel - Joe
Amos - Am
Obadiah - Ob
Johah - Jon
Micah - Mic
Nahum - Na
Habakuk - Hab
Zephaniah - Zep
Haggai - Hag
Zechariah - Zec
Malachi - Mal
Matthew - Mt
Mark - Mr
Luke - Lu
John - Joh
Acts - Ac
Romans - Ro
I Corinthians - 1co
II Corinthians - 2co
Galatians - Ga
Ephesians - Eph
Philippians - Php
Colossians - Col
I Thessalonians - 1th
II Thessalonians - 2th
I Timothy - 1ti
II Timothy - 2ti
Titus - Tit
Philemon - Phm
Hebrews - Heb
James - Jas
I Peter - 1pe
II Peter - 2pe
I John - 1jo
II John - 2jo
III John - 3jo
Jude - Jude
Revelation - Re

Where Do We Go When We Die, or, Are the Dead Really Alive but Somewhere Else?

Ac 7:59

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Ac 7:60

Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.


The verses above seem, to me, to demonstrate the two different views of death commonly held by modern Christians. One group believes that "receive my spirit" means Stephen's consciousness went directly to heaven. The other group, considering the words, "he fell asleep", believes that Stephen's consciousness went into a state of suspended animation until Jesus returns to resurrect the dead--a coma-like state--and that Steven was simply stating his belief that Jesus would protect and resurrect his spirit with his body at the Lord's second coming.  

Now, if it weren't for scam artists and Satan, no one would care which outlook is true. However, if you think you're being led by Uncle Al the stock broker when in fact you're being led by a scam artist or one of Satan's legion of evil spirits, you, as my brother used to (and probably still does) say, could end up end up, to say the least. The word deceive appears 73 times in the Bible in one form or another and at least 14 verses specifically warn against being deceived. Furthermore, while Satan is identified as the great deceiver, we are also told that we can deceive ourselves! That tells me that we all need to protect ourselves by learning the truth. The only way to learn the truth--to answer the question "Where do we go when we die?" is by comparing the theories to the Scriptures. 

In John 17:17 Jesus prayed to the Father, “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.”

But in addition, think about this: How will Uncle Al feel if you chalk up all your bad investment decisions to seances with him when in fact it was Satan's deception? What's even more important, however, is How will God feel if you chalk up the leading of the Holy Spirit leading you to good decisions in your meditation times to "feeling like Uncle Al was right there telling me what to do"?

So, what does Scripture say about what happens when we die? 

I like to begin at the beginning. What was the first mention of death in the Bible?

Ge 2:17

"but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."


God himself warned Adam and Eve that the "wages of sin" would be death (Romans 6:23).  He didn't say "you shall surely come home to heaven to be with me" or "You shall surely burn in hell for eternity." And if God never changes (Malachi 3:6), why would he change the way he deals with man from Adam to us?

Now, we all know that Satan, also known as the Devil, is a liar.

Re 12:9

So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.


Joh 8:44

"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.


Deceived about death

Almost everyone knows that Satan deceived Eve so that she doubted that God wanted what was best for her and did what her heart desired instead of listening to God.

Ge 3:13

And the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."


But about what did Satan deceived Eve?

Ge 3:1

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"

Ge 3:2

And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;

Ge 3:3

"but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' "

Ge 3:4

Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.

Ge 3:5

"For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Ge 3:6

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.


Satan told the woman two things: "You will not surely die" and "Your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

So, which was the lie: death or being like God, knowing good and evil?

Ge 3:22

Then the Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"


I'm guessing that, since God said man had "become like one of Us . . .", the lie must have been "you shall not surely die."  And that is reinforced by the fact that God immediately barred man's way to the tree of life so that man would not live forever.  Obviously man does not have eternal life within himself or there would be no point to barring his way to the tree of life. Death is real.

And look carefully at John 8:44 above. He says the devil is a murderer. He became responsible for murdering the human race--for the death of every man, woman, and child--when he deceived Eve.

The lie lives on


Well, Satan has been reiterating that lie throughout the centuries. He has done such a great job, in fact, that Christian reference books refer to some kind of immortal soul leaving the body when we die and going to heaven or hell (or purgatory). But why does the Bible say "it is appointed for men to die once" if the soul never dies?

Heb 9:27

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

Heb 9:28

so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.


That scripture was written years after Christ’s death and resurrection, yet it says “it IS appointed . . .”. And, if the soul goes directly to heaven to be with God at the death of the body, Why did Jesus tell Mary not to cling to him because he had not yet ascended to the father when his body was resurrected on the third day?

Joh 20:17

Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'


Why hadn't his soul ascended and then come back for the body the way some people teach the rest of us will? If the son of God's soul remained gravebound until his body was resurrected and he ascended bodily into heaven, how can the created beings of God expect to have a special privilege of their souls ascending before their bodies?

Furthermore, which part of us needs the tree of life or the river of life . . . our souls or our bodies? If the soul ascends to heaven without the body, again, what was the point of God barring the way to the tree of life for Adam and Eve?

God clearly says (Genisis 3:22) that man needs the tree of life in order to live forever, but here's something many people have missed. Even when we "are changed" at Christ's second coming and go back to heaven with him, we will partake of the tree of life and the river of life.

Re 2:7

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." '


John describes the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21, where God will dwell with mankind. And in this city will be the river of life and the tree of life.
 

Re 22:1

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Re 22:2

In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.


If we were not going to use them, why would they even be mentioned?

So why do people still believe the lie, "You shall not surely die"?


For several reasons.

#1 Many humans have "I" trouble. They cannot believe God would make them in his own image but without the immortality that is his alone as revealed below. They don't understand that an image is not an exact duplicate; it is simply something that looks like the original and maybe even behaves like the original. Even clones, having the same DNA, do not act exactly alike, nor do they react the same if they are exposed to the same experiences but at different ages. They may have an overwhelming apparent similarity, but they are not the same in every way.

#2. Though they claim to know the scriptures, some people disregard anything that might tend to disprove their preconceived theories or they interpret (twist) the scriptures to fit their theories rather than acknowledging scriptural evidence and adjusting their theories accordingly. They pick and choose which scriptures they will believe and which they won't so that they have no rudder to steer their boats in muddy waters.

#3. In many cases Satan simply makes us tired: we base our theories on a few scriptures that "jump out at us", and we don't think we're up to trying to determine what other scriptures might imply or even clearly state about the subject. What we've found so far "sounds good" to us, so we quit before we've learned the whole story. (You'll notice this one is in first person, and that's because it's my worst problem and the reason for this Bible-study website.)

#4. Some folks are not familiar with scripture at all. When others start quoting (and sometimes misquoting) individual scriptures to them, not considering
all that the Bible has to say on the subject and sticking to only their favorite few quotes, sometimes even taking them out of context, the ignorant buy into the lie. You'll notice I didn't say the stupid. I said the "ignorant", unknowing, uneducated. The New Testament scriptures would call it "unarmed".

Eph 6:11

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.



Unless we know ALL that scripture has to say on any subject, we are making uninformed decisions when we agree or disagree with people who spout doctrine to us.

But there is a way to know who's telling the truth about where we go when we die, or any other Christian or Jewish doctrine.


Isa 8:20

To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.


2ti 2:15

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.


Ac 17:11

These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.


So what else does scripture say about death?


Ge 3:19

In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return."


You notice it doesn't say "for dust and eternal soul you are and to dust and eternal soul you shall return." This is the hardest thing for us to understand. First of all, Satan has done his best to make us forget that we are created by God who leant us the breath of life. The easiest way for the devil to steal our allegiance from God is to convince us that creation never happened, so, since God is not our creator, we don't owe him anything.

Yet even science relates that there are only so many basic elements and that everything that exists is made from those elements--including humans. The Genesis account of creation is in perfect harmony with that, and there are numerous geological discoveries since the 1970s that support creation also (but that's another study). Without the preserving powers of chemicals or extreme weather conditions (rapid freezing or rapidly dehydrating heat), we literally return to dust, and relatively quickly at that, when we die.

Furthermore, we are told that just as Jesus called Lazarus forth though he had been dead four days, he will speak us back to life from the dust of the grave also.

Joh 5:28

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice

Joh 5:29

"and come forth--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.


It doesn't say all who are in heaven or hell will hear his voice . . .  And here's a curious point: would God be righteous and just if he sent an unrepentant horse thief in 3000 BC to burn in hell, but Hitler didn't get there until 1945? Would saved previously deceased relatives of Hurricane Katrina or the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami or 911 Twin-Towers victims be happy in "Paradise" watching those events tear apart their progeny here on earth? Is that your definition of happiness or paradise? It's not mine!

People zero-in on Jesus' words in John 11:26
"And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"  But they ignore the words of the previous verse.

Joh 11:25

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.


Jesus tells us that even though we believe in him, we may die before he comes back. We are subject to the first death, but He shall make us alive again.  Praise God, if we are in Jesus we are not subject to the second death!

Re 2:11

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." '


Re 20:6

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.


Re 20:11

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

Re 20:12

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Re 20:13

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Re 20:14

Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Re 20:15

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.


If we do not die, but go directly to heaven when the body dies, Why is there any mention of a second death? Because we will be resurrected from the first death but in our minds, it will be as if it never happened. It will be as though we passed out and woke up somewhere else with all this ruckus going on of Jesus' second return. Still, death will have happened, and a second death awaits the ungodly (yet another study).

The Bible clearly teaches that everyone who is not saved is thrown into the lake of fire (receives his/her punishment) at the same time.  

The writer of Hebrews stated it this way:

Heb 9:27

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,


The judgment is another study, so we won't go into it here, but the point is this: If you go to heaven or hell at death, you have already received the reward of your judgment. So what's all that about the great white throne and all who had ever lived being judged?

Here's the thing: It is one thing to die, but another to perish. There is a "natural death" and a "supernatural death". The natural death is the "die once" death and the supernatural death is the lake-of-fire second death.

Re 2:11

"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." '


Re 20:6

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.


Then what is the spirit Stephen called on the Lord to receive from him at his death?

Once again, let's begin at the beginning. The same word that is translated Spirit in Hebrew, xwr Ruwach (roo'-akh), can be translated breath, wind, and mind.  It appears 378 times in the Old Testament, 232 of them as Spirit (of God) or spirit (of man) and 27 times as breath. Context determines how it is translated.

Ge 1:2

The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.


Ge 6:17

"And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.


Ge 7:22

All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.


Ge 41:8

Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.


Ge 41:38

And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"


Ge 45:26

And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them.

Ge 45:27

But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived.


I could go on, but you get the picture.  Spirit, breath, life, and soul all come from the same Ancient-language word.

But there's another Hebrew word translated breath, spirit: hmXn N@shamah (nesh-aw-maw'). It is translated breath 17 times, blast 3 times, spirit 2 times, inspiration 1 time, and souls 1 time.

Ge 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 being.


De 20:16

"But of the cities of these peoples which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance, you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive,


All moving creatures have been gifted with the breath of life, with a life-giving portion of the Spirit of God. The ego likes to believe the spirit or breath or life of man is different from that of the animals, so as time has unfolded, spiritism has blossomed. But if you believe that man's "spirit" goes directly to heaven or hell on death, then you must believe the same about all breathing creatures. There is no differentiation in scripture.

The Greek equivalent of Ruwach and Neshama is
pneu'ma Pneuma (pnyoo'-mah). It is translated 111 times as Spirit, 89 times as Holy Ghost, 13 times as Spirit (of God), 5 times as Spirit (of the Lord), 3 times as (My) Spirit, 3 times as Spirit (of truth), 2 times as Spirit (of Christ), 49 times as human (spirit), 47 times as (evil) spirit, 26 times as spirit (general), 8 times as spirit, 6 times as (Jesus' own) spirit, 2 times as (Jesus'  own) ghost, and 21 times "miscellaneous". It is interesting to note that pneumo is the root or base word for medical terms dealing with the lungs and breathing.

The problem, of course, arises because modern man has had to find his way into an understanding of ancient languages. Whereas Jesus' followers were familiar with the languages and knew with certainty how to translate them, we have no such certainty. This leads to each one following the dictates of his own heart when "interpreting" scripture.

The spirit that Stephen entrusted to Jesus was pneuma, and according to the research above, honestly, we're still on our own in determining how to translate that. But we get a little help figuring death out when we study immortality. 

So, where does immortality come in?


Ge 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 being.


The word translated living being in the NKJV,
Xpn Nephesh (neh'-fesh), was translated soul in The Authorized (King James) Version, the Bible upon which most of Christian Doctrine was built.  In fact, it can be translated soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, or passion and is translated in the KJV 475 times as soul.  In newer Bible versions, however, it is not so generously translated "soul".

According to the KJV, the breath (or spirit) of life plus the body equals a soul.  This would imply that, conversely, the soul minus either the body or the breath of life ceases to exist. (Death occurs.)

But in the Modern KJV, the word translated as soul doesn't appear until Genesis 19:20, when Lot was being saved from the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah.
(NKJV "Nephesh" in Genesis 2:7 as seen above is translated "living being".)

Ge 19:20

"See now, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one; please let me escape there (is it not a little one?) and my soul shall live."


Lot was in fear that his soul would die in the mountains, into which the angels urged him to flee. He obviously didn't believe his soul was immortal.

"Immortal soul" would mean "immortal living being".  But where did the immortal part come from? Genesis only refers to living beings made of a combination of the breath of life and a body, and compares human beings to animal beings as every living being (Gen 6:17; 7:22).

What does scripture have to say about immortal, eternal, everlasting life?

Deuteronomy mentions an eternal God.

De 33:27

The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, 'Destroy!'


And Ecclesiastes refers to an eternal home for man . . .

Ec 12:5

Also they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets.

Ec 12:6

Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well.

Ec 12:7

Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.


But once again, this eternal home is in the context of the dust of our bodies returning to the earth and the spirit  (Ruwach) returning to God, who lends it to us for our lifespan on earth. There is no phrase "immortal soul" or "immortal living being" in scripture.

In fact, scripture emphatically states that man must do something to obtain eternal life and that only Jesus (God) has immortality.

1ti 6:11

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

1ti 6:12

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1ti 6:13

I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,

1ti 6:14

that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,

1ti 6:15

which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,

1ti 6:16

who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.


Paul did not say, "Lay hold of heaven" or "avoid going to hell".  Christ was resurrected so that we may have eternal life through resurrection (not so that those who already have eternal life will go either to heaven or hell). Mortals must put on immortality in order for the saying "death is swallowed up in victory" to come to pass.

Isa 25:8

He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.


1co 15:54

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

1co 15:55

"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"


In John 11:21, above, we are given the promise of immortality when we become aware of our hopeless state and accept Christ as our savior.  But before that happens at his second coming, most of us will die the first death.

Paul referred to death as falling asleep
, and those who were Christ's when they died as having fallen asleep in Christ.

1co 15:12

Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1co 15:13

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

1co 15:14

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

1co 15:15

Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise.

1co 15:16

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.

1co 15:17

And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!

1co 15:18

Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.


Notice he said, ". . . have perished."  He didn't say they went on to another plane of existence and then their bodies will be resurrected. Why would we care about this body if we can exist as disembodied spirits going anywhere we wish?

When do we pass from death and receive eternal life?

Jesus says we will live because of him, and we will live forever only if we are his, because he will raise us up at the last day.

Joh 6:54

"Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Joh 6:55

"For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

Joh 6:56

"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

Joh 6:57

"As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

Joh 6:58

"This is the bread which came down from heaven-not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever."


Many interpret verse 58 as saying we will never die, but they overlook verse 54, which states that we will be raised up (resurrected) to that eternal life "at the last day".

Joh 6:40

"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."


Joh 6:44

"No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.


Joh 11:24

Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."


Joh 12:48

"He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.


So, where did the concept of the immortal soul come from?


The concept of eternal life is not discussed in depth in Scripture until the New Testament for a reason. The Jews were familiar with the concept of death and resurrection. The concept of the Messiah coming to save them from their sinfulness, the substitutionary payment for their sins had been taught through the sanctuary service for millenia. However, Greek philosophers, not wanting to admit they owed allegience to any higher being, philosophized that mankind is immortal, and by the time Jesus came to save us, many Jews had bought into this theory. (Remember, the Greeks ruled for hundreds of years and then the Romans took over long before Jesus was born.)

Of course, we each have a human spirit or human nature. That is, we are sinners--by nature lovers of self and of sin--but having been given the ability to reason, we can choose to avoid sin, rather than wallow in it. When we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, by habit our natures change and though our human nature is attracted to sin, our new Holy Spirit-guided habitual nature avoids situations in which we might be tempted and fall.  We have the ability to control who we are by choosing who we hang out with. Scripture says that by just watching something we become more like it.

2co 3:18

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.


We are known by our natures; we refer to each other as kind or mean, loving or cold, etc. These characteristics are part of our natures, and those around us determine for themselves who we are by those parts of our natures that we share with them. This is the soul that mankind so wants to be immortal. Our consciousness, our thought processes, our passions make us who we are. We dread the idea that these simply cease to exist when we die.

That's a valid fear for those who don't know the Lord, who don't give God the credit for creation. Believers know that a God who created can certainly re-create. Jesus raised Lazurus from the dead after four days, after decomposition had set in, so that we could have assurance that God has the power to "re-create" us at the resurrection when Jesus returns. It is like going into a coma: we die, our consciousness goes into hibernation, and the next thing we will be aware of will be Jesus calling us forth from the grave. Although it may be years or millennia before we hear that voice, it will seem to us like we just went to sleep and awoke again, exactly as described in scripture.

I won't take the space to copy the entire chapter here, but read John 11. The story of Martha and Mary and Lazarus, who became ill and died and was later raised by Jesus from death, is a preview of the resurrection of the righteous when Jesus returns to earth.

Joh 11:4

When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it."


There are two deaths. All people will die physically except those who are still alive when Jesus returns.

Heb 9:27

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,


If one goes to "his eternal reward" at death, then judgment would have already taken place. It makes more sense that judgment (another study) is taking place in these end times, and all humans will receive their rewards at the same time.

And, except for those who are alive at Jesus' return (who won't need to be resurrected) and Lazurus and a few others (who were brought back to life through miracles and then died another death), all humans will experience one of two resurrections: the resurrection to eternal life of those people who lived their lives in harmony with the laws of God--whether they knew those laws or not--and the resurrection to eternal damnation of those who preferred not to live their lives in harmony with God's laws, whether they knew them or not.

This story not only tells us that the first death is just a sleep, according to Jesus; it also tells us that Lazurus should have been in a fairly advanced state of decomposition by the time Jesus arrived.

Joh 11:39

Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."


But Jesus knew his father's powers of restoration and instructed that the stone be rolled away anyway.

Joh 11:43

Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!"

Joh 11:44

And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."


When you compare the story of the resurrection of Lazurus, you can't help but notice the similarities to the descriptions of the second coming.

1th 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

The shout will call forth the dead as his loud voice woke Lazarus.

Mt 16:27

"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.


Re 22:12

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.


Jesus himself promises that when he comes to receive us to himself, our reward will be given us, whether life everlasting or eternal death. If the righteous go to heaven when they die and the unrighteous to hell, they will have already received their rewards, so why would they be "resurrected" to receive their rewards again?.

But, some say, Jesus comes to get us when we die, and this "second coming" is a quiet thing that no one but us knows about. Paul, however, told Timothy that their brethern who had died had fallen asleep, and that Jesus would gather together both them and those who remain alive at a very noticeable second coming for ALL his redeemed at once.

1th 4:13

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.

1th 4:14

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

1th 4:15

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.

1th 4:16

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

1th 4:17

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1th 4:18

Therefore comfort one another with these words.


Confusion arises, however, when one reads about "the other Lazarus", one of the few scriptures to which all who profess spiritism can refer (while ignoring multiple other scriptures about death).

To put this parable in context, you need to understand that, since Israel was a crossroad, Jews were constantly exposed to the philosophies of the outside world, and they adopted some of them--one of the reasons they lost God's protection and blessings over and over. Jesus came to set them straight, but he knew he could only reach them using their present understanding to teach them important truths.

Therefore he taught in parables using everyday or readily recognizable circumstances and current beliefs. However, though they were recognizable, they were still parables, fiction, cartoons to catch the imaginations so they would be remembered.

You can read this parable in Luke 16 beginning at the 19th verse. The gist is that a rich man (un-named) and a poor man (Lazarus) died and the poor man was carried "to the bosom of Abraham" while the rich man "was buried". The rich man in torment in Hades saw Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham "afar off", and pleaded with Father Abraham for mercy in his torment or at least to send someone back from the dead to warn his brothers of their impending torment, but Abraham refused.

People interpret this to mean that the good go to heaven when they die and the bad go to hell. Now one of the problems with this interpretation is that Jesus says nothing about the "bosom of Abraham" being in heaven—how big would Abraham’s bosom have to be? Neither Jesus nor his apostles mention Abraham being the intercessor, while they teach plenty about Christ being the intercessor. Nowhere else is there a word about the sinners in hell being able to see the righteous in heaven or the  good in heaven being able to see the torment going on in hell--and how could anyone consider that enjoying Paradise would include watching your unsaved loved ones suffering in hell throughout eternity?

Another problem with this interpretation is that readers overlook other indications that this story is fiction. The good man was never buried, but the bad man was. This is not a description of an ordinary death. Humans who die are all buried. Only in exceptional cases have people been carried to God like Elijah, or specially resurrected like Moses and those resurrected at Jesus' resurrection.

A favorite quote of those who believe in the soul going to heaven or hell at death is 2 Corinthians Chapter 5, where Paul mentions his desire to be "absent from the body".

2co 5:6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
2co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
2co 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
2co 5:9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

Are we ever absent from the Lord?

Mt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.


Paul says that if our earthly "tabernacle" (Jesus called it a temple) were destroyed (we die), we have a heavenly "building"  

Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

and we "groan" to be in that heavenly building "that mortality may be swallowed up by (eternal) life".  

So, naturally, he would rather be absent from the body (dead) so that (the next thing he would know) he could be present with the Lord.  But when did he expect that to happen?

Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

When Jesus returns.

1th 4:16 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:
1th 4:17 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.
1th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.


There's nothing in the Bible that says we get our reward when we die. In fact, Paul intended that the truth about death would comfort us. We have no relatives burning in hellfire for eternity. But that also means we have no relatives in heaven, coming back through mediums to advise us in this life. Those are imposters,  the fallen angels of Satan, evil spirits, demons.

Although our outward man is perishing, the inward man is being renewed by the Spirit of God. 

Therefore, in this chapter, Paul paraphrases Jesus' explanation of the body temple and this life as being a temporary existence for God's children. Then he admits that if he had his way, he would put off this physical existence to put on immortality and be with Jesus forever. This is the wish of us all; it brings us right back to 1 Corinthians 15.

1co 15:51

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

1co 15:52

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.

1co 15:53

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1co 15:54

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.



Peter confirmed Paul's apostleship while at the same time warning that Paul's writings contain some things that are hard to understand.

2pe 3:15

and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

2pe 3:16

as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.


When you compare scripture with scripture, however, you are much less likely to "twist" them to fit your own desires.

It is a wonderful thought that your "righteous" relatives might be having lunch with Jesus right now; however, the unalterable consequence of this belief is that your unrighteous relatives are writhing in hellfire also. This is not likely to be the work of a righteous God who is love (1 John 4:8 and 16) and preaches and practices justice with mercy for all.

Isn't it much more comforting to believe that a righteous God allows all the dead to rest in their graves until that last day, the first resurrection, when the trumpet shall call forth the righteous to be with Jesus in their mansions in heaven. There they will inspect the books that are being written right now so they will understand why some they expected to see in heaven aren't there and why some they didn't expect to see in heaven are there. Once this "judgment" by the saints is finished, after the righteous have lived and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years, then the second resurrection will take place and the wicked will be rewarded.  

But that's another study.

Related Links

The Presence

Written in the Heart

The Appearing

The Truth About Mary Magdalene

Prophecy Speaks Seminar

Hope Through Prophecy

Prophecy Code

Study by Topic

More Valuable Links

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scriptures:

Within Text:

Acts 7:59-60
Genesis 2:17
Revelation 12:9
John 8:44
Genesis 3:13
Genesis 3:1-6, 22
Hebrews 9:27-28
John 20:17
Revelation 2:7
Revelation 22:1-2
Ephesians 6:11
Isaiah 8:20
2 Timothy 2:15
Acts 17:11
Genesis 3:19
John 5:28-29
John 11:25
Revelation 2:11
Revelation 20:6, 11-15
Genesis 1:2
Genesis 6:17
Genesis 7:22
Genesis 41:8, 38
Genesis 45:26-27
Genesis 2:7
Deuteronomy 20:16
Genesis 19:20
Deuteronomy 33:27
Ecclesiastes 12:5-7
1 Timothy 6:11-16
Isaiah 25:8
1 Corinthians 15:54-55
1 Corinthians 15:12-18
John 6:54-58
John 6:40, 44
John 11:24
John 12:48
2 Corinthians 3:18
John 11:4
Hebrews 9:27
John 11:11-17, 39, 43, 44
Matthew 16:27
Revelation 22:12
1 Timothy 4:13-18
1 Corinthians 15:51-54
2 Peter 3:15-16

More Study:

Job 14
Daniel 12:2
Matthew 27:51-53
Mark 5:39-43
Luke 8:52-53
Acts 13:36
1Corinthians 15:6,
       18, 20, 51, 52
Eph 5:14
2Peter 3:4

 

 

 

 

 

 

Privacy

Disclaimer
Copyright 2005-08 Lynda Karr
You are welcome to bookmark this page or place a link to it from your Web site or E-book; however, nothing on this site may be copied, stored, or reproduced by any means or used in any manner for any purpose unless you
first contact Lynda Karr.
Contact
Lynda