The Bible does not indicate that all the dead will be resurrected. Jesus implied this when he spoke of “those who have been counted worthy of gaining that system of things and the resurrection from the dead.” (
Lu 20:35) The possibility of eternal destruction for some is also indicated by Jesus’ words at
Matthew 10:28: “Do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Regarding this text,
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (edited by C. Brown, 1978, Vol. 3, p. 304) states: “
Matt. 10:28 teaches not the potential immortality of the soul but the irreversibility of divine judgment on the unrepentant.” Also, Bauer’s
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (revised by F. W. Gingrich and F. Danker, 1979, p. 95) gives the meaning “eternal death” with reference to the Greek phrase in
Matthew 10:28 translated “destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Thus, being consigned to Gehenna refers to utter destruction from which no resurrection is possible.
Since God’s servants have the hope of a resurrection in the event of death, they have the hope of living again as “souls,” or living creatures. For that reason Jesus could say that “whoever loses his soul [his life as a creature] for the sake of me and the good news will save it. Really, of what benefit is it for a man to gain the whole world and to forfeit his soul? What, really, would a man give in exchange for his soul?” (
Mark 8:35-37) Similarly, he stated: “He that is fond of his soul destroys it, but he that hates his soul in this world will safeguard it for everlasting life.” (
John 12:25) These texts, and others like them, show the correct understanding of Jesus’ words at
Matthew 10:28: “Do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” While men can kill the body, they cannot kill the person for all time, inasmuch as he lives in God’s purpose (compare
Luke 20:37, 38) and God can and will restore such faithful one to life as a creature by means of a resurrection. For God’s servants, the loss of their “soul,” or life as a creature, is only temporary, not permanent.(
Revelation 12:11)
Matthew 10:28 states that God “can destroy both soul [
psy·khenʹ] and body in Gehenna.” This shows that
psy·kheʹ does not refer to something immortal or indestructible. There is, in fact, not one case in the entire Scriptures, Hebrew and Greek, in which the words
neʹphesh or
psy·kheʹ are modified by terms such as immortal, indestructible, imperishable, deathless, or the like.
On the other hand, there are scores of texts in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures that speak of the
neʹphesh or
psy·kheʹ (soul) as mortal and subject to death (
Genesis 19:19, 20; Number 23:10; Joshua 2:13, 14; Judges 5:18; 16:16, 30; 1Kings 20:31, 32; Psalm 22:29; Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Matthew 2:20; 26:38; Mark 3:4; Hebrew 10:39; James 5:20); as dying, being “cut off” or destroyed (
Genesis 17:14; Exodus 12:15; Leveticus 7:20; 23:29; Joshua 10:28-39; Psalm 78:50; Ezekiel 13:19; 22:27; Acts 3:23; Revelation 8:9; 16:3), whether by sword (
Joshua 10:37; Ezekiel 33:6) or by suffocation (
Job 7:15), or being in danger of death due to drowning (
Jonah 2:5); and also as going down into the pit or into Sheol (
Job 33:22; Psalm 89:48) or being delivered therefrom (
Psalm 16:10; 30:3; 49:15; Proverbs 23:14).
Plain simple fact is, Genesis 2:7 is stating that God took dust from the ground and formed that dust into a flesh and blood human body then blew the breath of life(neshamath hhayim) into that flesh and blood human body(Basar=flesh) and that flesh and blood human body(Basar=flesh) became a living soul or living person. So anyone who says that breath of life(neshamath hhayim)separately, on it's own without it being in a flesh and blood human body(Basar= flesh) is a living soul or living person, is contradicting Genesis 2:7. Scripture does contradict Scripture, it's only the way a person may reason on Scripture/scriptures that may make it look like scripture contradict Scripture, but Scripture itself doesn't contradict Scripture. There is no scripture that's going to contradict Genesis 2:7.