What happens to your soul when you die?

[TonyChanYT]

The Hebrew word "nephesh" (soul) and the Greek words "phyches" (soul) and "pneumatos" (spirit) and the English word 'soul" are polysemantic. For the sake of disambiguity and argumentation, here, I define soul more precisely as the faculties of conscience, volition, intellect, emotion, memory, and DNA information. This definition is based on Watchman Nee's The Spiritual Man. It somewhat corresponds to functions of the frontal lobe.

Let me compare a human to a computer/robot. The body is analogous to the physical hardware. The soul is the software code plus the data. The non-physical spirit provides the electricity supply.

English Revised Version, Genesis 2:

7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground,

i.e., the hardware

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;

i.e., animation power

and man became a living soul.

When the breath of life contacted the body, Adam's soul was formed and he became conscious. His soul grew gradually in terms of functions and subroutines and memories on a daily basis. The programs/codes/neural networks in your brain change and develop dynamically based on your experiences/inputs. Your soul uniquely identifies you. It is your personality.

The human soul + the human spirit = the inner man

Berean Literal Bible Ephesians 3:

16 that He might give you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man

What happens when the human spirit departs?

Job likened death to sleep in 14:

12 so he lies down and does not rise; till the heavens are no more, people will not awake or be roused from their sleep.

Daniel 12:

2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

Also, in the NT, Acts 7:

59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

When Stephen's spirit left his body, it went to Jesus' care. His soul was deactivated, and his body died. His soul was zipped up and stored or saved (pardon the computer pun) at home with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:

8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

The soul has a definite temporal beginning. Its animation life (consciousness) depends on the breath of God. It develops from its experience. Its life can be suspended. Without the breath of God, it becomes unconscious, until the last day, John 6:

40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.

On the last day, your body will be reconstructed based on your stored soul data and genetic information. When a person dies, his soul is stored in a secure place.

 

[Randy Kluth]

I personally believe that once our physical body ceases to function as such, ie dies, we maintain consciousness in the presence of the Lord. Being bodiless spirits at that time we await new clothing, ie immortal bodies.

I like the way Brother Nee describes spirit, soul, and body in the Spiritual Man, which I also read. Nee wrote the book at the age of 25, but still agreed with what he wrote many years later. He said he still agreed with what he said, but criticized it as being too "organized," too "clinical," as it were. His thing was to phrase just enough so that the Spirit of Christ could move through it. We are just the clay vessels, and he is the treasure.

For Nee, as I recall it, the soul consisted of mind, will, and emotion. The 3 of these things can be controlled in the spirit realm either by Man or by God. The duty of the Christian is to use all 3 to exude the Spirit of Christ so that they are not used for Self. I agree with this.

I do think that the Soul is the product of spirit, or spiritual life, with physical body. The person so formed obtains an identity, or soul, with the characteristics peculiar to it. I like how you identify a person's "DNA" or "programming" with the soul, the only difference being that I think there is both a physical and a spiritual DNA. And I agree that it is physically locked up with the soul to emerge later in a new body. I think the spiritual DNA remains with the soul and is conscious after death even before we receive a new body.

Nee is most dearly loved by me. I've quoted him my entire life, and his books were a treasure to me at a time when many around me were spiritually-lifeless and I had limited access to fellow Christians of the same mind. He enabled me to grow up spiritually without all of the "dead wood" that my Christian friends grew up with. And I've been able to become less gullible to religious traditions and questionable doctrines. Bless you for keeping the memory of him alive!

 

[Hobie]

Here is a great explanation on this question..
Traditionally most people believe that there is a ghost-like “spirit” inside of our bodies, and when we die, this spirit floats away somewhere, preferably heaven.

I will show that the Bible actually does not support this theory. In fact, according to the Bible there is no spirit inside of us at all. We exist only as mortal bodies, made from dust having been given the breath of life. And it is this “breath of life” that is confused with, or interpreted as, a “spirit”.


What Happens When We Die

Scripture says it plainly.

Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Job 7:21
Why then do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust; And You will seek me, but I will not be."

Job 14:10:12
But man dies and lies prostrate man expires, and where is he? "As water evaporates from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dried up, so man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, he will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.

Psalm 115:17
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.

Psalm 146:4
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.

Ecclesiastes 3:19-20
For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.

Ecclesiastes 9:5
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing

Over and over again the Bible says that the dead know nothing. These are only a few examples. The dead don’t think. They don’t praise the Lord. They have no consciousness. They return to the earth, as dust. Their plans perish and they cease to exist. Ecclesiastes 3 even tells us that man has no advantage over the beasts. All go to one place, which is dust.


Death Compared to Sleep

Psalms 13:3
Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; Enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

1 Kings 2:10
Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.

When Lazarus died, Jesus said he was sleeping.
John 11:11-14

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead

Christ was quiet clear on this..

 

[Hobie]

Why would Jesus compare Lazarus’ death to “sleep” if Lazarus’ spirit has ascended into heaven? And why was there no mention of his spirit leaving his body?

Matthew 9:24
He said, "Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him.

Daniel 12:2
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Daniel was told he would “rest” until the resurrection.

Daniel 12:13
As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

If Daniel’s spirit was to go to heaven after death, then why was he told that he would rest? Why did the angel not say instead, I’ll see you in heaven soon, or something to that effect? It’s because Daniel wasn’t going to heaven. He was going to the dust of the earth. Daniel is now dead. He is not in heaven. He’s dead in the dust of the earth and on the day of the resurrection, he will rise, along with the rest of us.

 

[Hobie]

What Happens When we are Resurrected
The resurrection, as Paul describes it, actually also proves that we have no spirit in us that goes to heaven when we die.

Imagine if we did have a spirit. We would fly up to heaven and we would do whatever we do in heaven. Praise the Lord, play Frisbee, eat BBQ chicken. No matter how you envision an existence in heaven, it would require at the very least that we have a consciousness, a thought process and a free will to continue to make decisions. All of this would contradict the old testament verses above.

It would also contradict the new testament book of 1 Corinthians, because according to Paul this life in a spiritual body, which we imagine in heaven, does not come to us until the very last day, when we are resurrected.

1 Corinthians 15:42
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:46
The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.

Paul clearly states that we are created with a natural body, not a spiritual body. We will be transformed into a spiritual body upon the resurrection. “The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual”. In other words, when God created us, we were not given spiritual bodies, only natural bodies, but we would receive spiritual bodies later, upon the resurrection.

Our bodies are sewn natural, raised spiritual. This is the point of the resurrection, to make us spiritual so that we can be immortal. So if you believe that we already have immortal spirits that leave our bodies when we die, you have a conundrum.

The Spiritual Conundrum

Imagine the traditional teaching, where we have a spirit and we go to heaven as a spirit when we die. Then please tell me, what is the point of the resurrection?

If we are already in heaven, as immortal spirits, then why would we need to be transformed into spirits on the last day? If it is so, then when our bodies on earth are transformed into spirits, do we end up with two spirits? The one in heaven and the one on earth? Would both spirits have their own separate consciousness? Do our spirits in heaven then join our old bodies which have been transformed? Would we then be a spirit within a spirit? Two spirits? What nonsense!

If we’re being transformed into spirits, then we can not already be spirits, otherwise what would be the point? The point of the resurrection is to make us immortal. To make us spirits. This would be entirely nonsensical if we are already living as spirits in heaven, and this is how Paul’s description of the resurrection proves that we do not have a spirit inside of us that continues to live after death.


Soul (Nephesh)

To add to the confusion, in addition to the obvious body and the presumed spirit, we also supposedly possess a “soul”. What is a soul? You are a soul.

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.

Notice in the verse above that man became a living soul. He was not given a soul. He became a soul. In other words, we do not have souls, we are souls.

The word soul in this verse was originally written in Hebrew as #1500; #1456;#1504;#1462;#1445;#1508;#1462;#1513;#1473; which is transliterated as nephesh. Strong’s concordance defines nephesh as “a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion”. With this definition in mind, the last part of Genesis 2:7 can be paraphrased as, for example “man became alive” or “man became an individual”. It is in fact the very moment when man gained his self awareness and free will.

The same word occurs 754 times in the old testament, so we can’t look at all examples but let’s look at one more.

Genesis 1:20
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life (Nephesh), and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

Here the King James Bible translates it as “creature that hath life”. Remember, this is the same word that was translated as “soul” in Genesis 2:7. The more examples you look at the more obvious it becomes that when the word “soul” is used in scripture it refers simply to “a living creature”.

So keep in mind the true meaning of the word Nephesh, which can be translated as soul, living creature, person or individual, when you read verses such as…

Ezekiel 18:20

The soul who sins shall die.

The living creature who sins…

The person who sins…

The individual who sins…


The Spirit (Ruach)

On the flip side, there are a number of verses that can be used to support the notion that we all have a spirit inside of us that continues to live after the body dies. And at first glance, some of these verses are very convincing.

For example

Ecclesiastes 12:7
the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

2 Corinthians 5:8
Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

James 2:26
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Obviously, the key to understanding such verses is understanding the meaning of “spirit”. As it turns out, in these examples, the word spirit refers to the breath of God, which is life.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

This verse seems to imply that our spirit goes up to heaven when we die, but actually “spirit” here refers to the life that God breathed into man in Genesis 2:7. It’s the life that returns to God, because the life came from God.

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 word used through the old testament for spirit is the Hebrew word Ruach #1512;#1451;#1493;#1468;#1495;#1463;, which can also be translated as “breath or wind”. In fact, this is how it is translated in various other verses including Genesis 7:15 and Psalm 104:29.

Genesis 7:15
Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life (ruach) in them came to Noah and entered the ark.

Psalm 104:29
When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath (ruach), they die and return to the dust.

When God gave man life, it was his breath/wind/spirit which God gave. The spirit of God is life. And it’s this spirit, this life, that returns to God in Ecclesiastes 12:7

Ecclesiastes 12:7
the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit (ruach – life / breath) returns to God who gave it.

Other verses clearly explain that it is the spirit of God, or the breath of God, that has given us life.

John 6:63 says The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you--they are full of the Spirit and life.

Job 33:4 says The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

Clearly, the word Ruach does not refer to a ghostly spirit that lives inside each of us, but rather the breath of life which came from God himself, and which is a part of God himself. Let’s look at the verse again.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit (breath of life) returns to God who gave it.

And now compare that to the verse that describes man becoming a living creature.

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.

In other words, God gave his living spirit (Ruach) and man became a living soul (Nephesh).

 

[marks]

But concerning the resurrection you are in error, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

Even after they passed from this realm? Even now, after they died, before the resurrection, yet they remain alive unto God.

Upon this rock I will build my church, and not even the gates of hell (idiom for death) shall prevail against it.

Reckon yourselves dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God in Jesus Christ our Lord. We are alive unto God, and physical death does not change that.

Much love!

 

[Randy Kluth]

Why would Jesus compare Lazarus’ death to “sleep” if Lazarus’ spirit has ascended into heaven? And why was there no mention of his spirit leaving his body?

Matthew 9:24
He said, "Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep." And they began laughing at Him.

Daniel 12:2
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Daniel was told he would “rest” until the resurrection.

Daniel 12:13
As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.”

If Daniel’s spirit was to go to heaven after death, then why was he told that he would rest? Why did the angel not say instead, I’ll see you in heaven soon, or something to that effect? It’s because Daniel wasn’t going to heaven. He was going to the dust of the earth. Daniel is now dead. He is not in heaven. He’s dead in the dust of the earth and on the day of the resurrection, he will rise, along with the rest of us.

The answer to "Soul Sleep" is that the Prophets were focusing on the fate of our physical bodies as the eternal home of our souls, or spirits. Paul saw our bodies as temples, or "homes," of our souls, or spirits. I see "spirit" as simply a synonym of "soul" indicating that it is the spiritual element of our personality. The idea is that our bodies are removed, leaving us, in a sense, "naked."

But Paul pointed out that when we depart from our bodies we are immediately "present with the Lord." And so, no the soul does not "sleep," nor are we purely bodies. But it is very significant in the biblical narrative that we physically die. It was that that redemption had to deal with and overcome. So until the resurrection we remain "unclothed," and have to await the resurrection to immortality, when our spiritual souls will be once again united with bodies.

2 Cor 5.4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.
2 Cor 6.16 For we are the temple of the living God.
Phil 1.23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.

We tend to think of body, soul, and spirit as 3 separate entities when they are actually interrelated and only expressions designed to show that a *person* is created utilizing 2 major kinds of ingredients that are to be distinguished, spirit and body. And so, the body is a house of something spiritual which became a *person* at the point of creation. The "spiritual element" therefore is its constituent element, and not the thing out of which a *person* was created.

The "soul" designates the *person* that is created as opposed to the constituent parts, body and spirit. Since the soul survives the loss of the body, it is often thought of as a spiritual entity inhabiting the body. And certainly that is true, even though the soul was designed to live in a physical body.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Very well reasoned and scripturally sound posts @Hobie.

The more examples you look at the more obvious it becomes that when the word “soul” is used in scripture it refers simply to “a living creature”.

Yes....and in death Solomon lamented that man had no superiority over the animals...all die the same death because all are living “souls”...they all breathe the same air, and when breathing stops, the soul dies. (Eccl 3:19-20; Ezekiel 18:4)

there are a number of verses that can be used to support the notion that we all have a spirit inside of us that continues to live after the body dies. And at first glance, some of these verses are very convincing.

But those who are convinced that they do not really die will find those verses and convince themselves otherwise.
Solomon also wrote that there is a reason why we want to believe that life does not end....

“I have seen the occupation that God has given to the sons of men to keep them occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has even put eternity in their heart; yet mankind will never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish.” (Eccl 3:10-11)

In Genesis it gives us the purpose for the life God have humans to spend in paradise...it wasn’t supposed to end. Living forever in mortal flesh on a lovingly prepared planet, was made possible by the provision of “the tree of life”. (Gen 3:22-24) If the humans had simply obeyed God’s command concerning the TKGE, sin would never have entered our lives.
Sin is what causes death, and we have no ‘program’ for either.

God has “put eternity into our hearts” so we are actually ‘programmed’ to go on living....right here on this earth....but without the fallout of sin that has ruined man’s way here.

Death is as foreign to us now as it ever was. We fight to live, but when we die, it is somehow comforting to think that life continues.....the devil knew this, so he told the woman in Eden, “you surely will not die”.....and when death occurred he went on to convince the humans that life continues in the invisible realm.

The various false religions in the world, all have this idea of ‘life after death’ and places for the dead to go, (their own version of heaven or hell) when sleeping peacefully in the grave is all there is to death. The Jews were never taught about ‘heaven or hell’ as opposite destinations....there was just ‘life or death’. But the desire for continuing life permeated man’s desire to go on living somewhere after death and hence the idea that the “soul” became immortal. Yet there is not a single mention of an “immortal soul” anywhere in the Scriptures.

Believing in “life after death” (a continuation of life) instead of “the resurrection” (a restoration of life), the devil’s first lie (you surely will not die) is perpetuated.....they have no idea that it is an old lie they have fallen for.

 

[TonyChanYT]

according to the Bible there is no spirit inside of us at all.

Define spirit

 

[Bob Estey]

The Hebrew word "nephesh" (soul) and the Greek words "phyches" (soul) and "pneumatos" (spirit) and the English word 'soul" are polysemantic. For the sake of disambiguity and argumentation, here, I define soul more precisely as the faculties of conscience, volition, intellect, emotion, memory, and DNA information. This definition is based on Watchman Nee's The Spiritual Man. It somewhat corresponds to functions of the frontal lobe.

Let me compare a human to a computer/robot. The body is analogous to the physical hardware. The soul is the software code plus the data. The non-physical spirit provides the electricity supply.

English Revised Version, Genesis 2:


i.e., the hardware


i.e., animation power


When the breath of life contacted the body, Adam's soul was formed and he became conscious. His soul grew gradually in terms of functions and subroutines and memories on a daily basis. The programs/codes/neural networks in your brain change and develop dynamically based on your experiences/inputs. Your soul uniquely identifies you. It is your personality.

The human soul + the human spirit = the inner man

Berean Literal Bible Ephesians 3:


What happens when the human spirit departs?

Job likened death to sleep in 14:


Daniel 12:


Also, in the NT, Acts 7:


When Stephen's spirit left his body, it went to Jesus' care. His soul was deactivated, and his body died. His soul was zipped up and stored or saved (pardon the computer pun) at home with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:


The soul has a definite temporal beginning. Its animation life (consciousness) depends on the breath of God. It develops from its experience. Its life can be suspended. Without the breath of God, it becomes unconscious, until the last day, John 6:


On the last day, your body will be reconstructed based on your stored soul data and genetic information. When a person dies, his soul is stored in a secure place.

When we die, I believe we go to another place.

 

[Aunty Jane]

When we die, I believe we go to another place.

Since the Bible says that there is no conscious part of man that survives death, there is no ‘other place’ but the grave.....”sheol”....”hades”...
A restoration of life is promised as Jesus said.....
“Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.”

This was about something that was to take place in the future....those in their tombs “will” hear his voice and come out, just as Lazarus did....Jesus restored his life and returned him to his family. Lazarus had not gone anywhere, but Jesus said he was “asleep”. (John 11:11-14)

Death is nothing more than a hiatus....for the majority, it is a suspension of life that God will restore for those who merit such. (Acts 24:15)

Those consigned to “Gehenna” however, will never see life again. Eternal death means they cease to exist and all memory of them will be forgotten. That is eternal punishment. Death becomes a permanent prison.

When we realise that belief in life after death comes from outside of the Bible’s teachings, we can be sure that it came from God’s adversary....he was the one who told the woman that she “surely would not die”....

God has no holding tank for dead souls except the common grave...the place we all end up. (Eccl 9:5-6, 10)
No one is sheol (hades) is conscious.

 

[Bob Estey]

Since the Bible says that there is no conscious part of man that survives death, there is no ‘other place’ but the grave.....”sheol”....”hades”...
A restoration of life is promised as Jesus said.....
“Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.”

This was about something that was to take place in the future....those in their tombs “will” hear his voice and come out, just as Lazarus did....Jesus restored his life and returned him to his family. Lazarus had not gone anywhere, but Jesus said he was “asleep”. (John 11:11-14)

Death is nothing more than a hiatus....for the majority, it is a suspension of life that God will restore for those who merit such. (Acts 24:15)

Those consigned to “Gehenna” however, will never see life again. Eternal death means they cease to exist and all memory of them will be forgotten. That is eternal punishment. Death becomes a permanent prison.

When we realise that belief in life after death comes from outside of the Bible’s teachings, we can be sure that it came from God’s adversary....he was the one who told the woman that she “surely would not die”....

God has no holding tank for dead souls except the common grave...the place we all end up. (Eccl 9:5-6, 10)
No one is sheol (hades) is conscious.

I think life is eternal (John 3:16).

 

[Aunty Jane]

I think life is eternal (John 3:16).

No life is “eternal”......which only applies to the Creator because it means “without beginning or end”....
It’s use in scripture according to Strongs is.....

1. “without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be
2. without beginning
3. without end, never to cease, everlasting”

All life that came from God had a “beginning”. What he promised mankind is “everlasting life” (life without end), not to be confused with immortality, which means “the power of an indestructible life”. That is promised only to God’s elect....they alone inherit immortality upon their resurrection to heaven. . Not all Christians are chosen for rulership and priesthood. (Rev 20:6) That is the purpose of their choosing. Rulers need subjects and priests need sinner for who to perform their priestly duties.....who are they?
Revelation 21:2-4 answers...
“ I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

These are the “former things” on earth that made life under the devil’s rulership so hard. (1 John 5:19)
They will be gone while the kingdom rules mankind on earth so that the words of the Lord’s Prayer are fulfilled....”thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.....that is what the ‘coming’ of God’s kingdom will mean for the inhabitants of this Earth. Jesus came to restore what Adam threw away......everlasting life in paradise, right here on this Earth.

 

[Bob Estey]

No life is “eternal”......which only applies to the Creator because it means “without beginning or end”....
It’s use in scripture according to Strongs is.....

1. “without beginning and end, that which always has been and always will be
2. without beginning
3. without end, never to cease, everlasting”

All life that came from God had a “beginning”. What he promised mankind is “everlasting life” (life without end), not to be confused with immortality, which means “the power of an indestructible life”. That is promised only to God’s elect....they alone inherit immortality upon their resurrection to heaven. . Not all Christians are chosen for rulership and priesthood. (Rev 20:6) That is the purpose of their choosing. Rulers need subjects and priests need sinner for who to perform their priestly duties.....who are they?
Revelation 21:2-4 answers...
“ I also saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

These are the “former things” on earth that made life under the devil’s rulership so hard. (1 John 5:19)
They will be gone while the kingdom rules mankind on earth so that the words of the Lord’s Prayer are fulfilled....”thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.....that is what the ‘coming’ of God’s kingdom will mean for the inhabitants of this Earth. Jesus came to restore what Adam threw away......everlasting life in paradise, right here on this Earth.

If no life is eternal, what do you make of this?:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 RSV)

 

[Aunty Jane]

If no life is eternal, what do you make of this?:

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 RSV)

What I gave you in my last post was the definition of the word translated as “eternal” life.
Please re read post #13.....”eternal” is not really “eternal” in that scripture since the life Jesus gives us has a beginning....we become “Christians” of our own volition...our choice to follow Christ.
No one is born a Christian.....you have to choose to become one of your own free will......there is no proxy arrangement.

 

[Bob Estey]

What I gave you in my last post was the definition of the word translated as “eternal” life.
Please re read post #13.....”eternal” is not really “eternal” in that scripture since the life Jesus gives us has a beginning....we become “Christians” of our own volition...our choice to follow Christ.
No one is born a Christian.....you have to choose to become one of your own free will......there is no proxy arrangement.

I think we all know what "eternal" means.

 

[Gabriel _Arch]

What happens? What did God tell us in Ecclesiastes 12?
Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
and the golden bowl is broken;
before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

 

[Rella ~ I am a woman]

I will show that the Bible actually does not support this theory. In fact, according to the Bible there is no spirit inside of us at all. We exist only as mortal bodies, made from dust having been given the breath of life. And it is this “breath of life” that is confused with, or interpreted as, a “spirit”.

Then once again you will prove that the bible lies......

Or maybe it was just Solomon?????

Solomon wrote that when we die, "the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Of course I dont expect you to understand that the "breath of life" is our soul.

Genesis 2:7 tells us that man became a living soul . The word soul in Hebrew is nephesh, meaning “an animated, breathing, conscious, and living being.” Man did not become a living soul until God breathed life into him. As a physical, animate, rational, and spiritual being, man is unique among all living things upon the earth.

This should definitively prove man , at least Adam and onward, could not have been evolved.

So, what is the breath of God? It is the life and power of God, given to man to animate him. The Hebrew word for spirit is ruach, which means “wind, breath, air, spirit.” The life of God lives on and on; the immaterial part of man was designed to live eternally. The only question is where will we live?

We know the spirit of man can never die.... spirits are eternal.... and hence they do go back to God.
But the soul not so much.

Matthew 10:28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

[JohnDB]

The Hebrew word "nephesh" (soul) and the Greek words "phyches" (soul) and "pneumatos" (spirit) and the English word 'soul" are polysemantic. For the sake of disambiguity and argumentation, here, I define soul more precisely as the faculties of conscience, volition, intellect, emotion, memory, and DNA information. This definition is based on Watchman Nee's The Spiritual Man. It somewhat corresponds to functions of the frontal lobe.

Let me compare a human to a computer/robot. The body is analogous to the physical hardware. The soul is the software code plus the data. The non-physical spirit provides the electricity supply.

English Revised Version, Genesis 2:


i.e., the hardware


i.e., animation power


When the breath of life contacted the body, Adam's soul was formed and he became conscious. His soul grew gradually in terms of functions and subroutines and memories on a daily basis. The programs/codes/neural networks in your brain change and develop dynamically based on your experiences/inputs. Your soul uniquely identifies you. It is your personality.

The human soul + the human spirit = the inner man

Berean Literal Bible Ephesians 3:


What happens when the human spirit departs?

Job likened death to sleep in 14:


Daniel 12:


Also, in the NT, Acts 7:


When Stephen's spirit left his body, it went to Jesus' care. His soul was deactivated, and his body died. His soul was zipped up and stored or saved (pardon the computer pun) at home with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:


The soul has a definite temporal beginning. Its animation life (consciousness) depends on the breath of God. It develops from its experience. Its life can be suspended. Without the breath of God, it becomes unconscious, until the last day, John 6:


On the last day, your body will be reconstructed based on your stored soul data and genetic information. When a person dies, his soul is stored in a secure place.

You ARE a Soul....that has a body and a spirit. It's not a "secret, unseen " portion of you.

 

[Wick Stick]

Then once again you will prove that the bible lies......

Or maybe it was just Solomon?????

Solomon is SUS, as the kids say. He wrote Proverbs while he was still an apostate king worshiping foreign gods.

If/when you put Ecclesiastes in context... a lot of the "wisdom" statements there are set up like bowling pins - so he can knock them down and call them worthless. And I think that's the case here:

Solomon wrote that when we die, "the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Because the very next verse is...
Vanity of vanities! says the preacher; all vanity. (Ecclesiastes 12:8)