F) HEAVEN OR HELL AT DEATH – GENESIS 2:7

Concerning going to Heaven or hell at death, a crucial text that will help us understand the true state of the dead is what I call, GRAVE SECRETS, OR, What Really Happens When You Die?

The KEY to understanding this Biblical truth is found in a correct understanding of the beginning of the Bible, Genesis 2:7:  “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,” [that equals MAN’S BODY] “and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” [so now we have “MAN’S BODY,” plus “GOD’S BREATH,” also called spirit, discussed later, but if you want to understand that now, go to Job 27:3; 33:4] finishing our text, “and man became a living soul.”  In other words, “MAN’S BODY,” PLUS “GOD’S BREATH,” EQUALS a “LIVING SOUL.”  If we were to take one away (Ecc. 12:7; Jam. 2:26), you would no longer have a “living soul.”  If this is not clear yet, please go over Genesis 2:7 again.  And if that doesn’t help, according to Judges 10:16, EVEN OUR GOD HAS A LIVING SOUL.

To help you further to understand this Biblical truth about life and death, let me illustrate Genesis 2:7 this way.  I’ll use “wood” for “man’s body,” plus I’ll use “nails” for “God’s breath.”  When you put them together, you can make a “box,” which would represent a “living soul.”  If you take one element away, either the wood or the nails, you would no longer have a “box”  You would no longer have a “living soul.”  PLEASE RE-READ THIS PARAGRAPH AGAIN IF THIS TRUTH IS STILL NOT CLEAR.  The “breath” goes back to God, Who gave it, while the “body” goes back to the earth, where it came from.

In Genesis 2:7, we need to learn what is meant by the expression, “God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”  When God created the heavens and the earth, He simply “spake, and it was done.”  Psalm 33:9.  God said:  “Let there be light, and there was light,” Genesis 1:3.  The entire creation was made by the “Word of the Lord” and “the breath of His mouth.”  Psalm 33:6.  Therefore, clearly God’s “breath” and His “Word” are one and the same.  His “breath” has the same power to create, because it is His Word.  His Word is life (John 6:63).  It was the “breath of His mouth,” His “Word,” by which all things were created; and it was by the same “breath,” or “Word,” that man lived.  Consider:  Saul was said to be “breathing out threatenings,” Acts 9:1.  This “breathing out” simply meant, “speaking.”  From these considerations, you should conclude that man lives or dies from God’s “breath.”  When it returns to God, man dies; one cannot live without God’s breath.

By contrast, most Christians accept the FACT that mankind did not exist before the “first man” Adam.  Therefore, when understanding Genesis 3:9 correctly, “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.”  Conclusion, not alive previously; therefore, not alive at death.  What God has joined together, let not philosophers and theologians pull apart.  The Bible presents Adam as a complete unit, “God’s breath” plus “man’s body” = a living soul.

However, the largest and most prominent argument for this Biblical concept to be untrue is that of the Creator God, Jesus Christ.  Critics claim that Jesus could not have died, or else the cosmos, let alone earth, would collapse.  I agree. To their detriment, and most Christians mis-understanding of the nature of Christ, When the Bible EVER speaks of Jesus, is It speaking of the Divinity or the Humanity of Jesus?  In other words, Humanity died on the Cross, NOT Divinity.  We can prove this by going to Isaiah 53:10, where we learn that Christ “offered” “his soul [as] an offering for sin.”  Remembering that a “soul” is the complete being (Gen. 2:7).  And according to Leviticus 14:13, all “sin offering[s]” are “kill[ed],” i.e., die. And if you still have problems, you have a bigger problem when you reject Christ’s explanation of it in Revelation 1:18:  “I am He that liveth, and was dead.”  And one more in First Corinthians 15:3, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.”  See also Matthew 20:28 & Acts 2:27.  For the “nature” of Christ, see Philippians 2:6-7.  And see verse 8, which confirms Christ’s “death, even the death of the cross.”  See also First Peter 3:18 & First Timothy 3:16.

G) THE JEWISH USAGE OF THE PHRASE “SECOND DEATH”

The meaning of the phrase “second death” is clarified by its usage in the “Targum,” which is the Aramaic translation and interpretation of the Old Testament, and is most likely the way John, in his Book of Revelation understood its correct meaning.  In the “Targum,” the phrase is used several times to refer to the final and irreversible death of the wicked.  According to Strack and Billerbeck, the “Targum” on Jeremiah 51:39 & 57 contains an oracle against Babylon, which says:  “They shall die the second death and not live in the world to come.”  As cited by J. Massyngberde Ford, “Revelation, Introduction, Translation and Commentary, The Anchor Bible,” (1975), page 393.  Here the meaning of “second death” is clearly attributed to the death resulting from the final judgment, which prevents evildoers from living in the cosmos to come.

In his study, “The New Testament and the Palestinian Targum to the Pentateuch,” M. McNamara cites the “Targum’s”(Aramaic Commentary) of Deuteronomy 33:6, Isaiah 22:14 and 65:6 & 15, where the phrase “second death” is used to describe the ultimate, irreversible death of the wicked.  The “Targum,” on Deuteronomy 33:6 reads:  “Let Reuben live in this world and die not in the second death in which death the wicked die in the world to come.”  M. McNamara, “The New Testament and the Palestinian Targum to the Pentateuch” (1958), page 117.  In the “Targum” on Isaiah 22:14, the prophet says:  “This sin shall not be forgiven till you die the second death, says the Lord of Host.”  “Ibid.”  In both instances, the “second death” is the ultimate destruction experienced by the wicked at the final judgment.

The “Targum,” speaking on Isaiah 65:6, is very close to Revelation 20:14 & 21:8.  It reads:  “Their punishment shall be in Gehenna where the fire burns all the day.  Behold, it is written before me:  I will not give them respite during (their) life but will render them the punishment of their transgressions and will deliver their bodies to the second death.” “Ibid,” page 123.  Again, the “Targum” on Isaiah 65:15 reads:  “And you shall leave your name for a curse to My chosen and the Lord God will slay you with the second death but His servants, the righteous, He shall call by a different name.”  “Ibid.”  Here, the “second death” is explicitly equated with the slaying of the wicked by our Lord, which is a clear image of final destruction and not of eternal torment.

In the light of its usage in Jewish literature, we can safely conclude that the phrase, “second death,” is used by John to define the nature of the punishment in the “lake which burneth with fire,” namely, a punishment that ultimately results in eternal, irreversible death.  To interpret the phrase as eternal conscious torment in hell fire forever would result in negating its current usage and the Biblical meaning of “death” as cessation of life.  Once this is understood, simple verses like Proverbs 11:4 (“Riches profit not in the day of wrath:  but righteousness delivereth from death.”) and others can be seen to be referencing to the Bibles understanding of what it means to die the “second death,” i.e., eternal damnation.

By contrast, it is interesting to note that the concept of an eternal “hell” was developed in Israel during the Hellenistic period (see Theodore H. Gaster, “Abode of the Dead,” & “The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible” (1962), page 788).

H) THE WORDS BREATH AND SPIRIT

The clearest definition of death could have been Ecclesiastes 12:7:  “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:  and the spirit [Hebrew, “ruach,” meaning God’s breath] shall return unto God Who gave it.”  Regarding the “spirit” which goes back to God, James 2:26 states, “For as the body without the spirit is dead.”  The word “spirit” has a marginal reference, which reads, “or breath.”  The root word in the Greek is “H7307; pneuma,” meaning “breath” or “air.”  We take our English word “pneumonia” (disease of the lungs) from this Greek word “pneuma.”  However, “pneuma” has another meaning.  It also means, “spirit.”  They are ONE and the SAME thing.

Therefore, the words “breath” and “spirit” are often used interchangeably in the Bible.  Examples are:  Job 27:3, “all the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.”  Job 33:4:  “The Spirit of God hath made me [body plus], and the breath [Hebrew, “nephesh”] of the Almighty hath given me life.”  The marginal note for Genesis 7:22 refers to the breath of life as “the breath of the spirit of life.”  The Psalmist describes death in these words, “(29) Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. (30) Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created.”  Psalm 104:29-30.  Here the order is reversed and their breath returns to God at death and God gives His Spirit or breath to create life.  Ezekiel 37:13-14 is another example:  “(13) And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves, (14) And shall put My spirit [H7307 “ruach”] in you, and ye shall live.”  In Ezekiel 37:5, the Hebrew word [H7307; “ruach”] for “breath” is also “ruach.”  Meaning again, they are ONE and the SAME thing.

It all makes sense when we understand that the two words are used interchangeably and mean the SAME thing.  See also how Daniel understands God’s “breath” in Daniel 5:23, “and the God in whose hand thy breath is.”  Also consider Psalm 146:4:  “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.”  Here we can clearly see that the body goes to the grave (not to Heaven or hell), while the “breath” of God goes back to God Who gave it.  In Luke 8:51-54, Jesus is “laughed” “to scorn,” because the “maiden,” is known to be “dead.”  However, when Jesus summons “her spirit,” i.e., God’s breath to come back to her body “again,” we see that her body PLUS God’s breath allowed her to live again (Gen. 2:7).

In weird examples, God’s breath/spirit plus “bones” equals life (Eze. 37:5).  God’s breath/spirit plus “stones” equals life (Mat. 3:9; Luke 19:40).  God’s breath plus “mountains and the hills,” equals “singing” (Isa. 55:12).  God’s breath plus a “stone” and “beam” equals “cry[ing] out” (Hab. 2:11).  So going back to Ezekiel, Chapter 37, God tells us that when He “puts His spirit in you, you shall live,” Ezekiel 37:14.

The reason the life-giving Spirit of God is described by the suggestive imagery of the “breath of life,” is because breathing is a tangible manifestation of life.  A person who no longer breathes is dead.  Looking at Job 27:3-4 again:  “[3] All the while my breath [“neshamah”] is in me, and the spirit [“ruach”] of God is in my nostrils; [4] My lips shall not speak wickedness.”  We can learn from this description that the human “breath” and the Divine “spirit” are equated, because breathing is seen as a manifestation of the sustaining power of God’s Spirit.  Thus, possession of the “breath of life” does not in itself confer immortality (discussed below), because at death “the breath of life” returns to God.  Life (God’s Breath) derives from God, is sustained by God, and returns to God.

This Biblical truth is well expressed in Ecclesiastes 12:7:  “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:  and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it.”  What returns to God is not the human immortal soul, but God’s life-giving Spirit (breath), which in Scripture, Job 34:14-15, is equated with God’s breath:  “(14) If He set His heart upon man, if He gather unto Himself His Spirit [H7307; “ruach”] and His breath [H5397; “neshamah”]; (15) All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.”  The parallelism indicates that God’s breath is His Life-giving Spirit.  Again, the body plus God’s breath equals a living soul (Gen. 2:7).  Nothing stays alive the first or second time one dies.

In conclusion, what we have learned is that any Biblical word study of the words “to die,” “death,” and “dead,” in Hebrew and Greek, reveals that death is perceived in the Bible as the deprivation or cessation of life.  As another example, the ordinary Hebrew word meaning “to die” is “muth,” which occurs in the Old Testament over 800 times.  In the vast majority of cases, “muth” is used in the simple sense of the death of men and or animals.  There is no hint or even conjecture in its usage of any distinction between the two.  A clear example is found in Ecclesiastes 3:19, which states:  “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them:  as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath [i.e., God’s breath; H7307]; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.”  As far as death goes; all die.

Also, the Hebrew word “muth,” is sometimes used, as in English, in a figurative way to denote the destruction or elimination of a nation (Isaiah 65:15; Hosea 2:3; Amos 2:2), a tribe (Deuteronomy 33:6; Hosea 13:1), or a city (Second Samuel 20:19), as well as for man’s soul.

There is one exception to all of this, and that is found in Matthew 14:26.  The Biblical understanding is that, even though “spirits” [Greek, G5326, “phantasma”] are living “souls,” they live in the fourth dimension and can appear in our third dimension when they want to.  Jesus as Jesus did when He walked through walls in the fourth dimension, then appeared in the third dimension in order for Thomas to touch Him (John 20:27).  Compare with/to First John 4:1 (although referencing both human and Satanic).

By contrast, we can know of a certainty that God (Jesus) physically “died” for our sins.  Let’s discover Luke 23:46:  “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit [G4151; “pneuma,” i.e., “God’s breath”]:  and having said thus, He gave up the ghost.”  The Greek for “ghost” is, G1606; “ekenpo,” meaning, “breath.”  The same is expressed in John 19:30.  Comparing this to the Old Testament, in Genesis 25:8, we learn the Abraham “gave up the ghost [H1478; “gava,” meaning, “breath”].”  Thus “ghost” just has connotations to meaning, “he breathed his last breath.”

I) TRADITION

Most educated people know that the doctrine of the immortal soul came from pagan tradition and mythology.  However, even reasonable people can be unreasonable.  For example, the ancient Chinese ancestor-worship was rooted in the belief that the soul did not die.  India’s Hindus have reincarnation and transmigration of the soul.  African voodoo ceremonies are structured around the concept of an undying soul.  Moreover, Egyptian pyramid hieroglyphics reveal that the false doctrine of a natural immortal soul was basic to their worship of the sun god.

Nevertheless, the Bible does tell us where this doctrine got started; “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die,” Genesis 3:4.  “This was Satan’s first lesson upon the immortality of the soul,” 1SG:113.  Of the 1,700 Biblical occurrences of the words “soul” and “spirit,” not once are they referred to as being “immortal,” “undying,” or any other like conjectures, unless it is referring to the Spirit of God or God Himself.  “It is a marvel to me that Satan could succeed so well in making men believe that the words of God, ‘The soul that sinneth it shall die,’ mean that the soul that sinneth it shall not die, but live eternally in misery.”  1SG:114.

Enough introduction and illustrations.  Let’s see what the Bible has to say about what happens to an individual when they die.  It must be understood that all of the Hebrews understood that the person at death neither went to Heaven or Hell.  We can know this for certain because of the main difference between the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  Remember, The Pharisees believed in a resurrection (that’s Fare-you-see), while the Sadducees did not (that’s why they were Sad-you-see):  concluding that both believed in death as going nowhere.

It is most unfortunate that during much of its history, Christianity, by-and-large, has been influenced by the Greek dualistic view of human nature and its understanding, that being that the body is mortal and the soul immortal.  The acceptance of this deadly heresy has conditioned the interpretation of Scripture and given rise to a host of other heresies such as, Purgatory, eternal torment in hell, prayer for the dead, intercession of the [dead, but alive] saints, indulgences, the eternal view of a partial paradise; and many other such false doctrines.  The challenge we face today is to help sincere people to rediscover the Biblical holistic view of the human nature and destiny of man; and thus dispel the spiritual darkness perpetrated by Centuries of superstitious belief systems.

Let’s think sensibly about this for a minute.  Certainly, you must agree with me, that “God is Love?”  If not, please see First John 4:8 & 16 and have another look at Jesus on the cross.  Please ponder the lie of Satan that a Loving God would torture mankind “forever,” throughout eternity (eons of years), for only 70 years’ worth of sin.  Even mankind itself is not as cruel, allowing criminals, and sometimes murders, to be released from jail on good behavior or limited probationary sentences.

J) COMMON SENSE MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Isaiah 1:18.  What really happens after you die?  Since God is the only One “Who only hath immortality,” First Thessalonians 6:16 (Webster:  “not subject to death,” see also First Timothy 1:17), how is it that “mortal man,” Job 4:17 (Webster:  “being subject to death”), puts on immortality and goes to Heaven or hell when he dies?  The fact is -- he doesn’t!  For Peter stated the matter quite clearly when he said:  “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.”  Acts 2:29.  Then we come to verse 34:  “For David is not ascended into the Heavens.”  The Knox translation renders it this way, “David never went up to Heaven.”  How much clearer can Peter get for you?

Even Jesus had not yet been resurrected after His death until 3 days later (see John 20:17).  That man remains “mortal” until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is a correct understanding of Biblical “anthropology” (the study of human nature).

Also, according to Revelation 20:5, “the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.”  This verse -- and many others -- clearly testifies to the fact that the wicked dead are not alive again until after the 1000 years, acknowledging also that the righteous dead were already resurrected at Christ’s Second Coming, 1000 years earlier. Also, another thing to consider along this line of thought, as mentioned before, is why would Michael the Archangel come down to obtain the body of Moses if it and he were already in Heaven (Jude 1:9)?

The Bible is so very clear about people being “dead” at death.  For all are awaiting the “resurrection of the dead,” Matthew 22:31; Acts 17:32; 23:6; 24:15 & 21; Romans 1:4; First Corinthians 15:12 & 13 & 21 & 42; Philippians 3:11; Hebrews 6:2; First Peter 1:3; Revelation 20:5.  Notice they are not waiting for the resurrection of themselves coming from Heaven or hell, or any other place.  They are dead on earth, i.e. awaiting the “resurrection of the dead” – Period!

According to First Thessalonians 4:16-17, the texts most used by Rapture Theorists to prove an unsupported Doctrine, “and the dead in Christ shall rise first.”  Notice that it does not say, “the alive in Heaven shall rise first,” because they are dead, in their respective graves, awaiting our Lord’s Second Coming.

Christians are described as seeking after immortality in Romans 2:7, which indicates that they do not innately possess immortality (as noted above).  And although Paul teaches us, “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality,” First Corinthians 15:53, the most common-sense question should be, WHEN?  The answer becomes clear from the proceeding verses (First Corinthians 15:51 & 52, see also Second Timothy 1:10), which is at Christ’s Second Coming, the subject and hope of Paul’s entire discourse.  Context, Context, Context.  We can know this is true if we go to Philippians 3:11, where Paul states:  “If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”  Now why would Paul be looking forward to the “resurrection” from “the dead” if he knew he was going to Heaven when he dies?

Also, what need of a future judgment (“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27) if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of Heaven or writhing in the flames of hell because they have already been judged?  Will the righteous need to hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” Matthew 25:21, when they are already dwelling there?  And are the wicked to be summoned OUT OF the fires of hell only to hear, “Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,” Matthew 25:41, just to receive an already acquired sentence and a brief reprieve from the flames of God’s justice?  Finally, how is Christ, at His Second Coming, going to “reward every man according to his works,” Matthew 16:27, if they already have been?  These verses and others show how silly this crazy doctrine of non-death at death is.

First Corinthians 15:26 states:  “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”  That is for the righteous only.  But by this statement are we SUPPOSED to conclude that death will still reign somewhere?  If the dead do not die, then God lied to Eve while Satan told the truth!!!  And even more startling than that, JESUS DID NOT REALLY DIE FOR OUR SINS, and therefore no one is really saved.  Stupid everlasting life for all doctrine.

Logic alone tells us that if hell-fire burns “for ever” (Revelation 14:11; 20:10), then it would be impossible for God to create a “new earth. . . [from the] first earth,” Revelation 21:1, because the fire on the first earth would still be burning on it.  By contrast, Revelation 20:9 states it correctly when it says:  “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city:  and fire came down from God out of heaven, and DEVOURED them.”  Note again that the fire “devoured them!”  Also, Jesus would fail in His mission to rid the earth (and universe) of sin, if the sinful are burning “for ever.”  Instead, He would perpetuate it by keeping sinners alive. And how could the new earth be without “sorrow” or “pain,” (Revelation 21:4) with “the wages of sin,” Romans 6:23, being eternal life in the “lake of fire,” and not the Biblical teaching of “death,” i.e., “second death?”  Ezekiel 18:4 puts it this way, “Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is Mine:  the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” 

Contemplate also that according to Revelation 19:20 and 20:10, the wicked are cast into the “lake of fire,” along with Satan and his angels.  Many Christians assume this to be the eternal abode of the wicked, or hell if you will.  However, this “lake of fire” is here upon this earth, as is agreed by most, if not all theologians (see Second Peter 3:10; Revelation 20:7-9).  Therefore, if hell were eternal, then our planet would have to be on fire throughout eternity.  This is obviously not going to happen, for our Lord is going to create it anew (see Second Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-2).  Therefore, this hell fire will eventually go out, or be extinguished by our Lord, in order to create this planet all over again, without sin.

K) MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY

LET’S TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BIBLICAL MEANINGS OF MORTALITY AND IMMORTALITY.

The term “immortality” comes from the Greek word “athanasia,” which means “deathlessness;” and as such, an “unending existence.”  The grounding doctrine of “immortality” is “Soteriological” (which is the Doctrine of Salvation), and not “Anthropological,” which is antediluvian; given to past generations.  What this means is that immortality is a Divine gift to the saved, and as such, not a natural human possession.  It must be Biblically understood that man has a mortal (dictionary = subject to death) nature, and God an immortal (dictionary = NOT subject to death) nature.  Thus, immortality in the Bible is not an innate human possession, but only a Divine attribute (discussed below).

The Greek word “athanasia” occurs only twice in Scripture:  First in connection with God, “Who alone hath immortality,” First Timothy 6:16, and Second, in its relation to human mortality, which means mankind must put on immortality (First Corinthians 15:53) at the time of the resurrection.  The latter reference negates the notion of a natural immortality of the soul, because the text states that immortality is something that the resurrected saints will, or must “put on.”  Therefore, it is not something that they already possess or is inherent.

As examples of non-inherent, or non-possession of immortality of mankind, are verses like Job 4:17, which states, “Shall mortal man be more just than God?”  We must understand that whenever “immortal” is used in the Bible, it ONLY refers to God.  “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the Only wise God,” First Timothy 1:17.  “[15] King of kings, and Lord of lords; [16] Who only hath immortality,” First Timothy 6:15-16.

By contrast, at this point someone may raise the objection that man has a mortal body, but an immortal soul.  Therefore, at death (of the flesh) he/she can go to Heaven/hell.  However, let’s consider Ezekiel 18:4:  “Behold all souls are Mine:  the soul that sinneth, it shall die.”  And Matthew 10:28, which states:  “fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”  Notice Christ’s Word “DESTROY.”  This is what He literally means that He will do to the “soul that sinneth [continually].”  In addition, our Lord would not address an “immortal” soul in this manner.

Therefore, Christ places the matter beyond all uncertainty.  For according to our Lord Himself, the “soul” can die, and will die.  Wherefore, it cannot be immortal by nature.  Psalm 89:48 asks the question:  “shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?”  The implication is clear, the Psalmist, who understands the clear Biblical teaching upon death, teaches us that without the resurrection power of our Lord, the “soul” is dead forever.

When you add it altogether, Scripture clearly teaches that “immortality” is to be sought after (Romans 2:7) and “put on,” First Corinthians 15:53.  Thus, if it were something man intrinsically or naturally possessed, why such word usage?  The obvious answer is that man does not possess, nor did he ever possess, immortality.

Other examples are:  The man Jesus “poured out His soul unto death,” Isaiah 53:12.  “For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?”  Job 27:8.  Also, speaking of the sleeping saints when Christ Comes, “this mortal must put on immortality,” First Corinthians 15:53.  These texts should teach us that man does not inherently retain immortality; else he would not have to have it given to him by Christ.

None of these figurative uses supports the idea of individual survival.  On the contrary, we find that the word “muth” is used in Deuteronomy 2:16 in parallel with “tamam,” Genesis 47:15, which means “to be consumed,” or “to be finished.”  The parallelism suggests that death is seen as the end of life.  The corresponding, ordinary Greek word meaning “to die” is “apothanein,” which is used 77 times in the New Testament.  With few exceptions, the verb denotes the cessation of life.

None of the literal or figurative uses of the Hebrew word “muth,” or of the Greek “apothanein,” suggests that the “soul” or “spirit” survives the death of an individual.  As well, if Paul really believed that “the dead in Christ” were not really dead in the grave, but alive in Heaven as disembodied souls, he would have capitalized on their blissful condition in Heaven to explain to the Thessalonians that their grieving was senseless.  BE REASONABLE!  Why would Paul attempt to help their grieving for their loved ones with a resurrection statement instead of just informing them that they were already enjoying the bliss of Heaven?

Take a clue here.  The Biblical fact that the living saints will meet with Christ at the same time as the sleeping saints (First Thessalonians 4:16-17), indicates that the latter have not yet been united with Christ in Heaven.  It is significant that in the entire Chapter, which is devoted to the importance and dynamics of the resurrection, in It Paul never hints at the alleged reunification of the body with some floating soul at the resurrection.

“But the wicked, who trample upon His [God’s] authority, He will cut off and destroy from the earth, and they will be as though they had not been.”  1SP:64.

L) NEW TESTAMENT STRUCTURE

The main reason that there is even a controversy about the Biblical concept of “death” in the Bible, is because the New Testament references to “death,” a term rendered by the Greek word “thanatos,” is not as informative in regard to the nature of death as those found in the Old Testament.  The reason is partly due to the fact that in the Old Testament, many of the references to death are found in the poetic, or wisdom Books of the Scriptures; like Psalms, Job, and Ecclesiastes.  This structural type of literature is absent in the New Testament.

More important is the fact that death is seen in the New Testament from the perspective of Christ’s victory over death and is the dominant theme in the New Testament.  Therefore, it conditions the Christian view of death as that of being with Jesus at all times, even in death.  Thus, Christ’s victory over death affects the believer’s understanding of the physical aspects of true death, even spiritual death, and mostly one’s ultimate eternal death (“second death”).

Therefore, the figurative meaning of the Greek word “thanatos,” i.e., “death,” depends entirely on the literal meaning as:  “the cessation of life.”  To argue for the conscious existence of the soul on the basis of the figurative meaning of death is to attribute to the word a meaning that is foreign to it.  This runs contrary to literary and grammatical rules established by any society of languages.

M) THE BIBLES [JESUS’] USE OF THE WORD “SLEEP”

Now, let us consider the word “sleep” in both the Old and New Testaments.   Death is often described as a “sleep,” in both.  Here are a few examples.  In the Old Testament, there are three major Hebrew words meaning, “sleep,” which are used to describe death.  The most common word, “shachav,” AND is used in the frequently occurring expression, so-and-so “slept with his fathers,” Genesis 28:11; Deuteronomy 31:16; Second Samuel 7:12; First Kings 2:10; etcetera.  Beginning with its initial application to Moses (Deuteronomy 31:16), and then to David (Second Samuel 7:12), and then Job (Job 7:21), we find this beautiful euphemism for death running like an unbroken thread all through the Old and New Testaments, ending with Peter’s statement that “the fathers fell asleep,” Second Peter 3:4.

If their spirits were alive in another world, could this possibly be regularly said without a hint that the real person was not sleeping at all?  It is evident that if the souls of the “fathers” were alive in Paradise, Bible writers could not have regularly spoken of them as being “asleep,” but rather, “alive.”  Do you intend to “sleep” in Heaven?

Another Hebrew word for “sleep” is “yashen.”  This word occurs both as a verb, “to sleep,” in Jeremiah 51:39 & 57; Psalm 13:3, and as a noun.”  The latter is found in the well-known verse of Daniel 12:2:  “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.”  Notice that in this passage both the Godly and un-Godly are “SLEEPING” in the dust of the earth; and both will be resurrected at different times in the End.  None are alive somewhere else in the universe.

A third Hebrew word used for the “sleep of death” is “shenah.”  Job asks a rhetorical question in Job 14:10.  His answer is in the next verses, Job 14:11-12:  “(11) As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: (12) So man lieth down, and riseth not:  till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep [shenah].”  The same makeup is seen in Psalm 76:5 & 90:5.  Here is a graphic description of death.  When a person takes the last breath, he does not exist anymore.  He becomes like a lake or river whose water has dried up.  He “SLEEPS” in the grave until the end of the world or just before the creation of the new world.

One wonders, would Job have given us such a negative description of death if he believed that his soul would survive death?  If death introduced Job’s soul into the immediate presence of God in Heaven, why does he and others speak of waiting “till the heavens are no more,” John 14:11 and “till my release should come,” Job 14:14?  It is evident that neither Job nor any other Old Testament believer knew of a conscious existence after death.  Thus, we can better understand the phrase “and he slept with his father” (First Kings 1:21; 2:10; 11:43) as reflecting the idea that the dead join their predecessors in “Sheol,” in other words, “the grave of the dead.”

Even more interesting is that death is described as “sleep” in the New Testament even more frequently than in the Old Testament.  There are two Greek words meaning “sleep” which are used in the New Testament.  The first is “koimao,” which is used fourteen times for the “sleep of death.”  A derivative of this Greek noun is “koimeeteerion,” from which comes our English word, “cemetery.”  Now isn’t that an interesting FACT?  Incidentally, the root of this word is also the root of the word “oikos,” meaning, “home.”  Therefore, the home and the cemetery are connected because both are a sleeping-place.  By the way, what is the Biblical definition of a “Graven Image?”  The answer is:  Something you would find in a cemetery!!!

The second Greek word is “katheudein,” which is generally used for ordinary “sleep.”  However, in the New Testament it is used five times in reference to the “sleep of death” (see Matthew 9:24; Mark 5:39; Luke 8:52; Ephesians 5:14; First Thessalonians 4:14).  At the time of Christ’s crucifixion, “many bodies of the saints which slept [kekoimemenon] arose,” Matthew 27:52.  In the original, the text literally reads:  “many bodies of the sleeping saints were raised.”  It is evident that what was resurrected was the whole person and not just their bodies.  There is no reference to their souls being reunited with their bodies.  Rather, they are raised by the breath or Words of God.  The concept of a body being separate from the soul is foreign to the Bible.

Speaking figuratively of Lazarus’ death, Jesus said:  “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth [“kekoimetai”], but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep,” John 11:11.  People don’t understand that Lazarus did not go to Heaven and then Jesus called him back down from there.  Otherwise, where is his testimony of such an event?  The fact that there is none, yet whenever anyone else in the Scriptures went there, there is testimony of such.  This means that Lazarus was truly dead.  When the Jesus said that Lazarus was just “sleeping,” the disciples thought that to be a good thing,  But Jesus clearly corrects their understanding by stating, “unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead,” John 11:14.  Then Jesus hastened to reassure Martha:  “Thy brother shall rise again,” John 11:23.  Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “Thy brother shall come back from Heaven and live again.”  For even Martha understood the Biblical teaching that the dead are dead and will be raised later when she replied, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”  John 11:24.  Take special note of Martha’s phrase, “at the last day,” meaning at Jesus’ Second Coming.

This episode is significant First of all, because Jesus plainly describes death as a “sleep” from which the dead will awaken at the sound of His voice, and Second of all, because it describes Lazarus’ condition in death as being similar to a “SLEEP” from which one awakens.  For Christ straightway said:  “I go, that I may awake him out of sleep,” John 11:11.  How much clearer must God’s Word be in order for us to properly understand Its rich treasures in regards to the state of dead?

In the two great Chapters that mostly focus upon the resurrection of the saints (First Thessalonians, Chapter 4, and First Corinthians, Chapter 15), Paul repeatedly speaks of those who “HAVE FALLEN,” or better, “died,” and are, as he puts it, “asleep” in Christ (First Corinthians 15:6 & 18 & 20; First Thessalonians 4:13 & 14 & 15).  A closer look at some of Paul’s statements will shed a clear light and understanding of what Paul really meant by characterizing death as “sleep.”

After affirming the fundamental importance of Christ’s resurrection for the Christian faith and hope, Paul explains that “(17) if Christ be not raised . . . (18) Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished,” First Corinthians 15:17-18.  Paul could hardly have said that the “SLEEPING” saints would have perished without the guarantee of Christ’s resurrection if he believed that their souls were immortal and were already enjoying the bliss of Paradise.

So why does Jesus in the Scriptures use the “SLEEP” metaphor at all?  The reason is, when we hear or say that a person is DEAD Biblically, we automatically think or assume that there is no more hope of bringing him/her back to life.  But when we say that a person is SLEEPING in the Lord, we express the hope for his or her restoration to life on the day of the resurrection.  Thus, the “SLEEP” metaphor brings about the “hope” aspect of a Christians life and the possibility of being awakened to live again on the Resurrection morning.

N) BIBLICALLY DEAD BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE

THE BIBLICALLY DEAD PEOPLE, WHO COME BACK TO LIFE, DO NOT SPEAK OF THEIR EXPERIENCES IN HEAVEN.  WHY NOT?

Those who use Ecclesiastes 12:7, “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was:  and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it,” to assert that your soul now goes to Heaven, must continue that thought.  If your soul is now going back to Heaven to live with God, then you were also living with God in Heaven before you were condemned to be born, live, and die on this earth!  False doctrine indeed!  Notice rather, “the dust” is your body returning “to the earth.”  While “the spirit” is God’s breath, “Who gave it” in the first place.

Another thing to consider is the fact that the Bible reports the cases of seven people who were raised from the dead:  the widow’s son (First Kings 17:17-24); the Shunammite’s son (Second Kings 4:18-37); the widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11-15); the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:41, 42, 49-56); Lazarus (John 11:43-44); Tabitha (Acts 9:36-41); and Eutychus (Acts 20:9-12).  However, none of them had an afterlife experience to share.  Had they been to Heaven and back, wouldn’t it be out of character for none of them to mention anything of their experiences there; at the least for the admonition and uplifting of their fellow believer’s?  All the prophets who went there gave us testimonies!

That God’s Breath, plus a body, equals a living soul, see Genesis 2:7 again.  Take one away and you have no life.  This is well illustrated in Ezekiel 37:5-6:  “(5) Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: (6) And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD.”

And if that is not clear enough, continue on to verses 7-10:  “(7) So I prophesied as I was Commanded:  and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. (8) And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above:  but there was no breath in them. (9) Then said He unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. (10) So I prophesied as He Commanded me, and the [God’s] breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.”   Then notice that verse 14 identifies this “breath” as God’s “Spirit.”

O) THE HEBREW WORD “NEPHESH”

Since “nephesh” occurs in the Old Testament 754 times and is rendered in 45 different ways due to the translators interjecting religious beliefs instead of translating the word, it is imperative to get across the true Biblical concept contained in the actual creation scene as depicted in Genesis 2:7:  that being that a living soul consists in both the “breath” of God, and a “body” created by God.  One without the other means no living soul (see Genesis 2:7 above again if this is not clear).

According to some people the phrase, “man became a living soul” means, “man obtained a living soul.”  However, this flies in the face of other clear texts like Job 27:3, which states:  “All the while my breath [nephesh] is in me [given by], and the spirit of God [God’s Breath] is in my nostrils.”  This verse shows that while the “Almighty gives me life,” Job 33:4, this life is not inherently immortal.  In Genesis 2:7 and elsewhere, it is the “nephesh [breath (of God)]” that gives life to the “hashar [body],” and NEVER is there life unless the two are together.

The “breath [neshamah] of life” that God breathed into Adam’s nostrils, was not an immortal soul that God implanted into Adam’s material body [God could take that breath away; and He did eventually], but rather, the life-giving Spirit that is often characterized as the “breath of God.”  Thus, we read in Job 33:4:  “The spirit [ruach] of God has made me, and the breath [neshamah] of the Almighty gives me life.”  The parallelism between the “spirit of God” and “the breath of the Almighty,” which is often found in the Bible (examples are Isaiah 42:5; Job 27:3; 34:14-15), suggests that the two are used interchangeably, because they both refer to the gift of life imparted by God to His creatures.  Thus, it now becomes easy to see that the “spirit” and the “breath” are ONE AND THE SAME THING.

Consider for a minute the dispute over the body of Moses as found in Jude 1:9.  Why would the devil benefit from possessing the body of Moses if your soul is something entirely separate from the body?  The reason is, Satan well knows more than most Christians what the Hebrew’s know (knew), and that is, that the “body,” plus the “breath of God,” equals “a living soul.”  Satan knew that if he could retain Moses’ body, he could keep it from becoming mortal, or eventually immortal.

Moreover, the meaning of a “living soul,” simply means a “living being,” and is supported by the use of the same phrase, “living soul [nephesh hayyah],” when it is applied to animals.  In the “KJV” Bible, this phrase appears for the first time in Genesis 2:7, where the creation of Adam is described.  By contrast, in the Hebrew Bible we find the same phrase existing already in Genesis 1:20 & 21 & 24 & 30.  In all four of these verses “living soul [nephesh hayyah],” refers to animals.

However, the prejudices of most modern translators who have chosen to translate it as “living creature,” rather than the correct, “living soul,” is simply because they are conditioned by the belief that animals do not have a soul; because, according to their false concepts of a “living soul,” that being, going to Heaven at death, they believe that only human beings have an immaterial, immortal soul.  However, if translators would stick to translating and not sermonizing, Bible believing Christians would have had a better opportunity to understand correctly the true state of a Biblical “soul,” i.e., “God’s Breath,” plus an “animals body,” equals a “living soul.”

Norman Snaith, a Bible translator, finds this practice, “most reprehensible,” and states:  “it is a grave reflection on the Revisers [translators of the Authorized Version] that they retained this misleading difference in translation. . . The Hebrew phrase should be translated exactly the same way in [all] both cases.  To do otherwise is to mislead all those who do not read Hebrew.  There is no excuse and no proper defense.  The tendency to read ‘immortal soul’ into Hebrew nephesh and to translate accordingly is very ancient, and can be seen in the Septuagint.”  Norman Snaith, “Justice and Immortality,” “Scottish Journal of Theology,” 17, 3, (September 1964), pages 312-313.

That the Biblical “soul” was NOT “immortal,” let’s look at the theme of danger and deliverance associated with the soul [nephesh], which allows us to see that the soul in the Old Testament was viewed, not as an immortal component of human nature, but as the uncertain, insecure condition of life, which sometimes was threatened even unto death.

David prayed: “Deliver my soul [nephesh] from the wicked,” Psalm 17:13; ”For thy righteousness sake, O Lord, bring my soul [nephesh] out of trouble,” Psalm 143:11.  The Lord deserves to be praised, “for He has delivered the soul [nephesh] of the poor from the hand of the evildoers,” Jeremiah 20:13.  People greatly feared for their souls [nephesh] (Joshua 9:24) when others were seeking their souls [nephesh] (Exodus 4:19; First Samuel 23:15).  They had to flee for their souls [nephesh] (Second Kings 7:7) or defend their souls [nephesh] (Esther 8:11); if they did not their souls [nephesh] would be utterly destroyed (Joshua 10:28 & 30 & 32 & 35 & 37 & 39).  Rahab asked the two Israelite spies to save her family, saying, “Deliver our souls [nephesh] from death,” Joshua 2:13.  These verses need to be spiritually understood, in that we are not just talking life and death, but eternal life and death.

The soul experienced danger not only from enemies, but also from lack of food.  In lamenting the state of Jerusalem, Jeremiah says:  “All her people sigh, they seek bread; they have given their pleasant things for meat to relieve the soul [nephesh],” Lamentations 1:11.  The Israelites grumbled in the wilderness because they no longer had meat as they had in Egypt.  “But now our soul [nephesh] is dried away:  there is nothing at all, besides this manna, before our eyes,” Numbers 11:6.  Here, and in the verses above, it is quite evident that the Israelites understood a living soul to be “God’s Breath” plus their own God given “body.”

Also, the Biblical fact that the soul (nephesh) could die is seen in Genesis 37:21; Deuteronomy 19:6 & 11; Jeremiah 40:14 & 15.  There can be no doubt that it is the soul which dies and all theories attempting to deny this fact are FALSE.  It is deliberately said in the Bible that the soul dies (Judges 16:30; Numbers 23:10; Ezekiel 18:20), that it is destroyed or consumed (Ezekiel 22:25 & 27), and that it is extinguished (Job 11:20).

Objectors sight Numbers 35:15 which states:  “Anyone who kills any person [nephesh] without intent may flee there.”  Since the word “soul,” i.e., “nephesh,” does not occur in most English translations, some may argue that the text is speaking of the killing of the body and not of the “soul.”  The truth of the matter is that “nephesh” is found in the Hebrew text, but translators usually chose to render it with “person,” presumably because of their belief that the “soul” is immortal and cannot be killed.  Translators, please just translate and let the reader decide.​