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Death is not an inviting topic, but there is no escaping its reality. Thoughts of death give rise to questions: “What happens when we die?” “Is there a life after death?” “Do we have an immortal soul?” These are questions to which thoughtful people seek answers.

To whom shall we go?

Many religions and denominations give differing answers. The only reliable source of information is the inspired Word of the Creator, who gave mankind life and who has the power to take it away. The Bible contains complete and satisfying answers to all our questions, including the problem of death.

Does Man have an Immortal Soul?

The belief that man possesses an immortal soul had its origin in pagan religions. The idea that life continued after death came from the religions of ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Rome etc, as confirmed by Encyclopaedias and history books.

The Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’ was often placed within the coffin and contained instructions to the ‘soul’, so that it might successfully reach ‘paradise’. The Babylonians likewise, believing in the continuation of an individual’s ‘spirit’, placed weapons and implements in their tombs in order that the ‘spirit’ might protect itself and hunt for food.

It was the Greeks who raised the theory of an ‘immortal soul’ as we know it. The renowned philosopher, Plato, promoted his idea of the immortal soul surviving death, and then being consigned to Hades or even Tartarous at death. Exceptionally favoured individuals might find a place in some Elysian paradise.

Early Christians rejected these false ideas. They understood the perishing nature of mankind. But as time went by there were mass conversions of pagan nations to Christianity within the Roman Empire. Inevitably many so-called converts brought some of their pagan beliefs with them, including the idea of the immortal soul. Furthermore, as time separated them from the teaching of the Apostles, church leaders were prepared to compromise with these new converts. So it was that these false teachings were accepted and in due course became part of the traditions of the Christian Church, despite what the Bible taught.

Breath and Spirit in Man

Some believe that the last words of Stephen, as he was stoned to death, suggest that man has an eternal spirit within him that lives on after death:

They stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 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. (Acts 7:59-60)

Stephen had been falsely accused of blasphemy by the Jewish religious leaders and became the first Christian martyr when he was stoned to death. Acts chapter 7 is a record of his defence before the Jewish Council. Starting with the promises made to Abraham, he showed how God had spoken to and directed his people throughout their history. He condemned religious leaders down through the ages for resisting God’s word, and reminded them how they had finally handed over the Son of God to the Romans, requesting his execution.

For Stephen to believe he had an immortal spirit that was about to join Jesus in heaven would be for him to deny his belief in the promise made to Abraham. He had just said:

God gave him (Abraham) no inheritance in it (the promised land), not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. (Acts 7:5)

Abraham died in faith, believing God would resurrect him when the time came for the promise to be fulfilled:

By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (Hebrews 11:9-10)

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

The writer to the Hebrews explained why God had allowed this to happen:

All these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us. (Hebrews 11:39-40)

They believed that they would be raised from the dead to “ inherit the land for ever”.

The Bible teaches that the spirit of man is not an everlasting, indestructible part of man, but the life power of God by which man lives. It was with God before man was created, and it goes back to God when man dies and ceases to be:

If He (God) should set His heart on it, if He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. (Job 34:14-15)

Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

When Stephen commended his spirit to God, he did so in the belief that he would get his life back by resurrection, at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first century, Christians did not believe in getting eternal life in any other way other than by the resurrection of the body.

The Bible’s Testimony

If there were positive proof that man possesses an immortal essence that is released at death, then we need seek no further. The fact that the question is still asked shows that no such clear evidence has ever been found. Let us examine the testimony of the Bible.

In Genesis chapter two the Bible states that God created the first man, as we see in the King James Version:

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. (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

This statement is plain and simple. Man was made from the dust of the ground. What God had made was a soul without life. Then as the result of God breathing ‘the breath of life into him’, he became a ‘living soul’.

The word ‘soul’ simply means ‘a breathing creature’ – i.e., the soul is the man/woman. Modern translations make this verse a little clearer than the King James Version of 1611. The New King James Version renders this verse as follows:

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. (Genesis 2:7 NKJV)

According to the concordance, the word ‘soul’ occurs 458 times in the Scriptures, but not once in a way that suggests that the soul is deathless. On the contrary, the Bible teaches that the soul is capable of dying. Apart from salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Scriptures declare that death is to be the soul’s eternal doom:

And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet (the Lord Jesus Christ) shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. (Acts 3:23)

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

Behold, all souls are Mine (says God); the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)

The inspired Word of God tells us that the only way that a soul can live is by turning to God:

Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you — the sure mercies of David. (Isaiah 55:3)

What Does the Bible Teach About Going to Heaven

To the modern mind, “pie in the sky when we die,” is not really convincing. The cartoonist’s vision of one sitting on a cloud playing a harp for eternity has little appeal. What does the Bible have to say about men and women going to heaven when they die?

Nowhere does the Bible promise heaven as the reward of the righteous. There are a few allusions to such a teaching. But the Bible teaches that the only life after death is that which follows the resurrection of the dead of those who have belived, at the return of Christ from heaven. The Scriptures testify that no man has ever gone to heaven:

No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13)

One of the most righteous men of the Bible was David, a man after God’s own heart. If any person was worthy of going to heaven it surely must have been David. But look at what the inspired words of the Apostle Peter says:

Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day… David did not ascend into the heavens. (Acts 2:29 & 34)

God’s purpose for mankind is to be found on earth, not in heaven:

The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16)

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)

Those who wait on the Lord, shall inherit the earth. (Psalm 37:9)

The righteous will be recompensed on the earth (Proverbs 11:31)

If the reward of the righteous is the inheritance of the earth, then obviously it is not to go to ‘mansions above the skies’ at death.

The Origin of Death

The Bible alone supplies the information concerning the introduction of death into human experience. When God created mankind it was for the purpose of giving Him pleasure. It is His purpose that the earth should be filled with men and women who have developed the same kind of character as His.

As truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord (Numbers 14:21)

When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden He declared them to be very good. In order that they might give Him the pleasure for which they had been created, He desired that they should show faith in Him by voluntarily submitting to His will and obeying His commandment.

But God gave Adam free will, for this was not to be the obedience of a mere robot, but the willing obedience of one who could choose to disobey. For this purpose Adam was given a simple law to keep. He was allowed to eat from every tree of the garden, except one. To eat of it spelled death:

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.” (Genesis 2:16-17)

Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and He in turn proved to be true to His word:

“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. 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.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Again, this statement seems plain and simple. Adam is told that he was made from the dust of the ground and will return to it when he dies. There is not the slightest suggestion here that anything would live on when he died.

The Entrance of Sin and Death into the World

In refusing to honour God and obey His will, Adam and Eve were guilty of sin. Ever since then, every man and woman, with only one exception, has likewise been guilty of committing sin:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)

The result of sin is that death will follow:

For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)

The soul who sins shall die. (Ezekiel 18:4)

Moreover when God passed sentence on Adam he clearly defined the nature of death:

…for dust you are, and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)

The apostle Paul summarises this situation for us:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned (Romans 5:12)

God’s condemnation is inherent in our nature, and is called ‘the law of sin and death’:

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2)

The Bible Teaches what Death Is

The Bible teaches that death is the complete cessation of life — the termination of all attributes of life — complete oblivion. The Bible says:

For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6)

For in death there is no remembrance of You; in the grave who will give You thanks? (Psalm 6:5)

For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. The living, the living man, he shall praise You, as I do this day. (Isaiah 38:1819)

So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep. …His sons come to honor, and he does not know it; they are brought low, and he does not perceive it. (Job 14:12, 21)

His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day his plans perish. (Psalm 146:4)

Resurrection is the Only Hope

In the following verses Paul addresses the subject of resurrection. He explains that if our hope in Christ concerns this life only, then “we are of all men the most pitiable.” The plight of all descendants of Adam is that they must pay the consequences of his sin. But if we are in Christ then resurrection from death will follow at his second coming:

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. (1 Corinthians 15:19-23)

The subject of resurrection will be covered more fully in a later study, God willing.

The Fate of those Ignorant of the Gospel

What about those who have never know the wonderful promises to be found in the Bible. Some will ask, “Has God dealt fairly with them?”

In return we may ask, “What is it that God has promised them that he has not given them?” The answer must be, “Nothing”. The Bible teaches that the promises are for those who ‘believe’.

Those who do not know God are allowed to enjoy the blessing of being alive, along with the blessings of living on God’s earth for a season:

He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart… The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God... Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. 21, 23, 27 (Psalm 104:14-15)

They enjoys these blessings of God’s goodness, along with all living creatures, regardless of whether they seek for him, or simply live a self-centred life at the expense of others. Because they have not heard of God’s law and commandments, their obedience to them is not required:

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains. (John 9:41)

Whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law… where there is no law there is no transgression. (Romans 3:19 & 4:15)

Because they have not known God’s promise they are not deprived of anything. Then at death they return to the earth. For them there is no resurrection, judgement or punishment, just the privilege of having been given life by the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

Conclusion

The question, “What happens when we die?” is answered thoroughly by the Bible. We trust that your studies in the Scriptures are now helping you to gain an understanding of God’s plan and purpose. For the true believer, who has faithfully served God, death in not something to be feared. Rather, death is seen as a sleep in the dust of the earth. They are assured they will be awakened at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How much our perishing race needs this “good news”! As unbelief brought death, so belief and obedience in baptism, and continuance in well doing can result in one having a part in that wonderful age to come.

For the next study in this series, click here:

http://www.biblenews.org/The-Kingdom-of-God/ .