One of the most deceptive doctrines is the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. This teaching suggests that humans don’t actually die, but instead our souls are merely transferred to a new dimension of living. Some believe the soul is reincarnated into another life form, some believe it goes to purgatory, others believe it goes to heaven or hell – but some form of an immediate afterlife.
This doctrine has permeated the religious world with its false promises and claims. The truth of the matter is that when we die, our souls enter the sleep of death, and will not be resurrected until Christ returns.
Soul immortality is a dangerous doctrine. If we believe in soul immortality, it becomes easy to accept other false ideas such as spiritism, reincarnation, and necromancy.
Soul immortality also offers a false hope, because it allows for multiple chances to qualify for salvation—whether through the time of tribulation after the rapture, or purgatory, etc. These doctrines or practices are all rooted in a false perception of death.
WHY DEATH EXISTS
First, we must understand “why” death exists, and the Bible clearly tells us: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). So, SIN is responsible for bringing DEATH into our world. Here’s how it happened. In Genesis, we find the record of God creating our world in six days, and He rested on the seventh day. Into this perfect world God placed Adam and Eve, the first two human beings. They were perfect in health and stature, for they were made in God’s own image. And they would have lived eternally, had they not chosen their own way, their own wisdom. They made a choice contrary to God, thereby causing separation and were evicted from the Garden.
Breath, Life, and Spirit
The origins of life and death are a mystery that even the scientific world cannot solve. The Scriptures, however, provide clear-cut answers on the origin of life and the origin and state of death. According to the Creation account, humanity received the gift of life from God:
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).
The Hebrew word for “breath” in Genesis 2:7 is neshamah: the life-giving principle. The breath is equivalent to life itself (Isaiah 2:22). Another Hebrew word which is translated 28 times as “breath” in the King James Version is ruach, which can also mean “wind,” “disposition,” or “spirit.” It is translated 237 times as “spirit” in the KJV. In Genesis 2:7, God’s breath makes the inanimate material come to life, and transforms it into a living soul.
Job correlates the usage of breath and the spirit, saying, “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3).
Moses reported that the breath of life was in Adam’s nostrils, whereas Job referred to both terms, saying that the spirit of the Lord was in his nostrils. Hence, the Hebrew terms neshamah and ruach are used here in a similar context—namely life itself. According to the Scriptures, all living creatures received life in the same way from God, and are subject to the same fate (Genesis 2:19; 7:15).
Both human and beast “have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast” (Ecclesiastes 3:19). And since humans and beasts have one breath, they also die the same way. “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts…as the one dieth, so dieth the other (Ecclesiastes 3:19).” Both humans and animals were created from dust. When they die they return again to dust; the reverse of Creation (Genesis 3:19). Some even say at death that we are uncreated.
The Hebrew for “soul” is nephesh, and both the terms ruach and nephesh have frequently been misapplied to suit unBiblical positions about death.
A Biblical Understanding of Death
Many religions teach that the human soul is immortal, and only the physical body actually dies. They see death as the transition from one state of consciousness to another.
According to this doctrine, the soul is a separate entity that only resides in the body of the living. However, the text of Genesis 2:7 clearly states that God breathed into the formed man the “breath of life” and the man became a living soul. He did not receive a living soul; he became one. The New King James Bible states, “man became a living being.”
Immortality
Of the Bible’s 1,700 references to the soul and the spirit, neither the soul or spirit is ever declared to be immortal or eternal. In fact, 1 Timothy tells us that only God is immortal. The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is full of false hope and negates the message of death. If humans continue to live—albeit in an altered state—then there is no need for the atoning death of Christ. Christ died to restore life to those who had forfeited it through sin.
In Eden, God said that Adam and Eve would die if they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). God did not say, “Your body will die, and you will enter a new state of consciousness.”
It was the serpent who lied to Eve, saying, “You will not die.” The idea that our soul is immortal is a lie that originated in Eden to convince us that we are immortal like God.
We are not immortal, but it’s true that we were never meant to die. Death entered the world as a consequence of sin (Romans 6:23). Only when Adam and Eve chose to ignore God’s good plan and choose death did it become a reality.
When someone dies, their spirit, or breath of life, returns to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7). God takes back the life (ruach, spirit, breath) that He granted on condition of obedience, and the person ceases to live. When God said that humans would surely die if we transgressed His requirements (Genesis 2:17), He meant that we would cease to live, and would return to dust.
Martin Luther puts it this way:
We should learn to view our death in the right light, so that we need not become alarmed on account of it, as unbelief does; because in Christ it is indeed not death, but a fine, sweet and brief sleep, which brings us release from this vale of tears, from sin and from the fear and extremity of real death and from all the misfortunes of this life, and we shall be secure and without care, rest sweetly and gently for a brief moment, as on a sofa, until the time when He shall awaken us together with all His dear children to His eternal glory and joy…For since we call it a sleep, we know that we shall not remain in it, but be again awakened and live, and that the time during which we sleep, shall seem no longer than if we had just fallen asleep… Hence we shall censure ourselves that we were surprised or alarmed at such a sleep in the hour of death, and suddenly come alive out of the grave and from decomposition, and entirely well, fresh, with a pure, clear, glorified life, meet our Lord and savior Jesus Christ in the clouds…Scripture everywhere affords such consolation, which speaks of the death of the saints, as if they fell asleep and were gathered to their fathers, that is had overcome death through this faith and comfort in Christ, and awaited the resurrection, together with the saints who preceeded them in death.i
The Bible Describes Death
Far from being a conscious state, death is the ultimate state of non-being or unconsciousness, and is described as such in the Scriptures:
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish (Psalm 146:4).
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6).
For in death there is no remembrance of You (Psalm 6:5 NKJV).
The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence (Psalm 115:17).
So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep (Job 14:12).
Humans lie in the sleep of death until the resurrection at the end of time. Then, and only then, will we awake and be raised out of what David called the “sleep of death” (Psalm 13:3).
The Bible Simply Calls ‘Death’ Sleep
The dead are the asleep and are awaiting one special occasion – their resurrection. Death is called “sleep” at least 50 times in the Bible. We are to regard it as a sound, dreamless, painless, unaware sleep. A person may have been in the tomb 1,000 years, but when raised in the resurrection it will seem to him the next moment in time. Jesus told us where the dead are — read John 5:28-29. They all wait in their graves for the resurrection. Death is not life in heaven, hellfire, limbo, or purgatory. It is not life of any kind. IN death the soul does not live, the spirit does not live, the body does not live.
As stated previously, the words “soul” and “spirit” are used over 1,700 times in the Bible, but not one time is either given any life or personality or wisdom or knowledge when separated from the body. Body plus Breath equals “soul” — Breath is not referring to one’s common breathing, but breath as the “divine spark of life,” and when someone dies, the spirit (or breath) returns to God, it is not a disembodied soul. When a man dies, “his breath goeth forth, he returneth to earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Psa. 146:4). Again, Ecclesiastes 9:5-6,10 tells it very clearly: “the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything.” Zilch. Zero. Nada. Nothing.
Sleep Texts
“For now shall I sleep in the dust, and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.” (Job 7:21).
“Man dieth… and where is he? So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” (Job 14:10,12).
Both the Old Testament AND the New Testament are in total harmony about “death” being a sleep. “They stoned Stephen… and… he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:59-60).
“They… which are fallen asleep in Christ.” (I Cor. 15:6, 18, 20).
“And the Lord said unto Moses, behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers.” (Duet. 31:16).
“So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.” [1 Kings 2:10].
“And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father.” [1 Kings 11:43].
“For David… fell asleep, and was laid unto his fathers…” [Acts 13:36].
“Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep…” [2 Peter 3:4].
Also see:
1 Kings 11:21; 14:20; 14:31; 15:8; 15:24; 16:6; 16:28; 22:40
2 Kings 8:24; 10:35; 13:9; 13:13; 14:16; 14:22; 14:29; 15:7; 15:22; 15:38; 16:20; 20:21; 21:18; 24:6
2 Chron. 9:31; 12:16; 14:1; 16:13; 21:1; 26:2; 26:23; 27:9; 28:27; 32:33
“…lest I sleep the sleep of death.” [Psa. 13:3].
Only God Possess Immortality
Humans simply die as God said we would because of sin. We lay in the grave until either the resurrection to life or the resurrection to condemnation. Many believe that the SOUL of man is IMMORTAL The words “soul” and “spirit” are used 1,700 times in the bible, but not one time are either given any life, personality, wisdom, or knowledge.
The word “soul” in the Bible usually means ‘a person’, a “living being”. Sometimes it means “life” (Job 12:10), and sometimes it means the “mind” or the “intellect.” (Psalms 139:14). When someone says, “Oh, you poor soul,” they are not talking about a ghostly part of you, they are referring to the whole you. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Eze.18:4). Here we see an example of soul meaning the person dies. That’s what the Bible says about souls. The “soul” of man, by itself, does not naturally possess immortality. There is no use of the phrase “immortal soul” in the Bible. “Immortal” in scripture is ONLY used to describe ‘the only wise God” and NOT TO MAN (Romans 1:23; I Tim. 1:17, 6:16). “The King of kings, and Lord of lords… only hath immortality.” (I Tim. 6:15-16). The bible does talk about those that are resurrected to life will ‘put on immortality’ at that time, but never does the bible say man has an ‘immortal soul’.
Twin Lies of Eden
The foundational elements of spiritualism can be traced back to the Garden of Eden Read the story in Genesis 3.
The Bible teaches that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). God made it perfectly clear in Eden that if Adam and Eve were to disobey His law, they would have to suffer the consequences—that is, losing their immortality.
Adam and Eve were going to live forever before they sinned. God had put the Tree of Life in the Garden for them to eat from and as long as they ate from it, they would live. But after Adam and Eve sinned—by eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil—they were forced out of the Garden so that they could no longer eat from the Tree of Life.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
In her answer to the serpent, Eve makes it quite clear that she fully understood what God had said:
And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die (Genesis 3:2-3).
Satan counters with the first two lies spoken to humankind, namely: “You shall not surely die,” and “You will be like God.”
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods; knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5).
The twin lies of human divinity and immortality have been Satan’s foundation for his counterfeit religion throughout the ages. He has been using these lies to hide from us the importance of seeking salvation in Christ.
If we are immortal, we do not need Christ to help us regain the immortality we have not lost. If we are divine, we become His equal and are capable of saving ourselves. With this masterpiece of Satan, the plan of salvation becomes futile.
The Biblical account shows us that the very character of Satan was transferred to humanity:
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat (Genesis 3:6).
More on these Two Issues
Remember the serpent saying: Genesis 3: 4,5: 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Two issues arose at this point, obedience and worship. Adam and Eve had to exercise choice as to whether or not they were going to obey God (eat of the tree or not eat of the tree) and whether or not they would be their own god determining what is good or evil for themselves or trust and follow God’s commands (worship self or worship God). Up to this point, nothing had died, but they had an educated knowledge of what death was because God told them before they would SURELY die…they had to know what that meant.
The result, Adam and Eve eventually died, and it is the demise of every single human being. We know Satan is a liar and murderer, and disobedience has devastating consequences (John 8:44-47). God told Adam and Eve that they could live eternally on ONE condition: If they obeyed. God was NOT playing dictator here; he was giving them the shield of his governance that would preserve them and keep them well and safe. As a creator He knew these things. Just as parents say “don’t play in the street”, they are trying to keep their child from getting hit by a car; so, they were striving to keep the child safe and in good health.
Adam and Eve’s entire existence hinged upon staying connected to God, and living in harmony and peace with Him. God is the life-giver, a loving God, and he desires our love and desires that we love others; that is living in obedience to Him (Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:30-31, Luke 10:27-28). Adam and Eve were given only one very simple restriction: DO NOT EAT OF THE FRUIT OF ONE CERTAIN TREE IN THEIR GARDEN OF EDEN. By taking and eating from the forbidden tree, they allowed Satan to take over dominion which brought death, to not only themselves, but all of mankind. Christ came to destroy Satan who has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14). Genesis 2:17 reads, “For in the day that you eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Did God mean die that day? Yes, and a lamb died that day which pointed to Christ. Death did occur, and if it was not for the plan of salvation that was in place, both Adam and Eve would have perished that same day. However, from that day on, they marked a date of death for themselves.
Satan twisted God’s words, twisted Adam and Eve’s perception of those words, and twisted their perception of God Himself. Eve decided to take the word of the serpent over God’s word. She ate the FORBIDDEN FRUIT, Adam ate also, and mankind began a rollercoaster ride towards death. Adam and Eve’s relationship with God changed…they became afraid and mankind could no longer stand in the presence of God. Eternal life was removed, and their bodies began to age and slip into the darkness of a world without God’s blessings. Genesis 3:19, “…for dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.” Our world became a world of sin… a world where death awaits us all. “Wherefore, as by one person sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned…” (Romans 5:12).
In that instance, Adam and Eve handed over dominion of this world to Satan (Luke 4:5-6). He became the prince of:
this world (John 12:1, 31, John 14:30, John 16:11, 2 Cor. 4:4, Rev. 2:13),
of darkness (Eph. 6:12-13, Acts 26:18, Col. 1:13, Jude 6),
of lies and deceit (John 8:44-47, verses),
of the power of the air (Eph.2:1-5).
The bible is clear, Satan is the god of earth (2 Cor. 4:4, Rev. 2:13).
By their decision, they gave their allegiance to Satan, this is what Satan has been seeking from the beginning of his iniquity…he wants worship, he wants to sit in the place of God (Isaiah 14:12-17). He is the ‘spirit’ over the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-5). The ‘children of disobedience’ are those who refuse God’s mercy (1 John 5:18-19). Thank God for the precious gift that all have available through His Son, just as Adam and Eve had the gift of mercy and forgiveness – we to have the same gift.
Now we understand how death entered our world and who has the power of death. We must realize, that Christ conquered Satan that has the power of death. Those that accept Christ and his mercy may die, but are guaranteed eternal life through Christ. Those that refuse Christ and his mercy will experience eternal death, which the bible called the second death. This will be further explained below, also see the page titled: “Truth About Hell and Hellfire”.
The Resurrection of Lazarus
The Bible teaches that humans sleep in death until they are resurrected at the end of time. The resurrection of Lazarus illustrates this Biblical truth. Read the full story in John 11.
While speaking to His disciples about Lazarus, Jesus said, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.” His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleep he shall do well.” The disciples were confused and thought Christ meant natural sleep, but He meant the sleep of death. “Howbeit Jesus spake of his death; but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead” (John 11:11-14).
“On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days” (John 11:17 NIV). Jesus said to Lazarus’ sister Martha, “Thy brother shall rise again.”
Martha responded, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day” (John 11:23-24). Martha knew the truth about death. She expected that, like everyone, Lazarus would remain in the sleep of death until the resurrection at the last day.
When Jesus called for Lazarus, “he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth” (John 11:43). That voice raised dead Lazarus to life, and Jesus said, “Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:44). If Lazarus had indeed been somewhere in the afterlife during those four days, wouldn’t he have said something? Others might have asked him about the afterlife. Or, if Lazarus had been to heaven, then he would have likely been upset that he was back on Earth, surrounded by pain and brokenness again. But in reality, Lazarus gives us no account whatsoever of heaven or anywhere else.
The fact, of course, is that there was nothing to report about what happened after he died, or about the realm of the dead, simply because he had experienced the sleep of death which is a state of absolute silence and oblivion. Psalm 115:17
David
“For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.” [Isa. 38:18; Psa. 88:10-12]. Even David waits in his grave. “He is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day… for David is not ascended into the heavens.” Why? Because he too awaits his resurrection. [Acts 2:29, 34].
Resurrection
Both the Old and New Testaments are very clear on the issue of resurrection. Life will be restored to the dead in the resurrection on the last day. Passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, Job 14:10-15 and 19:25-26, Psalm 17:15, and Daniel 12:13 discuss this issue. There will be separate resurrections for the righteous and for the wicked:
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:28-29).
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16 NKJV).
But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5-6 NKJV).
The same voice that raised Lazarus from the grave will be heard on that last day, calling forth those who have fallen asleep in death. Christ will recreate the righteous dead, or better said the “dead in Christ.” He will breathe eternal life into them, and they shall enter heaven. The rebellious dead, who rejected Christ, remain as dust to be raised after the millennium in the second resurrection.
Resurrection of those who Reject Christ – Satan Freed at the Resurrection of the Rejecters of God
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them (Revelation 20:7-9 NKJV).
Chains of circumstances will bind Satan when the rejecters of God are slain. For a thousand years, Satan and his evil angels will be trapped on the empty earth, with nothing to do but to contemplate the results of their chosen path. The rebellious people will come back to life when the thousand years are over and their sentence will be executed (Revelation 20:5).
The resurrection of the rebellious of all ages will loose Satan’s chains of circumstances, and he will spurn on the resurrected millions to take the Holy City (the New Jerusalem), which has come down from heaven, in one final effort to retain power (See Zechariah 14:4-5, Revelation 21:2,10).
God fights the Final Battle
In Ezekiel 38:2 and 39:6, Gog the king of Magog is described as an enemy of God’s people. He is the leader of the host that would attack restored Israel (Ezekiel 38:2, 14-19), but he will meet his end “after many days” (Ezekiel 38:8).
“And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel’” (Ezekiel 38:18-19 NKJV).
God will destroy Gog. God shows in this prophecy that Israel does not battle at all. Gog stands as a symbol of the leader of rebellion – Satan himself.
At the end of time, God will permit the final act of rebellion (the attack on the New Jerusalem) by Satan, his hosts, and the resurrected people who had turned away from God. He will do this to dispel any lingering doubt that the unrighteous—those in opposition to God and His people—are evil. Good and evil will stand opposite each other: God’s people within the city, Satan’s people without. Fire will come out of heaven and devour them, this is the lake of fire where the second death occurs. This is final, they are no more.