Are the Dead Really Dead?
This Study Looks at Scriptures that Deal with the Doctrine of Death
In order to have a clear understanding of what happens to people when they die, it’s important to understand what the Bible says about how God made human beings in the first place. Genesis 2:7 says, “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.” Note that the body (made of the dust of the ground) with the breath of life, formed a living soul. The Bible here does not say that an everlasting soul or spirit was added to the body.
Where Does a Person Go When He or She Dies?
A very clear text on what happens when a person dies can be found in Ecclesiates 12:7. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Notice that this verse says nothing about wicked spirits going to hell or righteous spirits going to heaven. It says that when a person dies, “the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
What is the Spirit?
So, what is the “spirit” referred to in the above verse? James 2:26 gives a clue. “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” The margin gives the meaning for “spirit” in this verse to be “breath”. Job 27:3 also sheds some light on the meaning of “spirit”. “All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.” Here the marginal reference supplies “the breath which God gave him” for “the spirit of God”. So then, the spirit that returns to God at death, is the breath of life that God supplies to each person.
What is a Soul?
What then is a soul? Looking again at Genesis 2:7, it’s clear that a soul is a combination of two things. “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.” Here the Bible teaches that a soul is a body plus breath. A soul is a living person. Living people are souls.
What the Bible Says About the Immortal Soul
Does the Bible teach that souls are immortal? Ezekiel 18:20 answers this question. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Revelation 16:3 also shows that souls are mortal. “And every living soul died in the sea.”
It’s clear from these verses that the Bible teaches that the word “spirit” in the Bible refers to breath and nothing more. It’s also clear from these verses that a soul is a living person, not an immortal, ever-living entity.
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