Category Archives: The Afterlife

What Happens to You When You Die?

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Restoration of Truth Series: The State of the Dead

by Nathan Lawrence
Hoshana Rabbah Biblical Resources at www.HoshanaRabbah.org

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Yeshua the Messiah, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which Elohim has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19–21, emphasis added)

It has been the common belief among nearly all Christians universally for nineteen hundred years that upon physical death a person’s soul immediately separates from their body and lives immortally either in heaven or in hellfire. In this brief study we will show incontrovertible proof that this cornerstone of Christian orthodoxy needs to be reexamined, and that the idea of the soul being immortal is of non-biblical (even Satanic) origination. Admittedly, this is not a salvational issue, but this belief is detrimental to one’s biblical understanding, since it leads to a skewed view of several other key biblical truths. This belief also hinders the advancement of YHVH’s kingdom as we will also demonstrate below. If you are a bold truth seeker, and not timid about questioning sacred cow beliefs then read on.

Does Man Possess an Immortal Soul?

This question of the immortality of the human soul should not be passed over quickly. Why? Because nearly all of the world’s false, non-biblical religions believe that each person possesses an immortal soul that lives on after death. To the questioning mind, shouldn’t the universality of this idea be suspect? Therefore, shouldn’t it behoove the assiduous truth-seeker to know the origination of this belief? Is it biblical or from some other source? These are excellent questions that we will answer below. The answers affects everyone! 

The Source Is Not Elohim!

The first place in the Bible that the immortality of the soul concept is mentioned is in Genesis chapter three—literally at the beginning of man’s existence on earth, and the source of this idea was not YHVH Elohim, the Creator of man. Rather it was from the spiritual entity Yeshua the Messiah labeled as “the father of all lies” (John 8:44), Satan the devil, the serpent (Rev 12:9). 

We pick up the story of how the immortal soul idea come into man’s initial awareness way back in the Garden of Eden at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, where the serpent (i.e., Satan the devil; Rev 12:9), in enticing the woman to eat from the forbidden tree, told her that “you shall not surely die” even though YHVH had told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate of it (Gen 2:8–9; 3:1–6). Was the serpent the originator of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, According to the Bible, the answer is yes! As we shall now discover, this concept was not even an aspect of Old Testament theology.

An Analysis of the Hebrew Word Nephesh

Upon a careful analysis of all the Bible scriptures on this subject from both the Tanakh (i.e., Old Testament or OT) and Testimony of Yeshua (i.e., New Testament or NT), a truth becomes clear. Man possesses a soul, but nowhere does Scripture state that his soul is immortal. An understanding of how Scripture uses the Hebrew word nephesh (in the OT) and the Greek word psuche (in the nT)—both translated as “soul” in our Bibles—reveals that notion that the soul of man is immortal is to overlay the Word of Elohim with a concept that is foreign to biblical truth. This is because neither the OT nor the NT indicate that the soul is immortal, but rather that it is simply that part of a human that defines who one is. That is, it is merely one’s personality, character, emotional make-up, mental capabilities and the volitional or will part of a person.

Let’s now examine the actual meanings of the words nephesh and psuche. According to The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (volume 9, p. 617ff), Scripture equated nephesh with the breath of man, the blood of man and the person of man. In the latter, it is used as a term for the total nature of man, for what he is, not just what he has. The same cannot be said of the spirit, heart or flesh part of man. The classical text in Genesis 2:7 clearly expresses this truth when it calls man in his totality a nephesh hai-yah or “a living being” (NKJV) or “a living soul” (KJV). The nephesh has no existence apart from the body. Hence the best translation in many instances is “person”comprised in corporeal (relating to the physical body, as opposed to one’s spirit) reality. Nephsesh can denote what is most individual in human nature, namely, the ego (ibid. p. 620).

Nephesh as used in the OT can also be an expression of the will. The nepheshis manifest in orientation to an object, whether this be the elemental realities of hunger and thirst on the one side (Deut 12:15,20; 1 Sam 2:16, etc.) or the lofty aspiration of yearning for Elohim on the other (Ps 103:1). Nephesh can refer to the sex drive (Gen 34:3; Jer 2:24), to hatred (Ps 27:12), to pain and sorrow (1 Sam 1:10; 30:6), to the will (Gen 23:8), and the supreme striving of man for Elohim (Isa 26:9; Ps 63:1; 84:2, etc.) (ibid., pp. 621–622).

Based on these definitions of the word nephesh as used in the OT, we see that the Bible refers to the soul of man as the mind, the will and emotions. It refers to who one is as a person or one’s personality. It is in this Hebraic sense that the writers of the NT would be using the term soul (e.g., 1 Thess 5:23). There is no reason to assume that the apostolic writers referred to man’s soul in anything other than Hebraic terms to the exclusion of any Hellenistic (pagan Greek) concepts of the immortal soul.

Further Study of the Hebrew word Nephesh/Soul from Various Lexicons

The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament is not the only expert lexical source that reveals the meaning of the word soul as used in the Scriptures and debunks the notion that it is immortal. The following is a list of several other notable lexicons that contain similar information.

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The Kingdom of Elohim Explained (An Ignored Subject in the Church)

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If you were to ask the average Christian to define the term “the kingdom of God” or “the kingdom of heaven,” how would they respond? They might say something like, “It is going to heaven when you die.” Or maybe they would think that it is the church or Christianity as a whole at work on this earth. More likely their answer would be some nebulous, pie-in-the-sky concept that is based more in Christian fantasy than biblical Truth. All of these answers would be missing the mark as to how the Bible defines this most overlooked subject in Christianity. So how does the Bible define the kingdom of heaven and why is it important to know?

To be sure, the kingdom of heaven or Elohim is a major, not to be underestimated, missing element in the preaching of the gospel in the mainstream Christian church and, I suspect, most so-called Hebrews roots or Messianic congregations as well. This is despite the fact that Yeshua made this subject a central theme of his preaching ministry and commanded his disciples to do so as well. This is also despite the fact the Gospels succinctly define the gospel message of John the Baptist, Yeshua and his disciples as “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Not only do few churches teach about repentance of sin or Torahlessness, but fewer still teach about the kingdom of heaven. This is a missing truth needs to be rediscovered and emphasized once again as it was in the first century.

This gross failure and blatant overlooking of this key aspect of the gospel message by most Bible teachers is punctuated by the fact that the kingdom of Elohim is the fourth most mentioned subject from Yeshua’s lips during his ministry (144 references in the Gospels of Matthew and John alone). The only other subjects that Yeshua mention more frequently were himself (316 references), his Father (184 references), the hypocritical religionists of his day (e.g., the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees et al with 177 references) followed by the kingdom of Elohim or heaven. In the Gospel of Matthew alone, “the kingdom of heaven” is mentioned 33 times. In the New Testament, “the kingdom of God” is mentioned 69 times. Obviously, Yeshua and the apostolic writers considered the kingdom of Elohim to be an important topic, and maybe our understanding of Scripture along with our future destiny would be expanded were we to follow suit.

Since the Gospel writers juxtaposed the two subjects of repentance and the kingdom of heaven, it is worth noting that the Bible is clear about an important truth: Without repentance of sin, one cannot enter the kingdom of Elohim. There is zero place for sin in the presence of a holy or set-apart (in Heb. kadosh), totally pure and sinless Elohim, for, as we read in the Bible, without holiness, no one will see Elohim (Heb 12:14).

Before delving into the subject of the kingdom of Elohim or heaven, let’s briefly note some other subjects that the modern church is more likely to teach about instead and then hold that up against the template of the actual words of Yeshua. 

During his ministry, Yeshua preached on about 136 topics. The following list contains a number of topics that the modern church often teaches about compared to the number times Yeshua talked about them:

  • Prophecy – 1 time
  • The rapture or the resurrection of the dead – 1 time
  • Grace – 1 time
  • Money – 3 times
  • Material blessings – 4 times
  • Forgiveness – 24 times
  • Heaven –10 times
  • Hell – 17 times
  • Salvation – 27 times
  • Sexuality – 2 times
  • Sickness (physical) – 1 time
  • The soul –1 time
  • Some subjects Yeshua never discussed include:
  • Self-esteem
  • Retirement
  • Sex, Sexual pleasure and fulfillment
  • Racism, Diversity, Inclusion (or so-called “wokeness”)
  • Sexual orientation
  • Self-fulfillment
  • Personal happiness
  • Social welfare
  • Politics
  • The economy
  • You fill in the blank as to the favorite subject of your local church pastor. It is likely it is not on the list of Yeshua topics!

Why is it vital to our spiritual understanding to learn about and then embrace the concept of the kingdom of Elohim? Because the establishment of the kingdom of Elohim starts with you and me. Yeshua declared that it actually starts within each person—in the heart and mind of each individual (Luke 17:21). He brought the kingdom of heaven down with him to the earth, deposited a bit of its spiritual territory into each of his disciples and then commissioned them to go forth and to expand that kingdom one life at a time. This is done by being salt and light to the world, and as each of us shares the good news of that kingdom everywhere. Are you fulfilling your role to be an emissary or ambassador for the kingdom of Elohim? If so, how?

The Scriptures have many things to say about the kingdom of Elohim that we need to learn about and that affect us directly. Let’s briefly explore some of the ramifications of this subject.

The Kingdom of Elohim Was a Main Theme of Yeshua’s Ministry and the Gospel Message

Spreading the good news of the kingdom of heaven or Elohim was the central theme of the gospel message. John the Baptist, Yeshua and his disciples all laid out the template for us to follow:

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt 3:1–2)

From that time Yeshua began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matt 4:17)

These twelve Yeshua sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” (Matt 10:5–7)

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Faith & Holiness—The Keys to Immortality and a Glorious Destiny!

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The destiny of the saint is to be a king or a priest in the millennium under King Yeshua the Messiah, and the redeemed believer is now in training to fulfill their ultimate destiny. What does this mean and how are we to live and act in preparation for the future as glorified sons and daughters of YHVH Elohim? Watch and learn to discover what the Bible says about this wonderful truth! This is a stirring, provocative yet encouraging video.

 

Will some people be given a second chance at the second resurrection?

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What happens to people who die without ever hearing the gospel message, but who live according to the light of Elohim’s Torah-standards that he he has written in their inner spirit or conscience? Will they have a second chance at salvation? Paul seems to suggest so in Romans 2:12–16 as do several of the other apostolic writers. What about babies who die in the womb, or are aborted, or children who die before the biblical age of accountability? Will they burn for ever in the tormenting fires of hell? If so, then how could a loving Elohim approve of this? Watch this video to discover the surprising answers to these tough questions from the pages of the Bible.