What Happens to the Soul at Death?
THE above-quoted reference work, however, admits that “the notion of the soul surviving after death is not readily discernible in the Bible.” What, then, does the Bible really teach about what happens to the soul at death?
The Dead Are Unconscious
2 The condition of the dead is made clear at Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10, where we read: “The dead know nothing . . . There is no pursuit, no plan, no knowledge or intelligence, within the grave.” (Moffatt) Death, therefore, is a state of nonexistence. The psalmist wrote that when a person dies, “he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish.”—Psalm 146:4.
3 So the dead are unconscious, inactive. When pronouncing sentence upon Adam, God stated: “Dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) Before God formed him from the dust of the ground and gave him life, Adam did not exist. When he died, Adam returned to that state. His punishment was death—not a transfer to another realm.
The Soul Can Die
4 When Adam died, what happened to his soul? Well, remember that in the Bible the word “soul” often simply refers to a person. So when we say that Adam died, we are saying that the soul named Adam died. This might sound unusual to a person who believes in the immortality of the soul. However, the Bible states: “The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) Leviticus 21:1 speaks of “a deceased soul” (a “corpse,” Jerusalem Bible). And Nazirites were told not to come near “any dead soul” (“a dead body,” Lamsa).—Numbers 6:6.
5 A similar reference to the soul is found at 1 Kings 19:4. A severely distressed Elijah “began to ask that his soul might die.” Likewise, Jonah “kept asking that his soul might die, and he repeatedly said: ‘My dying off is better than my being alive.’” (Jonah 4:8) And Jesus used the phrase “to kill a soul,” which The Bible in Basic English renders “to put to death.” (Mark 3:4) So the death of the soul simply means the death of the person.
“Going Out” and ‘Coming Back’
6 But what about the tragic death of Rachel, which occurred as she gave birth to her second son? At Genesis 35:18, we read: “As her soul was going out (because she died) she called his name Benoni; but his father called him Benjamin.” Does this passage imply that Rachel had an inner being that departed at her death? Not at all. Remember, the word “soul” can also refer to the life that a person possesses. So in this case Rachel’s “soul” simply meant her “life.” That is why other Bibles render the phrase “her soul was going out” as “her life was ebbing away” (Knox), “she breathed her last” (Jerusalem Bible), and “her life went from her” (Bible in Basic English). There is no indication that a mysterious part of Rachel survived her death.
7 It is similar with the resurrection of a widow’s son, recorded in 1 Kings chapter 17. In verse 22, we read that as Elijah prayed over the young boy, “Jehovah listened to Elijah’s voice, so that the soul of the child came back within him and he came to life.” Once again, the word “soul” means “life.” Thus, the New American Standard Bible reads: “The life of the child returned to him and he revived.” Yes, it was life, not some shadowy form, that returned to the boy. This is in harmony with what Elijah said to the boy’s mother: “See, your son [the whole person] is alive.”—1 Kings 17:23.
The Dilemma of the “Intermediate State”
8 Many professed Christians believe that there will be a future resurrection at which time bodies will be joined with immortal souls. Then, the resurrected ones will be consigned to their fate—either a reward for those who led a good life or retribution for the wicked.
9 This concept sounds simple. But those who adhere to belief in the soul’s immortality have trouble explaining what happens to the soul between the time of death and the time of resurrection. Indeed, this “intermediate state,” as it is often called, has stirred speculation for centuries. Some say that during this period the soul goes to purgatory, where it can be purified of venial sins so as to become fit for heaven.
10 However, as we have seen, the soul is simply the person. When the person dies, the soul dies. Hence, there is no conscious existence after death. Indeed, when Lazarus died, Jesus Christ did not say that he was in purgatory, Limbo, or any other “intermediate state.” Rather, Jesus simply said: “Lazarus has fallen asleep.” (John 11:11, New English Bible) Clearly, Jesus, who knew the truth about what happens to the soul at death, believed that Lazarus was unconscious, nonexistent.
What Is the Spirit?
11 The Bible says that when a person dies, “his spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground.” (Psalm 146:4) Does this mean that a disembodied spirit literally departs and lives on after a person’s death? That could not be, for the psalmist next says: “In that day his thoughts do perish” (“all his thinking ends,” NEB). What, then, is the spirit, and how does it ‘go out’ from a person at the time of his death?
12 In the Bible the words translated “spirit” (Hebrew, ru′ach; Greek, pneu′ma) basically mean “breath.” Thus, instead of “his spirit goes out,” the translation by R. A. Knox uses the phrase “the breath leaves his body.” (Psalm 145:4, Knox) But the word “spirit” implies much more than the act of breathing. For example, in describing the destruction of human and animal life at the time of the global Deluge, Genesis 7:22 says: “Everything in which the breath of the force [or, spirit; Hebrew, ru′ach] of life was active in its nostrils, namely, all that were on the dry ground, died.” So “spirit” can refer to the life-force that is active in all living creatures, both humans and animals, and that is sustained by breathing.
13 To illustrate: Electric current powers a piece of equipment. If the current stops, the equipment ceases to function. The current does not take on a life of its own. Similarly, when a person dies, his spirit ceases to animate the body cells. It does not leave the body and move on to another realm.—Psalm 104:29.
14 Why, then, does Ecclesiastes 12:7 state that when a person dies, “the spirit itself returns to the true God who gave it”? Does this mean that the spirit literally travels through space into God’s presence? Nothing of the sort is implied. Remember, the spirit is the life-force. Once that life-force is gone, only God has the ability to restore it. So the spirit “returns to the true God” in the sense that any hope of future life for that person now rests entirely with God.
15 Only God can restore the spirit, or life-force, causing a person to come back to life. (Psalm 104:30)
