Following are some of the Bible texts which are quoted as supposedly supporting the view of man not being “unconscious at death” but having an immortal soul, together with brief explanations.
Please note that many more such texts are explained in the “Common Concerns” sections of Topics 9 and 12 of this series.
The Witch of Endor – 1 Samuel 28
- Samuel (a righteous man) came “up” out of the earth, not down from heaven (vs 15).
- The witch saw an old man, not an intangible soul (vs 14).
- Samuel said “Why hast thou disquieted me…?” indicating he was not enjoying the bliss of heaven, but rather the sleep of death (cf Job 3:17; Ecc 9:5,10, John 11 esp vs 11, 24, 25, 44).
- the witch “cried with a loud voice” (vs 12) when suddenly confronted by an unexpectedSamuel.
“And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.” 1 Kings 17:21
- The child was dead. He died when life was lost, he became living when life was restored. The Hebrew word, “nephesh” translated “soul” in this passage is translated “life” in Genesis 9;4, Lev 17:11, Deut 12:23.
- If the soul of the child went immediately to bliss in heaven, would it not have been better for the prophet to have left the soul of the child to enjoy bliss in heaven rather than to recall it to the travail of earthly life?
“The spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes 12:7
- The passage makes no distinction between “good” and “bad” spirits.
- If the spirit is to return to God, it must have come from God. But who would suggest one has a conscious existence before the earthly life begins? Therefore, there is no reason to expect a conscious existence when this life ends.
- The word, “spirit: (Heb. “ruach”) is the same as in Ecc 3:19 (Heb “ruach”, translated “breath”). Would any argue that beasts have, or are, immortal “spirits”?
- The writer of Ecclesiastes emphatically teaches the mortality of man. (See Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10; 3:19, 20).
The rich man and Lazarus – Luke 16:19-31
- This passage is a “parable” although it is not named a “parable” specifically. Note that only 11 of the 26 parables recorded in Luke’s gospel are actually named “parables”.
- This passage mentions neither heaven nor souls.
- Note that the passage speaks about bodies not souls, eg, eyes, bosom (vs 23) tip of finger and tongue (vs 24).
- Souls are said to be immaterial – how then could Lazarus (if really a soul) be carried by angels? (v22)
- The passage states that there was a great gulf fixed between Abraham and the rich man, yet they could both see and converse with each other (vs 26). Is the great gulf to be taken literally?
- Is heaven literally a place where conversations can be carried on between those enjoying bliss and those agonising in hell?
- How could Lazarus go literally to Abraham’s bosom? Abraham (as now) was unquestionably dead and without his reward (Hebrews 11:8, 13, 39, 40).
- Jesus used a false idea of the Pharisees (immortality of the soul) to convey a lesson as he did in Matthew 12:27 where he makes reference to Beelzebub, “the lord of the fly”, but this does not commit him to a belief in a real “lord of the fly”.