On the Britannica website we read the following:
“Human beings seem always to have had some notion of a shadowy double that survives the death of the body. But the idea of the soul as a mental entity, with intellectual and moral qualities, interacting with a physical organism but capable of continuing after its dissolution, derives in Western thought from Plato and entered into Judaism during approximately the last century before the Common Era and thence into Christianity. In Jewish and Christian thinking it has existed in tension with the idea of the resurrection of the person conceived as an indissoluble psychophysical unity. Christian thought gradually settled into a pattern that required both of these apparently divergent ideas. At death the soul is separated from the body and exists in a conscious or unconscious disembodied state. But on the future Day of Judgement souls will be re-embodied (whether in their former but now transfigured earthly bodies or in new resurrection bodies) and will live eternally in the heavenly kingdom.”
This is one of several “explanations” of our future in heaven. It is by far not the only one, as we will discuss below in more detail.
However, we can see from this information how the thinking of pagan philosophers can infiltrate Christianity and then it can become a cornerstone belief of orthodox Christianity. Just like the Trinity, for example. But because of this supposedly Biblical belief, we should be able to readily see how this can then lead on to other errors.
We read in Matthew 7:24-27 what Jesus had to say about getting the foundations right:
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
We have proved time and again that, at death, we don’t go to either heaven (for the good) or hell (for the evil). However, many Christian writers and theologians seem to think otherwise. For example, one well-known author of many Christian books wrote the following:
“When a Christian dies he enters what theologians call the ‘intermediate state,’ a transitional period between life on Earth and the future resurrection to life on the New Earth. Usually when we talk about ‘Heaven,’ we mean the place that Christians go when they die. When we tell our children ‘Grandma’s now in Heaven,’ we’re referring to what I prefer to call the present Heaven (the word intermediate sometimes confuses people).
“The present Heaven is a temporary lodging, a waiting place (a delightful one!) until the return of Christ and our bodily resurrection. The eternal Heaven, the New Earth, is our true home, the place where we will live forever with our Lord and each other. The great redemptive promises of God will find their ultimate fulfillment on the New Earth, not in the present Heaven.
“Though the present Heaven is not our final destination, it’s a wonderful place, and it’s understandable that those who have had loved ones die in Christ wonder what life is like for them there. Based on the Bible’s teaching, we know several things: the present Heaven is a real (and possibly physical) place. Those who love Jesus and trust Him for their salvation will be with Him there, together with all who have died in Christ. We will be awake and cognizant. And because we will be with Jesus, it is ‘better by far’ than our present existence.”
By believing this concept, then other beliefs have to be “bent out of shape” to fit in with this foundational error!
However, this explanation is not the standard one in orthodox Christianity, nor is it the most accepted one. The author combines false “Christian” concepts with some correct Scriptures about the heavenly Jerusalem coming down to earth, but he totally misunderstands and misinterprets those passages as well.
When researching our final destination in Christian thinking on the Internet, this is what we are told:
“In many religious traditions, including Christianity, the concept of ‘Heaven’ suggests an eternal abode, a place where believers reside with God forever… For the Christian faith, Heaven is: an eternity in the presence of God. the ultimate aim for all Christians in order for their soul to be reunited with God and united with Christ.”
According to this common view, a new Jerusalem on earth does not even come into play.
Why do many come to the conclusion that we go to heaven (or hell) when we die? The answer is that they believe that man is an immortal soul.
In an article “Death in Different Religions” we read the religious hodgepodge that man has created over the course of the last 6,000 years in relation to life after death. Here are some snippets of information from this article:
“Christianity
“Most Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus and the existence of the afterlife. Many believe that moral decisions that we make on Earth determine whether we go to Heaven or Hell. Catholics believe that before we reach Heaven, we must first pass through Purgatory, a place where we must purify our sins. Catholics also believe that praying for the deceased can help them get into Heaven from Purgatory.” We covered this approach in our booklet “Why This Confusion About Life After Death.”
“Islam
“Muslims believe that after our physical death on Earth, our soul lives on and goes to the Angel of Death to wait for Judgement Day. The Qur’an teaches that on the day of judgement, the righteous will go to Jannat (Paradise) and the sinners will go to Jahannam (Hell).
“Judaism
“Judaism is ambiguous about what happens when we die. While Jews tend to focus more on their life on Earth, most Jewish people believe in an afterlife, and it can come in many forms. Some Jews believe in reincarnation, while others believe in the World to Come, which is similar to Heaven.
“Buddhism
“Buddhists believe that when we die, we are reincarnated into another body. After death and before rebirth, each person passes through the state called Bardo, which can be a time of great insight and liberation. For Buddhists, the ultimate goal is to break out of the cycle of reincarnation by attaining Nirvana, an end to suffering. In order to reach such a state of enlightenment, Buddhists believe we must meditate and purify our minds.
“Hinduism
“Hindus share similar beliefs with Buddhists when it comes to death and the afterlife. They also believe in reincarnation, and believe that we can be reborn not only into humans, but also into animals, plants, or even insects.
Further religions, like most of the ones quoted above seem to believe in an immortal soul. For example:
Native American Spirituality – Many tribes believe in a spirit world or an afterlife where the souls of the deceased reside.
African Traditional Religions – Ancestors play a significant role, and there is a belief in the continuation of life after death.
Zoroastrianism – The soul is judged after death and sent to either heaven or hell based on its deeds in life.
Bahá’í Faith – The Bahá’í Faith teaches the concept of the soul’s journey through different spiritual realms after death. The afterlife is seen as a continuation of the soul’s progress towards spiritual perfection.
And so, such a belief seems to permeate so many religions. When the apostle Peter addressed the Sanhedrin, as recorded in Acts 4:10-12, he stated:
“… let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Verse 12 shows that true Christianity is a unique faith with only salvation available through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. No other faiths count. True Christianity is exclusive – the Bible says so!
Therefore, if other faiths believe in an immortal soul, it is irrelevant. However, much of mainstream Christianity does not understand that we do not have an immortal soul and that can lead to further misunderstanding and error, and is a serious problem.
We will now quote from our booklet “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” as follows:
Introduction – page 1:
“What happens to us when we die? Does our soul continue to live on, while our body decays in the grave? Do the souls of bad people continuously burn in hell fire for all eternity? Do the souls of good people ascend to heaven at the time of death—or do they go to a place called limbo or purgatory, if they were not quite as good? If the answer to these questions is ‘yes,’ then why do we need to be resurrected from the dead—or do we? Do humans possess immortality within themselves? If you are seeking to understand the truth on this subject, then the answers can be found in God’s Word, the Bible.”
“Some Reject the Concept of an Immortal Soul – page 5:
“We have briefly noted the many different concepts that man has held regarding the immortality of the soul, and there is, indeed, an astounding array of false ideas and misconceptions about this subject. But despite the strong universal influence, there have been some down through history who did not believe in any of these concepts. For example, Arnobius, a Catholic writer, spoke against those who held the ‘extravagant opinion of themselves that souls are immortal.’ (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VI, p. 440).
“Also, at the time of the Reformation, William Tyndale put it quite succinctly when he wrote, ‘In putting departed souls in heaven, hell or purgatory, you destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul prove the resurrection… The true faith putteth the resurrection; the heathen philosophers, denying that, did put that souls did ever live…If the soul be in heaven, tell me what cause is there for the resurrection?’
“Another Reformer who questioned the immortality of the soul was Martin Luther. He declared that the Bible did not teach the immortality of the soul, and he suggested that the soul died with the body, and that God would hereafter raise both the one and the other. He wrote in 1522, ‘It is probable, in my opinion, that… indeed the dead sleep in utter insensibility till the day of judgment… On what authority can it be said that the souls of the dead may not sleep… in the same way that the living pass in profound slumber the interval between their downlying at night and their uprising in the morning?’ (Michelet, Life of Luther, p. 133).
“While most Protestants today have long forgotten these words of Martin Luther, some Christian groups today still do not teach the immortality of the soul. The Seventh-Day Adventists, for example, do not believe that the soul of a dead person continues to live a conscious life. The Sabbath-keeping Church of God organizations, likewise, universally reject the concept of an immortal soul.”
The booklet then goes through a thorough study of the word “soul”, on pages 6-24, coming to the conclusion that:
“When we die, we go to the grave. Ecclesiastes 9:10 says to you that you won’t do anything ‘in the grave, whither thou goest.’ Now notice Psalm 94:17, ‘Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul [‘nephesh’] had almost dwelt in silence.’ In other words, unless God would have helped, the soul would have died and gone to the grave.
“Again, we see that the person and the soul of the person are one and the same. Both go to the grave, where there is silence and total lack of consciousness or activity. In other words, both die. That is why the Bible describes death consistently as a dreamless sleep [cp. John 11:11–14; Daniel 12:2; Matthew 27:52; 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Kings 2:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17]. God must awaken us out of that sleep of death in order for us to live again—and God will do so at the resurrection of the dead.
“The Grave is a Place of Silence and Unconsciousness – pages 24-25:
“The grave is described as a place of silence, without any activity, thought, or consciousness. The dead do not even remember God their Creator. Psalm 6:5 points out, ‘For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave [‘sheol’] who shall give thee thanks?’”
Of course, some will immediately point to Lazarus and the rich man to prove their point and this is addressed on pages 29-32 of the booklet.
On page 40 we read “The Truth About Immortality” – “Ultimately and inescapably, God’s Word proves that eternal life is a gift of God, and that physical mankind does not possess an immortal soul. The deceptive and false doctrine of inherent ‘immortality’ has held countless millions in a state of confusion, false hopes, and tormented fear.”
In simple terms, the Bible clearly shows that man is a soul; not, that he has a soul.
The information in the booklet mentioned above can be accessed with the following link: https://www.eternalgod.org/booklet-675/
(To be continued)
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)