Bible Question: Does the Bible teach what the majority of religions teach and what many people believe, namely, that humans have an immortal soul and that at death it moves on to another realm, the "hereafter," heaven, hell, or purgatory, or that it returns in a reincarnation? |
Bible Answer: Lev 17:10-11 11'For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; NAS Before Christ, man made atonement for his sins by sacrificing animals. This verse uses the word "soul" rather than "sin". This could be because it is with our soul that we sin against God. We sin against God by being disobedient to His will for our lives. How do we disobey God? By following our own way, rather than His. That means that we make a "conscious" choice to disobey the Lord. To make a conscious choice we must have thought about our actions; experienced certain emotions about our actions; and decided to disobey. So, we can conclude that we reason with our soul; we feel emotions with our soul; and we decide with our soul. So, the soul is our intellect, emotions and will. Gen 35:16-20 16 Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor. 17 And it came about when she was in severe labor that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear, for now you have another son." 18 And it came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 And Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day. NAS This verse indicates that the soul leaves the body at death. Luke 16:19-17:1 19 "Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. 20 "And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 "Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 "And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.' 25 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' 27 "And he said, 'Then I beg you, Father, that you send him to my father's house-- 28 for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29 "But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' 30 "But he said, 'No, Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' 31 "But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.'" NAS Jesus told this parable to the pharisees during His time on earth. In it, He mentions only two realms; heaven and hell. There are no verses in the NASB (or any other commonly used Bible translation) that contain the words "purgatory", "hereafter" or "reincarnation". Nor are any references to these spiritual realms addressed within the Bible. Jesus was resurrected. |