What happens to a person when he dies?

“WHAT HAPPENS TO A PERSON WHEN HE DIES? WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT DEATH?”

 THERE ARE DIFFERENT views regarding what will happen to man when he dies. However, these are all man-made views. Because it is God who appointed death (cf. Hebrews 9:27), thus, God is the authority regarding this topic. The word of God regarding death is the truth that all men should accept. His words are written in the Holy Scriptures (we call today as “the Bible”):

“And you remember that ever since you were a child, you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living, so that the person who serves God may be fully qualified and equipped to do every kind of good deed.” (II Timothy 3:15-17, TEV)

Thus, let us disregard all concepts and notions about death made only by men. Let the Bible speaks about this topic. Let us find the biblical Truth about death.

MAN IS COMPOSE OF BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT

The Bible tells us that man is compose of body, soul and spirit:

“May the God who gives us peace make you holy in every way and keep your whole being--spirit, soul, and body--free from every fault at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thessalonians 5:23, TEV)

Because man is compose of body, soul and spirit, let us find out what will happen to man’s body soul and spirit when he dies according to the Bible.

THE BODY RETURNS TO DUST

The body is the flesh created from dust:

“And the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” (Genesis 6:3 New King James Version)

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7 NKJV)

Thus, when a person dies, he will go back to dust, as what the Bible explicitly said:

“After all, the same fate awaits man and animal alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either. They are both going to the same place--the dust. They both came from it; they will both go back to it.” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20, TEV)

The Bible said, “A human being is no better off than an animal” during death because “They are both going to the same place—the dust.” This is the biblical truth about death, that both human beings and animals will go the same place when they died – the dust, because “both came from it; they will both go back to it.”

SOUL AND SPIRIT ARE NOT THE SAME

The Bible also explicitly declared that the soul and the spirit are not one and the same:

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NIV)

If the soul and the spirit are not one and the same, thus, what will happen to the soul is different from what will happen to the spirit when a person dies.

WHEN A PERSON DIES, HIS SOUL ALSO DIES

The Soul is the inner nature or inner person of a man:

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day.” (II Corinthians 4:16, RSV)

“Therefore we do not despair, o but even if our physical body is wearing away, our inner person is being renewed day by day.” (New English Translation)

Contrary to the popular belief, the Bible explicitly tells us that when a person dies, the soul also dies:

“Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4 RSV)

Thus, the biblical teaching about the soul does not conform with the popular belief about the "immortality of the soul." The Bible clearly tells us that when a person dies, his “inner person” or his soul also dies.

THE SPIRIT IS THE BREATH OF LIFE

The Bible teaches that the spirit is the breath of life:

“All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.” (Genesis 7:22 KJV)

“As long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils.” (Job 27:3, NIV)

Thus, when a person dies, as his body returns to dust, his “spirit” (the “breath of life”) returns to God who gave it:

“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7 RSV)

CONCLUSION

Thus, what will happen to a person when he dies? His body will return to dust; his soul or inner person also dies; and the spirit or breathe of life will go back to God who gave it.”

 

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