"If The Soul Of Man Never Dies, Then Where Does It Go At Death?" By: Dr. Shuffel P. Hepburn

If the soul of man never dies then where does it go at death. That's our message.

This question of where the soul of man goes when he dies is a very perplexing one that so many have wondered about. I will show you in this message that there are some religions and denominations that make a false claim about this. They claim the soul of man goes to a place that is not according to scripture. In other words men seem to have used their imagination to fabricate these places that they claim the soul will go for rest or restoration until the resurrection. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was and the spirit shall return unto the God who gave it." But is this all that we know about this place in God where the soul goes to. Does the Bible give us any more clarity on this?

Jesus Christ said that those who wholly believe in Him and follow His commandments may die physically but will never die spiritually, confirming the eternal nature of our spiritual being. He said the following to Martha, Lazarus's sister while Lazarus was still in the grave. He said "I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in Me though he may die he shall live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." Do you believe this? John 11:25. Lazarus was Jesus's close friend who believed in Him, and He raised Lazarus from the dead.

Father we thank You for this Word. Send it forth and give understanding and comfort to Your children. We pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to their hearts and that any error in this message will be left out Father we pray in the name of Jesus, from their heart and from their mind. Give them a good understanding of all the things that You desire that they should know about where their soul will rest. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

We know that man consists of a physical body and that he is also a living soul and a spirit. The soul and the spirit can only be separated by the power of the Word of God according to Hebrews 4:12, where the Word of God tells us that God's Word is so powerful and so sharp that it can divide asunder or separate the soul from the

spirit. The implication here is that this is an impossible task for any except God's Word. And we also know that the soul and the spirit of man will live eternally either in the presence of the Lord or behind His back in a place of eternal torment. Therefore six billion souls or more living on earth today and many who have already died are in eternal jeopardy.

But what is the difference between the soul and the spirit? The Apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, "I pray your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." At death the soul and the spirit seem to be separated from the body. But these three will come together again at the resurrection and can be preserved blamelessly. The Word of God tells us until that time. When did we become a soul? Well according to Genesis 2:7, when the Lord breathed His breath of life into man's nostrils man became a living soul. Other versions of scripture say that he became a living being or that he became a living creature. Presumably man became a soul and a spirit at the same time, because God is a spirit and He gave us some of Himself when He breathed His breath into us. And so we became a spiritual man, a spiritual being. We know this because He said He made us in His image and likeness.

Some teach that all souls remain in Hades until the last judgment. These also teach that Christians may improve in holiness after death, during what they call the middle state before the final judgment. Scripture does not uphold this. But what we do know is that scripture says it is appointed unto man once to die and after death the judgment. Implying that there is no room no space between death and judgment. At least there's no mention of any space that would allow for man's purification after death. This means man must get it right before he dies, not after he dies. For the Word of God clearly says to us "This is our time to seek the Lord for the salvation of our soul." The Apostle Paul preached God's Word about this saying, "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation," 2 Corinthians 6:2. And this is a partial quote of Isaiah 49 And 8. Here the Lord God is telling us that the time for us to make our peace with Him is right now. It is the only certainty that we have.

Roman Catholic tradition teaches that unbaptized infants who die not being freed from original sin through what they call baptism go to a state that they call limbo. This word limbo is short for the Latin phrase limbus infantum which means children's limbo or perhaps the limbo for infants. But the Word of God does not support this. In speaking about children Jesus was very clear and He said the following, "Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them For of such is the kingdom of heaven." It is certain therefore that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children who die before reaching adulthood. And in addition those of us who want to enter must become like children, otherwise we cannot enter heaven is what the Word tells us. There's no mention of a limbo for children in scripture.

Roman Catholics also teach that all who die in God's grace and friendship but are still imperfectly purified undergo a process of

purification after death. The church teaches that they go to a place called purgatory. In other words they say this is the place for those who die in God's friendship but are short of the eternal salvation and therefore need further purification in order to enter into the happiness of heaven. Yet the word of God tells us in

Romans 3:23 that we have sinned, all of us, and we have fallen short of the glory of God. But in another place we are told that the Word is near us and in our mouth. Therefore we must confess with our mouth and believe in our heart and we will be saved. Therefore friend we must grab a hold of all that is required for salvation before we die not after.

The Catholics claim that 2 Timothy 1:18, Matthew 12:32, Luke 23:43. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 and Hebrews 12:29 support them in this doctrine of purgatory, when in my opinion it does not. I have reviewed these scriptures and encourage you to look at them as well and you will see that there's no basis in these scriptures for the belief in a place called purgatory. While we do not know anything about purgatory, we do know that there is a place called paradise, but we do not know where it is. Jesus Christ promised the thief on the cross that he would be with Him in paradise that very same day that He and the thief died. And what we do know is that according to 2 Corinthians 6:22 today is our only time to get it right. We also know that according to Matthew 24:44 we are warned to be ready because the son of man will come at an unexpected hour.

In addition the Orthodox Christian Church believes that the soul separates from the body at death and enters a state of consciousness, experiencing either a foretaste of heaven or hell, and ultimately awaits the general resurrection and final judgment. They believe that death is the separation of the soul from the body, and this is similar to the beliefs held by the majority of Christians. They also believe the soul remains conscious and retains his personhood experiencing a state of either comfort in the bosom of Abraham or torment in Hades.

However Orthodox Christians also believe that prayers and memorial services for the deceased can help the soul's journey and eventual salvation again. Scripture again does not teach this. This belief is similar to the doctrine of purgatory taught by the Roman Catholics. But they do not call the state purgatory, as the Catholic Church does.

The Holy Bible teaches that at resurrection the soul will be reunited with the resurrected glorified body, which will then become immune to aging and sickness. And we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 and I quote, "We shall not all

sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed." We are also told "We will be like Christ after He was resurrected."

A common belief is that 40 days are frequently observed from the time of death. Beginning right after a person has departed this life the spirit is thought to remain near the physical form and gentle prayers are offered to support the spirit's journey onward. Well my friend this is not scriptural. Perhaps this 40-day theory came about because Jesus Christ remained on the earth for 40 days before He ascended into heaven. The Bible does not tell us why He remained on earth for 40 days. Nor are we told what He did during this period. We do know that He appeared to many. And we also know that the thief on the cross went to paradise on the very same day of His death.

Now one of the beefs that Martin Luther had with the Catholic Church was that they sold what was called indulgences. Well my friend these were certificates produced by the church and given to people who would pay the church money to purchase these certificates so that they could spend less time in purgatory. Apparently the church did this to make money. No church has the authority according to scripture, even if purgatory is real.

And so we conclude according to Luke 16:22, the Lord Jesus told a parable about a poor man named Lazarus who died. Here is what He said, "So it was that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried And being in torments in Hades that is the rich man lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham a far off and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, "Father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue for I am tormented in this flame." Of course Abraham told him that this was impossible. What does this phrase Abraham's bosom mean? Some Bible translations do not use the word bosom. Instead they say Abraham's arms Abraham's side or seated next to Abraham.

We can find further insight by looking into the Words of Jesus Christ spoken to the thief on the cross, who because of his faith was forgiven his sins, because he believed the Lord it was counted unto him as righteousness, and earned him a spot in God's kingdom. And Jesus Christ said to him, "Assuredly I say to you today you will be with Me in paradise." All we know is that Jesus Christ went to paradise on that day and so did the thief on the cross who went along with Him. All the Bible translations at this verse use this very same term to describe the place that Jesus said this man would go. And they all call it paradise, to describe the place where the soul of the thief went the day that he died, which does not appear to be heaven. Because after rising from the grave the Lord Jesus Christ told Mary "Touch Me not for I am not yet ascended to My Father." And we see this in John 20:17 Yet we know that He had already been to paradise. We can also assume that Abraham's bosom and paradise may be the same place.

And finally we also know that according to Revelation 6:9, the soul of those slain for the Word of God and for their testimonies was seen under the altar in heaven. And they were all given white robes and told to rest for a little while until their fellow servants and their brethren should be killed for the gospel and for their testimony just as they were killed. And so there are many unanswered questions left for us. But by faith we are required to trust the Lord and satisfy our souls with all that He has revealed to us on this subject. And resist the temptation to add anything else to it.

So I encourage you to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to comfort you and to give you a peace, that peace that surpasses all understanding, about the place where you will go after you die, trusting God and being assured that wherever He is, there you shall be if you remain faithful. God bless and keep you in Jesus holy name, amen.

You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and you want to go to paradise and you want to be with the Father wherever it is that the Word of God tells us we will go. In the meantime, engage your heart and say this prayer after me and the Lord will honor your sacrifice. Say after me:

-Father I am a sinner.

-I am sorry for all my sins, truly sorry Lord.

-I crave Your forgiveness for all my sins.

-Today I return to You. Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness.

-Thank You for Jesus Christ who died for me.

-I invite Him into my heart today.

-Dear Lord Jesus make my heart Your home.

-I give You the key to my heart because I now believe that I belong to You forever.

-Please keep the key.

-Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

-Thank You Lord for saving my soul Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. We are all here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime we want to encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible. Let your pastor know that you've given your heart to the Lord and you want to be baptized. Begin reading the Word of God

every day. Begin in the book of John, then go to Matthew Mark and Luke reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Pray daily, Attend at your local church. And one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself and we shall indeed forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.