Are souls forever? If so, where are they? It’s mind boggling to think of the number of people who have walked on this earth starting with Adam!
Bodies aren’t forever. Physical bodies wear out and eventually die and go to the grave, while the spirit of that body returns to God. Where did they all go after their bodies succumbed to death?
Job 14
10 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
Ecclesiastes 12
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Hebrews 12
9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
On the other hand, souls—that which defines us as who we are—go to either of two locations: heaven or hell. But because they are an integral part of our makeup, they will one day be reunited with our body. (This is true for everyone—whether saved or lost.) The questions answered herein will be…
1. Which place to they go until reunited with their body?
2. When do they get reunited with their body? And then,
3. What happens after that?
Below we’ll search the scriptures to see what they have to say on the subject. Scripture lays out a pretty definite timeline that is easy to identify, and has a lot to say if only we care enough to search it out—and believe the words on the page. As with all timelines, there is a past, a present and a future. And since God is outside of time as we know it, He has a vantage point that we can only take His Word on it. So let’s begin.
Made in God’s image
Jews, to this day recite this verse on specific occasions.
Deuteronomy 6
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
But as Christians we know our God is a Triune Being: God, the Father; God, the Son; and God, the Holy Spirit. And scripture tells us we were made in the image of God. Hence, we too are a triune being: spirit, soul and body.
Genesis 2
7And the LORD God formed man of the dust [body] of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [spirit]; and man became a living soul.
Where the souls of people go in time past?
Scripture simply says they were gathered unto their people
Genesis 25:8
Then Abraham gave up the ghost [aka, spirit], and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
Genesis 25:17
And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
Genesis 35:29
And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Genesis 49:33
And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.
Numbers 20:26
And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son: and Aaron shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.
But later, the progressive revelation of God explains further that every one that died before the Cross was gathered into Hell in the heart of the earth, which was made of two compartments: torments for the lost souls, and Abraham’s Bosom, aka Paradise… for the saved souls.
Luke 16:23
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
Jonah 2:2
And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.
Matthew 12:40
For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Luke 23:43
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Luke 16:22
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Before the Cross, paradise was located in the center of the earth and as we saw above that was the area of hell that the saved people went to. Those unsaved went to the torment side of hell and are held there until being reunited with their bodies…but that’s for later. After the Cross, paradise was relocated and is not located in the third heaven—a fact gleaned from scripture.
2 Corinthians 12:2-4
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
That was time past. Now, in the present dispensation of the grace of God, souls of the lost continue to go to Hell, but remember, only the area of torment is there and awaits them.
But now where do the souls of believers go?
Scripture says they go to be present with the Lord…
2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
Which is a state of being positionally enjoyed even now by a believer. [Notice the past tense of the verbs used in the following verses.]
Ephesians 2:6
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
2 Corinthians 1: 21-22
Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Romans 8: 38-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It’s wonderful to report that when the rapture takes place and the body of every saint saved in the dispensation of the grace of God by Paul’s gospel will be changed in an instant, caught up and become one (reunited) with their soul, again.
1 Thessalonians 4: 14-18
For if we [who are alive] believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep [those who have died] in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [go before] them which are asleep [those bodies of believers in the grave. The bodies of unbelievers are not resurrected until the time of the Great White Throne judgment].
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together [raptured] with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Israel’s blessings through the Abraham Covenant are literal, physical and earthly. While our blessings in Christ are spiritual and in the heavenlies.
Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
What about the souls of those believers that die after the Rapture but before Christ returns to set up His earthly Kingdom—a period of 7+ years commonly called the Tribulation? I think it’s quite clear through scripture that they are the ones spoken of in Revelation as being “under the altar.’
Revelation 6:9
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them [the remainder of this verse reveals why these particular souls were under the altar—they were those…] that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Revelation 20:4-6
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them [old testament saints, as the saints of the Church, the Body of Christ were already reunited with their bodies and installed in their positions of authority throughout the heavenly places.]: and I saw the souls of them [the Tribulation saints, as the verse goes one to say specifically, they were those] that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
…This is the first resurrection.
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Since the book of Revelation is a Jewish book written by an apostle of the circumcision to and for Jewish people to refer to and heed in the time period after the Rapture takes place, it is my opinion that the verse above refers only to the ‘old testament saints’ and ‘the Tribulation saints’ and thus does not include those saved in the dispensation of the grace of God.
All believers in the Ages to Come…whether in the prophecy/law/earthly purpose of God; or in the mystery/grace/heavenly places purpose/program of God will rule and reign with Christ in their respective realms of the Kingdom of God (either as the Elect of God in earth or as God’s Elect in the heavenly places) as God’s peculiar people.
God’s Elect on the earth: Israel, ‘born again’ to fulfill the purpose and plan of God which had been spoken by the prophets since the world began…
Luke 1:70
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Acts 3:21
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Exodus 19:5
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice [faith] indeed, and keep [PLUS works] my covenant, then ye [Israel] shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people [on the earth]: for all the earth is mine:
Deuteronomy 14:2
For thou [Israel] art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen [elected] thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
Psalm 135:4
For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.
Ecclesiastes 2:8
I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
1 Peter 2:9
But ye [Israel] are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;
God’s Elect in the heavenly places: the Church, the Body of Christ…
To fulfill the purpose and plan of God which had been kept secret since the world began…
Romans 16:25
Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my [exclusively Paul’s] gospel,[i] and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,
Titus 2:14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works [both now[ii] and in the Ages to Come[iii]].
[ii]Ephesians 2 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
[iii]1 Corinthians 6 3Know ye not that we shall judge angels?
Ephesians 2: 5-7
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us[iv],
[iv] “us” being those that believe the words of the ‘greater’ commission given by the risen ascended Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, to Saul of Tarsus (aka, our apostle Paul).
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us[v] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
[v] “us” being those that believe the words of the ‘greater’ commission given by the risen ascended Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, to Saul of Tarsus (aka, our apostle Paul).
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Thus far we have looked at where souls of all the lost go…Hell. We have also located the souls of all believers, but have only shown the reuniting of body and soul with one group of those believers…those saved by Paul’s gospel in the dispensation of the grace of God in the Mystery program –the Church, the Body of Christ. So the next question is when do the souls of saints from both the Old Testament and the time period post rapture/pre Kingdom set up? The answer to that, once again is told to us by scripture: at the coming of Christ when He sets up His Kingdom—each in their own order, in their lot.
I Corinthinas15:23
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
Daniel 12
12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
But what about the souls of the Lost? …those unbelievers from the beginning of time to the last one prior to the Great White Throne judgment.
Revelation 20:5, 11-15
But the rest of the dead [all unbelievers from since the beginning of time] lived not again until the thousand years were finished…
And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
So we see, the final abode of all those who choose to reject what God has to say to them, whether said by the Living Word, His Son; or His written Word, the King James Version to English-speaking people is eternity in the Lake of Fire. I say ‘abode’ because it will be anything but a state of ‘resting’ for those then in the Lake of Fire.
Matthew 16:25-27
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain [pleasures and possessions of] the whole world, and lose his own soul [identity]? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul [identity of who they are]?
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Mark 8:35-36
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
Maybe you’re wondering how one could lose their soul, lose their identity? Click here.
And, so I conclude my thoughts and understanding on what Scripture speaks concerning “where the souls were, are, and will be.”
2 Timothy 2:7
Consider what I [Paul] say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
