State of the Dead

Notes from Stephen Bohr’s “The Genesis Code” #15 Keys to Mysteries of Life & Death

1. Job: If a man dies, will he live again?
2. What is life?
3. What is the body of a man?
4. What is the spirit of a man?
5. What is a soul? What happens to the soul when someone dies?
6. Before sin, how is life perpetuated? Did the “immortal soul” perpetuate itself or was there some external source of life?
7. Where does man go when he dies?
8. When we die is there hope of living again?
9. When will death be eradicated in the universe?
10. Why is the subject important in this day and age?

1. Job: If a man dies, will he live again?

Job 14:12-15 So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, They will not awake Nor be roused from their sleep. “Oh, that You would hide me in the grave, That You would conceal me until Your wrath is past, That You would appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man dies, shall he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, Till my change comes. You shall call, and I will answer You; You shall desire the work of Your hands.

2. What is life?

Genesis 2:7 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 soul/being.

Note that God used dust plus breath = Adam became a soul. God did not give Adam a soul. Adam did not have a soul. Adam was a soul, ie: “Adam was living”

3. What is the body of a man?

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD,
You are our Father;
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all we are the work of Your hand.

Note that God formed man from clay, but spoke everything else into existence.

4. What is the spirit of a man?

Gen 2:7 breath
Hebrew n’shamah / nesh-aw-maw (H5397)

Gen 1:2 Spirit (of God)
Hebrew nuach / roo-akh (H7307)

Job 33:4 The SpiritH7307 of GodH410 hath madeH6213 me, and the breathH5397 of the AlmightyH7706 hath given me life.H2421

Parallel statements showing that these are the same things.

Note that the spirit or breath, nuach or n’shamah, was found in the nostrils. It is described as the electrical force or the energizing force that allows the body to breathe.

5. What is a soul? What happens to the soul when someone dies?

The word soul in the 20th century is very different from the biblical meaning in biblical times. It is used in the Bible to describe the entire person or the life of the person:

Gen 9:3 EveryH3605 moving thingH7431 thatH834 livethH2416 shall beH1961 meatH402 for you; even as the greenH3418 herbH6212 have I givenH5414 you(H853) all things.H3605
Gen 9:4 ButH389 fleshH1320 with the lifeH5315 thereof, which is the bloodH1818 thereof, shall ye notH3808 eat.H398

H5315 Hebrew: nephesh – here translated as analogous to blood

Gen 2:7 And the LORDH3068 GodH430 formedH3335 (H853) manH120 of the dustH6083 ofH4480 the ground,H127 and breathedH5301 into his nostrilsH639 the breathH5397 of life;H2416 and manH120 becameH1961 a livingH2416 soul.H5315

H5315 Hebrew: nephesh – here translated as soul, but in the Hebrew original word is exactly the same. This word is described as a life: living, breathing, vital creature or person.

Note that the new King James translation changes the King James use of soul to life:

Gen 12:5 And AbramH87 tookH3947 (H853) SaraiH8297 his wife,H802 and LotH3876 his brother’sH251 son,H1121 and allH3605 their substanceH7399 thatH834 they had gathered,H7408 and the soulsH5315 thatH834 they had gottenH6213 in Haran;H2771 and they went forthH3318 to goH1980 into the landH776 of Canaan;H3667 and into the landH776 of CanaanH3667 they came.H935

Abraham took the servants with him. The new King James translates nephesh here as persons.

Gen 14:21 And the kingH4428 of SodomH5467 saidH559 untoH413 Abram,H87 GiveH5414 me the persons,H5315 and takeH3947 the goodsH7399 to thyself.

Here another example of H5315 as person.

Gen 35:18 And it came to pass,H1961 as her soulH5315 was in departing,H3318 (forH3588 she died)H4191 that she calledH7121 his nameH8034 Benoni:H1126 but his fatherH1 calledH7121 him Benjamin.H1144

Note that soul is interchangeable to life. At no place is the word immortal or “departing to heaven” used here.

The New Testament Greek word of psuche G5590 “psyche” is used interchangeably with the Hebrew word nephesh:

Act 7:14 ThenG1161 sentG649 Joseph,G2501 and calledG3333 hisG848 fatherG3962 JacobG2384 to him, andG2532 allG3956 hisG848 kindred,G4772 threescore and fifteenG1440 G4002 souls.G5590

Notice also here that the New Testament translates the word soul into life. Herod was trying to kill Jesus during this time. Herod was not trying to grab any intangible, he wanted to take his life:

Mat 2:20 Saying,G3004 Arise,G1453 and takeG3880 theG3588 young childG3813 andG2532 hisG846 mother,G3384 andG2532 goG4198 intoG1519 the landG1093 of Israel:G2474 forG1063 they are deadG2348 which soughtG2212 theG3588 young child’sG3813 life.G5590

Notice the same idea expressed in slightly different words here:

Mat 16:26 ForG1063 whatG5101 is a manG444 profited,G5623 ifG1437 he shall gainG2770 theG3588 wholeG3650 world,G2889 andG2532 loseG2210 his ownG848 soul?G5590 orG2228 whatG5101 shall a manG444 giveG1325 in exchangeG465 for hisG848 soul?G5590
…same saying of Christ:
Luk 9:25 ForG1063 whatG5101 is a manG444 advantaged,G5623 if he gainG2770 theG3588 wholeG3650 world,G2889 andG1161 loseG622 himself,G1438 orG2228 be cast away?G2210

The word for soul or spirit is used approximately 1650 times in the Bible and not one case is the word immortal is linked to the word

6. Before sin, how is life perpetuated? Did the “immortal soul” perpetuate itself or was there some external source of life?

Adam and Eve were required to continuously partake of the tree of life in order to sustain their life.

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:22-24 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

If the intangible mind of a person is immortal, then Jesus is meaningless (because he died to give us what we already possessed) and God is a liar:

Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

After sin is eradicated we will go before God from month to month and eat from the tree of life:

Revelation 22:2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

Isaiah 66:22-23 “ For as the new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD,

“ So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.

7. Where does man go when he dies?

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”

Notice that no place here does it say that your body goes into the ground and your mind goes elsewhere. The spirit or ghost is breathing, living body:

John 19:30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Joh 19:30 WhenG3753 JesusG2424 thereforeG3767 had receivedG2983 theG3588 vinegar,G3690 he said,G2036 It is finished:G5055 andG2532 he bowedG2827 his head,G2776 and gave upG3860 theG3588 ghost.G4151

Notice that the Greek word for spirit or ghost here is pneuma and is translated in Greek as a “breath, blast, or a breeze of air, or a current of air”

Other examples of the phrase give up the ghost:
Death of Herod, Acts 12:23, Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:5,10

Those who are dead are not in heaven or hell already, they are in the graves:

John 5:28-29
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Lazarus: Jesus compared death to sleep. 50 other times in the Bible death is compared to sleep

Reasons why death is analogous to sleep
1. Those who are dead are not working or suffering Revelation 14:13 “They will rest from their labors”
2. Unconsciousness
3. You will awaken

Ecclesiastes 9:5,6,10 The dead know not anything
Psalms 6:5 There is no memory of God in death
Psalms 115:17 The dead do not praise the Lord
Psalms 146:4 The plans of those who died perish
Psalms 109:40 Individuals who die return to dust
Acts 2:29-34 David did not ascend into the heavens when he died (Peter is saying this after Jesus has already died and ascended to heaven, the Old Testament dead were not waiting for the death and resurrection of Jesus)
Isaiah 38:18,19 but the dead offer no thanks, no praise, and they hope for God’s truth

8. When we die is there hope of living again?

God told Adam and Eve that the very day they sinned they would die. But then He provided probably two sacrificial deaths and they did not die that day. The Lamb took our death and we took his life

Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

The hope is eternal for life past this life:

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

9. When will death be eradicated in the universe?

We put on immortality when the second coming occurs. Until that point we are mortal:

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Question: Which goes to heaven first? Those who died earlier? Those who are alive at his second coming? We will be caught up together with them. Both groups go as one group:

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Jesus will come at the second coming and then we will be with Jesus. Not before:

John 14 1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Acts 7:60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

10. Why is the subject important in this day and age?

1. Saying man is immortal brings glory to men and cheapens God

2. You are accepting Satan’s accusation that God was lying. If you have an immortal soul you cannot die, and God’s statement that sin causes death may be casually discarded.

3. Why would Jesus have to die to give us something we already have?

4. Why bother taking care of the body if the immortal soul inside is the important thing? When we are tricked into thinking that the body doesn’t matter then we abuse the body and destroy our ability to think and act on this world. We might think that we can eat or drink anything, destroy our ability to think, destroy our judgment, and become lost from making bad decisions.

5. The second coming of Jesus and all prophecy does not matter. If you go to heaven when you die, why should you care about Jesus coming to this earth to get you?

6. The door is opened to spiritualism and all of the deceptions of the end because if disembodied spirits are going places why couldn’t they come right back?