3105.—Existence of the Soul after Death
By Editor
Do not the following Scripture references indicate a spiritual existence of the soul during the interval between death and the final resurrection? Luke 23: 43, 46; Acts 7:59; Rev. 6:9, 10. For an exposition of Luke 23:43 see the SIGNS of March 22, question No. 3080. Acts 7:59 and Luke 23:46 are just simply another form of saying that "Father, into Thy hands I commend My life." The word rendered "spirit" is not the same as the word rendered "soul." It is simply the God-given life which His children have; is quite clearly explained by Col. 3:3. "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory." It is simply placing that life in God's hands, that He may give it to His children when they are raised from the dead. Rev. 6:9, 10 is a figurative description, not telling us of the actual things. There are no souls under the altar on the earth still crying for vengeance. That has not been characteristic of God's children in any age. It does show us, however, that the very fact of their dying as they did, calls for justice from God, just the same as Abel's blood cried to God from the ground. See Gen. 4:10. One believing in the immortality of the soul, as did Dr. Albert Barnes, would not for a moment think that the expression in Revelation represented the martyrs as crying; but just as clearly "as if" they were crying, the voice of justice goes up to God against those who put them to death. None of these passages in any way teach the conscious existence of the soul apart from the body.