If humans are souls and do not possess an immortal soul, and if the soul dies when the person dies at the end of their life, is there anything more?

A common belief is that good people go to Heaven and bad people go to Hell. Some believe that those in the middle, those who are neither good nor bad, go to a place of purification called Purgatory. However, if we do not possess immortal souls within us that survive death, how can they go to those places?

Once again, the short answer is that they cannot. A dead soul cannot go anywhere, except into a grave or some other place for expired bodies. In the Hebrew part of the Bible the word "Sheol" is used to describe the state of the dead. In the Greek scriptures, the equivalent word is "Hades". The only part of us which remains, if it can be referred to as that, is Jehovah’s memory of us as individuals.

John 5:28-29 says, "Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice"and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment." This theme of a resurrection to human life was frequently spoken about by Jesus and the writers of the Greek scriptures.

Examples are found in Acts 24:15, "And I have hope toward God, which hope these men also look forward to, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous."

The apostle Paul spoke of it in 1 Corinthians 15:21, "For since death came through a man, resurrection of the dead also comes through a man."

In fact, he referred to it as a primary doctrine in his letter to the Hebrews, chapter 6:1-2, "Therefore, now that we have moved beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not

laying a foundation again, namely, repentance from dead works and faith in God, the teaching on baptisms and the laying on of the hands, the resurrection of the dead and everlasting judgment." To the early Christians the resurrection of the dead was a basic belief.

Jesus himself confirms it in John 11:24-25, "Martha said to him: ′I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.′ Jesus said to her: ′I am the resurrection and the life. The one who exercises faith in me, even though he dies, will come to life;′"

Jesus also drew attention to Jehovah’s intentions when he made the comment recorded at Luke 20:37-38, "But that the dead are raised up, even Moses made known in the account about the thornbush, when he calls Jehovah ′the God of Abraham and God of Isaac and God of Jacob.′"He is a God, not of the dead, but of the living, for they are all living to him." Even those of his faithful servants, such as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who have died in ancient times are counted as alive to Jehovah, because he remembers them and will resurrect them in due time.

This could also be the same for us. That is Jehovah’s promise if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ. The promise is found in John 3:16-17, "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life."For God did not send his Son into the world for him to judge the world, but for the world to be saved through him. Whoever exercises faith in him is not to be judged."

No judgement, but a resurrection to a life in which we can have Jehovah’s blessing and approval.

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