“…For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14, NKJV).

Man loses his life or dies when his spirit/soul separates from the body as observed in James 2:26. Elsewhere in the Old Testament specifically Genesis 35:18, the sacred writer describes Rachel dying as “her soul was departing.”

Man is composed of three elements; body, soul and spirit as seen in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. The body is the tent that houses the soul and spirit (2 Corinthians 5:1-4, 2 Peter 1:13, 14). However, the use of soul and spirit in different biblical context vary in sense depending on the context in which they are used in.

The word “soul” as used in scriptures sometimes signifies a person (1 Peter 3:20), life (Matthew 2:20), the eternal component of man fashioned in the very image of God (Genesis 1:26), Soul is a distinct component of a person (Matthew 10:28); man can only kill the body of another but not the soul. The soul therefore lives on apart from the physical body (Revelation 6:9-11).

The word “spirit” in scriptures is used in varying sense such as wind (Ecclesiastes 1:14, 17), emotion (1 Samuel 1:15) and the non-physical being (John 4:24, Luke 24:39). The spirit lives on after death (Ecclesiastes 12:7, 2 Corinthians 5:1).

The term “soul” and “spirit” are sometimes used interchangeably. Consider these;

Christ knowing His time was due said “My soul is troubled” (John 12:27) yet John in describing Christ’s state said, “He was troubled in spirit” (John 13:21).

At death, the spirit leaves the body (James 2:26) yet in Genesis 35:18, the writer described Rachel’s death as her soul left her.

What Happens After We Die?

All souls/spirits of men after death go to a place called Hades/Sheol. Hades is the dwelling place of the dead whether righteous or wicked. Note that the King James Version renders Hades, Tartarus and Gehenna (final abode of the wicked) as hell. With the help of the Greek New Testament, the distinction can easily be drawn. Jesus’ soul went to Hades after He died whiles His body was in the tomb (Acts 2:31). If Christ’s soul was in Hades after He died, how can man’s soul escape Hades when he dies? Impossible! Jesus promised the criminal saying, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Christ knew His destination after death. Since His soul went to Hades at death, it implies that Paradise is a place in Hades where the righteous can be located.

The narrative regarding Lazarus and the rich man gives a vivid picture of Hades and the condition of the dead (Luke 16:19-31). Though some people try to dismiss the facts of the narratives as a mere parable, one cannot deny that Christ speaks facts. The narrative has traits that denies it as a parable. For instance, no parable has it characters named except this narrative. However, it is no problem even if it was a parable, “for a parable portrays circumstances that are true to life unlike fable” (Wayne Jackson).The narrative involves a certain rich man and a beggar called Lazarus. Both men died and their souls were carried to Hades. In Hades, the rich man (the wicked) was tormented and Lazarus (the righteous) was comforted.

Abraham’s bosom or Paradise is the place in Hades where the righteous go when they die and Tartarus is the place in Hades where the wicked are reserved in Hades until their final disposition in hell (Gehenna).

The soul/spirit of man simply goes to Hades when one dies to await judgment. At the final judgement, Hades will deliver up the dead in it and the wicked will finally be cast into the lack of fire (Revelation 20:13-15) whiles the righteous receive the crown of life? Where will you be when you die?