Scripture Text: "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him" (Hebrews 10:38).
Introductory Remarks
Although the majority of Christian churches correctly teach about the indestructibility of the soul based on Scripture, there is a small group of vocal individuals who believe that upon the last breath, men and women essentially cease to exist. They support their beliefs using philosophical texts from the Bible.
However, we would like to delve deeper into this subject and pose the question: If a soul is a body, does God have such a body? In our Scripture reading above, God Himself declares that a Christian must live by faith. However, if any of us should draw back, God’s own soul will be displeased. Today, we want to suggest that the word “soul” does not always refer to the entire physical person, but rather the invisible, and sometimes visible, material person, as determined and permitted by the context. We will demonstrate this below.
The Late David Burge: An Example of
Asking the Wrong Questions About a Text
The late David Burge, before he passed away, wrote:
What does Saul’s visit to the witch at Endor teach us about the state of the dead? (1 Samuel 28:1-20, 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14).
King Saul, rejected by God, asked a “medium” to raise up the prophet Samuel for him. This passage is often taken as evidence that the “soul” survives the death of the body. But note the following:
1. Neither the word “soul” nor the word “spirit” appears in the passage.
2. Solomon, despite being familiar with this incident, could write (only 80 years later) “the dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5).
3. Samuel came “up from the ground”, not “down from Heaven.”
4. Samuel appeared as he had died, as “an old man in a robe.” (Do “disembodied souls” appear old? Do “immortal spirits” wear robes?).
5. Samuel asked Saul, “Why have you disturbed me?” as if he had been asleep not consciously alive in Paradise or Heaven.
6. Samuel told Saul, “Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.” Saul did not go to heaven. At death, good and bad alike go to one place, the grave (Source: David Burge).
Firstly, the words “soul” and “spirit” do not to be present in the passage. It is evident from the context that the Witch of Endor was anticipating the arrival of a familiar spirit (and the Bible never specifically labels it as a familiar spirit or a vision, but rather destinctly denotes it as Samuel). The depiction within the passage informs us that is was, at the very least, a spirit. Individuals who attempt to refute this by utilizing an argument centered on what is absent from the text are plainly prejudiced against the implicit implications of the story. If we solely depended on what is explicitly stated within the narrative and disregarded its underlying implications, we would not glean any information regarding the condition of the deceased.
Burge argues that even after eighty years, Solomon was still capable of writing that the deceased are unaware of anything. However, in reality, Solomon wrote that “the dead do not know anything under the sun” according to Ecclesiastes 1:9. Throughout King Solomon’s discourse, he speaks of things that occur “under the sun” roughly thirty times. Thus, it is apparent that he is referring to matters of the world and our physical existence.
Please go back and read what he said and take note that he is discussing how the deceased are unaware of current events in the world. In our story, the Prophet Samuel had no understanding of why King Saul disturbed him and summoned him. However, Samuel was certainly aware of Saul’s disobedient deeds that he witnessed when Saul became the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 15).
Burge argues that Samuel’s emergence from the ground instead of heaven proves something, but this is unsubstantiated. Burge and many others overlook the fact that in ancient times, the dead were believed to descend below the earth. Even Noah and his family were believed to have gone to this underworld. Additionally, the Bible explicitly states that after Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth, he preached to spirits in prison who had disobeyed during Noah’s time. St. Peter addressed this event and his word encourages us to believe rather than disbelieve:—
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water" (1 Peter 3:18-20 ESV).
One may wonder how it is possible for people who drowned over two thousand years before the birth of Christ to be preached to in the first century. Since they drowned, they did not have physical bodies at that time, right? They were already deceased, yet the Bible states that they were imprisoned. How can people who don't exist be imprisoned? The Bible asserts that they were detained as a result of disobeying Noah. How could Jesus preach to spirits in prison if he was only a lifeless body inside Joseph of Arimathea's tomb? If the deceased are unaware of anything, how did Jesus track down those who died for refusing to believe in Noah? Clearly, Jesus knew where these individuals were and what they tragically failed to do: repent. Therefore, dear readers, there is more to this than what you are currently being taught and told!
The truth is that everyone, except for Enoch and Elijah, went down. Therefore, Burge’s objections are null and void.
Next, Burge objects to the story because Samuel appears recognizable. However, it is understandable that figures in the world of the dead would appear in a form recognizable to their former acquaintances since the resurrection and change of the saints had not happened before the Parousia of Christ. Burge also asks if spirits wear robes, which is a silly question meant to undermine the significance of the text. In the spirit world, people can be either clothed or naked, just like in life. First-century Christians who were killed by Zealots were still cognizant of those crimes that caused them to be put to death and waited under the altar of the Second Temple for vindication, as seen in what John saw:—
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been” (Revelation 6:9-11).
Burge’s argument becomes excessive when he questions why Samuel would ask Saul, “Why have you disturbed me?” as if Samuel had been sleeping in Paradise or Heaven. It is understood that Samuel was at peace and resting. By asking the question, Samuel implies that Saul’s action of summoning him disrupted his rest. When we sleep or take a nap, we do not cease to exist. The story of Saul and the Witch of Endor highlights that God brought Samuel up from the Hadean world to deliver the final verdict on the disobedient King Saul. Of note, Samuel delivers a warning to King Saul that the Chronicler accepts as the voice of Samuel and not an evil spirit. The text clearly states that “Samuel said to Saul.” The words spoken are Samuel’s and not that of an anonymous “spirit.”
Finally, it is noteworthy that Samuel threatened King Saul, and the Chronicler believed that it was not an evil spirit speaking through Samuel, but Samuel himself. The text explicitly states that it was Samuel who spoke to Saul, rather than a nameless “spirit.” Additionally, according to God’s word, Samuel said the following:
“Samuel told Saul, “Tomorrow you and
your sons will be with me.”
Burge believes that this disproves the existence of the invisible soul of humans after death, but the opposite is actually true! It is true that Saul was not in heaven, but that is not the point of the story. The point is that Samuel was dead and in the underworld, and King Saul disobeyed God by summoning a familiar spirit through a witch to seek advice on his military problems. Because of his disobedience, Samuel (not a familiar spirit) came up and warned Saul and his sons of an impending death penalty, which could occur as soon as the following day!
The Word “Dead” Does Not Mean “Non-Existent”
As we started, we observed that God possesses a soul and similarly, man has a soul - an intangible essence that can actually endure beyond the demise of the tangible, visible body.
“And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
14 His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
15 And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
16 And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:16-18).
How can this person claim to have been dead and now be alive forever? Essentially, Jesus is claiming that he is God and that he died and resurrected himself, as stated in John 2:19. As a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, it may be helpful to contemplate the words of St.Peter in 1 Peter 3:18-20, which discuss what Jesus did while he was “dead.”
Conclusion
In summary, the story of Saul and the Witch of Endor suggests something very different from the teachings of groups who claim that the dead do not exist. According to the Bible, being asleep is not the same as ceasing to exist. Although Samuel was asleep, his reaction to being disturbed disproves the notion that the Witch of Endor or King Saul brought him back to life.
It is important to discern not only what a text says but also what it implies in order to determine its significance. The Bible does not provide specific details about the appearance of spirits or their clothing, nor does it assume that Samuel was in heaven; it suggests that he was alive in an unseen world below and King Saul and his three sons would be with him the very next day. The Bible refers to human beings as living souls, but also speaks of God (who is a spirit) as having a soul. (Hebrews 10:38).
Related
What Do We Have Since the First
On the Prospect of Eternal Damnation in a Second Death