Scriptural Support for the Immortal Soul

Scripture itself speaks of the soul existing outside the body after death if taken literally. We will divide this between the Old Testament and the New Testament. I will also address common objections to these verses. This is far from an exhaustive list, and I intend to add to it over time.

Old Testament Support:

The story of the Witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28 portrays the spirit of the prophet Samuel coming up from the ground. The witch describes Samuel as an elohim. An elohim is any divine being in the spirt realm, including angels. The implication is Samuel is alive and conscious after death in the same spiritual realm as God and the angels. There are those who would dismiss this account as a deception either by the witch or a demon, which I have addressed here. Regardless, it demonstrates that the ancient Israelites had an understanding of the immortal soul at least three thousand years ago, minimum.

Enoch walked or pleased God and was taken (Gen 5:24), meaning that he did not die. If there are any doubts, Hebrews 11:5 affirms that Enoch was taken up so he wouldn't see death. Elijah, likewise, was taken to heaven in a whirlwind (2Ki 2:1-12). This poses a problem for those that believe in soul sleep, as it clearly demonstrates that the righteous go to paradise once they leave this earth. The Jehovah Witnesses will try to get around this by saying that only a select few (144,000) chosen by God will rule with Jesus Christ in heaven as part of a heavenly government, even though it doesn't say that anywhere in Scripture.

Daniel 12:2 speaks of both the redeemed and unredeemed being resurrected, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. This would contradict the whole purpose of soul sleep and is a blow against annihilationism.

New Testament Support:

In the New Testament it become even more apparent of a soul and an afterlife. After the resurrection of Jesus, there is a distinct shift in tone when speaking of the afterlife. There is more emphasis on heaven, the afterlife, and eternal rewards. That’s because there's something known as progressive revelation. Not everything was revealed to the Old Testament saints. They didn't know, for example, that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, though there were hints given. Nor did they foresee the church age or the inclusion of the gentiles. Such things would have been alien to them. There was more revealed to the New Testament saints, including greater insights into the soul and the afterlife. If not allegorized, the New Testament unequivocally supports the notion of an immortal soul that departs the body after death, dispelling the concept of soul sleep. The following are but a few of those verses:

2Co 5:8: "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

2Co 2-4: "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter."

Objection: 2Co 2-4 is a vision, not a literal out-of-body experience.

Response: Calling it a vision is the typical go-to response to explain away such passages. But Paul never says it's a vision and his uncertainty about being in the body or out of the body does not indicate that it wasn't literal. He simply had no words to describe the indescribable. The mere mention that it could have been out of the body indicates that such a thing is possible. If it were a vision, no such distinction would even be needed.

Phl 1:22: "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The question that has to be asked, what gain is there in annihilationism? 

The Apostle Paul clearly believed in dualistic holism, that is, a distinction between the body and immaterial soul of the inner self. Restorationists say this is due to the influence of Greek philosophy, which I have previously addressed. But let's say that it is true; then you would have to disregard much of the New Testament, as Paul wrote around 25% of it, and dualism is apparent throughout. If that is the case, how then could you even call yourself a Christian?

Mat 17:2-3: "And he (Jesus) was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him." The apostilles witnessed Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus long after they had died.

Objection: Mat 17:2-3 is an intangible "vision,".

Response: Multiple people typically don't have the same vision. It would be like multiple people having the same exact dream; it doesn't happen. It's true that some translations use the word "vision," but when we look at the Greek word behind it, "horama," it doesn't necessarily mean something that isn't real, like a dream, but is something extraordinary or significant. The context determines the interpretation. Clearly, the apostles present believed it was real; why else would Jesus tell them not to talk about it? A variation of this word is used to describe Moses "seeing" a burning bush (Acts 7:31). There is no one arguing that Moses actually saw a burning bush.

Rev 6:9: "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."

Objection: Rev 6:9 is symbolic only.

Response: You can’t cry out to God if your soul is dead or “asleep.” In Revelation 20:4, John sees a flashforward where they come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years. Clearly then, they were crying out to God AFTER they had died but BEFORE they are resurrected and reign with Christ.

Luk 23:43: "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

Objection: The Greek lacked punctuation in the original text. It could just as easily be interpreted as, "Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou be with me in paradise."

Response: It's true that the original Greek text lacked modern punctuation. However, the consensus of most biblical scholars is to place a comma before "today" and not after, and early translations, such as the Latin Vulgate, were already doing that. "Verily I say unto thee" was a favorite saying of Jesus that stood on its own. There was no reason for Jesus to emphasize he was saying it that day since it was obvious and would have been redundant. More than likely, Jesus mentioned it because they would all die that same day. When the soldiers came to break the legs of the thieves on the cross to hasten their death, Jesus was already dead. The thieves would have died within minutes after their legs were broken, as they couldn't push up to breathe.

Mat 27:52: "After Jesus was resurrected, the tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who died were also raised from the dead."

For those who believe in soul sleep, this verse is problematic. Where did these resurrected saints come from? Most importantly, where did they go after they were resurrected if only a select few go to heaven? If that were true, then it would mean they are still walking among us today, as it's appointed for man to die only once. The only logical conclusion is they ascended to heaven with Jesus.

Lastly, there's the parable, or story, of the rich man and Lazarus spoken about by Jesus. Again, whether it’s meant to be taken literally or figuratively is not what’s important to this discussion. What is important is that the rich man and Lazarus are clearly depicted as having souls that live on beyond the grave, just as the spirit of Samuel. Soul sleep proponents will say that the concept of the immortal soul came from the Greeks. But they can't explain why Jesus included supposed pagan ideas into his sermon. Not only does he include it, but he never refutes it as being a false pagan concept. In fact, nowhere in the Bible will you find such a repudiation. For more about the rich man and Lazarus and if it was a parable or not, see here.