Where does our Spirit go - Removing The Fog of Religion

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Where does our Spirit go

Emails & Questions
When We Die where Does our Spirit Go?

Q:  How do you understand, where the Spirit go after someone die?
Look at this scriptures it confuse me: 1 Samuel 28:8, Ecclesiastes 12:7, Isaiah 26:19, Revelation 5:9, Acts 7:59, Luke 23:46.
A: Good question, and this is about?  Heaven and Hell, of course.  I will answer each of these scriptural verse and references that seem to contradict this idea that no one really goes to Heaven or Hell Fire after death, at least not immediately. I do not say I have all of the answers but some, and maybe we can both learn something from this little bit of consideration?
1 Sam 28:12-15 -- Samuel is brought up from the Grave. Notice, Saul does not see him, the witch is the seer and has to explain to Saul what she is seeing -- this is a vision, then, not an actual, physical or real time thing. What is interesting is that this account, if taken as a Truth -- those buried in the grave can be awakened -- makes it very clear that the dead go to the grave, in the ground, into dirt not some kind of Hell Fire, and certainly not up to Heaven -- remember, Samuel was a type of King Priest until Saul was chosen, he held a high position and was especially selected by YaHWeH, and yet, here he is being brought up from his resting place in the ground. Samuel, in this spirit vision, is raised from the ground upward, and even complains about being brought up from the grave -- again, no heaven here as it is obvious that Samuel is being brought up, not down from Heaven. Still, can this be a proof of life after death, like a continuing life? No, this vision the witch sees, is all about raising someone who is at rest in death, not life, and this Samuel is not happy about it. If this were a real physical thing, then Saul would have seen what the witch was seeing.  This only proves that the dead will be raised one day as the dead are at rest in the earth, in the grave, and awaiting the time of Resurrection.  Death among the Saints is compared to SLEEPING -- (John 11:11-12)  These things said He: and after that He said unto them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep”. Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. -- If we stopped right there it might seem that the Saints are not dead at all.  This is where context enters the picture and why we should never consider verse applications of any sort without first looking at the context.  Now, here is the rest of the account:  (John 11:12-14)  Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. However, YaHshua spoke of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said YaHshua to them plainly, Lazarus is dead.  

Eccl 12:6-8 -- to understand this verse you have to read the verse before and after, remember the context, and what you hear in the voice of the author is despair, even depression.  Notice, what it is that returns to the dust, the person, the body.  The spirit, of course, returns to the giver of life. This, in the context, and shows that while we die and turn back to dust, the thing that gave us life in the first place returns from where it came from. The silver cord is broken, not united or restored but broken, like the water in us drys up, and evaporates back to where all water comes from, this is the same with the Spirit.  And according to the Word not all Spirit is the same.  There is the spirit of man, and of animal.  What makes us different from the animal that functions primarily at a lower level is our difference in spirit -- Zech 12:1, Eccl 12:7, Isa 42:5.  Because the Author (possibly Solomon?) expresses the utter futility of man's life -- we all end up in the grave, returning to dust, he is deeply depressed at the vanity of everything -- rich or poor, strong or weak, all are going to the grave. This, however, is in a view that sees no Salvation, a deliverance back to Life, a better life.  This revelation, however, sees a breaking, not reconnecting of the Silver Cord. The Author saw no hope for this life, only a return to dust.  For us this is, of course, where our Savior steps in with the promise of the Resurrection.  (Isa 26:19) But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. NIV  The comment about the dew of the morning:  This is a vision of how the dead cover the earth -- like the dew of the morning the dead cover the whole earth and they will all be brought back to life.  

(Isa 26:19) But your dead will live; their bodies will rise. You who dwell in the dust, wake up and shout for joy. Your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead. -- This verse is about the resurrection --  as noted in the previous comment.  This translation is from the NIV, making what is said very clear. The dead will live, they will rise -- You who dwell in the dust? Anything DEAD does not LIVE literally and just as YaHshua used a term to liken dead saints as being asleep, He had to go back and tell His disciples that He meant Lazarus was dead, not alive, and so we have a similar remark here, and should be understood that the dead are dead, not living, as if living in the dust -- some common sense is needed. This is just a way of saying the dead is waiting to be raised, but as we are told in -- (Rev 20:5) (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.), apparently there will be more than one resurrection. There is no conscientious in the grave -- (Ecc 9:10)  Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. -- that verse should make it plain.
       The remark, "...You who dwell in the dust..." , is a poor choice of words because others want to make this say something that would actually contradict what this verse is really saying about the DEAD (dead is dead, not life).  Here is the definition for this word, dwell, from Strong's Hebrew Dictionary: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside. This is not unlike people saying, "He is laid to rest", when a person is buried, do they think he is still alive? Hardly, it is just a calming remark, and for some, the expectation of being Raise to judgment in the coming Resurrection.   A better choice wo
uld be, ”...you who reside in the dust...”
Next we have Rev 5:9 --  And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. NIV .  And from another translation, the same quote --  And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, ESV .  Other translations correct the mis-reading of the KJV as well. The logic of this better reading is also seen in the context as well -- always we need to remember the context -- even with the reading of KJV the context would tell us this cannot be talking about the here and now but a future date -- why? Because the statement from all nations, this cannot be a finished event because this was written some 1,900 years ago so those could not be all the people purchased with His Blood in Heaven -- the KJV reading could only be true if when that were written at the end, after His return, and if that were true then we do not exist, or could not exist, but, our very existence tells us this is still talking about a future still to be realized.  If this event were already past, then the shedding of His Blood for us, and for those that are not born yet could not be a possibility, and by this alone we know the wording in the KJV is off -- and it is, and it is correct in numerous other translations.
Now we come to the Stephen account -- (Act 7:59) And they were stoning Stephen while he prayed, and he said Our Master Yahshua receive my spirit. -- This is an easy one. We have already read about the silver cord being broken and the spirit of man returning, while the man himself returns to the dust.   So, what is Stephen saying? Since YaHshua we can know that those who confess Him are treated differently -- not all of the Dead. All of the living have a spirit that defines what they are, man or beast. Now, after YaHshua's shed blood for us, our spirit has a special connection with His Holy Spirit. This are those seen under the Alter, and held in waiting, not living it up, but at rest. Only these are in this special holding, as everyone else awaits in the dust of the ground, even those saints, awaiting the return of YaHshua and being called out of the earth to join Him in the clouds. The First Fruits are those in waiting, many of whom gave their lives for the Testimony -- Zec 12:1 The burden of the word of YaHWeH for Israel, saith YaHWeH, which stretches forth the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him. And forget, Stephen must have known that at death the spirit of life returns to its creator -- Eccl. 12:7, as previously noted.
             But maybe he was inspired to know something only revealed some 60 years later -- in the Book of Revelation -- (Rev 6:9) And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those having been slain for the Word of YAHWEH, and for the witness which they had. --- And maybe Stephen is one of these but there is nothing that says these spirits are doing anything other than waiting, and there is no mention of any others than those who had given their lives, literally, dying prematurely, so to say, for Him. There seems to be three classes of the dead, maybe four. Those who died in the Great flood, those wicked,immoral, unholy persons having died in their sin -- before and after YaHshua came to shed His blood for us. Then a third group who died, some even being crucified and others beheaded for their confession (The First Fruits?), and a fourth group of believers down through the ages, many living at peace and dying a natural death, now awaiting the resurrection, the Return of our Savior. None of this is anything like what the Christian Church teaches, of course, as they follow a pagan concept of a Paradise (heaven) and a place of torture (Hell).
(Luke 23:46) And when YaHshua had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into thy hands I commend My spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the Spirit. ---  So, He died, literally died as the breath went out of Him and His life returned to the origin of all life (Dan 7:9, 13,14). This Life, His Life, however, would be restored after three days and three nights in the tomb, just as He had said (Mat 12:39-40). His quickening is the restoring of that Spirit, His former Spirit, in its fullness, fit for eternity and more, as He had done something No Other Spirit had ever done; died, gone to the grave, and lived to tell about it -- thus, a better name is given Him (Heb 1:4). Simple, we are told that the life, even the breath we have, returns to Him who gave it -- our spirit returns to Him. Our Hope is to be restored at the time of the Resurrection, the same as our Lord YaHshua was restored, this time with a new body fit for eternity (1 John 3:2, John 5:21, Rom 8:11). Even those under the Altar are not really living in the sense of having been quickened, they are only spirits, or records of life, awaiting the time of Resurrection and the judgment of the Dead, and their restoration and becoming like Him, but for now these Spirits that have died in Him are held under the Alter, waiting (Rev 6:9-11)
Peace Dan


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