Bible Studies

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New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in Heaven: A True Story of Death & Life has created a buzz among believers and unbelievers alike. This book is just one of over 60,000 books available on Amazon.com in a category of ghosts, spirits and the occult. Such stories have been documented long ago in ancient Egyptian cultures. The 90 Minutes story is similar to many anecdotal stories of people that temporarily died on the operating table and "floated away", watching everything below as they "followed the bright light above".

Having heard several comments from Christian friends and family about such out of body experiences, I decided it was time to spend some time in the Bible to see what scripture says about such things. As usual, the results of this search are enlightening.

This is a rather advanced Bible study of the body, soul and spirit. As a Christian, I believe Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of mankind. I believe the Holy Bible is His word, given to us so that we have knowledge about Him and His plan for man. I believe what God speaks is true and without error.

For those that do not have similar beliefs, this study will have no meaning and will be, probably, a complete waste of time unless someone is simply attempting to understand the Christian perspective.

If you have not yet read the study, "Where do Christians go after they die?", I recommend you do so before this study. That study examines scripture that tells us man, after death, really does die and remains here on earth until Jesus returns and resurrects the dead. Jesus told His disciples that we, as believers, were to wait for Him to return and take us with Him. As a Christian, you will enjoy that study and utilize it as a foundation as we delve into souls and spirits found in the Bible.

Some of the confusion on this topic is due to the original Hebrew and Greek words for soul and spirit and how they were translated into English. You will find that your Bible translated the original words to different English words in different places. We will also see the common understanding of the soul and spirit as found in the Bible is incorrect.

The Soul

The word soul (nephesh or psyche) is mentioned in the Bible 496 times. The word soul is translated from nephesh in Hebrew and psyche in Greek, with two exceptions. The Hebrew word used in Job 30:15 is derived from Nebyibah, which means nobility - as in reputation. The word used in Isaiah 57:16 is from Neshamah, which means a puff.

In Hebrew, nephesh could most closely be translated to the English word being. It is used to refer to both animals and human beings within scripture. Even though animals and humans have souls, all living things do not. Scripture does not tell us plants have a soul, even though they are alive.

Each Bible publisher has translated nephesh and psyche as soul, life, person, minds, living being and heart. Here are a few examples of common translations used by most publishers and probably found translated this way in your Bible.

• 1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul [psyche],

• Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life [psyche] shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life [psyche] for my sake shall find it.

• Ephesians 6:6 not like those who do their work only when someone is watching – as people-pleasers – but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart [psyche].

• Acts 14:2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds [psyche] against the brothers.

The translators inconsistencies were not intended to confuse. Rather, they were attempting to be helpful such that the reader could understand the intent of the writer in the original language. All of those words accurately describe the psyche of an individual. Thus, in these examples we can see psyche is used to describe a person's soul, life, heart and mind. In other words, a whole person. That is the definition you should use when you read scripture.

The same definition and word usage has been carried forward from centuries ago. Even today, the Captain of a ship (and pilots of aircraft) must report the number of souls aboard to government agencies. This is the count of living, breathing, human beings should the craft go down. If there are also bodies of deceased individuals aboard, they are not included in the count as a soul only refers to living, breathing beings.

• Genesis 1:20 1:20 Then God said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures [nephesh], and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens."

• Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [nephesh].

The above are the earliest references in the Bible to nephesh. We see that when God created the animal life in the oceans and birds on the fifth day, he stated they were living beings, or nephesh. This same term was used on day six for mankind. Man's body is organic, made from the dust of the ground. Only after God breathed the breath of life was there a soul, or living being. From this, we now know that a soul exists when the body of an animal or man is alive and breathing. A body without a soul is dead.

Many Christians mistakenly believe the soul cannot die. It can and does. As breath creates a soul, the lack of breath destroys it. When man dies, the soul departs. This verse is not saying the soul departs as a separate entity and goes somewhere else. The soul is the life giving quality a being must have. Thus, it is saying life departed.

• Genesis 35:18 And so it was, as her soul [nephesh] was departing (for she died),

The soul is the living being and is not immortal. Immortality normally means an entity always was and always will be. However, scripture provides proof souls can and will die.

• Ezekiel 18:4 "Behold, all souls [nephesh] are Mine; the soul [nephesh] of the father as well as the soul [nephesh] of the son is Mine. The soul [nephesh] who sins will die. ..."

When man dies, scripture describes the body as a "dead soul". The Hebrew muwth means "to die" or "to perish". A muwth nephesh is a dead or "perished soul". These Old Testament scriptures are speaking about the laws of handling dead souls. The laws are not important to this study, only that we recognize that souls are not immortal beings that live on after death. They die.

• Numbers 6:6 ‘All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body [muwth nephesh].

• Leviticus 19:28 ‘You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead [muwth nephesh], nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.

• Haggai 2:13 Then Haggai said, "If someone who is unclean by contact with a dead body [muwth nephesh] touches any of these, does it become unclean?" The priests answered and said, "It does become unclean."

The above are excellent examples as to why we must look at the original Hebrew to understand the meaning of a soul or spirit. The translators used the word "body" when the original Hebrew was nephesh, or soul. We will see shortly man consists of a body (suma), soul (nephesh) and spirit (pneuma). The more accurate translation would be "shall not go near a dead soul". But in English, "a dead body" provides a clearer understanding of the original meaning and intent of the law. It has, however, left a muddied definition of the soul, as English translations never refer to dead souls, just dead bodies. Thus, some have mistakenly assumed souls do not die.

There are numerous (more than 100) New Testament references to the soul (psuche or psyche).

Matthew writes we should fear the Lord, not man, as only the Lord can destroy the soul. Just as the body can and will die, so goes the soul.

• Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul [psuche]. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul [psuche] and body in the grave.

Besides confirming that the soul dies as we read in the Old Testament, this scripture also tells us the soul goes into the grave when it dies. Nowhere in scripture does it say the soul can live apart from the body.

• Acts 2:27 because you will not leave my soul [nephesh] in the grave, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay.

• Psalms 16:10 because you will not abandon my soul [nephesh] to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

• Psalms 89:48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his life [nephesh] from the power of the grave?

Souls do go to heaven when Jesus returns and raises the dead as we learned in Where do Christians go when they die? However, they must first die. Otherwise, they could not be resurrected from the dead as Jesus.

Man Has a Body, Soul and Spirit

While mankind and animals have bodies and souls, the Bible tells us that mankind has something else that differentiates man from animals. In this New Testament verse, Paul explains that man has a body, soul and spirit.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace himself make you completely holy and may your spirit [pneuma] and soul [psuche] and body [suma] be kept entirely blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is also worth noting they each have an individual purpose or function, as Paul is praying all three will end up in a blameless state when Christ returns.

This is a good point at which to look at some differences between man and God. Some believe man is God and others believe man and God are nearly the same. This verse is widely used to justify these positions.

• Genesis 1:27 God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.

We cannot take this as meaning man was created as a clone of God, for we know God does not have a body. He is a spiritual being. And while man has a spirit given to us by God, God has the Holy Spirit.

• Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit [pneuma].

We will see later in this study that man's spirit is corruptible and changes when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. God's spirit is incorruptible. It is Holy in the true sense of the word. Also, the scriptures never say that God has a soul (nephesh or psuche.) A body needs a soul to be a living being. God doesn't have a body and, thus, doesn't need a soul.

While God consists of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, man consists of the body, soul and spirit. Both are trinities, but quite different.

Man does, however, have Godlike qualities. Such an analysis could take an entire study of its own, but most will agree that man has intelligence. Man is creative. Man has a written and spoken language. Man seeks holiness and wishes to commune with God. These and other Godlike qualities separate us from animals. Thus, we should not take the "in the image of God" too far, but realize we are the only creatures on earth with Godlike qualities.

The Spirit

The word spirit (rawach in Hebrew and pneuma in Greek) is used throughout the Old and New Testaments in many ways to describe the spirits. While there is the spiritual side of man, there are also heavenly spirits. Rawach and pneuma are used to refer to both.

In Genesis we read that only after God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life" did man become a living soul, a whole person. Man is created only when God provides a spirit.

• Psalms 104:29-30 You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath [pneuma], they die and return to their dust. You send forth Your Spirit [rawach], they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.

• Job 33:4 The Spirit [rawach] of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Not only does man have a body, soul and spirit, each are required for man to be alive.

• James 2:26 For as the body [suma] without the spirit [pneuma] is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

The following scripture from Luke is from the account of Jesus bringing a child back to life. Another confirmation is found here about the spirit being a requirement of life.

• Luke 8:49-55 "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep." They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up.

Once God returns a spirit to a dead body, the soul becomes alive again.

We now can understand that all humans must have a body, soul and spirit to live. A spirit is not just given to those that believe in Jesus Christ as their savior. Unbelievers must have a spirit from God to be alive. The uniqueness of the spirit is that it is only found in man.

However, when a man recognizes Jesus as his Savior, he receives a new spirit. The old one is destroyed. The old spirit provides a yearning to seek God. The new spirit allows us to know the truth about God and His son.

• John 14:15-17 “If you love me, you will obey my commandments. Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.

• 1 Corinthians 5:17 So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away – look, what is new has come!

• Romans 6:2-6 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection. We know that our old man was crucified with him [our spirit that was alive to sin] so that the body of sin [our sinful soul] would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

• 1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth [a new spirit] into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Characteristics of a Spirit

Man's innermost feelings, thoughts, desires and yearnings come from the spirit. The spirit of a man can be felt and heard, but not seen or touched.

• John 3:8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Faithfulness

• Psalms 78:8 And may not be like their fathers, A stubborn and rebellious generation, A generation that did not set its heart aright, And whose spirit [rawach] was not faithful to God.

Sincerity

• Psalms 32:2 How blessed is the one whose wrongdoing the Lord does not punish, in whose spirit [rawach] there is no deceit.

Humility

• Isaiah 57:15 For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, "I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit [rawach] of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.

Emotional Despair

• Joshua 5:1 Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit [rawach] in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.

Inner Strength, Love, Competence

• 1 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit [rawach] of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Patience, Pride

• Ecclesiastes 7:8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient [rawach] in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Meekness

• 1 Peter 3:4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.

• 1 Corinthians 4:21 What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

Passion

• Acts 18:25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.

Motivation

• Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Anger

• Acts 17:16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

Connections

• Philippians 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

Motives

• Proverbs 16:2 All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion, but the Lord evaluates the motives [rawach].

Communion with God

We seek God through our spirit. The spirit is the only way we can communicate with Him. We can change ourselves through the spirit. When believers receive their new spirit, it can suppress their sinful ways. In Isaiah we read the whole being (the soul) desires to be near Him because of the longing of the spirit. Our spirit connects us to God's Holy Spirit.

• Isaiah 26:9a My soul [nephesh] yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit [rawach] longs for you.

• Romans 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person does not belong to him.

• 1 Corinthians 6:17 But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him.

Since our spirit communicated directly with God's spirit, He knows man's innermost thoughts.

• Mark 2:8 Now immediately, when Jesus realized in his spirit [pneuma] that they were contemplating such thoughts, he said to them, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?

• 1 Corinthians 2:11 For who among men knows the things of a man except the man’s spirit [pneuma] within him? So too, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit [pneuma] of God.

• Psalms 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;

When God gives man spiritual gifts, they are through the spirit.

• Isaiah 34:9 Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit [rawach] of wisdom, for Moses had placed his hands on him; and the Israelites listened to him and did just what the Lord had commanded Moses.

• Isaiah 28:6 [He will give] A spirit [rawach] of justice for him who sits in judgment, A strength to those who repel the onslaught at the gate.

There are Christians that worship God for the wrong reasons or are so distracted with life they do not allow their spirit to work within them. True worship of God can only be done through the spirit. Romans 10:2 speak of people that do not have the knowledge of truth provided by the Holy Spirit.

• Romans 10:2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

• Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit [pneuma] of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials

• 2 Corinthians 7:1 Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit [pneuma], and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God.

• Romans 8:16 The Spirit [pneuma] himself bears witness to our spirit [pneuma] that we are God’s children.

In Galatians, Paul is reminding believers that they are privileged to have received the gift of God's Spirit and they should rely only on it to do God's work. Man is doomed to failure without the power of the spirit.

• Galatians 3:1-5 You foolish Galatians! Who has cast a spell on you? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was vividly portrayed as crucified! The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? Although you began with the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by human effort? Have you suffered so many things for nothing? – if indeed it was for nothing. Does God then give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law or by your believing what you heard?

Souls and Spirits Separate from the Body

Scripture tells us about the state of the dead before Jesus resurrects them. From the Where do Christians go when they die? study, we know this about that state.

• Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing.

• Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do `it' with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol [the grave], whither thou goest.

• Psalms 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

• Psalms 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

• Psalms 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

• Isaiah 38:18-19 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

The dead are just that...dead. Scripture tells us the dead cannot remember, they cannot thank anyone, they cannot praise God, they cannot think, there is no knowledge or wisdom, they cannot even dream because the verse says, "his thoughts perish." All their abilities have perished, "the dead know not any thing." But just as a person awakens in the morning after a night's sleep, Christians will awaken from their death, as our Lord and Savior has conquered death.

Thus, our spirit - the essence of our life - awaits the return of Jesus Christ to resurrect His people from death. (The day of our Lord is the time of Christ's return during the end-time period.)

• 1 Corinthians 5:4-5 When you gather together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of our Lord Jesus, turn this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit [pneuma] may be saved in the day of the Lord.

There is no mention in the Bible of man's spirit living outside the body, before or after death. The spirit goes to heaven only upon the return of Jesus Christ when he raises us from the dead.

Heavenly Spirits

Scripture tells us God created angels before he created the earth. God created these immortal beings as heavenly creatures that normally are not seen or heard by humans. They can freely move between heaven and earth. These are spiritual beings and are not the same spirits [psyche] found within man.

• Exodus 33:2 I will send an angel [mal'ak] before you...

• Matthew 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels [aggelos] in heaven.

The Old Testament Hebrew mal'ak means messenger and the New Testament Greek aggelos means either angel or messenger. Angels are indeed spirits.

• Hebrews 1:7 And of the angels He says: "Who makes His angels spirits [pneumatikos] And His ministers a flame of fire."

Much is written about heavenly beings throughout scripture and is beyond this study. I'll summarize a little of what is known as this will help us better understand the spiritual world.

Angels have names (Gabriel, Michael and Raphael) and hierarchical types (archangel, cherubim and seraphs). They are described as celestial, living beings. The mighty ones. There are "multitudes" of them, "thousands upon thousands".

Angels are not described as robots of God. Just like man, they are intelligent beings with free will. We are both given tasks to accomplish and we are expected to figure out how to best finish them. Scripture tells us one angel rebelled against God and was thrown out of heaven along with the angels that joined the rebellion. The New Testament calls this angelic being Satan. The angels that follow Satan are referred to as demons. This celestial fallout occurred before man was created.

• Revelation 12:7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But the dragon was not strong enough to prevail, so there was no longer any place left in heaven for him and his angels. So that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him.

• Luke 10:17 Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” So he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Satan is commonly called "the Great Deceiver" as his goal is to tempt us to follow him, rather than God. His first act of deception was documented in Genesis when he tempted Eve to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit of life. The book of Job is another example of scriptures telling us of Satan and his demons tempting man. But Satan does not have to wreak destruction and havoc upon man to turn him away from Christ. Some are easily tempted with comfort, power or pleasure. Outright deception is also used, causing man to disobey God. Satan's sole function is to separate us from God. And being an extremely intelligent creature he is very good at it.

• Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual [pneumatikos] forces of evil in the heavens.

One deceptive method Satan uses is to cause us to believe man is immortal, just like God. This was the same lie he told to Eve. While our body may die, he wants us to believe our soul or spirit lives forever. This is a lie. All men must die and man can only survive death by being resurrected by Jesus Christ, who conquered death.

Knowing how Satan works, God instructed man not to get involved with the demons of the spiritual world. This verse from Leviticus has been misunderstood, causing many to believe there are disembodied spirits of the dead.

• Leviticus 20:6 “‘The person who turns to the spirits of the dead and familiar spirits to commit prostitution by going after them, I will set my face against that person and cut him off from the midst of his people.

Scripture is not saying spirits of the dead actually exist. God is telling us to stay away from such things, as they are deceptions from Satan. Satan has also deceived the mediums that call upon them.

Knowing the dead (with their souls) have no thoughts, knowledge or wisdom, how can there be spirits with knowledge of a person that died? That is quite simple. Satan and his demons know. They are eternal beings and were here on earth with each human that has subsequently died. With their knowledge, they can easily pass themselves off as spirits of the dead. As familiar spirits.

• 2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.

• Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.

Luke's story of a demon-possessed man is telling. The demon says he knows who Jesus really is - the Holy One of God. But Jesus had not yet made that known to the men on earth. Satan and his demons know, though, as they once lived in heaven. Jesus quickly tells the demon to be quiet as Jesus was not ready for His disciples to know His mission on earth.

• Luke 4:33-35 Now in the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, “Ha! Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him: “Silence! Come out of him!” Then, after the demon threw the man down in their midst, he came out of him without hurting him.

Spirits in Prison

• 1 Peter 3:18-20 Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit. In it he went and preached to the spirits [pneuma] in prison, after they were disobedient long ago when God patiently waited in the days of Noah as an ark was being constructed. In the ark a few, that is eight souls, were delivered through water.

Who are these spirits in prison that Christ visited? By knowing man's spirit does not live outside the body, we can deduce they must be heavenly spirits. But we also know Satan and his demons have free rein to travel. They are not locked in a prison.

So let's look back in the days of Noah when God made His visit to this prison.

• Genesis 6:1-8 When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely, since they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years.”The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men. But the Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended. So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.

This is the period just before Noah's flood where there was much wickedness on earth. The sons of God took the daughters of men as their wives. The sons of God were heavenly angels. Note the contrast in terms of whom they married. Had they been men, the verse would describe them as the sons and daughters of men. The second reference to their wives uses the term daughters of humankind. The sons of God reference is used three other times in the Old Testament.

• Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

• Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

• Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

These are all obviously angelic beings. The latter reference occurred upon the creation of the earth when no humans were yet created.

The offspring of this ungodly union were known as Nephilim or "giants". They would have been killed in the flood, as they were part human. However, angels are immortal and survived the flood. And that is why the angels who married women had to be locked in a prison to await a final judgment.

• 2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people , a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

The word hell referenced here is the Greek tartaroo, which is not used elsewhere in the Bible. Homer used tartarus as "the prison of the Titans, or giants, who rebelled against Zeus”. This is different to the Hebrew sheol or Greek hades which are used hundreds of times throughout the Bible as a place man goes upon death.

Jude repeats this entire story.

• Jude 1:6-7 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The angels left their proper domain (heaven) and gave themselves to sexual immorality with strange flesh (women). They ended up in everlasting chains under darkness (prison) until judgment day.

Thus, we now know the spirits described in 1 Peter are heavenly spirits, fallen angels.

Heavenly Experiences?

So how can the personal experiences from those that temporarily died be explained?

The apostles provided reports of numerous people brought back to life during Jesus' time on earth. While those people were dead several days (or longer), there is no mention of them saying anything about being in heaven. Had they been there and remembered it, they certainly would have told their friends and family, along with the apostles standing nearby taking notes. I am sure they would have been very disappointed in having to leave.

Scripture tells us the soul and spirit die when the body dies and awaits the resurrection to come back to life. Upon death, there are "no thoughts". These books clearly say people are thinking, seeing, feeling and remembering. If they are really dead, that goes against scripture.

The only other relevant scriptural reference that may help us understand are those that tell us Satan is the master of deception and the claim that man is immortal (like God) is his first recorded lie to a human. While many of those relating their experiences may be fine, upstanding people with no intent to mislead or lead people away from God, they might have been unknowingly deceived. They wouldn't be the first. And they won't be the last.

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