I am trying to grasp the existence of souls as separate from our physical bodies. Are souls created at the moment of conception, or do they already exist beforehand? On a biological level, it seems that the penetration of a human egg by a sperm cell is hardly a metaphysical event. On a religious level, however, the Bible says that Jesus (The Word) existed even before Mary became pregnant.
This suggests to me that other souls may exist prior to human conception as well as after physical death. In that case, it seems that these eternal souls might inhabit our bodies only during our lifetimes before being reincarnated in someone else's body. Is this antithetical to Christian or other religious beliefs? If so, please explain.
First, addressing the concept of reincarnation: The God of the Holy Scriptures tells us, Our lives are short in this reality/world (Job 14:1-2). We are simply pilgrims passing through life (1 Cron. 29:15). Life is just a short breath (Ps. 39:5).
Just a morning mist according to James (4:14)
Reincarnation would deny these scriptures as being false, if man's life is lived over and over regardless of what life form it might take. Our days are limited (Job 14:5). Upon death, man's spirit goes back to God who created it. (Eccl. 12:7) it does not get recycled.
In simple terms, the scriptures are clear, "And it is appointed unto men ONCE TO DIE.........BUT AFTER THIS......THE JUDGMENT." -- Hebrews 9:27
The word "soul" in the original Hebrew text (Nephesh)......and (Psuche) in the translated Greek (the universal language of the 1st century), means "a living breathing creature"...i.e, LIFE, ALIVE. God breathed a Soul into Adam, who was created from the elements of the earth (Genesis: 2:7). Thus, Adam's soul did not pre-exist creation
Its confusing to define the difference between Soul and Spirit. The Holy Scriptures tell us that man consists of 3 distinct elements, Body, Soul, and Spirit. (1 Thess. 5:23) The scriptures also tell us that the body is simply a housing vessel for the Soul and Spirit of man. (2 Peter 1:13-14). Soul and Spirit are much more difficult to distinguish than the human body as both are invisible attributes of human life.
The word Spirit in Hebrew (Ruwach and Neshamah) and the Greek literally means "Wind". Such is an analogy for Spirit in the scriptures. You can't see the wind but you know its there because you can feel the effects of its force, just as you can't see a Spirit (as its defined as invisible in scripture (2 Kings 6:17) but we see the effects of the Spirit as it animates the human body.......the scriptures define death as the absence of the spirit. James declares that the body void of Breath or Wind is dead. (James 2:6)
Unlike animals, who also have a soul (life), man's soul has a spirit that is created in the image of God (Genesis 1:21), God does not have a physical body but is inivisble in the plane of existence, God is a Spirit (John 4:24), thus man's spirit is but a reflection of God as it animated the flesh.........it exists as an eternal or immortal entity and goes back to God who created it. (Eccl. 3:21, 12:7)...while the life force of an animal goes back to the dust from which it was created.
Historical Fact.......it was the Roman Empire that God used to bring judgement upon the sinful nation of Israel, Rome totally destroyed Jerusalem around 70 AD. Jesus Himself stated that this event would be the judgement of God when He compared this event that was to take place in "this very generation" with the prophecy of Daniel (1st century) -- Matthew 24:15 Jesus directly declared, "this is the desolation of abomination spoken of by Daniel" Jesus had warned the Jewish leadership that this generation would not pass until God's judgement would be upon them. (Matthew 24:34, Matthew 23:36)
