The soul dies. Ezekiel 18:20, "The soul that sins, it shall die." A person is not eternally tortured if he commits suicide. Have no worries.
I Samuel 31:4, 5 (CSB) records two suicides, "Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and run me through and torture me! " But his armor-bearer would not do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it. When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died with him."
Neither man feared he was going to eternal torment. If he had feared torment after death, why would he commit suicide? No. King Saul and his armor-bearer feared torture by their enemies. They chose suicide to escape torture.
So what is a soul? The Bible defines it as the soul = the body + the breath of life. Genesis 2:7 (KJV), "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 soul." Man did not receive a soul; a man is a soul.
The Hebrew word for soul is nephesh. And all living creatures are called souls. The Bible translators have obscured this beautiful, simple truth by translating Nephesh with words that hide its meaning. For example: Genesis 1:20 and 24, "And God created great whales, and every living creature (Nephesh -soul) that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly… 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature (Nephesh – soul) after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so."
When the breath of life leaves the body, the soul ends. The Bible has no scriptures that say the soul is immortal.
Is there any hope for a future life? Yes. God has promised a resurrection for all. 1 Corinthians 15:22, "In Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive." All souls will be resurrected in Christ's wonderful kingdom. John 5:28-29. Then Revelation 21:3-4 (CSB) will be fulfilled, “Look, God's dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.” Anyone who has committed suicide will be healed, loved, and forgiven. Hebrews 8:12, “For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Soon, Christ’s kingdom of justice, peace, health, and righteousness will fill the earth. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Why did the prophet Job, in his suffering, ask God to be hidden in hell, if hell is a place of eternal torment? What does Revelation 1:18 mean when it says that Jesus has the keys to death and hell? Did you know that God promised to destroy death? Find the answer to these probing questions in this insightful booklet.
Download PDF: "When a Man Dies"
