The free-will choice for every person alive is to either… only live out their temporal life and days upon earth for 60, 70, 80, 90 years or more, however they want to live, or… they may receive and enjoy the fruit of the “eternal life” of God that is freely offered to everyone through placing their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior… from the judgment and the eternal death that is otherwise due all men.

Many people erroneously believe the Bible says we as humans have an ‘immortal soul’ destined, at death, either for heaven or eternal suffering in hell. But the idea of and ‘immortal soul’ and eternal suffering of souls in hell is a pagan and Greek belief that became Church tradition without any Biblical basis. The fact is that the only immortal souls are those of believers who in the course of their lifetime on earth came to trust in Jesus as their Savior. They therefore have received and forever possess His resurrected eternal “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a) to be their new and “everlasting life.”

As discussed earlier, the “spirit of man” is temporarily given to every born human. The deposit of God’s “breath (spirit)” gives a man his temporary human spirit-life that we might say as “life on loan.” The Bible likens this human life to “a vapor.” - “… For what is your life (Zoë, spirit)? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” (James 4:14b). The word “life” here is the Greek “Zoë,” for the “spirit-breath of life” that is given ‘on loan’ to every child of Adam by physical birth.

The word “Gehenna” is associated with “the Lake of Fire” (cf. Mark 9:43; Rev. 19:20; 20:14). Note here that a “living soul,” can die and be utterly Destroyed. Thus, souls are temporal and can die.

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him (the Lord) which is able to DESTROY (Gk. apollymi, utterly destroy) both SOUL and BODY in hell (Gk. Gehenna, note that this is the hell of “the lake of fire”) (Matt. 10:28).       

“all souls are mine (Heb. nephesh, all ‘soul-life’ is mine); as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall DIE.” (Eze. 18:4)

Man is a temporal soul-life being with ‘life on loan’ for his time alive on earth. The phrase ‘life on loan’ is from my good friend, Bill Landon, in his book, “Life After death” (www.iUniverse.com). Our time on earth allows us opportunity to hear of and receive the good news that the eternal, resurrected, “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” can be received to become our new and permanent eternal “life.”

Jesus here below is saying men must choose to give up their self-ruled, independent Adamic, sinful, temporary soul-life, that came to them via their earthly parents, in order to gain the joy of His Eternal Spirit of life in their spirit and soul. Jesus said anyone who will freely choose to entrust and give-up his ‘old self soul-life’ to Christ will then gain His eternal life and thereby… live eternally as a reborn soul-self!

“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹He that findeth (sees only) his life (Gk. psuche, soul-self) shall lose it: and he that loseth his life (Gk. psuche, soul-self) for my sake shall find it (find his new Christ-self). (Matt. 10:39)

Note here what occurs to “the spirit of man” when he dies physically. “… the dust (body) return to the earth as it was: and the spirit (of man) shall return unto God who gave it.” (Eccl. 12:7).

The word “perish,” appears in the KJV New Testament a total of forty (40) times. It’s transliterated from the Greek “apollymi,” to mean “to be utterly destroyed.” The Bible words “perish, perished, perisheth” are used to convey the idea of utter destruction and as the only alternative to… eternal life. It says noting of eternal torment. Note here the words “destroyed” and “destroy” as seen in the Old Testament.

“When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish; it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: ⁸ But thou, LORD, art most high for evermore. ⁹ For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered (blown away).” (Psalm 92:7-9)
“The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.” (Psalm 145:20)

The words “destroyed” and “destroy” here are the Hebrew “shamad,” (Strong’s H8045) meaning, to annihilate, exterminate; per Vines Expository Dictionary of the OT and NT)

The Father “gave His only begotten Son” at the cross to remedy the sin and the eternal death that is latent within the physical bodies of all mankind. Jesus came, died, was buried, and rose in order to give us His everlasting resurrection life – for all who will trust in Him alone as their personal Savior.

Note in John 3:16 that the alternative to having “everlasting life” is not to be in eternal torment but rather to “perish,” that is to “be utterly destroyed, permanently.”

“God… gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish (apolymmi, be utterly destroyed), but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

All the “dead” are “asleep” until the resurrection of their bodies to “stand” at the Great White Throne judgment. All, the lost and the saved, will be resurrected; 1) Believers unto Eternal life, or 2) Nonbelievers unto Eternal destruction (below).

1. Eternal life will be enjoyed in the “presence of the Lord.”

In “the dispensation of the fullness of times” (Eph. 1:10), His presence will be manifested both… with the grace believers of this age “in heaven,” and also at His 2^nd coming to the Kingdom gospel believers on earth.

a. The members of “the church, which is His body” will enjoy His presence at the Rapture to heaven.

“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved (decayed), we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Corinthians 5:1 (KJV)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (KJV)

b. Then later, “the Gospel of Kingdom” believers of the O.T., the Gospel period of Jesus’ ministry on earth, the early Acts period, and the Tribulation period (those who…  believed before Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” for the Gentiles) will be raised at the 1^st resurrection (cf. Rev. 20:6) unto eternal life in the Millennial kingdom “on earth.”

“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:6 (KJV)  

2) Or, “Everlasting Destruction” (2Thes 1:9, below) in “the lake of fire” (not eternal torment), which will be assigned to all the lost unbelievers of all ages at the “Great White Throne” Judgment” (Rev 20:11-15).

“Who shall be punished with ‘everlasting destruction’ from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;” (2 Thessalonians 1:9 (KJV)