Where will a soul be before the final judgment?

Hello.

The final judgment or judgment day is a specific " day " or period, when particular groups, nations, or mankind in general are called to account by God. It may be a time when those already judged to be deserving of death are executed, or the judgment may afford opportunity for some to be delivered, even to everlasting life.

Jesus Christ and his apostles pointed to a future " Judgment Day " involving not only the living but also those who had died in the past.- Read Matthew 10: 15; 11: 21-24; 12: 41,42; 2 Timothy 4: 1,2.

In The Bible a "soul" is translated from the Hebrew ne'phesh and the Greek psy.khe'. Bible usage shows the soul to be a person or an animal or the life that a person or an animal enjoys.

When Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, the man came to be a living soul" ( Notice that Genesis 2: 7 does not say that the man was given a soul but that he became a soul, a living person).

According to Genesis 3: 19 when Adam and Eve were no longer in accord with Jehovah's requirements, they returned to the ground, for out of it they were taken.

So to answer your question, the Scriptures explain that there will be a specific future period, or "day", when mankind, both the living and those who died in the past, will individually be judged. Read 2 Timothy 4: 1,2

When using the expression " Judgment Day ", Jesus brought into the picture a resurrection of the dead. Revelation 20: 12,13 indicates that many being examined on Judgement Day will be resurrected ones. The dead are mentioned and so is the fact that death and hades gave up those dead in them. Such ones are judged, as confirmed in John 5: 28,29 in these Words. " Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice ( The voice of Jesus ) and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgement.

A resurrection of life are for the ones who "did good things" before they died, and a resurrection of judgment are for those who practiced vile things will have the opportunity to prove themselves righteous according to their deeds.

However 1 Timothey 2: 4 reads " Whose will ( God's will ) is that all sorts of people should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth ". So accurate knowledge is important if we want to be approved by God, which our future depends on.

So as living souls today, we have the opportunity to show God our desire to live up to his requirements. And as Psalms 37: 29 confirms that only the righteous will possess the earth and live forever on it.

Kind regards.