“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mat. 16:26. Here the “soul,” the “inner man,” is considered of greater worth than this world. He who secures the eternal safety of his soul has accomplished more than he who should gain this whole world. The Soul Does Not Lose Consciousness When The Body Dies. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ; which is far better: nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” Phil. 1:21-24. If there is no conscious existence after death until the final resurrection from the grave, how could it be “far better” for Paul to depart? For him to depart this life is to be with Christ. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Cor. 5:8. How can language be plainer than this? To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. The Place Of The Soul While The Body Lies In The Grave. The Son of God in his beautiful narrative of the rich man and Lazarus certainly teaches a conscious existence of the departed souls of both the wicked and the righteous. The soul of the rich man was in torment in the flames of hell. The angels carried the poor beggar to rest and bliss in Abraham’s bosom.