Fate of a Soul

Questions about the human soul have mystified mankind from time immemorial Is the soul of the faithful dead like Christian in "The Pilgrim's Progress," making the perilous journey from the "City of Destruction" --our world--to the "Celestial City that is heaven? What really happens when we die? Where does the soul of the dead go? Is it really true that the soul never dies when one's lifetime is through? When I inevitably spirit off to the great beyond will my soul refuse to follow or tag along? I wish I knew. It's the mother of all mysteries What of a soul languishing in purgatory? How long does it linger there in anguish... waiting to be cleansed? Is salvation guaranteed? So a soul as black as coal doesn't die a dog's death when the body dies, too? What of a rotten apple of a soul redeemed as the body lies dying? It is also sieved and salvaged by God on Judgment Day? In near-death experiences, does a soul escape before sneaking back in? What if a long-faithful soul goes horribly astray, unredeemed? Does God still handle it with great care, as though it were fragile glass? Is it still safe? Or sucked into the vortex of hell for eternity? Most importantly, what IS a soul? Oh, the nagging existential questions! Date written and posted: 09/15/2018