One particular verse seems to refute soul sleep. In Luke 23:43, Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Him that day in paradise. Jesus was not going to sleep, and neither was the man on the cross. On the contrary, Jesus preached to the spirits in prison and led the captive to freedom, where the Old Testament believers rose from their tombs and went into Jerusalem, only be to taken up when Christ ascended forty days later. (1st Peter 3:19,Ephesians 4:8, Matthew 27:51-53)from
http://thetruth-blog.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-is-soul-sleep.html "Seems" to refute! A good choice of words because there are other interpretations:
The Penitent Thief | The Thief on the cross The Spirits in Prison A new article on the Afterlife | Conditional Immortality, Soul Sleep and Annihilationism website is Sheol the Old Testament Consensus, which deals with the soul in the Old Testament.
I appreciate the mention. However, soul sleep is unbiblical at its very core. The soul does not sleep after death, this is a misinterpretation of Scripture. Upon death we enter into either Heaven or Hell - this is consistent with both God's Word and the numerous accounts we find as well as personal experience.
ReplyDeleteNow of course I could be wrong, but so could you. Consider the following: once we die, our soul enters into either Heaven or Hell, while our body, be it whole or whatever state at death it is left in, in some part remains on the Earth. When the 1000 Year Reign of Christ occurs, (Revelation 21) the body and soul are again merged, but the believer's body is glorified. However, the unbeliever is thrown into the Lake of Fire - after the 1,000 years. This is consistent with Scripture, it is not unbiblical. If anything, a literal reading of Luke 16:19-31 disproves Soul Sleep.
Consider Phillipians 1:23-24, “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.” Are we to understand that Paul means he wants to go to sleep? Paul, having been shown the Third Heaven, would have a much clearer idea of how things worked than we do (1st Corinthians 12).
“When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with [their] teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, And cast [him] out of the city, and stoned [him]: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” (Acts 7:54-59) Stephen, while he was being killed, saw the "heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Are we to take this to mean that upon death, Stephen would suddenly become unconscious?
Consider now Philippians 3:20-21, "But out citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Note that we eagerly await - which indicates that to be eager, you need to be awake.
This is because those on the heavenward side are eagerly awaiting the rapture and resurrection from the earth-ward side. Note now 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14. "But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus." Now, does this not indicate soul sleep? No, the soul will be awake and alive in Heaven, whereas our body will be in a state of decay six feet under, and therefore must be resurrected. The body will proceed to be glorified.
Thanks again for the mention. God bless.
-Troy-
*The Rich Man and Lazarus is certainly not a parable. It does not contradict Psalm 6:5 - the word grave here is typically in reference to Hell. The dead who are in Hell do not praise God.
Also, Jesus makes it clear many, many times that Hell is ETERNAL. See: http://thetruth-blog.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-did-jesus-say-about-hell.html
In His Name.