I want to share with my readers that in the midst of reviewing and refining this chapter, my husband died of a massive heart attack while at work. At the hospital, I saw him for the last time with immediate and extended family. At times like this I know we would like to ease the burden for the loved ones who remain that the person we lost to death is not really dead but with the Lord now and at peace. When we lose someone we love, we try to convince ourselves of this because the pain and grief is too much to bear as the reality of the death of our loved one immerses so deep within our being that the world just seems to stop. I do not fault them for their kindness by trying to reach out to help try to ease the pain. It is just something we have all learned from childhood and accept as true.

 Soul Sleep?

   Therefore, as we begin to examine the issue of death, I think we must first probe the term of “soul sleep.” Those who teach and believe in the immortality of the soul try to warn others to stay away from those who do not. Those who do not believe in the immortality of the soul are accused of teaching doctrines of demons and will use guilt by association, i.e., one must be a Jehovah’s Witness or Seventh Day Adventist.

   I would have to say that the ones who believe and teach innate immortality are misguided. The following is a common explanation against soul sleep and what happens to the dead:

“Soul sleep” is a belief that after a person dies, his/her soul “sleeps” until the resurrection and final judgment. The concept of “soul sleep” is not biblical. When the Bible describes a person “sleeping” in relation to death (Luke 8:52; 1 Corinthians 15:6), it does not mean literal sleep. Sleeping is just a way to describe death because a dead body appears to be asleep. The moment we die, we face the judgment of God (Hebrews 9:27). For believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). For unbelievers, death means everlasting punishment in hell (Luke 16:22-23).⁶³

   The people who speak against soul sleep are misguided because of their confusion over the word “soul.” They are constantly taught that “bodies” sleep but “souls” do not. Because of the acceptance of Plato’s definition of death - as a separation of the immortal soul from the body, by necessity, cannot have it sleeping, it must stay awake. So no one is really sleeping, only the body. The bible is clear that in the sleep of death it is the whole person who is asleep. All of the dead are referred to as persons, not dead bodies. They fail to understand the true meaning of a “living being” (nephesh). The bible teaches nothing about mankind possessing anything that is immortal. It seems the Old Testament is entirely ignored when it gives us specific information about the state of the dead that can be easily understood. Both Testaments speaks of the dead as falling asleep and they remain asleep until the resurrection. So, it is the whole person who is dead, i.e., asleep, if we grasp the biblical definition of soul.

   What this website owner states about the dead when they die is false according to scripture. In addition, did you notice how he misquoted the verse “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord?” (I cover this further in the chapter in case you do not see it.) Additionally, when a person dies, he does not immediately face judgment. Hebrews 9:27 does not tell us this. It simply says, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” 

   When a person dies, there is nothing in scripture that states they immediately face judgment and go either to heaven or hell. Lazarus died and there is no record of him going to heaven (or hell). He was simply asleep (dead) and Christ awakened him out of his sleep. In fact, Jesus resurrected at least three people from the dead. The other two were Jairus' daughter and the widow's son at Nain. Then, of course, we have the many saints who were resurrected at the time of Christ’s crucifixion. Had those saints who were sleeping already judged and living in eternal bliss?

   These people came to life once more and we can only assume they died again. Why? Because when they were resurrected, they were not resurrected with the gift of immortal life, in a new glorified body.

   Hebrews 9:27 is simply about the final death and after that comes the judgment. All this does not take place immediately after the person dies, but when Christ returns. If what this website states are true, then Lazarus, Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, and the many saints who were resurrected have already been judged and have the gift of immortality.

 “Sleep” Used As a Metaphor For “Death”

   When a person dies, the bible will often use the metaphor “sleep” for death. The following is just a tiny example from the Old and New Testament, but I also want you to notice the personal pronouns. It has to do with the whole person. It has nothing to do with the orthodox (i.e., the accepted traditional view) position and definition of soul that separates from the body at the time of death:

 Job 14:12

So a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep. (It is talking about the whole person. It does not say, “rouse his body out of sleep.)

 Ps.13:3

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. (Does not say, “lest my body sleep.”)

 Dan. 12:2

And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. (It does not say, “And many of the bodies shall awake…”)

Job 7:21

for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be (Not, “Now shall my body sleep…”)

 Luke 8:52, 53

Everyone was crying and weeping for the girl. But Jesus said, "The child isn't dead. She is just asleep.” The people laughed at him because they knew she was dead. (Not, “her body is just asleep.”)

 John 11:11, 13

Then he told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, and I am going there to wake him up." Jesus really meant that Lazarus was dead, but they thought he was talking only about sleep. (Jesus does not say, “I am going to wake the body of Lazarus.”)

   We see that it is the whole person who sleeps, not just the body. When a person dies, the whole person is dead. Again, the bible uses the word “sleep” as a metaphor for “death.” A metaphor or analogy is simply a comparison between two things for the purpose of explanation or clarification. 

   Since we all understand the word “sleep” because it is universal and we all have experienced it, we can compare it with death and therefore understand the concept of death. When we go to sleep, we drift into unconsciousness and have no indication of the time passing. Some people will say that in sleeping there really is no death because a person can dream while sleeping. This is to try to prove people are still alive after they are dead and either in heaven or in hell. People will grab whatever argument they can to try to prove someone is still awake while dead. So the dead are not dead because a person can dream while sleeping? Certainly, the truth is that an individual whose heart has ceased beating, whose blood no longer circulates, whose brain has halted its activity, and who has ceased to breathe, is unequivocally dead! Let's explore what the Bible has to say regarding the dead:

For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? (Ps. 6:5).

The dead do not praise the Lord (Ps. 115:17)

Return, O LORD, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? (Psalm 6:4-5)

The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor do any who go down into silence; (Psalm 115:17)

His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. (Psalm 146:4)

For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun... Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. (Ecc. 9:5-6,10)

   These few examples of scripture speak nothing about a consciousness after death. Once a person dies, it means the utter end of being alive. The bible says they are asleep.

   Christ told his disciples that Lazarus was asleep. The disciples did not understand so Jesus had to tell them plainly, "Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14). Lazarus was not still alive in a disembodied state, judged, and enjoying eternal bliss with God in heaven. Rather, he was inside a grave decomposing. As Martha said to Jesus, “by this time he stinks” (John 11:39). When Jesus came to the grave he cried out, “Lazarus come forth!” Jesus did not cry out, “Lazarus, you get back down here!”

   Another thing to consider is that Lazarus never mentions what activity he experienced while dead those four days. For that matter, why would anyone want to leave heaven? Shouldn’t Lazarus have been extremely disappointed when Jesus forced him from his “eternal reward in heaven” back to earth?

   Question: What about where the bible says, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living?”

   Answer: In context, Jesus is addressing the Sadducees who rejected the resurrection of the dead (Matt 22:23, Mark 12:18, Luke 20:27). Jesus answered them and said:

You are in error, through ignorance of the Scriptures and of the power of God. (Matt. 22:29)

   In Mat 22:31-32 he says:

But as touching the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.”

   The quotation is from Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush (Ex. 3:6; cf. Mk. 12:26). In Mark 12:25, on the same topic, we read concerning the dead:

For when they SHALL RISE FROM THE DEAD, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

   Jesus is dealing with the Sadducees and their rejection of the power of God to raise the dead from the grave and their lack of knowledge of scripture on this issue. It is not proof that the dead never really die and continue to live after death. The Sadducees assumed death to be final and permanent.

   If Jesus is teaching that the patriarchs are presently living and conscious, then he is teaching that they have already been resurrected and the argument is a waste of time. Why? Because Jesus would be arguing merely for the continued existence of the dead rather than “resurrection” from the dead, which resurrection is the context! If Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were not dead, Christ could not have used them to prove the dead will be raised.

   Therefore, if people insist that the passage supports that the dead are still living, then they take away Christ’s argument of proving the resurrection - that all the saints SHALL RISE from the dead.

   To support the state of the dead are still living is doing so out of context. All the dead will return to dust while awaiting the resurrection. Some will rise and be given the life of immortality, which is a “gift,” and the others will “perish.”

 
The Rich Man And Lazarus

   Question: What about Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16?

   Answer: There are two things we must remember when reading the bible:

1. We must Look at the immediate context

2. We must look at the broader context of the entire bible where it contains the same topic

   We cannot dismiss numerous passages of scripture to one difficult passage that might seem to contradict the broader context. I have seen many people do this, and I plead guilty as well, but there is always the opportunity to change our minds once we reexamine the scriptures.

   On the issue of death, we know that the bible summarizes the state of the dead in Ecc. 9:5: “The dead know nothing.” The story of the rich man and Lazarus seem to contradict the broader context of the entire bible when it comes to death and sleep. However, there is no contradiction when we realize that Jesus is telling a parable when it comes to this story. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines a parable as “a short story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson.” 

   Just prior to the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, we have the parables of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), and then the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.

   The traditional teaching about the rich man and Lazarus is taken literally to try to prove the dead are conscious and are either in heaven or hell the moment they die while the body decays in the grave, that they continue on in a disembodied state. This is not a parable about the state of the dead or about heaven and hell, or about tormented in hell fire for billions of years.

   For those who believe in eternal conscious torment (ECT) end up contradicting what they claim to believe. For instance, if this is a literal story then it means the saved would be watching their loved ones burning and tormented in flames of fire forever and ever but never burning up. Thus, the people in hell and the people in heaven can see each other! Do they really believe this? In addition, do they believe that one drop of water could relieve the agony and pain of those suffering in the blazing fire? (“…and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”) Also, where does it say the beggar went to heaven? It says he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. Abraham’s bosom is not heaven. The word “bosom” means chest, but not literally all the time. It also represents a special closeness or intimacy. To have in one's bosom indicates kindness, secrecy, or intimacy (Genesis 16:5; 2 Samuel 12:8). Christ is said to have been in "the bosom of the Father," i.e., he had a perfect knowledge of the Father and had the closest intimacy with Him (John 1:18). John was leaning on Jesus' bosom at the last supper (John 13:23). Our Lord carries his lambs in his bosom, i.e., has a tender, watchful care over them (Isaiah 40:11).⁶³

   Furthermore, if the body is in the grave and the beggar is believed to be in heaven, what is he doing with a body? What we have is that when the rich man and the beggar died, they went bodily to their rewards. Scripture does not teach this. When a person dies, he goes to the grave and awaits the resurrection. King David is still in the grave. After Christ’s resurrection, it is said, “David did not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:34). Men are rewarded at Christ's second coming, not at death (Revelation 22:11, 12)

   Therefore, we see there are problems if we take the parable of Lazarus and the rich man literally. The topic has nothing to do with the state of the dead or heaven and hell. Taken at face value, the story is about greed, judgment, and repentance. Jesus condemns the Pharisees for their love of money (greed) while neglecting to show compassion for the poor (Luke 16:19:31). In other words, having great wealth emptied of active mercy is considered wicked. After death it is too late for repentance, to change our character and behavior (Rev. 22:7-12).

    What about when Paul said he would rather be with Christ (Phil. 1:23)? Or where he says, “that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8)?    

   I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.  But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.  (Phil. 1:23)

   Many have understood this to mean that when Paul dies, he will immediately be with Christ. A few things to notice:

• Paul never said he would immediately be with Christ when he dies.

• Paul never said anything about going to heaven when he dies.

• Paul never says anything about him or anyone being in a disembodied state when they die and immediately home with Christ.

   But here is what Paul did understand:

• He knew that death is a sleep and taught about believers who sleep waiting for the resurrection at Christ’s return. (1 Thes. 4:13-17)

• Paul knew the dead have no consciousness or awareness, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything” (Ecc. 9:5).

• Paul knows that from the moment of death until his resurrection that he will have no experience of time passing. Just as when we sleep, we wake up not knowing how many hours we have actually slept. Likewise, upon resurrection it would seem like an instant of time had passed since the moment of death. This will be the experience for all those who have been dead for thousands of years.

• Paul understood that the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give him on that Day (of Christ’s appearing at the second coming) and to all who love his appearing (2 Tim. 4:6-8) The reward is not received immediately at death but is stored in heaven until the time of the resurrection. 

• Therefore, Paul knew that the faithful who have died will remain asleep in the grave until Jesus returns and raises them to immortal life (1 Corinthians 15:50-57)

   As far as 2 Cor. 5:8:

We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

   This verse is often misquoted. Note it does not say, “…to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Because the verse is so often misquoted, people think that once a person dies he is instantaneously present with the Lord in a disembodied state.

   If we read the context, Paul says;

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life” (vs. 2–4).

   Paul declares that “life” (immortal life) comes when we are “clothed upon” with this “house…from heaven” at the resurrection (v. 4), not in the “naked” or “unclothed” state of death. No one is “clothed” with immortality at the time of death, but rather simultaneously at the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:51–54; 1 Thess. 4:15–17; 2 Tim. 4:6–8; etc.).

   Paul knows the faithful in Christ are asleep (dead) and will be awakened from this sleep at the first resurrection (John 11:11–14, 25, 26; 1 Cor. 15:20, 51–54; 1 Thess. 4:14–17; 5:10).

   As stated above, when a person dies, they have no awareness of time passing. As a person who goes to bed and falls asleep in the blackness of the night, he is not aware of the hours that pass. His next conscious thought is when he awakes with the sun filled sky of the morning. Likewise, when a person dies he has no awareness of time that has passed. His next conscious thought is the resurrection and being present with the Lord.

   As we can understand, Paul does not teach anything about going to heaven in a disembodied state immediately after death. The whole person is in the grave and it is the whole person who will be resurrected from the dead.

   I want to end this chapter with the words of Paul who I am sure experienced the death of loved ones. He says, “comfort one another with these words,” because though we have deep sorrow and many tears, we do not weep as those who have no hope. Our hope is in the resurrection when Christ returns:

I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

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