by Shari Abbott, Reasons for Hope

 

Soul sleep is a false teaching that says when a person dies, his soul “sleeps” and that it will not be made alive until the time of the bodily resurrection.  During this time of “sleep” the person is not aware, or conscious, of their condition or state.  The soul resides in the memory of God until it is made alive again.  Seventh Day Adventists teach this.

 

Jehovah’s Witnesses teach a variation of this.  They believe in annihilation — that both the body and soul cease to exist.  They also believe that the soul is made alive in the bodily resurrection.

 

Both groups are in error about soul sleep.  However, they do use Scripture to support their thinking.  They incorrectly use these verses:

 

Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

 

Ecclesiastes 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

 

These verses need to be understood in context.  They are “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1).   The “Preacher” is speaking from a human, or earthly, perspective.  He is not making doctrinal statements about the condition of the soul.  These verses cannot be used as doctrinal statements for us.  It is the New Testament that we find clear teaching about the condition of the soul after death.

 

Paul with full knowledge and understanding of the redemption of sin by Christ’s death on the cross and eternal life given to us by His resurrection, speaks of our physical death and resurrection of the soul:

 

2 Corinthians 5:8  We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.  

 

Paul is clearly saying that when he dies, he will go and be with the Lord.

He doesn’t say: to be absent from the body, and [someday] to be present with the Lord.

 

Paul also says in Philippians 1:23,  For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

 

Paul would not have been so willing to die if he thought his soul would be sleeping for a period of time.  Based upon his devotion to Christ and his commitment to spreading the gospel, he would have preferred to live and serve Christ.

 

Paul also says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

 

When Paul says “to live is Christ” he is saying that his purpose and meaning comes from knowing Christ and from serving Him and preaching the gospel.  With that being the case, “to die” would not be gain if his soul were to sleep.  But it is gain!  Because Paul knows that when he dies he will go to be with Christ in heaven. [Another precious teaching in this verse is that Paul knows that while he remains on earth, Christ is here with him (“to live is Christ”).  Christ is here with every believer, in the form of the Holy Spirit Who indwells all of us and teaches and guides us.]

 

The death of the body

 

Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was 

 

It is true that at the time of physical death the body returns to dust.   Genesis further supports this:

 

Genesis 3:19  In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

 

Remember, Adam was created from the dust of the ground:

 

Genesis 2:7  And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and became a living soul.

 

So the body returns to where it came from, the ground.  Ecclesiastes 12:7 also tells that the Spirit returns to the Person Who gave it, God.

 

Ecclesiastes 12:7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

 

Here we are talking about the spirit of man that returns to God who gave it, for judgment.  Whether it is an unregenerate spirit or a spirit made alive by the Holy Spirit, God will judge both at the time of death.

 

Remember Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.  Ecclesiastes 3:21 confirms this, Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

 

The spirit of a beast (animal) goes into the ground, but man’s spirit goes to God…for judgment.

 

Jesus’ account of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 is a great proof-text that soul sleep is a false teaching.  Both men are bodily dead, but both men are fully aware of their condition and their location.

 

A few more verses that support our souls going to be with the Lord at our physical death:

 

We know that the body dies, so in these verses Jesus is speaking of the soul.

 

John 11:25-26  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. 

 

And it’s clear in these verse that these souls are not sleeping.

 

Revelation 6:9-10  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?

 

And perhaps one of the best verses…

 

Luke 23:43  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

 

Praise the Lord that when we die we go to be with Him immediately!!!

Read a response we received and our further dialogue on this subject:

Hello all the way from sunny South Africa!

I always thought that our spirits do “soul sleep” while our flesh is dead until the day of Judgement, because of the following…

 

 

If you have a question, email us at questions@rforh.com.   We’ll do our best to answer it.

 More questions answered here.