Soul Sleep?

Question

I know many people believe Christians are basically asleep in their graves. But Paul says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. This does not seem like they are asleep to me. Can you explain how this fits with the idea of soul sleep?

2Corinthians 5:6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
2Co 5:7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
2Co 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

mmaxinya - some Christians believe when we die we do not go directly to Heaven. But instead we lie in our graves unaware of anything until the resurrection.

Peter Priesthood R&S club 7 - The world is going to end. I agree with you for the most part. The body is in the grave but the soul is not.

Answer 1

I do not believe in soul sleep, I believe the Bible which tells us that, "to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord." And "to die is to Gain" I believe we go to heaven as spirits, waiting for the glorius day of rapture, when we shall receive our glorified bodies, for the Bible says we will be like Him. Look up for your redemption draws near.

Answer 2

When the Bible says a person is “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 sleeping. The Bible tells us that the instant you die, you are taken to heaven or Hell based on whether you had received Christ as your Savior or not. 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). The concept of “soul sleep” is not a Biblical doctrine. The moment we die, we face the judgment of God (Hebrews 9:27). Until the resurrection, though, there is currently a temporary heaven “Paradise” (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4) and Hell “Hades” (Revelation 1:18; 20:13-14).

In a sense, a person’s body is “sleeping” while their soul is in Paradise or Hades. This body is then “awoken” and transformed into the eternal body a person will possess for eternity. These eternal bodies is what we possess for all of eternity, whether we are in heaven or Hell. Those who were in Paradise will be sent to the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1). Those who were in Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people - based entirely on whether a person had trusted Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of their sins.

Answer 3

Human bodies are asleep.

They're souls are very much awake.

In the bible it talks about a prison for spirits, for the unrighteous spirits, and a place for the righteous ones. This where we go after we die while we wait for the resurrection.

1 Peter 3: 18-19
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; "

Answer 4

The Seventh Day Adventist's follow this theology today.

Soul sleep isn't Biblical and it isn't recognized by straight shooting theologians. Soul sleep is the ideology that our souls sleep after our death until the Resurrection.

While we're talking about Adventist theology:

The Adventist's say that we must Sabbath on Saturday's while most Christian's choose Sunday's. But it is Jesus who is our Sabbath. He is our rest; our perpetual Sabbath. So technically speaking both days are held for traditional reasons not theological reasons.

Answer 5

The concept of ' soul sleep ' is creepy to me . The Bible is very clear about this and teaches that the soul survives death ( 2 Cor 5:8, Phil 1:23, Rev 6:9 ) Ecclestiastes 3:20-21 insists that " all go to one place: All are from the dust, and all return to dust". Jehovah's Witneses cite this verse to prove that human beings do not consciously survive death but this reference, however, is to the human body, not to the soul. Human souls go "upward " ( see verse 21 ). In fact, Solomon speaks of "eternity" in the human heart ( Eccl 3:11) and of its immortlity when he declares that at death "man goes to his eternal home ( Eccl 12:5 ).

The JWs argue that " in deep sleep, we are coscious of nothing agrees with the Hebrew expresion at the Eccl.9:5" They interpret the Bible as saying that " man does not have a soul but is a soul"

As stated above, the Bible teaches that the soul survives death in a state of conscious awareness. The passage says that there is no knowledge or remembrance after death are speaking of no memory IN THIS WORLD, not of memory OF THIS WORLD. Solomon clearly qualified his comment by saying it was"in the grave" ( Eccl 9:5 ) that there was "no remembrance" He affirmed also that the dead do not know what is going on "under the sun" ( 9:6 ). The dead know nothing so far as their bodily senses and wordly affairs are considered. But while they do not know what is happening ON EARTH, they certainly do know what is going on IN HEAVEN ( see Rev 6:9 ) These texsts refer to human beings in relation to life on earth. They say nothing about the life to come immediately after this one.

7th day Adventists have this misinterpretation that because several times the Bible refers to the dead as being asleep, they believe that means the soul is not conscious between death and resurrection.

In 2 Cor 5:8 Paul affirmed that when we are " absent form the body" then we are present with the Lord.

Other biblical evidence that the soul ( spirit ) is conscious between death and resurrection is very strong:

- Enoch was taken to be with God in Gen 5:24, Heb 11:5
- David spoke of bliss in God's presence after death in Ps 16:10-11
- Elijah was taken up into heaven in 2 Kings 2:1,11-12
- Moses and Elijah were conscious on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matt 17:3
- Jesus said he went to the Father the day he died in Luke 23:46
-Jesus promised that te repentant thief would be with him in paradise the very day he died in Luke 23:43
- Paul said it was far better to die and be with Christ in Phil 1:23
- The writer of Hebrews refers to heaven as a place where the spirits of just men ( are ) made perfect in Heb12:23
- Stephen, as he was being stoned to death, said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" in Acts 7:59

Answer 6

When we die, we enter into an unconscious state referred to as "sleep" in many Scriptures. In this unconscious state, the dead can do NOTHING, not even think!

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” — (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

“For Sheol cannot thank You [God], Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth.” — (Isaiah 38:18)

“For in death there is no remembrance of You [God]; In the grave who will give You thanks?” — (Psalms 6:5)

“The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence.” — (Psalms 115:17)

So, what can it mean that we are ever with the Lord if it is not to contradict the many other passages that say we will not be conscious?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 -- But 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.

Notice, though those who are dead in Christ are unconscious, they are still with Christ ("sleep in Jesus"), in his care, awaiting the day they will be resurrected with incorruptible spirit lives.

Christians are always in God's care; we are to trust our complete being to God.

Answer 7

Soul sleep theory does a lousy job of explaining what happens to someone whose body has already disintegrated, or got eaten, burned, or blown up, too.

Soul sleep is just another wacky concept, with no basis in the authentic Christian faith.

This is what happens when people attempt to make the bible do things it was never intended to do.

Answer 8

The Bible say,s to be absent from this body is to be
presence with the Lord, I go to my Mom and Dad,s
grave but I know they are not there,and I get comfort
in knowing they are with God now.

Answer 9

Drop on down to the 10th verse: For we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of the Christ, that each one may get his award for the things done through the body, according to the things he has practiced, whether it is good or vile.

Answer 10

Since Jesus slept for a couple days and then resurrected I think it will be like that...Ecc 9:5