What about "Soul Sleep"?
Adam
The clear teaching of Scripture is that souls of believers go immediately into God’s presence (2 Cor. 5:8, Phil. 1:23, Hebrews 9:27, Hebrews 12:23, Luke 23:43 and elsewhere) which means that the doctrine of “soul sleep” is incorrect. We always need to look at unclear verses in the light of clear verse to keep from falling into theological error.
The doctrine of “soul Sleep” teaches that when believers die they go instantly into a state of unconscious existence, until Christ returns and awakens them to eternal life. This doctrine has been taught occasionally by one person or another, including Martin Luther. Luther used this idea when arguing against the idea of purgatory and the worship of saints. As you stated, Martin Luther was a “pretty smart guy” but here while trying to correct bad theology, he embraced some of his own. One of John Calvin’s first writings was a tract against this doctrine. This doctrine has never found wide acceptance in the church.
Support for this doctrine has generally been found in the fact that Scripture several times speaks of the state of death as “sleep” or “falling asleep”. This metaphor is meant to show that death is only a temporary state for the believer. The metaphor of sleep is sometimes incorrectly understood as we will be unconscious, or dream or wake up in heaven with morning breath (I have never actually heard that last teaching).
Some arguments against the doctrine of “soul sleep” are:
- In Luke 23:43 Jesus tells the thief that “Today you will be with me in Paradise”, this wouldn’t be correct if the thief first had to “sleep” for several thousand years. The idea of “paradise” would not have been an unconscious state but a place of great blessing and joy.
- Paul in Phil. 1:23 says; “My desire is to depart and be with Christ”, he certainly is suggesting that he would be with Christ upon departing.
- Hebrews 12:1 says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. How is this possible it they aren’t “awake”?
- Hebrews 12:22-24, tells us that when we worship we not only come into the presence of God, but also the Angels, and to the “assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven”. This is strange language if all of the “saints” are sleeping.
- Revelation 6:10 talks about martyrs who are crying out to God about when they will be avenged. “Are they talking in their sleep?
Tom Quaid
