“Soul sleep” is not a phrase that we would use in the Church of God, even though, as we will see, it is an accurate description of biblical teaching. Rather, we would say that a baptised faithful Christian who had repented of their sins and lived the Way of Life—the narrow way, not the broad and easy way—will upon their death be awaiting the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ. We read this in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16:
“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. 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.”
Still, the question remains as to what happens to the soul when man dies. It is important to understand this, when we review the false mainstream understanding which is at odds with the Bible.
Understanding the correct biblical belief is crucial as it illustrates the various interpretations within mainstream Christianity and offers insight into how different denominations approach the topic of life after death.
divinenarratives.org observes that “The term ‘soul sleep’ refers to the belief that the soul enters a dormant state after physical death [this is poorly worded, when discussing the concept of “soul sleep,” as we will see], remaining unconscious until the resurrection. This concept diverges from the more widely held view that the soul immediately transitions to an afterlife, whether it be heaven, hell, or purgatory. The origins of soul sleep can be traced back to early Christian thought, where it found a foothold among certain sects and theologians who sought to reconcile scriptural interpretations with philosophical inquiries about the nature of the soul.
“One of the earliest proponents of this doctrine was the 16th-century reformer Martin Luther, who suggested at that time that the dead are completely unconscious until the Day of Judgment. Luther’s views were influenced by his reading of the Bible, particularly passages that seemed to imply a state of sleep or rest for the dead. This interpretation was not entirely novel, as similar ideas had been discussed by early church fathers and various Jewish sects, including the Sadducees, who denied the immortality of the soul.”
Luther’s concept that the dead are completely unconscious was entirely correct. But it is rather amusing to read that “Martin Luther was influenced by his reading of the Bible.” Naturally, this does not reflect what Luther’s conviction was based on, as it was more than just being “influenced” by reading Scripture. The quoted article sounds like that this is something highly unusual. But it should be a “given” on all matters regarding true Christian theology!
Jesus taught, as we read in Luke 6:47-49, how the foundations of building a house are like the foundations needed for our Christian lives:
“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”
Our foundations are built on what Jesus Christ, the Rock, taught, and the Bible which reveals the Way of Life to which we have been called. If not, man’s own thoughts and ideas can be seen as normal and acceptable by those who don’t take the time to properly read and understand the Word of God.
It has been acknowledged that syncretism entered the early Church. The concept of an immortal soul which continues to live when man dies is pagan, and was inserted into Christian thinking—a typical case of syncretism. We have previously quoted Will Durant confirming this, as follows:
“Will Durant and his wife wrote the following in Volume III, titled ‘Caesar and Christ’ (1944, p. 595: ‘Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it…. [T]he Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the Mass. Other pagan cultures contributed to the syncretist result. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity, the Last Judgment, and a personal immortality of reward and punishment; from Egypt the adoration of the Mother and Child…’”
The problem with mainstream Christianity is that it has absorbed pagan practices into that system of belief. The Topical Encyclopedia has this to say on syncretism:
“Syncretism refers to the blending or merging of different religious beliefs and practices. In the context of Christianity, syncretism poses a significant threat as it can dilute or distort the core tenets of the faith. The Bible consistently warns against the incorporation of pagan or foreign elements into the worship of the one true God, emphasizing the need for purity and exclusivity in devotion.
“The Old Testament is replete with admonitions against syncretism. The Israelites were repeatedly cautioned against adopting the religious practices of the surrounding nations. In Deuteronomy 12:30-31, God warns [as quoted in the article], ‘Be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.” You must not worship the LORD your God in their way.’”
And man, in his usual way, ignores what the great God tells him to do. And so “soul sleep” [rightly understood] is accepted by few but criticised and condemned by many. To look at what the real understanding is of this matter, we have taken a full statement on this matter and will answer the assertions as we go along. While we have taken this from a particular website, we could easily have found many other proponents with the same line of reasoning.
The quotation from the article taken is in italics, followed by our comments below in roman type.
“Soul sleep” is a belief that after a person dies his or her soul “sleeps” until the resurrection and final judgment. The concept of soul sleep is not biblical.
We will prove in this two-part Q&A that it is biblical, mainstream theology notwithstanding. The immediate observation reveals where this response is headed, and so let us review their observations on this matter.
It’s true that, in some places, the Bible speaks of those who have died as being asleep. Daniel 12:2 describes the resurrection as the time when “multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.” The New Testament speaks of believers who are “asleep” in Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15:6, Paul speaks of those who are “still living,” in contrast to those who have “fallen asleep” (see also verses 18 and 20). Luke relates the death of Stephen with the words, “He fell asleep” (Acts 7:60), much the same as how Jesus describes Lazarus in John 11:11 and Jairus’s daughter in Luke 8:52. So, for those who expect a resurrection, sleep is a metaphor for death.
So far, so good. Continuing:
Death is a “sleep” for the believer because it is temporary; the resurrection is the “awakening.” But what exactly is it that sleeps, and what is awakened? It is the body, not the soul. A body, when dead, appears to be resting in sleep, and that gives rise to the metaphorical usage of sleep. But the soul does not sleep. The moment we experience physical death, our souls are transferred to a different place. 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).
This is where error creeps in early on. “But the soul does not sleep.” This assertion is made because of the false understanding that man has an immortal soul. We have a 40-page free booklet entitled “Do We Have an Immortal Soul?” and we read on page 28 the following:
“HUMAN SOULS DIE AND MUST BE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE
“When people die, they are dead. Death is the opposite of life! In order to live again, dead people must be resurrected from the dead to either physical life or to eternal life.
“In Revelation 20:4, both types of resurrections to physical life and to eternal life are discussed, with special emphasis on a resurrection to eternal life, ‘…and I saw the souls (psyche) of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and they lived (as spirit beings) and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished (but they will be resurrected afterwards to physical life). This is the first resurrection’ (This phrase refers to those souls that were brought back to life to reign with Christ for a thousand years.).
“Notice that the souls that had been killed lived again. So the souls were dead, but they were brought back to life in a resurrection from the dead. How clear it is that persons are souls and that souls die. Souls do not continue to live on after death.”
Man IS a soul but doesn’t have a soul—he has the spirit in man which is entirely different. The spirit in man goes back to God when man dies, but it won’t be conscious. It has stored everything about the man—his outward appearance, his experiences, even his thoughts and motives—and God will use it and place it in the newly created body of the person at the time of the resurrection.
In our Q&A “What does the Bible teach about the ‘spirit in man’? Is that human spirit the same as an immortal soul?,” we read the following:
“Most people know nothing about the existence of the spirit in man—even many religious people—lay persons and theologians alike. When they read passages in the Bible describing the spirit in man, they assume the Bible is talking about the soul. But the soul is not a non-physical component of the human being. The soul, according to the Bible, is totally physical. The Bible does not teach the concept of an immortal soul. Rather, we read in Ezekiel 18:4, ‘The soul who sins shall die.’ The word ‘soul’ in the Bible refers to the living body of both man and animals…
“In the book of Isaiah we are told that each human being has a spirit within him. ‘Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, and spirit to those who walk on it…’ (Isaiah 42:5).
“The Bible strongly indicates that God gives the human spirit at the time of conception, and then takes it back at the time of death. We read in Zechariah 12:1, ‘Thus says the LORD who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him.’ Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, ‘Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.’ When the spirit in man leaves a person, that person is dead. James 2:26 says, ‘For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also’…
“Understand though, that when a man dies and his spirit returns to God, that spirit does not continue to live consciously, apart from the body. Rather, God ‘stores’ it, so to speak, in heaven, until He unites it at the time of the resurrection of man with a new spiritual or physical body. The concept that man’s soul is immortal is as wrong as the concept that man’s spirit continues to live consciously after death…”
(To be continued)
Lead Writer: Brian Gale (United Kingdom)