Bible Questions Answered:
“Our church teaches that the soul
rests until the coming of Christ, is this what you teach...”
Herbert/ Hattiesburg, Mississippi
U.S.A.
Bible Answer:
Bible Texts:
The word of God
never has taught such a thing as “soul sleep,” that is the soul
is at position of unconscious rest, until the coming of Jesus Christ.
Question:
Does the phrase “sleep,” appear in the Old Testament or New
Testament, and what does it mean?
Answer:
Yes, it does.
Old Testament:
I Kings 2:10 KJV
So David slept*
with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
I Kings 11:43 KJV
And Solomon
slept* with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David
his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.
I Kings 22:50 KJV
And Jehoshaphat
slept* with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in
the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his
stead.
*Slept-Hebrew:
Shakab (Shaw-kab): Decease, lie down, rest.
Psalm 13:3 KJV
Consider and
hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the
sleep* of death;
*Sleep-Hebrew:
Yashen (Yaw-shane): To die, to sleep.
Mark 5:39 KJV
(Jairus daughter)
And when He was
come in, He saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the
damsel is not dead, but sleepeth*.
John 11:11-13 KJV
11 These things
said He: and after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus
sleepeth*; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.
12 Then said
His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.
13 Howbeit
Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of
taking of rest in sleep.
*Sleepeth-Greek:
Katheudo (Kath-yoo-do): To lie down to rest, to fall asleep.
I Corinthians 11:30 KJV
For this cause
many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep*.
I Corinthians 15:51 KJV
Behold, I shew
you a mystery; We shall not all sleep*, but we shall all be
changed,
I Thessalonians 4:14 KJV
For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep* in Jesus will God bring with Him.
*Sleep-Greek:-
Koimao (Koy-mah-o): To slumber, to decease, sleep, be dead.
Acts 7:59,60 KJV
59 And they
stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit.
60 And he
kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to
their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep*.
*Asleep-Greek:
Koimao (Koy-mah-o): To slumber, to decease, sleep, be dead.
The picture in the
Bible for death, for the body, is that of rest, or sleep, that is,
the body (though dead), is just resting until the trumpet sounds for
it to be resurrected into the newness of life, a glorified body, like
unto our Lords.
I Corinthians 15:51-58 NLT
51 But let me
reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die (KJV sleep),
but we will all be transformed!
52 It will
happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is
blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be
raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be
transformed.
53 For our
dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our
mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies.
54 Then, when
our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never
die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in
victory.
55 O death,
where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
56 For sin is
the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power.
57 But thank
God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
58 So, my dear
brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work
enthusiastically for
The Lord, for
you know that nothing you do for The Lord is ever useless.
So the body is metaphorically said to be at rest (though dead), but
what of the soul, is it at rest too?
No!
Ecclesiastes
12:7 KJV
Then shall the
dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return
unto God who gave it.
Matthew 17:1-3
KJV
1 And after six
days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth
them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was
transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His
raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold,
there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with
Him.
(Moses and Elijah had been dead for centuries!)
Luke 16:19-31
KJV (Told by Jesus)
19 There was a
certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and
fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there
was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full
of sores,
21 And desiring
to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:
moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came
to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into
Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell
he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off,
and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried
and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, 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.
25 But Abraham
said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good
things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted,
and thou art tormented.
26 And beside
all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that
they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass
to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he
said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to
my father's house:
28 For I have
five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come
into this place of torment.
29 Abraham
saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said,
Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they
will repent.
31 And he said
unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they
be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
Luke 23:43 KJV (The Penitent Thief)
And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt
thou be with me in paradise.
John 12:26 KJV
If any man
serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall also My
servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.
John 14:3 KJV
And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 17:24 KJV
Father, I will
that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am;
that they may behold My glory, which thou hast given Me: for thou
lovedst Me before the foundation of the world.
Philippians
1:23,24 NLT
23 I’m torn
between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ,
which would be far better for me.
24 But for your
sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
II Corinthians
5:6-9 NLT
6 So we are
always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in
these bodies we are not at home with The Lord.
7 For we live
by believing and not by seeing.
8 Yes, we are
fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly
bodies, for then we will be at home with The Lord.
9 So whether we
are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please
Him.
I Thessalonians
4:13-18 NTL
13 And now,
dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to
the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who
have no hope.
14 For since we
believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe
that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him
the believers who have died. (From
heaven.)
15 We tell you
this directly from The Lord: We who are still living when The Lord
returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died.
16 For The Lord
Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the
believers who have died will rise from their graves.
17 Then,
together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth
will be caught up in the clouds to meet The Lord in the air. Then we
will be with The Lord forever.
18 So encourage
each other with these words.
For the Christian, death means being instantly in the presence of The
Lord.
II Corinthians
5:8 KJV
We are
confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with
The Lord.
For the lost,
it means....
Matthew 10:28
NLT
“Don’t be
afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your
soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Revelation 21:8
KJV
But the
fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and
whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which
is the second death.
Hebrews 9:27 KJV
And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
