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SOUL
SLEEPING There is a doctrine known as “soul sleeping.” This doctrine says that when you die, your
soul becomes unconscious. The “Jehovah’s
Witnesses” believe this doctrine. But so
do some members of the church. For
example, our brother F. LaGard Smith also believes this doctrine and teaches it
in his book, “After Life.” But what does
the Bible teach? The
rich man and Lazarus In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus presented the rich man, Lazarus,
and Abraham as being very full of consciousness, despite being dead. For example, the rich man and Abraham have a
conversation! However, teachers of “soul
sleeping” think that if the story is labeled a “parable,” then they can dismiss
the idea that the dead are conscious. Listen
to Edwin Jones Last month, I listened to Edwin Jones address this issue at
the East Tennessee School of Preaching Lectureship. Here’s what he wrote in the Lectureship book: The word for parable in Greek is parabole, literally meaning, “to throw
beside.” A key place to look for how
parables function is Matthew 13. A
glance will easily reveal how the definition “to throw beside” fits the
teaching device Jesus uses in that chapter. Jesus,
in the parables of Matthew 13, presents something real or actual to make a
spiritual point. In other words, He
throws a spiritual application beside an aspect of reality such as gardening,
farming, fishing, fortuitous discoveries of treasure, seed size to plant size
ratio, etc. Therefore, for there to be a
parable in the New Testament sense, something in the parable must be an aspect
of reality. That said, in the account of
the Rich Man and Lazarus, where is the reality if it does not include the fact
there is consciousness after death? I
believe this observation settles the case.
At the very least, if there is no conscious existence after death,
Luke’s account is extremely misleading.
Jesus, if He were so misleading, would be acting counter to all we know
concerning Him. “the
dead know nothing” But what about this verse: “For the living know that they
will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the
memory of them is forgotten” (Eccles. 9:5 ESV)?
Well, this is evidently referring to life on earth, life “under the
sun,” as the next verse says, “forever they have no more share in all that is
done under the sun” (verse 6 ESV).
And what about this verse: “The dead do not praise the
Lord” (Psalm 115:17 ESV). Well, this
verse also seems to be discussing life on earth. The previous verse said: “The heavens are the
Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of man” (verse 16
ESV). “there
is no… thought…in Sheol” And what about this verse: “there is no work or thought or
knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going” (Eccles. 9:10 ESV)? Here the place in question is specified as
“Sheol.” And it’s true that “Sheol”
sometimes refers to where the soul goes at death (for example, in Psalm
16:10). But “Sheol” sometimes refers to
where the body goes at death. Therefore,
“Sheol” was correctly translated “the grave” in this verse in the King James
Version. In the grave, the body (but not
the soul) will have no thoughts. “in
death there is no remembrance” So you probably already know what I would say about this
verse: “in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you
praise?” (Psalm 6:5 ESV)? Here, “Sheol”
was again translated “the grave” in the King James Version. It’s the body that doesn’t praise God in
Sheol. It’s the body that doesn’t
remember God in death. Body
Sleeping |