The Immortal Soul: A Response to Soul Sleep

Here's are questions to ponder: How is the identity of a person, their personality, memories, inner self, etc., maintained after death and until the resurrection? How does God resurrect the exact same person, even if that person has no physical remains left to resurrect? How are our memories and DNA preserved so they can be reconstituted later? Jehovah Witnesses try to provide an explanation. They believe that God resurrects people from the perfect memories He has of them. That, however, provides an unsatisfactory explanation, as it wouldn't be the same exact person but a copy or duplicate of the person they once were. Nor does Scripture say such a thing. The only satisfactory answer is that there has to be a continuity of the self that exists in an intermediate state until the resurrection (i.e., the soul). The soul (inner being, mind, consciousness) has no material parts; therefore, it doesn't perish the same way as the physical mortal body does. I would suggest a theory ...

In this blog, we will be addressing scriptures that soul sleep proponents typically use to justify their position. Instead of addressing each scripture individually, which would be extremely time-consuming, we will focus on three broad categories that they fit in. 1) Death = Unconsciousness (No Thought, Awareness, or Activity) Ecclesiastes 9:5: 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. Ecclesiastes 9:10: 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. Psalm 146:4: His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. Other scriptures cited: Psalm 6:5, Psalm 115:17, Isaiah 38:18–19, Job 14:10–12, Ecclesiastes 3:19–20 Core Argument: When a person dies, conscious experience stops completely. Response: There are several ways we can respond to this argument: A. Unconsciousness sh...

In this blog, we will examine a few of the resurrection doctrines of the Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Christadelphians. When their doctrines are examined under a microscope, however, their fallacies are revealed. If their ideas about the resurrection are flawed, then so too are their ideas about soul sleep. Jehovah Witnesses: The Jehovah Witnesses (JWs) essentially believe in a two-class system. Only a very select few get to heaven to rule and reign with Christ during the millennial reign. Specifically, the 144,000 in Revelation 7 and 14. Ironically, they interpret the number literally, but they don't interpret who the Bible says the 144,000 are literally: the tribes of Israel. Instead, they believe the 144,000 are "spiritual Israel." That is, faithful Christians chosen by God. Why they would need to be in heaven to govern the earth is not clear. Especially since Christ will be coming down to earth to rule and reign. JW's believe the 144,000 began ru...

The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 is often dismissed as a parable. However, there are several things that distinguish it from parables. For one, Jesus never prefaces the story by saying it's a parable. Usually, but not always, it will say if it's a parable or not, but in this instance, Jesus does not. Second, it mentions real people that have lived (i.e., Abraham and Moses). No other parable includes specific names. Third, it mentions the afterlife, one that includes the concept of an immortal soul no less. If it were a parable, it would be the only parable to mention the afterlife. But there's another reason that lends credence to the idea that it's not a parable, and it ties in with Abraham's bosom. Scriptures give us clues to what happened to Jesus between the crucifixion and the resurrection: He descended to the lowest parts of the earth (Eph 4:8-10) He went to the heart of the earth (Mat 12:40) He went to Sheol/Hades (Psa 16:10, Acts 2:27) ...

The story of the Witch of Endor summoning the the ghost or spirit of Samuel in 1 Samuel 28 is often dismissed as a trick, hallucination, or a demonic deception. But is it really? There are, in fact, reasons to believe it was the spirit of Samuel: 1) The spirit of Samuel prophesized that the Philistines would defeat Israel and Saul and his sons would die the very next day. The people involved and the exact day it was prophesied were fulfilled to the letter. This would rule out a demon because they don't know the future, nor can they make it happen. Also, the spirit of Samuel did not contradict God or say anything that is untrue. He only confirmed what God has already decreed, rebukes Saul, and enforces accountability, just as an actual prophet of God would do. Demons deceive, but there was no deception involved. 2) The witch of Endor is startled and surprised to see the ghost of Samuel, indicating it was a genuine experience. Also, the witch was reluctant to even call forth Samuel o...

In this blog post, we will examine soul sleep proponents' view of the supernatural world and how it actually works against their own theology. For the most part, their concept of the spiritual world is similar to mainstream Christianity with some caveats. They believe heaven is a real place inhabited by angels and where God dwells, but no humans are allowed with few to no exceptions (depending on the denomination). So, let's consider the nature of angels. They are non-corporeal beings, though they sometimes can appear corporeal. That are always described in Scripture has having the appearance of a man. That would infer that they have a body of some sort. One of the arguments against having a soul is that it is akin to being a ghost but angels are not described that way. That would imply that angels have a body, just one made of a different substance than our own. The implication here is that if angels can have non-biological bodies, then so can humans, until the resurrection. T...