Prophecy – With Salt

In my last article (What Happens When I Die?), I posed the dilemma of how to reconcile the seeming conflict between the (almost) universal concept of the afterlife with the equally common belief about judgment. Our natural (I would say “God-given”) concept of the afterlife allows us to make the statement that “He/she is in a better place” at every funeral. But it is also common to believe that all mankind will face one ultimate judgment when we stand before God and receive the decision of our eternal destiny (in either heaven or hell). It seems that one — or both — of these concepts must be flawed. I hope that I can clear up the misunderstanding in this series of articles.

Where Did They Go?

(NOTE: I have made an imposing assumption that all of my readers believe that there IS an afterlife and that the God of the Christian Bible is both the Creator and the ultimate Judge of all mankind. If you do NOT agree with either (or both) of these assumptions, please do not send me “hate mail” declaring your belief. Instead, please be patient and I hope to cover those areas in another series of articles.)

Evidently, I am not the first person to stumble upon this seeming contradiction in the Bible. Other, very learned, individuals have also seen this and some have developed what they feel is the answer… “Soul Sleep” (also known as “conditional immortality.” In concept of soul sleep, when one dies, not only does his (her) body die but also their soul dies. Then at some time, prior to the Great White Throne Judgment, God will somehow reconstruct (NOT resurrect) the bodies of all the dead so that they can face the judgment and hear the decision of their eternal destiny.

Although this concept might be a means to reconcile the two opposing ideas of the afterlife, I do not find that the teaching of “soul sleep” is supported in the Bible. Particularly, the Scripture at 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 seems clear that we are EITHER alive and “at home in the body” or — we  are “present with the Lord” in heaven (cf. v.6).

1 Corinthians 5

1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,

3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.

7 We live by faith, not by sight.

8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

And, although many individuals may accept the “soul sleep” teaching, it is officially supported by only two major organizations: Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Seventh-Day Adventists. Other, less learned, individuals probably accept this teaching out of default - they do not have a ready alternative.

It is not my intention to “prove” that soul sleep is not Biblical. (If the reader is interested, I suggest the article published on the “Let Us Reason” website.) Instead, my purpose is to offer Biblically sound, reasoned evidence of what actually DOES happen when we die and see how it helps us understand the afterlife more accurately.. The next article in this series begins that process.

Tags: afterlife, death, dying, heaven, hell, judgment, soul sleep