Soul Sleep is not a Scriptural Doctrine
Matthew 9:24
“He said to them Give place for the girl is not dead but sleeps.”
Comments: Matthew 9:23 Our souls do not sleep. The young woman’s body was sleeping in death, but her soul and spirit were not. Jesus referred to her as sleeping because she died in faith and her sleeping body was about to be raised Habakkuk 2:4, Hebrews 11:6.
Since the girl died before Jesus’ death and resurrection, her soul, like Lazarus’ had been immediately carried by the angels into a place Jesus called Paradise and Abraham’s Bosom Luke 16:20-25, Luke 23:43.
Lazarus and the rich man did not experience soul sleep. Their story is not a parable, as Jesus never used proper names in parables. The example of Lazarus and the rich man aligns perfectly with what Paul wrote, that to be absent from the body is to be [immediately] present with the Lord.
Only the body sleeps in death. Upon the death of the body, the spirit returns to God who gave it. The body is usually buried or cremated, and the soul is immediately either with the Lord, in Heaven (Paradise/Abraham’s Bosom before Jesus’ resurrection and ascension), or, in the case of those who do not die in faith, in another place located in Hades or Sheol Luke 16:22-23, which the Bible says is located somewhere in the heart of the earth. I write about all of this in great detail with many scripture references in my book.
The torment of hades is real, as will be the flames of the Lake of Fire. Jesus spoke often on the doctrine of eternal condemnation. Though this awful punishment was not created for humans, many will be condemned to it along with the devil and his angels Matthew 25:41, 46, Revelation 20:15.
The statement made by Jesus, that the girl was sleeping, does not validate the doctrine of soul sleep, as he referred only to her body, which was sleeping in death. The moment she died, like Lazarus, she was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom—Paradise.
Jesus told the man hanging on the cross next to him, that he was going to be in paradise with him that very day. Paul said to be absent from the body is to be [immediately] present with the Lord.
It is only the bodies of those who die in faith, that “sleep” until those same bodies are awakened, raised from the dead, and reunited with their souls and spirits at the Resurrection of the Just Luke 14:14, Acts 24:15.
Jocelyn Andersen is the author of several non-fiction books, including, Redemption: Bible Prophecy Simplified, a Study of HOPE.
Note from the editor: I read my Bible every day, always picking up today where I left off yesterday. I call this my “on-track” Bible reading. I have been doing this for over 44 years. If you are not presently doing the same, I invite you to join me. How much you read on a daily basis isn’t important. It only matters that you read, feeding your spirit with a prayerful daily dose of the Word of God.
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