Are The Souls Of The Redeemed Conscious?

"LIFE AFTER DEATH"

                 

INTRODUCTION

1. In the previous study, I suggested that the spirits of believers go
   to be with the Lord during the "intermediate state" between death and
   the resurrection
   a. Implied was the idea that the souls of the redeemed are conscious
      during this interim
   b. But are they?

2. In this lesson, we shall consider the doctrine of "soul-sleeping",
   and make some observations concerning it

I. THE DOCTRINE OF "SOUL SLEEPING"

   A. THE THEORY...
      1. That the souls of the departed continue to exist, but are in an
         unconscious state until the resurrection
      2. This is not to be confused with the doctrine held by JW's, who 
         believe there is no consciousness until the resurrection 
         because until then there is no existence at all

   B. THE ARGUMENTS...
      1. The Scriptures often represent death as a "sleep"
         a. Mt 27:52 - ...bodies of the saints who had "fallen asleep"
         b. Jn 11:11-14 - Jesus says of dead Lazarus, "our friend
            sleeps"
         c. Ac 7:60 - As Stephen is stoned to death, it is said "he 
            fell asleep"
         d. 1Co 15:6,18 - Those who were dead are spoken of as 
            "fallen asleep"
         e. 1Th 4:13-15 - Brethren who were dead "sleep in Jesus"
      2. Other passages come very near to saying that the dead have no
         consciousness
         a. Ps 30:9 - The psalmist asks, "...when I go down to the
            pit? Will the dust praise you?"
         b. Ps 115:17 - The psalmist declares, "The dead do not 
            praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence."
         c. Ec 9:5,10 - Solomon, in his search for meaning, observes:
            1) "...the dead know nothing..."
            2) "there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the
               grave where you are going."
         d. Isa 38:18-19 - King Hezekiah says concerning God that 
            "Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You, those who 
            go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth."

[Such is the theory and the arguments presented by those who believe in 
"soul sleeping."  At face value, the doctrine appears very convincing.  
But let's take a closer look at it...]

II. EXAMINING THE DOCTRINE OF "SOUL SLEEPING"

   A. ARGUMENT #1:  DEATH IS CALLED "SLEEP"...

Where Do The Spirits Of Believers Go At Death?

      "LIFE AFTER DEATH"

              

INTRODUCTION

1. Having determined from the Scriptures that man possesses a soul or 
   spirit which continues after death, the question now before us is 
   this:  "Where do the spirits of believers go at death?"

2. In this lesson, I will be examining two different views:
   a. One that I will call the "traditional" view, which is held by many
      Christians
   b. Another that I will propose as the "scriptural" view, which I 
      believe is more in harmony with what is revealed in the New 
      Testament
   -- PLEASE NOTE:  The use of the terms "traditional" and "scriptural"
      is rather arbitrary, used only to distinguish between the two 
      views

[Beginning, then, with...]

I. THE "TRADITIONAL" VIEW EXPLAINED

   A. STATED BRIEFLY, THIS VIEW TEACHES THE FOLLOWING...
      1. When we die...
         a. Our body return to the dust
         b. Our spirits go to HADES, the realm of the "unseen"
      2. This realm of departed spirits (i.e., Hades) is divided into 
         three parts...
         a. PARADISE, the place of rest for the righteous
         b. TARTARUS, the place of torment for the wicked
         c. And a GULF, separating the two
      3. During this interim period between death and the resurrection, 
         the righteous...
         a. Are separated from God and Christ
         b. For God and Christ are "in heaven", and Paradise is in Hades,
            not heaven
      4. Such is the state of the "disembodied spirits" until the 
         Resurrection
         a. At which time the spirits of both the wicked and the 
            righteous will be united with their resurrected bodies
         b. At this time will occur the Judgment, after which...
            1) The RIGHTEOUS will spend eternity with God
            2) The WICKED will spend eternity in "HELL" (Grk., gehenna)

   B. THE SCRIPTURAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS VIEW...

What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?

Jesus is not God’s Son in the sense of a human father and a son. God did not get married and have a son. God did not mate with Mary and, together with her, produce a son. Jesus is God’s Son in the sense that He is God made manifest in human form (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is God's Son in that He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35 declares, “The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”

During His trial before the Jewish leaders, the High Priest demanded of Jesus, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). “’Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:64). The Jewish leaders responded by accusing Jesus of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65-66). Later, before Pontius Pilate, “The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God’” (John 19:7). Why would His claiming to be the Son of God be considered blasphemy and be worthy of a death sentence? The Jewish leaders understood exactly what Jesus meant by the phrase “Son of God.” To be the Son of God is to be of the same nature as God. The Son of God is “of God.” The claim to be of the same nature as God—to in fact be God—was blasphemy to the Jewish leaders; therefore, they demanded Jesus’ death, in keeping with Leviticus 24:15. Hebrews 1:3 expresses this very clearly, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

Another example can be found in John 17:12 where Judas is described as the “son of perdition.” John 6:71 tells us that Judas was the son of Simon. What does John 17:12 mean by describing Judas as the “son of perdition”? The word perdition means “destruction, ruin, waste.” Judas was not the literal son of “ruin, destruction, and waste,” but those things were the identity of Judas' life. Judas was a manifestation of perdition. In this same way, Jesus is the Son of God. The Son of God is God. Jesus is God made manifest (John 1:1, 14).

What are the keys of the kingdom?

The biblical passage that makes reference to the “keys of the kingdom” isMatthew 16:19. Jesus had asked His disciples who people thought He was. After responding with several of the more popular opinions, Jesus aimed His question directly at His disciples. Peter, responding for the twelve, acknowledged Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. After this great confession, Jesus replied: 

“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:17-19).

Keys are used to lock or unlock doors. The specific doors Jesus has in mind in this passage are the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus is laying the foundation of His church (Ephesians 2:20). The disciples will be the leaders of this new institution called the church, and Jesus is giving them the authority to either grant or bar access to the Kingdom. The authority of the keys is to open and shut the doors to the Kingdom of Heaven. Precisely how do the keys to the kingdom work? Biblically speaking, how does one enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

Jesus tells us that unless one is born again, he will not see the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:3). One is born again as the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God to bring about new life in dead sinners. So the faithful preaching of the gospel is one of the keys to the kingdom. The other key is church discipline. In Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus gives us the guidelines for church discipline. He specifically mentions in that passage the same “binding and loosing” language we find in Matthew 16. Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, Paul urges the Corinthian church to ex-communicate the man caught in adultery. Church discipline was considered by the Protestant Reformers as one of the marks of a true church (along with the preaching of the pure gospel and the administration of the sacraments).

Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?

There is a great deal of confusion in regards to this question. This concept comes primarily from the Apostles' Creed, which states, “He descended into hell.” There are also a few Scriptures which, depending on how they are translated, describe Jesus going to “hell.” In studying this issue, it is important to first understand what the Bible teaches about the realm of the dead.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is sheol. It simply means the “place of the dead” or the “place of departed souls/spirits.” The New Testament Greek word that is used for hell is “hades,” which also refers to “the place of the dead.” Other Scriptures in the New Testament indicate that sheol/hades is a temporary place, where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection and judgment. Revelation 20:11-15 gives a clear distinction between the two. Hell (the lake of fire) is the permanent and final place of judgment for the lost. Hades is a temporary place. So, no, Jesus did not go to hell because hell is a future realm, only put into effect after the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).

Sheol/hades is a realm with two divisions (Matthew 11:23, 16:18; Luke 10:15, 16:23; Acts 2:27-31), the abodes of the saved and the lost. The abode of the saved was called “paradise” and “Abraham's bosom.” The abodes of the saved and the lost are separated by a “great chasm” (Luke 16:26). When Jesus ascended to heaven, He took the occupants of paradise (believers) with Him (Ephesians 4:8-10). The lost side of sheol/hades has remained unchanged. All unbelieving dead go there awaiting their final judgment in the future. Did Jesus go to sheol/hades? Yes, according to Ephesians 4:8-10 and 1 Peter 3:18-20.

Some of the confusion has arisen from such passages as Psalm 16:10-11 as translated in the King James Version, “For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption....Thou wilt show me the path of life.” “Hell” is not a correct translation of this verse. A correct reading would be “the grave” or “sheol.” Jesus said to the thief beside Him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus’ body was in the tomb; His soul/spirit went to the “paradise” side of sheol/hades. He then removed all the righteous dead from paradise and took them with Him to heaven. Unfortunately, in many translations of the Bible, translators are not consistent, or correct, in how they translate the Hebrew and Greek words for “sheol,” “hades,” and “hell.”

Did Jesus fight Satan for the keys to the kingdom?

Keys are a symbol of control. Keys keep people in or out. If they do not have a key to a lock, they cannot enter or exit. Keys grant the holder access to interiors and their contents, and in ancient times the wearing of large keys was a mark of status in the community. In the New Testament, the word "Hades" has a twofold usage: in some cases it denotes the place of all the departed dead (the grave - Acts 2:27,31); in others, it refers to the place of the departed wicked (Hell - Luke 16:23; Revelation 20:13-14). Since Christ alone has conquered death and has Himself come out of grave, He alone can determine who will enter death and Hades and who will come out. He has the "keys." He has authority over death and the place of the dead.

Satan has never possessed these "keys." Satan has never had power to determine who goes to Heaven (the Kingdom) and who goes to Hell. Jesus did not have to fight Satan for the keys because the keys were never in Satan's possession. God and God alone has power over death and Hell (Revelation 1:18). Jesus did not have to fight Satan for anything because Jesus' death on the cross was His ultimate victory. Colossians 2:15 tells us, "...and having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

For the Christian, there is no need to fear death and hell. Christ is in control of both, and the one who has faith in Christ will never enter hell. But it must be remembered, ONLY Christ has the keys to the Kingdom. This is why Jesus told us He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that NO ONE can come to the Father except by Him (John 14:6).

What does it mean that Jesus is the 'first-born' over Creation?

In a letter to the church at Colossae, the Apostle Paul gave an intriguing description of Jesus. In it, he explained Christ's relationship to God the Father and to creation. Some have claimed that Paul’s description of Christ as the first-born of creation means that Jesus was created -- not eternal, not God. Such a doctrine, however, conflicts with the rest of the Bible. Christ could not be both Creator and created; John 1 clearly names Him Creator. Let’s take a careful look at the passage where Jesus is called the first-born.

Colossians 1:15-21
“And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”

Jesus is God
Christ’s relationship to His Father begins with the phrase "the image of the invisible God." The word “image,” meaning copy or likeness, expresses Christ's deity. This word involves more than a resemblance, more than a representation. He is God! Although He took on human form, He has the exact nature of His Father (Hebrews 1:3).

The "Word" of John 1:1 is a divine Person, not a philosophical abstraction. In the incarnation, the invisible God became visible in Christ; deity was clothed with humanity (Matthew 17:2). God is in Christ: visible, audible, approachable, knowable, and available. All that God is, Christ is.

Jesus is Lord of Creation
The description "first-born of all creation" speaks of Christ’s preexistence. He is not a creature but the eternal Creator (John 1:10). God created the world through Christ and redeemed the world through Christ (Hebrews 1:2-4).

Benny Hinn - Angels, Holy Spirit & God (1)

Will more people go to heaven or to hell?

The question of whether there are more people in heaven or hell is answered by Jesus Himself in one succinct passage: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

This passage tells us that only those who receive Jesus Christ and who believe in Him are given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). As such, the gift of eternal life comes only through Jesus Christ to all those who believe. He said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). It’s not through Islam, Buddha, or other false gods of man’s making. It’s not for those wanting a cheap and easy way to heaven while continuing to live their own selfish and worldly lives on earth. Jesus only saves those who fully trust in Him as Savior (Acts 4:12)..

So, what are these two gates in Matthew 7:13-14? They are the entrance to two different “ways.” The wide gate leads to the broad way, or road. The small narrow gate leads to the way that is narrow. The narrow way is the way of the godly, and the broad way is the way of the ungodly. The broad way is the easy way. It is attractive and self-indulgent. It is permissive. It’s the inclusive way of the world, with few rules, few restrictions, and fewer requirements. Tolerance of sin is the norm where God's Word is not studied and His standards not followed. This way requires no spiritual maturity, no moral character, no commitment, and no sacrifice. It is the easy way of salvation following “the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). It is that broad way that “seems right to a man, but end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Is Heaven real?

Heaven is indeed a real place. The Bible tells us that heaven is God’s throne (Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:48-49; Matthew 5:34-35). After Jesus’ resurrection and appearance on earth to His disciples, “He was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19; Acts 7:55-56). “Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence” (Hebrews 9:24). Jesus not only went before us, entering on our behalf, but He is alive and has a present ministry in heaven, serving as our high priest in the true tabernacle made by God (Hebrews 6:19-20; 8:1-2).

We are also told by Jesus Himself that there are many rooms in God’s house and that He has gone before us to prepare a place for us. We have the assurance of His word that He will one day come back to earth and take us to where He is in heaven (John 14:1-4). Our belief in an eternal home in heaven is based on an explicit promise of Jesus. Heaven is most definitely a real place. Heaven truly does exist.

When people deny the existence of heaven, they deny not only the written Word of God, but they also deny the innermost longings of their own hearts. Paul addressed this issue in his letter to the Corinthians, encouraging them to cling to the hope of heaven so that they would not lose heart. Although we “groan and sigh” in our earthly state, we have the hope of heaven always before us and are eager to get there (2 Corinthians 5:1-4). Paul urged the Corinthians to look forward to their eternal home in heaven, a perspective that would enable them to endure hardships and disappointments in this life. “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).