Does the Bible Teach Soul Sleep? What Happens the Moment a Believer Dies

Continuing our reflection on eternity from yesterday’s meditation, we explore whether the Bible teaches the doctrine of soul sleep. Specifically, when believers die, are they unconscious until the resurrection? In the Old Testament, 1 Kings 17:17 recounts the raising of a young boy from the dead. He was the only son of a widow who had helped the prophet Elijah. The boy had become sick and weakened until he finally stopped breathing (NIV). The Hebrew text states that his "nephesh"—his soul—had left him. In verse 22, Elijah prays over the boy, and his life is restored. The Hebrew word "nephesh" appears again, indicating that his soul returned. Similar to Jairus’ daughter in Luke 8, this shows the invisible part of a person— their soul—reuniting with their body. This passage supports the idea that our inner, unseen aspect remains conscious and alive at the moment of death.

The Holy Scriptures reveal that at this moment, the spirits of just men made perfect are in heaven (Hebrews 12:23). Another passage describes Christ's return to Earth: “God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Their physical bodies rest in the grave, but the unseen parts of their nature—their spirit and soul—are with the Lord. They are very much alive, though in a different realm and a different life. The apostle Paul wrote: "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). He also wrote to the church at Philippi about his desire to die and be with Christ:

²²If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! ²³I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; ²⁴but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body (Philippians 1:22-24; emphasis added).

Paul did not believe he would be unconscious in sleep when he died; he fully expected to be very much alive. He calls it “better by far.” The term “depart” in verse 23 above is translated from the Greek word, which means to break loose from an anchor. A.T. Robertson renders it as "To weigh anchor and put out to sea." What a beautiful image! It reminds us of the scene in the movie The Lord of the Rings, when Bilbo Baggins leaves the Grey Havens and sets sail to begin a new adventure. It serves as a lovely analogy for what some view as an end; rather, it signifies a new beginning. If the apostle Paul were preparing to sleep for two thousand years, I don't understand how that could be described as "better by far." No, Paul was ready to go to another place that is “better by far.” A place where “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him!” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Imagine a butterfly trying to explain to a caterpillar what its new life will be like. The caterpillar would have no frame of reference for what it means to fly in a glorious new body, unbound by the earth. If the caterpillar could comprehend this, would it choose not to enter its pupal stage and be transformed? When we leave our bodies and pass from Earth, we will have fellowship with the Lord in a spiritual realm. The only reason spiritual matters don't feel as real to us now is that we are anchored to this earth and can function on only one level, one realm. But a day is coming when, if you believe and trust in what Christ did at the cross, we will experience all that God has prepared for us. Jesus said:

²My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:2-3).

Our purpose in this life is to be prepared for this most excellent adventure into a realm described as BETTER BY FAR! Keith Thomas

These meditations are drawn from the in-depth study available at the following link: Do You Know What Happens When You Die?

The YouTube video teaching is at the following link: https://youtu.be/WeXKqJsMesY

 

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