Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord

2023-01-14

There is a doctrine out there called “soul sleep.” This doctrine essentially says that when the believer dies, he is “asleep” until the resurrection, and is not conscious. Many passages contradict this.

When our soul leaves our body, we are in the Lord’s presence. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Consider Paul’s dilemma:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. (Philippians 1:21-24)

The apostle wanted to be there for the believers who needed his instruction, but he also wanted to “depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” When he died, he went to be with Christ. If this was a dormant sleep, why is it called “far better”? “For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth” (Isaiah 38:18).

In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man went straight to hell and Lazarus went straight to heaven: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom” (Luke 16:22-23).

The thief on the cross was told, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). His soul was not lying in some grave somewhere. That day, he was in paradise.

During the tribulation (the fifth seal), souls are in heaven and pray to the Lord for vengeance on their murderers. “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” (Revelation 6:9-10). They weren’t talking in their (soul) sleep.

The proponents of soul sleep will use phrases that say that a believer who died “fell asleep.” Consider Stephen, for example: “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:60). The phrase is used because believers do not truly die, which is the result of judgment (cf. Genesis 2:17). Rather, the body sleeps, waiting for the final resurrection when Christ returns.

However, returning to the example of Stephen, what does he say in the preceding verse? “And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59). Wouldn’t it be odd if the spirit was sleeping when the Lord received him?

Specific Verses and Discussions

For a discussion on Ecclesiastes 9:5, go here.

For a discussion on Psalm 146:4, go here.

For a discussion on John 3:13, go here.

Christian Anthropological Implications Contradicting Soul Sleep