Expert: Dr Don Howe - 2/17/2010

Question
A common question often asked of Christians is "What happens when we die?" A common answer is that our body goes to the grave while our immortal soul is presented before God for judgment and subsequently either allowed into the Kingdom or cast into the lake of fire or hell. This means that every human being that ever lived and died is either in heaven with Jesus right now or is in the fires of damnation right now.

An alternative is that at death we enter a state of spiritual sleep and stay there until Christ's second coming. Every human being that ever lived is judged at the same time. (Job 14:10-12 John 11:11-14  Daniel 12:2  Psalm 115:17 Revelation 20:11-15)

When are we judged, immediately after death or on the Last Day? If we are judged on the Last Day, would that mean we are not born with an immortal soul, but rather Christ gives immortality to us when He returns?

Answer
Josh, thank you for your question. You said “a common question often asked of Christians is "What happens when we die?" And you stated “A common answer is that our body goes to the grave while our immortal soul is presented before God for judgment and subsequently either allowed into the Kingdom or cast into the lake of fire or hell.” These two statements are not a “common question” and  a “common answer” but the only answer. When we die, we are either in taken to Shoel or Hell or Heaven. There is no such thing as soul sleep in the Bible. Soul sleep is a false doctrine by the Seventh Day Adventist. My question to you is if you are a Baptist why do you believe in this false doctrine.

  Let’s look at the bible verses you gave to justify soul sleep in Job. 14:10-12; Jn 11:11-14; Daniel 12:2; Psa. 115:17; and Rev. 20:11-15.
  Job 14:10-12 states “"But man dies and lies prostrate. Man expires, and where is he?  "{As} water evaporates from the sea, And a river becomes parched and dried up,  So man lies down and does not rise. Until the heavens are no longer, He will not awake nor be aroused out of his sleep.” In Job. Chapter 14, Job is lamenting on the futility of life and death’s certainty. Job states that man’s life is short lived (14:1) and compares man’s short lived life like a flower that lives and then withers and a shadow that flees and does not remain (14:2). Man’s days and months and limits are determined by God, which man can not go passed (14:5). In other words, man can go past limits or live longer than what God has determined.
  Death is compared to a tree that is chopped down and new sprouts spring up and do now fall (14:7). The tree as it grows old its roots get  old in the ground and its stump dies in the soil (14:8), but the tree will smell (scents) the water and it flourish with new sprigs (14:9).
  Job compares the man to the tree in verse 10.  Man dies lies prostrate. Prostrate is a the Hebrew verb chalash  means to be weakened or disabled. So man dies and lays weakened. Job asks where does man go when he expires or dies (14:10). When man dies,  does not rise (14:12) just as water evaporates from the sea and rivers dry up (14:11). Man will be awakened from death. Job is telling us of the finality of death. In other words, A person is like water that evaporates, when it is gone, it cannot be retrieved. Death again is final. This does not support annihilation as the Seventh Adventist believe.
  In verse 14:13, Job states just as God hides him in the grave (Shoel here means grave), which would be hiding place from God’s anger (wrath), and Job could endure His anger if God would limit it (set a time)  and not forget to resurrect him (remember me). So Job is referring to a resurrection and not staying in the grave. This refutes soul sleep, so Josh you have your doctrine mixed up.
  In verse 14:14, Job asks if dies will he live a again? He states he endure the days of his struggle (hard service), he will wait for a change. Change means in the Hebrew chalaph which means renew, or make new). Which refers to a resurrection. Not soul sleep.

  Josh, you mentioned Jn 11:11-14 which states “This He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep."  The disciples then said to Him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."  Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep. So Jesus then said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.”  Lazarus was somebody that the disciple knew as Jesus said “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.” Asleep in the Greek is koimaō means to sleep, calm, quiet, or asleep. Walvorod and Zuck in The Bible Knowledge Commentary states about this word sleep “This “sleep” is the sleep of death. Since the coming of Christ the death of a believer is regularly called a sleep (Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:20; 1 Thes. 4:13-18). Dead Christians are asleep not in the sense of unconscious “soul sleep,” but in the sense that their bodies appear to be sleeping. The disciples wrongly assumed that Jesus meant Lazarus had not died, but was sleeping physically and was on the way to recovery (vs 12) : If he sleeps, he will get better.”
  Jesus had spoken of his own death but the disciples thought Jesus meant that Lazarus was literally sleeping (11:13). But Jesus mad it plain that Jesus was dead (11:14).
  In 11:15 Jesus said “and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him." “As was often in the case in the Gospels, Jesus was speaking about one thing but the disciples were thinking about another. The words Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there seem shocking at first. But if Lazarus had not died, the disciples (and readers of all ages) would not have had the unique opportunity to have their faith quickened. Lazarus’ death was so that you may believe” (Walvoord and Zuck). David Guzik goes on to say about this verse “Jesus could be glad, even in the death of a dear friend, because He was certain of the outcome.”
  So this Jn 11:11-15 does not support soul sleep.

  Josh stated Daniel 12:2 supports soul sleep. Dan. 12:2 states “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.” This does not support soul sleep either. Daniel gives a promise in 12:2 that “those who sleep will resurrected. Many Jews will lose their lives at the hands of Gentiles in the events revealed in chapter 11. To sleep in the dust of the earth does not mean unconscious existence in death. It simply means that a dead person appears to be asleep. The body is “asleep,” not the soul” (Walvoord and Zuck). Walvoord and Zuck makes this distinction even further in commentary on 1 Thess. 4:13 and states referring “Those who fall asleep are Christians who die. The figure of sleep for death is common in the New Testament (Mk. 5:39; Jn 11:11. This is not sleep of the soul, however, because Paul wrote elsewhere that a Christian who is absent from the body is present wit the Lord 92 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 1 Thess. 5:10). It is rather the “sleep” of the body in the earth until it is resurrected, changed into a glorious body and reunited with the soul (1 Cor. 15:35-57; 2 Cor. 5:1-9). You can look these verses up for your own reference.
  David Guzik refers to Dan. 12:2 by stating referring to “Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt: The Bible clearly teaches two resurrections, one for the saved and one for the damned (John 5:29; Revelation 20:4-6; 11-15). If we really believed every one of us will live forever, it would profoundly change our lives.”

  Psa. 115:17 states “The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.” Silence here is damah in Hebrew means to cease, to destroy, or cut off. The dead do not praise the Lord but go down to be destroyed or cut off. Does not justify soul sleep.


  Revelation 20:11-15 does not support soul sleep. I want to show what all of Rev. Chapter 20 is  about. It is rich with information.
  
   Rev. 20:1 states “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.” John saw the an angel come down from heaven. David Guzik states about this angel “The angel that will subdue Satan is anonymous. It is not Jesus Himself, nor is it Michael or Gabriel or any other high-ranking angel.” Morris states “The final importance of Satan is perhaps indicated in the fact that it is not the Father who deals with him, nor the Christ, but only an unnamed angel.”
This angel has the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. This unnamed angel had power.

   Rev. 20:2-3 states “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” This unnamed angel takes ahold of Satan, that old serpent, and he bounds for a thousand years. The thousands years refers to the 1,000 years of the millennial kingdom. The word pit in the Greek is abyssos which means abyss. And a seal was placed upon him. This seal is in contrast to Daniel 6:7 where the King placed his seal of his ring on the mouth of the cave of the lion’s den in which Daniel was thrown into. This seal shows the authority of God and nothing is changed until He says so. Guzik states about this restraining of Satan by the Seal for a thousands years, “Satan tried to imprison Jesus in a tomb, but couldn’t. Here, God has no problem restraining Satan, and this incarceration is not for punishment, but restraint. By implication, his demonic hordes are also imprisoned.”
Satan will not deceive the nations no more. Deceiving is “Satan’s main mode of attack is revealed. Satan is a deceiver, so the most potent defense and weapon against Satan is the truth of God’s word” (Guzik).

   Rev. 20:4 states “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” John here mentions two groups. The first group are already reigning with Christ in Heaven and sat upon the thrones and passed judgment. This group has to be those who have died for the cause of Christ during the Church age and the saints of the Church who were raptured bringing a close to the Church age and dispensation of Grace. David Guzik states “They that sat on the thrones could be the twenty four elders that represent the Church in Rev. 4:4, or the apostles (Matt. 19:28), or the company of saints as a whole (1 Cor. 6:2-3), which is the most likely. These saints will be given judgment but it is more likely that these are the saints ruling on and over the earth as mentioned in 1 Cor. 6:2-3.”
  Then the second group mentioned in verse 4 are the Tribulation saints who were beheaded for the witness of Christ. The word beheaded is a verb in Greek is patasso which means executed. These Tribulation saints were executed by the Antichrist. Why does God just mention the saints who died in the Tribulation. David Guzik gives some insight about this “They are specifically mentioned so as to encourage them, while not implying others will be left out. This is special vindication for Tribulation saints. They suffered under Antichrist who had said, “I will rule the earth;” now they are in authority and Antichrist is destroyed. So, these martyrs are literal, but also representative of all that give their lives in faithfulness to Jesus.”

   Rev. 20:5-6 states “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection. Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Those who “sat upon the thrones” and the Tribulation saints will  “reigned with Christ a thousand years,” and “the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” The first group of saints “who sat upon the thrones” and passed judgment and the resurrection of the Tribulation saints is called the first resurrection and the second death would not come upon. The second death meaning the eternal damnation of living forever in Lake of Fire. But while these saints are reigning with Jesus for the same period of time (1,000 years),  Satan will be bound for a thousand years. Paul Benaware states about this first resurrection “these verses (20:5-6) state that there is a major resurrection before the millennial kingdom begins and a major resurrection at the end of the millennial kingdom. This text, interpreted in a normal, literal way, is teaching that both of these are a physical, bodily resurrection.”  God said to resurrect the Tribulation saints physically, and bodily, and then they are joined by “those that sat upon the throne” and this called the first resurrection. But both groups are physically and bodily resurrected.  
    
     Rev. 7-8 states “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.” At the end of the millennial reign, Satan is loosed. The word loosed is a Greek verb which is lyō which means to be unbound, release from bonds, or set free. So sat is set free from “his prison” for a thousand years. Why? So he can deceive the nations from the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. This shows the complete depravity and rebellion of Satan and man. Man is totally depraved.
   David Guzik makes some sobering remarks about this thousand years, Satan being released, and mans total depravity. He states “For the thousand years of the direct reign of Jesus over this earth, Satan was bound and inactive. But after the thousand years are over, he will be released and successfully organize many of the earth in another rebellion against God. Jesus has reigned so wonderfully for a thousand years, then why will the earth rebel? They will do it, and God will allow it, as a final demonstration of man’s rebellion and depravity. Outward conformity to Jesus’ rule will be required during His reign, but seemingly, an inward embrace of His Lordship will still be up to the individual. In this we see more of the important reason God has for the Millennial Kingdom and allowing this final rebellion. For all of human history, man has wanted to blame his sinful condition on his environment. “Of course I turned out the way I did. Did you see the family I came from? Did you see the neighborhood I grew up in?” With the Millennial Kingdom of Jesus, God will give mankind a thousand years of a perfect environment - with no Satan, no crime, violence, evil, or other social pathology. But at the end of the 1,000 years, man will still rebel against God at his first opportunity. This will powerfully demonstrate that the problem is in us, not only in our environment.”  Hoste goes on to say “It will be proved once more that man, whatever his advantages and environment, apart from the grace of God and new birth, remains at heart only evil and at enmity with God.”
   Paul Benware also mentions about this depravity and states “At the very end of the millennial kingdom and before the start of the final, eternal kingdom of God, a brief rebellion will be by Satan (Rev.20:7-9). Satan, having been released from the Abyss, is able to gather a large number of people against the Lord Jesus. These rebels are undoubtedly unsaved people. They were born in the millennial period and outwardly adhered to the principles of the Messiah’s kingdom (no doubt fearing the “rod of iron”), but never came to a personal, saving faith. We are not told why God allows Satan to be released, but it perhaps to give a final, brand object lesson concerning the depravity of man. If nothing else, this rebellion at the end of the Millennium demonstrates that man’s real problem is his sinful, unregenerate heart, not his environment or his circumstances. These rebels have lived in Messiah’s kingdom, a near-perfect environment. They cannot claim poverty, a lack of knowledge, bad circumstances, or an unfair judicial system as reasons for their rebellious behavior. Their problem is their sinful heart. This event underscores the truth that, when given the opportunity to rebel against the Lord God, sinful man will do it every time. The rebellion is short-lived and completely unsuccessful. And those who participate in it are put to death, while their leader Satan receives his final judgment in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:9-10).”
   Both authors are sobering to say the least. But it is man’s sinful, depraved heart that is problem from the Garden to the destruction of the Millennial Kingdom.
    Satan gathers his army from the four corners of the earth to do battle with the Lord Jesus. Satan had a very large army  because “the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.”
    The Gog and Magog was a common rabbinical title for the nations in rebellion against the Lord, and the names recall the prophesied invasion of Israel Ezek. 38:39, but this not the same battle.
  
  Rev. 20:9-10 states “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Satan and his army went upon the “breadth of the earth.” Breadth in the Greek is platos which means broad or great extent, so it would mean a great extent of the earth, and he compassed or encircled the camp of the saints and the beloved city, Jerusalem. Guzik states about this encirclement of the saints “We don’t know if the saints referred to here are glorified saints who reign with Jesus, or earth-inhabitants who come to faith in Jesus during the Millennium. Either way, the strategy of this vast Satanic army is clear: to destroy God’s people, and the “headquarters” or “capital city” of His administration, Jerusalem (the beloved city).”
         
   Verse 10 above gives us the first of three judgments that take place after the Millennial Kingdom or thousand year reign.
     This FIRST JUDGMENT is when the “fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” What David Guzik states about this battle is comical, he writes “We shouldn’t even call this a final battle, because there is no battle. The fight is over before it begins. At this point, God finally deals with the devil and his followers forever. After this aborted battle, Satan is then judged and tormented forever - together with the beast and the false prophet, who were cast into the lake of fire at the beginning of the thousand years (Revelation 19:20).”
   Satan will be joined by the Antichrist and the False Prophet and casted into the Lake of Fire and tormented forever and ever. This Lake of Fire corresponds to what is mentioned in Rev. 14:10-11; Isa. 66:22-24; Mk 9:48. And this is the FIRST JUDGMENT THAT TAKES PLACE AFTER THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM.
   The SECOND JUDGMENT after the Millennial Kingdom also takes place in verse 10. This judgment is the destruction by fire that came out of Heaven of the present heavens and earth as mentioned in 2 Peter 3:10. Paul Benware states “This passing away of the present universe is anticipated in several passages of Scripture (e.g. Matt. 24:35; Rev. 20:11). Because of the remaining elements of the curse placed on creation and because of the presence of sin in the universe, this destruction is necessary. Once the present heavens and earth are destroyed, God will create a new heaven and earth (21:1).

     THIRD JUDGMENT AFTER THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM IS THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT REV. 20:11-15.
    Rev. 20:11 states “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” Gladys, the descriptions that Apostle John is giving here is important. John saw a “great white throne” which represents status, power, and authority. White represents the purity and holiness, and throne represents kingly sovereignty.
    Who sat on the throne? It is no one but Jesus.  The Bible tells us that the Judge is Jesus (John 5:22-27); or more likely, the fullness of the Triune God.
    “From whose face (speaking of the Lord Jesus) the earth and heaven fled away, but there was not place for them” (the unsaved). Guzik states about this hiding “There is absolutely no hiding from this throne. No one can escape the judgment that it represents.” He goes on “Bible scholars believe that Christians will never appear before this great white throne. It isn’t because we can hide from it - no one can. The idea is that we are spared from this awesome throne of judgment because our sins are already judged in Jesus at the cross. We don’t escape God’s judgment; we satisfy it in Jesus. However, Christians will have to stand before another throne - the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
    Rev. 20:12 states “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
   The idea of “small and great” corresponds to Rev. 19:5 which states “And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.” Daniel 7:10 is a great verse which speaks of this “small and great” number “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” So the number was great that stood before the Lord Jesus.
    The words “stand before God and the books were opened” does not represent “a trial, trying to determine what the facts are. The facts are in; here is the sentencing of someone already condemned” (Guzik). Walvoord states “Their standing posture means that they are now about to be sentenced.”
    The Books mentioned here in verse 12 and in Daniel 7:10 are the Book of Life and Book of Works. The Great White Throne Judgment is based on the Book of Works. The Book of Life is only for saved people, who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, and Josh, I hope your name is that book. I know my is. Believers will  be judged for our rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ or the Bema Judgment. The White Throne judgment is just for the unsaved.
     The books are opened “the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” The words “dead” is important because it represents the unsaved people who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior. Saved people who are dead or martyred for the cause of Christ are referred to “the dead in Christ.” So this distinction is important. The dead were not judged out of the Book of Life because their name is not in it, so the Book of Works were used to designated by “according to their works. ”There are degrees of punishment for unbelievers, according to their works (Matthew 11:20-24). Here is where they are sentenced to their specific eternal punishment” (Guzik).

     Rev. 20:13 states “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.”
    The idea of the sea gave up the dead is symbolic in that it is not referring to actual body of water but it represents a place of unburied bodies and the place of unburied bodies (sea) gave up the dead so the emphasis is on the universal character of judgment - everybody (who is not saved) is included.
   One may ask “why would the sea give up the dead, if the unsaved souls go to hell.” The main and foremost reason why the sea gave up the dead, is because God said for it to. God is Sovereign and what He says is the first and final word. Now, the sea is not speaking of a body of water but a place of unburied bodies.  And as mentioned already in Rev. 20:5-6, this was a literal bodily and physical resurrection. So the Bible speaks of a physical and bodily resurrection at the first resurrection and other places. That is way God does things.
    People go to war over such trivial things in Revelation, but the main thing to remember if you are not saved, it is not going to matter to you anyway, because the unsaved are on the first bound train to Hell. Plain and simple.

    Rev. 20:14-15 states “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” So the ones who are not in the Book of Life are cast into the lake of fire along with Satan, Antichrist, and the False Prophet.“ "The last echoes of sin are now eliminated. Death is the result of sin, and it is gone. Hades is the result of death, and it is gone. The last vestiges of sin’s unlawful domination are done away with.“ (Guzik).
    The second death is spiritual and eternal, the just punishment of the wicked. The first death is physical dying. Both are included in the overall meaning of death that came upon the human race because of Adam and Eve’s sin (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-19; Rom. 5:12). So one will have a physical and spiritual resurrection also.
         The books are opened “the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” The words “dead” is important because it represents the unsaved people who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior. Saved people who are dead or martyred for the cause of Christ are referred to “the dead in Christ.” So this distinction is important. The dead were judged out of the Book of Life because their name is not in it, so the Book of Works were used to designated by “according to their works. ”There are degrees of punishment for unbelievers, according to their works (Matthew 11:20-24). Here is where they are sentenced to their specific eternal punishment” (Guzik).

   So Rev. 20:11-15 can not support soul sleep either.

   I hope this helps.

Dr Don Howe