Apologetics for the Masses #534 - Soul "Sleep" (Part 1)

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Topic

Soul Sleep - After you die, does your soul "sleep" until the 2nd Coming?

General Comments

Hey folks,

Well, it's a week later than I had originally planned, but I'm back. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's, and I pray that 2026 brings many blessings for all of you and your loved ones!

Just a quick mention of a couple of upcoming speaking engagements so you can mark your calendars, if you are so inclined:

- February 20/21; Fullness of Truth Conference in Alexandria, LA. For more information: https://www.fullnessoftruth.org/conferences/alx26

- March 20/21; Worcester Diocesan Men's Conference, Worcester, MA. For more information: https://catholicmenworc.com/

If you live anywhere near either of those two places, I would love to see you there!

Introduction

Well, we're all done, for now, with Barry the Atheist. That conversation was going nowhere. It was instructional, though, in that Barry was very good at slightly shifting the parameters of the discussion with each new round of emails. Always avoiding directly responding to what I was asking him even while claiming to have answered what I had asked. You need to remember to always keep bringing folks back to the actual questions you ask, as opposed to the questions they "think" you are asking or that they are anticipating you to ask or are trying to maneuver you into asking. Direct questions deserve direct answers.

And that goes for Catholics, too. When you are engaging someone in a conversation about the faith - whether in person or via email or on Facebook or wherever - do not reply to the questions that you "think" they are asking or to the arguments you "think" they are making. I see Catholics do this all the time on Facebook. Listen - carefully - to what they say, and respond to what they have actually asked or argued. Do not respond to the ultimate question or argument they are getting to, until they actually get to it.

For example, if a Protestant makes a comment about about "interpreting Scripture with Scripture," don't come back with a response such as: "Well, you wouldn't even know what books should be in the Bible if it wasn't for the Catholic Church!" They were talking about interpreting Scripture, not who verified the canon of the Bible. You will probably get to the point of being able to use that argument, just don't do it prematurely. You want to let their arguments unfold step-by-step. The more you require them to go step-by-step through their arguments - by asking questions - the more the lack of consistent logic in their arguments will become apparent. So don't short circuit the process. You want them talking as much as possible. So, if they say, "You need to interpret Scripture with Scripture," simply ask: "Okay, but where does Scripture say that? Give me book, chapter, and verse, please." Then, down the line, as the discussion develops, you can bring in the argument about the Catholic Church establishing the canon of Scripture...at the proper moment.

Okay, so, no more Barry the Atheist, for now. Although, I have a feeling that even though he argued that it is irrational for him to spend any time, whatsoever, thinking about the existence of God, I will be getting more emails from him in the future arguing about the non-existence of God (i.e., he'll be thinking about the existence of God). For now, though, I want to turn to a topic that I've only kinda gotten into once before in these newsletters - this thing called "soul sleep". I had a conversation on Facebook with a Seventh Day Adventist about soul sleep - that I put into a newsletter several years ago - or at least I was starting to get into a conversation with the guy, but he bailed out on me once I started asking him some rather pointed questions - questions that he was either unwilling, or unable, to answer. I want to dive into it a bit deeper in this issue and the next.

So, what I'm going to do in this issue, is to copy a post that is all about soul sleep, from a Facebook forum called: Exposing the Roman Catholic Church and the Man of Sin. The prevailing theology on the forum appears to be some sort of Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) offshoot. It's kind of a long post, so I'll print the whole thing here, then start dissecting it - paragraph by paragraph - in this issue, but finish doing so in the next issue. It was posted by some guy who goes by the moniker, "Plain Truth".

Challenge/Response/Strategy

Plain Truth
WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

A Biblical Investigation into an Ancient Deception Shared by Paganism, Christianity, and the Occult

INTRODUCTION

Ancient pagan religions taught that the soul survives death consciously, whether in the underworld, as ancestral spirits, or through reincarnation. Eastern religions speak of rebirth and karmic return. Spiritism claims the dead communicate with the living. Popular Christianity teaches that souls go immediately to heaven, hell, or purgatory at death. Though these systems differ in details, they share the same foundation: the dead are not really dead. This common thread exposes a serious inconsistency. How can contradictory destinations, reincarnation, purgatory, eternal torment, ancestral guardianship, all be true at once? The similarity does not point to truth, but to a shared source.

Scripture traces this belief to the very beginning. God declared plainly, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Satan contradicted God with the first lie: “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). That lie did not disappear, it evolved. Instead of denying death outright, it redefined death as a doorway to conscious existence elsewhere. This is the theological backbone of soul immortality.

This Is What The Bible Actually Says Happens At Death:

- The body returns to dust (Genesis 3:19).

- The spirit (which is the breath of life) returns to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

- The dead are unconscious: “The dead know nothing” (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

- Thought, memory, and emotion cease (Psalm 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:6).

The “spirit” that returns to God is not a thinking soul, but the breath God gives to all living creatures (Job 27:3). Body plus breath equals a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Separate them, and consciousness ends.

Jesus Himself defined death as sleep. Speaking of Lazarus, He said, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps,” then He clarified, “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:11–14). David called death “the sleep of death” (Psalm 13:3). Sleep implies silence, rest and not conscious activity. The awakening Scripture points to is the resurrection.

The Resurrection Itself Exposes The Error

If the righteous dead are already in heaven, the resurrection becomes unnecessary. Yet Scripture places supreme importance on it. Jesus declared that all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, some to life, some to judgment (John 5:28–29). Peter plainly stated that David, though righteous, “has not ascended into the heavens” centuries after his death (Acts 2:29, 34).

Paul went further: if there is no resurrection, then the dead are lost (1 Corinthians 15:16–18). This statement only makes sense if the dead are unconscious, awaiting resurrection, not already rewarded.

How This False Teaching Was Weaponized

The belief in conscious dead did not remain a harmless idea. It became a powerful tool of control. By teaching that souls suffer in purgatory or eternal torment immediately after death, religious systems were able to instill fear, extract money and assert authority over the living. Prayers for the dead, masses, indulgences, relic veneration, saint intercession and apparitions all rest on the assumption that the dead are alive and accessible.

Yet Scripture forbids the practice of contacting the dead in all forms (Leviticus 19:31). Why? Because the “voices” responding are not human spirits at all, but deceiving spirits. A teaching that opens the door to necromancy, whether refined or ritualized, stands in direct opposition to God’s Word. Some attempt to overturn clear biblical teaching by literalizing symbolic passages, ignoring the rules of interpretation established by Scripture itself. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31) is a clear example. If taken literally, the story presents heaven and hell as close enough for conversation between the lost and the saved, an idea nowhere supported in Scripture. It portrays the lost as able to reason and negotiate after judgment, while the saved observe their suffering. Such a picture contradicts the Bible’s consistent teaching that the dead are unconscious (Ecclesiastes 9:5–6; Psalm 146:4) and that judgment occurs after the resurrection, not before (John 5:28–29).

Furthermore, the image of “Abraham’s bosom” cannot be literal. Abraham was one man, and his “bosom” could not physically contain the righteous dead of all ages. The expression was a Jewish idiom symbolizing favor and acceptance, not a geographic compartment of the afterlife. Jesus employed this familiar imagery to confront the Pharisees’ false security in lineage, not to map the state of the dead. Parables illustrate moral truth; they do not create doctrine. Christ Himself warned that parables must be interpreted through the lens of clearer Scripture (Matthew 13:10–13).

The same principle applies to the thief on the cross. Jesus’ promise was certain, but its fulfillment was future. The punctuation of Luke 23:43 determines meaning, and the broader testimony of Scripture resolves it.

Luke 23:43 reads in most English Bibles:

“Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

However, punctuation was not part of the original Greek manuscripts. The commas and sentence breaks were added centuries later by translators. This means the placement of the comma directly affects how the statement is understood.

These are the two readings but only one is correct:

1- THE IDEA OF IMMEDIATE FULFILLMENT:

“Verily I say unto thee, today you will be with Me in paradise.”

This suggests the thief entered paradise that very day.

2- A PROMISED FUTURE FULFILLMENT:

“Verily I say unto thee today, you will be with Me in paradise.”

This emphasizes the time the promise was spoken, not the time it would be fulfilled.

After His resurrection, Jesus declared, “I am not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20:17). Since paradise is not a separate realm from heaven, but another biblical designation for God’s dwelling place (2 Corinthians 12:2–4; Revelation 2:7), neither Christ nor the thief could have entered paradise on the day of the crucifixion. The promise pointed forward to the resurrection, when Christ returns to receive His people (John 14:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

Additionally, Jesus consistently taught that reward is given at the resurrection, not at death (John 5:28–29; Matthew 25:31–34). The apostle Paul affirmed that believers receive immortality when Christ returns, not before (1 Corinthians 15:51–53; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

When Scripture is allowed to interpret Scripture, harmony emerges. Symbolic passages illuminate truth already established; they never override plain teaching. The hope of the believer rests not in immediate ascent at death, but in the sure promise of resurrection at Christ’s return.

The Biblical Conclusion: Where Are the Dead?

The Bible answers clearly and consistently:

- The dead are in their graves (Job 14:10–12).

- They are asleep, unconscious, awaiting Christ’s return (Daniel 12:2).

- They receive reward or condemnation at the resurrection, not at death (Matthew 25:31–46).

- Immortality is not universal, but a gift given only to the saved, at the last trumpet when Jesus returns(1 Corinthians 15:51–53).

- God alone possesses immortality (1 Timothy 6:16).

Final Appeal

The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is ancient, widespread, and popular, but it is not biblical. It originated with the serpent and has been adapted by paganism, absorbed by the occult, and institutionalized within Christianity. Scripture calls believers back to a resurrection-centered hope, a faith grounded not in fear of wandering souls, but in the victorious return of Christ.

The dead are not watching us.

They are not suffering.

They are not speaking.

They are resting, until He comes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Plain Truth
WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

A Biblical Investigation into an Ancient Deception Shared by Paganism, Christianity, and the Occult

INTRODUCTION

Few questions are as universal, or as misunderstood, as this one: Where are the dead? Across cultures and religions, remarkably similar answers are given: the dead are alive elsewhere, watching, speaking, guiding, suffering, or rejoicing. Yet these answers sharply conflict with one another and, more importantly, with Scripture itself. A careful biblical investigation reveals that many religions, ancient pagan systems, occult practices, and even large segments of Christianity, share a common belief: the immortality of the soul. The Bible identifies this belief not as divine truth, but as an age-old deception originating with Satan.

My Comments
Well, we get confusion from the very first paragraph. "A careful biblical investigation reveals that many religions...and even large segments of Christianity, share a common belief: the immortality of the soul." Yet he then says, "The Bible identifies this belief not as divine truth, but as an age-old deception originating with Satan." So, a "careful biblical investigation" reveals that many religions, including large segments of Christianity, believe in the immortality of the soul. I look forward to his enlightening me as to where the Bible says such a thing. But, apparently the Bible then turns around and specifically identifies this belief in the immortality of the soul as a deception originating with Satan. So, I am now expecting to have Mr. Plain Truth give me the Scripture quotation - book, chapter, and verse - that says something like, "Well, a lot of religions, and even a lot of Christians, believe in the immortality of the soul, but that's just a deception originating with Satan." Did Paul say that? Maybe it was Peter? Maybe it was in the Letter of Jude? You know, the Letter of Jude is so short that people are always overlooking it, so maybe it's in there but folks just don't read closely enough to see it.

Mr. Plain Truth
Ancient pagan religions taught that the soul survives death consciously, whether in the underworld, as ancestral spirits, or through reincarnation. Eastern religions speak of rebirth and karmic return. Spiritism claims the dead communicate with the living. Popular Christianity teaches that souls go immediately to heaven, hell, or purgatory at death. Though these systems differ in details, they share the same foundation: the dead are not really dead. This common thread exposes a serious inconsistency. How can contradictory destinations, reincarnation, purgatory, eternal torment, ancestral guardianship, all be true at once? The similarity does not point to truth, but to a shared source.

My Comments
"Popular Christianity" teaches that souls go to heaven, hell, or purgatory? Or would that be Catholicism? I love how he is trying to disparage the belief in the immortality of the soul by arguing that since there are inconsistencies about the disposition of the soul after death between Catholicism, Hinduism, Spiritism, etc., then that points to a fundamental problem with the belief in the immortality of the soul. Well, here's the thing - these are not "inconsistencies" as much as they are simply different beliefs of different religious systems. An "inconsistency" would be if the same religious system believed all of those things about the soul simultaneously. That would be inconsistent. His logic would have you think there is a fundamental problem with a belief in a Supreme Being since there are all these "inconsistencies" between different religions regarding their beliefs in a Supreme Being. Hindus believe one thing, Muslims another, Jews another, Spiritists another, and Christians still another. To use his "logic": "This common thread exposes a serious inconsistency. How can contradictory [beliefs in a Supreme Being - unitarian God, universal God, trinitarian God, etc.], all be true at once? The similarity does not point to truth, but to a shared source." So, those inconsistencies cast some serious doubts on the existence of a Supreme Being, right? Uhh...no.

Mr. Plain Truth
Scripture traces this belief to the very beginning. God declared plainly, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17). Satan contradicted God with the first lie: “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). That lie did not disappear, it evolved. Instead of denying death outright, it redefined death as a doorway to conscious existence elsewhere. This is the theological backbone of soul immortality.

My Comments

See what he did here? He substituted his interpretation of Scripture...for Scripture! "Scripture traces this belief to the very beginning." Where does Scripture say, "The false belief in the immortality of the soul originates with what Satan said in Genesis 3:4?" The Word of God does not say that. The Word of Mr. Plain Truth says that.

A few things to note regarding Mr. Plain Truth's contention here: 1) Nowhere does he give us any reference to anyone using Satan's words as justification for their beliefs about the immortality of the soul. Does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say, "We know the soul is immortal because of what Satan says in Genesis 3:4?" I don't think so. 2) Nowhere in the Bible does anyone point back to Genesis 3:4 to note that belief in the immortality of the soul started with Satan. 3) The interpretation of Gen 3:4 that has Satan's words referring to the immortality of the soul, even indirectly, as opposed to physical death, is just that...an interpretation. Satan did not say, "Your soul will not die," he said, "You will not die." Furthermore, in Gen 3:3, God did not say, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest your soul die." He said, "...lest you die."

Here's the thing, though: God told Eve that if she ate the fruit - or even touched it - she would die. Yet, when she ate it, she didn't die. At least, not a physical death. So, was God lying to her when He said she would die? No, because she did die...but it was a spiritual death. When she, and Adam, ate the fruit, they died a spiritual death. They separated themselves from God. Which is spiritual death. Yet, they were still "alive" in the physical sense. Although, eventually, they died a physical death.

Then, when Satan told Eve that if she eats the fruit she won't die, was he lying to her? In one sense, no, he wasn't. But he was in another sense - he was twisting the truth. Satan was telling her that she won't die, physically, at the moment she ate the fruit. And she didn't. Even though she did die, spiritually, the moment she ate the fruit, and eventually died physically, as well. But, neither she nor Adam physically died at that moment. So Satan took what God said and twisted it.

The point I want to really focus on here, though, is that, apparently, as we'll see, Mr. Plain Truth believes that body and soul live, and die, together. If you are alive, then both your body and soul are alive. If you are dead, then both your body and soul are dead. But the example of Adam and Eve prove otherwise. When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they died...spiritually. They separated themselves from God, which is spiritual death. Yet, they were still alive...physically. Which indicates that the body can be alive even if the soul is dead. And, if the body can be alive when the soul is dead, that would seem to indicate that the soul can be alive when the body is dead. Mr. Plain Truth appears to be giving the soul almost, if not actually, physical characteristics vis-a-vis life and death. If the body stops breathing, then the soul stops "breathing" sort of thing. The problem for him is, the definition of "death" is different between body and soul. Again, as the example of Adam and Eve demonstrate - dead souls, yet living bodies.

So, no, Genesis 3:4 is not the "theological backbone" of the belief in the immortality of the soul. That statement is entirely made up. Again, he points to no process, from any religious tradition, of the "evolution" of the belief in the immortality of the soul beginning with Satan's words in Gen 3:4. None! This so-called "evolution" of belief in the immortality of the soul that he is talking about is entirely contrived. It is the Word of "Mr. Plain Truth," not the Word of God.

I'm going to stop there for now, and pick up from here in the next issue...

Closing Comments

I hope all of you have a great week! Please keep the Bible Christian Society in your prayers, we keep you and yours in ours every day.

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