Soul Sleep

Are you tired and need some sleep? Many days my wife and I feel like we want to sleep for a long time and not wake up until noon. It never happens. Our bodies wont let us (yes we are getting old).

Some people believe that when a Christian dies, we go into a soul sleep. That we sleep until judgement day and then we resurrect to be judged.

This is not true. The Bible says:

Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:1-8

Paul uses the terms "tent", "building" and "dwelling" to refer to bodies. On earth we live in an "earthly tent" or earthly body. In heaven we will be clothed with an "eternal house" or a "heavenly dwelling", that is a spiritual body made in heaven.

In vs. 4 Paul says we desire to be "clothed with our heavenly dwelling" so that we can enjoy our eternal life in our new body and get rid of this one that is feeble and wasting away. And how do we know we will enjoy our new bodies in heaven? We have the Spirit of God who guarantees it.

In vs. 6-8 Paul gives us the answer to the soul sleep question. If we are in this physical body, we are obviously not with the Lord. If we become separated ("away") from this body, we are "at home with the Lord." There is no soul sleep. We are either here or there.

Remember what Steven, the first martyr, said and saw as he was being stoned to death? He saw Jesus standing in heaven waiting for him and Stephen prayed "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Acts 7:59. He did not pray "Here I lay me down to sleep..."

Sweet dreams.

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