Another one of Adventism‘s unique doctrines is the Adventist belief in soul-sleep at death. Defined, this basically means that those who die are non-existent as a personality, and cease to think, feel, or continue worshipping in any capacity. In my mind, this makes the resurrection less of a resurrection and more of a re-creation. God would literally have to re-create the person who ceased to exist.
Both Tara and I have had concerns and questions about this doctrine for some time. There was so much contradictory information and evidence, yet the Bible verses we had seen seemed clear. Well, as we began studying the issue from both Adventist and non-Adventist sources, some other verses came to light that we had never heard. Verses that supported the very ideas, which the church claims, are wrong.
Tara and I learned that the Jews, at the time of Christ, did not believe in soul sleep. The apostles did not believe in soul sleep. The early church did not believe in soul sleep, and the current church of Christ doesn’t teach soul sleep. Adventist’s added the doctrine of soul sleep 1800 years after Christ’s death.
Ecclesiastes is a book Adventist’s point to time and time again to “prove” soul sleep. Besides finding that the verses they quote could hardly be taken that way, I found that the book itself gives an interesting view of what happens at death. Look at the verses below:
(Eccl 12:5 NASB) Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street.
(Eccl 12:6 NASB) Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;
(Eccl 12:7 NASB) then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
This verse says that man goes to his eternal home WHILE MOURNERS ARE IN THE STREET. How is this possible if they cease to exist? Mourners would have been in the street while the body was prepared for the burial and after the burial; it is in this time that according to this verse, man goes to his eternal home. Not years later at the great judgment.
Well, we know the body does not go to its eternal home, for it will later be resurrected and reunited with the soul. What does this mean; it means that the soul departs the body at death. The Bible gives an example of this in Genesis:
(Gen 35:18 NASB) And it came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
(Gen 35:19 NASB) So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
Genesis tells us emphatically that the soul, not just the breath departed when she died. Another verse that I found that I had never seen in this light before was Matthew 22:32. It’s a verse we probably have all read several times. It is here that the Jewish leaders were purposefully questioning and even trying to corner Christ specifically about death and the resurrection. Christ makes an “astonishing” statement, the Sadducees did not believe in any life after death, Christ not only confirms that there is life after death, but also makes the claim that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were actually alive!
(Mat 22:29 NASB) But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God.
(Mat 22:30 NASB) "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
(Mat 22:31 NASB) "But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying,
(Mat 22:32 NASB) 'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
(Mat 22:33 NASB) And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
As is to be expected, the Sadducees were blown-away by this teaching. What was Christ saying? He was saying that even though the Jews knew the bodies of the three patriarchs were dead, the three men were living. Why would he say this? Well, because according to Christ, those who believe in him will not die!! Look at this next verse:
(John 11:25 NASB) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies,
(John 11:26 NASB) and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?"
How many Adventist’s believe that we will never die if we believe in Christ? Not many, in fact Adventists believe that nearly all except the faithful at the end of time die, and then are resurrected later. This flies directly in the face of the verse above? This verse is so simple, Christ is assuring the woman he is speaking to that even if she dies, if she believes in him, she is only dead in her physical body, for if we believe in Christ we will never truly die!
Ok, so this begs the question, can a soul be destroyed? The answer is clear in scripture: the soul can definitely be destroyed in hell! Look at the following verse:
(Mat 10:28 NASB) "And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul;but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Christ states in this verse that there are those who can kill the body, but CANNOT kill the soul, and that we should not fear these people. If the body can be killed, but the soul goes on, as the verse implies, then the soul does not rely on the body for existence, like Adventism teaches.
The understanding that our souls go on after death helped to clarify a passage in 1 Thessalonians, which states that Christ will bring with him those believers who have already died. How can this be if they cease to exist? Here is the passage:
(1 Th 4:13 NASB) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have no hope.
(1 Th 4:14 NASB) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
(1 Th 4:15 NASB) For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.
God will BRING with him those who have fallen asleep. Bring with him from where? From heaven! God will bring with Jesus, the believers who have already died from heaven to earth at the second coming. He then goes on to instruct the church to comfort one another with the information from this passage. It makes perfect sense, those who die in a state of Grace can go to heaven at death and they do not cease to exist, even though their bodies die. They then return with Christ to earth to be re-united with their bodies, which are resurrected. The living on earth will be taken into the clouds with the resurrected bodies of the saints.
Even the book of Revelation affirms that the souls of the saved dead saints are in heaven and are, in fact, crying out for justice for their deaths. This tells me a couple of things, first that the souls are aware of what is happening on earth, and are interceding with God for their/our common cause. Second it tells us that they are sympathetic to our plight on earth, and understand the justice of God needs to be poured out on earth.
(Rev 6:9 NASB) And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
(Rev 6:10 NASB) and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"
It is comforting to me to know that those faithful who are in heaven can still have a part in the lifting up and praying for Christ’s work. It is also great to know that there is a church that Christ established and promised to remain with, that is able to consistently teach us the doctrines that have been passed down throughout the history of the Christian Church.
Now, let’s look at a few of the common passages that are used by the Adventist church to try and justify the doctrine of soul sleep. While this won’t be exhaustive, I hope it will cover a couple of the main passages.
(Rom 6:23 NASB) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is a verse used on www.adventistlibrary.org to support the belief in soul sleep. Let’s look at what this verse is really saying. First of all, it correctly notes that the wages of sin is death, for we have already learned that the soul can die, and it is Christ who can kill the soul. Next the verse says that we don’t have to die, even temporarily, he says that although we are not immortal by nature, the gift he gives those who accept him is eternal life. He doesn’t say, as the Adventists do, that we will have life, then no-life, then back to life again, he says we will have eternal life!
The next verse is in Timothy:
(1 Tim 6:15 NASB) which He will bring about at the proper time-- He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords;
(1 Tim 6:16 NASB) who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.
This verse, again does not contradict the truth in the teaching of eternal life, it claims that Christ alone possesses immortality, but 1 Corinthians 15, and the previous verse we looked at(Rom 6:23) both state that Christ grants us eternal life, even though really, he alone possesses eternal life by nature!
The next verse listed is found in Ecclesiastes:
(Eccl 9:5 NASB) For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.
(Eccl 9:6 NASB) Indeed their love, their hate, and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.
Let’s look at what not just these two verses are saying, but what the entire chapter is dealing with. First I am convinced that this verse and this entire passage in Eccl. 9 is speaking of our earthly plans, and is even somewhat allegoric... let me show you why. Look at these verses that are just a few verses before the one quoted above:
(Eccl 9:2 NASB) It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked;for the good, for the clean, and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who is afraid to swear.
(Eccl 9:3 NASB) This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.
Now that you have read the verses that are preceding the passage that the Adventist Church uses, what do you think? Notice that the passage says that there is only one fate for both the righteous and the wicked. Does the Adventist Church teach this too? Does it teach that both the good and bad have the same fate? Only as far is it relates to their death on earth. What I mean is that the verse states that both the good and the evil meet the fate of physical death. Even the Adventist church realizes that the fate of the righteous and wicked are different on the other side of death, whether that be immediately as the Bible teaches, or after a period of non-existence, as the Adventist Church teaches.
So now, two verses later, the Bible says that the living know they will die, but the dead know nothing. If that is the case, how did Moses appear to Christ at the Transfiguration, see we already have our first exception to the “rule”? Some may say, well he was resurrected, if so, when? Where is that in the Bible? The Bible does not say Moses was resurrected, but in fact states that God himself buried Moses’ body, not resurrected it, look at the following verse:
(Deu 34:5 NASB) So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
(Deu 34:6 NASB) And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day.
Deu 34:6: Though Moses' exact burial place is unknown, it was in the area where the people were camped (Beth-peor, about 10 mi, or 16 km, E of the Jordan at its mouth; cf. Deut. 3:29; 4:46).
Some more verses that are used by the SDA Church for the doctrine of soul-sleep are as follows:
(Psa 146:3 NASB) Do not trust in princes, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
(Psa 146:4 NASB) His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
This verse says clearly that when you die, your thoughts perish. So my first question is: does that square with the other verses we have seen in scripture? The answer is no, they seem to be contradictory. What is the purpose of this verse? This verse is admonishing us not to put our faith in influential people (or princes) because they are only mortal, and their influence and plans for earthly matters will die with them. This verse was not written to be an explanation on the state of the dead. The message of the verse is that we must rely on Christ not man.
Conclusion:
We could literally write an entire book just on this topic, providing the evidence we have looked at and studied over the past 18 months. The doctrine of soul sleep is not supported by tradition, by early church teachings, by apostolic teachings, or by Biblical teachings. Tara and I have chosen to square ourselves with logic, scripture and the teaching authority of the church, which are all unanimously in opposition to the Adventist Church’s teaching on death.