Five Essential Bible Truths – Part 3
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A Word about Soul-Sleep

The New Testament refers to death as “sleep” 53 times. Remember the story of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha? Jesus referred to Lazarus’ death as sleep. (See John 11.) Why did Jesus say that Lazarus was asleep? Why is death called sleep so many times in the Bible? The death experience is temporary, just like sleep is temporary (and the older I get, the more temporary sleep seems to be). That is the reason for a “resurrection.” Every person who dies will live again, and these people will be awakened from their death/sleep in a resurrection. There are two general resurrections – one for the saints, the other for the wicked. The saints will be resurrected at the Second Coming. (1 Thessalonians 4:16) The people judged to be wicked will be resurrected at the end of the millennium. (Revelation 20:5)

Here is some background information about soul-sleep that might be helpful. The Lord commanded Adam that he should not eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree. “If you do,” the Lord said, “you will be executed on that very day because of your rebellion.” (Genesis 2:17) In the Garden, there was only one death possible for those who had access to the Tree of Life. Death could only come through execution. (The wages of sin is eternal death. Romans 6:23) The day Adam sinned, he was to be executed for his rebellion against God, but Jesus stepped “in the way” and became man’s mediator or intercessor. At that very moment, man’s penalty for sin (execution and eternal death) was averted because a Savior stepped in the way. To prevent sinners from living forever, man was removed from the Garden so he would not have access to the Tree of Life. (Genesis 3:22) Without the renewing power found in the fruit on the Tree of Life, a temporary death (first death) became part of man’s experience. Even though the PLAN of salvation delayed the administration of eternal death, it did not stop the relentless process of sin’s degeneracy. The first death – a temporary death – is the consequence of sin’s degeneracy. For example, Adam lived 930 years and then died. Adam received a “stay of execution” (as all mankind has) for the sin he committed until the end of the millennium. The final death-by-execution is the second death. Of course, if Adam received Christ as his Savior (and I believe he did), He will not have to die the second death because Jesus died that death for him (paid the price for sin). Jesus was executed just as the second death requires. However, and this is the point, although execution and eternal death has been delayed for mankind, it will certainly be implemented. The second death (the eternal death) comes at the end of the millennium when the justice of God is poured out on people who He determines are in rebellion against Him and the principles of His kingdom.

Am I saying that the wicked are going to be resurrected from their temporary death at the end of the millennium, only to be executed for their wickedness at the second death? Yes. Why would God treat the wicked this way? Why would He resurrect wicked people only to destroy them? Does this sound mean? On the surface, it does. However, as this study continues, you will learn the simple and profound answer to why God chose to handle matters in this way.

A 7,000 Year Plan

I believe that the Bible describes the PLAN of salvation to take a period of 7,000 years to accomplish. God designed this plan as a simple, but elegant process for dealing with mankind. In short, it works this way: By staying Adam and Eve’s execution, God allowed them to live, procreate and populate the Earth as originally PLANNED. Nevertheless, since sin ruined mankind was allowed to live for only a season. At the end of each person’s life, he or she would have to sleep in a temporary state of death until the time comes for the restoration of all things. Just before the time of restoration, the dead and the living will be judged to determine who will have a part in the Earth made new. (The dead are judged shortly before the Second Coming and the living are judged through the mark of the beast test. Revelation 12:15-18) At the Second Coming, those individuals found to be righteous during the judgment of the dead will be resurrected and given eternal life. The individuals who are alive at the Second Coming, who have not submitted to the mark of the beast test, will be “caught up in the air with those resurrected from the dead.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) The people who are alive at the Second Coming and have received the mark of the beast tattoo will be killed by the sword that comes out of the mouth of Jesus (Revelation 20:4-5) and the birds will eat their flesh (Revelation 19:11-21). At the end of the millennium, all of the wicked from all ages will be resurrected to watch and understand three things:

1. God’s generous offer of salvation to all mankind through the gift of Jesus

2. The reality of God, His sovereignty and kingdom and man’s accountability to God

3. A comprehensive review of each person’s life presenting the reasons why God refused to save him

As you can see, the subject of the millennium is important because it explains how God finally disposes of sin. For this reason, the subject of the millennium is directly connected to the doctrine of man’s mortality. When a person dies, he or she goes neither to Heaven nor to Hell. Instead, the body decays back to dust (Genesis 2:17). The breath of life (the spirit) returns to God and the soul or intellect is suspended in an unconscious state (John 11:11-14; Ecclesiastes 9:5,6; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Acts 2:29,34). Christ, as recorded in the book of deeds, judges that person’s life, at an appointed time, just before the Second Coming. Jesus carefully reviews each man’s actions as recorded in the books of Heaven. When Christ comes, the dead are resurrected in one of two resurrections – the first resurrection is at the Second Coming and the second resurrection (for the purpose of eradicating the sin problem) is at the end of the millennium. (John 5:28,29; John 6:39-54; Luke 11:31,32)

Obviously, I do not believe anyone is burning in hell right now, nor are the saints rejoicing in Heaven. An in-depth Bible study does not support an eternally burning hell. If the wages for sin are burning in hell for eternity, then Jesus never paid the price for sin – He would still be burning in hell. The Bible states that the wages of sin is death – not a life of torment. The dead are nonexistent; they cannot talk, think or communicate. It is simple; the souls of dead people do not exist, just as if your soul did not exist before you were born. When the resurrection occurs, God will restore the soul/persona of each person just as he was when he went to the grave. This is why Paul writes that we shall be known. Even as we are now known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) Yes, there are some texts that seem, on the surface, to contradict this view; however, when we evaluate all that the Bible has to say on this topic, I find the above conclusion to be the only solution to several issues that are involved.

Some People are in Heaven

Yes, I know there are a few chosen ones who God has already taken to Heaven such as Enoch, Moses and Elijah. A small group also ascended with Jesus at the time of His ascension, but I am writing about humanity in general. (Genesis 5:23,24; Jude 9; 2 Kings 2:11-12; Matthew 27:51-53; Psalm 68:18) When a person dies, his or her soul ceases to exist. Our souls do not have some intelligent existence before we are born and our souls do not have some intelligent existence outside the body after we die. However, if you disagree on the matter of soul-sleep, do not quit reading yet. Please allow me to explain further.

Groups of people

The chart on the following page summarizes how God deals with seven groups of people at the time of the Second Coming. Many people do not realize that there are seven distinct groups of people and the bible addresses how God will deal with each group. Keep in mind that when it comes to salvation, there is one PLAN, one faith, one Lord, one baptism. However, at the time of the Second Coming, there will be seven distinct groups of people for God to deal with. If we merge or mix God’s plans for one group with another, hopeless confusion will result. So, let us examine each group independently and determine how God deals with them. Here are the seven groups:

How God Deals with Seven Groups of People

1. The wicked dead

2. The righteous dead

3. The righteous living

4. The wicked living

5. The “chosen few” previously taken to Heaven

6. Those who crucified Christ

7. Those who will die for Christ during the 5^th seal

Obviously, the first four groups presume the presence of a judgment, for how can a person be classified as wicked or righteous without being judged? Again, let the point be emphasized that at the time of the Second Coming, these classifications will exist because the judgment of the dead and the living will have already been completed. The living will have either rejected or accepted the mark of the beast – thus they judge themselves. By then, Christ will have judged all the dead to be wicked or righteous. Thus, the end-time judgment produces four groups of people: the wicked and righteous dead and the wicked and righteous living.

1. For the sake of illustration, let us assume that Cain (the first born who killed Abel) died in the year 3200 B.C.  He has been “nonexistent” for 5,196 years, yet he will be resurrected. Notice that on “Judgment day” for the dead began in 1844. Assuming that Cain was one of the first persons to be judged, let us also assume that Jesus, the Judge, refused to offer Cain eternal life because of lifelong rebellion. Therefore, Cain is not disturbed at the Second Coming and sleeps through that glorious day. However, he will be resurrected after the millennium when Christ returns to Earth in an even more glorious display of power! At the end of the 1,000 years, the wicked dead from all ages will be raised to behold the Holy City and meet their Maker at the White Throne. Simple. Jesus will reveal to each person why He could not save him or her. Every person is due this dignity. Then, and only then, will Jesus proceed to execute justice upon the wicked in a two-step process. First, the wicked must provide restitution (suffer) for the evil deeds they committed against their fellow human beings (the amount of suffering which was already determined by the saints during the 1,000 years (revelation 20:4) and then, the wicked will fully destroyed because of defiant rebellion against God. Both the suffering for evil deeds and the destruction for rebellion against God will be accomplished through fire and burning sulfur.

Key Point:  The wicked dead are not disturbed at the Second Coming.

2. Again, for the sake of illustration, let us assume that Abel, the first person to die, died in the year 3970 B. C. at the age of 30 years. Abel has been “nonexistent” for 5,266 years, yet he too, will be resurrected. Remember, “Judgment Day” began in 1844 and Abel, being the second person to be born but the first person to die, was the first person to be judged. (I am assuming people are judged in the order they die.) Let us assume that Jesus, the Judge, granted Abel eternal life when He judged him because of Abel’s faith. Even though Abel is found righteous through faith, he continues to sleep until the resurrection of the righteous at the Second Coming. Abel will be resurrected at the Second Coming and during the 1,000 years, he will sit in judgment of Cain to determine fair restitution (suffering) for all Cain’s evil deeds, including his own murder by Cain. All the righteous dead will be resurrected at the Second Coming of Christ. They will join the righteous living and together they will judge the wicked. Their judgment is not for the purpose of deciding who is to be saved or lost. The One who has such authority has already determined that. (John 5:22) Rather, their work will be focused on the executive phase of judgment. They will determine the administration of justice by Heaven’s faithful rule: “It shall be done unto you as you did unto others – plus 20%” (This is the reciprocal of the golden rule.)

Key Point:  The righteous dead are in a state of temporary “sleep” until the Second Coming and then reign triumphantly with Christ during the 1,000 years.

3. The righteous who is still living at the time of the Second coming will be a smaller group than the first two groups. These people are identified by their refusal to accept the mark of the beast. When Jesus pierces the dark, rolling clouds at the Second Coming, the living righteous will be caught up with the righteous dead to meet the Lord in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:17). As revelation’s story unfolds, I believe the number of righteous people who live through the Great Tribulation without experiencing death will be small compared to the total number of righteous people who die during that time. (Revelation 17:6; 18:24) The righteous living and the righteous dead will be united at the Second Coming and they will sit together to judge the wicked and the evil angels during the 1,000 years. (1 Corinthians 6:1-3; Revelation 20:4-5)

Key Point: The righteous living does not experience death, and they meet Jesus in the air, not on Earth.

4. Now we come to a very large group of people compared to the living; however, on the global scale of billions and billions who have lived upon earth, this is a rather small group. (Most of the people who have lived on this planet are currently dead.) This group is the wicked that are living at the time of the Second Coming. These people have lived through the Great Tribulation and have chosen the mark of the beast. Notice that these groups of people are not judged in the pre-Advent judgment that began in 1844. Jesus does not judge these people from the books of record either. Instead, these people condemn themselves! The mark of the beast test causes everyone to make a tough decision. Those who chose to rebel against God will chose the mark of the beast. Taking the indelible tattoo is a conscious, open act of rebellion against God’s authority. So remember, God does not need to judge the living – they determine their own eternal outcome. The mark of the beast test will be “Judgment Day” for all who live on Earth. The people who receive the mark of the beast will be destroyed at the Second Coming by the sword that comes out of the mouth of Christ. The enemies of His kingdom will be killed and the birds of the air will feed upon their flesh. (Revelation 19:19-21; Hebrews 4:12,13)

Key Point: The wicked people who are alive and have chosen the mark of the beast at Jesus’ second coming will be killed by the sword of truth at Christ’s glorious return and will sleep through the 1,000 years.

5. The fifth group includes people that God has taken to Heaven already. Enoch, Moses, and Elijah are among this group the Bible indicates are already in Heaven. In fact, I believe the 24 elders of Revelation are also among those individuals who were taken from earth! The interesting point about those taken to Heaven before Christ paid the penalty for sin, is that they were in Heaven “on a credit card,” figuratively speaking. In other words, God took them to Heaven before Christ died on the cross at Calvary as a sign of hope to believers down through the ages that He fully intended to pay the price for sin at an appointed time.

Key Point: This group of people has not been happy in Heaven. Think about it. How could they be happy after watching the people of Earth for a few thousand years? Does the evening news make you happy? If you could see all the evil deeds that are done on Earth as they do, you would also be unhappy.

6. The Bible teaches that those who approved and participated in the crucifixion of Christ will be resurrected to behold His appearance in glory (Revelation 1:7). There will be a special resurrection about 45 days before Christ appears for these people. (The difference between 1,335 days and the 1,290 days in Daniel 12.)

Key Point: This group will be amazed, awed and horrified when they see Jesus Christ return in all His glory.

7. There will be a special blessing for those who are murdered for the Lord during the Great Tribulation. I believe they will also be resurrected in the same special resurrection that occurs 45 days before Christ appears, so they might see His glorious return. This resurrection is sometimes called “the special resurrection” which includes all the righteous from ages past occurring at the Second Coming.

Key Point: This group will be resurrected in the presence of their enemies, right before their murderers! I wonder who will be more surprised.

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