PART TWO
Theory of Soul-Sleep
Scriptural view of the Intermediate State
In the first place, the Bible tells us that there is a house of many mansions. If you will study the Scriptures, you will find that that house of many mansions is not to be identified with the new creation, but is certainly the state of the saints and of Christ immediately after death. Christ went, immediately after death, into the state of the house of many mansions. And He tells us, "Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now.... And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2). In chapter 5 of II Corinthians we are told that if the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. We have this building of God immediately after the house of this present tabemacle is dissolved. There is nothing in between. We have a house of God not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. That is not a temporary body. That is not a body that will come at the resurrection. No! That is the state of the saints immediately after death in the house of God with Christ.
The apostle Paul says it will be far better for him to die and pass on, for then he will be with Christ (Philippians. 1:21-23). He will be with Christ immediately after death. As I already quoted, Christ's promise to the penitent thief was, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise." Today! That means, in the first place, that the death of believers cannot be generalized into the death of every man. What happens in the death of believers is not only that the body is separated from the soul, but also that the outward man is separated from the inward man, the new man from the old man. The old man is earthy. The old man is sinful. The old man is corrupt and defiled. The new man is heavenly, holy, and immortal. Immortality characterizes the new man. And therefore the words of Jesus Christ apply here: "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:25.26). That is immortality beyond physical death. Besides, I emphasize that the passing into glory is immediate. Immediate! When I die, I hope to be with Christ. I look forward to glory when I die. That is my personal testimony to you tonight. That is my hope. And that longing for heaven, beloved, shall not have to wait for its realization even one moment.
<SNIP>
Secondly, there is Christ. Christ! Our eldest brother who died for us, who loved us even unto death, and bore for us all the wrath of God, that we might have everlasting life in Him. I long to see Him. I will see Him! Oh, not just to knock on His door to ask Him whether I may come in, but to see Him forevermore! To fellowship with Him. To enjoy His presence.
Finally, in heaven there is the perfect fellowship of the saints. The saints! All the saints that have gone before us in the absence of the body, from Adam to the present moment and to the moment when the Lord shall take the last elect into heavenly glory. That whole throng of saints will be in heaven, and all shall glorify the God of our salvation in perfection, each with his own song, expressing his own theme, and in his own voice, in one grand harmony. That will be glory, beloved!
Although Scripture certainly comforts us with the assurance of immediate glory of the house of many mansions that is the intermediate state, it nevertheless always fixes our eye upon the final end of all things. The intermediate state is not the final end, neither for us nor for the saints who have gone before us into heaven. We and they together must still wait and look for the final coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the final rest. That is the perfect object of our hope. Then, when the whole church of the elect shall have been gathered in the new heavens and the new earth, and when the tabernacle of God shall be with men forever, then our hope shall be realized. Until that time they and we, in heaven and on earth, must wait and long for the coming of the day of Jesus Christ, our Lord. "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation. 22:20).
Because he was lecturing to a Dutch Reformed audience, and He was a pastor of a Dutch Reformed church, he made several references to their theology
I do hope that this clear and logical lecture with Scripture references is edifying to all
Theory of Soul-Sleep
Another theory that is rather prevalent is "soul-sleep." It is the theory that between physical death and the resurrection the soul lapses into a state of sleep, of unconsciousness. It is rather striking that a man in my own congregation once believed that. I think he was a child of God, but shortly before he died he called me and, instead of taking hold of the comfort of the house of many mansions and of the house of God, he wanted to argue with me about soul-sleep. He was dying: in fact, he did not live more than two hours after that. I told him, "Brother, one thing I'll tell you: it won't be long before you will find out that you are mistaken. That's all. I don't want to argue with you about it; within a few hours you'll find out surely that you're wrong."
There are still people in the Reformed churches who cling to the idea of soul-sleep. They believe that after death the soul falls asleep and enters into a state of unconsciousness. They claim to have proof--scriptural proof. For proof they call attention to the fact that the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, calls death a "sleep." Moreover, they point to certain saints who died and were called back to the present life, and they argue that the souls of those people were asleep in the state of death. Lazarus was sleeping, the Lord says, and the Lord was going to wake him up (John 11:11). The daughter of Jairus too is said to have been sleeping (Luke 8:52). All of these passages, and especially the Scriptures that speak of death as a sleep, those who believe in soul-sleep quote as proof for their position.
Now. in the first place, I maintain that the soul cannot sleep. The body sleeps. But the soul is always wide awake. In fact, I find that my soul is often so wide awake that I solve all kinds of problems while my body sleeps. I have sometimes made entire sermons in my sleep. I have made a theme and divisions for a sermon in my sleep, and when I awakened, I found that the correct theme and divisions are exactly what I had worked out while sleeping. When I was in school, I sometimes struggled with a very difficult mathematical problem in trigonometry or calculus late into the night, and when I finally fell asleep I solved the problem in my sleep. I assure you that the soul never sleeps The fact that we dream is proof that the soul does not sleep.
The body, however, does sleep. Sleep is physical. A study of those passages in which Scripture speaks of death as a sleep will reveal that in every instance the reference is to the body. Oh. yes, death is a sleep as far as the body is concerned. The body is laid asleep in the grave with a view to the resurrection, whether for the wicked or the righteous. The body shall be awakened at the time of the resurrection. In that sense death is a sleep. Physical death is the temporary sleep of the body in the grave until the Lord wakes up the body. But the soul does not sleep.
As far as Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus are concerned, there is no support for soul-sleep in those passages of Scripture at all. I think that there was a special provision made for Lazarus, for the daughter of Jairus, for the young man of Nain, and for others who were called back to this present life. A special provision was made, so that we can say of Lazarus that he slept, and of the daughter of Jairus that she slept. And of all those whom the Lord called back to this present life it can be said that they slept. It is in fact impossible to think that Lazarus first went to heaven and then was called back to this wicked world into the body of this death; or that the young man of Nain was called back from glory into the present state of corruption; and likewise the daughter of Jairus. Oh, no! I think, indeed, that in those cases their souls remained unconscious until the Lord called them back into the present life. But no support can be found in these miraculous resurrections for a common sleep of the soul after death.
There are still people in the Reformed churches who cling to the idea of soul-sleep. They believe that after death the soul falls asleep and enters into a state of unconsciousness. They claim to have proof--scriptural proof. For proof they call attention to the fact that the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, calls death a "sleep." Moreover, they point to certain saints who died and were called back to the present life, and they argue that the souls of those people were asleep in the state of death. Lazarus was sleeping, the Lord says, and the Lord was going to wake him up (John 11:11). The daughter of Jairus too is said to have been sleeping (Luke 8:52). All of these passages, and especially the Scriptures that speak of death as a sleep, those who believe in soul-sleep quote as proof for their position.
Now. in the first place, I maintain that the soul cannot sleep. The body sleeps. But the soul is always wide awake. In fact, I find that my soul is often so wide awake that I solve all kinds of problems while my body sleeps. I have sometimes made entire sermons in my sleep. I have made a theme and divisions for a sermon in my sleep, and when I awakened, I found that the correct theme and divisions are exactly what I had worked out while sleeping. When I was in school, I sometimes struggled with a very difficult mathematical problem in trigonometry or calculus late into the night, and when I finally fell asleep I solved the problem in my sleep. I assure you that the soul never sleeps The fact that we dream is proof that the soul does not sleep.
The body, however, does sleep. Sleep is physical. A study of those passages in which Scripture speaks of death as a sleep will reveal that in every instance the reference is to the body. Oh. yes, death is a sleep as far as the body is concerned. The body is laid asleep in the grave with a view to the resurrection, whether for the wicked or the righteous. The body shall be awakened at the time of the resurrection. In that sense death is a sleep. Physical death is the temporary sleep of the body in the grave until the Lord wakes up the body. But the soul does not sleep.
As far as Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus are concerned, there is no support for soul-sleep in those passages of Scripture at all. I think that there was a special provision made for Lazarus, for the daughter of Jairus, for the young man of Nain, and for others who were called back to this present life. A special provision was made, so that we can say of Lazarus that he slept, and of the daughter of Jairus that she slept. And of all those whom the Lord called back to this present life it can be said that they slept. It is in fact impossible to think that Lazarus first went to heaven and then was called back to this wicked world into the body of this death; or that the young man of Nain was called back from glory into the present state of corruption; and likewise the daughter of Jairus. Oh, no! I think, indeed, that in those cases their souls remained unconscious until the Lord called them back into the present life. But no support can be found in these miraculous resurrections for a common sleep of the soul after death.
In the first place, the Bible tells us that there is a house of many mansions. If you will study the Scriptures, you will find that that house of many mansions is not to be identified with the new creation, but is certainly the state of the saints and of Christ immediately after death. Christ went, immediately after death, into the state of the house of many mansions. And He tells us, "Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now.... And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:2). In chapter 5 of II Corinthians we are told that if the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. We have this building of God immediately after the house of this present tabemacle is dissolved. There is nothing in between. We have a house of God not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. That is not a temporary body. That is not a body that will come at the resurrection. No! That is the state of the saints immediately after death in the house of God with Christ.
The apostle Paul says it will be far better for him to die and pass on, for then he will be with Christ (Philippians. 1:21-23). He will be with Christ immediately after death. As I already quoted, Christ's promise to the penitent thief was, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise." Today! That means, in the first place, that the death of believers cannot be generalized into the death of every man. What happens in the death of believers is not only that the body is separated from the soul, but also that the outward man is separated from the inward man, the new man from the old man. The old man is earthy. The old man is sinful. The old man is corrupt and defiled. The new man is heavenly, holy, and immortal. Immortality characterizes the new man. And therefore the words of Jesus Christ apply here: "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:25.26). That is immortality beyond physical death. Besides, I emphasize that the passing into glory is immediate. Immediate! When I die, I hope to be with Christ. I look forward to glory when I die. That is my personal testimony to you tonight. That is my hope. And that longing for heaven, beloved, shall not have to wait for its realization even one moment.
<SNIP>
Secondly, there is Christ. Christ! Our eldest brother who died for us, who loved us even unto death, and bore for us all the wrath of God, that we might have everlasting life in Him. I long to see Him. I will see Him! Oh, not just to knock on His door to ask Him whether I may come in, but to see Him forevermore! To fellowship with Him. To enjoy His presence.
Finally, in heaven there is the perfect fellowship of the saints. The saints! All the saints that have gone before us in the absence of the body, from Adam to the present moment and to the moment when the Lord shall take the last elect into heavenly glory. That whole throng of saints will be in heaven, and all shall glorify the God of our salvation in perfection, each with his own song, expressing his own theme, and in his own voice, in one grand harmony. That will be glory, beloved!
Although Scripture certainly comforts us with the assurance of immediate glory of the house of many mansions that is the intermediate state, it nevertheless always fixes our eye upon the final end of all things. The intermediate state is not the final end, neither for us nor for the saints who have gone before us into heaven. We and they together must still wait and look for the final coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the final rest. That is the perfect object of our hope. Then, when the whole church of the elect shall have been gathered in the new heavens and the new earth, and when the tabernacle of God shall be with men forever, then our hope shall be realized. Until that time they and we, in heaven and on earth, must wait and long for the coming of the day of Jesus Christ, our Lord. "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Revelation. 22:20).
I do hope that this clear and logical lecture with Scripture references is edifying to all
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