The Bible has been clear for over 2000 years concerning the substance dualism(1) of man. Biblically, there exists a nonphysical self called soul, mind, ego, self, that is not identical with the body – that is an "other than… ." As a Christian theist(2), I affirmed a soul that is the locus of personal identity. The soul, like its Creator, is immortal in that it has received immortality from its Creator. This view, however, is not unchallenged. There are Christian (so-called) groups such as the Seventh Day Adventist and the Jehovah’s Witnesses that contend for a mortal soul. For such people the state of the soul after the death of the body takes on a whole different character/nature than what most Christians understand. While the orthodox Christian view is that the “substance dualism” of man (as introduced above) argues for the fully conscious nonphysical self after the death of the body, the Christian Mortalists (3) argue for an intermediate state of the soul called "soul sleep" in which the soul is either nonexistent or unconscious.
Christian Mortalism and Soul Sleep
As a young man in my teens I remember attending a Bible conference where the subject of soul sleep verses the consciousness of the soul in the intermediate state was heatedly debated. My pastor at the time was O. T. Cottrell. Pastor Cottrell was considered a leading voice in West Tennessee for the Oneness Pentecostal faith and was a principle disputant on the side of the consciousness of the soul after the death of the body at this particular meeting. Though I was but a novice at the time and took no part in the debate, I remember coming away from that conference with the feeling that most of the pastors present held the view of an immortal soul that was conscious after death. Since that time I have been made aware of the opposition view (called, “soul sleep”) gaining some ground. I am unable to determine the cause of this departure from the historical view of the Lord’s church. However, I want to add my voice and pen to those who stand against it.
The doctrine of “soul sleep” (hypnopsychism), or more correctly “soul death” (thnetopsychism), is not new. However, that it has always been considered heresy is seen from the historical records. The church historian Eusebius of Caesarea (A.D. 260/265 – 339/340) wrote in his Dissensions of the Arabians: “About the same time others arose in Arabia, [those] putting forward [doctrine] foreign to the truth. They say that during the present time the human [soul] dies and perishes with the body, but that at the time of the resurrection they will be renewed together. And at that time also a synod of considerable size assembled, and Origen, being again invited there, spoke publicly on the question with such effect that the opinions of those who had formerly fallen were changed.” — Ecclesiastical History VI, 37. Eustratius of Constantinople (ca 590’s) wrote denouncing both “soul sleep” (hypnopsychism) and “soul death” (thnetopsychism). Again, John of Damascus (ca. 675 -749) wrote against “soul death” (thnetopsychism). During the Reformation, Martin Luther (A.D. 1483-1546) contended in behalf of “soul sleep,” while John Calvin (A.D. 1509-1564) stood forth against it(4). In all candor it must be pointed out that Luther’s motive for advocating “soul sleep” was his battle against popery and its teaching of the doctrine of the saints which included their earned merit that was transferable to the living. It is observed, however, that Luther softened on the position of “soul sleep” later in his life. William Tyndale(5) wrote against Thomas More(6) in favor of “soul sleep” in the following manner: “And ye, in putting them (the departed souls) in heaven, hell and purgatory, destroy the arguments wherewith Christ and Paul proved the resurrection … . And again, if the souls be in heaven, tell me why they be not in as good a case as the angels be? And then what cause is there of the resurrection.”
The above argument of Tyndale is one to be answered. Tyndale did the English speaking world a great service in translating the biggest portion of the Bible out of the original languages into the language of English speaking people. However, like many other reformers, he, in some cases, “threw the baby out with the bathwater.” In answering Tyndale’s question “what cause is there of the resurrection”? The following is offered.
Biblically we may, and should, speak of the present heaven and the future heaven. The present heaven is Paradise(7) (called by Jesus “Abraham’s Bosom”(8)) that has been relocated from the underworld(9) to the place where Jesus is now(10). The future heaven is yet to come, when God creates a new earth and a new heaven(11). The purpose and need for the resurrection is to unite the soul with a glorified body that will function in that new heaven and new earth — the perfect age. Think with me on this for just a moment: God and His hosts of angels are spirit beings inhabiting the spiritual dimension of a physical universe. The present heaven is in that spiritual dimension, as are the souls of the righteous departed(12). However, God in His wisdom created the physical universe out of matter. Although the universe is made from matter and the “second law of thermodynamics”(13) states that all matter is in a state of decay, God has decreed that His universe be eternal(14). His will is that His Kingdom spread throughout His universe and increase eternally. When writing about that eternal Kingdom the prophet Isaiah wrote:
“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” —Isaiah 9:7
Now, there is a difference in the Messiah’s Kingdom continuing for ever and increasing for ever. The Bible declares the Kingdom will INCREASE eternally. Three things are required in this eternally expanding “government”: the governor (Messiah Jesus), the governed (mortal people who continue to procreated) and territory for the governed to occupy. The Messiah is eternal, but for the governed and their territory to INCREASE eternally there must be a numerical expansion of the governed (this will not be provided by the redeemed saints who in their glorified stated will not be procreating) and a geographical expansion beyond planet earth. The Bible is clear, then, that the multitude of stars and their solar systems are awaiting the human race to arrive under the governance of the Messiah. Jesus gives us the foundation information of this eternal Kingdom made up of mortal men, when in Matthew He speaks of the sheep and goat nations. When the Messiah returns to the earth, we are told, He will herd the nations into a corral for branding. There, He separates the “nations” into sheep nations and goat nations. The sheep nations will enter into His eternal Kingdom and the goat nations will not. Jesus explains it this way:
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: … Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” —Matthew 25:31-34, 41
With all the above being true, the reason for the resurrection is manifestly clear: The redeemed who will rule and reign with Christ over the sheep nations in this eternally expanding Kingdom are to have bodies of glorified matter, like the body with which Jesus resurrected(15), in order to function properly in a universe made up of matter. What that function will be we can only guess for the Bible’s purpose is not to give us a detailed schematic for the perfect eternal age to come.
In the comments above I connected closely the terms “soul sleep” and “soul death” to one another. I did this because the lines between the two are so blurred one can hardly tell where one ends and the other begins. The truth of the matter is: much of the time, in theological writings, those less careful label what is actually “soul death” as “soul sleep.”
By way of some clarification we may consider the following: The teaching of Christian Mortalism as is taught by cults such as the Seventh Day Adventist and Jehovah’s Wittnesses (and we might add those several groups that follow the teachings of Herbert W. Armstrong) do not affirm “substance dualism” (body and soul, as distinct one from the other) as is understood in orthodox Christianity. Instead, the mortalist teach that the “soul” is the combination of the breath of life with the body. (Their proof text is Genesis 2:7(16)). The living body, then, is the only soul. In this view when the breath leaves the body (i.e. death of the body) the soul is nonexistent. Between the Seventh Day Adventist and the Jehovah’s Witnesses there is, however, a difference of opinion as to the afterlife. The former (Adventists) teaches that in the resurrection all bodies (righteous and unrighteous) will be reconstituted and the souls (which, at this point in time, have existence only in the memory of God) will be recreated. The later group (Witnesses) teaches the doctrine of annihilation of the unrighteous; so, in their view, only the saved will be resurrected in the same manner as stated above. Now, apart from the mortalist there are those who profess to believe in the immortality of the soul but not in the soul’s consciousness in the intermediate state. For this group the soul of the righteous are with Christ but are in a dreamless sleep state (resting); they will be awakened at the resurrection. This is a confused group that for the most part have not thought their position through.
Christians that confess immortality of the soul but insist on a dreamless sleep state in the intermediate realm do seem to have a true position of “soul sleep” and not of “soul death” as do the cults afore mentioned. However, their position proves untenable in the face of the propositions of holy Scripture. The propositions of holy Scripture provide manifold witnesses to the activity of cognizant souls in the intermediate state. At this point I will mention but one: the Jesus-narrative of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:20-31). In this story Jesus tells of a beggar and a rich man. The beggar died and was taken into Abraham’s bosom. The rich man died and went to hell. So here we have the intermediate stage of both the righteous and the unrighteous. The beggar is comforted in the bosom of Abraham. The bosom of Abraham is a metaphor for Paradise (the present heaven). The image given by Christ is one of “rest.” Just recently, this story was used by one who believes in “soul sleep” to support his position to the author. The beggar, I was assured, was asleep in the bosom of God. Thus, he embraced the truth of being absent from the body is to be present with God, but also that the soul was at rest and not conscious. However, when I pointed out that the beggar’s counter part in this narrative (the rich man) was very much cognizant of his state and was involved in a conversation with Abraham my friend had nothing more to say. Yes, the beggar was at rest in Abraham’s bosom, but rest does not mean that he was not conscious. We will consider this story more a little later.
Christian Mortalist are fond of appealing to (and misapplying) the following texts: Job 14:12, 21; 17:3; Psalms 146:4; Ecclesiastes 9:5; 12:7; Daniel 12:2,13; John 5:28-29; 11:11-14 and 1 Thessalonians 4;14-16.
I will comment on each passage, but before I do let me mention a word or two on the much used metaphor of “sleep.”
The Hebrews were fond of using the metaphor of “sleep” for death. Mostly because of the appearance of the body at death. As a pastor, on several occasions I have had the unhappy experience of being the first to happen upon bodies after death. In all instances my first impression was that the person was asleep. The body gave all appearances of that state. In fact they were dead. Although the Christian Scriptures were written in Greek, they (for the most part) were written by Hebrews who had a Hebrew mindset when referencing death; hence, the frequent reference to death as “sleep.”
Several Greek words are used in the New Testament for “sleep.” They are listed here with the number of times they are used, where they are used and how often they are used metaphorically:
ginomai: (Strong’s #G1096), aprox. 657X: This word has a wide range of meaning and is associated with “sleep” but once: Ac 16:27.
exupnidō: (Strong’s #G1852), 1X: Jn 11:11. Used metaphorically by Jesus for death.
hupnos: (Strongs #G5258), 5X: Mt 1:24; Lk 9:32; Jn 11:13; Ac 20:9; *Ro 13;11. Used one time metaphorically in Romans 13:11 to reference dullness of mind.
koimaomai: (Strong’s #G2837), 18X: *Mt 27:52; 28:13; Lk 22:45; *Jn 11:11, 12; *Ac 7:60; 12:16; *13:36; *1 Co 7:39; *11:30; *15:6, *18, *20, *51; *1 Th 4:13, *14, *15; *2 Pt 3:4. Used 14 times as a metaphor for death: Mt 27:52; Jn 11:11; Ac 7:60; 13:36; 1 Co 7:39; 11:30; 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Th 4:13, 14, 15; 2 Pt 3:4.
katheudō: (Strong’s #G2518), 21X: Mt 28:24; *9:24; 13:25; 25:5; 26:40, 43, 45; Mk 4:27, 38, *5:39; 13:36; 14:37 x2, 40, 41; *Lk 8:52; 22:46; *Eh 5:14; *1 Th 5:6, *7, *16. Used one time metaphorically for being spiritual asleep: Eh 5:14. Used 6 times metaphorically for death: Mt 9:24; Mk 5:39; Lk 8:52; 1 Th 5:6, 7 and 16.
One should not mistake the term “sleep” when associated with death to reference the nonphysical self that is the locus of personal identity, called the “soul.” In the 21 texts in the New Testament (listed above) where “sleep” is used to reference death it is but a reference to the physical body that is in very fact dead in the grave awaiting the resurrection. “Sleep,” then, is employed as a biblical metaphor for death, without, in any way, intending to imply the death (mortality) of the soul.
Now to the Mortalists’ proof text.
Mortalists’ will cite John 11:11-14 as a proof that the soul sleeps in death: “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. 12 Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. 13 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. 14 Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” ~ The Evangelist John gives us the narrative of the raising of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45). The sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, had sent for Jesus to come because their brother was sick (verse 3). Jesus delayed His going to Lazarus (verse 6) until he had died. Jesus used the common euphemism of “sleep” to reference Lazarus’ death (verse 11). The disciples, for some reason, mistook Jesus’ meaning and understood actual sleep (verse 12). Then Jesus stated plainly, “Lazarus is dead” (verse 14). Now if the moralists are correct, when Lazarus died his soul was nonexistent. If the moralists are correct, after the breath of life left the body, Jesus’ friend only existed in the memory of God. However, they are wrong! That Lazarus’ soul was conscious and only his body asleep is demonstrated at the grave. Jesus did not recreate the soul of His friend from His memory (as is postulated by moralists for resurrection) but called to him as one would beckon to another that was cognizant to hear and capable to respond. Lazarus did hear and did respond. An unconscious soul could have done neither.
We would mention John 5:28-29 in connection with the resurrection of Lazarus; “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” ~ “All that are in the graves” references all the dead: good and evil. A general resurrection is in view here. As was true with the resurrection of Lazarus is also true at the general resurrection. The dead will be called forth. Again, if the moralists are correct the souls are nonexistent and as such could not hear nor respond to a call to life. But the souls do exist, do hear the call, do respond and “come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” We know from 1 Thessalonians 4:14 that those souls who died in faith are not in the graves literally, but will come from the present heaven with Christ and be united with their bodies which are in the graves. We, further, know that the wicked dead (who dwell in hades with the rich man, of the Beggar Lazarus narrative) will be united with their bodies which are also in the graves. So, when Jesus says that “for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,” he is referencing those whose bodies are in the graves but whose nonphysical selves are in some other place. Jesus’ reference to “graves” is simply a euphemism for death.
1 Thessalonians 4: 14-16 is another often cited text as evidence for “soul sleep.” But once it is established (as I have done) that “sleep’ is a metaphor for the death of the body and is not intended to describe the condition of the soul, all confusion is removed. So here we will read this text in the light of this knowledge: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus (those who have died in faith in Christ) will God bring with him (they are not actually sleeping in the grave as are their bodies, but are with Christ in the present heaven). 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep (whose bodies are asleep in the graves, but whose souls are with Christ in the present heaven). 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ (the bodies of those who died in faith in Christ, being united with their conscious souls who returned to earth with Christ) shall rise first: —1 Thessalonians 4:14-16 (Parentheses mine.)
The following passages are also put forward by the mortalists as proof of the correctness of their view:
Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Psalms 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
As for the texts from Ecclesiastes, the interpreter of these passages must own the context of the very manuscript itself. That needed context is found in chapter 1 and verses 1-3, “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” The context, then, of the Preacher’s words in 9:5 and 12:7 is man’s plans and labors while he lives in this life: “under the sun.” Solomon’s message is the futility of man’s plans and deeds and the uselessness of any rewards hope for or achieved, once death claims the body — which returns to dust. The Psalmist (who could have very well been David or Solomon) is writing in the same vain of thought in Psalms 146:4 The subject is the vanity of man’s earthly life — “under the sun.” From the time his spirit returns to God who gave it (“His breath goeth forth”) and the flesh returns to dust (“he returned to his earth”) the dead know not anything (“in that very day his thoughts perish”). The Psalmist is not saying that the soul in unconscious in death but that man’s earthly plans and purposed intentions (“under the sun”) perish at the time of the death of the physical body. It would help to compare other biblical translation Psalms 146:4 to the King James:
His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. —New King James (NKJV)
When people die, they are buried. Then all of their plans come to an end. — New Century Version (NCV)
Their life’s breath departs, they return to the ground; on that day their plans die. —New English Translation (NET)
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. —New International Version (NIV)
When viewed and interpreted within their context these verses do no violence to the consciousness of the soul in the intermediate state. A text without its context is a pretext. The only reason to interpret Ecclesiastes 9:5, 12:7 and Psalms 146:4 out of context is to conceal the true motive of teaching “soul sleep.” The Bible does not teach “soul sleep” and its proponents must take texts out of their context to fabricate its support.
Likewise, the Old Testament writer, Job (most likely the most ancient author of all holy Scripture), writes “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. … His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.” (Job 14: 12, 21). It would be a mistake to interpret this saying of Job to mean that once the body dies there is no consciousness of a rational soul. Again, the context is against that view. The writer is lamenting his trails and offering his complaint up to the Creator (verse 1ff). His commentary is a mixed bag of complaint and hope. One minute he is wishing for the grave until God’s displeasure passes over (verse 13); at another moment he believes God to be more benevolent to earth’s vegetation than to mankind (verses 7-11), another minute testifying of his faith in a resurrection (verse 14); then sorrowful of not being around to witness the future of his children (verse 21). The same is true of Job 17:13, “If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.” There is no theology of the afterlife here; only the tormented musings of a traumatized man.
Often Daniel 12:2, 13 is put forward as teaching soul sleep: “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. … But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” This text has the general resurrection in view. The reference to those that “sleep in the dust of the earth” clearly has the physical body in view. Here the figure of speech called synecdoche (where a part of a whole is referenced for the whole — or vise versa) is employed to reference only the part of the human person that is in the grave while intending the complete person: body, soul and spirit. Thus, it is the body that rests in the grave until it is reunited with its soul (which returns with Christ at the resurrection(17)) and stands (the body united with its soul) in its “lot at the end of the days.”
Conclusion
The doctrine of “soul sleep” is a nonstarter in orthodox Christianity. Historical orthodox Christianity considered it heresy. It is a product of poor hermeneutics and dishonest exegeses. Those who have championed it have had ulterior motives that struck at the very heart of the communion of the saints. As we have seen, to establish its teaching scriptural context is broken in most every instance; and, “A text without its context is a pretext.”
Apostolically Speaking,
☩☩ Jerry L Hayes
(Mar David Ignatius)
Footnotes:
1. substance dualism: The human person is comprised of dual substances — physical and nonphysical; body and soul respectively.
2. The term theism derives from the Greek theos or theoi meaning "god" or "gods". The term theism was first used by Ralph Cudworth (1617–1688 In Cudworth's definition, they are "strictly and properly called Theists, who affirm, that a perfectly conscious understanding being, or mind, existing of itself from eternity, was the cause of all other things” A “Christian theist” is by definition a Monotheist. Monotheism is the belief in one only God.
3. Christian Mortalist: Christians who believe that the soul is mortal and dies upon the death of the body. This view takes several positions, but in it most common form argues for the soul being nothing more than the human body with the breath of life.
4. John Calvin: “He does not, however, forbid us altogether to mourn, but requires moderation in our mourning, for he says, ‘that ye may not sorrow, as others who have no hope.’ He forbids them to grieve in the manner of unbelievers, who give loose reins to their grief, because they look upon death as final destruction, and imagine that everything that is taken out of the world perishes. As, on the other hand, believers know that they quite the world, that they may be at last gathered into the kingdom of God, they have not the like occasion of grief. Hence the knowledge of a resurrection is the means of moderating grief. He speaks of the dead as ‘asleep,’ agreeably to the common practice of Scripture—a term by which the bitterness of death is mitigated, for there is a great difference between sleep and destruction. It refers, however, not to the soul, but to the body, for the dead body lies in the tomb, as in a couch, until God raise up the man. Those, therefore, act a foolish part, who infer from this that souls sleep.” (Calvin’s Commentaries, Volume 21, page 279)
5. William Tyndale: c. 1494 – c. 6 October 1536) was an English scholar who became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation in the years leading up to his execution. He is well known for his translation of the Bible into English from the original languages.
6. Thomas More: Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a Chancellor to Henry VIII, and Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to May 16th, 1532. He wrote Utopia, published in 1516, about the political system of an imaginary, ideal island nation.
7. Luke 23:43, And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
8. Luke 16:22, And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
9. Ephesians 4:8-10, Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men.” 9 (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) (NASB)
10. 2 Corinthians 12:3-4, And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) 4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Revelation 2:7, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” ’ (NKJV)
11. Revelation 21:1, And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; …
12. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
13. second law of thermodynamics: all things tends toward decay.
14. “Praise you Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters that be above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created. 6 He has also established them for ever and ever; He has made a decree which shall not pass.” —Psalms 148:3-6,
15. 1 John 3:2-3, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
16. Genesis 2:7, And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
17. 1 Thessalonians 4:14, …them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Read more epistles from the Bishop on the subject of The Intermediate State of the Soul at the links provided here:
Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/substance-dualism-and-immortal-soul.html
Intermediate State of the Soul (Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul #2)
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-substance.html
Intermediate State of the Soul (Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul #3)
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-substance_15.html
Intermediate State of the Soul (Substance Dualism and the Immortal Soul #4) Jesus Preaches to Spirits in Prison
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-substance_16.html
Intermediate State of the Soul, Theology of Paul the Apostle, Affirmative #5
https://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-intermediate-state-theology-of-paul.html
This essay is excerpted from the Bishop's book "Biblical Anthropology."
Biblical Anthropology is a study in what the Bible teaches concerning the origin, nature (ontology), history and destiny of mankind. Reviewed in this work is the debate over whether or not the human being is bipartite—such as only body and soul, or tripartite—such as body, soul and spirit. Biblical Anthropology addresses the question of whether or not the soul is mortal or immortal; that is, does the soul have existence apart from the body. What, exactly happens at death? Will there be a resurrection of the body, and if so what nature will the resurrected body take? These are important questions addressed in this book. Bishop Jerry L Hayes presents a very orthodox view of Christian biblical anthropology which relies heavily on holy Scripture with a generous sprinkling of quotes from the ancient churchmen such as Athenagoras, Tertullian, and Augustine to name a few.
Order your personal copy of this classic work on biblical anthropology by clicking the link provided here:
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