- Mar 5, 2024
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The Unbiblical Doctrine Of Soul Sleep, Part 1
The Jehovahs Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists hammer away at the concept of "soul sleep," the notion that the dead no longer have a conscious existence after they die, but simply "fall asleep" until the resurrection. Scripture flatly denies this doctrine, and exposes it as a false teaching.
There are several passages on giants having a conscious existence in Hades because it was a common Old Testament trope. One such place is found in Ezekiel, where God told the prophet to lament over the fate of the Egyptians, for although they were a strong nation they would be conquered. And when they died they would go down to Hades where their physical strength would completely perish, and the giants of old who had been there for centuries would mock them for it:
Son of man, lament over the strength of Egypt, for the nations shall bring down her daughters dead to the depths of the earth, to them that go down to the pit. They shall fall with him into the midst of them that are slain with the sword, and all his strength shall perish. The giants also shall say to you, “Are you in the depths of the pit? To whom are you superior?” Go down and lie with the uncircumcised, in the midst of them that are slain with the sword. There are Asshur and all his company... There is Elam and all his host round about his tomb… and the uncircumcised that go down to the depths of the earth, who caused their fear to be upon the land of the living. And they have received their punishment with them that go down to the pit… And they are laid with the giants that fell of old, who went down to Hades with their weapons of war. (Ezekiel 32:18-22, 24-27 LXX)
The Greek word used here was literally Hades, a word that has survived into in the modern era and is still used in English today. The same Greek word is used when the Lord commanded Isaiah to take up a lamentation against the king of Babylon, prophesying of how ancient kings who had already descended to Hades would very cruelly welcome him there upon his death, and mock him for no longer being someone worth celebrating. As He told the prophet Isaiah:
Take up this lamentation against the king of Babylon... Hades from below is provoked to meet you. All the giants that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against you. All the kings of the nations have raised up from their thrones. All shall answer and say to you, "You also have been taken, even as we, and you are numbered amongst us. Your glory has come down to Hades, and your great fanfare." They shall spread putrefaction under you, and the worm shall be your covering... You shall go down to Hades, even to the foundations of the earth. (Isaiah 14:4, 9-11, 15)
The Masoretic shines even more light here, for it describes the giants in Hades as "departed spirits," all the more adding to the notion that Scripture taught they had a conscious existence in Hell, and existed as disembodied spirits after death:
Sheol from below is stirred for to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the departed spirits for you.... All of them shall answer, and say to you, "Are you also made as weak as we? Your majesty is lowered into Sheol, and the noise of your harps. The maggot is spread under you. Yes, the worms cover you." (Isaiah 14:9-11 Masoretic)
There are other passages that speak of conscious existence after death. While Jonah was in the whale’s belly, his soul and spirit were in Sheol. "And [Jonah] said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of Sheol שְׁא֛וֹל cried I, and You heard my voice." (Jonah 2:2) The Septuagint here has Sheol as well (i.e. Hades). εκ κοιλιασ αδου = "I cried out of the belly of Hades." Jonah's body was in a whale. How then coud he have been in the grave as the Jehovah's Witesses like to trranslate it? But if his spirit had passed into Sheol because his body had died, then the passage makes sense. His spirit was in Hades, and cried out to God from there to deliver him until he was brought back to life and restored.
Satan hates the teaching on Hell because it warns men not to arrive at a place of torment after death. He wants mankind to be tormented forever because we were made in God's image, and he longs to torment God as well but cannot reach Him. So he works to deceive human souls and drag them to Hell after death, and those being spiritually asleep at the wheel like the Jehovah's Witnesses are put themselves in grave danger of ultimately becoming just more of his victims.
For Part 2 In this series:
The Jehovahs Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists hammer away at the concept of "soul sleep," the notion that the dead no longer have a conscious existence after they die, but simply "fall asleep" until the resurrection. Scripture flatly denies this doctrine, and exposes it as a false teaching.
There are several passages on giants having a conscious existence in Hades because it was a common Old Testament trope. One such place is found in Ezekiel, where God told the prophet to lament over the fate of the Egyptians, for although they were a strong nation they would be conquered. And when they died they would go down to Hades where their physical strength would completely perish, and the giants of old who had been there for centuries would mock them for it:
Son of man, lament over the strength of Egypt, for the nations shall bring down her daughters dead to the depths of the earth, to them that go down to the pit. They shall fall with him into the midst of them that are slain with the sword, and all his strength shall perish. The giants also shall say to you, “Are you in the depths of the pit? To whom are you superior?” Go down and lie with the uncircumcised, in the midst of them that are slain with the sword. There are Asshur and all his company... There is Elam and all his host round about his tomb… and the uncircumcised that go down to the depths of the earth, who caused their fear to be upon the land of the living. And they have received their punishment with them that go down to the pit… And they are laid with the giants that fell of old, who went down to Hades with their weapons of war. (Ezekiel 32:18-22, 24-27 LXX)
The Greek word used here was literally Hades, a word that has survived into in the modern era and is still used in English today. The same Greek word is used when the Lord commanded Isaiah to take up a lamentation against the king of Babylon, prophesying of how ancient kings who had already descended to Hades would very cruelly welcome him there upon his death, and mock him for no longer being someone worth celebrating. As He told the prophet Isaiah:
Take up this lamentation against the king of Babylon... Hades from below is provoked to meet you. All the giants that have ruled over the earth have risen up together against you. All the kings of the nations have raised up from their thrones. All shall answer and say to you, "You also have been taken, even as we, and you are numbered amongst us. Your glory has come down to Hades, and your great fanfare." They shall spread putrefaction under you, and the worm shall be your covering... You shall go down to Hades, even to the foundations of the earth. (Isaiah 14:4, 9-11, 15)
The Masoretic shines even more light here, for it describes the giants in Hades as "departed spirits," all the more adding to the notion that Scripture taught they had a conscious existence in Hell, and existed as disembodied spirits after death:
Sheol from below is stirred for to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the departed spirits for you.... All of them shall answer, and say to you, "Are you also made as weak as we? Your majesty is lowered into Sheol, and the noise of your harps. The maggot is spread under you. Yes, the worms cover you." (Isaiah 14:9-11 Masoretic)
There are other passages that speak of conscious existence after death. While Jonah was in the whale’s belly, his soul and spirit were in Sheol. "And [Jonah] said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of Sheol שְׁא֛וֹל cried I, and You heard my voice." (Jonah 2:2) The Septuagint here has Sheol as well (i.e. Hades). εκ κοιλιασ αδου = "I cried out of the belly of Hades." Jonah's body was in a whale. How then coud he have been in the grave as the Jehovah's Witesses like to trranslate it? But if his spirit had passed into Sheol because his body had died, then the passage makes sense. His spirit was in Hades, and cried out to God from there to deliver him until he was brought back to life and restored.
Satan hates the teaching on Hell because it warns men not to arrive at a place of torment after death. He wants mankind to be tormented forever because we were made in God's image, and he longs to torment God as well but cannot reach Him. So he works to deceive human souls and drag them to Hell after death, and those being spiritually asleep at the wheel like the Jehovah's Witnesses are put themselves in grave danger of ultimately becoming just more of his victims.
For Part 2 In this series:
The Unbiblical Doctrine Of Soul Sleep, Part 2
Note: Above is an image of a Babylonian king who was a giant by comparison with his conquered enemies, and such men were described in scripture as continuing to have a conscious existence in Hell after death. Please see Part 1 if you have not read it yet. A link is provided at the bottom of this page.
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One of the texts of scripture most brutally misinterpreted by Jehovahs Witnesses is found in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9. The passage in its context reads like this:
3 There is this evil...
Note: Above is an image of a Babylonian king who was a giant by comparison with his conquered enemies, and such men were described in scripture as continuing to have a conscious existence in Hell after death. Please see Part 1 if you have not read it yet. A link is provided at the bottom of this page.
__________________________________
One of the texts of scripture most brutally misinterpreted by Jehovahs Witnesses is found in Ecclesiastes, Chapter 9. The passage in its context reads like this:
3 There is this evil...
