Soul sleep is a false doctrine
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Perhaps spirit beings experience time differently? God himself may be oustide the dimension of time & able to move
within & without it. I'm not sure all spirit beings have the same relation to time as God Almighty though.
John seems to have witnessed some passage of time in heaven.
Rev 8:1
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Of course we might experience a complete change when the new heavens & earth are created.
Only time will tell (pun intended)
John was dealing with earthly related dimensions in his transformation from and back to......thus time related.
That isn't true. There is time in the spirit world. There is even time in the eternity which is an eternity of time.
The bible disagrees:
Rev_10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
The "time will stop existing" theory is based on misunderstanding the archaic KJV wording. Here "time no longer" simply means there will no longer be a delay before certain events begin to occur not that time somehow actually stops.
Rev 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Scripture never claims that time ends, in fact the eternity is never ending time with a new fruit on the tree of life every month (30 days of time).
Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
World here is AION which is an age or period of time. Usually it speaks of an everlasting period of time. Here the verse not only uses AION but adds "without end" to make clear time never ends.
https://www.compellingtruth.org/soul-sleep.html
Is "soul sleep" a biblical concept?
"Soul sleep" is the belief that the souls of Christians who die will "rest" in an inert state until Christ's future return. Soul sleep is also called Christian mortalism or psychopannychism. The idea of soul sleep has been held by a variety of religious groups throughout history including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Christadelphians, and Jehovah's Witnesses (with a variation for a special group of 144,000).
The Bible presents a clear view of what happens to the soul at the point of death. The apostle Paul taught that when a Christian's life ends on this earth, he or she is immediately in the presence of the Lord. Second Corinthians 5:8 says, "we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." Paul later noted in Philippians 1:23 that his desire was to "depart and be with Christ."
Another important biblical passage that refutes soul sleep can be found in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus taught that both a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus died. The rich man immediately received eternal punishment and Lazarus immediately received eternal life. The context of the passage points out that Lazarus was conscious at Abraham's side (v. 23).
A third example can be found in the account of the thief on the cross. In Luke 23:43, Jesus promised this man that today he would be with Jesus in paradise. How else could this reference to "today" be understood than being the same day Jesus was talking with this man?
In contrast, those who hold to the view of soul sleep often refer to Revelation 6:9 to support their view. It states, "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne." This passage refers to the souls of those killed during the Tribulation who were now in the presence of the Lord. They had not yet received their resurrection bodies (mentioned later in Revelation), but they were active, in conversation, and in God's presence after death.
While there are some areas of dispute regarding the details of what happens to a Christian's soul upon death, the Bible's clear teaching regarding the state of the believer reveals that to be apart from the body is to be with the Lord. Therefore, the view of soul sleep, which places an extended period of time after death before a believer is present with the Lord, is clearly at odds with the teachings of Scripture.
Is "soul sleep" a biblical concept?
"Soul sleep" is the belief that the souls of Christians who die will "rest" in an inert state until Christ's future return. Soul sleep is also called Christian mortalism or psychopannychism. The idea of soul sleep has been held by a variety of religious groups throughout history including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Christadelphians, and Jehovah's Witnesses (with a variation for a special group of 144,000).
The Bible presents a clear view of what happens to the soul at the point of death. The apostle Paul taught that when a Christian's life ends on this earth, he or she is immediately in the presence of the Lord. Second Corinthians 5:8 says, "we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." Paul later noted in Philippians 1:23 that his desire was to "depart and be with Christ."
Another important biblical passage that refutes soul sleep can be found in Luke 16:19-31. Jesus taught that both a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus died. The rich man immediately received eternal punishment and Lazarus immediately received eternal life. The context of the passage points out that Lazarus was conscious at Abraham's side (v. 23).
A third example can be found in the account of the thief on the cross. In Luke 23:43, Jesus promised this man that today he would be with Jesus in paradise. How else could this reference to "today" be understood than being the same day Jesus was talking with this man?
In contrast, those who hold to the view of soul sleep often refer to Revelation 6:9 to support their view. It states, "I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne." This passage refers to the souls of those killed during the Tribulation who were now in the presence of the Lord. They had not yet received their resurrection bodies (mentioned later in Revelation), but they were active, in conversation, and in God's presence after death.
While there are some areas of dispute regarding the details of what happens to a Christian's soul upon death, the Bible's clear teaching regarding the state of the believer reveals that to be apart from the body is to be with the Lord. Therefore, the view of soul sleep, which places an extended period of time after death before a believer is present with the Lord, is clearly at odds with the teachings of Scripture.
In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Christ shows that in this life men decide their eternal destiny. During probationary time the grace of God is offered to every soul. But if men waste their opportunities in self-pleasing, they cut themselves off from everlasting life. No after-probation will be granted them. By their own choice they have fixed an impassable gulf between them and their God.
The time came when a change took place in the condition of the two men. The poor man had suffered day by day, but he had patiently and quietly endured. In the course of time he died and was buried. There was no one to mourn for him; but by his patience in suffering he had witnessed for Christ, he had endured the test of his faith, and at his death he is represented as being carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Lazarus represents the suffering poor who believe in Christ. When the trumpet sounds and all that are in the graves hear Christ's voice and come forth, they will receive their reward; for their faith in God was not a mere theory, but a reality.
“The rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.”
In this parable Christ was meeting the people on their own ground. The doctrine of a conscious state of existence between death and the resurrection was held by many of those who were listening to Christ's words. The Saviour knew of their ideas, and He framed His parable so as to inculcate important truths through these preconceived opinions. He held up before His hearers a mirror wherein they might see themselves in their true relation to God. He used the prevailing opinion to convey the idea He wished to make prominent to all—that no man is valued for his possessions; for all he has belongs to him only as lent by the Lord. A misuse of these gifts will place him below the poorest and most afflicted man who loves God and trusts in Him.
Christ desires His hearers to understand that it is impossible for men to secure the salvation of the soul after death. “Son,” Abraham is represented as answering, “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed.” Thus Christ represented the hopelessness of looking for a second probation. This life is the only time given to man in which to prepare for eternity.
The conversation between Abraham and the once-rich man is figurative. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.” Luke 16:10. Those who refuse to be enlightened by Moses and the prophets and ask for some wonderful miracle to be performed would not be convinced if their wish were granted.
Christ lifted the curtain and presented this picture before priests and rulers, scribes and Pharisees. Look at it, you who are rich in this world's goods and are not rich toward God. Will you not contemplate this scene? That which is highly esteemed among men is abhorrent in the sight of God. Christ asks, “What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:36, 37.
Religion blinds, mesmerizes and lulls people to sleep.
Seeing they see not................
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
It's a shame so many Christians have bought into the devil's religion.
i know and the Lord Himself also
Follow the Truth = Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."
Jesus is asking you, VARob - "Do you believe this?”
I most certainly do. The context is resurrection. When Christ returns at the rapture the dead in Christ will be raised never to die again, and living Christians will be changed (made immortal).
Happy New Year to all.
Wrong. It's an eternity of time with a new fruit on the tree of life EACH MONTH. Do you know what a month is? Time.
CONTEXT = The Lord demonstrated thru the death of Lazarus who HE is = NOW / TODAY
The Lord Jesus said much more then a future resurrection............."He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.
I and My Father are one.”
What he described took place in heaven.
Rev 8:1
When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
I don't think we can understand time and dimensional space with certainty until we have passed on.
All our ideas are speculation. I don't believe eternity is quantified as endless time either. But I don't KNOW with certainty. The physics of heaven & the comining new heaven & earth may quite different to the reality we experience now.
It's an interseting discussion point but I don't think it's an area were we should be dogmatic.
All I'm doing here is highlighting one piece of scriptural evidence. Above, ewq has mentioned another. Rev 22:2,
where The Tree of Life is seen yielding fruit every month. These are time-references. Very few of us have seen into eternity
or heaven. John gave us the report of an eye witness. We must take it seriously. We may have to adjust our ideas about
time. There is nothing wrong with that.
He was invited to look into Heaven and see some of the future. I said...what He said was in earthly terms.
No one has been to Heaven and returned to earth...yet.
Soon to happen though...Jesus.