Are the Dead Conscious After Having Died?
It is advanced by some religious groups that the dead are
not at all conscious. While it is true that the Bible often
speaks of death as “sleep,” this only has reference to the
physical body. Scripture knows nothing of “soul-sleeping.”
The account of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31
clearly illustrates the truth that they were conscious after
their deaths. Rev. 6:9-11 is another example that illustrates
that the soul is entirely conscious in the after-death state.
This context shows the following:
1.) They are vocal – they cry out to God.
2.) They are intellectually curious – they desire to know
how long persecution will continue.
3.) These souls have memories – they recall earth’s
bloody circumstances.
4.) They are morally sensitive – they believe that the
wicked who persecute God’s righteous cause on earth should
be punished.
5.) They are capable of receiving blessings – each is
given a white robe.
6.) They are able to comprehend admonition – they are
told to be patient and rest until the divine plan is fulfilled.
This context is a death blow to the dogma of “soul-sleeping.”
Some appeal to Solomon’s words in Ecc. 3:19-22 and 9:5,
wherein Solomon declared, “. . . but the dead know not any
thing, . . .” However, this is qualified by the immediate
context which shows that the writer had in mind events that
occur “under the sun” (v. 3, 6). The text, therefore, merely
affirms that once a person is dead, he is no longer an
observer of what transpires upon the earth. Those who take
the above scriptures to teach “soul-sleeping” commit two
serious errors: (1) Ignore the context, and (2) Ignore other
clear passages of scripture that teach the dead are
conscious. The NT makes it abundantly clear that this is the
case.