Do We Sleep?

So when it is said that when we die, we sleep, what does that mean? I look at sleeping as not really being aware. But those under the altar in Revelation cry out to God, how long Lord? So...what exactly DOES the word sleep mean in the verses?

Also, when it says, and they saw many of their dead walking around, does this have any relevance to my questions?

I want to hear everyone's thoughts on this.

I've also wondered if when God says Abel's blood cried to Him from the ground, if this is also relevant in some way...

Sleep in the context you are presenting is from an orthodox perspective a representation of physical death. The body sleeps but the soul/spirit is conscience in the presence of God.

In Genesis the blood of Abel is crying unto God for justice. It is a figurative allusion for God to avenge Abel.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

Perhaps those under the Altar in Revelation were asleep in death but have been awoken. You could die today, sleep for a thousand years and not be aware of even a single passing day. I used to believe that those that die either go to heaven or hell after death but now starting to believe that those that die go to sleep first.

Hi roger,

I was thinking I saw some...connection between the blood of abel crying from the ground and those under the altar crying to God.

Oh good, good, I like that explanation! It definitely fits together with all the scriptures I can think of!

What it means is simply this -- a dead body laid in the grave gives the appearance of sleep. So the body *sleeps* but the soul and spirit are very much alive in the presence of Christ. The doctrine of Soul Sleep is completely false. Read and study Acts 7 & 8.

I definitely see a correlation between those two verses. Gen & Rev. This seems to be the reason God has to judge the earth, no one else hears this, the cry in the spirit realm for justice. He must do something. It seems to be a drawback of being God. He isn't mean and angry but he is responsible for retribution, for fairness it seems. And the innocent blood will nag him until something is done.

"Vengeance is mine" saith The Lord. No one else could make things right. He paid the price by shedding his own perfect blood but for all those who don't accept that there is still a price to be paid. So he has to judge according to the sin. Only God can be God.

He has to hear things like this: Gen 18:20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

Gen 9: 4-5
4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

I don't think he can leave injustice forever unpunished. There has to be a time to settle things up. Sort of like an unalterable law of the universe. (so to speak)

Figurative language being used by the author, just as the ground is said to have "opened its mouth".

Gen 4:11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand

I believe that the intent is that the soul (the essence of who and what we are) is eternal; and after physical death the soul awaits resurrection either to judgement and hell or eternal life with God.

ok so when we die we go to be with the Lord because all sin is paid,,,, and then after the age that came(I suppose that to you mean this one?) then after it the ones who are raised after the millennium are their sins also forgotten or is there another judgment yet to come?

I certainly can't be dogmatic about this; but I believe that when people die, time stops for them. The rapture or the White Throne Judgement seem instantaneous even if considerable time elapses.

I can sort of understand the thought of time stopping and your eternity beginning...but then, the souls under the altar cry out: how long, Lord?

I'm referring to all of the verses (mostly in the OT) that talk about sleeping. Daniel is told he will sleep, but then...that's before Christs resurrection and before the verse in one of the gospels that says: and they saw many of their dead walking around.

1. The OT did not give us the full picture of the afterlife, for the simple reason that that would have to be revealed after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. However the cults love to focus on the OT and promote their Soul-Sleep doctrine, because they really do not understand what Christ accomplished in His death burial and resurrection.

2. The word "sleep" was applied to BOTH the dead body in the grave as well as the soul and spirit silent in Sheol (which is Hades).

3. Until the resurrection of Christ, all the righteous dead were silent in the place called "Abraham's bosom" (in Sheol), so metaphoricially they were asleep. But we know from the narrative of the Rich Man and Lazarus, that they were not really asleep either in Sheol or in their graves.

4. There are times when the KJV translators translated the Hebrew word "sheol" as "grave", thus adding to the confusion. There were other times when they translated Sheol/Hades as "hell" further compounding the confusion.

5. At the time of the crucifixion and resurrection, some of the OT saints were indeed resurrected. However, the majority of them were taken to Heaven (more precisely the New Jerusalem) when Christ ascended and "took captivity captive". Meaning that they had been held captive in Sheol until the resurrection of Christ, at which time they were perfected and became "the spirits of just men made perfect". See Hebrews 12:22-24.

6. To confirm that after the resurrection of Christ all believers go directly to Heaven, study the martyrdom of Stephen, where his body went, and where his soul and spirit went.

There are many morally good people in the world, but unless our Father draws them into His fold: they will never understand God's word and His plan. We don't have to worry about anyone being tormented in flames forever. Romans 6:23 says the wages of sin is death. Everybody sins and everybody pays. This is physical death. The dead are asleep. Paul may have said: to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. OK, to close your eyes at night: presto - it is morning. It is the same principal.

Now, when looking at the figurative language of Revelation, remember that God is not limited to our time frame. Many do not understand, so prophecy seems to contradict itself. Like when the saints are talking to God on how long He will wait to avenge them. God could be pulling the voices from the future. God can do anything. Remember when God, talking to Cain, said Abel's blood cried at Him from the ground? "And the Lord said unto Cain, where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? And He said, what hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" (Genesis 4:9,10).

Now it gets interesting, remember what I told you about voices from the future. The white robes could also be in the future. The fifth seal: "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled" (Revelation 6:9-11).

The dead walking around is found in: Matt. 27:52,53: "And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." This is one I am still working on. But it is never mentioned anywhere else. We are told not to draw doctrine on one witness (see Matt. 18:16 and 2 Cor. 13:1).

i have two articles on this topic, called "The Spirit Within" and "Where After Death" That discusses this topic. Please click Here then click on those topics.

^i^

††† In His Holy and Precious Name, Jesus Christ †††

DiscipleDave

Sorry if I’m going off topic, but what about those people who claim they have visited Heaven and Hell?

As the soul is bound to the body (and the body will be consumed), it is going to sleep.
However, the spirit will be conscious in the Abraham's bosom.

Like when Paul says he was caught up to the third heaven and couldn't say whether he was even in his body or out of it at the time?

Can't really think of any verses where someone visited hell...