LETTER TO A SOUL SLEEPER
Dear Richard,
I have not forgotten your call, though it has been almost two months ago. As I listened to you talking about your belief in "soul sleep" and all the deep studying you had done, it occurred to me that the seed that was sown which led you in this direction must have come from someone like George Wisbrock, the man you will hear on the CD, who is debating Bob Morey. It is my hope and prayer that the sweet Lord will open your eyes to see the fallacies in this popular teaching today.
Here are some scriptures that prove this idea to be wrong. If one argues with the plain teaching of God's Word, there is no person on earth that can make a difference, but if one gives It first place, It can make the difference. Here's hoping It will:
This verse proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the wicked are being punished immediately after death. Here it is in eight different translations. The Apostle Paul asked some of his converts, "Who hath bewitched you?" Gal 3:1
On the CD you will hear Dr. Morey give an exegesis of this text. By the way, an exegesis is not an interpretation, as George defensively suggested, it a grammatical demonstration of the construction of a sentence. A dictionary may be helpful here.
2Peter 2:9 the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; (ASV)
2Peter 2:9 The Lord is able to keep the upright safe in the time of testing, and to keep evil-doers under punishment till the day of judging; (BBE)
2Peter 2:9 then be sure that the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the wicked (who are even now enduring punishment) for the "Day of Judgment"; (MNT)
2Pe 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, (RSV)
2Peter 2:9 the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment; (WEB)
2Peter 2:9 Since all this is so, the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from temptation, and on the other hand how to keep the unrighteous under punishment in readiness for the Day of Judgement, (WNT)
2Peter 2:9 The Lord hath known to rescue pious ones out of temptation, and unrighteous ones to a day of judgment, being punished, to keep, (YLT)
2Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: (KJV)
If one rejects the emphatic truth of this verse, all the rest will not make any difference. Are you looking for a way around it now or are you willing to accept the plain truth it teaches? Please do not go any further until you have answered this question, for it will all be in vain.
in harmony with other scriptures
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
After death comes judgment. No mention of a resurrection first.
The most obvious contradiction of no life after death is given by Jesus when He rebuked the Sadducees who did not believe in life after death or the resurrection.
Luke 20:37-38 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.
Notice that it says "the living," not those who will be living. God said that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were living, not dead. Otherwise He would have said, "God is a God of the living after the resurrection." There is the emphatic difference of what you have been taught to believe and what the scriptures clearly state. The next verse is the clincher for me and should be for all those who are willing to take God at His Word.
NEVER DIE
John11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Richard, what does "never" mean? Well, for sure it does not mean sleep until the resurrection and then wake up. No, "never die" means never. Simply we will never be separated from God again. Why? Because the word death means separation and we will never be separated from the Lord, for His Spirit indwells the true Believer. Jesus teaches this again to His disciples here:
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Now if one does not have the Spirit of Christ (living in him) he is not truly saved and he will be separated from God for ever. No second chance after death to be saved either. First look at Romans eight:
Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
1Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
What you have been led to believe is this: While we live we are not separated from God, but when one dies he is separated until the resurrection. This is a contradiction of these verses and what Jesus clearly taught. Jesus said that one who believed in Him, would never die (be separated from Him) because He lives within him for ever. Praise the Lord! What a contrast this is to the grim death of a soul sleeper. Never is what the Lord promised and that is the truth.
ABSENT FROM THE BODY AND PRESENT WITH THE LORD
2Cor 5:1-8 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle (our body) were dissolved, we have a building of God (another body), an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (This is the interim state of the believer immediately after death. This is not the resurrection.)
2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
3 If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 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.
NO SECOND CHANCE AFTER DEATH
Why? The answer is simple. God said so. That settles it. The only sin that will send anyone to hell is the sin of unbelief. That sin occurs by rejection of the light God has given to bring one to a saving knowledge of Christ. This "light" has been given to ALL MEN.
John 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
The first "light" is God's creation and it speaks in all languages and to all people. If one rejects this "light" (truth) he will not reach the greater "light" (truth) which will lead him to a saving knowledge of the Saviour. That's why Romans one says that they are "without excuse."
Ps 19:1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun.
When one rejects the leading of the Holy Spirit, he commits the unpardonable sin and his doom is sealed in this life and in the life to come. Sorry there is no second chance. That is God's final statement to you and all others. When one does not accept or believe this, he is accusing God of being unjust. What he cannot see and know, he cannot accept.
Matt 12:31-32 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.
To blasphemy the Holy Spirit is to reject His works, both outwardly and inwardly, that gives the "light" that one needs to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
The flood is repulsive to the world today, because it condemns the world, yet the whole world was destroyed. Because men harden their hearts against God, they refuse to believe. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of war. God is a God of mercy, but also a God of wrath. God is a God of second chances, but in this life only.
All the "no hellers" or "soul sleepers" will not change this "one iota." Sorry no second chance!!
Although I never promised to send you anything in the mail as you did me, I have been praying about you and hope that God's Word (starting with the first verse in this letter) will be the most beautiful music to your ears.
Sincerely His and Yours,
Dave