Poll for those of religious persuasion?

Personally, I believe that once dead we immediately go to our eternal destination. But I do not debate soul sleep with people. It's unimportant. If you are asleep awaiting judgment, you will not even know it.

I have met very few Christians who believe in soul sleep. Most of the people who believe in this are part of some cult.

First, there are more schools of thought than that. But I suppose that is for another time. The Bible does point to a physical and spiritual resurrection. Of this there can be no dispute. The Bible clearly portrays the current state of the deceased to be "alive" spiritually in the presence of God in heaven (conscious in some capacity NOT asleep or aware of nothing nor in the grave).

>>The confusion occurs when unlearned folk try to extract Old Tesament idioms and norms and try to apply it to the New Testament dispensation. Before Christ's resurrection there was no heavenly hope for the deceased. They all went into "Sheol" (the abode of the dead) which some conclude to be an expression of the grave (with no consciousness, even oblivion). Others believe that Sheol was a real locale somewhat like hell (because it was within the earth and therefore seperated from God) but it was for rest for those who would be redeemed in the future. Their "future" was completed when Christ was resurrected. Now all who are in Christ immediately go to heaven (New Testament dispensation).

>>There is no evidence to suggest that Sheol is oblivion in the grave.

Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

The bible speaks plainly.

Job 14:13 ¶ O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!

Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

Job was so afraid of Gods wrath that he prayed to be dead a few other prophets prayed to be dead in the day of the Lord.

Jhn 11:24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

Martha had knowledge of God, she new the her brother Lazarus would be raised in the ressurection at the last day. All the has died is still dead, the last day hasn't come yet.

Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

This is the day that all who were not in the second ressurection will be Judge and the saying will be of a truth that all will be born again.

Dan 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.

The word of God speaks plainly.

www.theisraelofgod.com

a million. Volunteer in a babies medical institution, or nursing domicile. 2. Pay a dinner to a homeless 3. Say: "I forgive you" a minimum of two times an afternoon to those that ultimately harm your emotions. 4. shrink the grass to an previous neighbor. 5. Pray for somebody you don't get alongside (it incredibly is confusing). 6. Make a catalogue of issues you may choose to alter on your self 7. count extensive style to 10 previously blowing up with somebody 8. Play including your babies and revel in that. in case you haven't any longer have been given babies, then the nephews and nieces. 9. do no longer curse whilst somebody cuts in front of you in a site visitors. 10. Make area of a philanthropic business enterprise. peace!

Honestly, I don't know. I personally believe, based on things I've experienced, that the deceased immediately either go to heaven or hell, or to some sort of "foretaste" (for lack of a better term) of heaven or hell.

Jesus did tell the thief on the cross that he would be in paradise that day... but there's a theory that maybe the comma was put in the wrong place, and it should actually read, "I tell you today, you will be with Me in paradise."

Who knows, really, apart from God and those who are dead?

I believe that the soul of those who are in Christ are with Him immediately, because of the scripture that tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. I believe that it is the body that awaits resurrection unto life or damnation, after it is reunited with the soul. Those who are believers in God and Jesus Christ are resurrected unto eternal life, and those who are not believers are resurrected unto eternal judgment. Those who are worthy to obtain the resurrection unto eternal life will receive a glorified body like that of Jesus, ...

As to whether those in Christ are asleep in Christ, or aware, I do not know. I have not found the scripture yet, to know this.

When people die their spirit/soul sleeps until judgment day.

People misuse 2 Cor. 5:6-8 when they try to say it means we go straight

to be with the Lord after death. It doesn't exactly say that. It's just

a comparision between the 2 states of a life conscious and alive on

earth and then one that is present with the Lord. But that doesn't

mean there is not another state in between. They SLEEP...

For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ

is not risen, your faith is futile; and you are still in your sins!

Then also those who have FALLEN ASLEEP IN CHRIST have perished... But

now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of

those who HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP... For as in Adam all die, even so in

Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ

the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's AT HIS COMING

- 1 Cor. 15:16-23. ~ Note: AT HIS COMING clearly proves when we

shall be alive with Christ.

Now let us look at some popular rapture Scriptures:

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all SLEEP, but we shall

all be changed -- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the

last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised

incorruptible, and we shall be changed - 1 Cor. 15:51,52.

~ Note: Clearly, that says the dead will be raised incorruptible

and we shall all be changed at the last trumpet when Christ returns.

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are

alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means

precede those who are ASLEEP. For the Lord Himself will descend

from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with

the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we

who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in

the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And this we shall always be

with the Lord. - 1 Thes. 4:15-17. ~ Note: Those who have died and

are asleep will rise and then those who are alive until the coming

of the Lord shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,

AND THEN we will all meet the Lord in the air. And THEN we shall

always be with the Lord.

I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there

WILL BE a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust

- Acts 24:15.

Jesus said, "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you;

for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

- Luke 14:14.

Except for martyrs who have a special place in heaven (Revelation 6),

clearly all these verses prove that no one has gone to heaven yet,

but preachers and almost every Christian who I have heard will tickle

your ears telling you they have. They don't know God's word well enough

or they deceive you to make you happy. People ought to learn the

Bible better so that they are not false witnesses.

Agnostic, but my personal belief is that the individual consciousness is a part of the Universal Consciousness (i.e. the Universe is conscious of itself and we are all parts of that), and thus the individual consciousness exists from the beginning to the end of time. The individual consciousness then takes on physical entities from time to time. As Meister Eckhart (14th century christian philosopher) put it, "we are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human existence".

Dead people are basically non-existent.

They are unconscious (Ecclesiastes 9:5)

In a sense, it could be said they "await" a physical resurrection ....a re-making.

Psalm 37:29 explains their future.

*note brackets[] mean my opinion based upon the scriptures.

Ecclesiastes 12:7

"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

[Upon death over time the physical body recycles back into the world. Inevitably the spirit goes to God in a type of sleep mode with an altered consciousness.]

Luke 8:51-55

"And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.

And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.

And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.

And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat."

[Jesus Christ showed us that when someone dies they are not really dead and their spirit is still alive and can infact be brought back to life if God is willing.]

Luke 23:42-44

"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour."

1 Peter 3:21-22

"The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him."

[God showed us that all who have true faith in Jesus go directly to heaven after they die as Jesus promised the man who was on the cross with him that when he dies he will go directly to heaven with him.]

Daniel 12:2

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."

[God has shown us that upon death those who are not saved in Christ are in a limbo awaiting final judgment.]

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."

[God has shown us that those who have true faith in Christ will be with him in heaven until the final judgment and will automatically go to heaven]

Luke 16:19-31 [shows us that the deceased have conciousness and some have gone to hell before the final judgment]