Counsel #2 — Death As Sleep
Picture: Counsel #2 — Death As SleepCFL 4.1
Scientists (particularly in metaphysical studies), poets, and world religion educators present conflicting answers to the great questions of the afterlife and particularly what happens at death.CFL 4.2
But what did Jesus teach about the state of the dead?CFL 4.3
Jesus says death is like a sleep, in which there are no thoughts or consciousness at all. At death, a person goes neither to heaven nor to hell. They await the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:51-54) for their reward or punishment.CFL 4.4
“’Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.’ Then His disciples said, ‘Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.’ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.” John 11:11, 12 NKJVCFL 4.5
“They that go down to the grave are in silence. They know no more of anything that is done under the sun. Job 14:21. Blessed rest for the weary righteous! Time, be it long or short, is but a moment to them. They sleep; they are awakened by the trump of God to a glorious immortality.” Ellen White in The Great Controversy, p. 550CFL 4.6
Reflect: Why is it important to know that the dead are “sleeping”?CFL 4.7
