top of page

Soul Sleep and the Afterlife - Dr Michael Heiser

Writer's picture: Andy McIlvainAndy McIlvain

Updated: Feb 27, 2024



Soul Sleep and the Afterlife - Dr Michael Heiser

"As Michael Heiser writes in The Bible Unfiltered, “Although we could conclude that the psalmist here is claiming that he’ll live an everlasting life on earth or that the language here is an exaggeration, it’s better to view this passage as expressing hope of everlasting life in the presence of God – a life that transcends time.”

Yahweh’s prohibition against contacting the disembodied human dead (Deut. 18:11) also provides support for the Old Testament concept of an afterlife. In ancient times it was believed that the dead, as members of the spirit world, could provide information otherwise hidden from the living.

But the law prohibits this – not because it’s impossible; it certainly is, as we learn in the story of King Saul’s encounter with the deceased prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 28). Rather, God wants us to seek divine knowledge directly from Him or through the means He provides, such as prophets.

Further, the Old Testament often refers to the deceased as being “gathered” to their people or as “sleeping” with their fathers. Jacob tells his sons, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite” (Gen. 49:29). 1 Kings 2:10 reads, “Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.”

At first, the idea of sleeping seems to suggest an unconscious afterlife. But archeology demonstrates that ancient references to sleeping actually indicate the posture of the body in burial – not the denial of an afterlife... from the article: Does Ecclesiastes teach soul sleep?


68 views0 comments

Commentaires


Subscribe Form

  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter

©2020 by Ordinary Life Extraordinary God. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page