Is The Doctrine Of Soul-Sleeping True Or False?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesA querist asks, “There are sincere religious folks who believe in the doctrine of soul-sleeping. They use Ecclesiastes 9:5 as a proof text for their doctrine. They believe that the dead are oblivious to their surroundings and know absolutely nothing. Is the doctrine of soul-sleeping true? If not, please provide us scriptures to refute it.”
The text of Ecclesiastes 9:5 reads:
“For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.”
The view that the dead are oblivious to their surroundings is false according to Luke 16:19-31. In this inspired account, we see that both the rich man and Lazarus were not only fully aware of their environment (Luke 16:23-24), but they had the ability to “remember” (Luke 16:25) as well.
The writer of Ecclesiastes is simply stating that when one dies, all knowledge of earthly events cease, i.e. “the dead know nothing.” They have no more reward for any earthly activity because their environment has changed — from an earthly environment to the Hadean environment (Luke 16:23). According to the inspired account in Luke 16:19-31, those in the Hadean realm are fully aware of their surroundings.
Brother Wayne Jackson, editor of the Christian Courier, has written the following article addressing this false doctrine: