I know there’s the whole “absence of time” aspect,
but as for soul sleep, as you describe -
what do you think about the parable Jesus told of Lazarus, the rich man, Abraham, and telling the man’s still alive brothers to repent lest they end up (aware) in hell like him?
Don’t forget...Christ preached to the dead in hell for the three temporal days and nights he was dead physically in the tomb! The thief on the cross was with Christ in paradise. It doesn’t sound to me like the dead are sleeping.
Too many Near death experiences to mention that point to some active dynamics that occur after death! Many NDE’s seem to be pleasant enough but more than a few recount experiencing being at the precipice of hell when a stated half remembered child hood prayer or a direct cry..”Jesus Save me!” and poof a bright light, and encounter with God and boom the person comes back completely changed and a Christian.
Are there some issues with trusting some NDE’s as real?..no doubt as I’ve read of NDE’s that seem culturally colored by the person’s religious or cultural background and are not supported by any Christian orthodoxy. Satan may well play games as well. Still a lot of smoke occurs when many claim their is no fire!
what do you think about the parable Jesus told of Lazarus, the rich man, Abraham, and telling the man’s still alive brothers to repent lest they end up (aware) in hell like him?
Also, for those who don’t have time to read the long breakdown of Lazarus and the Rich Man, here is a nice summary from this site:
http://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d030602.htm
It’s amazing, once you actually study a subject, you realize that a lot of pastors, often themselves duped, are leading people astray in some very subtle ways.
Summary of the Symbols
The Lazarus of the parable was Eleazar, Abraham’s steward (Genesis 15:2).
He was a Gentile “of Damascus” (”a proselyte of the gate”) who “ate the crumbs.”
He was disinherited (to become a beggar) but he remained faithful to Abraham and God.
When this earthly life was over, he received Abraham’s inheritance after all (he was in Abraham’s bosom) — in “everlasting habitations.”
The Rich Man of the Parable was Judah. This son of Jacob had five literal brothers as did the Rich Man.
He was also a literal son of Abraham, while Eleazar (Lazarus) was not!
The Rich Man (Judah) also had the kingship (purple) and the priesthood (linen).
Yet Judah (representing God on this earth) was not the true steward of the Abrahamic blessings.
Though he and his literal brothers had been graced with the “oracles of God” (the Old Testament) they would not respond to the One resurrected from the dead (Christ).
The “great gulf” was the Jordan rift valley the dividing line between Gentile lands and the Holy Land of promise (Abraham’s inheritance). Crossing the Jordan was a typical figure recognized by the Jews as a symbol of salvation.
Once these factors are recognized, all the points in the parable (with its context) fit perfectly to give us some simple but profound teachings of Christ. It shows that the physical promises of God (though excellent) are very inferior to the spiritual redemption that anyone (Jew or Gentile) can have in Christ.