SOUL SLEEPING?

I recently spoke with someone who said that, upon death, the soul sleeps until the 2nd coming of Christ, after which it will be judged.  Does the human soul sleep between death and the resurrection?  Here are 3 reasons why I believe the soul does not sleep upon death and stay asleep until judgment.

First, the term "sleep," when used of death, always has to do with the state of the body, not the soul.  In Daniel 12:2, Daniel declared that the dead, who "sleep in the dust of the earth, shall awake.”  It is only the body of man that returns to the dust  of the earth in death not the soul (cf. Eccl. 12:7).

Second, the narrative concerning the rich man and Lazarus clearly shows that the dead are conscious (Lk.16:19-31).  In this account, both the rich man and the beggar went to hádes (resting place of the dead), and while there, they were aware of their surroundings (see vs.23-24).  The NT distinguishes between hádes and géenna: Hádes is temporary (Rev.20:13-14); Géenna is eternal (Mk.9:43, 48). Hádes is for the soul alone (Acts 2:27, 31), and Géenna is for the reunited body and soul (Matt.10:28).

Third, the Bible teaches that the wicked are being punished while they await judgment (2 Pet.2:4, 9 ASV or NKJV).  “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the Day of Judgment.”  The wicked are reserved in hell (see vs.4).  The Greek word for hell is not géenna, but rather tartarus (a holding place where evil souls are punished; cf. Lk.16 and the rich man).  Since evil men are being continuously punished (even before Judgment Day), it is obvious that the dead are conscious between the time of their demise and the resurrection.

-- Shane