Throop, Keith - Defense of a Conscious Intermediate State

Excerpt:

An Examination of Passages Used in the Debate Between Those Who Hold to Soul Sleep
and Those Who Hold to the Traditional View of the Intermediate State

By Keith Throop

Following is a list of many of the passages that are often used by those who argue for and against the doctrine of “soul sleep.” Brief comments are offered from the standpoint of the traditional Christian understanding of the intermediate state.


Passages Frequently Cited by the Proponents of Soul Sleep:

NKJ Psalm 6:5 “For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?”

This passage is said to teach that we are in an unconscious state when we die. However, there is no indication in the context that David intended to teach about the state of the dead. Instead, his focus seems to be on the fact that, if he dies, there will be no one alive to praise the Lord before men for His great mercies. Note the focus on his desire to be delivered so that his enemies will be put to shame (vs. 7-8). What David is really saying is that, if he dies, there will no remembrance of God before his godless enemies, and there will be no one to give God thanks in the presence of his enemies, in order to bring them to shame.

NKJ Psalm 115:17 “The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor any who go down into silence.”

Again the context helps to explain the Psalmist's point. He begins the psalm by  focusing on how God deserves the glory for His mercy and truth (vs.1) and by asking rhetorically, “Why should the Gentiles say, 'So where is their God?'” (vs2). So, the theme of the psalm is the way the glory of God should be manifested before unbelieving Gentiles, who trust in idols rather than the true God. The Psalmist carries this forward by comparing faith in God to the futility of trusting in idols (vs. 3-8), and then by reminding the people of Israel to continue to trust in the LORD in the midst of such idolatry (vs. 9-13). This is followed by an expression of blessing upon true believers and their children (vs. 14-15). Thus, the Psalmist has in mind the need for believers to prosper with God's help and by trusting in Him not only because it is the truth and brings blessing to themselves, but also as a witness to the Gentiles. The dead cannot give such praise to God before the Gentiles. This seems to be the point. The Psalmist is viewing the grave from the standpoint of this life and the opportunities for witness that it provides, over against which the grave is a place of silence. If any doubt remains as to the correctness of this interpretation, all one has to do is read on to verse 18, “But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the LORD!” The writer clearly believes that those who praise the LORD now will continue to do so after death.