Seven Proofs That The Dead Are Conscious
A Study by Rev Walter Mwambazi

In view of the debate that an older status raised (for and against this teaching), let me give seven key reasons why the dead are conscious and backing scripture for this subject!

Now bear in mind that when it comes to any subject or topic in scripture, it’s significance is always seen by how many times it’s mentioned and how many scriptures can be gotten together to prove it’s importance.

Take for instance the subject of the rapture or tithe, you’ll be hard pressed to raise even ten scriptures in the New Testament to prove your case.

However, check subjects like love, forgiveness, redemption, salvation and you’ll find dozens upon dozens of scripture to back them up.

Interestingly, we have many scriptures that back the doctrines of prophecy, miracles, healing, exorcism and even hell, yet the modern church doesn’t really emphasize them except the fringes of Christendom especially the Charismatic Movement.

That does not make them less significant.

Which brings me to the subject of “soul sleep”. I have given enough evidence to prove the dead are conscious. If you are an adherent of the soul sleep doctrine, counter my verses with more against it and that will settle the argument.

If you cannot, then it means you believe dogmatically (belief by loyalty rather than by reason and evidence – a common stance among many blind Christians).

I am a big proponent of the Berea Mindset which admonishes believers to be ardent students of the Scriptures.

Don’t take my word for truth, go study and see for yourself.

Meantime, here they are (and my notes to counter the soul sleep doctrine)

1. God declares Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and states that they are “living” and not dead (Matthew 22:32, Luke 20:38) and the verse below affirms…

Mark 12:27 (NKJV)
”He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”

Note: If soul sleep is true, it would mean God is calling Himself the God of dead people, sounds ridiculous if you ask me! Why would the creator of the universe refer to sleeping people? 🤔

2. The transfiguration – Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. Elijah we know never tasted death but scripture declares that Moses died (even his body was fought for) so who is this here? (Luke 9:28-36)

Note: For soul sleep it would mean God “resurrected” Moses, then put him back to “sleep” afterwards. Like seriously?

3. The strange case of Samuel and the appearance at the witch of Endor. Contrary to popular belief, that really was the soul of Samuel that spoke 1 Sam 28:3-20 (not a familiar spirit-the Bible would have clearly said so like it does in this passage 1 Kings 22:22-23, 2 Chr 18:21-22). Below is God’s word declaring exactly that…

1 Samuel 28:20a (NKJV)
20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. It does not say, “words of the familiar spirit”!

Note: Scripture says it clearly and that is what it is. One of the most common errors many make with doctrine is that they read into th scripture rather than letting it speak. We have a precedence where another spirit was mentioned and that is the case of Micaiah the Prophet in II Chronicles 18.

So, it really is the soul of Samuel (God knows why He permitted this very strange thing to occur).

4. Stephen’s stoning – Jesus is waiting to receive him right as he is dying. If he was to become without knowledge, what’s the point of standing ready to receive him and Steven make such a declaration which he spoke under the unction of the Holy Spirit? (Acts 7:54-60)

Note: Stephen’s case is very compelling. Are we to reason that after Jesus receives the dead they go to a place to sleep, or they sleep right at death? Soul sleep implies that Stephen was either hallucinating or lying.

5. Paul’s near death experience – theology teaches that it occurred when he was stoned and left for dead. (2 Cor 12:1-6). The experience he saw in the heavens were as a result of the event quoted below – he had what is known as an NDE (Near Death Experience).

Acts 14:19 (AMP)
19 But some Jews arrived there from Antioch and Iconium; and having persuaded the people and won them over, they stoned Paul and [[a]afterward] dragged him out of the town, thinking that he was dead.

Note: Again, soul sleep implies this was a hallucination or trance, not an actual near death experience because the implication of soul sleep is that one just goes into a state or unconsciousness and awakens at the resurrection!

6. The saints under the altar crying out for justice. These cannot speak if. They are conscious. Who are these then if they are not the dead in Christ? (Rev 6:9-11).

It is seen that they are told to “rest a little longer until the number of their fellow saints who are martyred is complete”. So, when they “rest”, are they unconscious or conscious?

Note: At the risk of being outrightly comical, it implies these “sleeping souls” keep awakening, only to go back to sleep!

7. The rich man and Lazarus – contrary to popular belief, this is not a parable but an actual account (Luke 16:19-31). Parables have different style of beginning. In parables Jesus always refers and interprets, in real events he just recounts (like the sheep and goats story Matt 25:31-46).

Note: Again, these are hallucinations, but since it’s the Lord Jesus telling this story, then it’s a parable. That’s the easier excuse than explaining what this story is clearly stating!

Based on the above, there is overwhelming evidence that the dead are fully conscious!
However, here is the truth and implications of Scripture on the dead…

👉🏾 a) we are strictly forbidden to communicate with them (necromancy) (Deut 18:9-14)
👉🏾 b) they cannot communicate with the living in any way (sorry for all those who believe that somehow the dead are watching over us – simply no truth in this whatsoever) 🥺
👉🏾 c) every living being’s destination is determined by their state at death

• the saved into Paradise (disembodied saints awaiting the rapture)
• the unsaved dead into Hades (disembodied sinners awaiting the 2nd resurrection of the dead to final judgment).

The argument that the dead are unconscious, insinuates that in these cases God “wakes” them up and then after the events described above, places them back into “sleep”? Seriously?

In the words of Sherlock Holmes…
“when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth”

This is the truth as far as the dead are concerned.

PS: Once again, to all of you that use the acronym MHSRIP I also have some news for you. The dead don’t rest, neither to they sleep. They are conscious!

This makes the urgency to preach the gospel of salvation even more important. If one dies outside of Christ, their destination is hell fire (that is what Scripture and even our Lord Jesus taught)

It is not a popular message, but it’s the truth.

PPS: Jesus spoke more about hell and judgment than He did about money, about love, about miracles and even about the Kingdom!

But many modern preachers like to dilute that message or completely ignore it to sound “politically correct”.

Now that is interesting. 🤔