The Saints are asleep

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

(Revelation 6:9-11)

We have already established that the saints are located in the section of heaven where God’s throne is—the Paradise of God. The passage referenced above confirms this truth, revealing that the Lord’s martyrs are positioned beneath the altar of God. Their number includes every saint martyred for their faith, beginning with Abel and continuing until the full number is completed at the end of the age.

It is interesting to note that the Lord’s martyrs, who have been chosen for great blessing on the day of judgment, are separated from the rest of the saints in Paradise.

The main point I wish to emphasize from this passage, however, is that these saints are told to rest a little while longer. In other words, they have been resting under the altar of God since departing from this life and will continue to do so until the end of the age.

As an aside, we have previously mentioned that the saints acquire full knowledge when they leave this life. Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that they do not know when the present age will come to an end. In this passage, they ask, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” The reason the saints in heaven do not know when this age will end is that God has reserved the knowledge of times and seasons within His own authority (Acts 1:7).

Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write: 'Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' ““Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them."

(Revelation 14:13)

The previous passage revealed that the Lord’s martyrs are resting beneath the altar of God. This naturally raises the question: what about the rest of the saints in Paradise? The passage above provides the answer, declaring that all who die in the Lord are blessed because they rest from their labours. In other words, all saints—not just the Lord’s martyrs—enter a place of rest when they enter Paradise.

The Lord goes on in this passage to tell us that the saints’ works will follow them, referring to the deeds they performed while on earth (2 Corinthians 5:10). The reason for this is that the saints’ works will only be judged at the regeneration; until that time, the saints in Paradise continue to rest.

These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.

(John 11:11-14)

In the previous section, we discussed that the Old Testament saints rested in chambers upon their beds. This raises the question: what form of rest do the New Testament saints enjoy in Paradise?

The Lord Jesus answered this question in the above passage where He spoke of Lazarus’s death, saying that Lazarus “slept.” In other words, Jesus taught that when the saints die, their spirits ascend to Paradise, where they enter chambers and rest—just as one sleeps upon a bed.

In fact, Jesus was the first to speak plainly about the saints “falling asleep” at death. This was a concept unfamiliar to the disciples, which explains why they misunderstood His words. Jesus then clarified that Lazarus had in fact died.

As an aside, when Lazarus was raised from the dead, his spirit had descended to Abraham’s bosom, since he had not yet been born again. Therefore, it is evident that the Old Testament saints also “fell asleep” when they died.

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14)

The apostles learned from the Lord Jesus that the saints “fall asleep” when they die, which is why all the New Testament writers spoke of the death of believers in this manner. The passage above is just one of many examples in the New Testament where the apostles refer to the death of the saints as falling asleep.

As an aside, it is noteworthy that, unlike the saints, the Bible never describes unbelievers as “falling asleep” when they die. The reason for this distinction is that while the saints rest peacefully on their beds in heaven, the wicked remain awake in their graves of torment in hell.

Michael E.B. Maher

Resurrection of the Dead

Buy Now

Donate

Payoneer