State of soul after death

[Theodora]

How do you convince someone that after death the soul continues to be aware of its existence.

During a conversation, the person I was talking with commented that he regrets that after he dies he cannot see his children grow up.

I told him that if he is in heaven, he’ll be able to see everything that’s happening on earth. He said he does not believe that because the Bible says so and then he quoted something from Psalms.

Can someone point me to previous posts where this subject has been discussed or Bible passages contradicting the belief that the soul does not undergo a temporary unconscienciousness of its existence.

I searched under “soul sleep,” but ended up with New Posts.

I am grateful to all who will respond to this post.

 

[DeFide]

Theodora:

How do you convince someone that after death the soul continues to be aware of its existence.

During a conversation, the person I was talking with commented that he regrets that after he dies he cannot see his children grow up.

I told him that if he is in heaven, he’ll be able to see everything that’s happening on earth. He said he does not believe that because the Bible says so and then he quoted something from Psalms.

Can someone point me to previous posts where this subject has been discussed or Bible passages contradicting the belief that the soul does not undergo a temporary unconscienciousness of its existence.

I searched under “soul sleep,” but ended up with New Posts.

I am grateful to all who will respond to this post.

I emboldened some of the verse (summaries) that show heavenly awareness of earthly events:

Intercessory Prayer of Saints
Rom 15:30 - join me by your prayers to God on my behalf
Col 4:3, 1Thess 5:25 - pray for us
2Thess 1:11 - we always pray for you
2Thess 3:1 - finally, brothers, pray for us
Eph 6:18-19 - making supplication for all the saints & for me
Tob 12:12 - angel presents Tobit & Sarah’s prayer to God
Ps 148 - David calls upon angels
**Zech 1:12 - angel intercedes for Jerusalem **
Mk 12:25, Mt 22:30 - men in heaven are as the angels
Rev 5:8 - those in heaven offer prayers of the holy ones to God
*Saints dead, prayer is necromancy (Dt 18:10-11)
Mk 12:26-27 - he is God of the living, not of the dead
Mk 9:4 - Jesus seen conversing with Elijah & Moses
Lk 9:31 - Elijah & Moses aware of earthly events
Rev 6:9-11 - martyrs under altar want earthly vindication
Heb 12:1 - we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses
Lk 16:19-30 - departed rich man intercedes for brothers
Rev 20:4 - saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
Wis 3:1-6 - the souls of the just are in the hand of God
2Macc 15:7-16 - the departed Onias & Jeremiah pray for the Jews
Jas 5:16 prayers of righteous man
1 Cor. 13:12 - I shall understand fully
1 John 4: 20-21 - whoever loves God must love his brother
1 Cor 12:21 - parts of Christ’s Body cannot say to other parts, “I do not need you”.

Source: geocities.com/thecatholicconvert/biblecheatsheet.html

In Rev 5:8, “Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the holy ones”, we can deduce that the elders in heaven must have mental awareness of the prayers of the holy ones on earth since the elders don’t yet have bodies to hold actual bowls of smoking incense, and thus must be using their intellect to pray in union with those on Earth.

 

[Theodora]

DeFide

Thank you so much for all the referenced verses and the website. I will study them and try to make them my own.

Do you know if the CCC also has a section that deals with this subject?

 

[philipbenedict]

CCC 366 explains about our souls and 1035 explains about the souls lost to hell (awareness emphasis, eternally separated).

 

[Theodora]

philipbenedict:

CCC 366 explains about our souls and 1035 explains about the souls lost to hell (awareness emphasis, eternally separated).

Thank you very much for the information. I will read these paragraphs. I feel I will be better prepared the next time to give a reasonable answer when this subject, of not being consciencious of your own existence after you have died, is brought up again.