At death, the believer's soul and spirit are immediately separated from the body and go into the presence of the Lord in heaven, while the body remains in the grave until the resurrection.
Les Feldick teaches that death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Once separated, the believer's soul and spirit are with Christ in paradise, but they are not there bodily. The body stays in the grave until the resurrection day, when it will be reunited with the soul and spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:8 — This verse directly states that for the believer, being absent from the body means being present with the Lord, which is what happens to the soul and spirit at death.
1 Thessalonians 4:14 — This verse tells us that believers who have died ('sleep in Jesus') will be brought with Him when He comes.
The Bible says that for a believer, death is not the end of the soul and spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul writes, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." The believer who dies is with the Lord. First Thessalonians 4:14 says, "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." Those who have died in Christ are not lost; God will bring them with Jesus. First Thessalonians 4:16 says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." The body is not left in the grave forever. At the resurrection the body is raised and changed. As 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 says, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
Les Feldick describes death as the moment when the soul and spirit take flight from the body. For the believer, that means immediately going into the presence of the Lord in heaven. He is explicit: "I do not believe in soul sleep." Departed believers are in paradise in soul and spirit, but they are not there bodily. Their body is in the grave, waiting for the resurrection day. Les also emphasizes that a person is not a complete entity without body, soul, and spirit. He challenges readers to find any place in Scripture where a human being has anything of worth in this life or the next separated from a body. Therefore, the body must be raised and reunited with the soul and spirit for the believer to enjoy the eternal state. The believer's soul and spirit are already redeemed, but the body is still unredeemed; the Holy Spirit is God's down payment that He will redeem body, soul, and spirit together. At the coming of the Lord, God will bring with Him those who have died in Jesus. They are already in heaven in soul and spirit, and He will bring them so that their glorified bodies can be raised and reunited with them.
At the moment of death, the believer's soul and spirit immediately go into the presence of the Lord in heaven. Les says that when the medical authorities say 'he's gone, she's gone,' the believer is in the presence of the Lord immediately. Departed believers are in paradise, but only in soul and spirit; they are not there bodily. They are waiting for the resurrection day.
Yes. Les teaches that while the believer's soul and spirit are in heaven, the physical body remains in the grave. The body is not redeemed yet; it is still in the flesh and under the curse. At the resurrection, however, the body will be raised and reunited with the soul and spirit. The Holy Spirit's presence in the believer is God's down payment that He will complete the redemption of the whole person—body, soul, and spirit.
Les teaches that God deals with man as a whole: body, soul, and spirit. He asks people to find any place in this Bible where man has anything of any worth in this life or the life to come separated from a body. For the eternal state, all three parts must be brought back together. The soul and spirit are redeemed at salvation, but the body awaits its redemption at the resurrection. That is why the resurrection day is essential for the believer.
Believers Are 'In Christ'
Les points to the repeated phrase 'in Christ' in Ephesians and connects it to believers who 'sleep in Jesus'—those who have died in union with Christ.
No Soul Sleep—Soul and Spirit With the Lord
Les directly states that he does not believe in soul sleep; the departed are in the presence of the Lord in soul and spirit, while their bodies are in the grave awaiting resurrection.
God Brings the Departed With Jesus
Believers who have died in Jesus will be brought with Him; their soul and spirit are already with Christ in heaven, waiting to be reunited with the resurrected body.
Death Is the Separation of Soul and Spirit From the Body
Les defines death as the soul and spirit taking flight from the body; this separation of the invisible part of man from the body is what happens at death.
Immediately Present With the Lord
At the moment of death, the believer is immediately in the presence of the Lord; the body, however, is still waiting for its consummation at the resurrection.
God Deals With the Whole Man
Les stresses that God is concerned with body, soul, and spirit together, and that no human has anything of worth in this life or the next when separated from a body.
Redemption of Body, Soul, and Spirit
The soul and spirit are already redeemed in the believer, but the body is still unredeemed; the Holy Spirit is God's down payment that He will redeem the body as well.
Paradise in Soul and Spirit—Not Bodily
Those who have died in Jesus are in paradise in the presence of God in soul and spirit, not bodily, and are waiting for the resurrection day.
2 Corinthians 5:8: We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
This verse is the key biblical statement that for the believer, absence from the body means presence with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:14: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
This verse identifies those who have died in Christ as 'sleep in Jesus' and promises that God will bring them with Him.
1 Thessalonians 4:16: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
This verse describes the moment when the bodies of departed believers are raised at the Lord's coming.
1 Corinthians 15:51: Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
This verse announces the mystery of the transformation of believers at the resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:52: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
This verse shows that the dead in Christ will be raised incorruptible at the last trump.
Yes. According to Les Feldick, at the moment of death the believer's soul and spirit go immediately into the presence of the Lord in heaven. The body, however, remains in the grave until the resurrection day.
It refers to believers who have died in Christ. They are not in an unconscious sleep; they are with the Lord in soul and spirit. God will bring them with Jesus at His coming, and their bodies will be raised.
No. Les teaches that no human being functions as a complete entity when soul and spirit are separated from the body. The body, soul, and spirit must all be reunited for the eternal state.
At the resurrection day when the Lord descends from heaven. The dead in Christ will rise first, and their bodies will be raised incorruptible, as 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:52 teach.
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