Answer: Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others believe that at the moment of death, people are instantly judged and sent to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death?
First, for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by having received Christ as Savior.
John 3:16,18,36 (ESV) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son,
For believers, death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord”
2 Corinthians 5:6-8 (ESV) So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Philippians 1:23 (ESV) I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
However, passages such as
1 Corinthians 15:50-54 (ESV) I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” and
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers,
about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no
hope. 14 For since we believe that
Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those
who have fallen asleep.
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection? It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and then reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the possession of believers for eternity in the new heavens and new earth.
Revelation 21:1-27 (ESV)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband. 3 And I heard a loud
voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He
will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with
them as their God. 4 He will wipe
away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there
be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed
away.” 5 And he who
was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he
said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will
give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and
I will be his God and he will be my son. 8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for
murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their
portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second
death.” 9 Then came
one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues
and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the
Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in
the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem
coming down out of heaven from God, 11
having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like
a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had
a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on
the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the
north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had
twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb. 15 And the
one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its
gates and walls. 16 The city lies
foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his
rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human
measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was
pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The
foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The
first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth
carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth
chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of
the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like
transparent glass. 22
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God
the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the
city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it
light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24
By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth
will bring their glory into it, 25
and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night
there. 26 They will bring into it the
glory and the honor of the nations. 27
But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what
is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of
life.
Revelation 22:1-21 (ESV)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of
life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of
the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve
kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for
the healing of the nations. 3 No
longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb
will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4
They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 And night will be no more. They
will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and
they will reign forever and ever. 6
And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy
and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his
angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” 7 “And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the
words of the prophecy of this book.” 8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these
things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the
angel who showed them to me, 9 but he
said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your
brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship
God.” 10 And he said
to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is
near. 11 Let the evildoer still do
evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the
holy still be holy.” 12
“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my
recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 14 Blessed are those
who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and
that they may enter the city by the gates. 15
Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and
murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these
things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright
morning star.” 17
The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears
say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take
the water of life without price. 18
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:
if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of
life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20 He who testifies to
these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny.
Luke 16:22-23 (ESV) The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Abraham’s
side. The rich man also died and was buried,23 and in Hades, being in
torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his
side.describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death.
Revelation 20:11-15 (ESV) Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the great white throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire”
Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny.
Luke 16:22-23 (ESV) The poor man died and was carried by the angels to
Revelation 20:11-15 (ESV) Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the great white throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire”
Luke 16:24 (ESV) And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send
Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in
anguish in this flame.’
Therefore, after death, a person resides in a “temporary” heaven or hell.
After this temporary realm, at the final resurrection, a person’s eternal destiny will not change. The precise “location” of that eternal destiny is what changes. Believers will ultimately be granted entrance into the new heavens and new earth. Unbelievers will ultimately be sent to the lake of fire. These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not they had trusted Jesus Chr
ist alone for salvation.
Matthew 25:46 (ESV) And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Therefore, after death, a person resides in a “temporary” heaven or hell.
Matthew 25:46 (ESV) And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
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