What happens when you die?
You breathe your last breath, your heart thumps its last beat, a body once warm becomes cold. What happens next? What happens when you die?
Some believe nothing is next – you become worm food. Various eastern religions believe you will come back as another life form – anything from another human being to a tree, until you’re able to escape the cycle of reincarnation. Many religions believe your life continues in the spirit world – whether that be heaven, or paradise, or anywhere equal to or less than such places (e.g. Hell).
While many across the world have had near-death experiences, these experiences are not in perfect agreement with each other and cannot conclusively reveal what comes next as we only hear reports from those who did not truly die or “stay” dead. Naturally, the sciences cannot peer into the supernatural, and so we must look elsewhere for an authority on the subject. This leads us to consider the Bible’s testimony. The Bible contains 66 books, written by a multitude of authors, over a thousand years. It presents a cohesive theological account that intersects with human history, most prominently in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus fulfills the expectations of the first half of the Bible (the Old Testament) and lays the foundation for all that follows in the New Testament through his death on the cross and his resurrection from dead. There are good reasons to believe in his resurrection, and so if we accept this as historical fact then we have reason to pay attention to what the Bible has to say about life after death.
What the Bible Says
Many people think they know what the Bible says about life after death, but a closer look reveals some surprises.
The Old Testament – Apart from the exceptional figures of Enoch and Elijah who exited this world in miraculous fashion, all other people are said to go down to “Sheol” when they die. There is no differentiation between the righteous and wicked, the Psalmist says in Psalm 89:48, “What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?” “Sheol” is simply the Hebrew word for the place of the dead, the grave. It is a state of being in which people exist, but they are not awake and active – they are unconscious (Psalms 6:5; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 38:18-19). This is why the prophet Daniel would characterize death as state of sleep when he says, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2 ) This outcome seems to naturally follow from the division of body from spirit, as Solomon reports in Ecclesiastes 12:7: “The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”
Jesus – With this Old Testament backdrop in place, we can better understand what Jesus has to say about what happens when we die. The parable of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 is a notable story used by Jesus that is mostly plays out while Lazarus and the rich man are dead. Unlike the Old Testament depiction of death, both and Lazarus and the rich man are conscious and the rich man is calling out from Hades to Abraham who is residing with Lazarus in paradise (popularly imagined as a different section of Hades, not heaven).[1] However, because this is a parable, we should be careful to assume that Jesus is trying to give us a report on the afterlife. If we don’t assume that there is communication between paradise and Hades on the basis of this parable, we should also hesitate basing other conclusions about the afterlife upon it. The fact that this depiction also differs sharply from the Old Testament account suggests that Jesus is using popular imagination from his time to make a point. The last verse of the parable (v.31) indicates that his intent is to point out the failure of the Jewish religious leaders to embrace him as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets: 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"
Another notable comment appears when Jesus is on the cross. One of the thieves next to Jesus confesses his belief in him and so Jesus tells him: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is telling the thief that he will be in paradise with him that day. However, there are no indications that Jesus went to paradise or heaven on the day that he died. Rather, 1 Peter 3:18-20 suggests that he descended to Sheol, as has been widely confessed in the Apostles Creed wherein it says, “He descended into Hell (Hades in the Greek = Sheol = the dead).”
This verse in Luke takes on a different implication when we move a comma to a new position (the original Greek text did not have punctuation): "Truly, I say to you today, you will be with me in paradise." This seems a funny way of talking, but it was common at the time, as we see Paul speak similarly in Acts 20:26: “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all.” This leaves open the question of when the thief would be with Jesus, either referring to Jesus’s ascension or to his return.
Apart from these possibilities, Jesus offers no further comment about what happens when a person dies beyond what the Old Testament already says – that it is a state of unconscious existence, like sleep.
The New Testament – As with Jesus, the rest of the New Testament writers offer no details that would decisively depart from the condition of death described in the Old Testament. When Stephen is stoned to death, he says “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” and Luke concludes the account of Stephen’s death by saying “he fell asleep.”(Acts 7:59-60) In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul says he “would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” This has led some to think that Paul means he wishes to die and so he can go to heaven. However, the rest of the passage makes clear that Paul’s desire is to be “further clothed” with the resurrection body that he would receive at Christ’s return – he clearly states he does not wish to be merely dead or “unclothed.”
The fact that Paul’s anticipation is directed toward his resurrection rather than his state of being while dead becomes clear in the consolation he offers the Thessalonian Christians. When some ask him about the status of their loved ones who have died before Christ’s return, Paul does not comfort them with a description of a heavenly abode.
[13] 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.
– 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
As we have heard elsewhere, he indicates that the dead are in a sleep-like state. Accordingly, to comfort the Thessalonians Paul fixes their hope on Christ’s return and the resurrection of the dead.
In Revelation 6:9-10, the Apostle John testifies that he heard the souls of the martyrs crying out from under the heavenly altar. It is reasonable to interpret this crying out as symbolic, akin to Abel’s blood crying out from the ground in Genesis 4:10. At the same time, it is notable that even as these soul cry out they are told in verse 11 to “rest a little a longer.” This again lines up with the biblical depiction of death as a state of unconscious existence.
The Known and the Unknown
This brief review of the Bible has revealed that a person can anticipate entering into a state of unconscious existence when they die. Our bodily remains return to dust and our spirit returns to God. Given this sleep-like condition, it is no surprise that the Bible does not venture to offer much detail regarding our soul’s abode once we are dead. Apart from the Lazarus parable, we find no account of an immediate judgment that occurs upon death that would place a conscious person in heaven or hell – a person is simply dead. The most that can be said is that the person’s spirit is in the Father’s care, as seen when Jesus and Stephen commit their spirits to God the Father.
This does not exclude the possibility of any distinctions among the dead in their rest, but we are forced to admit that there is much that is unknown. Instead of focusing on what follows immediately upon a person’s death, the Bible prefers to direct us toward the day of Jesus’s return when the dead will be raised to life to stand before his seat of judgment.
[11] 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. - Revelation 20:11-15
We know that there will be a day when we will face a judgment that will determine our eternal fate. Either we will enjoy never-ending life on a restored earth or we will die a second time, never to live again. There is so much more that could be said on this, but to put it simply - to have life we must believe in Jesus and join the side of God’s Kingdom. We must break our allegiance with Satan and the powers corrupting our world and get a new start with Jesus. He sets the opportunity before us with perfect clarity: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-25)
We might not understand everything that will transpire when we die, but the Bible says that we will all one day be raised from the dead. If you want to rise and never die again, then you need to join Jesus today and confess that he is your Savior and King. Click here for a guide in making that decision today and send us a message so we can celebrate with you!
Note: The interpretation above aligns with RCC’s denominational convictions as an Advent Christian church. However, Advent Christians also believe that Christians should enjoy fellowship with each other even if they disagree on disputable matters. We welcome differences of opinion on these kinds of matters at RCC and already enjoy wonderful fellowship with members who believe differently on this question. Our statement of faith is the core of our convictional identity and we welcome into membership those who agree with it.
[1] Dr. Freeman Barton comments on this in his book Heaven, Hell, and Hades p. 53
Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Rev. Tom Loghry
Tom Loghry is the senior pastor of Rockland Community Church in North, Scituate, RI. He is a graduate of the Berkshire Institute for Christian Studies, Toccoa Falls College (B.S. Pastoral Ministry), and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.A. Theology). He is continuing his graduate studies in the area of “Ethics & Society” at GCTS.