There is something within us as humans that rebels against death. There is still so much to do, to see, to tell others. Most of us do not imagine that cut-off point in life, which is death, for we often travel through our days as if there will always be an abundance of time. Death seems unnatural.
Therefore, we have questions about what happens after we die. Are we like the flame of the candle that disappears after it is blown out? Will only darkness embrace us as we enter eternal nonexistence? Or is there something more? Perhaps that feeling of wanting our lives to continue is not mere wishful thinking; it may have even been placed there for a reason.
Thankfully, we do not have to ponder the afterlife as if there are no answers to our questions. The Bible contains information about what happens when we die, and we can trust its testimony because Scripture affirms itself as inspired by the breath of God (2 Timothy 3:16). We can know what happens after we take our last breath: Death is not the end.
The Life of Humans and a Heart Made for Eternity
To understand life after death, we must go back to the beginning when God created the first humans. The Bible tells us that on the sixth day of creation, the Lord formed a man and woman. He made humans from the dust of the earth and breathed life into their nostrils, making them in His own image (Genesis 1:27; 2:7). His plan for the man and woman was for them to be fruitful and to fill the earth, but He also wanted them to live in eternal relationship with Himself.
Only because humans sinned did death enter the world (Romans 5:12). Before that moment, there had been no decay or disease. Adam and Eve had been created to live forever – their days unbroken by death. But all that changed when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They died spiritually, and eventually they returned to the dust from which they were created, as all subsequent humans do as well (Genesis 2:17). For dust we are, and to dust we will return; we are all under the curse of sin (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:20).
Yet, there is a longing inside of us for our days to continue. Death seems unnatural because it does not fit with how we were originally made – it is unnatural. Scripture tells us that God has placed eternity within our hearts so that we yearn for something greater than ourselves, which is a longing for that relationship with the Lord that was broken when the first humans sinned against Him (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were made to live forever in communion with God.
The Truth about Heaven and Hell
Even when our bodies die physically, the immaterial part of ourselves, known as a soul, continues to live. Scripture tells us that the soul goes to Sheol, or the general place of the dead, which is divided into two places: heaven, which is sometimes called Abraham’s Bosom or paradise, and hell, also known as Hades or Gehenna (Luke 16:19-31). In heaven, individuals enjoy unbroken fellowship with the Lord and receive rest. They are happy in the presence of the living God. In contrast, the Bible describes hell as a place of outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 22:13). Individuals live in torment, awaiting the final hell known as the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14; also see Matthew 13:41-42; 25:41).
Most people who believe in the afterlife assume that the natural default is heaven. After all, it is by far the greater choice of the two. But Scripture teaches something different. Since we are all children of Adam and Eve, we have inherited sin and death. We die physically, but we are also spiritually dead, just as Adam and Eve were after they disobeyed God’s command (Ephesians 2:1). Every person falls short of the righteous standard of the Lord since we all choose to do wrong (Romans 3:23). Of course, this does not mean we all commit the worst possible evil, like murder or engaging in a life of crime. All of us, though, if we are honest with ourselves, will realize that we are guilty of wrongdoing. And those sins mark us as deserving of punishment. Hell, not heaven, is the default location we go to when we die.
Our fate would be hopeless if not for the mercy of the Lord. Because He is a God of love and compassion, He sent His Son into the world as a human (though still fully God) to live in a way we could not. Whereas we live under the yoke of sin and death as children of Adam, Jesus lived a sinless life (1 Peter 2:22). He willingly gave His life in exchange for ours (John 10:17-18). Christ died on the cross to pay the price for all our sins, enduring the punishment that we rightly deserve to suffer (1 Peter 2:24).
Death did not win, though, on that day. On the third day of being buried, Jesus rose to life, demonstrating His triumph over death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Christ, the Savior of the world, is forever alive and all who trust in Him receive forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life (John 3:16). No longer do we have to live in slavery to sin, for in Christ, we are set free to live as new creations – we become citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20).
Thus, the way to enter heaven when we die is to place our trust in Jesus. He is the only way we can be washed clean from our wrongdoings (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). And when we come to know and follow Jesus, we find that our longing for heaven is not a mere desire to escape hell. Rather, heaven is intertwined with our desire to see our Savior face-to-face – for to be in the presence of the Lord is to experience paradise.
Standing in Judgment before God
The author of Hebrews tells us: “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NIV). After we die, we will face judgment from the Lord. Believers in Christ will go to heaven while those who reject Jesus will go to hell. This judgment is immediate, since to be away from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Other judgments will occur at different times for believers and nonbelievers. At the resurrection of the faithful (and the instant transformation of saints who are still living), believers will be judged according to what they have done (2 Corinthians 5:10). This is not a judgment of salvation, but an evaluation of our service to our Savior. Various rewards are mentioned in Scripture, all of which are based in a sincere love for Jesus. However, not every deed will gain a reward, and at times, there will even be a loss of reward (1 Corinthians 3:15).
Nonbelievers will be judged at the end of time, during the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). Again, they will not be judged according to their lack of belief. Rather, they will be evaluated according to their works, which will indicate the level of their punishment in the lake of fire. Their fate is still eternal separation from God, just with various levels of punishment.
None of us can escape those future judgments, for we must all give an account before the perfect Judge (Romans 14:12). Everything will be brought into the light of scrutiny, including every careless word we say (Matthew 12:36). We are wise to consider our lives, then, and be intentional about our actions and words. For truly, even those who give a cup of water to a follower of Christ will not lose their reward (Matthew 10:42; Mark 9:41).
Death Is Not the End
In thinking about souls and spiritual realms, it may be easy to assume that the afterlife is centered solely on the immaterial. God, though, created us as embodied people (Genesis 2:7). We have a soul and a body. They are interconnected, and for one to be apart from the other goes against His design. Hence, Scripture often talks about resurrection and living on a renewed earth. Nothing in the Bible indicates that the destiny of believers is a bodyless existence, despite popular opinion among Christians.
Our Lord Jesus was resurrected and is forever alive with a human body. This should elevate the way we think of our body and consider the natural world, for God the Son has a body too. He is the firstfruits of the resurrection, meaning that His followers are also meant to undergo resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23). Our bodies that presently degenerate and die will be made new, and we will live again in them, never having to worry that they will wear out. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthian church, “What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable” (1 Corinthians 15:42, ESV).
Not only will our bodies be raised in glory, but the earth will be made new. The present heaven where believers go to after death is not where they will remain for eternity. Scripture teaches that the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth where He will dwell forever with humankind (Revelation 21:1-4). This new creation will be our eternal home (2 Peter 3:13).
Because we have a living Savior who died for us and was resurrected, we can know that death is not the end. Jesus has promised that those who believe in Him will live forever, even though we die. His identity as the Resurrection and Life changes everything (John 11:25).
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