Life After Death - What Does the Bible Say?

I'm not big on statistics and as a matter of fact I think I failed my first statistics test but here is a stat that is fairly easy to grasp and hard to deny. One hundred percent of people who are born will die. Now I know Enoch and Elijah were taken up to heaven without dying but I think that will work itself out in the Tribulation. . . but I digress.

People are certainly intrigued and not surprisingly curious about what happens to us when we die. Movies like Paranormal Activity, Ghost, The Sixth Sense and books like The Shack have been wildly popular. There are many beliefs regarding the afterlife such as heaven, reincarnation, purgatory, wandering the earth as spirit beings, absorption into the cosmic energy, a wild party with seventy virgins, and I'm sure you can come up with a few more but what does the Bible say about life after death? What would you say to someone who asked? What did Jesus and his disciples say about it? Let's take a look into the Word of God for some answers! This is a topic for a lengthy book and some of it is unclear but let's at least get our feet in the door. I'm sure I'll get a bunch of emails from folks who will not like what we find but remember that these aren't my words. I'm just delivering the mail. So don't shoot the mailman.

First, the Bible says that there is a different destination for those who are "in Christ" from those who are not. There is also a difference between those who died prior to and those who died after the resurrection of Christ. Prior to the Resurrection of Christ, all of the dead (their souls) were said to have been in Sheol (Hebrew). This seems to be true for those who had faith (looking ahead to the Messiah) and also the lost but Jesus tells a story in Luke 16 that points to a separation or chasm between the saved and unsaved in Sheol.

Luke 16:23-24

In hell (Sheol),where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

Paul tells us, for believers who die after the resurrection of Jesus, that when we are absent from the body we will be present with the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 5 and Philippians 1). Likewise, when the man on the cross next to Jesus said "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus comforted him by telling him that "Today you will be with me in Paradise." Jesus spoke these words in John chapter 11, " "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." So, until Jesus returns, the souls of those who died in Christ will be with Him in heaven and their bodies will remain in the ground until the resurrection of the dead.

So what about unbelievers (the unsaved) who died after the resurrection of Christ? The book of Revelation reveals that the unsaved will be confined until the day of judgment in Hades which is the same as Sheol in the Old Testament. There is also the word Gehenna which was a literal burning waste dump outside of the walls of Jerusalem but is translated "hell". It is a picture of the lake of fire we will see about soon.

Revelation 20:13

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done.

The grave, the sea, death, and hades all were used seemingly to designate a place of the dead until the Day of Judgement. In 2 Peter we see that the angels who rebelled with Satan are also held until the day of judgment in a place called Tartarus.

Then what?

We'll the Bible tells us that one day the Lord will return for his bride (the Church). It describes an event in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 4 that many call the "Rapture". Now before you say, "The word 'rapture' is not in the Bible!" I would tell you that neither is the word "Bible". For now just listen to Paul's description:

The Coming of the Lord

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

The phrase "caught up" is from the Greek "harpadzo" from which we get the word "harpoon". It can be translated "snatched up" as well. The same word translated in the Latin is "raptus" or "rapturo" which is where the term rapture comes from. So the point being, when Jesus comes for his Church, the bodies of those who died in Christ will literally rise and be joined again with their souls that have been with Christ. Those who are alive at the time of the event will be instantaneously transformed (given imperishable bodies) and taken to be with Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

Confused yet? Probably, so let's get to some clearer waters.

It is clear that, for now, our bodies go into the grave and our souls either go to be with the Lord or are held until the Judgement Day. So the question is "What then?" There is a term that we hear eight times in the Bible from Psalm 69, Philippians 4, and in the Book of Revelation. That phrase is the "Book of Life", also called the "Lamb's Book of Life" in Revelation 21. In all cases the Book of Life contains the names of the saved, the righteous, those belonging to the Lamb of God. The second concept that appears a number of times is the "wedding feast" or "wedding banquet". Jesus tells the story in Matthew 22 and Matthew 25. It's a picture of the final destination of believers but also the separation of the condemned:

Matthew 22:11-13

"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless. "Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Revelation 19:9

Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!' " And he added, "These are the true words of God."

So where does that leave us? After Jesus comes for his Bride he will then return not as a little baby in a manger but as a King riding on a white horse to make war with Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet. He won't be alone but will be with his bride (the church). He will be victorious and will bind Satan in the great Abyss for one thousand years during which time he will rule and reign on the earth. After the thousand years are over Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and the final Judgement will take place.

Revelation 19

The Rider on the White Horse

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

After the thousand year reign of Christ, the Bible tells us that at the Judgement "books" will be opened and all people great and small will be judged according to what was written in the books. We already mentioned the Lamb's Book of Life. The names in that book are there not based on their own righteousness but on the righteousness of Jesus received by grace through faith in him. Everyone who's name was not written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire along with death and Hades.

Revelation 20

The Dead Are Judged

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Wow! Hope you're still with me. Almost done. This is the best part:

Revelation 21

The New Jerusalem

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

Well, that's a whole lot of info for a blog post but it doesn't work without the whole picture. I've left a bunch out and probably have you scratching your head but go back and take it slowly and get into the Word. Pray for God's discernment and wisdom. Lastly, if you are still in the land of the undecided or the land of the lost, God wants all people to come to repentance. The Word says, that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. Have you called on Him?

Peace,

David