One way in which the “end” affects us all is that someday we will all die. Every human being is aware, to one degree or another, of this truth. It is a dark cloud that hovers over our lives. The apostle Paul gives this hopeful encouragement in 1 Thessalonians 4:13: “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” While the subject of death may be frightening for some, for the Christian, there is light and hope beyond death. We are promised that God has wonderful plans for us in the next life, after death.
Christians know that the purpose of our lives is to be in relationship with God now and to see the fulfillment of that relationship in eternity. Our relationship with God is also tied to our relationship with others, because we are to love others as God loves us (1 John 3:14-16). It was for the sake of relationship that Jesus Christ came into our world.
Jesus’ earthly ministry inaugurated the reality of the eternal kingdom. So, that’s when the time of the end actually began (see Hebrews 1:2; 1 Peter 1:20; Acts 2:17).[1] There’s a very real sense in which, biblically, we are already living in the end times—that is, in the final era before Jesus returns a second time. We are now waiting for Jesus Christ to return as our conquering king, as he will consummate the eternal promises of God, in the new heaven and new earth.
What happens at death according to the Bible? “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”
Yet, for centuries as we have waited for the return of King Jesus, people have died. Although starting with the next chapter, we will begin exploring what happens at the end of this “already, but not yet” era, it’s important to think about what happens when people die today—when they experience their own “end.”
Throughout this article, we will encourage you to think about death as taking us to a realm Christians often call the “intermediate state.” Those who die, like those of us who are still living, wait for the second coming of Jesus. The Bible indicates that those who have died are in a temporary waiting place, which is divided into two parts, one characterized by paradise and the other by torment (more below).[2]
From what we have seen, people are often confused about what Scripture teaches in regard to what happens when we die. However, having clarity on this subject is the first and most important part of understanding what the Bible says about end times because it is a reality with which we live. We all have loved ones, friends, and relatives who have died. And we too all need to look forward to the day when we die, unless Jesus comes back first.
What happens at death according to the Bible? “The Bible indicates that those who have died are in a temporary waiting place, which is divided into two parts, one characterized by paradise and the other by torment.”
There are different key expressions associated with death in Scripture, so we want to start by defining them.
What is Sheol?
Sheol is a Hebrew word in the Old Testament which simply refers to the realm of the dead. It is a synonym for “death,” “the place of the dead,” or “the place of departed spirits.”
What is Hades?
Hades is a Greek word typically thought of as the equivalent to sheol, in the sense of being a general reference to “the place of the dead.” Yet the New Testament does not explicitly follow this pattern, as it typically uses Hades as the negative destination for the souls of the dead in death, in a state of torment.
What is paradise?
Paradise is a word used to describe the realm in God’s presence for the righteous after death. The souls of the righteous, at death, go directly into the part of Sheol called “paradise,” “heaven,” or “Abraham’s bosom.”
“Paradise is a word used to describe the realm in God’s presence for the righteous after death.”
What is hell?
This is a reference to where the wicked go, after being in the intermediate state once Jesus returns and the final judgment has taken place. The Greek word for hell is gehenna (see Matthew 5:29; 23:33). The word was also a geographical place, a valley in Jerusalem used as a perpetual burn pile.
What are the new heavens and new earth?
This is the place the saved go, after being in the intermediate state once Jesus returns and the final judgment has taken place (see Revelation 21:1ff).
Hades and Paradise
The Bible indicates that all people who die go to one of two waiting places for the dead, where they will be conscious in a soul state. The names often used are Hades and paradise.[3] These two places are the result of the temporary, but immediate judgment at death by God. Although the final judgment at the end of time is still to come, the final judgment will confirm this temporary verdict, as these two places are waiting places. And, as we will see below, a chasm has been fixed; a person cannot move from Hades to paradise or paradise to Hades (Luke 16:26).
You might think of Hades as a termporary judgment while a person waits for the return of Jesus and the final judgment. It is similar to the concept of being in prison awaiting a trial for committing a murder. The person is awaiting a trial in which the verdict will be no surprise and after which the full sentence will be carried out.
The Bible indicates that this temporary judgment is not just for humans, but it is also for the angels who revolted against God.
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.” (2 Peter 2:4, NIV)
“And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.” (Jude 1:6, NIV)
What happens at death according to the Bible? “The Bible indicates that this temporary judgment is not just for humans, but it is also for the angels who revolted against God.”
You also might picture paradise as a wonderful, yet temporary, place. By analogy, you might envision a couple who goes on a luxury cruise to a tropical island as a retirement celebration before they settle into a new home in a beautiful retirement village in Florida. Each person experiences an immediate foretaste of the final destination to which he or she is moving.
Thus, those who had active faith in Jesus Christ in this life move immediately to paradise at death. When Jesus was crucified on the cross, there was a thief who was being crucified alongside him. The thief placed his faith in Christ right there, on the cross, and asked Jesus to remember him in his death. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43, NIV).
In 2 Corinthians 5:8, the apostle Paul describes this state of blessedness when he says, “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” Again, in Philippians 1:22-24 he says:
“If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” (NIV)
What happens at death according to the Bible? “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.”
The book of Revelation describes something similar when it depicts those who have died and are waiting for human history to come to an end. These souls are constantly praising God and being blessed by him, in paradise, awaiting the return of Christ and the final judgment. Aware of injustice on the earth, they cry out to God. Using symbolic language, the writer of Revelation describes their plea for justice:
“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.” (Revelation 6:9-11, NIV)
Various other scriptures in the Bible point to a person’s disembodied transition to paradise and the presence of the Lord in death. For example, the apostle Paul simply stated that to be away from the body was to be “at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8; see also Acts 7:59; 20:37-38; and 2 Corinthians 12:2).
What happens at death according to the Bible? “Various other scriptures in the Bible point to a person’s disembodied transition to paradise and the presence of the Lord in death.”
In this same way, Hades is the destination of those who did not accept the grace of Jesus Christ. This is a place of punishment and torment. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus describes the sad state of the rich man. It says, “The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment . . .” (Luke 16:22-23). It is a chilling description. Here is the full story told by Jesus:
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, 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.’
But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31, NIV)
“The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away.”
Those who dwell in the realm of the dead are waiting for the end of human history as we know it. The Bible teaches that this will happen when Jesus Christ returns to this world. His return is the single most important event in the future.
[1] Adrio Konig discusses the implications of this teaching in his book, The Eclipse of Christ in Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1989).
[2] For a full and complete discussion of material contained in this chapter, consult Anthony Hoekema’s book, The Bible and the Future (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1979).
[3] See George Ladd, The Last Things (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1978) and Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and The Future (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979).
