One of the greatest questions in life is what happens to us after we die. One could say that the purpose of religion… all religion… is to answer that one question. Throughout history, the founders, theologians and philosophers of the world’s many religions have tackled this question, seeking to come up with an answer that would both comfort and encourage their followers, to go in the “right” direction; whatever that may be.
Many religions, especially ancient ones, make reference to the place of the dead as the “underworld,” using whatever term might be correct in their native language. It is interesting to note that this realm of the dead is almost always under our feet. Even Christianity and Judaism refer to Hell as being “down,” as if it were in the center of the earth. In many of these religions, the underworld is divided into several levels, which either have to be traveled through after death or where different categories of people are separated from each other (keeping the righteous and unrighteous apart). The stories and explanations of this underworld and what happens after death are one of the defining characteristics of any religion.
Compared to other religious writings, the Bible has very little to say about hell or the underworld. We know that Hell exists and that it is a place of torment, created for Satan and his demons. We also know that Satan is working overtime to take as many human souls there with him as he can. But there is actually more said about Hell in the Bible, than there is about heaven.
It is possible that this is because our human minds are incapable of grasping the reality of heaven as it actually is. Paul spoke of “a man” who went to heaven, as if it were a different person entirely. Yet most theologians agree that he was actually talking about himself and an experience that he had.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. – 2 Corinthians 12:2-4
There are two important things to be seen in this passage. First, Paul says that this man, whether it was himself or some other, “heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” This is not surprising, considering that Paul himself had been a Pharisee, before his encounter with Jesus. Jews did not and still do not, even today, speak or write the name of God. Their reason for this is that they don’t know the right way to pronounce it, as the ancient texts were written without vowels. Rather than insult God, by mispronouncing His name, they just use the more generic term “Lord” or “Elohim.”
The other thing we need to look at is the idea that “it is not lawful for a man to utter;” taking that out of a Jewish context. While the Jewish people do not say the name of God, Christians do. Laying Pharisaical legalism on Christians is not only the wrong thing to do, but something that Paul avoided, fighting against others who tried to do so. With that in mind, it makes no sense that he would be telling Christians that it was unlawful (under Jewish laws) for them to utter the name of God. Therefore, he must have been making reference to something else.
Could it be that our understanding of this verse is flawed? Rather than the idea that it is unlawful to say these things, could it be that it is impossible to express what he saw in heaven? How do you describe a color that doesn’t exist here? What about the song of the trees? The experience of waking in the River of Life and breathing in the waters? There are probably many things in heaven, which have no parallel on earth, so are therefore impossible to explain.
Even so, the Bible does give us some key insight into heaven; both of its existence and the very nature of heaven itself. Not only do we know that it exists; but we have some idea of what parts of it are like. It is clear, from various references to heaven and hell, that they are separated from one another and that Hell has different parts, much as the “levels” of the underworld that many religions describe.
We also know, with surety, that there is life after death. That is not only proven out by the words of Jesus, who talked about that life, but also by the people who rose from the dead, when He was crucified.
And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. – Matthew 27:50-53
Please note here, that this speaks of “bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep;” we will speak of that later. But for now, the existence of this event, recorded in Biblical history, disproves the idea that this life is all that there is and that once we die, that’s the end. If that were the case, those people could not have been raised from the dead.
Separation Between Heaven and Hell
Jesus Himself made reference to the separation between heaven and hell, in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Paraphrasing, to try and shorten the story, it is a contrast between the life of an unnamed rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Both died, with the rich man going to Hades or Sheol and Lazarus going to the Bosom of Abraham. The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus, with just one drop of water, to cool his tongue.
But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’” – Luke 16:25-26
We do not know if Jesus was speaking literally or figuratively here and may never know. It would require dying to have the opportunity to see what He spoke of here. Nonetheless, this shows us that not all dead people end up in the same place, with some going to a place of comfort, while others go to a place of eternal suffering.
If there was a separation between the place where the rich man, whom we assume was unrighteous, was to spend eternity and the Bosom of Abraham, where Lazarus was, how much more so between heaven and hell?
What is the Bosom of Abraham?
Jesus made specific reference in that parable to a place called the “Bosom of Abraham.” In this, He was speaking in the Jewish understanding, as His audience was basically Jews. This place is the place where righteous, observant Jews were sent, after their death, while awaiting the coming of the Messiah. They couldn’t yet go to heaven, because the Messiah had not yet come, but it was not necessary for them to go to the suffering of hades.
The term “paradise,” used in some Christian literature, probably applies to the Bosom of Abraham, rather than to heaven itself. It could very well be that some Christian theologians have equated what happened to the Jews, before the time of Jesus, to what happens to Christian believers after the time of Jesus. The two are quite different, as we will see.
What is Hades?
Hades is actually a term invented by the Greeks and that pertains to their religion, even though we find it used in the Bible. In Greek mythology, Hades is both the name of the underworld and the name of the god who rules over it. He was also known as Pluto. He was the one who presided over the wealth that is buried in the ground.
As with many religions, the Greek understanding of the underworld was a place of the dead, consisting of their different levels. It contained both their version of heaven (Elysium) and hell (Tartarus), as well as the Asphodel Meadows, which was where the majority of souls would end up, being neither good enough for Elysium, nor bad enough for Tartarus.
Christians and Jews have adopted the word Hades, as a more polite word for hell. However, the two religions don’t understand it the same. To Christians, Hades is Hell; but to Jews, there are seven levels in the realm of the dead, which they refer to as “Sheol.” The highest of these is the Bosom of Abraham, where the righteous await the Messiah and the lowest is the Lake of Fire, which is reserved for Satan and the fallen angels.
An Important Point About Timing
Studying heaven, hell, hades and anything else involving the afterlife and understanding what the Bible says about it can be a bit confusing. The problem is one of timing. We normally understand the Old Testament and New Testaments as being different dispensations, each with its own grace. The grace of the New Testament improves on that of the Old.
Here’s the problem though; the grace of the New Testament couldn’t exist before the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension into heaven of Jesus Christ. This means that everything Jeus did, while walking here upon the earth, was done under the grace of the Old Testament. This is probably why He said, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). We are able to do those “greater works” because He has ascended to His Father, beginning the dispensation and grace of the New Testament.
Requirements For Entry into Heaven
There are many ideas about what it takes to get into heaven, some of which come from taking only parts of the Bible into account, while ignoring others. Many people have the idea that one gets into heaven by their good deeds, as if the acts of their life are put on a balance, seeing if the good deeds outweigh the bad. While Muslims believe this, there is no place for it in the Bible.
Such a belief can easily come from focusing on the Old Testament Law. Many Christians believe that the Jews are saved by obedience to that Law. But Paul clarified this, showing that Jews are saved in the same way that Christians are.
We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. – Galatians 2:15-16
If this is the case and Jews aren’t saved by obedience to the Law, then why does the Law exist? It exists for the sole purpose of demonstrating to us, that we need a Savior, because none of us can follow the Law perfectly. As Paul wrote to the Romans:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23
It is not obedience to the Law, being perfect in and of ourselves, that gets us into heaven. None of us are capable of this. Rather, it is the saving grace of Jesus Christ which does it. Accepting Him as our Lord and Savior is what saves us.
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9
Four Categories of People
When talking about what happens to those who die, we must realize that the same thing doesn’t happen to everyone. We have not all lived the same life and do not all have the same relationship with God. Some have served God with their whole heart and some have served themselves. Even worse, some have consciously made a decision to serve the devil himself.
While there can be many shadings of this service, we can break people down into four basic categories:
- Christians, as identified by those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, after His death, resurrection and ascension.
- Early Christians, a small group of people, who accepted Jesus before He died and began the grace of the New Testament.
- Practicing Jews, those who have served God to whatever degree.
- Non-believers, meaning all those who have rejected God for whatever reason, including those who have paid no more than lip service to God.
In order to gain a full understanding of what happens to people in the time between death and Judgment Day, we must look at each of these three groups of people and what the Bible says about them.
Christian Who Died After Jesus
The Bible, as we know it today, is written largely for the purpose of showing people how to join this group. God’s first goal in any of our lives, is that we might come into proper relationship with Him. That’s why Jesus went to the Cross, so that we might be forgiven from our sins. The Bible makes reference to the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelations 21:27 and others), as the place where the names of those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and therefore have a right to go to heaven.
One big question is when those who have accepted Christ go to heaven. This is the confusion I was talking about, where we misunderstand about timing. However, Paul gave us a very clear understanding of what happens to those who have chosen Jesus, once they leave their physical bodies in death:
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8
This is the eternal hope for all who believe in Jesus, as the Christ, the Messiah; that we too will be present with the Lord, once our physical bodies die. At that time, there is nothing to keep us from heaven. All the necessary requirements have been met, as long as we have received Him and dedicated our lives to His purpose.
There are those who teach that Christians can be held out of heaven for their sins, such as the Catholic Church. One such example, is that they say that someone who has committed suicide can’t go to heaven, because they don’t have a chance to ask for forgiveness for their sin. But it is not sin that keeps us from heaven, it is a failure to accept Jesus Christ.
Practicing Jews who Die
We read earlier about the rich man and Lazarus and I promised to expound on that. The place where Lazarus was, wasn’t heaven, it is referred to as the Bosom of Abraham. It is a paradise, where those who served Jehovah and had faith in Him, “slept” awaiting the coming of the Messiah. It started with Adam and Eve and apparently was still in existence in the time of Jesus, otherwise, he would not have mentioned it. Jesus descended there, during the three days between his death and resurrection, to preach to those who were awaiting Him.
Therefore he says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” 9 (now this, “He ascended” – what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) – Ephesians 4:8-10
How is it determined which people get to go to the Bosom of Abraham and which don’t? We don’t actually know. However, the verse I quoted earlier, where Paul talked about Jews being saved the same way that Christians are, by faith in the Messiah, may be the answer. Those Jews who were trusting in and looking forward to the coming of their Messiah would be counted as righteous and allowed into the Bosom of Abrahm, while those who didn’t seek God would not. It was said of Abraham: “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Romans 4:9).
To be fair, there are those who dispute the claim that Jesus descended to the Bosom of Abraham, ignoring the aforementioned parable to do so. However, that doesn’t eliminate what Jesus said or the existence of a place where the Jews who had died awaited their Messiah.
Christians Who Died Before Jesus
One of the two thieves that hung on the crosses on either side of Jesus gave us the opportunity to hear from Jesus Himself, what happens to those who accept Him in this life. The first thief blasphemed, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us” (Luke 23:39). He obviously only cared about being saved from crucifixion, not about the saving of his soul. But the other rebuked him and then asked Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42).
Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” – Luke 23:42
It should be noted that the Greek word “paradise” in that verse, is not the same one used for “heaven.” It is more accurately translated as “a walled garden.” In light of this, it is actually more closely related to the Bosom of Abraham, than it is to heaven; and very well may be the same place. That’s where believers went, just as the Jews did, while awaiting the Messiah.
Those Who Have Rejected Christ
This leaves us a large group of people who have rejected Christ, either intentionally or through their inaction in not accepting Him, both in Old Testament and New Testament times. Those people die as well and aren’t allowed into the Bosom of Abraham, any more than they are allowed into heaven, as we saw in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
These are probably the people who the Bible makes reference to as being “asleep” in a number of places, such as those who rose from the dead when Jesus was crucified. They are awaiting Judgement Day, when they will be awakened to find out if they will get into heaven or not.
Sadly, there are probably many people in this last group, who think they are “good people” deserving of heaven. But they don’t get to decide whether they get into heaven or not. God has established the basis for salvation and He is not going to change it for anyone, regardless of their reasoning.
What About Purgatory?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that when people die, they don’t immediately go to hell. Rather, they go to a place of waiting, called Purgatory. The name “purgatory” identifies it as a place of cleansing, where people who have died make atonement for their sins while alive here on earth. While we associate this idea with Catholicism, it actually stems from a number of pagan writers, such as Plato and Heraclides Ponticus.
The word “purgatory” doesn’t exist in the Bible. It was not taught by Jesus, Paul, the Early Church or any of the Church Fathers. Rather, it came into use around 1200, with the Catholic church defining it and the time that people had to spend in it, in order to atone for their sins. This is shortly after the time that the church started selling indulgences. At first, those indulgences were only granted to those who participated in the Crusades, giving them a guaranteed ticket into heaven. but before long, they were offered to the church at large, in exchange for cash contributions.
What the doctrine of purgatory did, was give the Catholic church a very strong lever to use in controlling people, allowing them to reach beyond the grave, so to speak, getting their followers to do things, for the purpose of alleviating the amount of time their family members who had passed away would have to spend in purgatory. While that time would be reduced by certain acts or by buying indulgences, nobody ever know how much time one had to spend in purgatory, if nothing was done to shorten the time.
It was the selling of indulgences which sparked the Reformation, as that was Martin Luther’s main argument with the church. For this reason, protestant churches do not accept the doctrine of purgatory; only Catholics do.
When You Die
When you die, what will happen will depend totally on whether or not you have received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It is not our bad deeds which keep us out of heaven or our good ones which get us in the door. It says in Isaiah, “All our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). So, no matter how many good deeds we do, it’s not enough to get us in the door. If we are counting on our righteousness or aren’t counting on anything, we’ll end up “asleep,” awaiting Judgement Day.
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. – Matthew 25:31-33
To save time, I won’t write out the rest. Basically, He invites those who are the “sheep” (righteous ones) to enter into the kingdom of heaven, but tells those who are “goats” (unrighteous) to go to the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels; in other words, the lake of fire.
We must all make a decision as to which group we belong to. Only that will get our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. There will be no chance to change our minds on that day. Unless we make that decision now, we could end up in that lake of fire, along with the devil.
There are many today who say that everyone deserves to go to heaven and that a loving God wouldn’t send anyone there. In saying this, they are trying to play God themselves, deciding the rules that God will abide by. They are trying to make God in their image, rather than being remade into the image of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29). God does not follow their rules; He is sovereign and they need to follow His.
As for the issue about God sending people to hell, they’re looking at it the wrong way. God isn’t sending anyone to hell, they’re going there on their own. He has made provision for them, so that they don’t have to go there. If they refuse to accept the provision that He has made, that’s their fault, not His. That’s the price for not accepting God’s free offer of salvation.