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Where Do People Go After They Die?

My ten year old nephew, Skyler, asked where people go after they die. Do people go right to hell? Are Christians asleep (in the grave) until the coming of Christ, or do they go right to Heaven? These are excellent questions that he has asked, and the way to answer them is to pray for help from the Lord to find the answers, and to turn to God’s word to find them.

First of all, when people die they go to one of two places, depending on whether or not they have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ or they have rejected Him. Sheol (a Hebrew word from the OT, called Hades in the Greek NT) is where all people who die without Christ immediately go after they die. On the other hand, people that have received God’s gracious gift of salvation, through faith in Jesus’ work on the cross, go immediately into the presence of the Lord. In 2 Cor. 5:8, Paul said that he would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. In other words, to die is to go to be with the Lord in Heaven.

So, non-Christians go to Sheol/Hades and Christians go to be with the Lord. Hell is called Gehenna, or the Lake of Fire. It is prepared for the Devil and the fallen angels. The first ones to go there will be the anti-Christ and his false prophet (Revelation 20:10). Then Satan, and at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ, all of the "unrighteous dead", those that died without Christ and have been kept in Sheol, the place of the dead, until this time.

Jesus described this place in a story in Luke 16:19-31. It used to house the righteous dead also, until Jesus paid the price for our sin at the cross. That is when Christ led "captivity captive", if you remember that verse. He descended into this place before He rose again and brought Abraham and all of the Old Testament saints to heaven. Now all Christians go right to Heaven when they die and non-Christians go to Sheol until the final "white throne" judgement, spoken of in Rev. 20.

Now, "asleep" is just another way of saying “dead” in the Bible. Those who have “fallen asleep” in Christ are just Christians that have died. So, that really has nothing to do with sleeping or a particular place like the grave. Paul used these words in 1 Thessalonians when he wanted to clear up some confusion and misunderstanding about the rapture, the 2nd coming of Christ and where and how living and dead Christians alike fit in to these events. There were some believers that thought that their friends who were Christians and had died were going to miss out because the 2nd coming hadn't taken place yet. They were confused about Jesus' return and the establishment of His kingdom. They were rightly expecting His imminent return, like we are today.

Paul said, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep (your Christian brothers and sisters who have died), lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep (who have died) in Jesus (with faith in Jesus) (1 Thess 4:13-14).

He's telling them that those Christians that had died are with Jesus and He will bring them back with Him when He returns (the rapture, not the second coming is in view here).

Paul continues in verses 15 through 18, 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Paul is explaining that some Christians will be alive when Christ returns. This event is called the rapture of the church. The church on earth at that time will be caught up (rapturos in Latin) in the air with the Lord to meet those Christians who have already died and who are already with Jesus. Paul speaks of the rapture of the church again in 1 Cor. 15:51-54:

51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep (die), but we will all be changed— 52in 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. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

At that time, those Christians that are alive will go to meet all of the believers that have ever lived, and will be with Jesus in Heaven. Just after the rapture of the church from the planet, the earth is going to go through it's last 7 year period, the Great Tribulation (aka, the Day of the Lord or the Day of Jacob's Trouble). Revelation 4 and 5 give us a picture of what the Church is doing in Heaven at that time! Then the entire Church returns with Christ at His second coming, which is immediately after the end of the Tribulation period. Christ's eternal kingdom will be established, first with the Millennial reign of Christ (the thousand year reign), and then with the New Heaven and New Earth. All of this is described in the last three chapters of Revelation.

Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints (Jude 14). This statement by Jude is describing the 2nd coming of Christ, with His church. The rapture happens first, but no one knows the day or the hour of this event, so we are to be ready at any time. Are you ready? Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior and your Lord? If you have, you are filled with the joy of the Lord, and the hope of His coming and His glory. If you have not, just turn from your sin now and place your faith in Christ, receiving the free gift of eternal life that is only through Him. Not just an everlasting life, but a life of true satisfaction and joy as we learn to walk in step with our loving and faithful Creator.

*******I would recommend going through Revelation with Pastor Chuck Smith (one of many great Bible teachers). Find his free audio teachings at

http://calvarychapel.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=54

Another great resource is the Blue Letter Bible, found at

http://www.blueletterbible.org/

» left by Teresa^(1,342) (3 years 199 days ago.)

Hi Brian, so glad I caught this one, I was just about to log off :-)

 

You did a wonderful job explaining the difference between hell (the lake of fire) and hades I agree and believe the Scriptures teach this as well. This piece could be understood by a young person. Kudos to you for this!! I think one confusion between the rapture and the second coming is that some do not undertand that when Jesus comes for his church (whether one believes in pre-trib or pre-wrath) is that Jesus does not step foot on the earth, so it is not the second coming. The saddest thing to me is when believers divide and break fellowship because of a difference of opinion on the timing of the rapture. I say that here because I desire world-wide bible study to be a place where there can be differing perspectives without breaking fellowship. As we know, the rapture is a secondary issue.

 

Thanks again for a well-written and easily understood study.

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years 199 days ago.)

I agree that our understanding of the rapture should not cause division in the church. I have many friends at my current church that do not believe or know this view of the Scripture. But we do Bible studies and worship together and can look past it. I agree that it is a secondary issue, like most Bible prophecy. But, I can say that my walk with the Lord has improved and I have been comforted so much by this understanding of Scripture, as I know you have, as well.

But, there will be much more we learn than we currently know when we go to be with the Lord! For now we know in part only, but then we will know in full (1 Cor 13).

Hope your move has gone well. You are in our prayers always.

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» left by Marijo Phelps⁽¹³³⁾ (3 years 197 days ago.)

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts and what scripture says on this difficult topic! Marijo

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years 196 days ago.)

Thanks Marijo. Lord willing I can write more on the subject in the months to come. Or even better, maybe He will come to get us before I get a chance! May the Lord continue to bless you with His wisdom and love.

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» left by Lance Ponder⁽⁶¹⁾ (3 years 131 days ago.)

I'm not sure I would agree with your interpretation of rapture and tribulation, but it seems to me that you are right on with your explanation in answer to the title question. Thanks for sharing. Sorry I didn't notice this post a lot sooner.

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years 130 days ago.)

Thanks Lance. One thing I'm sure we agree on is that the Lord is coming soon to establish His Kingdom "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Grace and Peace,

Brian

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» left by Lance Ponder⁽⁶¹⁾ (3 years 130 days ago.)

Oh yes, absolutely. That's what counts. The details of how it comes about are subject to a lot of speculation, but the outcome is assured. That is our hope. Amen.

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» left by kristy from slidell,la. (3 years 118 days ago.)

what do u think happens to the non christians that dies because someone was raptured? like a plane crashed because the pilots are raptured up.

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years 118 days ago.)

Hello. Thank you for the question. You may need to clarify it a bit more, but I'll do my best to answer from a biblical perspective. What happens to a person's spirit after life in this decaying body will depend on their standing with God before their physical death. The Bible teaches that we are all spiritually dead from birth, separated from the life of God. By receiving Christ's sacrifice for our sin and being born of the Spirit of God, God accounts us right with Him by our faith in who Jesus is and what He did for us on the cross. God has put all authority under Christ, so we are either with Him or against Him. As far as the Bible is concerned, how you physically die would have no bearing on your final outcome. It's whether you had been born again by the Spirit of God before you physically died that determines your eternal condition. Hope that answers your question.

 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17)

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» left by kristy from slidell,la. (3 years 118 days ago.)

 

thank you for answering my question. i have one more if you do not mind. if you die before the rapture not believing in Christ there will be no second chance but if you are here after rapture and die or go through the tribulation and believe in Christ you are saved. so that means God is giving you a second chance only after rapture if you come to Christ and believe or am i wrong and something else has to happen for them to be saved. could you clarify this for me. thanks

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years 118 days ago.)

Thanks, Kristy. I will do my best to answer according to what the Bible says. Whether some one lives before the rapture or after the rapture, the one way that God has made for all of humanity to be made right with Him is through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus said that no one comes to God except through Him. When we put our faith in Christ, who He is and what He has done for us, we are accounted right in God's eyes and we are literally born of God's Spirit and filled with His Spirit. Jesus is God in the flesh, who died for each of our sins and has made a way for God to deal with sin in a just way but also to forgive us our sin and give us eternal life as a free gift of His grace and goodness. We have eternal life because of what Jesus did for us, not our own righteousness or works. See Romans 3:21-26 (I have a study on Rom. 3 on this very site)! After physical death, there is no second chance for any of us. It has always been that way and it always will be until the end of time as we know it, when God's Kingdom has fully come and there is no more pain or death. The Great Tribulation takes place directly after the rapture. Christians are removed and the one world leader comes on the scene with psuedo-world peace that lasts 3 1/2 years. After the church is removed, there will be people that had not received Christ that will immediately come to Him, but it will be too late to be part of the rapture. Those Christians are called the Tribulation Christians, or Tribulation Saints. Many Christians will be martyred for Christ during the Great Tribulation. They will go to be with the Lord at their death, just like Christians now that die before the rapture. So, the way God works with people before and after the rapture is basically the same, whether you are a Christian or not. The big difference is that the last 3 1/2 years of the Great Tribulation is the worst time earth has ever seen, it is the time that God pours out His just judgement on a disobedient and unbelieving world.

Hope this helps clarify. I would recommend going through Revelation with Pastor Chuck Smith (one of many great Bible teachers). I just placed a link to his free audio teaching at the end of the original article above.

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» left by Rachel from Sunbury, Ohio (3 years 76 days ago.)

My name is Rachel. I was really wondering if christians would go directly to heaven after they died. I thank you for explaining this to me. I have a question for you. The Bible says you will be rewarded for your good deeds/works, will christians be rewarded differently (according to their deeds/works)or is going to heaven the reward in it's self?

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years 76 days ago.)

Hi, Rachel. So happy to hear from you! I am blessed that the Lord was able to use my very brief study to help you in your assurance of going to be right in the presence of the Lord when He takes you home.

Your question about rewards for our works is an important one. I would say that going to Heaven is the reward that counts the most and will be pretty fantastic (there are no words to describe Heaven)!

First of all, our salvation, our "right-standing" with the Lord, is based on His grace alone- 100%. He counts us righteous by faith in Jesus alone. He gives us eternal life as a free gift. Even if we wanted to, we can do nothing to earn righteousness. So does the Bible teach that we will be rewarded in Heaven for our work in the Lord? The short answer is, yes! But, it is not about the works themselves, it's about the work we do in the Lord. It's about our heart and our motives in doing the work. It's about being faithful to do what He calls us to do for Him and by Him. One person may have a ministry that seems, from the outside, to produce very little fruit. Another person may have a very productive ministry. But God will reward each according to their faithfulness to stick to His leading and according to their true motives in doing the work.

There are a lot of teachings on rewards. Many, I think, are mislead. We have to remember that these are spiritual rewards and God's word does not attempt to explain them to any great depth. I would recommend listening to Pastor Chuck Smith from Calvary Chapel. He gives a useful commentary of 2 Cor. 5 that may be found here: calvarychapel. com/our_teachings.cfm

Another great resource is the Blue Letter Bible at: blueletterbible. org/index.cfm

Put in the word "reward" or "rewards" and see what verses come up. Try "crown" and "crowns", too.

Here are some additional verses that may help:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things DONE IN THE BODY, according to what He has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

"... and each one will receive His own reward ACCORDING TO HIS OWN LABOR." (1 Corinthians 3:8)

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone ACCORDING TO HIS WORK." (Revelation 22:12)

"... I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you ACCORDING TO YOUR WORKS." (Revelation 2:23)

So Jesus answered them and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brother or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or land, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a HUNDREDFOLD now in this time ... and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30)

May the Lord richly bless your study. Pray for Him to lead you and teach you about this subject.

Brian

 

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years 75 days ago.)

Hi, Rachel. So happy to hear from you! I am blessed that the Lord was able to use my very brief study to help you in your assurance of going to be right in the presence of the Lord when He takes you home.

Your question about rewards for our works is an important one. I would say that going to Heaven is the reward that counts the most and will be pretty fantastic (there are no words to describe Heaven)!

First of all, our salvation, our "right-standing" with the Lord, is based on His grace alone- 100%. He counts us righteous by faith in Jesus alone. He gives us eternal life as a free gift. Even if we wanted to, we can do nothing to earn righteousness. So does the Bible teach that we will be rewarded in Heaven for our work in the Lord? The short answer is, yes! But, it is not about the works themselves, it's about the work we do in the Lord. It's about our heart and our motives in doing the work. It's about being faithful to do what He calls us to do for Him and by Him. One person may have a ministry that seems, from the outside, to produce very little fruit. Another person may have a very productive ministry. But God will reward each according to their faithfulness to stick to His leading and according to their true motives in doing the work.

There are a lot of teachings on rewards. Many, I think, are mislead. We have to remember that these are spiritual rewards and God's word does not attempt to explain them to any great depth. I would recommend listening to Pastor Chuck Smith from Calvary Chapel. He gives a useful commentary of 2 Cor. 5. Refer to the web site address at the end of the original article above.

Another great resource is the Blue Letter Bible. This web site address is also at the end of the original article above.

Put in the word "reward" or "rewards" and see what verses come up. Try "crown" and "crowns", too.

Here are some additional verses that may help:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things DONE IN THE BODY, according to what He has done, whether good or bad." (2 Corinthians 5:10)

"... and each one will receive His own reward ACCORDING TO HIS OWN LABOR." (1 Corinthians 3:8)

"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone ACCORDING TO HIS WORK." (Revelation 22:12)

"... I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you ACCORDING TO YOUR WORKS." (Revelation 2:23)

So Jesus answered them and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brother or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or land, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a HUNDREDFOLD now in this time ... and in the age to come, eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30)

May the Lord richly bless your study. Pray for Him to lead you and teach you about this subject.

Brian

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» left by Bart⁽¹⁷⁾ (3 years 1 day ago.)

Hello Brian, I have been away from WWBS for awhile finishing school work, etc. I'm catching up on reading through articles. Thank you for this one; it's very timely. You took some doctrines that have been debated much over the years, and made them very clear and understandable. I always gain a deeper understanding of Scripture from your writing; thanks so much. Blessings always, Bart

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (3 years ago.)

Thanks, Bart, that's really nice to hear. Blessings to you, as well!

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» left by Ann from Ellensburg, WA (2 years 258 days ago.)

Hi Brian,

I am new to this wonderful site and have now bookmarked it for present and future reading and reference. I am a Christian and so is my husband. We belong to a Bible Study and the question came up about our final judgement. One person felt even though they asked for forgiveness they would still need to explain at the judgement as to the sin they had committed. I thought if you were repentant and asked for forgiveness you are forgiven and God does not then remember your sin (Psalm 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.) Is this true? Can you give me some scripture to study so that I can speak to this question?

 

Thank you and God Bless you and for sharing your gifts!

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (2 years 258 days ago.)

Hi, Ann. Thank you for your comment and question. It is so encouraging to hear back from folks that have been helped by WWBS! Thank you for the encouragement and blessing.

I think you have brought up a very good question. I know you are right about the Lord not remembering our sin anymore because of Jeremiah 31:34 and verses like David's in Psalm 103:12. And because that's just the Good News, isn't it?! So, here's how I would reconcile these two ideas presented by yourself and your friend from Bible study.

2 Cor. 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."

The word judgement here in the Greek is "bema". Paul is referencing the "bema seat" or "bema judgment" of Christ. This judgment takes place sometime after the rapture of the church but before the 2nd coming of Christ. So, it needs to be differentiated from the final "great white throne judgment" in Revelation 20:11-15. The bema judgment is for Christians only, no unbelievers will take part. And the judgment won't be a judgment on sin, but a rewarding for the things "done in the body", that is, during our lives here on earth. The bad things were covered by the cross and God is not holding them against us anymore. PTL! In Psalm 103, "remember" is a funny word. Sometimes in the Bible, the writer is stuck with the difficult task of using human language to describe eternal things, or God Himself. Now, we know that God knows all things and always has, so He cannot learn. He can't really "forget" or "remember" like we do because He always knows everything! God spoke through Jeremiah in 31:34 and said, "For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." What Jeremiah means is that God will not hold our iniquity against us. It's like receiving an acquital from the court for a crime that we have committed. It is wiped from the record and we are found not guilty. That's the Gospel, that Jesus died for our sin once and for all, so that it has been laid on Him and accounted to Him. It has been removed from us (as far as the east is from the west), so that it is no longer counted against us. Of course God knows of it, but He no longer brings it up or holds it against us, He "remembers" it no more! Thank you Jesus!

So, I think your friend has a valid point in that there will be a day that everyone is accountable to God. For Christians that day will be about 1007 years before that day for non-Christians because it happens in Heaven, after the rapture but at the beginning of the 7 year Great Tribulation taking place back on earth. Then the second coming and the 1000 year reign of Christ (the millenium), hence the 7 plus 1000, then the final judgment of the unbeleiving dead in Rev. 20. So, you may point him/her to 2 Cor. 5 and encourage them that the bema seat is not a judgment on sin but a rewarding for things done (or no reward for things not done) for Christ. We won't have to explain our sin to God (as believers) because it has mercifully been forgiven and removed. "Bema" is the word the Greeks used to describe the judges' seats at the olympics for scoring and rewarding, but they used a different word for that place in court. Unbelievers, on the otherhand, will be held accountable for their works since they had not received the free gift of grace and forgiveness during their lifetimes.

Hope this helps! Also see Romans 4:5-8 and Psalm 32:1-2. Lord bless! Thanks, Ann.

Brian

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» left by Teresa Ortiz (2 years 253 days ago.)

Hello Ann.

Many blessings to you , I 'm so glad you are planning on coming back to visit.

It's wonderful to hear from our readers. May the Lord continue to bless you and your husband as you seek to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord.

 

Teresa

 

 

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» left by jodie howard from jamaica (2 years 199 days ago.)

thank u so much for explaining the concept of the comming of christ and every thing that influences it. Due to the fact that im young its hard to understand revelations and the ways of gods plan . Now that i have seen this i pretty much can reason and debate with friends and family about this specific topic.

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (2 years 196 days ago.)

Thank you, Jodie. May the Lord bless you in your studies of His Word and give you insight by His Spirit. Check out the link at the end of the article for the Revelation Bible study by Pastor Chuck Smith at Calvary Chapel. Awesome!

^{Ephesians 1:15-23} Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

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» left by lapuritsha from home (2 years 147 days ago.)

i think u are right cause people in this world is no listen to jesus and when it is there time to go meet the lord they will ask for more time.But they should not cause

 

when they should be doing by the lord instead

 

of doing things they should not do.

 

(thank u for the word god bless)

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» left by Brian Farrell⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ (2 years 146 days ago.)

Thank you for your comment. May the Lord bless you greatly with the peace and joy that come from Him alone.

"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation (Heb 9:27-28)."

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