WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?
What happens after physical death is a concern of most humans. Religion and philosophy provide dozens of perspectives as to this question. In this series of essays, we will limit our discussion of this issue to the various view points extant within the Christian religious system. Our discussion will examine the doctrine of the immortality of the soul and the various concepts of hell. We will discuss what it means to be resurrected from the dead and how this defines our eternal destiny. We will address the critical and difficult issue of what happens to the “unsaved” dead. Scriptural quotes will be from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.
A foundational Christian belief is that through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we escape the consequences of sin which the scriptures define as death, perishing, and destruction. Because many believe the soul is immortal, physical death is not seen as cessation of life, but as continuation of life in heaven or eternal conscious torment in a place called hell. Faith in the sacrifice of Christ is seen as the only pathway to escaping hell and such faith must be expressed before physical death takes place. This belief consigns to hell billions of humans who have never had opportunity to express faith in Christ, or failed to respond to such opportunity when it was presented. This position teaches the “saved” go to heaven when they die and the “unsaved” go to hell. Interestingly, those who hold to this position often believe a future resurrection to life will take place. This would appear to necessitate the immortal saved leaving their heavenly abode and returning to a resuscitated body.
A variation on this popular teaching is that there exists an intermediate location called purgatory. It is believed that some souls are not sufficiently free from sin in order to enter heaven immediately but neither are they so sinful as to be destined for hell. Such souls must endure a period of purification in order to achieve the holiness necessary to enter heaven.
Another belief is that Christians pass from death unto life at the time they accept Christ as savior and upon physical death go directly to heaven to be with God. Under this perspective, a future resurrection is seen as superfluous as the saved are already with God and there is no need to be resurrected to an eternal life you already possess. Those who take this position have mixed beliefs as to the fate of the ‘unsaved” dead.
A third belief held by Christians is that when we die we “sleep” in the grave until resurrected to eternal life. Some believe three resurrections are identified in the scriptures. The first resurrection takes place at a yet to occur return of Christ when the “dead in Christ” will rise and be given eternal life along with those “in Christ” who are physically alive at the time. The second resurrection is seen to occur at the end of an earthly thousand year (millennial) reign of Christ at which time the billions of humans who have died without Christ will be resurrected to physical life and given opportunity to accept Jesus and be saved. After a period of time, a third resurrection is seen to occur where those who have refused to accept Christ will be resurrected to physical life and thrown into the lake of fire where they are burned up, never to exist again. Under this perspective the soul is not seen as immortal. Hell (Greek hades) is simply seen as the grave and the final solution for the wicked is their annihilation in the lake of fire (An equivalent to the Greek Gehenna).
Still other Christians do not see salvation as limited to this physical life but believe God will provide this opportunity beyond the grave. Some who take this position believe temporary remedial punishment may take place for the wicked with most making choices that will reconcile them to God and eternal life in heaven. Some Christians take this a step further and believe all humans will eventually be granted salvation. This overall position is sometimes referred to as universal salvation, universal reconciliation or the doctrine of comprehensive grace.
The various perspectives on life after death are often a mixture of scriptural concepts and concepts derived from philosophers and other thinkers down through the centuries. In this series, we will limit our investigation to what the Biblical Scriptures teach on this issue. We will begin by looking at the concept of the immortality of the soul.
IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL:
What is the soul? Some believe the soul is a preexisting conscious entity that is placed in the human body at birth and continues to exist after the body dies. Others believe the soul is created at the birth of a human and continues to live after physical death. Those who take these positions see human souls as being created immortal which means they will live forever and cannot be destroyed. Upon death of the body, the soul is seen as living forever either with God in heaven or with Satan and the demons in hell. This is the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. Others see the soul as mortal by nature and able to be destroyed or made immortal by God.
In the Hebrew Scriptures the English word soul is translated from the Hebrew Nehphesh. The Greek equivalent is Pseuche. Nehphesh appears hundreds of times in the OT and Pseuche appears 105 times in the NT. The basic meaning of this word is breath of life or life and is translated into English as life many times. Soul is the life of a living creature and is applied to both animal and human life in scripture.
We read in Genesis 1:20, “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life” (Nehphesh) KJV. In Genesis 2:7 it is recorded that “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Nehphesh), and the man became a living being” (Nehphesh).
God breathed into the physical nostrils of man and life was imparted to the physical body. Scripture reveals all life comes from God. Scripture actually shows God, Himself, as having soul (Matthew 12:18, Hebrews 10:38). God’s soul is intrinsically immortal as God has no beginning or end. In physical creatures, soul is seen to be in the blood and the shedding of blood produces physical death. Jesus died by shedding His blood in order to achieve atonement for mankind.
Leviticus 17:11: For the life (Nehphesh) of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life (Nehphesh).
We see throughout the scriptures that both animal and human souls physically die. Many scriptures clearly show the human soul is subject to death. The prophet Ezekiel wrote “the soul (Nehphesh) that sins will die” (Ezekiel 18:4 &20). Is this referring only to a physical death of the soul while it animates a physical body or does the soul, itself, die? If the soul is intrinsically immortal by nature, it cannot die or be destroyed. There are scriptures, however, that clearly show the human soul can be destroyed and immortality is something granted to humans and not something we are born with.
Matthew 10:28: Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).
The implication in this statement is that when the human body is killed by man, the soul is not killed in any final sense. The soul can only be destroyed by God. This also tells us the soul is not intrinsically immortal. It can be destroyed. If only God can destroy a soul, what happens to the soul upon physical death? Where does it go?
It is apparent from the scriptures that God provides soul to animate the physical body, whether it is animal or human. Soul is associated with the breath of life which comes from God. This breath of life called soul does not appear to continue as a immortal, conscious and cognitive entity following physical death. Soul is the life that gives animation to the physical body. Soul does not appear to function independent of its association with a body whether it is a physical body or a spiritual body. It appears soul goes back to God who gave it just as human spirit goes back to God at physical death. The human spirit, in association with the physical brain is what provides man with cognitive function. The human soul, in association with the physical body is what gives life to the body.
When the body dies, this association of soul, spirit and body ceases to exist. God can reestablish this association between soul, spirit and body as is seen in physical resurrections of humans as recorded in scripture. God can establish association of soul and spirit with a spiritual body and thus create a new dimension of existence. Christ exhibited this dimension after His resurrection. Soul is simply the life God gives to the body. God can destroy the soul as seen in Christ’s statement in Matthew 10:28.
A major issue we will deal with as we proceed with this series is whether God permanently destroys any of the souls He has created or does God facilitate reconciliation and eternal life in heaven for all humans. What do the scriptures mean when speaking of the souls destruction? Is destruction of the soul a permanent or temporary event? Does it involve conscious punishment in a place called hell or in some other place?
At this point in our investigation, we must conclude immortality is not something we intrinsically possess. Nowhere do the scriptures teach the soul is inherently immortal. The scriptures show immortality is something we seek, which means we don’t have it inherently. It is shown as something made available through Christ.
Romans 2:7: To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.
I Corinthians 15: 52-54: 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. When 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."
I Timothy 1:10: It has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
In these passages of scripture, immortality/life is contrasted with death. Death is seen as being destroyed by Christ. Immortality is seen as being brought to light. What kind of death has been destroyed? Physical death is not destroyed as it is obvious we all physically die. Because this is the case, many believe these passages are pointing to a future return of Christ when death will be destroyed through resurrection from physical death. If this is true, we will have to wait until a future resurrection to gain immortality. Yet Christ indicates we can pass from death unto eternal life now while in our present physical bodies.
John 5:24. "I tell you the truth; whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
John 8:51. I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."
John 11:26: Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
Those to whom Christ was speaking all physically died. Yet Christ told them that if they believed on Him and kept his word they would never die. It would appear Jesus is speaking of spiritual life and death in these passages and so is Paul in the 1 Timothy passage. Spiritual death is generally viewed as separation from God. The death and resurrection of Jesus has facilitated reconciliation with God. Will such reconciliation first be realized at a yet future resurrection, or can it be realized now? Is such reconciliation going to be available to all of humanity at some point or is it only available to those who make the right choices in this life (Arminianism) or those who are specially chosen by God for eternal life (Calvinism).
What actually happens after we physically die? It would appear we do not have inherent immortality. Any immortality we have is given to us at some point after human birth. Immortality appears to be only associated with the granting of eternal life to live with God. There is no scriptural teaching that immortality is granted to the “unsaved dead.” This being the case, there is no reason to believe the “unsaved” dead will be assigned to eternal (immortal) conscious punishment.
If granted immortality is the only kind of immortality available, are those granted such immortality immediately whisked off to be with God in heaven upon physical death or do we “sleep” in the grave until a future resurrection at which time immortality is granted. Is immortality granted at the time we accept Christ as savior as Jesus appears to be saying in the scriptures quoted from John? When is our eternal destiny determined? Are the mortal unsaved dead annihilated in "hell" with no opportunity for salvation? Or will all humans ultimately be given opportunity to receive and spend eternal life with God? If so, when, where and how does this happen? Let's continue by considering the issue of hell.
HELL:
In much of Christianity, hell is seen as a place of eternal conscious punishment where the unsaved dead reside after physical death. Other Christians believe the unsaved dead will be annihilated (burned up) in hell and not experience eternal conscious torment. The modern English word hell is derived from an Old English word from about 725 AD and pronounced hel or helle. It was defined as the nether world of the dead. The English word hell is translated from the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades, Tartarus, and Gehenna.
SHEOL IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Hell is mentioned in both Old and New Testaments. Where the word hell appears in English translations of the Hebrew OT text, it is taken from the Hebrew word Sheol. This word literally means the grave or pit and is exclusively translated as such in some English Bibles such as the NIV. It is seen as the place or abode of the dead. The writer of Ecclesiastes views Sheol as a place of no activity.
Ecclesiastes 9:10: Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, (Sheol) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
While Sheol is used to describe the literal abode of a dead body, it is also used figuratively to describe fear, anguish, sorrows and torment which reflect the psychological trauma associated with the prospect of dying. We see David referring to Sheol in this manner.
2 Samuel 22:4-6: I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. "The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave (Sheol) coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
Psalm 86:13: For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths of the grave (Sheol).
Nowhere in the OT is Sheol seen to be a literal place of conscious torment for those who have died. This word is either used to designate the place of a dead body or to express physical or emotional pain of a living person. As Job was experiencing his great trial, he appears to allude to Sheol as an escape from the conscious awareness of life in wishing he had perished at birth.
Job 3: 11-13: Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb? Why were there knees to receive me and breasts that I might be nursed? For now I would be lying down in peace; I would be asleep and at rest
HADES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
In the NT, there are three different words translated into the English word hell. Hades appears eleven times and is equivalent to the Hebrew Sheol. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Septuagint), Sheol is translated Hades. In Greek, Hades refers to the underworld which is considered the place of the dead. Since Hades is equivalent in meaning to the Hebrew Sheol, and Sheol has no apparent meaning of being a place of conscious torment, there is no reason to believe it has such meaning in the Greek. Hades has obvious association with the grave in ten of its eleven occurrences in the NT. Of its eleven occurrences in the Greek text, the NIV translates it as grave or leaves it un-translated as Hades. In a prophecy about Christ, it is recorded that He would not be left in Hades.
Acts 2:26-27: Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices. My body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, (Hades) nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.' "Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, (Hades) nor did his body see decay.
The language of this passage makes it clear that Hades is a place of decay for a physical body and in no way can be construed as a place of conscious torment. In reality, we all go to hell. This being the case, what can we make of the one passage in Luke 16, wherein Hades appears to indicate a place of conscious torment and is translated in most English Bibles as hell? Here we have the well know story of Lazarus and the rich man. In life, Lazarus was a beggar and the rich man is seen as failing to take care of Lazarus’ needs. Both die and are buried. Lazarus is seen as carried off to be with Abraham while the rich man is seen as being in torment in Hades. Some see this as proof that Hades is a place of conscious torment.
If this is indeed the case, it runs contrary to every other passage in both the Old and New Testaments where Sheol/Hades are seen to simply be the abode of lifeless and decaying dead bodies. In other words, the grave. As already covered, Sheol is often used in a figurative sense in the OT to signify sorrow, anguish and torment. Jesus often used figurative language to get a point across. When read in the entire context of Luke 16, it can be seen that Jesus is once again reprimanding the religious leaders of His day for their hypocrisy and consistent refusal to acknowledge who He was and their failure to respond to his message. Jesus is using an illustration to show the religious leaders that even if someone were to rise from the dead to instruct them in the ways of righteousness, they would not listen because of their impertinent hearts. Jesus is using the rich man to represent the religious leaders of his day in contrast to the beggar Lazarus. In view of the manner Hades is used throughout scripture, it is unwarranted to conclude Jesus was here reflecting on the actual state of the unrighteous dead.
TARTARUS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
This Greek word appears only once in the NT and is generally translated hell in English Bibles. It is defined in Greek as a subterranean region where the wicked dead are being punished. In Greek mythology it is seen as a located below Hades and a place were rebellious supernatural beings were confined. It is in this sense that Apostle Peter appears to be using this word.
2 Peter 2:4: For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, (Tartararus) putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment.
Since there is nothing in this passage pertaining to humans, there is no reason to believe Tartararus is the destination of the unsaved human dead.
GEHENNA IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
The Greek word Gehenna appears twelve times in the NT and is generally translated as hell in English Bibles. Gehenna is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew Ge Hinnom, which literally refers to the
Over time, Gehenna became a dump where garbage, dead bodies of criminals and carcasses of dead animals and general debris was burned. This garbage dump was still being used during the time of Christ and was constantly burning. Gehenna is used by Jesus to illustrate the consequences of behavior contrary to righteousness. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus uses the imagery of Gehenna on several occasions to drive home a particular point of instruction. Nowhere is Gehenna pictured as a place of eternal torment for the unsaved dead. The very imagery of Gehenna is of a place where things are burned up and no longer exist. Even if Christ did mean for Gehenna to represent a literal place of punishment of the unsaved dead, it would have to be a place where the unsaved dead are burned up and cease to exist in order to be consistent with the activity associated with the literal
In view of Jesus’ constant use of metaphors, analogies, parables and hyperbole during his ministry, there is no solid reason to believe He was using Gehenna to represent a literal place of punishment for the unrighteous dead. There is no reference to dying physically and then having your soul or spirit relocated in Gehenna. Gehenna is seen as a place where you are thrown into while still alive in order to cause your death. Jesus is using Gehenna to highlight the negative consequences associated with the way of unrighteousness. In the Sermon on the Mount, He contrasts the narrow road that leads to life as opposed to the wide road that leads to destruction. He uses the analogy of the good trees versus the bad trees and shows the bad trees being burned in the fire. There is no hint in any of this that Jesus is teaching a doctrine of eternal conscious punishment. As stated above, if there is any literal application to be derived from Jesus’ use of Gehenna or His other references to being burned in the fire, one would have to conclude He is teaching annihilation of the wicked and not continuing torment. The question we must ask is whether such annihilation is temporal or eternal in nature?
THE CONTEXT FACTOR:
Reading the scriptures in their context is vital to arriving at an understanding of what is being said. When we read the sayings of Jesus, Paul, John or any of the NT writers, we must do everything possible to identify the cultural, social, political and religious milieu extant at the time. When Jesus spoke, He spoke to people having a particular frame of reference and holding to particular paradigms of belief. Jesus was a prophet and had tremendous awareness as to what was going on around Him and what was about to befall Judean society. What He said must be examined within the context of the time He lived and in the context of what was prophesied to transpire during that time.
Jesus was keenly aware of the brewing conflict with
Jesus knew that forty years after His death and resurrection, great destruction would come upon
Matthew 23:37-38: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house (the temple) is left to you desolate.
Luke 19:43-44: The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
This prophecy, recorded in Luke, literally came to pass when the Romans built an embankment around
Throughout His ministry, Jesus used imagery, metaphors and illustrations to show the people of
First and foremost, Jesus came to die for the sins of mankind. Secondly, He came to preach establishment of a spiritual Kingdom that provided for a way of life based on the spiritual law of love. Thirdly, Jesus came to preach a warning message to first century
While the moral and ethical teachings of Jesus and His message of salvation have application for all peoples throughout time, the specific period in which Jesus lived required He address His contemporaries in a manner relevant to the conditions extant at the time. He used images such as Gehenna to show the kind of fiery torment and destruction that would befall those who failed to repent.
A careful reading of the NT in its first century historical context will clearly show Jesus, Paul, Peter, James, John, and other teachers and writers, all spoke and wrote from the perspective of a coming judgement upon
The prophetic focus of the NT is the judgement of first century