This is a question that many Christians have wondered about. What exactly happens after we die? Do we immediately go to heaven or do we wait in some intermediate state first? The Bible does not give us a completely detailed account, but it does provide some helpful insights that can begin to answer this question.
The Intermediate State
Several passages indicate that after death, believers enter into an intermediate state that is not the final heaven, but also not the final hell. Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This seems to suggest some immediate state of being with Christ after death. Paul also said “My desire is to depart and be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23) and that to be “away from the body” is to be “home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). These verses imply a state of conscious existence with Christ between death and the resurrection.
This intermediate state is not described in great detail, but it seems to be a state of rest and peace for the soul. In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, Lazarus is said to be “carried by the angels to Abraham’s side” while the rich man is in torment (Luke 16:22-23). Revelation 6:9 also describes the “souls of those who had been slain” resting underneath the heavenly altar.
Based on these passages, it seems believers enter a transitional resting place with other believers and with Christ after death. It is a state of conscious fellowship, though not the final perfect union with Christ after the resurrection. Paul describes it as preferable to our earthly life but not as good as the resurrection (Philippians 1:23). So there is an intermediate state short of the final resurrected heaven.
The Resurrection State
The Bible also teaches that there will be a future resurrection and glorification of believers when they receive their final perfected state. 1 Corinthians 15 is a key chapter describing the future resurrection. Paul writes that on the day of resurrection, the perishable will be raised imperishable and the mortal will be raised immortal (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). We will be raised with new glorified, powerful bodies (1 Corinthians 15:43). Philippians 3:21 also says Christ “will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.”
This will happen when Christ returns. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says “the dead in Christ will rise first” when Jesus returns to earth. The book of Revelation also describes believers who “come to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years” after his second coming (Revelation 20:4-5). So there is a future resurrection and glorification of believers’ bodies at Christ’s return.
The timing of this resurrection seems to come at the end of the age after Christ’s second coming. But Revelation 20:4-6 indicates that those who are raised to life will “reign with Christ for a thousand years.” This implies their resurrected state overlaps with the millennium, which occurs before the final eternal state described in Revelation 21-22. So it seems believers receive their resurrected bodies at Christ’s return, are glorified during the millennium, and then enter the final eternal state after the millennium.
Putting the Pieces Together
When all these pieces are put together, it creates a picture of what happens after death for believers:
- At death, the believer’s soul/spirit enters an intermediate transitional state of rest and fellowship with Christ.
- This intermediate state lasts until Christ’s second coming and the resurrection.
- At Christ’s return, believers receive their glorified resurrection bodies and reign with Christ for the millennium.
- After the millennium, believers in their resurrected state enter the final eternal kingdom and the full presence of God.
So in summary: The soul immediately goes to an intermediate state, but the final resurrected state is received at Christ’s return. The timing is not exactly immediate, but there is no pause between death and the soul entering the intermediate resting place. The resurrection happens later at Christ’s return to earth.
This view is sometimes described as a “two-stage” view of the afterlife – immediate soul rest followed by bodily resurrection later. Some key Biblical evidence for this view is:
- Jesus’ promise to the thief of being with him in paradise “today” (Luke 23:43)
- Paul’s desire to “depart and be with Christ” (Philippians 1:23)
- The souls of martyrs consciously resting under the altar (Revelation 6:9)
- The future resurrection of the dead at Christ’s coming (1 Corinthians 15)
In conclusion, believers do immediately enter into a state of rest and fellowship with Christ at death. But the final resurrected heavenly state is not received until Christ returns in the future. Our souls are immediately with Christ, but our glorified bodies will be received later at the resurrection.