The Bible has much to say about the afterlife and what happens to people after they die. According to Scripture, every person will exist eternally in either heaven or hell based on their relationship with Jesus Christ during their life on earth.
The Immortality of the Soul
The Bible teaches that human beings have an immortal soul that will continue to exist after the death of the physical body. Passages like Matthew 10:28, Revelation 6:9-11, Luke 16:19-31, and 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 indicate that the soul lives on apart from the body. The apostle Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). Jesus told the thief on the cross that he would be with Christ in paradise that very day (Luke 23:43). These verses suggest human consciousness or the spirit continues despite no longer being connected to one’s earthly body.
The Resurrection of the Body
While the Bible is clear the spirit lives on, it also teaches that there will be a future resurrection and reuniting of the spirit with a new glorified body. Jesus Himself rose physically from the dead, and His resurrection is a prototype of the future resurrection that believers can look forward to (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). At the second coming of Christ, the bodies of believers who have died will be raised and transformed into immortal, imperishable bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Their resurrected bodies will be like Christ’s resurrected body (1 John 3:2). The resurrection body will be a glorified, spiritual body no longer susceptible to pain, suffering, and death (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
Eternal Destiny in Heaven or Hell
The Bible unambiguously teaches two eternal destinies for human beings depending on how they respond to Christ in this life. Those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior will spend eternity in heaven (John 3:16, Romans 10:9). Heaven is described as a place of unmatched joy, beauty, and perfection in fellowship with God, Christ, angels, and redeemed believers (Revelation 21:1-4). However, those who reject Christ’s sacrifice for their sins will spend eternity under divine punishment in hell (Mark 9:42-48, Revelation 20:11-15). Hell is a place of fiery torment, pain, weeping, and darkness away from God’s presence.
Bible Support for Heaven
There are dozens of verses referring to heaven in both Old and New Testaments. Here are just a few:
- John 14:2 – In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
- Revelation 21:4 – 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.
- Psalm 16:11 – You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
- Philippians 3:20-21 – For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
Bible Support for Hell
The Bible has many passages confirming the reality of hell:
- Matthew 13:41-42 – The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- Mark 9:43 – If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 – In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.
- Revelation 20:10 – The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
God’s Desire is Heaven for All
Importantly, God does not desire anyone to perish in hell. He wants all people to repent and trust in Christ for salvation (2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 2:4). The offer of eternal life in heaven is available to every human being. We each have a choice to make about what we do with Jesus. Those who humble themselves and receive Christ as Lord will inherit eternal life (John 1:12). Sadly, those who cling to their sin and reject Christ’s sacrifice will face eternal separation from God.
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
One of the clearest pictures of the afterlife is the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. Lazarus was a poor beggar who suffered greatly during life. When he died, angels carried him to Abraham’s side – another term for heaven. The rich man lived in luxury, but when he died was sent to Hades – another term for hell. The rich man was in torment and agony in the fire. A great chasm separated the two men after death. There was no way for Lazarus to relieve the rich man’s suffering, or for the rich man to leave Hades.
This sobering story indicates people’s eternal destinies are fixed at death. There are no second chances after we die. The rich man’s plea to return to warn his brothers was denied. The time for repentance and faith is in this life, not after death. Death seals a person’s eternal fate.
The Intermediate Heaven and Hell
Currently, when believers die they go to an intermediate heaven while unbelievers go to an intermediate hell. Prior to Jesus’ resurrection, all the dead went to a place called Sheol or Hades. After Jesus defeated death and rose from the grave, He took the righteous dead from Hades to paradise (Ephesians 4:8-10, Luke 23:43). Today when Christians die they go into the presence of the Lord in the intermediate or temporary heaven.
Likewise, unbelievers today go to an intermediate hell after death to await the final judgment. These intermediate places are not the final heaven or hell spoken of in Revelation 21 and 22. The final heaven and hell will commence after Jesus returns and judges all people at the end of the age.
The Day of Judgment
Hebrews 9:27 declares it is appointed for each person to die once and after that face judgment. Second Corinthians 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.” At the end of the age, there will be a final day of reckoning when Christ judges everyone.
Believers will be judged and rewarded according to their deeds done in the body (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). Unbelievers will be judged according to their works and sentenced to the lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:11-15). No one will escape facing Christ the Judge. The results of the judgment are final and irreversible. The Bible warns the day of judgment will be terrifying for the ungodly.
Living in Light of Eternity
The reality of eternity should motivate us to live godly lives. As Paul said, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11). The rewards of heaven for the righteous and the terrors of hell for the ungodly should move us to take salvation seriously. None of us knows how long we will live, so we must be ready to stand before God’s judgment seat when we die. We each have an immortal soul that will spend eternity rejoicing in heaven or lamenting in hellfire.
Like the rich man, putting off repentance is dangerous. There are no second chances after death. Knowing every person will spend forever in either heaven or hell, we should make every effort to reach our loved ones and neighbors with the truth while we still can. As Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God loves us and does not wish any to perish.
Choose Christ and Receive Eternal Life
The good news is eternal life in heaven is available to everyone who receives Jesus Christ. John 3:16 says, “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.” We don’t earn our way to heaven – we receive God’s gift of eternal life by placing our faith in Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins. The afterlife will be determined by what we do with the Savior in this life.
The wisest choice we can make is to confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9). As Jesus promised, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). Receive Christ today and trust in His sacrifice to save you from the wrath to come.