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Most people have an opinion about whether or not they are on the heaven tract. This post, "Life after Death" will look at what happens to whom based solely on the truths of the bible.
1. Unbelievers In this post, an unbeliever is someone who doesn't believe in any part of the Bible - Old or New Testament. They may have another religion, but since the assumption is that God's true word is the Holy Bible and is absolutely true, not believing in the Holy Bible makes one an unbeliever.
New Testament Scripture teaches that all of those who do not repent of their own sin and allow Jesus to carry it for them (which requires believing in Jesus as Messiah) will immediately go to Hell, a place of torment, anguish, despair and absolute misery upon death. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God, and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These people will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power Matthew 25:41 (Jesus speaking about judgment) Then He will also say to those on His left, "Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels" Matthew 25:46 These (the unbelievers) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
After Jesus' second coming in Revelation 20, the physically dead who rejected Him in their earthly lives will be pulled from hell, face Jesus' judgment, and be thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:13-15 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it and Death and Hades (Hell) gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Since Jesus' second coming has not happened yet, all deceased unbelievers are currently in hell.
2. Jewish believers in God who died before Jesus People who believed in God before Jesus came to earth did not go directly to heaven when they died, but they did not descend to condemnation and torture either.
Luke 16:22- Now it happened that the poor man (Lazarus) died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's arms; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades he raised his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his arms. And he cried out and said "Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame." But Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise, Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set, so that those who want to go over from here to you will not be able, nor will any people cross over from there to us. " And he said, "Then I request of you, father, that you send him to my father's house - for I have five brothers - in order that he may warn them, so that they will not come to this place of torment as well." But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them." But he said, "No father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!" But he said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.
Two things from this story. Pre-Jesus' life on earth, those that believed in God did not go to heaven after death, but to Abraham's arms, often referred to as "Abraham's bosom". It was a pleasant place, distinct from the torturous Hades where unbelievers/unrepenters such as the above rich man went.
Ephesians 4 provides hope that believers/repenters who died before Jesus were brought to heaven when He died His earthly death on the cross, descended to hell, and then ascended to heaven.
Ephesians 4:7-10 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He led captive the captives, and He gave gifts to people." "He ascended", what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.
Secondly, whether before or after Jesus, it doesn't appear that deceased unbelievers who repent in hell avoid the lake of fire and get to join Jesus. The rich man could not cross to Abraham and relief. It is hard to believe he was an awful man, as he was concerned about warning his loved ones so that they would not suffer the same fate. Keeping your nose clean, minding your own business, and looking after your own is not enough to make it to heaven. You must believe in Jesus and repent from your sins so that they are forgiven.
In Matthew 8, Jesus himself gives us further confidence that Abraham and pre-Jesus believing descendants are currently in (ascended when Jesus ascended from Hell) or at least destined for heaven (their souls are in heaven but their bodies must wait for the rapture).
Matthew 8:11-12 (Jesus when asked by a centurion to heal his servant), " And I say to you that many will come from east and west (gentiles), and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom (ethnic Jews who do not repent and follow Jesus, mostly religious leaders, who assumed they were automatically part of God's kingdom because they are descendants of Abraham) will be thrown out in the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth"
Matthew is the only Gospel that mention saints who had died, coming out of their graves after Jesus' resurrection.
Matthew 27:50-53 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (also mentioned in Mark and Luke); and the earth shook and rocks were split. Also the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
These saints were probably the righteous followers of God under the old covenant outlined by Moses including prophets and patriots. It's interesting that their graves were opened immediately upon Jesus' death, but they did not come out for three days until after His resurrection. What happened to them after they walked around Jerusalem? The bible does not say, but scholars seem to think they had a fate similar to Lazarus in John 11. After he rose from the dead when Jesus commanded, he died a second time some time later.
3. Jewish Christians who died after Jesus The descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Jewish people, were chosen by God to hear, record, and preserve His teachings. The Torah provides many rules for living a righteous life pleasing to God, but nowhere in the Old Testament is a detailed description of heaven or hell. Observant Jews focus more on living according to God's laws, rather than considering/worrying about what happens after death. But Daniel and Isaiah do talk about a future resurrection where all will be judged.
Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Isaiah 26:19 Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.
After Jesus, the Jews split into those who believed Jesus was the Messiah prophesized in the Old Testament (Messianic Jews) , and those who did not believe Jesus was this Messiah. A very small minority of Jews at this time were Messianic. It probably goes without saying that those who do not believe Jesus was the Messiah do not believe in the New Testament that focuses only on Jesus - his earthly life, death, resurrection, and expectations for His believers. Messianic Jews are Christians, included in the Christian believer category when discussing life after death.
Other verses where Jesus warns members of the Jewish faith that belief that Jesus is Messiah is necessary for salvation.
Matthew 23:33 (Jesus talking to Jewish Pharisees and scribes calling out their hypocrisy) You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?
Matthew 25:31-46 (Jesus talking to his disciples) But when the son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep (believers) on His right, but the goats (unbelievers) on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me. Then the righteous (the believing sheep) will answer Him, ' Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.' Then He will also say to those on his left (the unbelieving goats), 'Depart from Me, you accused people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' Then he will answer them. 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.' These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
John 8:24 (Jesus to the Jews when they questioned that He was from God) You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am , you will die in your sins."
John 8:24 says don't conclude from Matthew 25 that being a good person and watching over others stamps your ticket to heaven. Jesus makes clear that you need to believe that He is who He says He is, the Son of God sent to die for our sins so that we are saved for eternal life. How do we show we believe and love Jesus? We love and take care of His people for Him, not for recognition, tax write offs, or to feel good about ourselves (that pride!).
Paul expresses deep sorrow over the fact that many Jews had not accepted Jesus as the Messiah (Romans 9-11), but he also holds out hope.
Romans 11:26 says "And in this way all Israel will be saved..." The verse is debated: some believe it means a future mass turning of Jews to Christ. Others interpret it as the spiritual Israel - remnant Jews who believe in Jesus.
For Christians, when one ends up living with Jesus depends on where one dies in the biblical prophetic timeline.
The only qualification for being a Christian is believing that Jesus is your Lord and Savior and died on the cross for your sins. Genealogy, what your parents believe, and even your own personal past do not determine if you are a Christian. And in most cases, Christians' bodies and souls are parted immediately upon death, with the soul going to reside with Jesus in heaven.
Luke 23:39-43 (Jesus was hanging on the cross between two criminals) One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, "Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!" But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, "Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our crimes; but this Man has done nothing wrong." And he was saying , "Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!" And He said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
4. For Christians who die before the rapture, their souls immediately ascend to be with Jesus. At the rapture, their bodies will be resurrected and unified with their souls.
5. Christians still alive at the rapture, they will go in entirety - both body and soul to meet Jesus and go to heaven.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
6. Christians who die during the Tribulation. Many will become Christians after the rapture but before Christ's Second Coming.
Revelations 7:9-10 And after these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all the tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." Continuing in Rev. 7:13-14 Then one of the elders responded, saying to me, "These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?" I said to him, "My lord, you know." And he said to me, "These are the ones who came out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Like all believers in Christ, tribulation believing souls will go to heaven to be with Jesus upon death. But their life on earth during the tribulation will be very difficult as they are murdered and persecuted for refusing the beast. Their bodies will be resurrected at the Second Coming when the first resurrection takes place. Rev. 20: 4-6 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead (believers after the second coming) did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
7. Christians who survive the tribulation and are still alive at the second coming will instantly be raised, both soul and body, upon death. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
The end of Tribulation/kick off to second kingdom is much like the rapture. Believers who died since the rapture will have their bodies resurrected. And those still alive will have both soul and body raised. The benefit of going during the rapture is that believers get to Jesus sooner and won't have to live through the miserable Tribulation period.
Christ's second return will kick off the Millennial Kingdom, lasting 1000 years. Christ will reign on earth, believers who died and were resurrected will come rule with Him, people still in mortal bodies (survived tribulation but were not believers at second coming) will continue to live, marry and have children. All mortal humans and their descendants will still be able to become believers during the millennium
8. Christians that die during the Millennium are not directly addressed in scripture, but the pattern suggests their soul goes directly to be with Christ (now on earth) and their bodies await the second resurrection. This second resurrection occurs after the Millennium and includes all who were not part of the first resurrection, all remaining dead, both righteous and wicked. Rev. 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds.
9. Christians still alive at the end of the Millennium will be raised to eternal life, both bodies and souls (similar to believers alive at the rapture and at the second coming). There names are in the Book of Life from Rev. 20:12. At the end of the millennium, death has been destroyed and there is a new heaven and new earth filled with no more suffering for the rest of eternity in a final place called heaven.
But what about the animals??
Isaiah 11:6-9 talks about animals living peacefully together in a transformed world. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the young lion and the fattened steer will be together; and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Is this the millennial reign of Christ here on earth? Is this heaven? Not much to go on, but understandable why pet lovers cling to it!
John 14:2 does specifically talk about heaven. (Jesus speaking) In My Father's house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. I would like to think that my Jesus prepared room would have my recently deceased dog Jupiter in it. The bible does not provide any clear indication that yes, our beloved pets make it to heaven. But it has provided some hope.
