WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?

Luke 16:19-18

Curiosity about what happens after death has given way to many superstitions and theories. Yet God has given all the information that we need to know about what happens to a person after he dies if only people would read the Bible and believe it. Jesus Christ, Himself told us what lies beyond the grave. But instead of believing what He says, people invent wild ideas of their own about reincarnation and ghosts. They completely ignore the One who knows what lies beyond the grave.

What is man?  The Bible tells us that we are a mortal beings, I Corinthians 15:53-54 says: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Man is composed of three parts: Spirit, Soul, and Body.

A. The spirit is the most important part of our being. It is our inner man or regenerated spirit and it is that part of man which can comprehend spiritual things; God-consciousness, man's conscience (Zechariah 12:1). It is that part of our being that God comes into (the heart) and that part of us in which we are joined to Him (II Timothy 4:22, Ephesians 2:22).

B. The soul is not in the physical or spiritual world but rather in the psychological. The soul is our person or personality and determines both how we evaluate and experience the physical world and the organ by which we receive the feelings and communication from God in our inner man. Your soul is referred to in the bible as the “inward man” or “inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). Your five natural senses are “doors” to your soul. Through these five doors, you become conscious or aware of your surroundings.  

 C. The body is the physical house in which the spirit and soul dwell while here on earth. In the bible, it is referred to as the “outward man”. The body is that part of man that contacts and reacts to the physical world. The major contact is by the five senses. 

Because we are mortal being one day we are going to die. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men to die.” Have you ever wondered what happens at the time of death? The dictionary defines death as separation. Separation of what?  Death is when the spirit, soul, and body separate one from the other.

The Bible teaches that there is only one of two destinations for a person after death; that is heaven or hell. When a person dies a true believer his body is placed in the grave, his spirit goes back to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7) and his soul goes to heaven. But when a person dies a sinner, his body is also placed in the grave, and his spirit goes back to God, but here is the difference, his soul goes to Hell.

Heaven is an actual destination, not just a figment of the imagination (Rev. 21:1-21). It is eternal. The Word of God talks about three heavens. The first heaven is the atmosphere around us, where the clouds are (Gen. 1:20).  The second heaven is the outer universe, containing the galaxies and planets outside of our atmosphere (Gen. 1:16). And the third heaven is where God abides. It is also called glory, paradise, and the Holy City (II Cor. 2-4).

When a believer dies physically, his body is buried to await the resurrection and is said to be “sleeping in Jesus”. But, his soul immediately at the time of death goes to be with God, II Corinthians 5:8 says; “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”

The Bible also takes about Hell (Luke 16:19-18). In fact, it talks more about hell than it does about Heaven. The Bible tells us that hell is a literal place. It is located in the center of the earth. It is not a thing of the imagination as some would want you to believe. It is a place of spiritual torment in this age because the bodies of the unbelieving dead are in the grave. Unbelievers are not annihilated after death; they do not cease to exist. They exist in a condition of ruin and conscious separation from God throughout eternity.

The Bible also talks about the Lake of Fire (Rev. 21:8). There is a difference between hell, which exists at this time, and the lake of fire which will exist throughout eternity. The Word of God teaches us that there are people right now in hell. Those in hell now are in spiritual torment only, because their bodies are in the grave. After the second resurrection, the bodies of the unbelievers will be resurrected and become spiritual bodies that cannot die or be destroyed. Throughout eternity they will be in physical and spiritual torment in the lake of fire. The lake of fire will not be here on earth.

We are also told by the Word of God that there are two main resurrections. The first is for believers: Revelations 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power.” The first resurrection takes place when Jesus returns to take the church with Him. Until the resurrection of believers, those who die in the Lord now are only in spiritual bliss in Heaven because their bodies are in the grave. At the resurrection, they receive bodies that will be like Christ’s resurrected body. Throughout eternity believers will be in physical and spiritual bliss. The second resurrection that the Bible speaks about which can be found in Revelations 20:12-15 is for unbelievers: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

In the Old Testament times, people did not go to Heaven to be with God. They went into the “abode of the souls of the dead” called Sheol (Hebrew), Hades (Greek), or hell in the center of the earth. Hell at that time was divided into two compartments. One half of it was called Paradise, also called “Abraham’s bosom”, it was a place of spiritual bliss. The other half was known as Tartarus, it was the place of spiritual torment.  The two compartments were divided by a void or a great gulf that could not be crossed. This emptiness or void is not purgatory or limbo or any intermediate state as some teach today.

When Christ rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven, He took the godly souls from paradise, which was at that time in the center of the earth, and took them with Him up to the third heaven: Ephesians 4:8 “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive.” Now paradise is in Heaven where Jesus is. Hell today now occupies the center of the earth and stands only for torment

When we talk about death, many want to know if it’s possible to contact the souls of the dead. The Word of God tells us that it is impossible to contact or to talk to the dead because the dead depart immediately to their destination, heaven or hell. The dead do not hover over their bodies or roam the earth as some believe. As we can see from the scripture that we read in Luke the dead cannot change their destination or return to earth. There is no Scriptural assurance that they can communicate with the living.

Spiritualists do not contact the souls of the dead; they contact or talk with evil spirits or demons. God very strongly warns against those who traffic in spiritism (Lev. 20:6; Deut. 18:10-12). Spiritism is really demonism. The Word of God teaches about “familiar spirits”, or demons, who are assigned by Satan to become familiar with the habits, manner or life, voice, etc. of human beings which he later uses to deceive people who believe in this kind of things and leads them away from the truth of the Word of God.

When a medium lays his mind open to spirit control, the familiar spirit takes over. This demon can answer questions about the life of the dead for it is familiar with them and Satan will do anything to deceive people into seeking his advice and keep them from serving God and salvation.