Do people who die go to heaven or hell? What does the Bible say?

Recently, I was teaching a Sunday School class about The Second Coming of Christ. As we looked at 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, someone had a question. 

¹⁵ According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹⁷ After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.

The question: 

“How is it that the Bible said it is appointed unto man to die and after that judgment, and then the dead in Christ are rising to meet Jesus? So where do people go after death? Are they not judged to heaven or hell?”

My response was simple. No, those who die are not simply in heaven or hell. They await the second coming of Christ and the sequence of events that follow, including the Great White Throne Judgment. Then, souls get their sentence to heaven or hell. I believe everyone who has died is waiting until the fulfillment of these.

Now, let us look at the Scriptures.

John 5:25 -29

²⁵ Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 

Jesus, speaking in this text, makes it clear that what happens after death is not final. Otherwise, how could they be in heaven and rise to live when they hear His voice? And how could people already in hell rise to be condemned again if they were in hell?

There exists a fear of death. Humans dread the subject as it seems out of our control. No one truly knows when they will die. Some people also fear what happens after death. The mystery of the afterlife has troubled human minds and led us to believe different ideologies. If we must truly discover what the Word says, we must lay aside preset beliefs and look intently in the Bible for answers.

For reference, let us see what Hebrews 9:27 says

²⁷ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, NIV

²⁷ And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, NKJV

Here, the Bible reveals that where a soul ends is sealed after death, which means there is no opportunity for repentance or salvation after a person dies. After someone dies, they face the judgment of Christ as they become resurrected to eternal bliss or damnation. The Bible does not say that people are sent straight to heaven or hell after death.

Heaven and Hell:

1 Corinthians 15:50-53

⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 

Note: When we are raised into the new state of immortality, then we are eligible to enter our eternal destinations of heaven or hell.

Luke 16:22-26

²² The time came when the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

Note: Although awaiting judgment, those who are dead are not all muddled up. We see that the righteous were in peace and comfort, but the unbelieving were in torment in Hades. The mention of a great chasm or demarcation proves that the two categories are distinct.

Revelation 20:4-6

⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Note: Those who partake in the first resurrection are those who overcame during the Great Tribulation, the witnesses who did not worship the beast and kept their testimony about Jesus.

All these events show that death is not the end but the foretaste of eternity.

The Idea of Purgatory

Purgatory is a place or state of punishment where souls who die endure misery or suffering for past sins so they become fit for heaven. Borrowing the idea of removing scum from a metal in a furnace, the soul experiences cleansing, leaving in them only the holiness necessary to enter heaven.

I do not believe in Purgatory as it directly contradicts the fact that our destinations remain set after death. There are no negotiations or short-circuiting the judgment. There is no afterlife concentration camp where members get cleansed by fire and graduate holy. Whatever decisions one makes before death are sufficient, with no further need for translations. As people who have the choice of accepting or rejecting the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus, we must be ready to bear the consequences after death.

What is the Second Death?

Revelation 20:11-15

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ¹⁵ And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Why does the sea give up the dead? The sea represents unburied bodies; thus, everyone who has died is summoned, whether buried, cremated, eaten by sharks, or drowned, and the list is endless. 

Death gives up the dead. The sting of death is sin. Death existed due to the fall of man. The effect of sin (death) becomes abolished as Christ is in power. Shiloh has come; the new order is about to begin.

Hades (Greek) or Sheol (Hebrew) is a temporary prison for dead souls. It means the place of the dead. The Bible says that the seas, death, and Hades give up those in them. There is no place out of bounds to Elohim. No waiting place anymore! At the fulfillment of this prophecy, heaven, and earth have been dissolved. The underworlds spew out their content. Creation is uncreated, and the judgment of God is imminent.

The second death is for Death and Hades. Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life also partakes of the second death. They are cast into the lake of fire (hell). That is the ultimate judgment, and the judge is God the Son, Jesus Christ. 

Reflection:

What is crucial for us to understand is that the pardon happens here and now. Pardon for sin is available through the acceptance of Jesus as Saviour. This message is the essence of the church- the ministry of reconciliation of man to God. There is no pardon after death. Everyone awaits the judgment from the Just Judge after death.

Confession:

Lord Jesus, I believe in you. I accept that you came and died for my sins so that I can be free from condemnation. As my High Priest, you have made a perfect atonement for my sins. Please, Lord, help me to live my life knowing and awaiting your return, and help me not to lose sight of being with you in eternity. Help others also to come to the knowledge of you that they may be in your presence forever. Thank you for your love towards us, in Jesus name, Amen.