Heaven, Hell or Somewhere in Between?

You've no doubt seen the images of heaven on TV and movies, a picture of serenity everywhere you look: Dad grilling burgers, junior playing fetch with the dog, little Susie and mom bringing out a platter of freshly squeezed lemonade for all to enjoy. Or maybe it was someone ascending into a bright light, where they entered through pearly gates and received a harp to play divine music, sitting on a cloud for eternity. Perhaps you have seen heaven depicted as a couple being reunited on the beach, embracing one another and then walking off into the sunset.

People have a lot of ideas about the concept of heaven. And while they sound very rewarding and might even contain elements of truth in them, the concept that most people have of heaven today is not what the Bible teaches about life after death.

Likewise, the concept of the devil tormenting people with a pitchfork and all sorts of other sadistic devices in a fiery lair deep below the surface of the earth isn't found in the Bible either.

Origins of modern teachings

So if these ideas aren't found in the Bible, where do they come from? For the Christian world, most of these ideas can be tied directly to the concept of an immortal soul. This idea teaches that there is a part of you that doesn't die at the end of your physical (or mortal) life, and that this essence goes on to live somewhere forever. Some people refer to this as their "ghost," another unbiblical concept.

Over many centuries with cultural influence from Babylon, Greece, Rome and teachers like Plato and Martin Luther, the modern images of heaven and hell began to form. In short, the idea became that at death, your immortal soul either goes to heaven as a reward for being good, or hell as punishment for being bad. The exact concepts of what heaven and hell likely vary from one person to the next in even the same church, but that's a big picture idea of what most modern Christians believe.

What the Bible teaches

First, it's important to understand what the Bible teaches about an immortal soul. While the Bible does teach the idea that one can live forever, that life does not begin immediately after physical death.

Jesus taught quite the opposite. He said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live" (John 5:25). He goes on to say in verses 28-29, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

Did you notice how Christ said that people will live and will come forth to a resurrection? Christ speaks of these as events that lie in the future for those who are dead. If, immediately after our death, we go on to heaven and hell, surely Christ would have been aware of this and would have spoken of these events as having already occurred for those who have died.

Further understanding comes from what the apostle Paul wrote to the people of Thessalonica. Apparently, there was confusion even at that time about what happened after death. Paul clarifies by explaining, "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

Virtually all translations of the Bible note that sleep here is a synonym for death. Paul is telling us that death is similar to a state of sleep and that those who have died remain in that state until the return of Jesus Christ. This stands in stark contrast to the idea of an immortal soul immediately going to heaven or hell after death. Paul, who was taught directly by Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12), would surely have known better if this were not the case.

What does happen?

As we have seen, at death we go into a state somewhat like sleep. I remember once a tornado went through the area in the middle of the night. Howling winds and storm sirens blared, but I managed to sleep through it all. I had no clue until the next morning when my mom told me what had happened. Death is similar. "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This essence of human life goes back to God, where it remains until He wakes us up. That occurs only at the return of Jesus Christ.

We can get further clarification on exactly how this happens. "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Paul explains very clearly that Jesus Christ will return to earth, and those who have died in Christ (died while living a life faithful to Him) will rise from the dead. In addition, those who are still alive at Christ's return will join them, and they will meet Christ in the clouds and remain with Him forever. This truly awesome event is referred to as the first resurrection.

If we have lived a life of faithful obedience, we will be raised back to life at the time of His return, not before that. Paul further explains that at that time we will be given a new spirit body that is far superior to our current physical flesh. "So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body . . ." (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

Of course, it should be said that not everyone will be awakened from death immediately at the return of Christ. "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:22-23). The Bible teaches that some will not be resurrected to life until after the first 1,000 years of Christ's reign on Earth. What happens to them?

The rest of the dead

There is a clear explanation of what happens to all those who aren't a part of that first resurrection in Revelation 20. The first three verses explain that Satan the devil will be bound away, unable to influence mankind for 1,000 years after the return of Christ. Beginning in verse four, we get a confirmation of what Paul explained in 1 Thessalonians regarding those resurrected at Christ's return, "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" (Revelation 20:4). Clearly, this group of people will be doing more than floating around on clouds and playing harps. It says they will be reigning (ruling) with Jesus Christ for 1,000 years, commonly referred to as the Millennium.

Next, we get some insight on what happens to those who are NOT resurrected at Christ's return. "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished . . ." (verse 5—see "When Are the ‘Rest of the Dead' Raised?" on page 7 for additional information regarding the wording of this verse).

These 1,000 years will be a wonderful time for humanity, free from the influence of Satan and under the rule of Jesus Christ and those He resurrects at His return. Life will flourish on earth. It's important to note that while many will be brought up in that first resurrection or otherwise converted to spirit being at Christ's return, not everyone will be. Many people will live on through the return of Christ as mortal human beings. It is during this millennial reign of Christ that they and subsequent generations will learn the great benefit of obedience to God's way of life.

Unfortunately, that time will come to an end. "Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them" (verses 7-9). At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan is loosed for a short time. The purpose in God allowing this is to see if those who have lived all this time without the influence of Satan and under Christ's reign will remain obedient to him. It's hard to believe, but Scripture makes it clear that many will not. God will then destroy them with fire, and they will remain dead forever.

That's a sobering thought, but it still leaves us with a few questions. We know about those who lived before the return of Christ and were faithful to God. They are resurrected to spirit life in the first resurrection. We know about those who lived as human beings and were not faithful to God. They are consumed by fire and die at the end of the 1,000 years. But what about everyone else? What about those who never really knew or understood God and died before Christ's return, which is likely the vast majority of all those who ever lived? Or, what about those who did know God before Christ's return, but refused to obey Him? And what about those who did not join in Satan's rebellion at the end of the 1,000 years? What happens to all of them?

The Bible does not leave us wondering. "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. 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. 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" (Revelation 20:11-13).

There's a lot to unpack here, but let's start by understanding whom these verses concern. We're told that all the dead are now standing before God. This would certainly include the "rest of the dead" we read about earlier in verse five. Imagery referring to those who died at sea or were in Hades (the ground) is used to accentuate the idea that no one will be left out. While we're not told explicitly, it's also possible this includes those who live through the 1,000 years and remain loyal to God, even after Satan's release, and might also be judged at this time.

So what happens to these people? The key is in understanding verse 12. We're told that "books were opened." This seems to indicate the books of the Bible. In other words, the truth the Bible teaches will be opened up to this group of people for the first time in their lives. They will finally be able to understand who God truly is, what His hope for them is, and how He expects them to live. After they are granted that understanding and only after they understand, they will be judged "according'" to their works, or how they respond to this new understanding.

Following this, final judgment will be rendered. "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15). People will ultimately wind up in one of two places, written in the Book of Life or consumed in a lake of fire. Having your name written in the Book of Life corresponds to eternal life as a spirit being. Just as those in the first resurrection received eternal life, those who fail to respond to God will face a permanent death in the lake of fire.

"For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten" (Ecclesiastes 9:5). ". . . for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (verse 10). Once this final, permanent death comes, there is no further opportunity for a resurrection. The dead simply cease to exist, no longer experiencing anything, torture or otherwise (see "What Happens in the Lake of Fire?" on page 8 for additional information on the lake of fire).

A comforting conclusion

Much of our society lives in fear of what will happen when they die. But the Bible is quite clear. Those who honor and obey God will ultimately inherit eternal life and never face the prospect of death again. Those who reject God will die a permanent death and cease to exist. While that's not the outcome anyone wants, it is comforting to know that the Bible does not teach everlasting torment and torture for the wicked. (For more information on this topic, check out our free Bible study guides What Happens After Death? and Heaven and Hell.)

The truth is that what happens after death is far better than what most people imagine heaven to be. In addition to being reunited with those who have died living a faithful life, we will have opportunity to be joined with those who never really knew God. In His time, God will use his saints to teach all who have ever lived how they can have an eternal life of joy and peace, free of fear, pain and suffering. Let us live God's Word faithfully so we can be prepared for this awesome future!