What Happens After Death?

What Does the Bible Say About Life After Death?

Is this life all there is? Is there nothing afterwards? Do we just cease to exist? If that were the case, such
hopelessness would be terribly depressing.
The patriarch Job asked, "If a man dies, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14). The good newsthe fabulous
newsis YES, he will!
Let's now see what the Bible has to say about the hope for life after death through a "resurrection," which
means "rising again" from the dead.
What is the one greatest hope promised in the Bible?
Titus 1:2
...in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began...
This reference (and many other scriptures) shows that the magnificent hope for mankind is eternal
life! This is what "God, who cannot lie, promised before time began." Hope is not merely a "wish"hope
is a desire that is fully expected because of solid evidence.
What was God's purpose in sacrificing His Son Jesus Christ?
John 3:16-17
"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. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be saved."
God's ultimate sacrifice demonstrates the greatest love that could be imagined. Although everyone dies,
God does not want anyone to "perish" forever. He wants everyone to have "everlasting life"!
Is God offering immortality to mortal human beings?
1 Corinthians 15:50-54
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption
inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changedin a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 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."
This entire chapteroften called the "resurrection chapter"gives us considerable understanding of a
future resurrection. We are all mortalphysically, we all will die. So far, only God has immortality (see 1
Timothy 6:16). But God is offering immortality to all mankind!
What was the stunning event that led the disciples to unshakeable hope?
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has
begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...
The empty tombthe resurrection of Christwas the proof to Jesus' disciples that God can raise the
dead to spirit life! It gave the disciples powerful motivation to preach this good news (see Acts 4:2, 20, 33;
8:4). Plus it led them to truly understand Jesus' promises that God was offering eternal life to all mankind
(John 10:28).
All people have sorrows, but what is the worst kind of sorrow?
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
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. 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.
It is the sorrow of people who have no hope for the future. The Bible compares death to sleep (see what
Christ said in John 11:11-14),and sleep is only temporary! The Bible says "the dead know nothing"
(Ecclesiastes 9:5), so like sleep, death is a state of unconsciousness. God will awaken us in
a resurrection from the dead. The resurrections will begin with the second coming of Christ! This hope
gives us our greatest "comfort" (1 Thessalonians 4:18).
When resurrected to eternal life, what will we be like?
1 John 3:1-3 behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called
children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we
are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him
purifies himself, just as He is pure.