“What Happens When I Die?”

Monday, August 31, 2015

What does the Bible teach us about what is to come after death; specifically, do we know our ultimate fate immediately, or do we have to wait until the Day of Judgement?  What happens until then?  Also, can our loved ones watch over us such as is commonly believed? And will we know one another in Heaven?  I have heard "all of life's questions are answered in death"; is this true?  Will we even care about "life's questions" once we are gone from this world?

Sincerely, Looking Ahead

Dear Looking Ahead,

The Day of Judgement will only happen once, and then all of mankind will be divided between heaven and hell (Rev 20:12-15). However, until that time, all the dead will wait in Hades. Hades (also known as Sheol) is the place of the dead, both the good dead and the bad dead. The word ‘Hades’ literally means ‘the unseen place’.

Within Hades, there are two areas where people wait for the final judgment. All of the faithful who die wait in the good part of Hades called ‘Paradise’ (2 Cor 12:4, Lk 23:43). All of the wicked who die wait in a part of Hades known only as ‘torments’ (Lk 16:23). We cannot say with entire certainty whether people can look down on the affairs of Earth while in Hades, but the story of the rich man and Lazarus implies that they can’t. When the rich man died, he was in the ‘torments’ of Hades. He then began to inquire about his brothers in a way that leads us to believe he couldn’t see what was going on in their lives (Lk 16:27-31).

We will definitely know one another in heaven. In fact, if the transfiguration is any indication, we will know everyone in heaven, not just those we have known in this life. When Jesus was transfigured on the Mount of Olives, both Moses and Elijah appeared and talked to Christ (Lk 9:30). The remarkable thing is that Peter recognized both of those men even though they had been dead for many centuries (Lk 9:32-33).

As far as “all of life’s questions” being answered, all we are told is that every tear will be wiped away (Rev 21:4) and pain shall be done away with. Will we know everything? I have no idea. But, we will know what we need to understand, and we will be at peace with the light that God’s presence provides (Rev 22:5).

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