What Is the Afterlife? I. Introduction A. One of the great and profound questions of existence: “what happens after we die?” B. A few prove consistent materialists, believing that when we die, nothing happens, since there is nothing but this life C. Nevertheless, the vast majority of people, regardless of other religious beliefs, remain convinced that there is an afterlife: somehow, in some form, life continues after death 1. A lot of people, especially in America, understand the afterlife in at least pseudo-Christian terms: belief in heaven, bright light, presence of God, peace, etc. 2. Eastern religious ideas also prove popular: enlightenment, nirvana, reincarnation, etc. 3. Few subjects attract “folk religion” as does the afterlife: confidence that the departed maintain a presence, send various kinds of signs, are now protective angels, are in the stars, etc. D. But what is the afterlife about according to the Scriptures? What ought to be the Christian’s viewpoint and hope in regards to what will happen after we die? II. Sheol, the Pit, and Hades A. In the Old Testament the afterlife is primarily spoken of in terms of Sheol B. Sheol is the underworld, a place for shades, not very unlike the Greek conception (and the Greek word used to translate Sheol) Hades 1. Death spoken of as “going down to Sheol” (Genesis 37:35, 42:38, 1 Kings 2:6) 2. Korah et al as swallowed up by the earth, taken down alive into Sheol (Numbers 16:33) 3. In Psalm 6:5, those in Sheol as having lost memory, not praising God (also cf. Ecclesiastes 9:10, and yet in 1 Samuel 28:11-19, the soul of Samuel is conjured up, and he not only has conscious memory but tells Saul that he and his sons would be with him the next day 4. The Psalmist expresses hope for deliverance from Sheol (Psalms 16:10, 30:3, 49:15, 86:13), and expects the wicked to remain in Sheol, or even worse, the Pit (Psalms 9:17, 31:17) 5. And yet the Psalmist recognizes that all end up in Sheol, righteous or wicked (Psalms 88:3, 89:14, 116:3) 6. Nevertheless, we may have reason to believe the Pit is a deeper or worse part of Sheol, reserved for the wicked (cf. Isaiah 14:15, 19); this perhaps may be a projection based on later revelation, however, while Sheol and the pit may be used synonymously throughout the Old Testament C. We do well to explore the nature of Hades in the New Testament according to this Old Testament understanding 1. As established, Hades is the Greek translation of Hebrew Sheol (Psalm 16:10; cf. Acts 2:27, 31) 2. Jesus denounces Capernaum in terms reminiscent of the king in Isaiah 14:12-19, declaring they will be brought down to Hades (Matthew 11:23/Luke 10:15) 3. The gates of Hades will not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18) 4. Jesus speaks the parable of Lazarus and the rich man to the Israelites in terms of Hades (cf. Luke 16:19-31) a. In the parable Hades is seen as divided into two places: “Abraham’s bosom,” a place of comfort for the righteous, a place of torment for the wicked b. The gulf between them is fixed 5. Hades is only envisioned again in Revelation: Jesus has its keys (Revelation 1:18), Hades as following Death, the fourth horseman (Revelation 6:8), Hades as giving up its dead at the final judgment, cast into lake of fire (Revelation 20:13-14) III. Heaven and Hell A. Ecclesiastes 12:7: we begin to see a conception of the afterlife involving the soul going back to the God who gave it; God as living in Heaven B. Luke 23:43: Jesus promised the thief on the cross that both he and Jesus would be together in Paradise 1. In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul identifies Paradise with the “third heaven” (yet, in contrast, cf. John 20:17) 2. The “tree of life” is in the “Paradise of God” in Revelation 2:7, evoking Eden as the original paradise and the ultimate hope of a new paradise (cf. Genesis 2:1-21, Revelation 21:1-22:6) C. Jesus frequently warned people about the dangers of hell: Gehenna, as a burning trash pit of suffering, and the outer darkness, a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth 1. Gehenna: Matthew 5:22, 29-30, 10:28, 18:9, 23:15, 33, Mark 9:45, 47, Luke 12:5; cf. James 3:6 2. The outer darkness: Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30 D. Throughout the rest of the New Testament we are invited to understand the afterlife as entrance into heaven for the righteous while the wicked are consigned to hellfire 1. Philippians 1:23: Paul’s desire is to go and be with Christ 2. Revelation 7:9-17: faithful righteous who have passed from this life envisioned as surrounding the throne of God in heaven 3. Romans 2:5-11, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, Hebrews 10:26-31, 2 Peter 2:20-22: condemnation, suffering for those who do not believe God, do not obey the Gospel, or turn aside from the way of righteousness 4. Revelation 20:11-15: final judgment envisioned as casting all not found in the book of life into the lake of fire, the second death IV. The Resurrection A. Daniel 12:1-2: the first explicit expectation of a raising of the dead in Scripture B. Throughout the New Testament, the ultimate hope of Christians is the resurrection of everyone on the final day, the day of Judgment 1. John 5:28-29: expectation of resurrection of everyone: righteous to a resurrection of life, wicked to a resurrection of condemnation 2. Matthew 27:52-53: example of resurrection 3. Matthew 28:1-20/Mark 16:1-20/Luke 24:1-53/John 20:1-21:25: Jesus’ resurrection 4. Romans 6:1-11: baptism as a spiritual type of resurrection; Jesus’ died to sin, arose to die no more 5. Romans 8:17-25: ultimate hope of creation the redemption of the body, the final adoption as sons 6. 1 Corinthians 15:1-58: importance of resurrection, nature of resurrection, expectation of resurrection on day of judgment 7. Philippians 3:1-21: primacy of goal of resurrection; in verse 21, the raising of the body of this humiliation to be conformed unto the body of Christ’s glory 8. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: “asleep” as referring to the decaying body; expectation of the raising of the dead 9. 2 Timothy 2:16-18: to declare the resurrection as already past is heresy 10. 1 John 3:1-3: we will be as Jesus is C. Thus, the resurrection of the greatest importance in the New Testament, the full hope of the afterlife V. Reconciling the Evidence A. We have seen what the Scriptures have made known regarding Sheol/Hades, Heaven and Hell, and the Resurrection B. How can we sort it all out? C. Disclaimer 1. We have seen that we can have great confidence in the day of judgment, eternal life in the resurrection for the faithful in the presence of God, and condemnation for those who have proven disobedient (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9, etc.) 2. Nevertheless, there is no one fully systematic explanation about how everything goes down; there are different passages which provide part of the picture, and it remains possible to put those pictures together in different ways 3. Good and faithful brethren disagree on how we should put this picture together 4. Thus, as we seek to put everything together in the most harmonious way possible, we must remember how much we do not and likely cannot understand about the spiritual realm, and so we have little right to be completely dogmatically insistent on putting everything together in one specific way (Isaiah 55:8-9) D. Resurrection as life after life after death 1. Our work in reconciliation is made easier by a crucial understanding of the resurrection: it is not life after death, but life after life after death 2. This is modeled in Jesus: His soul did not die on the cross; His body did; His soul went to Paradise, and the resurrection took place on the third day (Luke 23:43, Matthew 28:1-20/Mark 16:1-20/ Luke 24:1-53/John 20:1-21:25) 3. Such is why Paul can speak of Christians who have died as “asleep,” for they await resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) 4. 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1-22:6: in the only New Testament passages which undeniably speak of life after the Judgment, a “new heavens and a new earth” is envisioned, in which the glorified people of God is seen as coming down out of heaven, and God would dwell in their midst 5. Romans 8:17-24, 2 Peter 3:1-13: depending on which passage you emphasize in understanding, the creation will either be restored or purged as through fire, leading to this “new heavens and new earth” 6. Thus life in the resurrection will be glorious and beautiful, the end as the beginning, full communion in the presence of God, no more suffering, no more pain, life indeed E. Between Death and Judgment 1. If the resurrection takes place after judgment, the last thing which must be reconciled is our understanding of the afterlife between the point of death and the day of Judgment 2. Possibility: once a person dies they leave the space-time continuum, and the next thing they experience is the day of Judgment and thus resurrection 3. Nevertheless, as we have seen there are portrayals of people after death within this space-time continuum who are in a spiritual place (cf. Revelation 7:9-17) 4. Many have suggested we go to Hades as all others have a. Much is made of the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, Luke 16:19-31 b. Jesus Himself as seen going to Sheol/Hades, fulfilling Psalm 16:10 in Acts 2:27, 31 5. And yet in the New Testament, after Jesus’ resurrection, the expectation is for Christians to die and be with Christ, who is in heaven (Philippians 1:23, Revelation 7:9-17) 6. Possibility: since Jesus said He would go to Paradise, identified by Paul as the “second heaven,” and He went to Hades, perhaps part of Hades is Paradise in Heaven (Psalm 16:10/Acts 2:27, 31, Luke 23:43, 2 Corinthians 12:2-4) 7. And yet the portrayals of Hades in Revelation are uniformly more negative; Hades will be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 6:8, 20:13-14) 8. Possibility: the nature of the afterlife was not fully revealed in the days of the Old Testament; understanding in terms of “Abraham’s bosom” and torment in parable of Lazarus and rich man as picture of heaven and hell in New Testament a better understanding (Luke 16:19-31, Revelation 7:9-17) F. What, then, is the most harmonious way of understanding the afterlife? VI. What Is the Afterlife? A. From all we have studied, let us set forth the best understanding we can ascertain B. At death, the soul is separated from the body; the body decays, awaiting the day of resurrection (Daniel 12:1-2, John 5:28-29, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) C. The Fate of the Wicked 1. For those who did not know God, did not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, or who turned aside from the truth of God, their soul will begin torment 2. They will suffer in Hades/the Pit until the day of resurrection (cf. Luke 16:19-31) 3. On the day of judgment, they will be raised unto a resurrection of condemnation: cast into the lake of fire, the second death, the hell prepared for the Devil and his angels, from which there is no return (Matthew 25:41-46, John 5:28-29, Revelation 20:11-15) D. The Fate of the Righteous 1. For those who put their trust in God in Christ for salvation, at the point of death their souls will go to be with God in Christ in heaven, awaiting the resurrection (Philippians 1:23, Revelation 7:9-17) 2. On the day of Judgment all the saints will arise in the resurrection of life and will enter the eternal joy of God, glorified as the people of God, enjoying full communion with God and life in the “new heavens and the new earth” (John 5:28-29, 1 Corinthians 15:20-58, Philippians 3:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Revelation 21:1-22:6) E. Amen! Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:20) VII. Conclusion A. We have explored the afterlife according to the Scriptures B. The righteous will enjoy the presence of God and eternal life; the wicked will be separated from God and suffer eternal torment C. Our ultimate hope is life in the resurrection, not reincarnation, not nirvana D. Our afterlife is determined entirely by how we have lived in this life (Acts 17:30-31) E. Therefore, we all do well to submit to the will of God in Christ so as to obtain the resurrection of life and avoid the resurrection of condemnation! F. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment (Hebrews 9:27). One of the great questions of life centers on what happens to us after we die. A few believe nothing happens; most people believe in some sort of afterlife. Christianity maintains a strong conviction: there is more to living than this life. Everyone will be held accountable in the next life for how they lived in this one! May we live so as to glorify God in Christ! 2: But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better (Philippians 1:23). Those who believe and trust in Christ nourish the hope and confidence they will always be with the Lord. When the Christian dies, their body decays while the soul returns to God who gave it, waiting in heaven for resurrection. May we put our trust in the Lord Jesus and share in communion with Him! 3: Rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9). Those who do not believe and trust in Christ will be given over to what they desire. They will remain separated from God for all eternity; they will suffer condemnation and destruction away from Him. This is not a fate we should wish on anyone. May all come to repentance and find salvation in Christ! 4: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed unto his death; if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:10-11). The great hope for the world is the resurrection. Jesus is risen from the dead and serves as Lord. On the final day everyone will rise from the dead: the righteous to a resurrection of life, the wicked to a resurrection of condemnation. The faithful will be glorified and enjoy eternal life in the presence of God. May we all seek to attain the resurrection of life!