Death: The Final Frontier

What really happens after we die?

Do we “Rest in Peace?”

Estimated Reading Time = 20 minutes

Death — the Final Frontier

DEATH. As kids, we think we’re immune to it; as young adults, we generally ignore it; and as older adults, it becomes a major focus of our lives. Death has been written about as something to fear, something to prepare for, and as something to avoid at all costs. We envision dead people as having the ability to come back and haunt us, even punish us for wrongs done to them while they were alive. Because of what we don’t know about death, we have made up stories about “the other side” that scare us, comfort us, and confuse us. My objective in this blog is to demystify death and what we can expect once we die.  I’m not the first one to try to do this, so why should you believe my interpretation? Well, you may or you may not, but I’m betting that your curiosity will compel you to see if I have come up with something you’ve never thought of before. {Disclaimer: The ideas presented in this blog are mine. And I believe that the Holy Spirit inspired me to write down these thoughts. Only you can judge if you think they are inspired. I’d just ask that you stick with me until the end before you make your decision}.

The Basics

There are a few things we know about death:

• All of us will die.
• Most of us believe that death is not the end. Something lies beyond. And, the quality of that something may depend on what we do (or do not do) in this life.
• After that, most things become blurry.

Volumes have been written speculating on what this “afterlife” might look like. Most are just fanciful speculation meant to sell books or build a following. It’s an easy sell since most would argue that tales about the other side interest us. Yet, if you know me, I’m a truth seeker — all I care about are the facts. But this is a tough subject for finding many facts. So I’m going to the source of all things unknown—the Bible. In previous blogs, I’ve shown that the Bible is the absolute word of God, and it often demystifies things if we just take the time to study what it says. Death is one of those subjects that requires a lot of study, prayer, and contemplation.

Let’s Attack this Subject One Step at a Time

One theme running throughout the Bible is that this life is just our first step toward an eternal relationship with God. And even though our time here is infinitesimal compared to eternity, what we do in it matters. Now I want to point out something curious about death that most people don’t know. Meditate on this thought:

There have been billions and billions of people who have died since the death of Adam, yet did you know that NOT ONE OF THEM has been judged by God for their actions! Therefore, not one has been sent to heaven or hell (yet).

Why? Because in Revelation 20:12 (NIV) it says, “¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Revelation is the last book of the Bible, and this verse tells us that the dead will be judged after everyone has died. Therefore, the first thing we must conclude about death is:

• You are not judged immediately after your death — you are judged just before God destroys the Earth and creates a New Heaven and a New Earth.

So, I’m sure you must be asking: What happens to the dead while they await judgment? Will Christians be judged?

Those are good questions, but before we get into them, there is a more basic one to address. The Bible says that humanity was created “in the image of God” to live with Him for eternity. Yet we start our existence clothed in something called “flesh” that is infected with “sin,” and, as a result, causes our flesh to die. Our conscious mind does not stop at death, but (although we are an eternal spirit) we will not be given our “spiritual bodies” until after something called “The Rapture.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 (TLB) tells us:

⁵¹ But I am telling you this strange and wonderful secret: we shall not all die, but we shall all be given new bodies! ⁵² It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky, and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too. ⁵³ For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever.

The message is simple:

• When you die, your flesh leaves you, so it seems that you are a disembodied spirit (a ghost) until you receive your spiritual body from Jesus at the Rapture.

Now, before you completely reject that thought, let me show you some things the Bible has to say about what our spirit is doing after we die. There is great controversy about what is called “soul sleep” — the belief that all souls sleep after they die until they are called. Daniel 12:2 (NIV) is one verse where this idea originated: Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. This seems to support the idea that all souls sleep until they are called (“Soul Sleep”). Yet, others argue that people who have had “near-death” experiences report having seen Jesus and certain of their “dead” relatives as they “transitioned” toward death. I do not think the two ideas are incompatible. Jesus, in His mercy, may greet us in death and even provide a welcoming party to help ease our fear and calm our spirits, before we go to sleep and await Jesus’ call at the Rapture.

There are (at least) two examples in scripture that prompt some scholars to argue against soul sleep:

• The Transfiguration: If you recall, Jesus took His disciples up to a “high mountain” where “there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.” (Matthew 17:3 – NIV) We know that Moses died, but Elijah was taken into heaven by a fiery chariot and did not die. So, the Transfiguration proves that at least Moses and Elijah were not in soul sleep when they met with Jesus. Maybe. Scripture seems to suggest that certain people (like Elijah and Moses) are reserved for special purposes. For example, in Revelation 11, we have two super-prophets who (for a while) cannot be killed. Many believe that these prophets are Moses and Elijah. Are we to conclude that God has kept them “available and awake” for thousands of years to be used “as needed?” Only God knows!
• Immediately after Jesus died: A strange event happened on the day Jesus died, and it is reported in Matthew 27:50-53 (NIV):

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split ⁵², and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Again, I believe that, on certain occasions where it serves God’s purpose, spirits of the dead are “raised to life.” In this case, these were “holy people” who had lived and died in Jerusalem. They would have been known to the people they appeared to, and I assume these raised spirits told them that Jesus (the Messiah) had been killed and was about to be raised from the dead. Yet, I do not believe these raised spirits were given their eternal bodies, for that will happen when Jesus comes to rapture us. This was a simple raising of the dead into a fleshly body (or maybe even a ghostly body) to accomplish the purpose of announcing Jesus’ death.

Bottom line, I do not think soul sleep matters either way, unless God has some plans afoot to use someone for a special purpose (Stay tuned, there’s more!)

The next thing to consider is more difficult and will, I’m sure, create controversy.  Do you go to heaven immediately upon death? I claimed above that you don’t, yet many scholars have taught for centuries that you do, so you may have a strong opinion on the subject. Let me share three reasons I’ve extracted from the Bible that form my opinion (you can decide if they are strong enough to change yours):

• When you die, you do not immediately receive your “forever body.” Look again at 1 Corinthians 15, “all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die.” This event happens at the Rapture, not at your death.
• When you die, you are not judged until the Great White Throne Judgment (Or, for Christians, the Judgment Seat of Christ). Look at Revelation 20:12 (NCV), “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne (of Judgment).” As we will learn later, God has some very specific reasons for delaying judgment until after everyone has died.
• Heaven (the New Heaven) is the place where we will spend all eternity with God and Jesus, and that will not exist until after the Millennium. Revelation 21:1 NCV says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared…” How can you go to a place that doesn’t exist?

The “Holding Place”

Wow! That’s a lot to take in! The scriptures seem to be telling us that, after we die, we go to a place I like to call “The Holding Place.” Now, let’s be clear, this is not what the Catholics call “Purgatory.” Purgatory is defined as “a place, condition, or process of purification of the souls. When a person dies, they get a chance to find a place in Heaven by purging themselves of their remaining sins and any other attachment to the pleasures derived from the same. Purgatory is not a hope for hardened sinners, it is a path for those who fall in between the sinners and the saints.” (Study.com) With all due respect to the Catholic Church, Purgatory doesn’t work as a concept supported by scripture because, at its core, it assumes that God’s grace is not enough and that additional suffering is required to purify you from your “remaining sins.” THAT is definitely NOT Biblical! Yet, maybe there is something to the idea of “get(ting) a chance to find a place in Heaven.” We’ll reserve judgment on that for later.

So, if we can agree that the dead all go to something called The Holding Place, until all can be judged, receive their eternal bodies, and then go to heaven — What more can the Bible tell us about this place? I believe the Bible offers more clues to answer this question than we might think. Some clues are pretty obvious, some require some thought, and some are held for only the Lord to know. Stick with me until the end of this blog, and I believe it will all make sense.

Before we move to exploring the Holding Place, I think we need a brief definition to distinguish between what is meant by “the soul,” and “the spirit.” According to the website, Biblical Hermeneutics, “The soul is the very life that all living creatures appear to share. (Thus no cadaver, whether man or animal, possesses the ‘nephesh,’ a soul) However, only human beings possess the spirit, which appears to be the “Image of God.”  Thus, our soul is the “breath of life” given to us by God when we are born, and is taken from us when we die. And our spirit is the eternal part of us that never dies.

Here’s how I see the makeup of The Holding Place. It is divided into the following groups:

• Spirits who died as children “before the age of accountability.” What does “accountability” mean? Judaism traditionally holds that a child is not held accountable for sins until they reach a certain age (usually 13 for boys and 12 for girls). Therefore, young children who pass away are viewed as pure and sinless and are believed to return to God after death. In Christianity, the Bible provides no support for the age of 12 or 13 as a set age of accountability. Because the path to maturity varies from child to child, accountability also varies. Probably because of the truth of that last statement, the Bible does not have a single verse that defines when a child becomes accountable for their actions. That said, I think it’s safe to say that God will not hold any child accountable for actions that they could not comprehend. Consequently, all spirits in this group will be raptured into their eternal bodies and bypass any judgment for their actions.
• Spirits who died as Christians, having accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Romans 8:1 (NCV) says, “So now, those who are in Christ Jesus are not judged guilty.” But Romans 14:10 (NKJV) expands by saying, “But why do you judge your brother (Fellow Christian)? Or why do you show contempt for your brother (Fellow Christian)? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Then, in 2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV), it says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” These three verses bring out an important spiritual concept: There will be two judgments! One for Christians, which will be conducted by Jesus, and one for everyone else — The Great White Throne Judgment. Since our fate is sealed by the blood of Jesus, there doesn’t appear to be much for us to do in the Holding Place. We enter it upon death, perhaps receive a brief welcome from Jesus, then once He has set our minds to rest, we sleep.
• Spirits who died as Non-Christian Jews, after the time of Jesus, yet rejected Him. This is one of the central themes in my book, and frankly, what prompted me to write it. Briefly, the idea is taken from how God blinded the Jews shortly after Jesus’ resurrection (See Romans 9-11), so that the Gospel could be preached to the Gentiles. If God had not done this, Christianity would most likely have been a religion of the Jews since Jesus and all His disciples were Jews. Hence, God sacrificed (postphoned?) the salvation of the Jews so that the Gospel message could be preached to the whole world. That said, where does this leave the Jews? Will God really send a faithful Jew, who lived after the time of Jesus, to hell simply because he rejected the very Messiah they were waiting for? This is a complex question that took >430 pages to sort out in my book. Suffice to say, I think the answer is a resounding “NO!” God will not abandon His Chosen People! At some point, Jesus will cause a remnant of 144,000 “holy Jewish people” to be “raised to life” and help Him destroy the Antichrist. This concept suggests something quite controversial — that someone can die not having accepted Jesus, and yet still be saved prior to the final day of judgment. Frankly, I have come to believe that that is exactly why God postpones judgment until the very last moment — to save those He blinded because their decision was not their own. I believe this is a critical concept that all Christians should understand because it shows just how committed God is to loving us and saving us — all of us! Which brings us to the next category of people waiting in the Holding Place.
• Spirits who died:
  • Before their time, having not decided to consider or accept God or Jesus during their life. In this category, we have a “catchall”  of those who (like the Jews) had a very good reason for not accepting Jesus. For example:
    • All spirits who died before Jesus existed.
    • All spirits who died tragically before they had a full and fair chance to accept Jesus. This might be a touchy one, but I think it reflects the loving fairness of God, who knows how the remainder of these people’s lives would have played out if only they had lived a bit longer. Like the Jews, God may have some circumstances where sacrificing the life of an unbeliever may open up untold opportunities for others to be saved. Only God knows if this is possible, and (if so) how this works from one case to the next.
    • All spirits who died and did not accept Jesus because of extraordinary life conditions that burned into them a deep bias against the concept of a loving God (e.g., abusive parents, a horrible childhood, early exposure to extreme evil, etc.) In other words, those who started life in such a horrible way that they were blinded to any chance of seeing God or Jesus. Again, a very touchy category. I can’t prove that such a category exists, but I do know that my God is a loving God who will not allow anyone to go to hell without giving them every chance to be saved.
  • Not having committed either way to consider or accept God or Jesus. In their case, no decision was a decision. Some of us live our lives as if tomorrow (our day of judgment) will never come. But will God leave it at that? Again, only God knows.
  • Actively, consciously, and deliberately rejecting any idea or notion of the existence of God or Jesus during their life. Some have referred to this group as the “unredeemable.” Maybe not all in this category are horrible, evil people. Maybe they were just stubborn, had a bad experience with the church (or God), and were never able to reconcile their position during their lifetime. Still others in this group are the most diabolically evil people the earth has ever known. Completely irredeemable and committed to rejecting anything associated with God. All they care about is pursuing anything that satisfies their needs, no matter who it hurts.

In all the above cases, God/Jesus will judge them based on what was in their heart during their lifetime. This sentiment was expressed through the Prophet Samuel long ago, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7b (ESV)

• The “Secure” Place:  There is one last category that may surprise you, but it is real. It contains a subset of the angels who rejected God and were thrown out of heaven with Satan. Their deeds were so deplorable that God sent them to a “secure” part of the Holding Place, often referred to as “the caves” or “prison” or “the bottomless pit.” Nowhere else does the Bible mention anyone else being held “in prisons of darkness.” These rebelling angels committed an unthinkable sin by having sex with mortals, resulting in a race called the Nephilim. In Genesis 6:2 (ESV) it says, “the sons of God (at that time, the fallen angels of God) saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.” God was so angry with them that He sent the Flood to destroy all life (except Noah’s family), and He then punished these rebelling angels in an unusual way:

And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. Jude 1:6 (NLT)

God didn’t let the rebel angels off the hook, but jailed them in hell (the Holding Place since hell will come later) till Judgment Day. Neither did he let the ancient, ungodly world off. He wiped it out with a flood, rescuing only eight people—Noah, the sole voice of righteousness, was one of them. 2 Peter 2:4 (MSG)

This is a very dark place in human history. Angels, who were meant to serve God, became so enraptured with the women made in God’s image that they were willing to sacrifice all in rebellion to God and do unspeakable things. Still, even these angels have not (yet) been sent to hell. Many believe that they are the “locusts” that are released from the bottomless pit in Revelation 9 to torment those who remain on the Earth during the latter part of the Tribulation. Their Day of Atonement will come after Judgment Day, when they will be sent into the fiery pit with Satan.

Is there Hope in the Holding Place?

Most of us are taught that, once dead, it’s over. And, don’t get me wrong, I think that what happens in the Holding Place is 100% up to God — not the residents. No one there can change their fate, unless God allows it. The verse that brought me to an awareness of this category is found in 1 Peter 4:6. There are a couple of translations that I think bring clarity to this concept:

For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. NASB

Don’t worry: they (the ones who mocked you for being a sinner) are the ones who will have to explain their behavior before the one who is prepared to judge all men, whether living or dead.  (For that is why the dead also had the Gospel preached to them—that it might judge the lives they lived as men and give them also the opportunity to share the eternal life of God in the spirit.) Phillips

Evidently, preaching the gospel to the dead does not absolve them of anything they did while alive (“they are judged in the flesh as people“), but it does give them the opportunity to share the eternal life of God in the spirit.  How does that work? Except for the Jews, I don’t have an answer to this question. Maybe that’s where Moses and Elijah have been spending their time (along with other saints) preaching to the lost. Admittedly, this verse is interpreted in many ways, and the most popular does not support the conclusion that dead people can have their fate changed by God. I was once in that camp, but my awareness of what God plans to do for the Jews prompted me to ask: “Are the Jews the only ones God wants to give a second chance? In the same letter, the Apostle Peter wrote (In 1 Peter 3:19 (NCV)), that Jesus, before He was fully resurrected, descended into something like the Holding Place, and “in the spirit he went and preached to the spirits in prison.” To me, this sounds like Jesus has a passionate concern for those who are dead. But it also begs the question of “Why?” Verse 20 limits the scope to those “who refused to obey God long ago in the time of Noah,” but (for me) this is just an example of those to whom Jesus probably preached during His visit to the Holding Place. There could have been more. What strikes me is that the Apostle Peter acknowledged that those who lived during Noah’s time needed to hear about the saving grace of Jesus because, clearly, they had never heard it. How many more situations like that exist? God loves us so much that He will not let even death stop Him. How God chooses to use this very special ministry is totally up to Him. He gets to save whom He decides to save for reasons known only to Him — that’s why they call it GRACE.

One Last Amazing Thought

Did you read my last blog? We talked about the love God has for us. Specifically, we studied Romans 8:38-39 (NIV), which says:

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Look at that impressive list of all the things that God promises will NEVER separate us from His love! Does it sound like He would allow death to prevent Him from expressing His love if He chooses to do so? Take comfort in these words!

One Last Comment: The views I’ve expressed in this blog may be hard for you to swallow. It is certainly not what I’ve been taught in any Bible Study, nor what I’ve found in most commentaries. Yet many books (both fact and fiction) have been written that hint at some of the ideas proposed in this blog. I stick by what I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me. The crux of my argument lies in answering one question: “If our life, and all our chances of going to heaven, ended at death, why would God delay judgment until after everyone who will ever live dies?”  As stated in Romans, God’s love extends beyond any parameters we can imagine, even death. For me, this gives hope to those whose fate we question, because of reasons beyond their control. We worry what that fate might be, yet we pray that God will have mercy and save them from the outcome we fear most.

Extra Credit: I spent my life as an entrepreneur with a special emphasis on medical science. If you’re willing to spend ~12 minutes, watch this video. It is not a Christian video; it is a medical science video, but the conclusions they reach will blow your mind! This is the best evidence I’ve ever seen that we have both a soul and a spirit: The Upgrade Video by Makai Albert blows apart most common theories about what constitutes our consciousness. Makai Allbert is a health writer with a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences and a Master of Arts in Humanities. He has conducted biomedical research at the University of Maryland, collaborated on data analytics projects with NASA, and served as a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies. He aims to deliver well-researched insights in health journalism.

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