What Will Happen When You Die?

It seems that human societies in all parts of the world have always pondered the question of what happens after you die. Is death the absolute end of both physical life and human consciousness? Or does a conscious but non-corporeal entity survive, in some way, the death of the body?

Whether they buried pots of food and a spear with a deceased tribesman or created intricate entombments amidst a great civilization, human beings have for millennia acted on their beliefs that a non-physical or spiritual portion of the person would survive death. Ancient cultures accommodated this idea in various ways. Some even believed that the physical body, or some portion of it, had to be preserved for the spirit to continue to function after death.

Ancient Egypt provides a well-known case in point, taking the preservation and protection of the body to unparalleled levels. A great portion of the wealth of the Egyptian Empire was focused on this end. Each person, they believed, consisted of a physical body and not one, but two souls that lived on after death—the Ka-soul and the Ba-soul.

The Ka was said to be a spirit replica of the person, containing the vital force received at birth—it would dwell in the statue or picture of the dead person that was placed in the grave. The Ba was the part of the person that had the potential to enjoy eternal life and peace if accepted by the gods, and it was thought to return to the burial site to enjoy food and drink offerings left by family or admirers.

The body, however, had to continue to be recognizable to allow the Ba to return to it. Hence, Egyptians mastered the art of embalming. Anything that might cause the body to decay—like internal organs—was removed and placed in jars. But the heart, which they believed was the seat of life, was preserved and placed in the body. They felt that damaging a heart could result in a second death of the Ka.

The body was dehydrated and stuffed, then preserved with chemicals. An Egyptian priest, adorned with a jackal mask, would then perform the “last rites,” which included causing the mouth to be opened—to allow speaking and eating in the afterlife. The whole process took 70 days. Much of the wealth and skill of the Egyptian Empire was consumed by a religion that was essentially a cult of death.

Today, many in society claim to have no interest or belief in religion and readily dismiss the idea of an afterlife. Of course, opinion may shift a bit with age or illness, as one’s apparent mortality becomes more obvious. Almost all people will at some point ponder the question, “What happens when I die?” Have you ever asked that question? I think you have.

Most religions have some sort of answer—but on what is it based? Some may claim they predicate their belief on a text called the Bible. Many of those same people, however, are actually surprised to learn that what the Bible really does say on the topic varies considerably from what most assume.

Popular Theories About Life After Death

In truth, there have been—and currently are—many varying ideas about death and its consequences. Some will take a more pragmatic or atheistic approach, seeing death as the end of one’s existence; a person dies, and that person ends, both physically and mentally. Some Eastern ideologies hold that while the body may die, the spiritual essence of the body gets reincarnated into another living thing—human or animal. Some believe this cycle of birth and death continues until they achieve perfection and escape the wheel of life into blissful nonexistence.

Other Middle Eastern or Western traditions hold that the human body is home to a non-physical entity often called a soul. The soul, they believe, leaves the body upon death and—subject to a judgment by God—is assigned an eternal reward in a heavenly realm or sentenced to an eternity of pain, sorrow, and suffering in hell.

Much of both Western and Eastern belief originated in ancient Mesopotamia. The ideas that came from this region spread later to Egypt and the East, and also shaped the belief structures of Greece and Rome. According to historians, ancient Mesopotamians believed that “the spirit did not die after death but lingered on to suffer a dismal afterlife…. The only respite from this existence was the food and offerings of their descendants…. It was thought that distressed, murdered and evil spirits could escape the land of the death [sic] to cause havoc among the living…. Likewise, the dead could rise up and torment the living if not given a proper burial” (History.co.uk). This theme was modified over time in the different cultures to which such ideas spread—hence the development of ancestor worship, along with the desire to placate the dead.

In the Western world, such concepts were adopted by the Greeks and their Roman students. Roman religious ideas were extensively borrowed from the Greeks. The Greek religious and cultural ideas were spread to many regions through the expansion of the Greco-Macedonian Empire in the days of Alexander the Great and his successors.

Similar to the Mesopotamians, both Romans and Greeks believed in a god or gods of the underworld—Hades in Greece and Pluto to the Romans. “After death, souls would give an account of their lives to three judges and be consigned either to the Fields of Asphodel, or the Pit of Tartarus. In some literature, if a soul had been exceptionally good it might go to Elysium, or the Isles of the Blessed, a place usually reserved for heroes and the gods” (History.co.uk).

The Greek poet Homer described the fields of Asphodel as the dark and gloomy realm of Hades where ordinary mortals wander—wailing, lost, and aimless. “According to Plato, wicked souls judged to be curable were purified in Tartarus. The souls of those who were judged curable would eventually be released from Tartarus. The souls of those considered incurable were eternally damned” (HistoryCooperative.org).

It is well known to historians that religious ideas of various cultures were often accepted by the Israelites of the biblical record. When the Greeks absorbed Judea into their empire around 330 BC, and when Alexander showed great favor to the Jews, many Jews settled in his new city of Alexandria. A process of Hellenization swept over the Jews of the day—many adopted Greek clothing, customs, and architecture, as well as aspects of Greek philosophy and religion.

This set the stage for the confrontation between Jewish leaders of various religious factions—with large numbers accepting much Greek culture, which affected their view of what happens to the dead. Greek thought greatly impacted the religious life of many in Judea at the time of Christ.

“Immortal Soul” Doctrine Based on Greek Philosophy

So far, we have very briefly examined some of the concepts mankind has developed that have shaped the views of many cultures and religions as to what happens to a person after death. Could it be that some of these ideas of ancient pre-Christian cultures actually influenced and even shaped some of the notions prevalent in some faiths today that call themselves “Christian”?

Let us start by examining the most common beliefs of mainstream Christianity and see if they are compatible with the document upon which their faith is supposedly based—that document being the Bible.

What do most of today’s professing Christians believe regarding death and the afterlife? With a number of variations, they believe that each human body is host to an immortal spiritual entity called a soul, which departs from the body upon death. The soul immediately receives a judgment from God based upon some criteria. It is then assigned to an eternity of bliss in heaven—or, if judged wanting, it is condemned to eternal suffering and torment in a place called hell, not unlike the Greek Tartarus.

What Does the Bible Say About Death?

Are these teachings really found in the Bible? Most adherents are convinced they are. But let us see what the Bible actually says, first examining the matter of the soul.

Dr. Philip Almond, professor of humanities at the University of Queensland, states that “from the beginning of the third century, the Christian tradition adopted the Greek tradition that individuals were composed of a mortal body and an immortal soul” (HistoryExtra.com). In other words, Almond is stating that prior to the third century AD, this was not the Christian opinion. As we will see, the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments teaches something very different.

Augustine (AD 354–430), held to be one of the greatest influencers of the Roman church, actually fused the religion of the New Testament with the tradition of Greek philosophy as exemplified by Plato. Another influential Roman Catholic writer was Tertullian, who openly admitted that his authority was not biblical but from Plato: “For some things are known even by nature: the immortality of the soul, for instance, is held by many…. I may use, therefore, the opinion of Plato, when he declares: ‘Every soul is immortal’” (“On the Resurrection of the Flesh,” The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3). Notice that they consider Plato—not the Bible—their primary authority here.

So, does the Bible support the notion that each person has an immortal soul that survives death and wafts off to Heaven or descends into hell? Let us look at a few simple scriptures that seem to be rather straightforward.

What Is a Soul (Nephesh)?

Some English translations of the Bible clearly call man a soul: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7, King James Version). However, we should note that the New King James Version, whose editors have updated the words used in the King James Version, reads that “man became a living being.” Why is the word “soul” used in one version and “being” in another?

Both words are translated from the Hebrew term nephesh. This is a term used for a living, physical creature. The same word, nephesh, is used for created animals: “Then God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature [nephesh] according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’; and it was so” (Genesis 1:24).

As we can see, the term translated as “soul” in Genesis 2:7 simply means a living creature. The word nephesh can even refer to a dead body: “And Haggai said, ‘If one who is unclean because of a dead body [nephesh] touches any of these, will it be unclean?’ So the priests answered and said, ‘It shall be unclean’” (Haggai 2:13).

Thus we see that the use of the term “soul” when translated from the Hebrew nephesh does not refer to immortality. Ezekiel was also inspired to write a warning to those who willfully sin without the intention of changing. Through his writing, we find that the soul can die: “Behold, all souls [nephesh] are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4, see also v. 20).

Clearly, then, the Bible contradicts what most of today’s professing Christians believe.

The Apostle Paul made the point that Jesus Christ was the only man who had ever attained immortality, asking Christians to “keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality” (1 Timothy 6:14–16).

Human beings do not possess immortality in any way. Earlier, in fact, while Jesus was still on the earth, He made the very clear statement that no human had ever gone to Heaven except for Himself: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man” (John 3:13). Jesus was explaining that none of the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as men like David and the prophets—had gone to Heaven. He was saying that they were all dead. Of course, the Bible shows that they do have a great hope and promise ahead, but they have not yet received it.

What, then, are we to believe? The word of Jesus Christ—whose teachings Christians purport to follow—who said that no human being but Himself had ever gone to Heaven, or the word of human religionists who contradict His word?

Is the Soul Immortal?

The biblical text is actually quite consistent on this point, revealing that immortality is a particular gift of God, to be granted at a future time and according to certain conditions: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Scripture clearly states that the “wages,” or ultimate consequence, of sin—violation of God’s law without repentance—is death. Death is the absence of life; it is not an eternal life of suffering. Indeed, if we already have an immortal soul, we already have eternal life—which is a clear and direct contradiction of the words of Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

Now, to be clear, the Bible does speak of a “spirit in man” (Job 32:8)—not a soul, but rather a spirit from God that empowers our intellect. Every newborn human being is in possession of this spirit of intellect, or “spirit in man,” which enables us to think, reason, create, and be self-aware, with abilities no animal can have. Upon our death, this power of intellect returns to God, who has His own record of each human who has ever lived, which He will use in the future. But after we die that spirit retains no consciousness. Note the Bible’s statement on this: “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). “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).

This may seem very depressing. But that depressing end can be avoided, as God also reveals the promise of a future life—one that can be eternally happy, creative, and productive.

The Bible Teaches Resurrection of the Dead

We have seen that when we consult the Bible as to whether we harbor an immortal soul, the answer is clear: No, we do not. But centuries of tradition have been built on the writings of philosophers that in many cases have been used to attempt to override the Bible itself.

The Sadducees and Pharisees in Paul’s day differed regarding the Greek idea of inherent immortality in humans, and Paul used this division to save his life. When he was put on trial by a combined force of Pharisees and Sadducees, Paul made a controversial statement:

When Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided. For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both (Acts 23:6–8).

Paul believed in the Bible’s teaching that there would be a resurrection of the dead. For him, and for all the true followers of God through the ages, life and consciousness would be restored through a resurrection. This he made plain many times, but nowhere more clearly than in his first letter to the Corinthian brethren:

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 changed—in 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 (1 Corinthians 15:50–53).

Paul makes several points here—first, that a person composed of flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God. He also says that at the time of the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11:15, the dead who have submitted to God will be raised to eternal life, and those at that time who are living and obedient will be changed to immortal spirit life. Immortality is something we do not have—God, through Jesus Christ, must give it to us.

But what about the billions of human beings through the ages who lived and died without ever hearing of Jesus Christ and who spent their lives in ignorance of God’s law and way of life? Are they lost? Those billions were mortal—they died, ceasing to have existence. Yet they, too, still have a hope of life.

Hope in the Resurrection—An Awakening to New Life

Jesus said something to His disciples that many people today find hard to accept: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

This is a remarkable truth, showing that no human being can convert another. Conversion is impossible unless God the Father causes a person’s mind to be open to accepting God’s ways. God is not calling everyone at the same time, but all will have their opportunity, “for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3–4).

To come to the truth, those who died without truth will have to come to life. Note the remarkable statement given to the Apostle John: “And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:4–5).

Scripture promises a resurrection of the dead after Jesus returns to establish His kingdom on the earth, where He will rule with the resurrected faithful whom God had called during their human lifetimes. And a thousand years later there is promised another resurrection to physical life—this to give the rest of humanity their first opportunity to learn and build the character needed to be granted eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

What happens when people die? They die. They cease to have any awareness or ability. They have no consciousness until God the Father and Jesus Christ raise them from the dead to an indescribably great opportunity.

Long ago, a rebellious spirit being, seeking to lead humanity astray, started a false doctrine at the beginning of man’s sojourn on this planet. Satan, the adversary, spoke a false doctrine to Eve while she was still in the garden: “The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die’” (Genesis 3:2–4).

Satan lied. He told Eve she was not going to die, no matter what—in fact, that she was immortal, possessing an immortal spirit. That deception has continued since he spoke those words to her.

But you do not have to be deceived. You can have a great future—if you accept it.

Our free booklet What Happens When You Die? goes into more detail and answers more questions, such as, “What is the fate of the wicked?” You will see from the Bible that God has no plan to torture people forever in a place of torment. You can request this resource from the Regional Office nearest you, listed on page 4 of this magazine, or find it freely available here at TomorrowsWorld.org.