What Happens After We Die?

by Dale Partridge

Ecclesiastes tells us that, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning…” In other words, wise people ponder death and sorrow often. We do not do this in a masochistic sense, we do this as a way to keep our mortality front and center.

When a person avoids the discussion of death they also avoid the discussion of judgment and eternity. As you can see, this denial produces difficult soil for the Gospel. By God’s grace, death, for the Christian has lost its sting. But all that said, we still have a desire to understand what’s coming after death. Do we go immediately to Christ or wait in a state of spiritual sleep? In this episode, pastor Dale Partridge unpacks what the Bible says regarding the process of death and eternity.

This Episode’s Question

“In recent months, I have been thinking about physical death. Like many Christians, while we are secure in Christ, it can cause me concern. I think my concern is driven from the unknown. Dale, what does the Bible actually say about what happens after death? Do we sleep until the Lord restores all things? Do we go to heaven immediately? How should I settle this matter in my heart?”

Kyla in Dayton, Ohio

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Scripture References

  • Romans 5:12

    “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

  • Romans 3:11

    “None is righteous, no, not one.”

  • Romans 6:23

    “For the wages of sin is death.”

  • John 3:16

    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

  • 2 Corinthians 5:8-10

    “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

  • Romans 6:5

    “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” 

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:16

    “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”

  • Philippians 1:23-24

    “I am hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

  • Luke 23:43

    And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

  • John 14:1–2

    “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”

  • Philippians 1:21

    “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

  • 1 Corinthians 15

    “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

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After watching or listening to this episode, what is your opinion? Do you have any questions or comments? Maybe you have something to add to the discussion? If so, let us know in the comments below.

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