It is always hard when a loved one dies. Sometimes it is expected, for example when Grandpa or Grandma, in their later years, pass away. But sometimes we lose a family member or a good friend to an illness or a tragic accident. And the question of what happened to our loved one when they died haunts us as we search for peace and understanding in our great loss. Where is your loved one? Are they in Heaven? Can they see you or hear you talking to them?

I have heard many well-meaning ministers tell friends and family members that their loved one is with God right now and can see them from Heaven. Would you truly want your loved one to see how unhappy you are-how you are suffering and the pain you are going through? There is only one true source that we can go to for the answers regarding the truth about death, and that is the Bible.

So let us set aside our preconceived beliefs for a little bit and pray for God’s wisdom to allow us to see what the Bible plainly states about death. Let's rely on the infallible word of God only. I would recommend that you grab a Bible to follow along. I do not want you to take my word for what is the truth, but to read it yourself straight from God’s Holy Bible. I pray that this page will give you peace and understanding and bring you closer to our God in Heaven!        

 

 

What is a soul?

Genesis 2:7 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.

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Genesis 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

Job 33:4 The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

 

 

Do animals have a "soul"?

Job 12:10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Revelation 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

 

 

Do animals have the breath of life?

Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Genesis 7:15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

 

 

Is a "soul" (or should I really say a "living creature") immortal?

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Psalm 22:29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.

Revelation 16:3 And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.

Job 4:17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

 

 

Who alone has immortality?

I Timothy 6:15 Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

 

 

What was Satan's very first lie?

Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die

 

 

Did Adam (a "living soul") ever die?

Genesis 5:5 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.

 

 

Who has ascended to heaven?

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

 

 

Has anyone seen God the Father?

1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

 

 

Where is God the Father?

1 Peter 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Luke 11:12 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Matthew 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

 

Did Jesus go to heaven before His resurrection?

John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Matthew 17:22-23 And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

 

 

What are the dead doing today?

Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecclesiastes 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Psalm 88:12 (NIV) Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

Psalm 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

Psalm 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

 

 

How does the Bible describe death?

Psalm 13:13 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;

1 Corinthians 15:18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Matthew 9:24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

Mark 5:39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.

Luke 8:52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

John 11:11 These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.

John 11:32 Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.

Deuteronomy 31:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers;

Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

1 Kings 2:10 So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

1 Kings 11:43 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead.

2 Samuel 7:12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

Acts 7:59-60 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep

Job 14:12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Daniel 12:12 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

 

 

When is the resurrection?

John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Job 14:12 So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

 

When does the mortal receive the gift of immortality?

Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Isaiah 62:11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

1 Corinthians 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.

I Corinthians 15:54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

 

 

Does God want ANYONE to perish?

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Matthew 18:14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

 

 

Will the existence of sin force God to do something contrary to His character?

Isaiah 28:21 For the LORD shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

 

 

Has God punished anyone yet?

Job 21:30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Matthew 13:40-42 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

 

Will the unsaved need to be resurrected before they are judged?

Revelation 20:5-6 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Daniel 2:12 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

 

 

Is Satan currently hanging out in a magical cavern under the ground poking and prodding poor suffering souls with a pitch fork?

Luke 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

Job 2:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

 

 

What is the penalty for sin?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

 

What is the eventual fate of Satan?

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Ezekiel 28:18-19 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

 

 

What is the eventual fate of the unsaved?

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Malachi 4:1-3 For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts."

Psalm 21:9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the LORD shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

Psalm 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

Psalm 37:38 But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.

Psalm 62:3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence.

Psalm 104:35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD.

Psalm 145:20 The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy

Job 21:30 That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

 

 

What is God going to destroy in hell fire?

Matthew 10:28 Rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The definition of "soul" from the Strong's concordance is:

soul
New Testament Greek Definition:
5590 psuche {psoo-khay'}
from 5594; TDNT - 9:608,1342; n f
AV - soul 58, life 40, mind 3, heart 1, heartily + 1537 1, not tr 2; 105
1) breath
1a) the breath of life
1a1) the vital force which animates the body and shows itself
in breathing
1a1a) of animals
1a12) of men
1b) life
1c) that in which there is life
1c1) a living being, a living soul
2) the soul
2a) the seat of the feelings, desires, affections, aversions
(our heart, soul etc.)
2b) the (human) soul in so far as it is constituted that by
the right use of the aids offered it by God it can attain
its highest end and secure eternal blessedness, the soul
regarded as a moral being designed for everlasting life
2c) the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not
dissolved by death (distinguished from other parts of the body)

 

Editor's note: To see for a fact that the unsaved will not exist after the final judgement, please read Genesis 2:7 again and look at the possible translations for the Greek word psuche (soul). All that comprises a "living soul" will be thoroughly destroyed in hellfire. Contrary to popular error and myth the final judgement is the death sentence.

 

 

Will hell fire ever go out?

Matthew 12:20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

Isaiah 47:14 Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.

 

 

 

If "Eternal Fire" burns forever, why isn't Sodom and Gomorrha still burning today?

Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

 

 

If "Unquenchable Fire" burns forever, why isn't Jerusalem still burning today?

Jeremiah 17:27 But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched.

 

 

Does "for ever" many times mean for an age or period of time?

Jonah 2:6 went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

Matthew 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

 

 

Hell is many times translated from the Greek word "hades" in the New Testament, what is "Hades"?

The definition of "hell" from the Strong's concordance is:

hell
New Testament Greek Definition:
86 hades {hah'-dace}
from 1 (as negative particle) and 1492; TDNT - 1:146,22; n pr loc
AV - hell 10, grave 1; 11
1) name Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions
2) Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead
3) later use of this word: the grave, death, hell
In Biblical Greek it is associated with Orcus, the infernal regions,
a dark and dismal place in the very depths of the earth, the common
receptacle of disembodied spirits. Usually Hades is just the abode of
the wicked, Lu. 16:23, Rev. 20:13,14; a very uncomfortable place. TDNT.

Editors Note: In Roman mythology, "Orcus" is Pluto or the God of the dead. In Greek mythology "Hades" is the God of the Dead. Note how the only possible definition that has absolutely nothing to do with Greek or Roman Mythology is number three which is "death" or "the grave". Rest assured, according to the Strong's Concordance the term "Hell" is really "death" or the "grave" in the context of Judaism or Christianity. God loves even the worst of sinners and is not torturing them, nor will He!!!

 

  

Hell is many times translated from the Greek word "Gehenna" in the New Testament, what is that?

The definition from the Strong's concordance is:

hell
New Testament Greek Definition:
1067 geenna {gheh'-en-nah}
of Hebrew origin 01516 and 02011; TDNT - 1:657,113; n f
AV - hell 9, hell fire + 3588 + 4442 3; 12
1) Hell is the place of the future punishment call "Gehenna" or
"Gehenna of fire". This was originally the valley of Hinnom,
south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the
city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and
their future destruction.

Editor's note: Are the fires of Gehenna still burning today???? Read Jeremiah 7 and other references to this fire in the Old Testament.

 

 

Do you honestly believe that David is currently burning in a magical cavern under the ground being poked and prodded by Satan's pitch fork?

Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,

 

 

Is God even more cruel and unjust than someone like Adolph Hitler?

 

Job 4:17 Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

 

 

Will there be pain, suffering, and "eternal torment" on the new Earth?

Revelation 21:3-4 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.

 

 

 

If I must die for my sins, how can I possibly have eternal life?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

Numbers 6:14 And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,

John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world

1 Peter 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

Isaiah 53:5-6 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Editors note: If the penalty for sin is "eternal torment" rather than death, then Jesus did not pay the full penalty for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.

 

 

Why would God allow his sinless Son accept the penalty for my sin?

 

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

 

What things will you not find mentioned in the Bible?

 Purgatory.

The term "immortal soul".

 The term "eternal torment".

A God that is more cruel than any man that has ever lived.

A God who is a torturer.

A flaming kingdom under the ground ruled by Satan.

The unsaved receiving immortality.

 Ghosts.

 Ghosts coming out of dying people and going to heaven or hell.

 The dead haunting the living.

 The dead appearing to the living.

 The living talking to the dead.

 

 

The choice is clear, eternal life in paradise or death.
God loves you so much he wants to spend eternity with you,
so please chose life today if you haven't already!

 

 

Additional Questions about death? Click Here!

 

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