Since death is one of the realities we face in life many are concerned with what happens when we die. Sooner or later those we know and love will die. In fact, we have most likely already experienced the loss of many who were very close to us – such as a grandparent, a favorite aunt or uncle, a parent, brother or sister, son or daughter, husband or wife, a dear friend. The list is truly endless. Unfortunately, there are many mistaken teachings about what happens after death. They range from the belief in reincarnation (that we come back in another form), to the belief of purgatory where we are punished until we have paid for the wrong we’ve done in life, to the belief that we simply cease to exist.
Fortunately, the Bible gives us the correct answer to the question of where we go when we die because the Bible comes from the God who created us, and who rewards us according to whether we have kept His commandments and how we have lived our live on earth. (Download Chart: Where Do We Go When We Die?)
This study follows the journey of our soul from its origin, to the joining of body and soul at conception, through life, and finally through the moment of death and into eternity as the soul returns to God who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7) to ultimately be judged by Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). However, the most important part of this study answers the questions of what happens to our soul between the moment of our death and the time when we are finally judged by Jesus Christ. The Bible speaks of a place of torment as well as a place called “paradise.” What are these places like and who will go there? Are we aware of our surroundings? Will we know what is happening to our loved ones who are still living? Will we be given a new body that will last throughout all eternity? And most important, how can we prepare ourselves in life to ensure we will avoid torment and enter paradise instead?