Life after death - Does it really exist?

from the old testament

• From the beginning, Scripture teaches that human life was uniquely created for fellowship with God and personally animated by Him: “Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7). Ecclesiastes 3:11 later observes that God has “set eternity in the heart of man,” giving every person an innate awareness that physical death is not the end of existence. Humanity was designed to live forever in relationship with our Creator.
• Death entered the world as the result of sin. When Adam disobeyed God by eating from a tree He explicitly forbade, the consequence was both physical and spiritual death. The LORD warned, “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17), and after the fall declared, “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Though sin brought separation and decay, the human soul did not cease to exist.
• After death, “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). That is, in the Old Testament, the departed are described as conscious in Sheol, aware of one another and their condition. Isaiah wrote, “Sheol beneath is stirred up to meet you when you come; it rouses the shades to greet you, all who were leaders of the earth; it raises from their thrones all who were kings of the nations. All of them will answer and say to you: ‘You too have become as weak as we! You have become like us!’” (Isaiah 14:9-10). Ezekiel likewise said, “The mighty chiefs shall speak of them, with their helpers out of the midst of Sheol: ‘They have come down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword’” (Ezekiel 32:21).
• Job expressed confidence that he would still see God after death: “After my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:26-27). David likewise had a similar hope, saying, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6). Knowing who God is and why we were created, Job, David, Solomon, and others all knew that death was not the end.
• The vision that Daniel received revealed a future bodily resurrection in which “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). That pointed to a time in the future when the dead will live again in their bodies, with eternity sealed by their relationship to God before they died.

from the new testament

• The New Testament teaches clearly that life continues after death and that every person remains conscious and accountable to God. Jesus warned His listeners to “fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28), showing that human existence extends beyond physical death with each person’s destiny resting in God’s hands. Death is not a person’s end. It is merely a temporary separation where the body returns to dust while the soul continues in awareness until the day of resurrection.
• Jesus described this vividly in His account of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). In the story, both men died and then each immediately entered a conscious state. Lazarus was being comforted by Abraham while the rich man was tormented in anguish. Their experiences demonstrate that awareness continues beyond the grave and that death is the dividing line between opportunity to be saved and when one’s eternity is set in stone.
• Later, as Jesus hung on the cross, He promised a repentant thief, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Even though both of them would die that evening, they would be alive together in heaven. This means that believers are immediately received into the Lord’s presence after death, as Paul also expressed when he said he desired “to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23).
• The apostle Paul taught that believers will one day be raised in glorified bodies: “The dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52). So, while those who are dead right now are in some form of temporary state, often known as the “intermediate state,” Paul was affirming that when Jesus returns, they will be reunited with their bodies.
• Jesus came to make this life and resurrection possible. Through His death and resurrection, He conquered sin and the grave so that all who believe in Him might receive eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). Yet Scripture also warns of a final judgment. Revelation 20 describes a great white throne before which every person will stand: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). Christ alone is the way of salvation, and our eternal destiny depends on how we respond to Him.

implications for today

Life continues after death, and every person will stand before God to give an account of their actions. Scripture declares that those whose names are written in the book of life will enter eternal joy, while those who are not will face everlasting judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). This means your life has eternal weight. You were made by God and for God, yet sin has separated you from Him. Sin is not merely a list of wrong actions—it is rebellion against the holy Creator who gave you life. Because God is perfectly just, He must punish sin, and the penalty is death—both physical death and eternal separation from His presence (Romans 6:23).

But God, in His mercy, provided a way of escape. Jesus Christ, His Son, entered the world, lived without sin, and willingly took the judgment we deserved. On the cross, He bore God’s wrath for sinners, and three days later, He rose from the grave, defeating death forever.

This is the good news: whoever repents and believes in Jesus Christ will be saved (Romans 10:9-13). To repent is to turn from sin and self-rule and to turn toward Christ in faith, trusting His death and resurrection as your only hope. Flee the wrath to come. Call upon Jesus today, and you will find forgiveness, peace with God, and eternal life in His presence forever.