Born2Blog
There is only one certainty in life: death and there is only one exception: escape in one of the two raptures. While it is obvious our physical body dies and returns to dust, either by rotting in the grave or being burnt to ashes, the question we must ask is what happens to our soul after death, for the Christian but also for the non Christian?
One theologian comments on Luke 23v43:
“Jesus rewarded his faith with the promise that that very day, they would be together in Paradise. Paradise is the same as the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12v2, 4) and means the dwelling place of God.1”
Another theologian comments using 2 Corinthians 5v8:
“Once a believer has died, though his or her physical body remains on the earth and is buried, at the moment of death the soul of that believer goes immediately into the presence of God with rejoicing.2”
One church’s confession of faith states:
“The bodies of men, after death, return to dust, and see corruption: but their souls, which neither die nor sleep, having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave them: the souls of the righteous, being then made perfect of holiness, are received into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God, in light and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day.”
Definitions and a Question of Logic:
In the Bible there are a number of specific locations mentioned over and above the term ‘the heavens and the earth’ created in Genesis 1v1. Unfortunately many English Bible translations cause confusion because of inconsistency of translation or flawed logic. Therefore detailed below is a short definition of each term, which will be useful as we consider what happens after death, followed by my logic for each:
| Hades | Greek word meaning the place of departed souls. |
| Sheol | Hebrew word meaning the place of departed souls. |
| Tartarus | The place where the angels who sinned are chained, reserved for judgment (2 Peter 2v4). |
| Abyss | The bottomless pit. |
| Gehenna | Greek word transliterated from the Hebrew word which means valley of Hinnom. This valley was located just outside Jerusalem where refuse and dead bodies were dumped and burnt with fire. It was also where the children of Judah burnt their sons and daughters (Jeremiah 7v31). |
| Lake of fire | Final place of everlasting torment and punishment. |
I would argue that Hades and Sheol are the same location. This is seen in Psalm 16v10 and Acts 2v27&31. Both locations speak of a connection with the soul but never the body and have similar descriptions e.g. gates (Job 17v16 and Matthew 16v18).
If Death and Hades eventually end up in the lake of fire (Revelation 20v14), Hades cannot be the lake of fire and must be distinct. Since there is no mention of Gehenna going into the lake of fire it must either be the same location as Hades or synonymous with the lake of fire. The soul and body can be destroyed in Gehenna (Matthew 10v28) so Hades cannot be Gehenna as Hades is only the place of departed souls. There is no earthly body or resurrected person in Hades. Therefore I would argue Gehenna is synonymous with the lake of fire, the picture being of refuse and bodies being burnt in the valley of Hinnom, not Hades.
Some translations, like the King James Version, cause confusion by translating both Hades and Gehenna as Hell. To add to the confusion Sheol at times is translated as grave, pit or Hell. It is only the soul which is mentioned with reference to Sheol, the body is never included.
I personally believe it is easier to use the Hebrew or Greek transliterated words rather than trying to translate them into English. If Hell is to be used in modern day language I believe it is best to reserve this term for Gehenna / lake of fire, the final place of everlasting torment and punishment for both the soul and body.
Having defined the terms, and after careful examination of scripture, I believe that every Christian upon death goes to Hades and not to Heaven. This is contrary to what many modern theologians and confessions of faith state (see examples above). Here I will discuss 4 arguments for this belief, which are by no means exhaustive, and examine the validity of 2 main objections.
Argument 1
In my “Creation and Death of Adam” blog I showed how Adam’s spirit returned to God, his soul went to Hades and his body returned to dust. This was exactly what happened to the second Adam – Jesus. A disembodied soul is naked and therefore cannot enter the Holy of Holies, the third heaven, where God dwells. All Old Testament believers went to Hades upon death. In like manner, after the resurrection of Jesus, I would continue to argue that a Christian’s three parts (spirit, soul and body) follow exactly the same pattern as that of the first and second Adam. A Christian’s spirit returns to God who gave it, the body returns to dust and the soul upon death is naked (2 Corinthians 5v3&4). The soul is naked because the body is a soul’s clothing and only a soul clothed in a glorified resurrected body can enter the Holy of Holies, thus following the pattern set by Jesus. Therefore, at death a Christian’s soul goes to Hades not Heaven.
Argument 2
Jesus in speaking to His disciples, said these words:
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
John 14v2&3
At what point will Jesus’ disciples be received to Him, that where He is, they would be also? Verse 3 says, ‘I will come again’. Disciples of Jesus will only be received to where He is when He comes again i.e. His second coming. Therefore, disciples who have died cannot be with Him presently as Jesus has not come again.
Argument 3
John, when the fifth seal was opened in the book of Revelation, wrote these words:
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.
Revelation 6v9
What and where is the altar which John refers to? A good understanding of the tabernacle/temple in the Old Testament is required to answer these questions. The Old Testament tabernacle/temple is a copy of that which is in the heavens. There were two altars in the tabernacle/temple: the altar of incense which was in the holy place and the bronze burnt offering altar which was in the outer court. As these are the souls of those slain, the altar to which John refers is the burnt offering altar but he is not speaking of the Old Testament altar used for sacrificing animals, he is speaking of the true altar rather than the copy. The true altar is on the earth wherever a person is slain. How do we know this? Jesus had to leave the Holy of Holies, the third heaven, to come to earth. It was on the earth that He was sacrificed as the perfect Passover Lamb of God i.e. the sacrificial altar was on the earth. Where is a Christian to present his/her body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God (Romans 12v1)? It is on the earth while alive. Therefore, if the altar is anywhere on the earth, then the souls under the altar must be under the earth. What is under the earth? Hades. The souls John saw were under the earth in Hades awaiting resurrection.
Argument 4
Jesus in speaking to Peter, said these words:
…I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16v18
When Jesus spoke these words the New Testament church had not yet begun. It only had its inception on Resurrection Sunday. If Christians upon death go straight to heaven there would never be any Christians in Hades. The gates of Hades must either keep souls in or souls out. It would be illogical for souls to want to get into Hades, therefore the gates must function to keep souls in. When Jesus comes again and receives His disciples to Himself (John 14) the gates of Hades will not prevail at keeping these souls any longer. If no Christians go to Hades, Jesus’ words are null and void.
What then for non Christians? Their soul will go to Hades just like Christians where they will await their final fate: to be cast into the lake of fire, along with Death and Hades (Revelation 20v14&15).
Objections
There are a number of objections Christians would make against the scriptural evidence above that a Christian’s soul goes to Hades after death. I have addressed a couple of the most common below:
Objection 1: Paradise
The argument is made that while Jesus hung on the cross with the two thieves, He told one of the thieves:
And Jesus said to him. “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Luke 23v43
Paradise is taken to mean the third heaven (see quote above), the dwelling place of God, and therefore when Jesus and the thief died, both went straight to Heaven and not to Hades. This verse is used to interpret Acts 2v31 where Peter quotes the Psalmist David in relation to Jesus’ soul not being left in Hades. The conclusion is made that Hades simply means grave as Paradise in Luke 23v43 means Heaven. However, the interpretation for Paradise in Luke 23v43 comes from another verse in 2 Corinthians so we must examine this:
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago – whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows – such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows – how he was caught up into Paradise…
2 Corinthians 12v2-4
Paul is speaking of a man that was taken to the third heaven and to Paradise where he heard inexpressible words which were not lawful to utter. In the Greek text the word translated as ‘caught up’ is harpazo which simply means ‘catch away’. The directional word ‘up’ has been inserted instead of ‘away’. While it could be safe to assume the direction of ‘up’ for the third heaven, it would be incorrect to assume Paradise directionally is also ‘up’. The verse gives no indication of this. When the same word harpazo is translated in Acts 8v39 it says, ‘the Lord caught Philip away.’ This has been correctly translated with no directional sense. In 1 Thessalonians 4 the same word is translated ‘caught up’. Again it would be safe to conclude the direction ‘up’ due to the context of this verse but the word harpazo itself has no direction attached. If the third heaven and Paradise are one and the same we must also ask the question why Paul separated them out in two different verses.
The word ‘Paradise’ is also used in Revelation 2v7 which speaks of the Paradise of God. We are told the tree of life is in the Paradise of God and he who overcomes will eat from it. The New Jerusalem, which contains the tree of life in Revelation 21, comes down from Heaven. If Paul is referring to this Paradise of God, the New Jerusalem, then ‘caught up’ would be a legitimate translation.
However, we must use what is unlawful, i.e. no nakedness in the Holy of Holies, and the greater evidence of scripture (examples above) to conclude where Jesus and the thief went upon death. The interpretation of Luke 23v43 that Paradise means Heaven which leads to the interpretation of Acts 2v31 and other scriptures is inconclusive based upon an assumption in 2 Corinthians 12v4 regarding the directionality of the destination which is Paradise.
Paul could be referring to part of Hades and it would not be absurd to understand this part of Hades, where faithful Old Covenant and New Covenant believers are awaiting resurrection, to be called Paradise. Equally, he could be referring to the Paradise of God, the New Jerusalem, which the Apostle John also saw in the book of Revelation. However, following the numerical patterns of the Bible, no one from Adam could enter the New Jerusalem until the 8th day (See my book Born2Know for more information on this) and so Jesus speaking to the thief on the cross regarding Paradise cannot mean the Paradise of God but must refer to a Paradise in Hades.
Objection 2: Absent from the body, present with the Lord
Another argument is made concerning the words of Paul in writing to the Corinthians:
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5v8
Is Paul teaching the Corinthians that once the soul departs from the body that it is then immediately present with the Lord in Heaven (see quote above)? The word ‘present’ in this verse is the same word which can be translated as in verse 6 of the same chapter as ‘home’.
To correctly understand this verse we need to rewind and understand the argument and thought process of the Apostle Paul. In chapter 4 he is telling the Corinthians that he and those with him have not lost heart (2 Corinthians 4v1). Why? He proceeds to tell them the bodily hardships and difficulties they experience for preaching Jesus Christ and how they are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 4v11). However, because they believe, they continue to speak. Why?
…knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.
2 Corinthians 4v14
Even though their outward bodies were perishing, Paul knew that God would raise up their bodies, just as He raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. Paul then continues in chapter 5 to explain that if their earthly house i.e. their bodies are destroyed, they have a building from God, a house eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5v1). Verse 2 clearly explains this habitation/house from heaven is clothing i.e. a glorified body. This house is not the Father’s house of John 14. It is our individual body house. He describes the state of not having either of these two bodies as unclothed and naked. This was discussed in ‘The Creation and Death of Adam‘ blog. While Paul is at home in an earthly body he is absent from the Lord and therefore he walks by faith and not by sight. He is unable to physically see Jesus. It is at this point where he pens 2 Corinthians 5v8 and states their confidence and pleasing rather to be absent from their earthly body and to be at home with the Lord.
‘To be at home’ in the context of 2 Corinthians 4v14 and 5v1 means to be clothed with a body, whether that is with an earthly body or a heavenly body. Therefore Paul and his companions do not lose heart because they know that no matter what is done to their earthly body, God will raise them up to be at home in a heavenly body (compare chapter 4v14 with chapter 5v8). To be at home you must have a house. What is a house in context? Either an earthly or heavenly body. Therefore, you must have a body, whether earthly or heavenly to be at home. When will a faithful Christian receive a heavenly glorified body?
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed – in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet will sound…
1 Corinthians 15v51&52
It is when the last trumpet sounds at the second coming of Jesus, when the Lord Himself will descend from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4v16). An objector who uses 2 Corinthians 5v8 to say that a Christian who has died goes immediately to Heaven, where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, is misinterpreting this verse. It is true that in the future some Christians (who are alive when Jesus returns) will immediately be changed from an earthly body to a heavenly body but there is no time implied in 2 Corinthians 5v8. There is an intermediate state before being raised up with a body to be with the Lord, which Paul alludes to by saying, ‘not because we want to be unclothed’ (2 Corinthians 5v4), where the time period will be different for everyone from the time of Abel to the second coming of Christ. This intermediate state in Hades was the pattern of Old Testament believers (e.g. David) and the Son of God. This pattern is also the same for New Testament believers.
There are those who hold the view that when Christians die they do indeed go to Hades but interpret this verse as being at home with the Lord in Hades. They maintain there is a greater presence of the Lord in Hades than presently in the body (Matthew 28v20). While I believe there could be a greater presence of the Lord based on Psalm 139v8 and Ephesians 4v10 as well as the fact that a disembodied soul will no longer have the world, the flesh and the Devil to contend with, I do not see that it is the correct interpretation of this verse. They cannot be at home because they do not have a house i.e. a body. In context, a house refers to a resurrected heavenly body, not a greater presence of the Lord in a disembodied state either in Hades or in Heaven.
A Christian upon death does not go straight to Heaven. They are not yet at home with the Lord in glory. This is not a true and fair view, to use an auditing expression, and cannot be substantiated from Scripture. It is a false and very misleading view. Both Christian and non Christian go to Hades upon death and the differences whilst there will be the topic of my next blog.
Simplicity in Christ: When a Christian dies his/her body returns to dust, their spirit returns to God who gave it and their soul goes to Hades.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
1Believer’s Bible Commentary, William MacDonald, p1456
2Systematic Theology An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Wayne Grudem, p816
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