Dying is a subject we tend to avoid talking about. Though it’s a fact of life, it isn’t something that makes us feel happy. We all know that it will come to us sooner or later. For many people, death is about tragedy, loss, sorrow and regret. No wonder we’d rather not think about it.
Across the world, people from different societies and different religions have all established belief systems which account for what happens when we die. Many of these assert that our consciousness continues, maybe in a reincarnation or a place of bliss or even a place of pain. But as no-one has been able to prove any
of these beliefs, what can we do? Are they true or are they just human inventions to give us some hope beyond this life or to enforce moral obedience during our current span of years?
What the Bible actually says
The Bible has a very clear explanation of what happens when we die. It’s an explanation that may surprise you – especially as, over the centuries, people have tried to add to it or adapt it so that the truth has been lost or muddied. The Bible tells us that death is simply oblivion:
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. [Ecclesiastes 9:5]
That sounds rather bleak, doesn’t it? And what about the Christian hope? Surely there is something beyond death? Yes, there is, but it doesn’t involve our going to heaven or hell when we die. We’ll come to that later in this article. First, let’s check out the idea that, if we haven’t lived up to the mark, we may have to endure the fiery torment of hell. Again, this isn’t at all what the Bible really teaches.
Across the world, people from different societies and different religions have all established belief systems which account for what happens when we die. Many of these assert that our consciousness continues, maybe in a reincarnation or a place of bliss or even a place of pain. But as no-one has been able to prove any
of these beliefs, what can we do? Are they true or are they just human inventions to give us some hope beyond this life or to enforce moral obedience during our current span of years?
What the Bible actually says
The Bible has a very clear explanation of what happens when we die. It’s an explanation that may surprise you – especially as, over the centuries, people have tried to add to it or adapt it so that the truth has been lost or muddied. The Bible tells us that death is simply oblivion:
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten. [Ecclesiastes 9:5]
That sounds rather bleak, doesn’t it? And what about the Christian hope? Surely there is something beyond death? Yes, there is, but it doesn’t involve our going to heaven or hell when we die. We’ll come to that later in this article. First, let’s check out the idea that, if we haven’t lived up to the mark, we may have to endure the fiery torment of hell. Again, this isn’t at all what the Bible really teaches.
Is there a hell?
The Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades, appearing in the old and the new testaments respectively, are usually translated simply as ‘the grave’. In one or two places, another word is translated as ‘hell’. This is the word Gehenna which Jesus uses as follows:
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell (Gehenna), where the fire never goes out. [Mark 9:43]
Gehenna was also known as the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem where all the rubbish was thrown to be burned, as were also the bodies of executed criminals. Jesus is using this image to describe the complete destruction of unrepentant sinners. He isn’t calling for self-mutilation but is talking figuratively about our being strongly self- disciplined in living a Christian life. The crowd hearing Jesus would have understood the use he made of ‘Gehenna’ and would certainly not have seen the Lord’s words as referring to a place of eternal torment
Hell is not a place of tortured souls as the medieval church taught, building a terrifying picture of torment for any who didn’t fall into line. It is just the finality of the grave.
The real hope beyond death
So, if hell is simply the grave and death is simply a final oblivion, what is the point of Christianity? The Bible clearly shows us that God’s purpose with mankind has always been to offer us something quite amazing – endless life and endless joy. This is the salvation that so many people have embraced as their hope and that has changed their lives.
We are told that there will be a point in time when God steps in to take control of the world when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Then, and only then, will the dead be raised to life. Jesus said:
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
[John 6:40]
This wonderful future hope means that death is not the end for Christians. Death can be regarded as a sleep from which, one day they will be woken. You can sense the thrill and the joy of this hope when the Apostle Paul writes this:
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
[1 Corinthians 15:51-57]
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Hebrew word sheol and the Greek word hades, appearing in the old and the new testaments respectively, are usually translated simply as ‘the grave’. In one or two places, another word is translated as ‘hell’. This is the word Gehenna which Jesus uses as follows:
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell (Gehenna), where the fire never goes out. [Mark 9:43]
Gehenna was also known as the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem where all the rubbish was thrown to be burned, as were also the bodies of executed criminals. Jesus is using this image to describe the complete destruction of unrepentant sinners. He isn’t calling for self-mutilation but is talking figuratively about our being strongly self- disciplined in living a Christian life. The crowd hearing Jesus would have understood the use he made of ‘Gehenna’ and would certainly not have seen the Lord’s words as referring to a place of eternal torment
Hell is not a place of tortured souls as the medieval church taught, building a terrifying picture of torment for any who didn’t fall into line. It is just the finality of the grave.
The real hope beyond death
So, if hell is simply the grave and death is simply a final oblivion, what is the point of Christianity? The Bible clearly shows us that God’s purpose with mankind has always been to offer us something quite amazing – endless life and endless joy. This is the salvation that so many people have embraced as their hope and that has changed their lives.
We are told that there will be a point in time when God steps in to take control of the world when the Lord Jesus Christ returns. Then, and only then, will the dead be raised to life. Jesus said:
For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
[John 6:40]
This wonderful future hope means that death is not the end for Christians. Death can be regarded as a sleep from which, one day they will be woken. You can sense the thrill and the joy of this hope when the Apostle Paul writes this:
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
[1 Corinthians 15:51-57]
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
