When you hearthis question, at least two words probably come to mind: heaven or hell. Yetwhere does the Bible teach this and is it really that simple?

Sheol

The Hebrew wordsheol appears throughout the Old Testament (OT) (Gen 37:35; Job 7:9;14:13; 17:13-16; Psa 6:5; 16:10; 55:15; Prov 9:18; Eccl 9:10; Isa 14:11; 38:10-12,18). Sheol refers generically to the afterlife, though some translationsuse the word “hell” which may be misleading and too specific.

Though the OT understandingof this realm seems limited, believers expressed hope that God would eventuallydeliver them from this mysterious, ominous place (Job 14:13-15; 19:25-27; Psa16:10; 49:15; 86:13; 89:48). Meanwhile, nonbelievers would be consigned to amiserable condition without the hope of deliverance (Psa 9:17; 55:15). At theend of time, all who died would be released and assigned to their eternal destinations(Dan 12:2).

Hades

The Greek word hadesappears eleven times in the New Testament (NT). Like sheol, it refers tothe place where the immaterial (nonphysical) part of people go when they die.

Jesus described hades as a place of fire, pain, and vexation for nonbelievers (Luke 16:19-31, esp. vv.23). He also described it as a place of safety, comfort, and rest for believers (Luke 16:22). This indicates that from the OT period until the lifetime of Jesus, sheol or hades consisted of two compartments or zones vastly separate from each other. For nonbelievers, it was a place of “torments,” but for believers it was “Abraham’s bosom” or “paradise” (Luke 23:43).

From the OT period until the lifetime of Jesus, sheol or hades consisted of two compartments or zones vastly separate from each other.

From what we can tell, this place may be located deep within the earth, though we cannot be certain (Matt 12:40). Jesus went there after his crucifixion, but he did not remain there (1 Pet 3:19-20). He resurrected (Matt 12:40; Acts 2:27, 31).

At this pointor shortly afterwards, it seems that Christ released deceased believers from hades(or “Abraham’s bosom,” “paradise”) as OT saints had anticipated. Paul clearlyteaches that deceased believers today go immediately to the presence of Christin heaven, where God dwells (2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23). This means that we nolonger go to hades (or “Abraham’s bosom,” “paradise”).

When believers die today, they go immediately to the presence of the Lord in heaven.

When believers die today, they go immediately to the presence of the Lord in heaven, yet without their physical bodies. Their physical bodies will be returned to them when Christ appears at the rapture (Rom 8:22-25; 2 Cor 5:3; 1 Thess 4:16; 1 John 3:2). Meanwhile, deceased nonbelievers remain in hades, from which they will be recalled for their future final judgement (Rev 20:13).

Gehenna

Gehenna is a related NT word. It is less generic than hades, however,andrefers exclusively to the final, eternal destination of nonbelievers(Matt 10:28; Mark 9:43, 45, 47). “The Lake of Fire” is another name for thisplace (Rev 20:14-15). Nonbelievers who are in hades today will be permanentlyexiled to this place after they receive their final judgement at the GreatWhite Throne. They do not go to Gehenna today.

It is interesting to know that Gehenna refers not only to the future, fiery judgement of nonbelievers, but also to a well-known geographic phenomenon of that day. Gehenna (also called the “Valley of Hinnom”) was a valley outside Jerusalem with a terrible history. Two of Judah’s OT kings, Ahaz and Manasseh, had authorized infant sacrifices (by fire) to be carried out to the false god Moloch in this valley (2 Kgs 16:3; 21:6; 2 Chr 28:3; 33:6; Jer 9:26; 32:35). In Jesus’ day, this foreboding place was used as a dump for burning garbage and the bodies of dead criminals. This valley, though on a minor scale, served as a vivid illustration of what the Lake of Fire will be like for the wicked.

A Summary andthe Eternal State

• Prior to the death and resurrection of Christ, everyone went to hades after death, though their bodies remained in the grave. Nonbelievers endured a terrible experience while believers enjoyed a restful one.
• Today, deceased nonbelievers still go to hades, while believers go to the presence of the Lord in heaven instead.
• Believers will receive their physical bodies (free from sin) when Christ returns at the rapture and will enter into the kingdom of God forever following the bema seat judgement. Nonbelievers will receive their bodies at their final appearance before the Great White Throne.
• Nonbelievers will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire, while believers will spend eternity a New Heaven and Earth that God will make, free from sin, death, and evil in every way.