Life After Death—How, Where, When?

MAN’S Creator and Life-Giver gives his personal guarantee that human death does not necessarily end life forever. Furthermore, God assures us that it is possible not only to live again for a further limited life span but to live with the prospect of never facing death again! The apostle Paul put it simply, yet confidently: “He [God] has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him [Christ Jesus] from the dead.”—Acts 17:31.

Of course, this still leaves unanswered three basic questions: How can a dead person come back to life? When will this happen? Where does that new life come into existence? Throughout the world, diverse answers have been given to these questions, but a vital key to determining the truth of the matter is to understand accurately what happens to humans at the time of their death.

Is Immortality the Answer?

A widely held belief is that a part of all humans is immortal and that only their bodies die. You certainly have heard such a claim. This part that is claimed to be immortal is referred to variously as “soul” or “spirit.” It is said to survive the death of the body and continue to live elsewhere. Frankly, such a belief did not originate in the Bible. True, ancient Hebrew Bible characters did look forward to life after death, but not by survival of some immortal part of them. They confidently looked forward to a future return to life on earth through the miracle of a resurrection.

The patriarch Abraham is an outstanding example of one who had faith in a future resurrection of the dead. Describing Abraham’s willingness to offer up his son Isaac in sacrifice, Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, as good as offered up Isaac, . . . but he reckoned that God was able to raise him up even from the dead; and from there he did receive him also in an illustrative way,” since God did not require that Isaac be sacrificed. Further testifying to the early belief among the Israelites that they would come back to life again at a later time (rather than have an immediate continuation of life in a spirit realm), the prophet Hosea wrote: “From the hand of Sheol [the common grave of mankind] I shall redeem them; from death I shall recover them.”—Hosea 13:14.

So when did the idea of inherent human immortality come into Jewish thinking and belief? The Encyclopaedia Judaica admits that “it was probably under Greek influence that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul came into Judaism.” Nevertheless, devout Jews up until the time of Christ still believed in and looked forward to a future resurrection. We can see this clearly from Jesus’ conversation with Martha at the death of her brother Lazarus: “Martha therefore said to Jesus: ‘Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.’ . . . Jesus said to her: ‘Your brother will rise.’ Martha said to him: ‘I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.’”—John 11:21-24.

Condition of the Dead

Here again, there is no need to guess at the matter. The simple Bible truth is that the dead are “asleep,” unconscious, with absolutely no feeling or knowledge. Such truth is not presented in a complex, difficult-to-comprehend manner in the Bible. Consider these easy-to-understand scriptures: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all . . . All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, the place to which you are going.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10) “Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs. His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish.”—Psalm 146:3, 4.

It is understandable, then, why Jesus Christ referred to death as a sleep. The apostle John records a conversation between Jesus and his disciples: “He said to them: ‘Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.’ Therefore the disciples said to him: ‘Lord, if he has gone to rest, he will get well.’ Jesus had spoken, however, about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking rest in sleep. At that time, therefore, Jesus said to them outspokenly: ‘Lazarus has died.’”—John 11:11-14.

The Entire Person Dies

The process of human death involves the entire person, not just the death of the body. According to clear Biblical statements, we must conclude that man does not possess an immortal soul that can survive the death of his body. The Scriptures clearly indicate that a soul can die. “Look! All the souls—to me they belong. As the soul of the father so likewise the soul of the son—to me they belong. The soul that is sinning—it itself will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4) Nowhere are the words “immortal” or “immortality” spoken of as being inherent in mankind.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia supplies this interesting background on the Hebrew and Greek words rendered “soul” in the Bible: “Soul in the OT [Old Testament] is nepeš, in the NT [New Testament] [psy·khe´]. . . . Nepeš comes from an original root probably meaning to breathe, and thus . . . since breath distinguishes the living from the dead, nepeš came to mean life or self or simply individual life. . . . There is no dichotomy [division into two parts] of body and soul in the OT. The Israelite saw things concretely, in their totality, and thus he considered men as persons and not as composites. The term nepeš, though translated by our word soul, never means soul as distinct from the body or the individual person. . . . The term [psy·khe´] is the NT word corresponding with nepeš. It can mean the principle of life, life itself, or the living being.”

You can thus see that at the time of death, the previously alive person, or the living soul, ceases to exist. The body goes back to “dust” or to the elements of the earth either gradually by burial and subsequent decay or hastened by cremation. Jehovah told Adam: “Dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19) How, then, is life after death possible? It is because God has his own memory of the person who died. Jehovah has the miraculous power and ability to create humans, so it should not be surprising that he in his memory can preserve a record of the life pattern of the individual. Yes, all prospects for that one to live again rest with God.

This is the sense of the word “spirit,” which is spoken of as returning to the true God who gave it. Describing this outcome, the inspired writer of the book of Ecclesiastes explains: “Then the dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be and the spirit itself returns to the true God who gave it.”—Ecclesiastes 12:7.

Only God can make someone live. When God created man in Eden and blew into his nostrils “the breath of life,” in addition to filling Adam’s lungs with air, Jehovah caused the life-force to vitalize all the cells in his body. (Genesis 2:7) Because this life-force can be passed on from parents to children through the process of conception and birth, a human life can properly be attributed to God though, of course, received through the parents.

Resurrection—A Happy Time

Resurrection should not be confused with reincarnation, which finds no support in the Holy Scriptures. Reincarnation is the belief that after a person dies, he is reborn in one or more successive existences. This is said to be on either a higher plane or a lower plane of existence compared to one’s previous life, depending on what record was supposedly built up during that previous lifetime. According to this belief, one may be “reborn” either as a human or as an animal. That is quite in conflict with what the Bible teaches.

The word “resurrection” is translated from the Greek word a·na´sta·sis, which literally means “a standing up again.” (Hebrew translators of the Greek have rendered a·na´sta·sis with the Hebrew words techi·yath´ ham·me·thim´, meaning “revival of the dead.”) Resurrection involves a reactivating of the life pattern of the individual, which life pattern God has retained in his memory. According to God’s will for the individual, the person is restored in either a human body or a spirit body; yet he retains his personal identity, having the same personality and memories as when he died.

Yes, the Bible speaks of two kinds of resurrection. One is a resurrection to heaven with a spirit body; this is for a comparative few. Jesus Christ received such a resurrection. (1 Peter 3:18) And he indicated that such would be experienced by selected ones among his footstep followers, starting with the faithful apostles, to whom he gave the promise: “I am going my way to prepare a place for you. . . . I am coming again and will receive you home to myself, that where I am you also may be.” (John 14:2, 3) The Bible refers to this as “the first resurrection,” first in time and in rank. The Scriptures describe those thus resurrected to heavenly life as being priests of God and as ruling as kings with Christ Jesus. (Revelation 20:6) This “first resurrection” is for a limited number, and the Scriptures themselves reveal that just 144,000 will be taken from among faithful men and women. They will have proved their integrity to Jehovah God and Christ Jesus right down to their death, having been active in bearing witness to others about their faith.—Revelation 14:1, 3, 4.

Without doubt, the resurrection of the dead is a time of boundless happiness for those resurrected to life in heaven. But the happiness does not end there, for also promised is a resurrection to life right here on earth. Those resurrected will join an unlimited number who survive the end of the present wicked system. After viewing the small number who qualify for a heavenly resurrection, the apostle John was given a vision of “a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.” What a happy time that will be when millions, possibly billions, come back to life here on earth!—Revelation 7:9, 16, 17.

When Will It Be?

Any joy and happiness would be short-lived if the dead came back to an earth that was filled with strife, bloodshed, pollution, and violence—as is the situation today. No, the resurrection must await the setting up of “a new earth.” Imagine, a planet cleansed of people and institutions that up until now seem bent on ruining the earth and spoiling its pristine beauty, to say nothing of the untold misery they have brought upon its inhabitants.—2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 11:18.

Obviously, the time for the general resurrection of mankind is still ahead. Yet the good news is that it is not a long way off. True, it must wait for the end of this present evil system of things. However, abundant evidence proves that the time for the sudden outbreak of the “great tribulation” is at hand, culminating in “the war of the great day of God the Almighty”—commonly referred to as Armageddon. (Matthew 24:3-14, 21; Revelation 16:14, 16) This will bring about the removal of all wickedness from this delightful planet, Earth. Following that will come the Thousand Year Reign of Christ Jesus, when the earth will be brought progressively into a paradise state.

The Bible reveals that during this Millennial reign, the resurrection of human dead will take place. Then will be fulfilled the promise Jesus made while on earth: “Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out . . . to a resurrection.”—John 5:28, 29.

Effect of Resurrection Hope

What a wonderful hope for the future is this prospect of a resurrection—a time when the dead will come back to life! How it encourages us as we face the rigors of advancing age, sickness, unexpected calamities and sorrow, and just everyday pressures and problems of life! It takes away the sting of death—not eliminating sorrow altogether but separating us from those who have no hope for the future. The apostle Paul acknowledged this comforting effect of the resurrection hope in these words: “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant concerning those who are sleeping in death; that you may not sorrow just as the rest also do who have no hope. For if our faith is that Jesus died and rose again, so, too, those who have fallen asleep in death through Jesus God will bring with him.”—1 Thessalonians 4:13, 14.

We may already have experienced the truth of another observation made by the Oriental man Job: “Man wastes away like something rotten, like a garment eaten by moths. Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.” (Job 13:28–14:2, New International Version) We too are aware of the uncertainty of life and the grim reality that “time and unforeseen occurrence” can befall any one of us. (Ecclesiastes 9:11) For sure, none of us enjoy the thought of facing the process of dying. Still, the sure hope of a resurrection does help take away overwhelming fear of death.

Take heart, then! Look beyond a possible sleep in death to a coming back to life through the miracle of the resurrection. Look forward confidently to the prospect of a future life without end, and add to this the joy of knowing that such a blessed time is in the near future.