When a person dies, it is not the end of that person’s life, as some insist. Although the body 
will turn to dust in the ground, one’s soul will live for eternity.
A person in this church age that does not trust Christ’s work on the cross for salvation will find their soul in Hell. One who has trusted Christ’s finished work on the cross to pay the price for their sins will have a different eternal destination (Romans 10:9, John 3:16). Their soul will go where Christ is. Here is some of what the Bible reveals happens at a Christian’s death:
All bodies (except those during the time of the rapture) will die and return to the earth! The body will disintegrate.
“In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Gen. 3:9
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Eccl. 12:7
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Gen. 2:17. All those after Adam and Eve will have a body that will die.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” Heb. 9:27
“Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.” Psalm 104:29
Death is the consequence of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Rom. 5:12
Our eternal souls will go to one of two places.
The soul of an unsaved person will go to hell:
“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 22 … the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, …” Luke 16:19-23.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. This verse states that if you do not believe that Christ died for your sins, you will perish in hell.
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” Psalm 9:17
“… 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;” II Thes. 1:7-9
Death is not the end for the believer.
“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;” II Cor. 1:9-10. “The sentence of death” here is referring to the Hell a saved person is spared.
When it leaves the body, the soul goes to be with the Lord. It goes up!
“Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?” Eccl. 3:21. The spirit of man is the part of man that can communicate with God.
“The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.” Prov. 15:24
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Eccl. 12:7
The soul of a saved person will instantly be with the Lord:
As in the story of Lazarus.
“And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;” Luke 16:20-22. This true event happened before Jesus’ death. Those that died before Christ’s death, both the righteous and unrighteous, went to the center of the earth. The righteous at that time went to a place separate from the tormenting Hell. It was called Abraham’s Bosom and Paradise. When Jesus got the victory over death, He led those in Abraham’s bosom (“captivity”) to be with Him (Eph. 4:8). Jesus vacated that area.
As with the thief on the cross:
“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43 The thief next to Jesus was saved before he died. Jesus told Him that that night he would be with Christ.
As when Jesus died.
“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” Luke 23:46
As when Stephen, the first martyr died.
“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:59
The Bible says that the believer’s next life will be without end — eternal.
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” Mat. 25:46
“That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:15
“That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 5:21
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:23
“In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” Titus 1:2
Paul, a preacher and the writer of much of the New Testament, wrote about death for a believer after Jesus had left this earth. He described some of what will happen to a believer after death, in II Corinthians 5:1-8.
“For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: … 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Paul said that after the body dies, the soul would be present with the Lord.
In the future rapture event, God will call His own home to him before the horrific, earthly tribulation occurs. These will be those that go to be with Him without dying.
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” I Thess. 4:15
“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” I Cor. 15:50-54
At that time, the saved, “righteous” dead, will be called up to be with the Lord. Their bodies, or what remains of them will be resurrected, and they will be given new bodies. The new bodies will be different from what we have now, and will not sin (incorruptible). Most likely, their new body will be united with their soul that is in Heaven.
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:”
I Cor. 15:42
“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.”
Philippians 3:20
“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Col. 3:4
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” I John 3:2
For the believer, the first death of their body will be their last. They will not face the second death that the lost will face (Rev. 20:14).
“Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” Luke 20:36
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Rev. 21:4
