Few things could be more important than what happens to us when this life ends. Most people believe the Bible teaches that we will go to either heaven or hell at death. They might be surprised at what it really says!

Table of Contents

A Bible laying on a table.
4 minutes
Some believe that various scriptures support belief in an immortal soul. Let's consider some of these passages and understand what they really say.
A statue of head of the Egyptian god Osiris.
3 minutes
The idea that souls go to heaven at death originated in pagan religion, not the Bible.
Cover of a Holy Bible
7 minutes
Many people think Jesus assured the thief on the cross that he would go to heaven with Him that very day. But is this really what Jesus Christ meant?
A bust of Plato's face in stone.
2 minutes
Despite widespread use of the phrase immortal soul, this terminology is found nowhere in the Bible. Where did the idea of an immortal soul originate?
A Holy Bible laying on a table.
4 minutes
Many have assumed from Paul's words in Philippians 1:23-24 that he believed that at the moment of his death his consciousness would leave his body to...
A young couple by a grave stone.
14 minutes
The Bible clearly teaches that the dead will be raised in a resurrection. But if their souls have already gone to heaven or hell at death, what's the...
A woman standing beside an old bridge.
2 minutes
The human spirit is critical to our destiny, since God's Holy Spirit joining with it is what makes us God's children.
Sunrays coming through the clouds.
5 minutes
A biblical event many cite to support belief that the righteous go to heaven when they die involves the prophet Elijah.
Bible laying on top of a table
6 minutes
Many interpret one of Jesus' parables to mean that people have immortal souls that go to heaven or hell immediately at death. But does this parable...
An open Bible laying on a table.
4 minutes
Some people believe Genesis 5:24 and Hebrews 11:5 declare that God took Enoch to heaven. But is that what these verses say?
Flames of a fire.
2 minutes
Any human being thrown into the lake of fire will be destroyed and will not be tormented for eternity.
An open Bible laying on a table.
3 minutes
The popular teaching is that when Christians die they immediately go to heaven, where they take up residence in their permanent abode. But can we find...
Bible laying on top of a table.
3 minutes
Rather than describing eternal torment of people in hell, from the context we see that this passage is actually describing specific events to take...
A doctor consoling a person who is grieving.
12 minutes
A careful study of the Scriptures reveals major problems with popular beliefs about life after death. Sadly, these misguided ideas have masked the...
A blue sky with clouds and sun rays.
5 minutes
Few things could be more important than what happens to us when this life ends. Most people believe the Bible teaches that we will go to either heaven...
Bible laying on top of a table.
2 minutes
Two verses that many assume prove the wicked are to be eternally tortured in hellfire are Matthew 25:41 and 25:46. But do they? Let's take a closer...
An bed that has been slept in.
4 minutes
What happens to a person when he dies? The Bible compares death to a state of sleep.
An illustrated version of what people believe to be a spirit or immortal soul.
10 minutes
Ideas about us going to heaven or hell hinge on belief in the immortal soul, which must go somewhere when the body dies. Yet the Bible nowhere teaches...
A photo illustration showing a person reaching for another person surrounded by bright lights.
12 minutes
If heaven is the reward for good people, why does the Bible reveal so little about what they will do there for eternity? Could it be that this isn't...
Woodcarving painting by Gustave Doré.
19 minutes
Millions believe that God is loving and merciful, but also that He has condemned millions to suffer torment for all eternity. Is something wrong with...