This Bible study delves into the afterlife and eternal future. Do you know what will happen when you die? The truth about heaven and hell? A detailed study of Scripture will reveal the truth.

1. WHAT REALLY HAPPENS
WHEN YOU DIE?
Latreia Bible Study, 2015

2. PHYSICAL LIFE
• Physical life housed in and expressed through the body
• Greek soma
• A human or animal body, corpse
• Genesis 2:7
• Then ADONAI, God, formed a person from the dust of the ground and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living being.
• Leviticus 17:11-14
• For the life of a creature is in the blood… For the life of every creature — its blood
is its life.
• Physical life distributed through the blood

3. SPIRITUAL LIFE
• Genesis 2:7; Job 32:8, 33:4
• Then ADONAI, God, formed a person from the dust of the ground and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life, so that he became a living being.
• But it is the spirit in a person, the breath from Shaddai, that gives him
understanding.
• It is the Spirit of God that made me, the breath of Shaddai that gives me life.
• Man has a spirit
• Greek ruwach
• Wind or mind
• Unique to human beings
• Separates man from other creation
• Connects us to God through His breath and likeness

4. WHAT ABOUT THE SOUL?
• The soul is not immortal for all
• Greek psyche
• Life, mind (thoughts and emotions)
• Hebrew nephesh
• A living individual (inclusive of all creatures)
• Matthew 10:28
• Do not fear those who kill the body but are powerless to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can
destroy both soul and body in Gei-Hinnom.
• The soul can be destroyed
• Ezekiel 18:4
• Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine;
The soul who sins shall die.
• A sinning soul will die
• Revelation 6:9
• When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had
been put to death for proclaiming the Word of God, that is, for bearing witness.
• Martyred souls stored under the altar of God

5. DEATH IS “SOUL SILENCE”
• There is no mental activity in death
• A state of sleep (Daniel 12:2)
• Thoughts will perish (Psalm 146:3-4)
• No awareness of time or events (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6)
• No knowledge or wisdom (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
• No praise (Psalm 115:17)
• No remembrance (Psalm 6:4-5)
• No redemption in death (Isaiah 38:18)
• Purgatory is a fallacy

6. PHYSICAL DEATH
• James 2:26
• Indeed, just as the body without a spirit is dead, so too faith without actions is
dead.
• The body is dead without the spirit
• Genesis 3:19
• You will eat bread by the sweat of your forehead till you return to the ground —
for you were taken out of it: you are dust, and you will return to dust.
• The physical man will return to dust
• Job 34:15
• All flesh would instantly perish, everyone would return to dust.

7. SPIRITUAL ESCAPE
• Ecclesiastes 12:7
• The dust returns to earth, as it was, and the spirit returns to God, who gave it.
• Upon physical death, the spirit is separated from the body and returned to God
• Luke 23:46
• Crying out with a loud voice, Yeshua said, “Father! Into your hands I commit my
spirit.” With these words he gave up his spirit.
• Jesus committed His spirit to the Father at the point of physical death

8. ARE GHOSTS REAL?
• What is a ghost?
• Greek rephaim
• Ghost of the dead, shadow
• Occupied in sheol (within the earth) after death
• A dead being
• Isaiah 14:9
• Sh’ol below is stirred up to meet you when you come. It awakens for you the
ghosts of the dead who were leaders on earth; it makes all the kings of the
nations arise from their thrones.
• No conscious thought or life
• No occupation among or interaction with the living

9. HEAVEN’S DOORS ARE NOT OPEN
• There is no immediate occupation of heaven (or hell) at death
• Acts 2:29, 34
• Brothers, I know I can say to you frankly that the patriarch David died and was
buried — his tomb is with us to this day… For David did not ascend into heaven.
• No ascension into heaven
• John 3:13
• No one has gone up into heaven; there is only the one who has come down
from heaven, the Son of Man.
• Only Jesus ascended
• Hebrews 9:27
• Just as human beings have to die once, but after this comes judgment.
• Death is followed by judgment

10. RESURRECTION IS FOR ALL
• ALL will be resurrected – either to eternal life or damnation
• Isaiah 26:19
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
• The dead in Christ will rise first, after the Messiah’s second coming (Parousia)
• Revelation 20:5
• The second resurrection is followed by judgment

11. RESURRECTION IS FOR ALL
• 1 Corinthians 15:52
• It will take but a moment, the blink of an eye, at the final shofar. For
the shofar will sound, and the dead will be raised to live forever, and we too will
be changed.
• John 5:28-29
• Don’t be surprised at this; because the time is coming when all who are in the
grave will hear his voice and come out — those who have done good to a
resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to a resurrection of judgment.
• Revelation 20:11-15
• And I saw the dead, both great and small, standing in front of the throne... and
the dead were judged from what was written in the books, according to what
they had done. The sea gave up the dead in it; and Death and Sh’ol gave up
the dead in them; and they were judged, each according to what he had
done. Then Death and Sh’ol were hurled into the lake of fire. This is the second
death — the lake of fire. Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book
of Life was hurled into the lake of fire.

12. DEATH IS DESTROYED
• Ultimately, death will be destroyed
• 1 Corinthians 15:26
• The last enemy to be done away with will be death.
• Revelation 20:14
• Then Death and Sh’ol were hurled into the lake of fire. This is the second death —
the lake of fire.

13. WHAT REALLY HAPPENS
WHEN YOU DIE?
Latreia Bible Study, 2015

14. HEAVEN AND HELL
The Biblical Truth

15. HEAVEN: GOD’S DWELLING PLACE
• 1Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven
and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that
I have builded?
• Matthew 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
• John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

16. EARTH: MAN’S ETERNAL INHERITANCE
• Psalm 37:29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
• Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
• Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we
shall reign on the earth.

17. NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH
• Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not
pass away.
• Revelation 21:1-2 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of
heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

18. ETERNAL PARADISE
• Revelation 21:3-6 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they
shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
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. And he that sat upon the throne said,
Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words
are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
fountain of the water of life freely.

19. HELL AND THE GRAVE
• Hebrew sheol – grave, pit (the abode of the dead ‘below’ the earth)
• Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for
there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,
whither thou goest.
• Acts 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer
thine Holy One to see corruption.

20. HELL FIRE
• Greek hades, gehenna
• Mark 9:43-44 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to
enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire
that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not
quenched.
• “Fire” describes the nature of divine judgment

21. GEHENNA
• Hebrew Ge-Hinnom – Valley of Hinnom, Tophet
• An actual, physical place at the edge of ancient Jerusalem
• A place of ill repute (idolatry, pagan practices)
• Became a place of punishment and disposal for animal carcases and
executed criminals (continuous fires burned to control the stench)

22. TARTARUS
• 2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down
to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto
judgment;
• Greek – a subterranean cavern, nether-world into which the wicked were
cast

23. THE FATE OF THE WICKED
• Isaiah 26:14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall
not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their
memory to perish.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from
the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
• Psalm 37:20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall
be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume
away.
• The final punishment for the wicked is annihilation!

24. THE LAKE OF FIRE
• Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet
that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These
both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
• Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever.

25. FOREVER AND EVER
• Reference Revelation 20:10
• Strong’s G165: aiōn, ahee-ohn‘ – properly an age; by extension perpetuity
(also past); by implication the world; specifically (Jewish) a Messianic period
(present or future): - age, course, eternal, (for) ever (-more), [n-]ever,
(beginning of the, while the) world (began, without end). Same as G104 –
meaning continued duration

26. THE LAKE OF FIRE
• Revelation 20:12-14 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God;
and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the
book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire.

27. THE LAKE OF FIRE
• Revelation 21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which
is the second death.

28. THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER
• Isaiah 38:18-19 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate
thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the
living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall
make known thy truth.

29. HEAVEN AND HELL
The Biblical Truth