Where Does our Soul Go After Death?
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When the physical part of us dies, and God has not taken us to heaven, where does our soul go?
The Bible does not give us a complete picture of the afterlife. It does give us some snapshots of what happens after death.
In 1 Samuel 28, Saul seeks counsel from the dead Samuel through a medium. Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” (15). First, Samuel was around to be disturbed, and the state that he was in was one of peace, that is, not disturbed. In Ecclesiastes 12:7, the Bible says that upon death, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.” The implication is that the spirit lives on whereas the body simply becomes dust. In Matthew 22:32, Jesus quoted from God’s visit with Moses in Exodus 3:6 when God said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Jesus then said, “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” Jesus point was that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had to be still alive for God to be their God in the present when He spoke to Moses. These passages affirm life after death.
Jesus gives more details in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. First, we see that when Lazarus died, he was “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22). When the rich man died, he was buried, but he continued to exist “in torments in Hades” (23). The word “Hades” means the unseen realm. It is also known as the realm of the dead. “Torments” is just one part of Hades. The other part is a place of comfort. Lazarus went there (25). There was a great gulf fixed between the place of torments and the place of comfort (26). This meant Lazarus could not go to the Rich Man and vice versa. Jesus comments on the place of comfort when he said to the thief on the cross, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).
So, after death, the spirit returns to God. He will enter either paradise or torments depending on his relationship with Jesus. The apostle Paul also said in Philippians 1:23 that he had a desire to depart and be with Christ. Faithful Christians will not need to wait to be with Christ. When they die, they will be with Christ. I do not understand everything about it, but Paul was telling the truth when he spoke it in Philippians 1:23. So, faithful Christians will be in Paradise and with Jesus.
What about heaven and hell? This is a separate question. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 3:13 that we “look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” We also know that judgment must take place before the new heavens and new earth can appear. This is Revelation 20:11-15 and Revelation 21:1-4. Peter also tells us that the angels who sinned are currently awaiting judgment (2 Peter 2:4). Additionally, before judgment takes place, Jesus will return and take the dead and living saints with him to live with him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). We will also receive a resurrected body on that day (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). These are some facts that the Bible sets forth about life after death. They raise many more questions, but they are enough for us to know that God will provide for us after death, and that is all we really need to concern ourselves with.