Where Are the Dead?

Where are the dead? We all wonder at times where our parents, relatives, and loved ones go when they leave this life.

What happens to us when we die? What about all the people who talk about dying and coming back? What about the things that they claim to experience?

Characters in the Old Testament had glimpses of immortality and life after death revealed to them, so that although they feared death, there was comfort in knowing God had something more for them. They spoke of being "gathered unto their people" (Genesis 25:8, 17, 35:29, 49:33, Deuteronomy 32:50).

Where are the dead? We will attempt to understand some about Hades where departed spirits of the dead go before us. We want to take it slowly and try to piece together the parts of the puzzle that God has left us in His word. We must be careful not to squeeze any square pegs into round holes.

At the same time, we don’t want to confuse ourselves by thinking about TV shows, movies, popular books and personal experiences. We will leave speculation to those who foolishly make guesses and attempt to answer the unanswerable (1 Timothy 1:3-4, 2 Timothy 2:15, 23, Titus 3:9).

Rather, we must learn to have hope and comfort in the Scriptures (1 Thessalonians 4:13, 18).

Why didn’t God explain more to us about life after death? Obviously, God does not want us to know more (2 Corinthians 12:4). Besides, we probably could not understand more than He did tell us. Actually, we don’t even understand that!

Physical beings have a hard time comprehending that which is utterly spiritual--heavenly. We are hindered by the limitations of the flesh. Therefore, God uses physical illustrations which we can understand to help us grasp spiritual truths. Yet, even these have limitations.

What Is Death?

Death is not a complete annihilation or cessation of existence. The ideas of Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others who believe in the "sleep of the soul" do not coincide with Scriptures. We learn much about death from the following Scriptures.

Death is the separation of the spirit from the body, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26). When that occurs, the dust returns to the ground and the spirit to God who gave it, "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7, Genesis 3:19, Acts 7:59). Even Jesus’ death was characterized by the same pattern (Luke 23:46).

Life Continues After Death

Although death separates us from the things and happenings of this world, man continues to exist after death, "For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share in anything done under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6).

Death separates us from this world. Many people find comfort in the belief that their spouse or mother looks down on them from heaven and watches over them. Or they try to contact dead relatives through a medium at a séance. The Bible says that our contact with this world is finished when we die.

The soul of man does not depend on the body for its existence, "who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him." (1 Thessalonians 5:10). Our souls exist whether our bodies are alive or dead—whether we wake or sleep.

Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for not believing in the resurrection of the dead, and in life after death (Matthew 22:23-32). The Old Testament Scriptures clearly implied it, when God told Moses that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—men who had long since died. When Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke to Jesus on the mount of transfiguration, they were very much alive after they had died (Matthew 17:1-8). They were not visions. They were alive!!

The soul of man lives on, awaiting its judgment.

The Rich Man And Lazarus

Many people look on Jesus’ account of the rich man and Lazarus as just a parable. Please take time to read Luke 16:19-31. Notice how this story is very different from any of Jesus’ parables.

• Associated with real characters--Abraham, Moses, Lazarus, rich Jewish man with five brothers. In contrast, Jesus’ parables do not identify or name their characters. They are very generic in their identification, "a certain creditor" (Luke 7:41-48), "a certain king" (Matthew 18:23-35), "a certain rich man" (Luke 12:16-21).
• Parables use commonplace, everyday occurrences to teach spiritual lessons. So even if the rich man and Lazarus were not real characters, Jesus’ picture of Hades was still accurate as a common, everyday occurrence.
• Parables teach a higher spiritual lesson than what is contained in the story. What is the spiritual lesson of the rich man and Lazarus if it does not pertain to life after death?
• Why is this account of the rich man and Lazarus so accurate when placed beside a composite of all other passages relating to life after death and the realm of the dead, if it is not an accurate depiction of the afterlife?

Who else but Jesus could tell us of this realm? None of us have ever seen it. Jesus reveals a realm which He was instrumental in creating. It is a realm which no other human has ever observed and then been
allowed to tell about it!!

Hades—The Realm Of The Dead

What is the definition of "Hades"? Many people claim that "Hades" is an idea which the Bible borrowed from mythology, then adapted to Christianity. If anything the Greeks borrowed the idea from the Bible! It had already taught life after death in the realm of the dead, centuries before Greece even became a nation!

Notice the definitions of this New Testament Greek word which describes the nether world—"The region of departed spirits..." (W.E. Vine), "Prop. unseen, i.e. ‘Hades’ or the place (state) of departed souls" (Strong), "The common receptacle of disembodied spirits" (Thayer), "The abode of all disembodied spirits till the resurrection" (Alford), "The place of the departed dead" (Wuest), "It is the place to which all who depart this life descends without reference to their moral character" (Vincent).

Two Divisions Of Hades

For lack of a better term, we speak of two sections, or divisions, in the Hadean realm. But remember we are talking about a spiritual place that is not measured by human, physical boundaries. So we are already at a disadvantage just trying to talk about it.

In Hades, there is consciousness, remembrance, pain and comfort as we see in the persons of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31).

Paradise, or Abraham’s bosom, is a place where there is comfort and peace in the presence of the faithful who have died (Luke 16:22, 25). The thief on the cross and Jesus both entered Paradise on the day of their execution (Luke 23:42-43). It was this part of Hades ("hell"—KJV) to which Jesus, the thief, and Lazarus all descended (Acts 2:27).

Torments, is a place where there is pain and misery, torment, flames, and unquenchable thirst (Luke 16:23-24). God knows how to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell (Gr. Tartarus) and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment… then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment." (2 Peter 2:4, 9).

To those who have a hard time accepting that God will send anyone to hell, this passage clearly tells us that He knows exactly how to do it.

This part of the Hadean realm is where those fallen angels are reserved in chains for judgment (Jude 6). It is where those who were disobedient in the days of Noah are held prisoner—those who heard preaching inspired by the Spirit of Christ in ancient times (1 Peter 3:19-20). It is the realm where once great and mighty nations are brought low (Ezekiel 32:17-32, Matthew 11:23).

A Great Gulf Fixed

This gulf is described as one fixed by God between the two sections or places of Hades, restricting passage from one part to the other, "And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us." (Luke 16:26).

Remember, God is describing spiritual things with physical terms. He is painting a mental picture of the state of the dead and the way our fate is sealed at death, "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." (Hebrews 9:27). Here in Hades, all men await the final judgment.

Hades Is A Temporary Place

God created it to house those men and women whose life on earth would end before the final resurrection and judgment. Notice that once it has accomplished its purpose, God dispenses of it, "Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Revelation 20:14).

It has housed the souls of dead men awaiting their reward or punishment until God’s purpose on earth is accomplished by reconciling men back to Himself. "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him." (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

By comparison, even this world stands only until God’s purpose for it is accomplished in bringing us to the new heavens and new earth -- a sanctified heaven (2 Peter 3:7, 10-13).

Hades Carries Neither The Full Reward Nor The Complete Punishment

Another thing that establishes the temporary nature of Hades is the fact that it does not carry either the full reward or the full punishment that is promised to us.

Paradise is a place of comfort in the presence of God. Yet, man’s full reward—which will be realized in heaven—is still in the future. True reward awaits man in heaven, which is the habitat of God, throughout the rest of eternity.

When Jesus died, He was going to a place where they could not yet follow, "Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you." (John 13:33). They would die too, but would not be able to follow Him quite yet. Jesus was going to heaven to prepare a place for His disciples to come later, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:3).

Later He would return for them to bring them to Himself in Heaven. They will not be coming directly to Him when they die—not until they are reunited with incorruptible bodies at His return (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). Paul speaks of the same thing Jesus did. Jesus brings the souls of those who departed this life (for Hades) back to be reunited with those who are still alive. The change to be incorruptible will occur then (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). One group will not precede the other going to be with the Lord. Thus, all of His redeemed ones will be able to spend eternity with their Lord in heaven.

Likewise, torments is a place of punishment, pain and agony, where the ungodly and unrighteous are kept in ward until the day God has appointed to judge the world in righteousness through His Son. Angels who sinned are cast down there until judgment (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6). The unjust and ungodly suffer this punishment awaiting the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:9). Those are the spirits who are now in prison, specifically those who lived before Noah’s flood, who await their sentence (1 Peter 3:19).

After their limited time spent in Hades, the judgment comes, and the unrighteous are cast into eternal fire prepared for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41, 46). He doesn’t take them out of hell and then send them back.

So Hades is simple a temporary, intermediate abode of those souls awaiting either their reward or their punishment.

Hades Is Not The Same As Heaven And Hell

Many people fail to make that distinction. Hades is a temporary place fixed to receive the souls of dead men, "Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Revelation 20:14). Look at some things which highlight the difference.

In Hades, both the evil and the righteous are in the presence of God. Those who die as servants of the beast are tormented in the presence of the Lord (Revelation 14:9-11), while those who die in the Lord rest from their labors (Revelation 14:12-13). In contrast, the everlasting hell where man is punished is away from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, Matthew 7:21-23). Hell is a place which God is preparing for wicked men to inhabit throughout eternity (Matthew 25:41). Hades is the habitat of souls awaiting those eternal homes.

The Paradise in Hades and the Heaven where God resides are not the same place. They are two distinct places. Notice many Bible passages which make this distinction clear.

Heaven and the abyss are two different places Jesus entered, "But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"’ (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)" (Romans 10:6-7).

Although Jesus had already descended to Hades when He spoke to Mary following His resurrection (Luke 23:43, Acts 2:27), He confirmed that He had not yet ascended to His Father in heaven (John 20:17). These are obviously two different realms which Jesus identified. If a man goes directly to heaven to be with God when he dies, then Jesus was mistaken. I don’t believe He was.

Likewise, David died and went back to God (Ecclesiastes 12:7). But he has not yet ascended to heaven (Acts 2:29-35). Only Jesus has ascended into heaven (the dwelling place of God), "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." (John 3:13). This is a key verse. Heaven is the ultimate place Jesus is preparing for us to spend eternity with God.

Jesus ascended into heaven, after descending into the lower parts of the earth (Hades, grave) and leading captive a host of prisoners (namely death, Hades, sin, Satan) (Ephesians 4:8-10).

Let us be sure to make that distinction between Paradise and Heaven, between Torments and Hell. Paradise and Torments are temporary places, only a mere foretaste of the final reward and punishment (Matthew 25:46).

Are The Souls In Hades There In The Presence Of God?

This is a question that has come to my mind because it seems the rich man and Lazarus were in one another’s presence. Yet, if Lazarus was away from the presence of God, he would experience grief comparable to hell (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:9).

It seems that the Bible indicates that all departed souls in Hades—whether in Torments or Paradise—are in the presence of God. Notice some passages. In the picture found in Revelation 14:9-13, both the righteous and the unrighteous are there in the presence of God.

When man dies, his soul returns to God, regardless of its faithfulness or wickedness, "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Death brings us into the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:6-8, Philippians 1:23).

Jesus went to Hades when He died, but He was not separated from the presence of God while in the Hadean realm—that would have been hell for Him (Acts 2:31). He went through that separation when He hung on the cross (Matthew 27:46).

Remember that being in the presence of God does not necessarily imply that one is with God in the same dwelling place—hard to understand? No more difficult than understanding that at this moment we are in the presence of God, yet not at home with Him in Heaven (Matthew 18:20, 28:20, Acts 18:10). Perhaps in the Hadean realm there is an even more intimate association.

Being in the presence of God then does not imply comfort. Just as we feel pain and sorrow now. Yet, eternal hell (Gr. gehenna) will be away from the presence of God in utter and complete darkness, where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched (2 Thessalonians 1:9, Mark 9:43-48).

Conclusion

Jesus has power over Hades. It cannot ultimately withstand the onslaught of the One who controls it (Revelation 1:18) and His church which overcomes it (Matthew 16:18). Jesus proved His ultimate power over death and Hades by His resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Death is the common denominator of all men, no matter what our physical, mental, and emotional differences. All die, and Hades is the resting place of all departed souls. It is a place prepared to house men and women until the judgment when Jesus will say, "Come you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matthew 25:34) or we will hear "Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting hell prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people... Soul, prepare to meet thy God!

- Rob Harbison