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There are records in both the Old Testament and the New Testament that show where a believer’s spirit and soul go after he dies. Most people have the concept that a believer goes to a heavenly mansion immediately after he dies. This, however, is not the thought of the Bible.
In fact, the term heavenly mansion that people commonly use is not a biblical term. The Bible speaks of the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) and the holy city, New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2), but neither place is a heavenly mansion as most people think. The word that is translated as “heavenly mansion” in Hebrews 9:24 and 1 Peter 3:22 in the Chinese Union Version should be translated as “heaven.” This word has no connotation of a heavenly mansion. The third heaven is where God dwells today, and the holy city, New Jerusalem, is the ultimate mutual habitation of God and the redeemed ones throughout the generations. Simply speaking, all those who have been saved will eventually enter the holy city of God. When the believers die, their spirits and souls do not enter a heavenly mansion but rather go first to Paradise in Hades (Luke 16:23; 23:43). When the Lord Jesus comes again, they will be resurrected, and their spirits, souls, and bodies will ultimately be united to have a part in the New Jerusalem. We all must be able to clearly discern these points.
A believer goes through three stages from the time that he is saved until the time that he enters the holy city. His living on the earth is one stage. When he dies and is buried in the ground, his spirit and soul depart from the world. This is another stage. When the Lord Jesus comes again, a believer’s spirit and soul will come out of Paradise and his body will come out from the grave; his whole being will thus be resurrected. This is the third stage. Therefore, a believer goes through three different stages from the time he is saved until eternity. In the first stage his body, soul, and spirit live in the world. This is the stage in which he lives on the earth. In the second stage his spirit and soul are separated from his body; that is, his body remains in the grave, but his spirit and soul depart to a pleasant place. This is the stage in which he sleeps, or in other words, is physically dead. In the third stage when the Lord Jesus comes again, the believer will be resurrected. His spirit and soul will be reunited with his body, and he will also be transfigured. This is the stage of resurrection, the stage of eternity, in which he will be with the Lord forever.
Today Christianity generally says that when a believer dies, his spirit and soul go to a heavenly mansion, but his body remains in the grave without being resurrected. Then when the day of resurrection comes, his body will also go to the heavenly mansion. We have to find out whether this kind of saying is accurate and based on the Scriptures. According to the Bible, when the Lord Jesus comes again, the believer’s body, spirit, and soul will be united in resurrection, and he will be transfigured (1 Cor. 15:52). While the believer is alive, he neither goes up to heaven nor goes down to Hades but rather lives on the earth. When he dies, his body is buried in a grave, but where do his spirit and soul go? We have to find the answer.
All those who have been saved will ultimately have a part in the New Jerusalem; this is the scriptural truth. Being in the New Jerusalem does not depend on one’s own effort. Rather, it depends altogether on the Lord’s salvation. Christianity, however, says that when a believer dies, his spirit and soul immediately go to a heavenly mansion. This kind of speaking is erroneous according to Luke 16. When a believer dies, his spirit and soul actually descend to Paradise in Hades (v. 23). After a believer dies, and before he is resurrected, his spirit and soul go down to a pleasant place in Hades instead of going to a heavenly mansion. This conclusion contradicts the traditional theology of today’s Christianity. We must therefore study this matter in the Bible from Genesis in the Old Testament to Revelation in the New Testament.
Genesis 42:38 says, “Then you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.” These were Jacob’s words. No Christian can deny that Jacob was a saved person. Romans 9:13 says that Jacob was loved by God. Since Jacob was loved and chosen by God, whatever Jacob told us was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Jacob said that he would go in sorrow to Sheol, which is equal to Hades in the New Testament. Perhaps some would say, “This is because Jacob was a bad person who could not be compared with his father, Isaac, and much less with his grandfather, Abraham. It is right for a person like him to go down to Hades. Abraham, however, probably did not go down to Hades.” Nevertheless, Genesis 49:33 says that Jacob “expired, and he was gathered to his people.” Jacob was gathered to his people. In other words, he went to the place where Abraham and Isaac were. This shows that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are in Hades and not in a heavenly mansion.
Although we all would like to go to a heavenly mansion and may not like to go to Hades, the Bible clearly says that when the Old Testament saints died, their spirits and souls went down to Hades. This includes Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Psalm 16:10 says, “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol.” This is not only a prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus but also a reference to David, a saint in the Old Testament. According to this word, the Old Testament saints admitted that their souls would go down to Hades at the time of their death. The statement You will not abandon my soul to Sheol tells us two things. First, it tells us that their souls would go to Hades and second, that their souls would not be abandoned to Hades. This means that although their souls would go to Hades, they would be resurrected one day and would therefore not be abandoned to Hades. Thus, this was the faith of the Old Testament saints concerning this matter. They believed that when a person died, his spirit and soul went down to Hades, but that at a certain time they would be resurrected and come out of Hades and, therefore, would not be abandoned to Hades. This proves that the Old Testament saints acknowledged that the spirit and soul of a person go to Hades at his death.
In the New Testament the Lord Jesus told a story in Luke 16. In this story there are two men—a rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. When the time came, the rich man died, was buried, and was in torment in Hades (vv. 19-23). Perhaps some may say that it was proper for this rich man to go to Hades since he was an unsaved person. Yet Lazarus who was saved also went to Hades at his death, because it says that in Hades the rich man “lifted up his eyes...and saw Abraham from afar and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in this flame. But Abraham said, Child, remember that in your lifetime you fully received your good things, and Lazarus likewise bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish” (vv. 23-25). Here we are told that the rich man went to Hades and that Lazarus was also in Hades. We cannot say that Lazarus was in a heavenly mansion at that time because the rich man saw Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom. Moreover, while he was in the flames in Hades, the rich man could talk to Abraham, who was in a place of comfort. This shows that they were somewhat near each other. Although they were separated by a great chasm, they could talk to each other and hear each other.
In the Old Testament, Genesis says that Jacob went to Sheol after his death and went to be with his fathers, one of whom was Abraham. This indicates that Abraham was in Hades, which is also called Sheol. Then in the New Testament when we come to Luke 16, it says that Abraham was in Hades, except that Abraham was in a place of comfort, as was Lazarus who was also saved. This indicates that there are different sections in Hades. According to Luke, there is a section of Hades that is full of flames and where the spirits and souls of the unsaved ones go to be tormented after they die. There is also another section where Abraham is and where the spirits and souls of the saved ones go to be comforted after they die. Although there is a difference, they are both in Hades. This is what Genesis in the Old Testament and Luke in the New Testament show.
In Luke 23 the repentant robber who was being crucified said to the Lord Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, Today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (vv. 42-43). This word clearly shows that on the same day that the Lord Jesus died, the robber went with Him to Paradise.
Is Paradise a heavenly mansion? Some may say that Paradise is not Hades but a heavenly mansion. They may think that on the day the Lord Jesus died, the robber went with Him to a heavenly mansion. However, Matthew 12:40 says, “Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.” The Lord died and was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. Immediately after the Lord yielded up His spirit on the cross, His spirit and soul departed from His body, not to go to a heavenly mansion but to Hades, and stayed in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
Acts 2:31 says, “He, seeing this beforehand, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was He abandoned to Hades.” After reading Matthew 12:40, some may think that the Lord Jesus being in the heart of the earth refers to His body being buried in the earth and not to His spirit and soul being in Hades. However, concerning the resurrection of Christ, Acts says that His spirit and soul were not abandoned to Hades, showing that after the Lord died, His spirit and soul went to Hades. The Lord Jesus clearly told the robber, “Today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Paradise is a section of Hades. From Genesis to Acts we are told that the spirits and souls of all the saved ones throughout the generations go to a place of rest in Hades after death. This place is the Paradise in Hades. There is not a shadow of doubt concerning this matter.
In Philippians 1:23 Paul says, “I am constrained between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for this is far better.” Some people may ask, “When Paul talked about departing and being with Christ, was he not talking about going to heaven? Surely Christ is in heaven, so Paul’s departing to be with Christ should have been his going to heaven.” This sounds fairly reasonable. Furthermore, they may say, “Paul also said that this was far better. Thus, he surely must have been referring to going to heaven because there is nothing better than this.” We must tell them, however, that Paul was not referring to going to heaven. Matthew 28:20 says that the Lord will be with us until the consummation of the age. Similarly, Paul did not think that to be with Christ was something extraordinary. The Lord is already with us on the earth today. Does this mean that today we are in heaven? To say that to have the presence of Christ is to be in “heaven” is merely a figurative expression. You do not have to wait until you die to go to “heaven.” The Lord’s presence is available at all times and in all places.
Second Corinthians 5:8 says, “We are of good courage then and are well pleased rather to be abroad from the body and at home with the Lord.” This indicates that to be abroad from the body is to be at home with the Lord. Verse 6 says, “Knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the Lord.” This indicates that to be at home in the body is to be abroad from the Lord and to be abroad from the body is to be at home with the Lord. Some may ask, “Does this not imply going to heaven?” This is their inference, but this is not what the Bible says. This matter of being at home with the Lord is a rather complicated matter. The proper explanation of 2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23 is as follows. When we are in the body, we are in the material world. The Lord, however, having resurrected and ascended, is in the spiritual world. We are in the material world, and the Lord is in the spiritual world. Hence, there is a physical barrier. When we die, our soul and spirit are separated from our body. Our soul and spirit then depart from the material world to go to the spiritual world.
In this sense we are closer to the Lord after we die because we are no longer in the material world but in the spiritual world, the same realm in which the Lord is. By this we can see that we are surely closer to the Lord when we are in the same realm as He is and in the same place as He is. Yet there are numerous other places in the spiritual realm besides the third heaven. For example, a few years ago some saints came to be trained in Taipei. Some people said that those saints were with Brother Lee because Brother Lee was also in Taipei at that time. Geographically speaking, they were with Brother Lee in Taipei. However, those saints who had come to Taipei at that time realized that they were living in their own place, while Brother Lee was living in his. Although they were all in Taipei, they were not living in the same room with Brother Lee. Brother Lee was living in his home, and they were living in a co-workers’ home. Although they and Brother Lee were living in the same city of Taipei, they were not living in the same place with Brother Lee. Similarly, when a saint dies, leaves his body, and departs from the material world, he goes to the spiritual world where the Lord is to be with him. However, it is not so easy to explain where the Lord is in the spiritual world because the spiritual world includes not only the third heaven but also other places, one of which is the Paradise in Hades. This fully proves that to be abroad from the body and at home with the Lord is not to go to heaven.
People may then ask how we can explain 2 Corinthians 12. In verses 1 through 4 Paul says, “To boast is necessary, though indeed not expedient; yet I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body I do not know, or outside the body I do not know; God knows) such a one was caught away to the third heaven. And I know such a man (whether in the body or outside the body, I do not know; God knows), that he was caught away into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not allowed for a man to speak.” Many people say that since these verses mention the third heaven as well as Paradise, Paradise must be the third heaven. However, the word and at the beginning of verse 3 before the phrase I know such a man indicates that to be caught away to the third heaven in the preceding verse is one thing, and to be caught away into Paradise in the following verse is another.
In short, this man was brought to the third heaven as well as to Paradise. The third heaven and Paradise are two different places. Therefore, these verses do not prove that Paradise is in the third heaven. Rather, they prove that Paradise in Hades and the third heaven in the heavens are two different places. Paul says that God had given him the greatest revelations for him to understand all kinds of mysteries. He was a man on the earth and knew about almost everything on the earth. Therefore, God brought him to the third heaven to see the things in the third heaven, and he saw them. Yet in the universe there are not only the heavens and the earth but also Hades under the earth. Philippians 2 says that the Lord was exalted to the heavens, that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, “of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should openly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (vv. 9-11). Hence, God also brought Paul to Paradise under the earth. In this way Paul’s revelation was completed. He was a man on the earth but had also been to the third heaven and to Paradise under the earth. Therefore, Paul had seen all the things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. This is what Paul meant.
Some may then ask why some translations of 2 Corinthians 12:4, including the Chinese Union Version, say “caught up into Paradise” if Paradise is under the earth. According to the Greek text, the literal translation should be “caught away.” To be caught up implies to go up from a place that is below, whereas to be caught away is to be brought away. Paul was caught away, brought away, and brought into Paradise. Thus, there is no problem in this case. These verses also do not prove that Paradise has been transferred to the third heaven. On the contrary, they prove that Paradise and the third heaven are two distinct places.
Some people may point to another portion of the Bible, Hebrews 12:18, which says, “You have not come forward to a mountain which could be touched and which was set on fire.” We all know that this mountain is Mount Sinai where the Israelites received the law in the Old Testament. Most Bible readers acknowledge that Mount Sinai represents Judaism, which is of the law. The Hebrew believers were previously in the Old Testament religion of Judaism and in a spiritual sense were at Mount Sinai. One day they believed in the Lord and came out of the Old Testament age, out of Judaism. The apostle Paul therefore wrote to them, saying that they had not come to Mount Sinai but “to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” (v. 22).
Mount Zion denotes God’s habitation in the heavens, that is, the center of the holy city Jerusalem. Most Bible readers acknowledge that in a spiritual sense Mount Sinai, which was mentioned earlier, represents the law and Judaism, and that Mount Zion represents the new covenant and grace. This means that the Hebrew believers had come under the new covenant, that is, into grace. This Mount Zion is the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Verses 22b to 24 continue, “And to myriads of angels, to the universal gathering; and to the church of the firstborn, who have been enrolled in the heavens; and to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of righteous men who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant; and to the blood of sprinkling.” The word and is used seven times in verses 22 through 24 where eight items are mentioned. The first item is Mount Zion. The word and after Mount Zion indicates that “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem” is the second item. The “myriads of angels” is the third item, and “the church of the firstborn, who have been enrolled in the heavens” is the fourth item. However, do not think that this means that the church is in the heavens. The verse says that they have been enrolled in the heavens; it does not say that the church went to the heavens. The fifth item is “God, the Judge of all,” and the sixth item is “the spirits of righteous men who have been made perfect.” “Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant” is the seventh item, and “the blood of sprinkling” is the eighth item.
First, there is Mount Zion; second, there is the city of the living God, that is, the heavenly Jerusalem; third, there are the angels; fourth, there is the church of the firstborn; fifth, there is God, the Judge of all; sixth, there are the spirits of righteous men who have been made perfect; seventh, there is the Mediator of a new covenant; and eighth, there is the blood of sprinkling. Thus, in these verses there are eight items with seven ands. One of the items is the spirits of the righteous men who have been made perfect. This refers to the spirits of the saved ones in the Old Testament. It may appear to some that the spirits of the righteous men are included in Mount Zion, that is, in the heavens. Apparently, this is true, but actually, it is not, because the church is also listed here and is included in these eight items. If the spirits of the righteous men who have been made perfect have gone to the heavens or to a heavenly mansion, then the church must have also gone to the heavens, to a heavenly mansion.
The book of Hebrews indicates that all the Hebrew believers had once been under the Old Testament law but had now come under grace in the New Testament. There are eight items with regard to grace, but although these eight items are heavenly, this does not mean that they are in the heavens. Concerning grace, Paul lists items such as Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the myriads of angels, the church, and so forth. We all realize that the church is not something in the heavens. The church has not gone to the heavens. When Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, the church had not gone to the heavens. Similarly, the blood sprinkled by the Lord Jesus is not in the heavens in a physical sense; only its efficacy has reached the heavens. Therefore, in terms of their significance, these items are all heavenly, but physically speaking, they are not in the heavens. Therefore, how can one say that the spirits of those saved in the Old Testament are in the heavens?
At the end of Acts 7 Stephen was martyred, and while he was being stoned, he said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” (v. 59). Some use this to say that Stephen’s spirit went to a heavenly mansion. They think that since the Lord is in heaven, when He received Stephen’s spirit, He must have received it into heaven. Again, this is an inference. This is not the truth. Suppose I give something to someone. After he receives it, he may not necessarily put it beside him or bring it to his room. He could put it in another place. The Lord Jesus undoubtedly received the spirit of Stephen, but we cannot arbitrarily say that He received it in the third heaven where He is.
Ecclesiastes 3:21 says, “Who knows the breath of the children of men, that it goes upward; or the breath of the beasts, that it goes downward to the earth?” Some translate the word breath in this verse as “spirit” in the first instance and “soul” in the second. Based upon this, some conclude that this verse states that the spirits of the saved ones go upward, and the souls of the beasts go downward to the earth. However, this is again a problem in translation. The Hebrew word used in this verse should be translated “spirit” or “breath.” Ecclesiastes talks about everything being vanity of vanities (1:2). Then chapter 3 goes on to say that there is not much difference between men and beasts (vv. 18-20). This is what the writer of Ecclesiastes meant. Therefore, when he comes to verse 21 he asks, “Who knows the breath of the children of men?” meaning, “Who understands the breath of men?” This is a question. We can also put another question mark after the next phrase—that it goes upward. Furthermore, the verse ends with the phrase the breath of the beasts, that it goes downward to the earth. The question mark at the end of this phrase indicates that this is a question as well, meaning, “Does the breath of the beasts go downward?” This verse does not conclude that the spirits of men go upward and that the souls of beasts go downward. It merely shows that no one can understand where the breath of man goes—upward or otherwise. Whether it is upward or otherwise, it is vanity of vanities and is not worth considering.
Many people also refer to Ecclesiastes 12:7, which says, “The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it.” They say that the body dies and returns to the earth and that the spirit returns to God who gave it. Since God is in heaven, they conclude that the spirit must go to a heavenly mansion. This again is an inference. We have already said that although the Lord Jesus receives the spirits and souls of the believers, He does not necessarily place them in a heavenly mansion. For example, when I return money to you and you receive it, instead of putting it in your pocket, you may deposit it in the bank. Ecclesiastes 12:7 indicates that the body comes out of the earth and naturally returns to the earth. However, since the spirit and soul are given by God, when the believers die, their spirits and souls cannot remain in the material world and must therefore return to God’s spiritual world. Although they return to God, there are particular details in regard to how He arranges for them and where He puts them.
The passages quoted above are all from the Old Testament. We can also use the Old Testament saints as examples to illustrate that the spirits and souls of the dead believers went to Sheol. The spirits and souls of people like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob indeed returned to God, but Genesis clearly shows that their spirits and souls are in Sheol.
The spirit and soul of a person are the person himself, and a person’s body is like his clothing, which is clearly shown in 2 Corinthians 5. Man’s spirit and soul are clothed with the body, without which man is naked. If someone today came into our midst unclothed, I believe we would not even dare to look at him. We may even wonder if this person had become insane and abnormal. We all love the apostle Paul, but if Paul’s spirit and soul were here without his body, would we dare to shake hands with him? I am afraid we would all be scared away. We would be scared because he would be in an abnormal condition. When a believer dies, his spirit and soul are separated from his body, and death is written all over him. Death is even filthier than sin. Nothing of death can be brought before God, because God is the God of the living, not of the dead. Every dead person must wait until resurrection, when his spirit and soul will be properly clothed with the body, before he can come to God.
The Old Testament explicitly says that when a person came to serve God in the Holy Place, he had to be properly dressed. He could not be naked or have any condition of death upon him (cf. Exo. 28:40-43), because death could not be brought into God’s dwelling place. When those who have been saved die, they also cannot go to God’s dwelling place in the heavens. God therefore puts their spirits and souls in the Paradise in Hades so that they may rest and wait there. What are they waiting for? They are waiting for the resurrection. Once they are resurrected, their spirits and souls will be clothed with their bodies, and death will be swallowed up. Thus, their naked condition will also be gone. At that time they will be clothed with glorified bodies to enter properly and appropriately into God’s dwelling place, that is, God’s eternal kingdom.
