December 3, 2025.
Where are they? Heaven? Hell? Hades? Paradise? Tartarus? Gehenna? Sheol? Abraham’s Bosom? With the Lord? Where?
The Bible does not answer all our questions about the dead. The NT is clearer than the OT; yet even in the NT the Apostle John remarked: “It is not yet revealed what we will be; but we know that when he is revealed, we will be like him” (1 John 3:2). So, as we explore some of the things that have been revealed, let’s keep one of my favorite verses in mind: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us” (Dt 29:29).
Where Did Jesus Go When He Died?
When Jesus died, the Gospels tell us only what was done with His body. Seven weeks later, Peter told thousands where Jesus’ soul had gone. Quoting Psalm 16, Peter said: “He [David] foreseeing this, spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that his soul wasn’t left in Hades, and his flesh didn’t see decay” (Acts 2:31). While Jesus’ body was in the tomb, His soul was in Hades.
Hades? What is that? “Hades” is a transliteration of the Greek “Hades” (Strong’s #G86); and that is how the NKJ, NAS, and other versions render it. The KJV and some others render it “hell.” Still others, such as the NIV, translate the word, rendering Hades as “the realm of the dead.”
But Didn’t Jesus Go to Paradise?
Jesus told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). So, did Jesus go to Hades or Paradise? The best answer I know is that Paradise is a part of Hades, “the realm of the dead.” The text that sheds the most light on Hades is Luke 16:19-31: “The beggar died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom” (vv. 22-23).
When we combine Peter’s statement and Jesus’ promise on the cross with that Luke account, it seems that everyone’s soul goes to Hades, and that Hades, “the realm of the dead,” is divided into two parts: Paradise (or Abraham’s bosom) and torment. Although both are called “Hades,” there nevertheless was “a great gulf fixed… that no one may cross over” (v. 26).
Hades Is Temporary
Revelation makes it clear that Hades is not an eternal state. After “death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them… Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:13-14). No more death. No more Hades.
Not just the place, but our condition after death is temporary – awaiting Jesus’ return. “For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must become imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (I Cor. 15:52-54). That is for eternity.
Being with Jesus
Some believers cite Paul as proof that when we die, we go straight to heaven: “I am hard pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Yet to remain in the flesh is more needful for your sake” (Phil. 1:23-24). “Depart and be with Christ.” As I meditate on this, it seems to me that there are different “phases” of being with Christ.
Phase 1 – Now: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them… Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age… ” (Matt. 18:20; 28:20).
Phase 2 – At death: “… depart and be with Christ…” (Phil 1:23). Separated from this world of flesh, toil, temptation, sin, and death. Certainly more “with” Christ than we are with Him in this world.
Phase 3 – After Jesus returns: “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also” (John 14:3). Only after Jesus returns do we enter “a new heaven and a new earth… The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face” (Rev. 21:1; 22:3-4).
Where Are the Dead?
Nobody alive can point to “where” in the universe the dead are. In fact, the whole question is often (even in this Insight) reduced to discovering correct names for certain states of being. While there is value in naming things correctly, names are not the important thing. Reality is what matters! Upon death, we are either blessed or cursed – this is the reality.
We can forget about the “names” and the “where” and concentrate on the “state.” Those who die in Christ will be in a blessed state, while those who die outside of Christ will be in a wretched state. “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned” (Mark 16:16).