The Bible teaches that upon passing from this life, the body returns to dust, but the spirit returns to God who gave it, as Ecclesiastes 12:7 reveals. Jesus' promise to the thief on the cross, found in Luke 23:43, offers hope of immediate paradise for those who trust in Him. According to John 5:28-29 and John 11:25, there will be a future resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked, with eternal life awaiting those who have put their faith in Jesus. Romans 6:23 reminds us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, providing assurance of a glorious future for believers.
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before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Do not be amazed at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand
We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side. So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’ ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also end up in this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must be clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”