What happens to a person at death?

The belief that people will be resurrected at the second coming of Christ, not at the moment of death, is a significant doctrine within Christian eschatology. This teaching, which is based on Scripture, emphasizes that death is a temporary state described as sleep, and it is only at the second coming of Jesus that the dead will be raised to life. This doctrine stands in contrast to the popular notion that people go to heaven or hell immediately upon dying. Instead, the Bible paints a picture of a collective resurrection that takes place at the return of Christ, when both the living and the dead will be transformed. Below is an in-depth examination of this belief, supported by references from the New King James Version (NKJV).

1. The Nature of Death: A State of Sleep

One of the clearest concepts in Scripture about death is that it is likened to sleep. This analogy is crucial to understanding the state of the dead and why the resurrection happens at the second coming, not immediately after death. When people die, they enter an unconscious state, much like sleep, awaiting the call of Christ at His return.

• John 11:11-14 provides one of the clearest examples of death being described as sleep. Jesus, speaking about His friend Lazarus, said, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” His disciples misunderstood and thought Jesus meant Lazarus was resting, so He clarified in verse 14: “Then Jesus said to them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead.'” Here, Jesus uses the metaphor of sleep to describe Lazarus’s death, reinforcing the idea that death is a temporary state from which people will one day awaken.
• Daniel 12:2 uses a similar metaphor when describing the resurrection: “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” This passage from the Old Testament also speaks of death as sleep and indicates that it is at the time of resurrection that the dead will rise from this state of unconsciousness. The resurrection is a future event, and until that time, those who have died remain in a state of “sleep” in the dust of the earth.
• Psalm 13:3 speaks of the state of death in poetic terms, where David asks, “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Again, the term “sleep” is associated with death, pointing to a temporary state from which one will eventually awaken.
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15. “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:51. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
• Job 14:10-12. “But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he? … So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep.”
• Matthew 9:24. Jesus said about a dead girl, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” (This refers to the death of Jairus’s daughter.)
• Acts 7:60. As Stephen was being stoned, “he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
• 1 Kings 2:10. “So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David.”
• Acts 13:36. “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption.”

This understanding of death as sleep helps clarify why the Bible does not teach an immediate transition to heaven or hell upon death. Instead, the dead await the resurrection at Christ’s second coming.

2. The Resurrection at the Second Coming of Christ

The second coming of Christ is one of the most anticipated events in Christian theology, and it is at this momentous time that the resurrection of the dead will occur. The Bible repeatedly teaches that it is at the return of Jesus, not at death, that the dead in Christ will rise.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 is perhaps the clearest New Testament passage on the timing of the resurrection. Paul writes, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” Here, Paul addresses the Thessalonians’ concerns about those who have died. He reassures them that these believers are “asleep” and that they will be resurrected when Jesus returns. Verses 16-17 specify the timing: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” This passage clearly shows that the resurrection of the dead in Christ happens at the second coming, not at death.
• John 5:28-29 also highlights the resurrection as a future event tied to Christ’s return. Jesus says, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” The dead are depicted as being in their graves, awaiting the moment when they will hear Christ’s voice at the resurrection. This again points to the future resurrection at the second coming, not an immediate transition to the afterlife at death.
• 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 further supports the idea of a future resurrection. Paul writes, “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” The reference to the “last trumpet” ties this event to the second coming of Christ, when the dead in Christ will be raised and those who are still alive will be transformed. This change happens collectively at Christ’s return, not at individual deaths.

3. Death Is a Temporary State, Not Eternal Life or Damnation

One of the reasons the doctrine of resurrection at the second coming is important is that it counters the widespread belief in an immediate afterlife experience at death. Many believe that people either go to heaven or hell right after they die, but the Bible teaches that the dead remain in their graves until the resurrection.

• Ecclesiastes 9:5 states plainly, “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.” This verse reveals that the dead are not aware of anything—they are in an unconscious state. They are not experiencing eternal life or damnation; instead, they “know nothing,” awaiting the resurrection.
• Psalm 115:17 similarly says, “The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence.” If people went to heaven immediately upon death, they would be praising God in His presence. However, this verse clarifies that the dead do not praise the Lord because they are in a state of silence and unconsciousness.
• Job 14:10-12 also describes the condition of the dead: “But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he? As water disappears from the sea, and a river becomes parched and dries up, so man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep.” Job makes it clear that the dead do not rise until a future time—”till the heavens are no more,” which is a reference to the end of the age, at the second coming of Christ.

These verses demonstrate that death is a state of unconsciousness, not an immediate transition to eternal life or punishment. The dead await the resurrection, which takes place at the second coming of Christ.

4. The Second Coming: The Time of Resurrection and Transformation

The second coming of Christ is described in the Bible as a time of great transformation and resurrection. It is the moment when Christ will return in glory and gather His people, both the living and the dead, to be with Him for eternity.

• Matthew 24:30-31 speaks of the visible, dramatic nature of Christ’s second coming: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” This passage describes the second coming as a global event, where Christ will gather His elect, both the living and the resurrected dead.
• Philippians 3:20-21 emphasizes the transformation that will occur at the second coming: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Believers eagerly wait for Jesus’ return, when their mortal bodies will be transformed into glorious, immortal ones.
• Revelation 20:5-6 also addresses the timing of the resurrection: “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” The “first resurrection” refers to the resurrection of the righteous at Christ’s return, and it is contrasted with the resurrection of the wicked, which happens after the thousand-year reign of Christ.

These passages show that the resurrection of the dead in Christ is a collective event tied to the second coming. It is at this time that the dead will be raised, and both the living and the resurrected will be transformed and glorified.

5. The Soul Is Not Immortal

Millions believe the soul possesses a natural immortality but not even one time in the Bible is the soul referred to as being immortal or undying. According to God’s Word, man is mortal (Job 4:17). Only God is immortal (1 Timothy 6:15, 16). Immortality will be given to man only at the second coming of Christ and not at death

• 1 Corinthians 15:51-53. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

Solomon the wise described what happens at death:

• Ecclesiastes 12:7. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” ). And since death is the opposite of life.

body (dust) – breath (or spirit) = death (no soul)

Let’s look at what happens at creation,

• Genesis 2:7. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

body (dust) + breath (or spirit) = life (soul)

The soul is simply the conscious life which resulted when God added the breath or spirit to the body. This same term “breath of life” is also used for animals in Genesis 7:21,22.

Notice that the words “breath” and “spirit” are used interchangeably (Job 27:3; Psalm 104:29, 30; James 2:26). Therefore, when Solomon described the spirit returning to God, he was referring to the breath, because that was what God gave in the beginning, and therefore, it was the only thing that could now “return” to the One who gave it.

The spirit that returns to God at death is the breath of life or the divine spark of life. Nowhere in the Scriptures does the “spirit” have any life, wisdom, or feeling after a person dies. It is the “breath of life” and nothing more.

6. Hope and Comfort in the Resurrection

The resurrection at the second coming is not only a foundational doctrine of Christian eschatology but also a source of great hope and comfort for believers. It assures us that death is not the end and that we will be reunited with our loved ones and with Christ when He returns.

• 1 Thessalonians 4:18 ends the passage on the resurrection with this instruction: “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” The promise of resurrection at the second coming is meant to provide hope and encouragement, reminding believers that death is only temporary and that eternal life awaits those who are in Christ.
• John 11:25-26, where Jesus speaks to Martha after the death of Lazarus, offers one of the most hopeful statements about the resurrection: “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?'” Jesus Himself is the source of resurrection and eternal life, and those who believe in Him have the assurance of being raised at His return.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Bible clearly teaches that the dead will be resurrected at the second coming of Christ, not at the moment of death. Death is described as a state of sleep, an unconscious waiting for the day when Christ will return with the sound of the trumpet, raising the dead and transforming the living. This future resurrection is a central aspect of Christian hope, offering the promise of eternal life with Christ for all who believe in Him. As believers, we can take comfort in knowing that death is not the end, and that we will one day be reunited with our Lord and Savior at His glorious return.

For a Bible study of the State of the Dead, check:

https://bibleask.org/bible-answers/112-the-intermediate-state

In His service,
BibleAsk Team