What does Christianity say happens after death?

That those who belong to Christ are with him beyond death (Philippians 1:23) and await the resurrection of the body, when God renews all things and abolishes death (Revelation 21:4). Death is real but not final.

Is death the end for Christians?

No. Christianity holds that Jesus' resurrection is the 'firstfruits' (1 Corinthians 15:20), the promise that his people will also be raised. Death is described as sleep from which the dead in Christ will wake.

Does everyone go to the same place when they die?

Christians distinguish between being with God and being apart from him, but we speak of God's promises and character rather than pronouncing on any individual's eternal state, which Scripture reserves for God, the just and merciful judge.

Grief and loss

What Happens When We Die? (Christianity)

Christianity does not treat death as the end of the person. It teaches that those who belong to Christ are with him beyond death, awaiting the resurrection of the body and a renewed creation where death is undone. It is a hope grounded in Jesus, who died and rose, not in speculation.

You may be asking this because someone you love has died, or because you are facing your own mortality, or simply because it is the question underneath all our questions. However you come, you are welcome, and you can take this slowly.

It is not morbid to wonder about death. It is one of the most human things there is, and the Christian faith does not flinch from it.

The Christian picture, in brief

Christians have held, from the beginning, that death is real but not final. Two things stand at the heart of it: being with Christ, and the resurrection to come.

“For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.”

Philippians 1:23

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

John 11:25-26

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

1 Corinthians 15:20

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

So the Christian hope is not that we drift into nothing, nor that we simply live on as ghosts, but that Jesus, having risen himself, will raise his people to a bodily, healed, unending life in a world made new. We hold this hope for all who are in Christ, and we leave the judgment of each particular person to God, who alone sees the heart, rather than claiming to announce his verdicts.

One small step: if this hope draws you, read where it comes from, the resurrection of Jesus in John 11, and consider talking to God about it honestly in prayer. You can start exactly where you are.

A short prayer

God, death frightens me, and I want to understand. If Jesus really rose, then show me. Meet me in my questions, and give me the hope that outlasts the grave. Amen.

When you are ready: What does Christianity say about death? →

✝

You do not have to carry this alone

Before Jesus did anything at the grave of his friend, he wept with the ones who loved him. He is not far off from grief, and he is not in a hurry to move you past it. If you want, you can read the story for yourself, or simply let someone pray with you tonight. You do not need the right words. You only need to come.

Read John 11 Ask someone to pray You are not alone

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Questions people ask

What does Christianity say happens after death?: That those who belong to Christ are with him beyond death (Philippians 1:23) and await the resurrection of the body, when God renews all things and abolishes death (Revelation 21:4). Death is real but not final.
Is death the end for Christians?: No. Christianity holds that Jesus' resurrection is the 'firstfruits' (1 Corinthians 15:20), the promise that his people will also be raised. Death is described as sleep from which the dead in Christ will wake.
Does everyone go to the same place when they die?: Christians distinguish between being with God and being apart from him, but we speak of God's promises and character rather than pronouncing on any individual's eternal state, which Scripture reserves for God, the just and merciful judge.

Explore furtherChristianity on death Is there life after death?Will I see them again?Grief and loss Jesus wept