The Bible does not answer our every curiosity about death and the hereafter, but it does provide some details. One of the most comforting and exciting biblical facts is this: When Christians die, we go to be with Christ.
- Paul taught that when he died, he would be with Christ. “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1:23, emp. added).
- Paul taught that when a Christian is absent from the body, he is with the Lord. “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. . . . [W]e would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).
- Stephen believed that when he died, Christ would receive his spirit. “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’” (Acts 7:59).
- Paul taught that God will bring the dead saints with Him on the day of judgment. “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
Christians go to be with Christ when they die. Christ is at the right hand of God’s throne (Luke 22:69; Hebrews 1:3; 12:2), in heaven (John 14:1-3; cf. Revelation 4). Therefore, Christians go to heaven when they die.
Having said this, the story of a person’s transition from death-to-heaven may have another small detail. It may be that within “hades,” the realm of departed souls (Matthew 16:18), there is a preparatory stage in which these souls await two events: The final pronouncement of judgment and the reunion with their bodies (cf. John 5:28-29). This preparatory stage may be indicated by the usage of the words “paradise” (Luke 23:43) and “tartarus” (often translated “hell” in 2 Peter 2:4). But this preparatory stage is but a small detail, for “paradise” is a wonderful, heavenly place of bliss (2 Corinthians 2:2-4; Revelation 2:7), whereas “tartarus” is a place of awful torment (Luke 16:23-31). Furthermore, departed souls will know their ultimate fate immediately when they die; they do not wait until judgment day to know whether they will spend their everlasting day in heaven or hell. Whatever the case may be with regard to the preparatory stage, the most important thing is this: We must be right with God so that we can be with Him after death.
For further study of this matter, I suggest the on-line article titled “What Happens to a Person at Death?,” by Wayne Jackson (bit.ly/2dL3y9T).