Life After Death In the Spiritual Realm

Evolutionists tell us that we do not have to worry about life after death because they have determined that we will simply be dead. But for those of us who have studied the evidence for biblical inerrancy and choose to believe such evidence over the shallow hypotheses of those evolutionists, are informed of an eternal life after death. This afterlife is to be absolutely different to that of the physical life to which we have been accustomed. So different, in fact, that we cannot fully conceive of it. In an effort to understand what life will be like in the spirit realm, it inevitably calls for some portion of conjecture. However, the information contained in the Bible gives opportunity to gain some knowledge of it simply by the process of elimination. First of all, we know that all physical matter is temporal and that none of it will be in the hereafter.

By eliminating all physical matter including all elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, (2 Peter 3:10, 12) etc., what will be left? Absolutely nothing corruptible. Space? Totally empty space becomes a point of conjecture. I personally believe that space is literal if not physical. I also do not believe that spirits (mentalities, intellects) require or utilize any literal space. With these thoughts, we have entered an area of difficult reasoning. Our physical bodies, our lives of experiencing pain, itching, aches, hunger, fleshly desires, seeing with physical eyes, and all the other sensations of physical beings, find it virtually impossible to imagine being without those things. The Bible tells us of a number of things that furnish clues to that existence. “To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4), “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2)

We already know that God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and that, after His ascension, Jesus also returned to His spirit being. Therefore, in light of John’s statement, we can know that we also will be spirit. Some of the readings in Revelation 21 and 22 seem to refer to physical things but obviously are symbolic in nature. Other statements in these chapters give perfect examples of a spirit existence, such as 21:23 and 22:5. There assuredly will be no need for the sun because there will be no physical eyes to see the reflected light. No pain because that is a physical sensation, no sleepiness, no tiredness and there will be no gender (Matthew 22:30, Mark 12:25) No hunger, no thirst, because all of these are physical.

Spirits do not grow or age. Those infants who are murdered in abortion will be full grown spirits in heaven. As long as the spirit (our mentality) is confined to a physical body (brain), it is dependent upon the electrical impulses from our nervous system to those portions of the brain that receive them. And upon the paths already established from our previous learning. We cannot fathom the extent of our mental capabilities once they are freed from this frail body. Those who are afflicted with brain damage, mental disabilities, etc., shall be perfectly sane and with extensive knowledge. Time will cease. There will be no means of reckoning time nor will there be any need of measurement. There will be no days and nights (Revelation 21:25, 22:5) and regardless of the length of time there, it will not affect the length of the future.

I have often encountered those who wish me to speculate or explain what conclusions I deduce from what I read and can imagine as to life as a spirit. And, of course, all we can do is speculate and never know how near correct our conjectures are even as is much of what I have already said. My thoughts always go back to dreams, not as dim, crazy dreams that often are forgotten before morning, but of the same nature. God used dreams and visions often to speak to the patriarchs as referenced throughout the old testament. It is obvious that His spirit spoke to their spirit. Have you not dreamed of actually seeing some person, place, or thing many times even though you had never literally seen it? Most of us have. Now where did these images originate? If you had never seen them, how then could you see these previously unseen features? Some argue that they are figments of our imaginations. I reject that. I know that I have seen the same person, the same house, etc. several times in dreams though never in real life. I cannot answer where they originate but I do believe that our dreams are a very slight glimpse of life in the spirit realm, where things perhaps will be as clear and vivid as seeing with our present physical eyes. And those things Jesus has gone to prepare for us will be just as vivid as physical things are today. The only difference will be the total lack of problems caused by the physical body.

One may be led to believe from all of this that it will be a somewhat drab life to live forever and forever in a vision-like existence with no coffee to drink, no fast food places where one might grab a sandwich. No stock car races, no baseball games, no peach cobbler. But do not be dismayed, we have a Father in heaven who is omniscient, omnipotent, who loves us and would like to see us happy. Also he knows everything there is to know, so how could we possibly imagine that He would be unable to offer us an eternal life with happiness to the degree of ecstasy? (Luke 11:11-13)


Author Biography: Joel Hendon became a Christian in 1948, and although he followed secular work as a career and retired from Allied Signal Aerospace in 1997, he is an avid student of the Holy Bible and related works as well as biblical history. He produces a bi-weekly publication, The Household of Faith Ezine which is free for the asking. Archives are accessibble at: http://www.piedmontcoc.org/archives.html He is also the author of Final Stronghold, published in 2003.