Welcome back to the podcast! Join us today as we talk about eternity. Eternity is not just a vague spiritual concept—it’s a concrete reality taught throughout Scripture. Everyone will spend eternity somewhere, and the Bible gives us a clear roadmap to understand what happens after we die.

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Eternity is not a vague hope—it’s a concrete reality. Every human being will live forever in one of two places, and the Bible tells us everything we need to know about what happens after we die. Let’s walk through what Scripture reveals about the nature of the afterlife, judgment, and how to prepare for the day we take our final breath.

1. Sheol and Hades: The Temporary Realm of the Dead

In the Old Testament, Sheol is described as the “realm of the dead”—a shadowy place where both the righteous and unrighteous awaited judgment. In Greek, the word used is Hades. Jesus gives us a vivid picture of this realm in Luke 16:19-31, telling the story of a rich man in torment and a poor man named Lazarus resting in “Abraham’s bosom.”

This story reveals three key features of Sheol:

• A place of torment for the unrighteous
• A place of comfort for the righteous
• A great chasm separating the two, uncrossable after death (Luke 16:26)

Peter refers to another compartment—Tartarus—a gloomy prison for fallen angels awaiting judgment (2 Peter 2:4). This concept shows the complexity of the pre-resurrection afterlife.

2. Jesus Changes Everything: The Cross and the Empty Tomb

After His death, Jesus didn’t just remain in the grave—He descended to the realm of the dead. He told the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Peter writes that Jesus “preached to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19), and Paul echoes that Jesus “led a crowd of captives” to Heaven (Ephesians 4:8). Paradise was emptied and relocated—those who had died in faith now dwell directly in God’s presence.

Today, believers go straight to be with Jesus. Hades remains only as a place of waiting for the unrighteous dead.

3. Gehenna: The Final Destination of Judgment

The term Gehenna—used frequently by Jesus—refers to the Valley of Hinnom, a site associated with...