When someone dies, where does their soul go? This question has puzzled humanity since the beginning of time, and it's one that the Bible addresses directly. The realm of the dead is a topic surrounded by confusion, partly because church traditions and denominational teachings have sometimes clouded what Scripture actually says about the realm of the dead. Before we dive into popular beliefs, let's commit to examining what the Bible itself reveals about the destination of souls and spirits after death. Understanding this topic requires us to look at the original Hebrew and Greek words, trace the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation, and see how Jesus' death and resurrection changed everything for both the saved and the lost regarding their experience with the realm of the dead.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word "Sheol" appears 65 times and is the primary term for the realm of the dead. Sheol is described as a shadowy place beneath the earth where all the dead went, regardless of their righteousness. Job 17:13-16 speaks of Sheol as a place of darkness, while Psalm 16:10 shows David's confidence that God would not abandon his soul to Sheol. What's important to understand is that Sheol wasn't originally divided into separate compartments for the righteous and wicked—it was simply the place of the dead. The Old Testament saints didn't have the full revelation of what would happen after death because the complete plan of redemption hadn't yet been revealed or accomplished.
When the Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint), the translators used the word "Hades" to represent Sheol. In the New Testament, Hades appears ten times and carries a similar meaning to Sheol—the unseen realm where departed souls reside. Jesus himself used this term in Luke 16:19-31 when telling the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In this account, both men died and went to Hades, but they experienced vastly different conditions. Lazarus was carried by angels to "Abraham's bosom" (a place of comfort), while the rich man was in torment, separated by "a great gulf" that couldn't be crossed. This passage gives us a crucial glimpse into the realm of the dead before Jesus' resurrection.
It's essential to distinguish between Hades and "hell/Gehenna," because many people use these terms interchangeably when the Bible doesn't. Gehenna (mentioned 12 times in the New Testament) refers to the final, eternal place of punishment—the lake of fire described in Revelation 20:14-15. Jesus warned about Gehenna in Matthew 5:29-30, describing it as a place where "both soul and body" are destroyed. Hades, on the other hand, is temporary—a holding place for souls awaiting final judgment. Revelation 20:13-14 makes this clear: "Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them... Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire." Hades itself will eventually be thrown into the lake of fire, showing that it's not the final destination.
Job 17:13-16 English Standard Version
13 If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, 14 if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’ 15 where then is my hope? Who will see my hope? 16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?
Psalm 16:10 English Standard Version
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
Luke 16:19-31 English Standard Version
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Revelation 20:14-15 English Standard Version
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Matthew 5:29-30 English Standard Version
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Revelation 20:13-14 English Standard Version
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
The Old Testament provides glimpses that righteous souls weren't simply annihilated or left in darkness. Enoch "walked with God; and he was not, for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). These exceptional cases show that God had the power to bring people directly into His presence, but they were exceptions, not the rule. Most believers who died went to Sheol, but apparently to a place of comfort within it, as suggested by the Luke 16 account where Lazarus rested in "Abraham's bosom."
The concept of Abraham's bosom (or Abraham's side) represents the place where righteous souls found rest before Christ's work was completed. This wasn't heaven itself, but a place of comfort in the realm of the dead. Think of it as a waiting room where Old Testament believers anticipated the fulfillment of God's promises. They had died in faith, believing God's promises about a coming Redeemer, but "these all died in faith, not having received the promises" (Hebrews 11:13). Their salvation was real, based on faith in God's promised Messiah, but the full benefits of redemption couldn't be applied until Jesus actually accomplished the work of salvation on the cross.
Genesis 5:24 English Standard Version
24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
2 Kings 2:11 English Standard Version
11 And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
Hebrews 11:13 English Standard Version
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
The Luke 16 passage shows the rich man in torment, conscious and aware, separated from the comfort where Lazarus resided. This wasn't yet the final lake of fire, but it was a place of suffering and regret. The rich man could see across the gulf but couldn't cross it, and he was concerned about his brothers still living on earth. This reveals that lost souls in Hades were (and are) conscious, aware of their condition, and experiencing the consequences of rejecting God. They remain there awaiting the final judgment described in Revelation 20:11-15, when they'll be resurrected, judged, and cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15 English Standard Version
Judgment Before the Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Between His death on Friday and His resurrection on Sunday, something profound happened. First Peter 3:18-20 tells us that Jesus "went and preached to the spirits in prison." Ephesians 4:8-10 says that "when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive," and that before ascending, "He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth." These mysterious passages have sparked much theological debate, but they clearly indicate that Jesus' work involved the realm of the dead. He didn't go there as a prisoner but as a victor, proclaiming His triumph over sin and death.
What did Jesus' resurrection accomplish for the saved? The most significant change is that believers no longer go to a waiting place in Sheol/Hades—they go directly into God's presence. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that to be "absent from the body" is to be "present with the Lord." In Philippians 1:23, Paul expressed his desire "to depart and be with Christ, which is far better." Jesus told the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). Paradise is no longer a compartment in Hades but refers to heaven itself, the direct presence of God. This immediate transition to God's presence is a post-resurrection reality for all who die in Christ.
The resurrection of Jesus also proved His victory over death and Hades. In Revelation 1:18, the risen Christ declares, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." Jesus now holds authority over the realm of the dead. Death no longer has the final word for those who trust in Him. First Corinthians 15:55-57 celebrates this victory: "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
For lost souls, however, Jesus' resurrection didn't change their destination—it sealed their fate. Those who die without accepting Christ still go to Hades, the place of torment described in Luke 16. They remain there in conscious suffering, awaiting the Great White Throne Judgment described in Revelation 20:11-15. At that final judgment, "Death and Hades" will deliver up the dead who are in them, each person will be judged according to their works, and "anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." This is the "second death," the final and eternal separation from God in Gehenna.
1 Peter 3:18-20 English Standard Version
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.
Ephesians 4:8-10 English Standard Version
8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” 9 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
2 Corinthians 5:8 English Standard Version
8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Philippians 1:23 English Standard Version
23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
Luke 23:43 English Standard Version
43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Revelation 1:18 English Standard Version
18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 English Standard Version
55 “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Some denominational teachings suggest that souls "sleep" unconsciously until the resurrection, but Scripture presents a different picture. The story of the rich man and Lazarus shows both men conscious and aware immediately after death. When Jesus spoke to the thief on the cross, He said "today"—not at some future resurrection—the thief would be with Him in Paradise. The martyrs in Revelation 6:9-11 are conscious under the altar in heaven, crying out to God. While our physical bodies do "sleep" in death (a biblical euphemism), our souls/spirits remain conscious, either in God's presence or in Hades awaiting judgment.
Another common church tradition is the concept of purgatory—a place where souls are purified before entering heaven. However, this teaching isn't found in Scripture. The Bible presents only two destinations after death for souls: the presence of God for believers, or Hades for unbelievers. Hebrews 9:27 states clearly, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." There's no mention of a purification process after death. Jesus' blood cleanses us completely (1 John 1:7), and His sacrifice was sufficient—"It is finished" (John 19:30). We're saved by grace through faith, not by post-death purification.
The doctrine of soul sleep—the belief that souls remain unconscious until the resurrection—also conflicts with biblical evidence. While some verses use sleep as a metaphor for death (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14), other passages clearly show conscious existence after death. Jesus promised the thief immediate presence in Paradise. Paul desired to depart and be with Christ. The transfiguration showed Moses and Elijah (long dead) conscious and conversing with Jesus (Matthew 17:1-3). Revelation repeatedly depicts souls in heaven worshiping God before the final resurrection. The Bible distinguishes between our bodies (which sleep/decay) and our souls/spirits (which remain conscious).
What about those who died never hearing the gospel? This difficult question troubles many sincere believers. The Bible teaches that God judges people based on the light they've received. Romans 2:14-16 explains that even those without the written law have God's law written on their hearts, and their conscience bears witness. Romans 1:20 states that God's eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen through creation, leaving people "without excuse." While we don't know all the details of how God judges those who never heard, we can trust that "the Judge of all the earth" will "do right" (Genesis 18:25). What we do know is that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12), and this is why the Great Commission is so urgent.
Revelation 6:9-11 English Standard Version
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. 10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
Hebrews 9:27 English Standard Version
27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
1 John 1:7 English Standard Version
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
John 19:30 English Standard Version
30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 English Standard Version
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Matthew 17:1-3 English Standard Version
The Transfiguration
17 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him.
Romans 2:14-16 English Standard Version
14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Romans 1:20 English Standard Version
20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Genesis 18:25 English Standard Version
25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?”
Acts 4:12 English Standard Version
12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The future holds two more major events related to the realm of the dead. First, the resurrection of believers' bodies will occur at Christ's return. First Thessalonians 4:16-17 describes how "the dead in Christ will rise first," and their spirits (already with the Lord) will be reunited with glorified, imperishable bodies. Second, after the millennium, the Great White Throne Judgment will occur (Revelation 20:11-15). At this time, all the unsaved dead throughout history will be resurrected from Hades, judged according to their works, and cast into the lake of fire—the final hell, Gehenna. Hades itself will be thrown into the lake of fire, as it will no longer be needed.
Understanding the realm of the dead should impact how we live today. First, it should give believers tremendous comfort. Death is not the end but a transition into God's glorious presence. Paul could say, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). Second, it should create urgency about sharing the gospel. People who die without Christ face conscious torment in Hades and eventual judgment leading to the lake of fire. Third, it should motivate us to live faithfully. Second Corinthians 5:10 reminds us that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."
Philippians 1:21 English Standard Version
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
2 Corinthians 5:10 English Standard Version
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
The biblical teaching on the realm of the dead is both sobering and hopeful. Before Jesus' resurrection, all souls went to Sheol/Hades, though believers found comfort in Abraham's bosom while the lost experienced torment. Jesus' death and resurrection changed everything for believers—we now go directly into God's presence when we die, bypassing the waiting place of old. For the lost, however, the destination remains unchanged: Hades now, and the lake of fire after final judgment. The good news is that anyone can avoid this fate by trusting in Jesus Christ, who conquered death and holds the keys to Hades. As Jesus said in John 11:25-26, "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." This is the hope that transforms our understanding of death and the realm of the dead.
John 11:25 English Standard Version
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,