Originally posted by phookat
OK, tell us what you think happens to those who do not accept Jesus as their personal saviour. What happens to these people in the afterlife?
These are the scriptures that guide my thinking on the matter.
Ecclesiastes 9:5 states "For the living are conscious that they will die, but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all . . . " So, the dead have simply ceased to be. Other parts of the Bible refer to those who are dead as being "asleep" in death (examples, Acts 7:60, 1 Corinthians 15:6). Then there is John 11:11-14: " . . . 'Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.' Therefore, the disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he has gone to rest, he will get well.' Jesus had spoken, however, about his death. But they imagined he was speaking about taking a rest in sleep. At that time, therefore, Jesus said to them outspokenly: 'Lazarus has died', . . . "
The raising of Lazarus from the dead also speaks to the fact that when we die, we do not go to Heaven. If Lazarus had gone to Heaven, raising his body would have been rather cruel. So, when we die, it is much like being asleep -- we know nothing at all.
Now you have to put this into the context of God's original purpose for Humans when he created Adam and Eve. Humans were meant live forever as caretakers of the Garden of Eden and all of Earth. By disobeying God, Adam and Eve brought death upon themselves and their offspring, and the conflict between God and Satan was set in motion. (Note, he did not tell Adam that because he disobeyed he would be eternally tormented in Hell . . . rather, God told him in Genesis 3:19 "You will return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you will return.")
Fast forward to Revelation 20:13 "And the sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds." Again, if we all went to Heaven after we died, there would be no reason for the mass resurrection of the dead or of Judgement Day.
"According to their deeds" is an important phrase. It holds out the hope that anyone, even those who did not come to know God's word, can still be judged favorably if they lead a clean life. Those who actively opposed God, on the other hand, will surely be judged unfavorably and suffer the second death, which is to say, total oblivion.
So there, then, is your literal "afterlife." Mankind (the ones who accept God's Will and are therefore judged favorably) returns to the original purpose for our existance -- to live on a Paradise Earth, forever, caring for it in God's name (Genesis 2:15, Revelation 21:1-4).
