What happens to us when we die?
All traditions agree that we all die and that there is a judgement where our eternal destiny is decided.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement,
Heb 9:27
The exception being for those who are still alive when Jesus returns.
However what happens between death and judgement is not so clear and different traditions have different beliefs.
Most Christians throughout history, and most Christians alive today, believe that after death the soul exists in a conscious, disembodied state until the resurrection and final judgment.
That includes Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox as well as most Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Reformed, Evangelicals, Pentecostals and Charismatics.
A small minority, such as Seventh-day Adventists and a significant minority of Evangelicals, affirm that the soul sleeps, ie. is not conscious, in between death and resurrection.
Judgement
Most traditions affirm that the eternal fate of the soul is determined at death as they undergo a personal judgement and enter an intermediate state, the nature of which depends on the outcome of that judgement. In the interim state, almost all affirm that souls are already experiencing either communion with God or separation, but in a disembodied state until the final resurrection. A small but increasing minority believe that the soul remains asleep until the final resurrection. The exact details and language varies.
Eastern Orthodox: 2 outcomes are possible
- Paradise: The righteous are with Christ in a state of rest and light.
- Hades: The wicked are in a state of torment.
Roman Catholic: 3 outcomes are possible
- Heaven (immediate union with God for the perfectly purified).
- Purgatory (temporary purification for those destined for heaven but not yet fully holy).
- Hell (definitive self-exclusion from God).
Mainline Protestant: 2 outcomes are possible
- Paradise: The righteous are with Christ in a state of rest and light. (“with Christ,” Phil 1:23; “with the Lord,” 2 Cor 5:8).
- Hades: Unbelievers go to a state of separation from God
- Some Reformed traditions emphasise “soul sleep” (a state of unconscious rest until resurrection).
At Christ’s return, the body will be resurrected and reunited with the soul. Then the soul’s ultimate destiny (which has been determined at the time of death) is publicly revealed at the Last Judgement.
Almost all Christians believe that the eternal destiny of a soul is fixed at the time of death (particular judgement) and publicly revealed at the Second Coming. There is no chance of the verdict being changed in between.
It is at this point that the final reconciliation and healing of the Cosmos is revealed and when Jesus enters into His Kingdom.
Jewish and Platonist influences – If the soul is detached from the body (including senses), how can they “experience” anything?
Christianity at its core is resurrection-centered (Jewish hope) but to explain the gap between death and resurrection, most traditions use categories that sound Platonist (immortal soul, disembodied awareness, etc.).
The soul is considered capable of existing independently of the body but only in an incomplete state which allows for experiencing a “foretaste” of Eternity or of entering Purgatory.
That’s why Orthodox/Catholic descriptions of the soul’s journey can sound more Greek than Jewish — even though the resurrection is always the real end-goal.
- Orthodox/Catholic answer: through spiritual faculties (intellect, will, awareness), upheld by God’s grace — but in a diminished, anticipatory way.
- Protestant “soul sleep” answer: they don’t — they rest in unconsciousness until the resurrection.
- Metaphorical answer (C. S. Lewis): any imagery we use is partial; what awaits is beyond what we can fully picture.
Key Texts and Interpretations about the State of the Dead
1 Thess. 4:13–17 The dead are “asleep” and will rise at Christ’s return.
- Catholic / Orthodox “Sleep” = metaphor for death of the body; soul is conscious with God
- Mainline Protestant Mixed: some see metaphor; some stress literal unconsciousness.
- Evangelical / Dispensational Same as Catholic/Orthodox: body sleeps, soul with Christ.
- Soul Sleep (Adventist / some Lutheran/Reformed) Literal: the dead are unconscious until resurrection.
Phil. 1:23 Paul desires “to depart and be with Christ.”
- Catholic / Orthodox Taken literally: soul goes to Christ immediately after death.
- Mainline Protestant Many affirm conscious presence with Christ; some reinterpret as awaiting resurrection.
- Evangelical / Dispensational Strongly stressed as proof believers are instantly with Christ.
- Soul Sleep (Adventist / some Lutheran/Reformed) Understood as Paul’s confidence in eventual resurrection, not immediate consciousness
Luke 23:43 Jesus to thief: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
- Catholic / Orthodox Strong support for immediate conscious afterlife.
- Mainline Protestant Often read literally, though some note “today” could modify the promise (“I tell you today…”).
- Evangelical / Dispensational Emphasized as proof the soul goes directly to heaven.
- Soul Sleep (Adventist / some Lutheran/Reformed) Re-punctuated: “Truly I say to you today, you will be with me…” (paradise only at resurrection).
Rev. 6:9–10 Souls under the altar cry out to God.
- Catholic / Orthodox Shows conscious disembodied souls awaiting resurrection.
- Mainline Protestant Most accept as symbolic vision, but some take as evidence of awareness after death.
- Evangelical / Dispensational Taken literally as proof souls are alive in heaven.
- Soul Sleep (Adventist / some Lutheran/Reformed) Understood as symbolic/apocalyptic imagery, not literal proof of soul survival.