What Does The Bible Say About After Death? (35 Bible Verses)

Death is a universal experience, but what lies beyond it? What does the Bible say about life after death? From the promises of eternal life to the hope of resurrection, scripture offers comfort and assurance to those facing the unknown. Join us as we explore the biblical teachings on the afterlife and discover the hope that transcends the grave through faith in Jesus Christ.

What Does The Bible Say About After Death

John 3:16 – The Promise of Eternal Life

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 – The Hope of Resurrection

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

2 Corinthians 5:8 – Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord

“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

Revelation 14:13 – Blessed are the Dead in the Lord

“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’”

Philippians 1:21-23 – To be with Christ is Gain

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.”

Matthew 13:43 – The Righteous Shine Like the Sun

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 – The Mystery of the Resurrection

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”

Luke 23:43 – Paradise with Jesus

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

1 John 5:11-12 – Eternal Life through His Son

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Revelation 21:4 – No More Death or Mourning

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

John 14:2-3 – Preparing a Place in Heaven

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Psalm 116:15 – Precious in the Sight of the Lord

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants.”

Romans 6:23 – Gift of God is Eternal Life

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Revelation 20:6 – The Second Death Has No Power

“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”

2 Timothy 4:7-8 – Crown of Righteousness

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

John 5:24 – Passed from Death to Life

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 – Eye has Not Seen

“However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ — the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

1 Peter 1:3-4 – Born Again to a Living Hope

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”

1 Corinthians 15:12-22 – The Resurrection of the Dead

“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

John 3:36 – Whoever Believes in the Son has Eternal Life

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

Revelation 22:5 – Reign Forever and Ever

“There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.”

Acts 24:15 – There Will be a Resurrection of the Righteous and the Wicked

“I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – The Lord Descends with a Shout

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

Revelation 7:14-17 – God Will Wipe Away Every Tear

“And he said, ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, ‘they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Matthew 10:28 – Fear Him Who can Destroy Both Soul and Body

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Revelation 2:11 – The Second Death

“Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death.”

Hebrews 9:27 – It is Appointed for Man to Die Once

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

Matthew 25:46 – Eternal Punishment or Eternal Life

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Revelation 6:9-11 – Souls Under the Altar

“When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, ‘How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?’ Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers and sisters, were killed just as they had been.”

Matthew 25:41 – Eternal Fire Prepared for the Devil

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Revelation 20:11-15 – The Great White Throne Judgment

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Hebrews 6:2 – Eternal Judgment

“instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.”

Matthew 25:46 – Everlasting Punishment

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Revelation 20:12-13 – The Book of Life

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.”

2 Peter 2:9 – The Lord Knows How to Rescue the Godly

“…if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.”

Acts 10:42 – Jesus Appointed as Judge

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”

2 Peter 3:7 – Present Heavens and Earth Reserved for Fire

“By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”

Mark 8:38 – Son of Man Coming in His Father’s Glory

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

Mark 9:43 – Better Enter Life Maimed than to Go to Hell

“If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.”