What does the Bible say about afterlife? Does an life after death exist? The existence or non-existence of life after death is very important because it plays a huge role in a person’s beliefs and how they live their life. Whether or not there is an afterlife is directly connected with whether or not you believe there is a God.
Here are our top 20 Bible verses about afterlife so you can study what life after death is all about.
20 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.
- Ecclesiastes 9:5
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19 For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
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18 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
- Psalm 13:3
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17 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
- Revelation 21:8
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16 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Matthew 10:28
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15 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
- Revelation 20:6
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14 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Matthew 25:46
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13 Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” And they said to him, “If you will be a servant to this people today and serve them, and speak good words to them when you answer them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
- 1 Kings 12:6-8
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12 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Matthew 25:41
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11 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
- Ecclesiastes 12:7
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10 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’
- Revelation 2:11
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9 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
- Daniel 12:2-3
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8 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
- Luke 23:43
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7 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,
- Hebrews 9:27
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6 But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.
- Luke 20:37-38
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5 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
- John 14:2
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4 I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
- John 11:25-26
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3 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
- John 5:24
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2 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,
- John 11:25
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1 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16
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5 Stories From The Bible About The Afterlife
Here are 5 stories from the Bible that relate to the afterlife.
Everlasting Punishment
Jesus talked more about hell and God’s judgment than He did heaven. Why? Because He didn’t want anyone to go there and that should be our desire too. The gospel is not good news is not good until we hear the bad news of God’s judgment on the unrepentant. The Lord warned that some “will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). Choose today whether to believe and receive eternal life or reject Christ and receive God’s wrath someday (Revelation 20:12-15).
Today in Paradise
The thief on the cross believed during the last few hours of his life. He understood the sinless nature of Jesus and his own sinful nature and cried out to the Lord to save him. What was the Lord’s response? “He said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Paradise was the same thing as being in the bosom of Abraham after the resurrection. Paradise was being the presence of God because Jesus would be with the thief, that very day in Paradise, and Jesus is God.
Body and Soul
The fear of man never did anyone good. It’s only a stumbling block (Proverbs 29:25). Our real fear should not be in man but in God. Jesus warned us to “not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). Of course, Jesus is referring to God and the final resurrection and judgment of the living and the dead. To fear God is to finally begin to understand (Proverbs 9:10).
Forever Like the Stars
Daniel refers to the end times or the last resurrection of the living. He wrote that “many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). Whether you wake up to everlasting life or everlasting shame and contempt is a choice you must take today, while it’s still today (2 Corinthians 6:2), and if you choose to believe in Christ, you’ll be part of “those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3)
The End of Death
One of my favorite Bible passages about the afterlife is when God finally comes down out of heaven. The Apostle John wrote that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). All of the pain, sorrow, suffering, and even death, will finally be gone…forever. That’s our future.
This life is no comparison to the world to come (Romans 8:18). Whatever we go through today will work out for our very best in the afterlife and in the present life (Romans 8:28). We have God’s promise on that.
We hope these Bible verses about afterlife answered your questions. Please feel free to share this page with others!
Here are a few more great pages to study as well!
Top 15 Bible Verses To Send To A Grieving Friend
Top 17 Bible Verses About Prayer
Top 13 Bible Verses To Read When You Are Sick
Written by Pastor Jack Wellman
