There is no reincarnation: "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Heb. 9:27, NIV). Both good and bad will be raised to face judgement, Paul says in Acts 24:15 "there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked." The Bible describes Hell as a place of conscious torment: see http://www.answerbag.com/a_view.php/12570 Jesus affirmed conscious reward after death: to the thief on the cross "today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Jesus also spoke of a man who "died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). Again, "When the dead rise... they will be like the angels in heaven." (Mark 12:25) In a statement almost universally accepted as a reference to death, Paul says we "would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." (2 Cor 2:8) In the Old Testament, Job stated in what is generally considered a statement about resurrection (i.e. life after death) that he believed "after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes-I, and not another." (Job 19:26,27) Much more could be said, but to sum up the traditional Christian position: everyone lives once then is judged and experiences eternal reward or eternal punishment after death.

The Bible calls it everlasting or eternal life. But first we need to understand death. Revelation 20:14-15 says "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." That says there are 2 deaths physical and spiritual. So we have 2 options eternal life or eternal death. And because we are all sinners [ Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.] our penalty is death [Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death]. But God sent his Son that we dont have to die [ John 3:16 For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".]. The Bible says if we call upon the name of the Lord we shall be saved [Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.] In 1John 5:11-12 it says "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." I believe eternal life will be a nice home because Jesus said in John14:2 -3"In my Fathers house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare aplace for you I will come again, and recieve you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also". I hope to see you there. To Surelock Homes I answered the question the way it was posed "What does the Bible say..." To answer your question would be mere speculation on my part. Thankyou for rating my question though.

I GUESS WE WILL ALL HAVE TO READ THE BIBLE AND THEN READ IT AGAIN AND AGAIN TO FIND OUT. CAUSE AFTER READING THE ANSWERS I AM STILL CONFUSED.

A popular view among churchgoers of Christendom is that at death people go either to heaven or to hell. But what does the Bible say about this? It states: “For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not any thing.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5, The Holy Scriptures, According to the Masoretic Text) So the dead know nothing. They are not living somewhere but are literally and completely dead. They are conscious of nothing. The Bible also likens death to a deep sleep. David said: “Answer me, O LORD my God. Do make my eyes shine, that I may not fall asleep in death.” (Psalm 13:3) Moreover, just before he resurrected Lazarus, Jesus likened death to sleep.—John 11:11-14. Which brings up another question, if Jesus best freind Lazarus was going to a better place why bring him back to life on earth?

the bible says that we die from sin. we can be resurrected by god, in a new system afteer he destroys this one for its wickedness and indifference. we don't go to heaven after we die. we are dead, because we are mortals. but we can be resurrected when the time comes. that is my opinion from reading the bible 3 times. you don't have to listen to me. im not very religious im justcurious with alot of time on my hands. btw- good, deep, question. ♥♥♥

That we either go to Heaven or Hell.

Why I believe the Bible teaches universal salvation. The people who want to keep believing that the Bible proves that everyone deserves to suffer forever in hell just because they were born into this world, or because they don’t make the “right” choice before it’s “too late,” or that God created beings with a will so strong that they can irreversibly choose themselves into a state of eternal torment - these people will keep believing it because they want to. But people who want to believe that the Bible nowhere supports such a concept of God will examine the evidence contained in HIS ACHIEVEMENT ARE WE at http://concordant.org/expohtml/HisAchievement/index.html And also here Information, and frequently asked questions in support of a correctly (literally, not interpretively) translated Bible teaching universal salvation, http://www.tentmaker.org/bloglinks.htm http://www.tentmaker.org/sitemap.html http://www.christian-universalism.com/links.html copy and paste into address bar if necessary and they will learn that the Bible actually teaches universal salvation instead, not even annihilation. Or, they will go to the search engine at the top of http://www.tentmaker.org and will type in a key word or phrase from any argument or scripture passage. Ten articles will come up refuting the claim that the Bible teaches eternal torment. Then they may click to the next page and ten more articles will come up, and so on and so on for many pages. The many entries in my guestbook that is accessed towards the bottom of my front page at http://greater-emmanuel.org/Hope4You/ and the many entries at http://www.tentmaker.org/visitorcomments.htm show just how much this information is helping people. This was the information that enabled me to recover from a twelve year nervous breakdown (1966-68), and it gives me great joy to keep learning every day that it is helping more and more other people too!! I’m 68

Probably not much different to what the Holy Qur'an (HQ) does, which is quite a bit. Here's a snippet: Our present life itself is a life after death. Here's HQ 2:28 to explain "How disbelieve ye in God when ye were dead (in your mother's womb) and He gave life to you! Then he will give you death, then life again, and then unto Him ye will return." And when we do return, according to HQ 99:6-8 on "That day mankind will issue forth in scattered groups to be shown their deeds. Then whoso doeth good an atom's weight will see it, And whoso doeth ill an atom's weight will see it." HQ 101:6-8 continues the description. "Then, as for him whose scales are heavy (with good works) He will live a life he's well pleased with." As for them who chose injustice and wickedness when they are faced with the painful consequences of their choice they will, according to HQ 6:27, "say: Oh, would that we could return! Then would we not deny the revelations of our Lord but we would be of the believers!"

FYI "At the last coming of Christ, the eschaton or end of time, all who have died will be resurrected bodily from the dead for the Last Judgement, whereupon Jesus will fully establish the Kingdom of God in fulfillment of scriptural prophecies.[78] Some groups do not distinguish a particular judgment from the general judgment at the end of time, teaching instead that souls remain in stasis until this time (see Soul sleep). " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity ------------------------------------------------------ "WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HUMANS DIE? The Bible describes two major events that take place at the death of a human being and these events are of extreme importance to the final destiny of each individual, because each event decides whether or not each individual will have a future existence. The Bible describes what happens to a human being's physical body and spirit at death. What the Bible says about the physical and spirit record and the events that happen to humans after death is very different from what is taught by the religions of this world. According to the Bible, after a human dies, there are two records of their existence: one that is kept in heaven and one that is kept on earth. NO MENTAL ACTIVITY AFTER DEATH At death the cerebral functions cease; there is no more thought process, no reward, no memory, no knowledge, and no access to this world. Death terminates an individual's interaction with this physical dimension of existence. " http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/what-ha...t-of-death.html "The celebrated Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: "No biblical text authorizes the statement that the soul is separated from the body at the moment of death" (Vol. 1, p. 802). " http://www.newinterpreters.com/products/nidb/default.aspx And when I looked into that it seems the Greeks seperated the body and soul , but that doesn't seem to be the real view of Christianity on death and what the bible says from what I have read so far on it and have seen on TV like History of bible as well as CBN and other sources, including the bible? http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/endtim...ues/eti_05.html and in "Ecc. 9:5 ("the dead know nothing at all"), " This is from the United Church of God on "What happens after death." But "After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power to the Lord our God' " (Revelation 19:1). What is that great multitude? Are these voices praising God those of saved human beings now living in heaven? Have any human beings ever ascended to heaven? The popular teaching is that when Christians die they immediately go to heaven, where they take up residence in their permanent abode. But can we find such a teaching in the Bible? Notice John 3:13: "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man Jesus Christ who is in heaven." This scripture makes two significant points. First, these are Jesus Christ's own words. If anyone had gone to heaven, Jesus would know about it. Second, John recorded these words many years after Jesus died and ascended to heaven-still affirming that no one other than Jesus had gone to heaven." ___________ Even righteous King David, a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22), was described by Peter as being "dead and buried" (Acts 2:29), not alive in heaven or some other state or location. " http://www.ucg.org/booklets/AD/index.htm and from the Bible study website on this "It is obvious by the abundant scriptural proof that all conscious thought and life-functions cease at death. The scriptures that speak of human speech, desires, and admonitions after death are either poetic metaphors or analogies, or they are speaking of demonic impersonations of dead people in some cases. There is nothing throughout the entire Bible which indicates that the human life function continues in one state or another after death. Moreover, the Bible indicates just the opposite; it clearly shows that the physical life of a human is a temporary condition, which can be terminated forever. "SUMMARY The dead are simply dead; they have no life function; they are as if they were asleep awaiting a resurrection" http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/what-ha...t-of-death.html

If you cannot love an eternal torment god For the first 500 years after Christ, universalism was the prevailing doctrine believed and taught by the Christian church. http://www.tentmaker.org/books/Prevailing.shtml Universalism The Prevailing Doctrine Of The Christian Church During Its First Five Hundred Years The author, J.W. Hanson wrote “The purpose of this book is to present some of the evidence of the prevalence in the early centuries of the Christian church, of the doctrine of the final holiness of all mankind. The author believes that the following pages show that Universal Restitution was the faith of the early Christians for at least the First Five Hundred Years of the Christian era. He has aimed to present irrefragable proofs that the doctrine of Universal Salvation was the prevalent sentiment of the primitive Christian church. The salient statements and facts in all which will be found in these pages show that the most and ablest of the early fathers found the deliverance of all mankind from sin and sorrow specifically revealed in the Christian Scriptures.” And they were reading the Bible in its original language. This online book also explains why and how this changed. Up until now, after reading this post, many believers in eternal torment have said something like, “I truly sympathize with your sufferings, but it’s what the Bible says that matters, not whether or not it makes you suffer.” That’s why I want to say right at the outset that many of the links posted here show that a correctly (literally, not interpretively) translated Bible actually teaches universal salvation, not eternal torment, or even annihilation. I’m 69 years old. The idea that God lets anyone suffer forever has caused me more suffering, including a twelve year nervous breakdown 1966-78, than all the other sufferings of my life combined. This suffering was caused by the fear produced by not being able to love a god who would let anyone suffer forever and wondering what this god would do to me for not being able to love him. Even though I was and am trusting for my salvation in what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection, through the power in the blood of His cross, I was, and still am unable to love a god who would let anyone suffer forever. Here are testimonies similar to mine. http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/hells_fruit.html http://greater-emmanuel.org/Hope4You/consequences.html If you are like me and cannot love a god who would let anyone suffer forever, you can copy and paste (if necessary) the following urls into the address bar and find out that a literally (not interpretively) translated Bible actually teaches universal salvation, not even annihilation. THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD If necessary, copy and paste the following urls into the address bar. http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/circularity.htm At the top and bottom of that same THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD page, there is the following link to fourteen other writings in the same series that are related to this same subject. http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/index.htm Don’t kid yourself. If anyone suffers forever JESUS IS DOING IT TO THEM http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/circularity.htm THE GOD THAT CALVINIST AND ARMINIAN ETERNAL TORMENTORS PROFESS TO LOVE The eternal torment theology of the Arminian Christian relies on so-called “free will” and luck. The god that Arminian eternal tormentors profess to love says to his fallen creatures “Unless you are lucky enough to find out about my son during this lifetime, and even if you are that lucky, if you don’t have the good sense to cooperate with my son properly before you die, then I am going to raise you from the dead and I will sustain you alive in an inescapable state of eternal torment forever.” The eternal torment theology of the Calvinist Christian relies on God alone, not “free will” at all. It is summed up by the word TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and the Perseverance of the elect. The god that Calvinistic eternal tormentors profess to love says to his fallen creatures "I created most of you for the purpose of torturing you forever. However, I am going to choose a few of you undeserving ones to go to heaven where you will be happy forever." John Calvin said there will be infants a span long in hell because they were not among the elect. (A span is the distance between the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger.) And then both the Arminian and Calvinistic eternal tormentors say that the feelings that they have for this god of theirs is “love.” To read a description of eternal torment combination Calv-Arminianism see ABSOLUTE ASSURANCE IN JESUS CHRIST – Charles Slagle http://www.tentmaker.org/books/Absolute-Assurance-in-Jesus-Christ.html This next url sums up the end result of all three http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/circularity.htm Without God’s sustaining power everyone would cease to exist. So if anyone were to suffer forever, our all-powerful God (Who is Love in essence, not just loving) would be fully 100% responsible for it. We would have to conclude that any definition of the manifestation of “love-in-essence” includes eternally sustaining people alive in an inescapable state of suffering. What a travesty; what a revolting definition of love it is that God, Who is love personified, would grant any creature a will so strong that they can choose themselves into an irreversible state of never ending suffering (Arminian), or they deserve to suffer forever just by being born into the human race (Calvinist)! Thank God the Bible does not teach such an insane idea! Yes, God is just but He is not justice personified. However, God is Love personified. That is why He will temper all of His administrating of justice only to be for the good of the individual being judged. Here is what the God that universal transformationists love and worship with complete abandon will do. He will complete the process of salvation for the first fruits of election, (the remnant chosen by grace), after the first resurrection. Then He will complete the process of salvation for the non-elect after the great white throne judgment. For some, it will include an experience in the lake of fire. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to guarantee that any necessary "kolasis aionian" (age-during corrective chastisement) will be 100% effective in changing wrong attitudes. All acts of sin have been forgiven for everyone. Attitudes cannot be forgiven. Attitudes must change. This is what the lake of fire which is the second death will do. It will last no longer than God sees is good for everyone involved. http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/TheLakeOfFire-Eby.html You can Google up good articles on this subject by typing in kolasis aionian Also see http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/index.htm For anyone who cannot love an endless-hell god --- BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN UNIVERSALIST RESOURCES Copy and paste the following urls into the address bar http://www.christian-universalism.com/links.html http://www.christianuniversalist.org Also see Information, and frequently asked questions in support of a correctly (literally, not interpretively) translated Bible teaching universal salvation, http://www.tentmaker.org/bloglinks.htm http://www.tentmaker.org/sitemap.html http://www.tentmaker.org/ScholarsCorner.html http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/savior-of-the-world/index.htm http://www.tentmaker.org/books/BibleThreateningsExplained.html (If necessary, copy and paste them into your address bar) and they will learn that the Bible actually teaches universal salvation instead, not even annihilation. Or, they will go to the search engine at the top of http://www.tentmaker.org and will type in a key word or phrase from any argument or scripture passage. Ten articles will come up refuting the claim that the Bible teaches eternal torment or annihilation. Then they may click to the next page and ten more articles will come up, and so on and so on for many pages. The many entries in my guestbook that is accessed towards the bottom of my front page at http://greater-emmanuel.org/Hope4You/ and the many entries at http://www.tentmaker.org/visitorcomments.htm show just how much this information is helping people. Also see http://www.tentmaker.org/articles/hells_fruit.html This was the information that enabled me to recover from a twelve year nervous breakdown 1966-78, and it gives me great joy to keep learning that it is helping more and more other people too!! I’m 69 I am also going to guide you to the testimony of a man whose experience was almost identical to mine. Even the thought processes that took him into, through, and out of his breakdown are the same as mine. His name is Charles Slagle. He responds to the question, "Which view of salvation is true?" http://www.tentmaker.org/books/Absolute-Assurance-in-Jesus-Christ.html

That most of us are getting gyped... Only 144,000 of the very best get to hang out with god in heaven and only for 1,000 years at that. The rest of the "saints" get to live on a "paradise earth" for 1,000 years before they too know the "second or true death". And of course, the majority of us that "didn't know him" get zilch, I guess the thought of god putting up with us smelly monkeys for eternity was too much for him, but it's nice that he gives some few of us a "bonus" isn't it?

OK, Simply put, The Bible says There is NO LIFE after death, if Jesus Christ the Son of God is not your Lord and Savior. When we die were asleep awaiting the resurrection of the just or the unjust: john3:36-Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, john11:25-Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;...... And if you are part of the first resurrection you're with Jesus here on earth for a 1000 yrs then we enter into the eternal kingdom of God. Revelation20:6-Blessed and holy are those who have part 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.

hi my name is nis and want to share wiv you what the quraan says life after death. Muslims believe that the present life is a trial in preparation for the next realm of existence. When a Muslim dies, he or she is washed and wrapped in a clean, white cloth (usually by a family member) and buried after a special prayer, preferably the same day. Muslims consider this a final service that they can do for their relatives and an opportunity to remember that their own existence here on earth is brief. The question of whether there is life after death does not fall under the jurisdiction of science, as science is concerned only with classification and analysis of sense data. Moreover, man has been busy with scientific inquiries and research, in the modern sense of the term, only for the last few centuries, while he has been familiar with the concept of life after death since time immemorial. All the Prophets of God called their people to worship God and to believe in life after death. They laid so much emphasis on the belief in life after death that even a slight doubt in it meant denying God and made all other beliefs meaningless. The very fact that all the Prophets of God have dealt with this metaphysical question of life after death so confidently and so uniformly - the gap between their ages in some cases, being thousands of years - goes to prove that the source of their knowledge of life after death as proclaimed by them all, was the same, i.e. Divine revelation. We also know that these Prophets of God were greatly opposed by their people, mainly on the issue of life after death, as their people thought it impossible. But in spite of opposition, the Prophets won many sincere followers. The question arises: what made those followers forsake the established beliefs, traditions and customs of their forefathers, notwithstanding the risk of being totally alienated from their own community? The simple answer is: they made use of their faculties of mind and heart and realized the truth. Did they realize the truth through perceptual consciousness? They couldn’t, as perceptual experience of life after death is impossible. God has given man besides perceptual consciousness, rational, aesthetic and moral consciousness too. It is this consciousness that guides man regarding realities that cannot be verified through sensory data. That is why all the Prophets of God while calling people to believe in God and life after death, appeal to the aesthetic, moral and rational consciousness of man. For example, when the idolaters of Makkah denied even the possibility of life after death, the Quran exposed the weakness of their stand by advancing very logical and rational arguments in support of it: And he (i.e. man) presents for Us an example (i.e. attempting to establish the finality of death) and forgets his [own] creation. He says, “Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?” Say, “He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.” [It is] He who made for you from the green tree, fire, and then from it you ignite. Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes, [it is so]; and He is the Knowing Creator. (Quran, 36:78-81) On another occasion, the Quran very clearly says that the disbelievers have no sound basis for their denial of life after death. It is based on pure conjecture: And they say, “There is not but our worldly life; we die and live (i.e. some people die and others live, replacing them) and nothing destroys us except time.” And they have of that no knowledge; they are only assuming. And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, “Bring [back] our forefathers, if you should be truthful.” Say, “God causes you to live, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt,” but most of the people do not know. (Quran, 45:24-26) Surely God will raise all the dead. But God has His own plan of things. A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed and then the dead will be resurrected to stand before God. That day will be the beginning of a life that will never end, and on that day every person will be rewarded by God according to his or her good or evil deeds. The explanation that the Quran gives about the necessity of life after death is what the moral consciousness of man demands. Actually, if there is no life after death, the very belief in God becomes meaningless or even if one believes in God, it would be n unjust and indifferent God, having once created man and now not being concerned with his fate. Surely, God is just. He will punish the tyrants, whose crimes are beyond count - having tortured and killed hundreds or thousands of innocent people, created great corruption in society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, etc., because man has a very short life span in this world and because numerous individuals are affected by one’s actions, adequate punishments and rewards are not possible in this life. The Quran very emphatically states that the Day of Judgment must come and that God will decide the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds: But those who disbelieve say, “The Hour (i.e. the Day of Judgment) will not come to us.” Say, “Yes, by my Lord, it will surely come to you. [God is] the Knower of the unseen.” Not absent from Him is an atom’s weight within the heavens or within the earth or [what is] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear register - That He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Those will have forgiveness and noble provision. But those who strive against Our verses [seeking] to cause failure (i.e. to undermine their credibility) - for them will be a painful punishment of foul nature. (Quran, 34:3-5) The Day of Resurrection will be the Day when God’s attributes of Justice and Mercy will be in full manifestation. God will shower His mercy on those who suffered for His sake in the worldly life, believing that an eternal bliss was awaiting them. But those who abused the bounties of God, caring nothing for the life to come, will be in the most miserable state. Drawing a comparison between them, the Quran says: Then is he whom We have promised a good promise which he will meet [i.e. obtain] like he for whom We provided enjoyment of worldly life [but] then he is, on the Day of Resurrection, among those presented [for punishment in Hell]? (Quran, 28:61) The Quran also states that this worldly life is a preparation for the eternal life after death. But those who deny it become slaves of their passions and desires, making fun of virtuous and God-conscious persons. Such persons realize their folly only at the time of their death and wish to be given a further chance in the world but in vain. Their miserable state at the time of death, and the horror of the Day of Judgment, and the eternal bliss guaranteed to the sincere believers are very clearly and beautifully mentioned in the following verses of the Quran: [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, “My Lord, send me back that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind (i.e. in that which I neglected).” No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected. So when the Horn is blown, no relationship will there be among them that Day, nor will they ask about one another. And those whose scales are heavy [with good deeds] - it is they who are the successful. But those whose scales are light - those are the ones who have lost their souls, [being] in Hell, abiding eternally. The Fire will sear their faces, and they therein will have taut smiles (i.e. their lips having been contracted by scorching until the teeth are exposed). (Quran, 23:99-104) The belief in life after death not only guarantees success in the Hereafter but also makes this world full of peace and happiness by making individuals most responsible and dutiful in their activities. Think of the people of Arabia before the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad . Gambling, wine, tribal feuds, plundering and murdering were their main traits when they had no belief in life after death. But as soon as they accepted the belief in the One God and life after death they became the most disciplined nation of the world. They gave up their vices, helped each other in hours of need, and settled all their disputes on the basis of justice and equality. Similarly the denial of life after death has its consequences not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. When a nation as a whole denies it, all kinds of evils and corruption become rampant in that society and ultimately it is destroyed. The Quran mentions the terrible end of Aad, Thamud and the Pharaoh in some detail: [The tribes of] Thamud and Aad denied the Striking Calamity [i.e. the Resurrection]. So as for Thamud, they were destroyed by the overpowering [blast]. And as for Aad, they were destroyed by a screaming, violent wind which He [i.e. God] imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees. Then do you see of them any remains? And there came Pharaoh and those before him and the overturned cities (i.e. those to which Lot was sent) with sin. And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity]. Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried you [i.e. your ancestors] in the sailing ship (i.e. which was constructed by Noah). That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it. (Quran, 69:4-12) Events of the Day of Judgment God states in the Quran about the events of the Day of Judgment: Then when the Horn is blown with one blast, and the earth and the mountains are lifted and leveled with one blow [i.e. stroke] - Then on that Day, the Occurrence [i.e. Resurrection] will occur, And the heaven will split [open], for that Day it is infirm (i.e. weak, enfeebled and unstable). And the angels are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them]. That Day, you will be exhibited [for judgment]; not hidden among you is anything concealed (i.e. any person or any secret you might attempt to conceal). So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, “Here, read my record! Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account.” So he will be in a pleasant life - In an elevated Garden, Its [fruit] to be picked hanging near. [They will be told], “Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth (i.e. literally, advanced in anticipation of reward in the Hereafter) in the days past.” But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, “Oh, I wish I had not been given my record, and had not known what is my account. I wish it [i.e. my death] had been the decisive one (i.e. ending life rather than being the gateway to eternal life). My wealth has not availed me. Gone from me is my authority.” [God will say], “Seize him and shackle him. Then into Hellfire drive him. Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him.” Indeed, he did not used to believe in God, the Most Great. (Quran, 69:13-33) The Prophet Muhammad taught that three things continue to benefit a [believing] person even after death - charity which he had given (which continues to benefit others), beneficial knowledge which he had left behind (i.e. authored or taught), and supplication on his behalf by a righteous child (Narrated by Saheeh Muslim). Thus, there are very convincing reasons to believe in life after death: 1) All the Prophets of God have called their people to believe in it. 2) Whenever a human society is built on the basis of this belief, it has been the most ideal and peaceful society, free of social and moral evils. 3) History bears witness that whenever this belief is rejected collectively by a group of people in spite of the repeated warning of the Prophet, the group as a whole has been punished by God even in this world. 4) Moral, aesthetic and rational faculties of man endorse the possibility of the life after death. 5) God’s attributes of Justice and Mercy have no meaning if there is no life after death.

Muslims believe that the present life is a trial in preparation for the next realm of existence. When a Muslim dies, he or she is washed and wrapped in a clean, white cloth (usually by a family member) and buried after a special prayer, preferably the same day. Muslims consider this a final service that they can do for their relatives and an opportunity to remember that their own existence here on earth is brief. The question of whether there is life after death does not fall under the jurisdiction of science, as science is concerned only with classification and analysis of sense data. Moreover, man has been busy with scientific inquiries and research, in the modern sense of the term, only for the last few centuries, while he has been familiar with the concept of life after death since time immemorial. All the Prophets of God called their people to worship God and to believe in life after death. They laid so much emphasis on the belief in life after death that even a slight doubt in it meant denying God and made all other beliefs meaningless. The very fact that all the Prophets of God have dealt with this metaphysical question of life after death so confidently and so uniformly - the gap between their ages in some cases, being thousands of years - goes to prove that the source of their knowledge of life after death as proclaimed by them all, was the same, i.e. Divine revelation. We also know that these Prophets of God were greatly opposed by their people, mainly on the issue of life after death, as their people thought it impossible. But in spite of opposition, the Prophets won many sincere followers. The question arises: what made those followers forsake the established beliefs, traditions and customs of their forefathers, notwithstanding the risk of being totally alienated from their own community? The simple answer is: they made use of their faculties of mind and heart and realized the truth. Did they realize the truth through perceptual consciousness? They couldn’t, as perceptual experience of life after death is impossible. God has given man besides perceptual consciousness, rational, aesthetic and moral consciousness too. It is this consciousness that guides man regarding realities that cannot be verified through sensory data. That is why all the Prophets of God while calling people to believe in God and life after death, appeal to the aesthetic, moral and rational consciousness of man. For example, when the idolaters of Makkah denied even the possibility of life after death, the Quran exposed the weakness of their stand by advancing very logical and rational arguments in support of it: And he (i.e. man) presents for Us an example (i.e. attempting to establish the finality of death) and forgets his [own] creation. He says, “Who will give life to bones while they are disintegrated?” Say, “He will give them life who produced them the first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.” [It is] He who made for you from the green tree, fire, and then from it you ignite. Is not He who created the heavens and the earth Able to create the likes of them? Yes, [it is so]; and He is the Knowing Creator. (Quran, 36:78-81) On another occasion, the Quran very clearly says that the disbelievers have no sound basis for their denial of life after death. It is based on pure conjecture: And they say, “There is not but our worldly life; we die and live (i.e. some people die and others live, replacing them) and nothing destroys us except time.” And they have of that no knowledge; they are only assuming. And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, their argument is only that they say, “Bring [back] our forefathers, if you should be truthful.” Say, “God causes you to live, then causes you to die; then He will assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt,” but most of the people do not know. (Quran, 45:24-26) Surely God will raise all the dead. But God has His own plan of things. A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed and then the dead will be resurrected to stand before God. That day will be the beginning of a life that will never end, and on that day every person will be rewarded by God according to his or her good or evil deeds. The explanation that the Quran gives about the necessity of life after death is what the moral consciousness of man demands. Actually, if there is no life after death, the very belief in God becomes meaningless or even if one believes in God, it would be n unjust and indifferent God, having once created man and now not being concerned with his fate. Surely, God is just. He will punish the tyrants, whose crimes are beyond count - having tortured and killed hundreds or thousands of innocent people, created great corruption in society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, etc., because man has a very short life span in this world and because numerous individuals are affected by one’s actions, adequate punishments and rewards are not possible in this life. The Quran very emphatically states that the Day of Judgment must come and that God will decide the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds: But those who disbelieve say, “The Hour (i.e. the Day of Judgment) will not come to us.” Say, “Yes, by my Lord, it will surely come to you. [God is] the Knower of the unseen.” Not absent from Him is an atom’s weight within the heavens or within the earth or [what is] smaller than that or greater, except that it is in a clear register - That He may reward those who believe and do righteous deeds. Those will have forgiveness and noble provision. But those who strive against Our verses [seeking] to cause failure (i.e. to undermine their credibility) - for them will be a painful punishment of foul nature. (Quran, 34:3-5) The Day of Resurrection will be the Day when God’s attributes of Justice and Mercy will be in full manifestation. God will shower His mercy on those who suffered for His sake in the worldly life, believing that an eternal bliss was awaiting them. But those who abused the bounties of God, caring nothing for the life to come, will be in the most miserable state. Drawing a comparison between them, the Quran says: Then is he whom We have promised a good promise which he will meet [i.e. obtain] like he for whom We provided enjoyment of worldly life [but] then he is, on the Day of Resurrection, among those presented [for punishment in Hell]? (Quran, 28:61) The Quran also states that this worldly life is a preparation for the eternal life after death. But those who deny it become slaves of their passions and desires, making fun of virtuous and God-conscious persons. Such persons realize their folly only at the time of their death and wish to be given a further chance in the world but in vain. Their miserable state at the time of death, and the horror of the Day of Judgment, and the eternal bliss guaranteed to the sincere believers are very clearly and beautifully mentioned in the following verses of the Quran: [For such is the state of the disbelievers], until, when death comes to one of them, he says, “My Lord, send me back that I might do righteousness in that which I left behind (i.e. in that which I neglected).” No! It is only a word he is saying; and behind them is a barrier until the Day they are resurrected. So when the Horn is blown, no relationship will there be among them that Day, nor will they ask about one another. And those whose scales are heavy [with good deeds] - it is they who are the successful. But those whose scales are light - those are the ones who have lost their souls, [being] in Hell, abiding eternally. The Fire will sear their faces, and they therein will have taut smiles (i.e. their lips having been contracted by scorching until the teeth are exposed). (Quran, 23:99-104) The belief in life after death not only guarantees success in the Hereafter but also makes this world full of peace and happiness by making individuals most responsible and dutiful in their activities. Think of the people of Arabia before the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad . Gambling, wine, tribal feuds, plundering and murdering were their main traits when they had no belief in life after death. But as soon as they accepted the belief in the One God and life after death they became the most disciplined nation of the world. They gave up their vices, helped each other in hours of need, and settled all their disputes on the basis of justice and equality. Similarly the denial of life after death has its consequences not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. When a nation as a whole denies it, all kinds of evils and corruption become rampant in that society and ultimately it is destroyed. The Quran mentions the terrible end of Aad, Thamud and the Pharaoh in some detail: [The tribes of] Thamud and Aad denied the Striking Calamity [i.e. the Resurrection]. So as for Thamud, they were destroyed by the overpowering [blast]. And as for Aad, they were destroyed by a screaming, violent wind which He [i.e. God] imposed upon them for seven nights and eight days in succession, so you would see the people therein fallen as if they were hollow trunks of palm trees. Then do you see of them any remains? And there came Pharaoh and those before him and the overturned cities (i.e. those to which Lot was sent) with sin. And they disobeyed the messenger of their Lord, so He seized them with a seizure exceeding [in severity]. Indeed, when the water overflowed, We carried you [i.e. your ancestors] in the sailing ship (i.e. which was constructed by Noah). That We might make it for you a reminder and [that] a conscious ear would be conscious of it. (Quran, 69:4-12) Events of the Day of Judgment God states in the Quran about the events of the Day of Judgment: Then when the Horn is blown with one blast, and the earth and the mountains are lifted and leveled with one blow [i.e. stroke] - Then on that Day, the Occurrence [i.e. Resurrection] will occur, And the heaven will split [open], for that Day it is infirm (i.e. weak, enfeebled and unstable). And the angels are at its edges. And there will bear the Throne of your Lord above them, that Day, eight [of them]. That Day, you will be exhibited [for judgment]; not hidden among you is anything concealed (i.e. any person or any secret you might attempt to conceal). So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, “Here, read my record! Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting my account.” So he will be in a pleasant life - In an elevated Garden, Its [fruit] to be picked hanging near. [They will be told], “Eat and drink in satisfaction for what you put forth (i.e. literally, advanced in anticipation of reward in the Hereafter) in the days past.” But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, “Oh, I wish I had not been given my record, and had not known what is my account. I wish it [i.e. my death] had been the decisive one (i.e. ending life rather than being the gateway to eternal life). My wealth has not availed me. Gone from me is my authority.” [God will say], “Seize him and shackle him. Then into Hellfire drive him. Then into a chain whose length is seventy cubits insert him.” Indeed, he did not used to believe in God, the Most Great. (Quran, 69:13-33) The Prophet Muhammad taught that three things continue to benefit a [believing] person even after death - charity which he had given (which continues to benefit others), beneficial knowledge which he had left behind (i.e. authored or taught), and supplication on his behalf by a righteous child (Narrated by Saheeh Muslim). Thus, there are very convincing reasons to believe in life after death: 1) All the Prophets of God have called their people to believe in it. 2) Whenever a human society is built on the basis of this belief, it has been the most ideal and peaceful society, free of social and moral evils. 3) History bears witness that whenever this belief is rejected collectively by a group of people in spite of the repeated warning of the Prophet, the group as a whole has been punished by God even in this world. 4) Moral, aesthetic and rational faculties of man endorse the possibility of the life after death. 5) God’s attributes of Justice and Mercy have no meaning if there is no life after death.

After we die we are sent to a place of paradise or punishment during the millinum those in punishment will be taught and if they chose can become a believer in God. We teach until judgment day. At that time either enter into heaven or are thrown into the lake of fire that is the 2nd death.