The souls of those who trusted Jesus by faith for their salvation immediately enter heaven upon their death. Meanwhile, their physical bodies return to “the dust of the earth” until the resurrection. Once in heaven, believers are in the presence of Jesus, surrounded by the fullness of His love, joy, peace, perfection, and righteousness. They have been made perfect forever and will never experience pain, sickness, disease, suffering, sin, or death ever again.
The souls of those who did not trust Jesus by faith for their salvation immediately enter Hades upon their death. In the meantime, their physical bodies return to “the dust of the earth” until the resurrection. Once in Hades, unbelievers experience continuous, conscious torment for their sins and unbelief. They cannot escape their fate nor be prayed out by others since death sealed them in their unbelieving state (Hebrews 9:27). Therefore, they must suffer the consequences for their rejection of Jesus and their sins until Judgement Day, when they are cast into the Lake of Fire. For this reason, the Bible urges those alive on the earth, “Now is the day of salvation,” and “Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” (1 Corinthians 6:2b; Hebrews 3:12-15).
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
