Five Minutes After You Die: Most Often Asked Questions

by David Chadwick

What happens five minutes after you die? What are some of the most often asked questions about heaven and hell? Today, let's try to answer some of them.

What happens to miscarried babies? Babies who die? Children who die before they reach the age where they could make a decision to follow Jesus? Jesus clearly said, "Let the little children come to me" (Matthew 19:14). He loves the little children. When they die, I believe they are rushed straight into the presence of Jesus.

What about the topic of annihilationism? Some do not believe in eternal torment, but rather they believe that a soul that is eternally separated from God will eventually cease to exist and permanently perish. Some people find this belief comforting, as they believe eternal punishment is too gruesome for a loving God. The problem here is that Jesus taught that hell was "eternal," just like heaven is. If Jesus is God, and he says one thing, then I believe we can go no farther than he goes with our conclusions.

What about universalism? This is the belief that all people are one day saved. People in this category believe that God is love and that he would never be able to let anyone be separated from him. This conclusion would mean that Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, and every wicked leader will all be in heaven. All because God is love? That doesn't make sense. True love must exist in the presence of truth. Universalists believe hell is an eternal purgatory that will eventually burn off everyone's sin. The problem? Again, this is not what Jesus himself taught. Jesus taught a literal, eternal hell. Is Jesus God? If so, we can go no farther than he goes.

Will we have conscious memories of loved ones who are in hell? The Bible says that in heaven, believers will not cry. No more sadness, no more shed tears. Scholars and others have speculated that perhaps our memories of those we love who are not there will be in our minds. That could be, but we have no biblical evidence for that. It could also be that we all love Jesus so much and are so fully aware of his perfect and pure judgments that we embrace all of his decisions without question.

As believers, we must live knowing that hell exists eternally. Join us tomorrow to learn more specifically what this reality means.