Preface
We can break down the human experience into three stages of life. (“Stage” could be both a period of time and a theater of operations.) And guess what? They don’t all happen on Earth. In fact, each stage has its own Realm to live in. The stages are shown in the same progression that they will occur. Before we begin, though, I should point out that there are a few people (very few) who will be exceptions to the rule. They will not experience the second stage of life in the Spirit Realm (hint: they’re alive when Jesus returns). But enough on that for now.
One other thing is that the Physical and Spirit Realms are coexistent. Most saints will die and go to heaven and then return to Earth with Jesus upon His return (anyone who died before His return). As far as I can tell, during the Millennium only hell will be populated in the Spirit Realm, as heaven’s inhabitants (angels and saints) will be with Jesus on Earth, and the fallen angels will be in captivity elsewhere. Saints might be permitted to return to heaven during the millennium, but with Jesus here on earth, it’s doubtful—unless it’s used as a kind of vacation spot, or something.
Like everything I do here, this won’t be an in-depth study; just the nuts and bolts of it. So let’s look at the three stages of human existence.
Physical Realm
First, we start off in the Physical Realm. That’s where you are now (at the time of reading this). Me too (at the time of writing it). We know that we’re here because our senses tell our brains that it is so (all 5, if you’re lucky).
The Physical Realm is not eternal and it isn’t infinite, either. It had a beginning (see Genesis) and it will have an end (see Revelation). We who are saved by Jesus, however, will outlive the universe (see 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 20-22). The physical realm and the universe are one and the same; the terms are interchangeable. If you know what the universe is, then you know what the physical realm is too.
Physical Life
If you live long enough (not very), you’ll start to hear about how you got here and how stuff works on this vicious planet. In school, for example (with all kinds of brainwashing), you might hear about how life is propagated. You might even learn that as soon as the female egg is fertilized, the two cells (1 from father and 1 from mother) become one being (human, in the case of most of us). All of the genetic programming is already present in that tiny embryo. He/she is physically alive and autonomous (although currently dependent on another). That is a physical fact in a physical world. It’s demonstrable.
Your physical being consists of body, mind, and heart (not the blood pump, but the emotional center in your mind). This “heart” refers to your attitude, desires, motives, mood, will and so forth…. The mind (which may include this heart) is like data on volatile memory in a computer. You can’t really see the mind but it is one with the brain (like software in hardware). At any rate, the brain is physical and the mind/heart is not (well, the blood pump is). BTW, the human heart is considered (by God) to be the most despicable thing in creation.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
(Jeremiah 17:9, NLT)
And it is beyond cure by us. Only Jesus can cure our problem of sinfulness. Religion is utterly useless to save.
Side Note: Our mental/emotional heart might be separate from the mind. Who knows, it might also be separate from the “gut”, which is a bit of a mystery in and of itself. We’ve all had “gut feelings” from time to time. It’s hard to explain, but the gut feeling just feels different than other thoughts (mind) and feelings (heart). Some say that our intestines (the guts) have the same kind of neurotransmitters as the brain. If the brain can connect with the mind, then is the mind connected to the gut as well? (We know there is a nerve cord that connects brain and gut together physically.) If the brain can be accessed by spirit beings (like angels), then the gut should be just as accessible. Continuing to guess, maybe since the gut has a different feel to it than regular thoughts, God uses it to communicate to us (?). Personally, my gut feelings are usually correct to a higher degree than my mind’s thoughts. I know that sometimes my “gut feelings” are from my Savior.
Spiritual Life (for some)
There is no doubt when physical life begins (at conception). It’s the beginning of spiritual life that is harder to pin down (although we know it begins at conversion). And we know that it begins while we’re here, in the physical realm, living out our mortal lives. And, as we’ll see in a second, the Holy Spirit is the source of this spiritual life.
While we’re here on planet Earth we might get the opportunity to accept reconciliation with the Creator (that Supreme Being Who put this universe together for us). That is not something that our 5 senses, our mind or heart can help us with. It takes a movement of the Creator to stir us to life with His Spirit. If He doesn’t give it to you, you won’t get it.
“Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”
(John 3:6, NLT)
This coming to life in the spirit is a mystery and is probably impossible to explain. The one to whom it happens knows that it has happened—they love God and want to obey Him in everything. But no one else can tell, really, they have to depend on what they see in the person (which can be convincing). We can see how a person acts, but we cannot see their innermost being; that’s what God sees. He sees us as we really are. We may be able to fool each other, but nobody can fool God. Anyway, I can’t explain the spiritual condition of the unbeliever’s soul, since I’ve always been saved for as long as I can remember. Maybe someone else can help you with that bit. John 3:6 (above) is important and it’s a mystery. I think that unbelievers have a soul and spirit, but they don’t have the same character as the believer’s. For sure, they are not tapped into the life-power of Christ, through His Holy Spirit.
Spirit Realm
After our time here on earth, when we die, we move on to the Spirit Realm (or Spiritual Realm). Like the physical realm, there are different locales in the spirit realm. After all, it’s probably at least as big as the universe.
Heaven
No human in heaven will have a glorified human body, except Jesus. He will only share His glory with us (by way of our own glorified body) when He returns to Earth—first for the resurrected, then for the raptured saints
(see 1 Corinthians 15).
Do not confuse heaven with the New Jerusalem. Heaven is in the Spirit Realm; The New Jerusalem will exist after heaven (spirit realm) is no more. Heaven is temporary; New Jerusalem is forever (see Rev. 20 thru 22). Instead, everyone in heaven will be a disembodied soul/spirit. There, the soul will likely receive its input from the spirit (like the mind and the 5 senses). The soul will be free of the mortal flesh’s weight of physical senses and sinful nature, free of its evil heart and mind. The sense of freedom we will have there can only be imagined by us sluggish meatbags now. Can the caterpillar imagine taking flight on the wind? I doubt it. What we will be has not really been revealed completely to us yet.
I see heaven as a time of rest and rejuvenation. No matter how bad it got for you down here on earth, once you’re there for a bit (maybe instantly) you will have forgotten all about your troubles on earth. But this is not what we are looking forward to, ultimately. Yes, it is something to look forward to (I know that I do), but the new bodies we will receive are what we are really looking forward to. These earthly bodies weigh us down; those perfect, sinless, spiritual bodies will enhance our lives and empower us. We also look forward to the new bodies because that’s when our salvation will be complete. Paul called this state, which is the pinnacle of our existence, “the hope of our salvation”. It is the combined condition of a perfect body and the full power of God (as much as He has determined for us). (“Perfect body” means more than just appearance. It is perfect purity, like what Jesus has.)
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)” (Romans 8:23-25, NLT)
Hell
In heaven, no one will ever want to leave.
In hell, no one will want to have arrived.
In heaven, people will be full of love for each other and enjoy each other’s company.
In hell, loneliness will only subside when pain and agony grab your attention (while dancing & stomping on your wounded spirit/soul). In other words, solitude’s intermission is brought to you by demonic taunters—experts in anguish and regret. (Sorry, no parties, virgins, or anyone else to talk to.)
If ever there were a place for repentance, I would think that it would be hell. “Can’t happen”, you say? Show me the proof-text. I say the Bible doesn’t say either way. So this is my own personal hope (not doctrine). And I, too, am entitled to my hopes.
New Realm
After the Great Judgment, when this universe and spirit realm (earth, heaven and hell) have “passed away” (Revelation 21:1), God will create a new realm. We know almost nothing about this new realm. There will be a “New Heavens” and a “New Earth”, with a city called the “New Jerusalem”. Life will go on. Believers will be with God in His new city; outside will be the others (the “Nations”), whoever they are.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Rev 21:22-27, NLT)
22:1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 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. (Rev 22:1-5, NLT)
You may want to read my post on the New Jerusalem. I’ll just say now that it’s the eternal “heaven” that people think of when they think of heaven. But it’s on earth—the New Earth (not this one). The teasers about this, found in the Bible, are depicting an amazing city that will be more wondrous than anything in this world. Imagine if you can, transparent city walls 216 feet thick, 1,400 MILES high and long on each side! (Our current atmosphere is about 60 miles thick.) The walls are as clear as crystal and made out of solid rock (Jasper). Inside, the city is made of solid gold, as pure as glass (pure; not clear). If glass had an impurity, you’d see it. This gold is as pure as any glass that’s free of impurities.
“The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass”.
(Revelation 21:21b, NIV)
The two quotes higher above speak of “Nations” outside the city walls. This is interesting to me. They aren’t the glorified saints, who live inside the city. Who are they? Are they mortal? Is the entirety of New Earth considered the Kingdom of God or is just the New Jerusalem? Whoever they are, they can’t go inside the City unless they are glorified (perfect). Do they get a chance to reach glorification? Is the new realm going to be an amalgam of the physical and the spiritual realms?
There are many, many mysteries about the next realm that humans will live in. Another question is where will the Lake of Burning Sulfur be located? Will it be on the same planet as the New Jerusalem? Will it be in the new spirit realm? Whatever is just over our horizon, it will be mind-blowing. We who believe will be blessed beyond our wildest imagination. Those who reject God and the cross will be miserable beyond human imagination.
In a sense, believers will indeed go to be with Jesus forever and ever when they die. But those who reject the cross and God’s forgiveness will live on in eternal separation from Him. But they will have their day in court, so to speak, first.
Unbeliever’s Timeline
Here’s a brief synopsis of what life will look like for someone who does not accept the Cross of Christ for reconciliation with the Creator:
Conception: The physical body is miraculously brought to life when the female egg and the male seed join and become one. Body, mind, and heart (or the makings of them) come to life.
Death: The body releases the unregenerate (unsaved) soul of the person. The soul is taken to a part of hell prepared just for them. This is where the person will sit, stand, float, or laydown for the time between their arrival and when the Lord resurrects them for judgment (anywhere from mere minutes to 6,000 years). It’s a kind of solitary confinement, where the person is conscious of their environment, their solitude (loneliness), their sins (which they will relive over and over like a dark nightmare that cannot be awakened from), and their total inability to live where and how they want. Oh, and they might be visited by tormenters, evil beings that love to torture others and make them miserable. Think of a human ghost being tormented constantly by demons and by his own inner regrets.
Eternity: When the person is released from hell and taken to the Great Judgment before Lord Jesus, they will receive their sentence and be sent directly to the Lake of Burning Sulfur, where their torment will have no end.
Believer’s Timeline
Conception: No different than the unbeliever at this point. The difference is that the person (at some point before death) accepts the free gift of reconciliation with the Creator (by way of the cross and only the cross). When this occurs, the Holy Spirit will regenerate the person’s spirit/soul to bring it to life. At that moment, the person has become a child of God and will never be separated from God for as long as they live and believe and desire Jesus. They have entered into God’s kingdom and family. They will live on eternally with God and His people (and angels).
Death: When the believer’s mortal flesh dies, their soul/spirit is taken to a part of the Spirit Realm where they will feel the presence of Jesus. They will see Him, hear Him, and enjoy a beautiful relationship with Him and all who are there. When Jesus returns to Earth, He will bring with Him all of His saints and angels. Upon His arrival to planet Earth, He will call all of His faithful followers who are still alive on Earth to meet Him and the others in the air (Earth’s atmosphere) while He is doling out His wrath upon the rebellious planet. It is during His wrath, while He is still in the air, that He glorifies His saints who were resurrected from the dead. Immediately following their glorification, He glorifies the raptured living saints as He catches them up to Himself (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). After the battle of Armageddon, in Israel, Jesus will set foot on Earth again at Bethany and begin His reign on Earth as the King of all Kings for a literal one thousand years.
Eternity: Before Jesus’ return, while the departed saints are in heaven with Him, they are without bodies (soul/spirit beings without physical form—like ghosts). When He comes to Earth, He brings them with Him to live on Earth again for one thousand years. They will then have new bodies—amazing bodies, capable of things we can only dream of doing now (think: telepathy, telekinesis, teleportation, invincibility, knowledge and wisdom off the charts…). They will rule the nations (mortals) with Christ during the millennium. After the Great Judgment, after the current heaven and earth have passed away (probably in a colossal atomic explosion), the New Earth and Heaven will be created and we will enter in to heavenly bliss and comfort with our Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Side Note: It is my own personal hope (not doctrine) that another path to the New Jerusalem might be available to some of those who went to hell. If they use their time in hell to repent and accept the cross of Christ for their atonement with God, I cannot rule out the possibility of rescue during the Great Judgment. I mean, if they plead guilty to all charges and ask for forgiveness based on their repentance in hell and their acceptance of the cross…will the Lord really condemn them at that point? (See my post on Is Hell Forever?)
Closing Remarks
For some of you, this might seem like splitting hairs (believers still go to heaven and unbelievers still go to hell). But, as you can see, there is a bit of the story that most pastors have left out for quite a while now (the part where heaven comes to earth for a thousand years and both heaven and hell are destroyed after the judgment). I think it’s time to start telling the whole story. That’s all.
Be blessed in prayer and Bible study.
Gary
