Man was created for eternity. Disobeying God's will meant death, and it has poisoned us all. However, death does not have the last word. God has it.
In death our time of mercy comes to an end. In this created world, we are allowed to live on God's gifts, even if we don't care about the giver of the gifts. What happens, when money, beauty, status, health, and life are taken from us? When, uncovered, we encounter God, who has given us life and who asks how we used the gift?
However, then we can have a cover. The Bible teaches that in faith we wear an infinitely bright garment, the robe of Christ's holiness. It is given to us in baptism and we own it in faith.
What about the time after death? Are the dead in a dreamlike state before the resurrection on the last day? The Bible gives also the impression that a person passes into another reality immediately after death. I guess the important thing is not the length of the waiting time, but whether the waiting is happy or agonizing. When your conscience is clear and you know who is waiting, it is good to wait.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, ESV)
It is quite understandable that we fear death. Death and its companions – illnesses, misfortunes, accidents – are unequivocally evil and not part of God’s good work of creation. Death is certainly not natural and it is not worth trying to be its friend. Paul calls death the last of our enemies.
But Jesus is the surest proof that death and its nasty servants do not have the last word. Jesus has conquered death, and when you belong to Him, you too will overcome death. Just make sure that you belong to Jesus – he will eventually overcome your death!
And even if you are still afraid, do as a frightened child does and run to your Father. He is in control, even if the night is dark and long. Emotions often deceive, but faith that trusts in God's word does not.
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
(John 11:25-26, ESV)
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.”
(Rev. 20:11-12, ESV)
The most wonderful thing would be to see them in heaven, of course. I think good advice is to be trusting of others and questioning of yourself. Leave your loved ones who have passed from time to eternity in the care of God. Pray to God for them once or twice, and rely in faith on Him who has conquered the power of Death. You can also take comfort in the fact that with God there are no dead. With Him all are alive, because He is not bound by the laws of this world.
Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
(Revelation 1:17d-18, ESV)
God, I leave my dead loved ones to your good hands.
Yes there is. The Old Testament speaks little about what it's like after death, but when we get to the New Testament and Jesus, the light of revelation illuminates even this dark reality. Jesus says about hell that it was not originally prepared for people but for the Devil and his angels. Hell is described as eternal fire, a lake of fire, darkness, separation, weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Since we cannot say how concretely these images should be understood, I think we can settle for a definition like this: Hell is eternal separation from God and all His goodness.
A Christian should not be so much interested in hell as in how to avoid it. And let us remember that Jesus did not come into this world to scare us with hell, but to redeem us for heaven. You too!
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, ESV)
The Bible does not locate heaven anywhere in this created world. The heaven is where God resides in his absolute perfection. The Bible says “who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen." (1 Timothy 6:16, ESV)”.
We then will not reach God nor heaven through any space exploration programs nor through our minds.
He himself has stepped out from his hidden magnificence and revealed to us, what we need to know about heaven. The Bible—especially the Book of Revelation—has many depictions about heaven. These depictions cannot be fitted into one nice picture. How would a cube-like city full of golden streets look like? Or how would a never-ending, always renewing, hallowed worship look like? What about a garden, whose beauty is such that nothing compares to it? What does it mean that God himself dries tears from eyes? The old teachers of the Church have spoken of heaven as "the beatific vision" - when believers see God face to face in heaven. - At least for me this is already enough reasons to want to get to see it all!
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
(Revelation 21:3, ESV)