Will the dead live again or are they somewhere else?

Answer 1

Yes the dead will live again. There will be two groups of people who will live again. Basically the first group will go to heaven because of their belief in Jesus Christ.

The second group will also live, but in a less ideal state, because they did not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer 2

Ecclesiastes 9:5: "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten."

This compares the awareness of the living, who only look forward to death, with the lack of consciousness in the dead, and says they will have no reward. This is a relatively early wisdom statement from before the time of the Babylonian Exile and before the Jews began to believe in a life after death.

Centuries later, Jews and the Christians believed that there will be a reward, but one should question a belief that arose so recently from a milieu that once believed as Ecclesiastes states. The choice is to reinterpret Ecclesiastes to suit modern preferences, or accept that the dead will not live again, nor are they somewhere else.

Answer 3

The thread in Scripture is quite clear that all physical life will die (akin to a sleep in many Scriptures). But man has a spirit in him (Job 32:8) that will return to its Creator until the time of Judgement before Christ. Should the person in this process repent and follow Christ, they will be 'changed' into spiritual sons and daughters (and most will) See Ezekiel 37, Revelation 20:11, and 2 Corinthians 6:8 to mention a few.


Ecclesiastes also continues onward on this subject and says this about it:

Ecclesiastes 12:7New King James Version (NKJV)

7 Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Answer 4

Both. For the meantime, the dead are in the world of the souls (mentioned in Zechariah 3:7), until God revives the dead (Isaiah 26:19). See also:

About the afterlife