The New Apostolic Church affirms the immortality of the soul and the bodily resurrection of all people at the end of time. However, its doctrine of the afterlife is distinctive for its teaching that the departed are not in a fixed, unchangeable state. Rather, departed souls can continue to grow spiritually through sacraments administered on their behalf by living believers in the church.

This unique NAC doctrine means that even after death, a departed person who did not receive Holy Sealing while living can receive it through the intercession of the living. The church can lay hands on a living proxy, who receives the Sealing on behalf of the departed. Through this sacramental action, the departed soul is believed to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit and to achieve spiritual perfection.

This understanding reflects a nuanced view of divine grace: God's grace is not exhausted at the moment of death, and the communion between the living and the departed remains spiritually efficacious. At the final resurrection, the souls will be united with their transformed and glorified bodies, and all things will be perfected in Christ. This doctrine provides hope for the spiritual destiny of the departed and underscores the ongoing unity of the living church with the dead.