What Does the Bible Say Happens When Someone Dies?
BY DON OVERPECK
What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die.
Hebrews 9:27 declares, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” The only opportunity you will ever have to get right with God, is the opportunity God affords you right now.
When those who are saved die, they go directly into the presence of the Lord. Remember the thief on the cross? Luke 23:43 “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” This is a promise that at the moment of death, the repentant thief would pass from his life and his agonizing death into paradise with Jesus. The believer passes immediately into the presence of Jesus Christ. This is our hope and comfort as we stand at the graveside of a loved one.
The believer passes immediately into the presence of Jesus Christ. This is our hope and comfort as we stand at the graveside of a loved one.
What is ahead for us when we die?
- Our soul/spirit goes into the conscious presence of the Lord.
- Our body is buried until the day of resurrection.
- When Christ returns, we will be raised bodily from the grave.
- Our body and soul will reunite into a new, glorified body.
- We will be with the Lord forever in a place where there are no tears, no pain, and no heartache. A place where we need no sun or moon because the great Glory of God lights our way. A place of eternal peace, joy, and beauty.
Now we consider the fate of those who die as non-believers, without a personal relationship with Jesus. For the believer, the moment of death brings him into the presence of Christ. For the unbeliever, death begins an experience of unending pain.
At the moment of death, the soul of the lost is sent to hell where it is in conscious torment: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” Luke 16:22-26.
That pain is eternal. The Bible teaches an eternal punishment for those who do not know our Lord. Mark 9:43-44 “….it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
If we shudder at such a thought, then let us do whatever is necessary to make sure that such a fate does not befall us or the ones we love. Hell is more than just theoretical doctrine. You must make a conscious choice to put your complete trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The words of Jesus in Revelation 1:18: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
Death is not the end of the road; it is only a bend in the road.
Death is not the end of the road; it is only a bend in the road. For the believer, death is the doorway to heaven and unimaginable peace and beauty. For the unbeliever, it is a passageway into unimaginable suffering. These things are true even if we do not fully understand them. They are true even if we do not believe them. What happens when you die depends on what happens before you die.
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