We live in a fallen world, ever since the garden of Eden something has been eating away at man’s heart and that is…eternity. Philosophers and theologians for millennia have tried to figure this out.
What happens to me after I die? Where will I go? Will I be OK? Is this all there is? The Bible has the answer, God gave us that answer to comfort us, because he loves the whole world. We will explore what the Bible has to say about life after death.
This topic is very important so we will be including a lot of scripture, the scripture says it better than we ever can. This is God’s plan for those that love Him and for those who hate Him, or those are just ambivalent towards Him. We will first consider what God’s plan is for those of us that love Him. Afterwards we will look at those that hate him.
1 Corinthians 15:50-57 (ESV)
(This chapter is very important so please read the whole chapter)
I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52. in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. 53. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55. “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
56. The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Before becoming a Christian, I never thought much about death. I was in my early 20s and had my whole life in front of me. I am now over 70 years old and life after death is something I think about now. It’s not something that I fear, for I know the Scriptures, and they have a glorious hope for me and those that know the scriptures and follow them. I have followed Jesus all these years, now one day, I know, I will see Him face-to-face and that is something that I will cherish for eternity. As a Christian these verses, give me a lot of comfort.
They tell me what will happen to me after I die (or fall asleep as Paul says in1 Thessalonians 4). These promises are for all Christians of all time, all of God’s people. This of course, is speaking of our spirit or soul before the resurrection. We are made up of three parts, body, soul and spirit. Our body goes in the ground to await the day that God has appointed for the resurrection of the dead. When we will be reunited with our glorified bodies, that God resurrects.
Looking at 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 gives us further evidence of what happens when we die. Verse eight is very clear, that if we are not in this body, because we have died, we are with Jesus in heaven. We are waiting for the resurrection of our bodies on that day, that God has appointed.
2 Corinthians 5:1-9 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)
1.For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: 3. If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. 4. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
These verses make it very clear that the very instant we die , we as Christians, are immediately in the presence of Jesus. At that moment we will forever be with Him.
In the book of John chapter 11, we find that Martha is speaking with Jesus about her brother Lazarus who had died. And Martha tells Him I know he will rise again at the last day. From this, we know that those that lived in the Old Testament, also believed in a day that God had appointed to resurrect everyone. Rather Old Testament or New Testament God shows that there is a day that He has established when He will raise the dead.
John 11:23-27 (ESV) (Please read the whole chapter)
23. Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24. Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26. and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27. She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
So rather it’s the Old Testament or the New Testament. The Bible has concluded that there will be a resurrection of the dead. It’s talking about everyone that has ever lived. In the New Testament, the resurrection of the dead for Christians, will be the rapture. We find this spoken of in 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (ESV) (Please read the whole chapter)
13. 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. 14. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)
1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
The rapture is now closer than we think. The things going on in the world today show that we are living in the end times. So the time is growing closer and closer for the resurrection of the church, which is the rapture. (I’ve written other articles about this, especially in my other website www.todayinprophecy.com. This website is my main vehicle for “end time prophecy”.)
Now we’ll speak about the first resurrection. This one only includes the people that died during the seven years of tribulation on the earth. The people that are saved during the tribulation will be resurrected at the end of the seven years. These people will rule and reign with Jesus for the thousand years called the millennium. In revelation chapter 20:4-5, we find a special judgment, just for them. It will be a glorious time for them. This is called the first resurrection. The rapture is not the first resurrection, because the rapture happened seven years before this.
Revelation 20:4-5 (KJV) (Please read the whole chapter)
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Let’s move our attention to the people that do not love God, or, are ambivalent towards Him. This is the second resurrection. We also find this in the book of Revelation chapter 20:11-15
11. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
The lake of fire was created for the devil and his angels, not for people.
(Matthew 25:41. (KJV) Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:)
This place was made for the devil and his angels. But the people that don’t want to be with God will go there to be with the devil and his angels. So anyone who goes there, go because that’s where they want to go. God has made it very clear, that anyone that wants to be in heaven can go to heaven. All you have to do is accept Jesus as your savior. The sin that people make is, rejecting Jesus as their savior. If you think this is unfair, just remember, God makes the rules not us. So no one has an excuse as to where they go and spend eternity.
MARANATHA