Facing the End of Life (Part Three)
He leads me …
In Part One of this series of three, we looked at some of the things required in planning for the end-of-life care. In Part Two we looked at the options for a person once they have died. In this third part we look at what happens to the deceased after they have either been buried or cremated.
Christians know that there are some major events that occur after they die. The first is that the bodies of all the dead generally go into the ground or in some cases the sea. The souls of the righteous go to Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:8 and Philippians 1:23), and the souls of the ungodly go to Hades, translated as ‘Hell’ (Revelation 20:13).
The Old Testament saints were forgiven of their sins and saved by grace in the same way that happens today. This means that everyone who has genuinely trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior will be in Heaven. Paul spoke of this in 2 Corinthians 5:7-8 and Philippians 1:21-23.
Unfortunately, people will not get to Heaven if they do not have faith in the Lord and His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Bible tells us that the way to get to Heaven is to be saved (from Hell). This process begins by having faith in God fand asking Him to forgive our sins. We them should be willing to turn away them and believe that Jesus Christ—our Lord and Saviour—died to cancel our sins and rose again to be reunited with God the Father (Romans 10:9-10). Those who miss out on getting to Heaven are those who do not trust Christ as their Saviour. This means that people are either saved or lost, and there is not any other option in between. All people will either go to Heaven or go to Hell.[1]
A right relationship with God through Jesus Christ frees us from the fear of dying.
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying (Hebrews 2:14–15, NLT).
The sting of death is removed for true Christians because we know where we are going when we die. Our dead bodies will be buried or cremated, and our soul lives on with God. We will eventually have eternal ones that will live forever with Christ in God’s eternal kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:42–58).
After we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ and are saved, we become aware of Jesus’ commandments to
‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important is similar: ‘Love your neighbour as much as you love yourself.’ (Matthew 22:37 -39, NLT)
This means that we can further prepare for death by staying in a right relationship with the people in our lives. We should consider our relationships with family members, friends, neighbours, and coworkers. Are there any relationships that need to be resolved? Is there someone we need to forgive or someone who needs our forgiveness? Are there words that need to be said?
Scripture teaches us to live with an awareness of our death and an eternal point of view. This means investing our time, abilities, and resources into things that have everlasting value. Jesus described this eternal mindset as daily dying for Him:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it’ (Luke 9:23–24, NLT).
Believers live their lives with the hope of Heaven and a readiness to lay down their lives until they get there.
Death for the believer is the beginning of a new, eternal phase of life. When our days on this earth come to an end, we will start the beginning of a heavenly life. Heaven is our true home where God waits to welcome us. In His eternal kingdom, all sorrow, pain, and death will cease (Revelation 21:4). We will enjoy an intimate fellowship with God and our saved family and friends. No matter how spectacular we imagine Heaven will be, the Bible promises it will be even better: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9, GWT).[2]
So, we have two options: stay in our state of depravity and be punished, or submit to our Saviour, Jesus, and accept His gift of conversion (redemption).[3]
According to the Bible, when people die, if they are Christians their souls go to be with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23), If they are not Christians they go to a place of punishment (Matthew 25:46; 2 Peter 2:9). There are only two options in the afterlife: salvation and damnation. Although this seems very limited, it is what the Bible teaches us. Salvation would mean being in the presence of the Lord, and damnation would mean suffering outside the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9).
The next event for Christians is often called the Rapture. The Rapture occurs at the second coming of Christ. When He appears, in the air the bodies of Christians who previously died and whose souls went to Heaven will be united with Him in the air. At this stage the Christians will have new immortal bodies which enables them to live eternally in Heaven (1 Thessalonians 5:23). At ‘the twinkling of an eye,’ the Christians who are alive on Earth at that time will be instantly transformed along with the Old Testament saints into their spiritual bodies and will be with Jesus Christ like that for eternity (John 5:29; Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:45–49; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 5:23;).
Christians can think about their resurrected bodies by considering Jesus's body after His resurrection. We know that at that time Jesus ate and drank, that the disciples could touch Him, and that He had flesh and bones while being able to move through solid objects with total freedom.
Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” (Luke 24:39 NLT).
If Jesus's resurrected body could do these things, our resurrected bodies probably will too.[4]
While nonbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20), Christians are judged as well (2 Corinthians 5:10) at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Here it is not about whether we get to Heaven. That has already happened. This is about the rewards that we receive.
We will be judged individually, and each of us will have to explain what we did with the life, gifts and calling that the Lord gave us in our lifetime. We should not worry about what God has called others to do. What is important here is what He called us to do when we were on Earth. We might be surprised that what may seem not very valuable or important now may be worth a lot more in Heaven.[5]
Dear Reader – If you have found some value in this blog, please feel free to send a copy on to your family and friends. Kind regards, John
[1] What is Heaven Like? Top Questions Answered with Bible Quotes, Keep Believing Ministries, Bible Study Tools;
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-is-heaven-like NLT
[2] How can I be prepared to die? GotQuestions.org;
https://www.gotquestions.org/prepared-to-die.html
[3] The Uncomfortable Subject Jesus Addressed More than Anyone Else, Leslie Schmucker, The Gospel Coalition;
[4] Awake beyond the Grave: What the Bible Says about Soul Sleep, Brian Leicht, Insight for Living Ministrie;
[5] The Judgment Seat of Christ, Greg Laurie, Harvest Ministries, Southern California;
https://harvest.org/know-god-article/the-judgment-seat-of-christ/
