WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DIE

We've all given it some thought. When our heart stops beating, our soul leaves our now-dead body, and we take our final breath, what happens? Even if we do not dread death, the majority of us do fear dying. Dying is frequently an agonizing battle. Dying is typically an unpleasant procedure that takes place in a clinical, antiseptic setting. Even if we are apprehensive about dying, Christians do not need to fear death because they have faith in the promise that death signifies entry into eternal life in the presence of the Lord and in Christ's ability to revive the dead.

There are many myths and stories concerning dying and death. This is partly because the Bible does not explain how one dies, though it does mention a number of people who passed away but were raised from the dead by Jesus. Among others (e.g., the widow of Nain's son in Luke 7:11–17), Lazarus comes to mind (John 11). However, we have no firsthand accounts of what these people went through after they died, not even from Lazarus. We can only speculate as to Lazarus's thoughts when he passed away a second time, this time to go to heaven. We do, however, know what our bodies will look like upon resurrection since Paul provides us with an amazing account of the total metamorphosis that occurs when we are raised imperishable and Christ returns (1 Cor. 15:35–49). However, the Bible says very little about the intermediate state, which is the interim while believing deceased people's souls wait for their bodies to rise again and the curse (death) to be completely lifted.

Furthermore, the question "What happens to our soul when we die?" lends itself to conjecture by its very nature. My saintly grandmother, who was a pastor's daughter, told me stories of spending bedside vigils with elderly churchgoers. She explained that a dying person would frequently open their eyes, look up into the sky, express some form of hope and happiness, and then give up to the inevitable before passing away. She thought that these saints had been granted a fleeting vision of what (or who) lay ahead of them. That may true, but it's also quite possible that various forms of sensory stimulation are produced by the brain's biochemical responses to the body shutting down. Even if they are sincere, these tales are anecdotal and do not form the foundation for a doctrine.

Everybody has heard tales of people who reportedly passed away and came back from the hereafter. These are intriguing tales, which is why there is a cottage industry of books on near-death experiences that tell of the author's personal visitation to paradise and subsequent return to write a book about it. These works typically include experiences of meetings with Jesus, conversations with God, and descriptions of heavenly things. They also frequently reveal interactions with the dearly departed and describe heaven (generally through exaggerated earthly situations).

WE INSTANTLY ENTER THE MAGNIFICENT PRESENCE OF THE LORD, WHERE WE WAIT FOR OUR BODIES TO BE RAISED AT THE END OF TIME.

All of these probably fabricated stories, however, run counter to what we know the Bible says on entering God's presence. Isaiah 6:1–7 sparks an idea. When Isaiah sees a vision of the Lord, his sense of worthlessness overwhelms him. Being in the presence of the Holy God inspires fear, if not panic, according to biblical narratives of experiences with God. Examples include Moses' sighting of the Lord's majesty (Ex. 33:18–23) and Jesus' appearance to two of His followers on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:37). The easygoing, if not inconsequential, tone of the literary genres of "I saw heaven" and "I walked with Jesus" does not align with the biblical tales. Given that the Bible doesn't explain the dying process or their thoughts,

Fortunately, the Bible provides us with two frameworks for understanding the intermediate state that aid in getting ready for death. First, Paul expressly addresses the question of what happens to believers after they die and until Christ's second coming in a number of well-known texts. Paul teaches that believers instantly come into the presence of the Lord at the moment of their death in 2 Corinthians 5:8. "We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord," the apostle writes. Paul expressed his wish to "go and be with Christ, for that is far better" in another passage. (Phil. 1:23). Upon passing away, we instantly become "with Christ" and join God's presence. Typically, when we talk about "heaven," we mean this.

Second, we get a peek of the hitherto unseen reality we will encounter after we die in the celestial vision that John describes in Revelation 4–6. Joining the rescued saints before the heavenly throne in God's presence are those of us who have placed our faith only in Christ. We are enthusiastically thanking God and observant of our surroundings. In other words, this vision from heaven is the clearest representation of what happens to our souls once we pass away. John paints a beautiful picture of heaven in these three chapters, where God resides with His people until our bodies are raised at the end of time. Heaven is the place where the saved live in the presence of the Almighty, giving all honor and glory to our Creator and Savior.

It is important to remember that the saints in heaven are calling out, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" despite the fact that the scene is amazing and in many ways beyond our comprehension. (Revelation 6:10–11). The day that Jesus Christ returns is something that those who have already died and are in God's presence before His throne, hope for. They are living in the intermediate state between death and the Lord's return look forward to the day of Jesus Christ's second coming, the day of his resurrection and judgment.

What then occurs to believers' souls upon death? We instantly enter the magnificent presence of the Lord, where we wait for our bodies to be raised at the end of time.