What happens when we die part 2

There are many different theories on what happens when we die.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

When we die, our spirit and body separate. Even though our body dies, our spirit—which is the essence of who we are—lives on. Our spirit goes to the spirit world. The spirit world is a waiting period until we receive the gift of resurrection, when our spirits will reunite with our bodies. Our future resurrected body cannot die and will be perfect—free from pain, sickness, and imperfections. It is because of the infinite love of Jesus Christ that everyone will be resurrected.

When the physical body dies, the spirit continues to live. In the spirit world, the spirits of the righteous “are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow” (Alma 40:12). A place called spirit prison is reserved for “those who [have] died in their sins, without a knowledge of the truth, or in transgression, having rejected the prophets” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:32). The spirits in prison are “taught faith in God, repentance from sin, vicarious baptism for the remission of sins, the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and all other principles of the gospel that [are] necessary for them to know” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:33–34). If they accept the principles of the gospel, repent of their sins, and accept ordinances performed in their behalf in temples, they will be welcomed into paradise.

Catholic

The Church encourages prayerful reflection and preparation. Through his own death, Christ came to destroy death and free us from the slavery of sin. Jesus took our mortal nature unto himself, suffered, died, and rose again to new, eternal life. God offers us this enduring, eternal life that cannot wither or decay: when we are part of Christ, we are part of his own divine life. Because of the Holy Spirit, we share in Christ’s victory over the grave.

We can also understand death as a moment of relief and release from suffering. Jesus teaches us in Matthew 10 that the Father cares for each falling sparrow; moreover, in his goodness and providence, the Father knows the precise time we will pass from this world into eternity. We can trust that after the moment of our death—when we have “finished the race”, as St. Paul says—we will at last encounter God face to face (2 Timothy 4:7).

Two Judgements

The judgement right after death is called the particular judgement. At the time of our falling asleep, we are judged either as worthy of the eternal life of heaven (which may first require a “stop off” in a place of purification from any last remaining imperfections) or are separated from God and consigned to eternal life in hell. This particular judgment awaits all of us at the very moment that we die and it will be clear in an immediate way.

The general judgment is that act of judgment which accompanies the glorious return of Jesus Christ in His second coming, when He comes “to judge the living and the dead” (as we say in professing the Nicene Creed). This general judgment is characterized by the Lord’s own words in Matthew 25:31-46, as Jesus speaks of how He will separate the sheep from the goats, saying to the sheep at his right that they are to inherit the kingdom, as they fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, etc., while sending the goats off to eternal punishment for not having carried out the way of charity.

Telling ourselves or others that someone is in heaven deprives the one who has fallen asleep of prayers that are necessary if the person is not yet in heaven but in “purgatory.” Our prayers and good works help a person enter fully into the life of God. This is why Catholics offer Mass for those who have died. This is why we have prayers for the dead. The Mass being the Sacrifice of Calvary re-presented is the greatest and most powerful prayer we have. Our prayers continue the bond of love

that is not destroyed by death. If we truly love someone who has fallen asleep, we will not proclaim what we cannot know. We don’t know who is in heaven except canonized saints and this is by miracles and revelation from God to the Church, not to an individual. We continue to pray for those we love who have gone before us.

Jehovah’s Witness

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that when a person dies, their existence completely stops. This is because the Bible makes it clear that human beings do not have an immortal soul that survives when the body dies.

Witnesses believe that Hell (as traditionally portrayed) does not exist. There is no place where sinners are tormented after death - since their existence is over, nothing can be done to them or for them. Witnesses also argue that it would be completely against God's nature to torture humans for eternity.

However, death is not the end of everything: each person can be remembered by God and eventually be resurrected.

For Jehovah’s Witnesses, the “soul” is simply a term used to describe a creature that breathes or is a living being.[10] This reasoning is derived from the New World Translation’s rendering of the Hebrew word nephesh as a “creature” that breathes and the Greek word psykhe, traditionally interpreted as a “living being.”[11] Unlike many in mainstream Christendom, Jehovah’s Witnesses view the soul as the entire creature—not a separate part or spirit that is partitioned from the body and that can live outside of the body after death. In support of this view, Jehovah’s Witnesses often reference Bible passages, such as Genesis 2:7, where it says of Adam that, upon creation, “man became a living soul.”[12] This, to Witnesses, indicates that the “soul” is not distinct from the creature but, rather, is the creature it its entirety. Witnesses will also point to Ezekiel 18:4, 20, states, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die,” suggesting that the soul can die and thus represents the totality of the person rather than some separate spirit dwelling inside one’s body.

Simply put, Jehovah’s Witnesses hold the view that at death, a person ceases to exist. They argue that there is no limbo where the spirit or soul of the person goes to await the resurrection, no immediate visit to hell, purgatory, or heaven after a person dies.[13] Jehovah’s Witnesses suggest that teachings contrary to this view are a product of apostate or otherwise non-Christian origin, ultimately designed to undermine the unselfish provisions Jehovah God has made available so that humans may live forever and never have to face death and the suffering that precedes it.[14]

Seventh Day Adventists

The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people. When Christ, who is our life, appears, the resurrected righteous and the living righteous will be glorified and caught up to meet their Lord. The second resurrection, the resurrection of the unrighteous, will take place a thousand years later. (Job 19:25-27; Ps. 146:3, 4; Eccl. 9:5, 6, 10; Dan. 12:2, 13; Isa. 25:8; John 5:28, 29; 11:11-14; Rom. 6:23; 6:16; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:13-17; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 20:1-10.)

The Bible says those who have died know nothing. That means we aren’t aware of the passage of time after death. We aren’t aware of what’s happening in the world.

Death is like a deep sleep. Your body and spirit rests as the breath of life—which makes body and soul one, and alive—has returned to God until the resurrection.

Whether you’ve lost a loved one or want to know what happens when you die, it’s a question that weighs on everyone’s mind at some point.

“For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:5,6, ESV).

“and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7, ESV).

In the beginning God made man in the Garden of Eden from the dust of the earth. Then, He breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils.

In that moment Adam became a living being.

“Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Genesis 2:7, ESV).

Notice the verse says Adam became a living creature when God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. The King James Version says it this way:

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7, KJV).

His breath is what made him a living soul – a living creature. When we die, we stop breathing and we rest. Nowhere in the Bible does it say the soul is separate from the body.

A soul is a living creature (see Genesis 2:7 above). A soul is the combination of a body plus the breath of life. The soul cannot exist without the body or the breath.

“…the body apart from the spirit is dead” (James 2:26, ESV).

“as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3, ESV).

We can see this idea illustrated by looking at a light bulb. Without electricity, a light bulb has no light. In order to produce light, both the lightbulb and the electricity are needed. Similarly, the body has no life without the breath of God. Your soul is not a separate being.

Some religions or denominations teach other ideas about what happens when we die. For instance, some people believe in purgatory, reincarnation, immortality of the soul, the afterlife, etc.

It is important when looking at different ideas about the state of the dead to weigh each teaching according to the Bible.

“If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20, NKJV).

The Bible says death is like a sleep and the dead know nothing. There is no need to worry about a loved one who has passed away. They are resting peacefully in the grave. They are not in pain. They are not somewhere else being tormented. They are simply waiting in the grave until Jesus comes back.

Purgatory

All who die in God’s grace, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven (1030).

It is a place of final cleansing.

OBJECTION

Requiring purgatory is rejecting the sufficiency of the work of Jesus on the cross. All sufficient. Once and for all.

Closing

NOW, this is NOT a study on Rapture or Revelation, end times.

BUT: We can do that study.

It would be unfair to only tackle this in 1 evening, as it would be FAR TOO SHALLOW!

I truly want this to be about what happens to BELIEVERS who die.

We also need to speak about NON-Believers who die.

SO, we will address all of this in the new year!

Held:

At death, the believer’s immaterial nature (soul) goes directly into the presence of the Lord consciously, and enjoys that presence.

Philippians 1:21–23 CSB

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—