OK, you're dead, now what? (part 1)

Ok, you’re dead, now what?  (part 1)

And [Jesus] said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43, ESV)

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 19:19-31, ESV)

            I have been asked about death and life after death recently, so I have decided to address these questions in the newsletter over the next few issues.

            In this issue, I want to notice a few things we’re told about death and what immediately happens.

            First, when we die, our bodies return to the earth.

            Whether we are buried, cremated, blown up, eaten by sharks or Godzilla, when we die, our body decomposes into the elements.  Let me quickly add that we are to treat our bodies respectfully in death, because they are God’s gift to us – not a prison to escape, as some religions teach – and we will get our bodies back.  (More on that another time.

            Second, when we die, our souls/spirits are immediately in the presence of Jesus (for believers) or in a place of torment (for unbelievers).

            Jesus, Himself, promised that believers would be in His presence immediately upon death.  And we read that Lazarus was immediately with the angels and Abraham – with Jesus.  The rich man, however, was in another place – in torment.

            Third, when we die, our souls/spirits are conscious and experience pleasure or pain.

            As Jesus explains, Lazarus and the rich man knew who they were and who other people were.  They were in two different places.  Lazarus was in Paradise – he experienced only pleasure.  The rich man was in Hades – he experienced only torment.

            Fourth, when we die, nothing we do can change our location from the place of torment to the place of pleasure or vice versa.

            As Abraham explains, those in torment can never be relieved, and vice versa.

            …more to come…