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What happens at Death?

E

evechot

Guest
Perhaps you know the empty feeling that comes with losing a loved one in death. How very sad and helpless you can feel. It is only natural to ask, "What happens to a person when he dies?" Is he still alive somewhere? Will the living ever again be able to enjoy on earth the company of those now dead?
The answer to such questions, it will e a help for us to know what happened to Adam at his death. When he sinned, God told him; "You [will] return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and dust you will return." Genesis 3:19 Think of what that means. Before God created him from the dust, there was [no] Adam. He did not exist. So, after he died, Adam returned to that same state of nonexistence.
This means that the dead cannot do anything and cannot feel anything. They no longer have any thoughts, as the Bible states; "His [spirit] or [Life-force] goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish." Psalm 146:3,4 At death man's spirit, his life-force, which is sustained by breathing "goes out". It no longer exists. So man's senses of hearing, sight, touch, smell and taste, which depend upon his being able to think, all stop working. According to the Bible, the dead enter a state of complete unconscieousness.
When they are dead, both humans and animals are in this same state of complete unconsciousness. Note how the Bible makes this point; "As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit [life-force], so that there is no "superiority" of the "man"' over the "beast", for everthing is vanity." [Ecclesiastes 3:19,20]
 
Your alittle off base. Yes in Genesis it does say from dust you where made to dust you shall return that is true as far as our fleshly body is concerned, the flesh is the sin nature we have, so that is destroyed at death because the sin part of us God will not allow in Heaven. We do howerver have a soul and spirit that is what makes us who we are. That is the part of us that is saved when we accept Jesus. It is our spiritual & soul part of us that goes to heaven to be with the Lord. If you read 2 Corinthians 5: 1-8 you should get a better undestanding of what is meant.
The day will come during the rapture when we will be given a spiritual body now read 1Thessalonians 4: 13-18. Yes I did lose many loved ones, but what hurt me the most is my 3 1/2 year old Grand Daughter drowned. My strenght is right now her soul and spirit is in Heaven and knowing what is said in Thessalonians that some day I'll be with her again.
I hope this will help.
God Bless You,
Rob
 
The answer is that every soul (both good and evil) goes immediately back to the Father (God) that gave them: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." [Eccl 12:7].

For judgment day does not occur till after the thousand year period (millennium) in [Rev 20:4+5]. God is totally fair, and plays no favorites. It would be unfair to send someone to hell without judging them first. Though some are hell bound, it is not yet time for their punishment, many of the lost will be found during that thousand year period.

I won't include it here, but read the story of Lazarus and the rich man [Lk 16:19-31] and you will see that after they died, the rich man was across a gulf, separated from the side that Lazarus was on with Abraham. But they were both in Heaven. Heaven is simply wherever God is.

In the end, all will be judged at the same time [Rev 20:12-15] and for the righteous, Judgment Day is a day of rewards, but for those who did not overcome, Judgment Day is a day to be blotted out from existence, as though they had never existed, we who overcome will retain no memory of them. You will notice that they will be cast into the lake of fire and then "there was no more sea." [Rev 21:1]. The lake of fire and all within it cease to exist.

Rev 20:10-15
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
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.

CHAPTER 21

Rev 21:1
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (KJV)

Contrary to popular misconception; there is no eternal torture chamber called hell where Almighty God enjoys the eternal pain and suffering of His disobedient children. He loves us all, but some will forfeit the right to live eternally with God. This is the 'torment for ever and ever' spoken of, for they will never ever be again, and the torment is them knowing prior to execution of judgment that they will forever be separated from God and denied eternal life in Heaven. For at the time of Judgment day, we will all be in spiritual bodies and we will be able to see the beauty and majesty of the throne of God. We will all have full knowledge of God's plan and the three earth ages, it is then that many will realize what they had thrown away for 60 or so years of living deliciously on earth in the flesh.

What we commonly refer to as hell, is really the blotting out of our soul forever. So complete will this blotting out be that even all memory of the existence of those so judged will cease to exist - as though they had never existed - for in reality, they will have never have been. Think about the thousand year millennium and then that protracted march into the Lake of Fire, they will know that they are going into oblivion.

Now on this earth, with all the pain and suffering that some experience, being blotted out may not seem so terrible. But remember, at the time of judgment and the march into the fire, they will be in spiritual bodies having full knowledge that they are dying the second death - the death of a soul.

What they wouldn't do for a second chance, but there isn't any more chances for them - this is the saddest of sorrows. So sorrowful will it be that our small flesh brains cannot even begin to comprehend the horror of it. This, my friend, will be the truest hell there is.

Satan knows that is to be his fate, that is his torment. One of satan's many names is "the son of perdition," He is the only soul named at this time who has been judged to eternal death, and the word "perdition" means just that: To perish, cease to exist, become blotted out. It does not mean to be kept alive forever by God so that torture may be preformed upon him eternally. Our God is a loving Father, not a Nazi war criminal. Below is satan's fall and judgment. Satan was once one of God's favorites, but then he thought that he should be God and he led a revolt and overthrow attempt against God in the first earth age. One third of the souls at that time joined satan in that revolt, and God gave us this second earth age (in the flesh) to make our choice for ever. In verse 18 below you see a description of the blotting out. It is a total consumption by fire from within, it is final, and for satan it is set and shall be carried out at the appointed time. We still have time to make the right choice. God is not playing games here!

Ezek 28:11-19 (king of Tyrus is one of satan's many many names)
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. (KJV)


It would seem that the clergy either don't understand that themselves, or that they have twisted the scriptures in an effort to control the people - God knows. Maybe they felt that if the people knew that to be judged to eternal death means to cease to exist that they would have no fear to do evil, perhaps they are right about people living for today and not caring about eternity, but what they fail to comprehend is that at the time of judgment, we will all possess total knowledge, knowledge even of the first earth age when we all were with God before satan's overthrow, and a clear sight into the eternity of peace, love , and happiness with God as our Father, whom we can see, touch, and speak to forever and ever.

Rev 21:1-7 (This is what we commonly refer to as Heaven)
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. (KJV)

Continuing further on:

Rev 22:1-7
1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (KJV)

http://biblestudysite.com
 
Robert Cragg said:
Yes in Genesis it does say from dust you where made to dust you shall return that is true as far as our fleshly body is concerned, the flesh is the sin nature we have, so that is destroyed at death because the sin part of us God will not allow in Heaven. We do howerver have a soul and spirit that is what makes us who we are.

Robert, you are making assumptions that cannot be found in the original languages and context of the scriptures. Nowhere is the 'body/soul' dichotomy supported. This is Greek, not Hebrew or Christian in origin. The 'nephesh/psuche' (soul) is the whole of man, the living person, sometimes translated as 'life'. When man dies, he ceases to exist as a functioning whole being. 'In that very day his thoughts perish' (Psalms 146) It is at the resurrection of the just where death is conquered, and man is made immortal (1 Corinthians 15:51-55), not at our physical death.

Robert Cragg said:
That is the part of us that is saved when we accept Jesus. It is our spiritual & soul part of us that goes to heaven to be with the Lord. If you read 2 Corinthians 5: 1-8 you should get a better undestanding of what is meant.

As has been pointed out, Ecclesiastes 12:7 and Ecclesiastes 3:19-21, make it clear that is the spirits of ALL men that goes back to God, not merely that of the righteous. The 'spirit' is not the conscious existing part of man that survives outside the body 'ruach/pneuma' is not translated as such, neither is it the 'soul'. You cannot make them the same thing and interchangable.

If you look closely at 2 Corinthians 5:1-7 and the last 5 verses of chapter 4, you will see that 2 Corinthians 5:8 is NOT talking about an immaterial soul going to heaven. It is inn fact talking clearly about the resurrection body received at the second coming of Christ. look very closely at the context of the passage and compare it to 1 Corinthians 15:35-45 as well as 1 Corinthians 15:54-55.

Robert Cragg said:
The day will come during the rapture when we will be given a spiritual body now read 1Thessalonians 4: 13-18. Yes I did lose many loved ones, but what hurt me the most is my 3 1/2 year old Grand Daughter drowned. My strenght is right now her soul and spirit is in Heaven and knowing what is said in Thessalonians that some day I'll be with her again.
I hope this will help.
God Bless You,
Rob

You are not merely receiving a body, you are receiving life. There is absolutely no biblical support for a 'body/soul' reunification. This is gratuitous assumption read into the biblical narrative. I'm very sorry to hear about your grand daughter. You can take peace in knowing that she is not looking down at your sorrow and misery and all the death in the world. She is 'resting from her labors' in peace until the Lord's voice will raise her from the dead and you will be forever re-united. This is why Paul says 'Wherefore comfort one another with these words'. the words of the resurrection bring hope. This is why we don't 'sorrow not as others who have no hope', Without the hope of the resurrection of the dead, there is no eternal life period (1 Corinthians 15:18-23).

Paul's emphasis of importance on the resurrection to life would make no sense if I recieved eternal life and conquered death at my physical death. His words are meaningless and a resurrection is a waste of time.
 
guibox said:
Paul's emphasis of importance on the resurrection to life would make no sense if I recieved eternal life and conquered death at my physical death. His words are meaningless and a resurrection is a waste of time.
I agree. If one reads 1 Corinthians 15, one gets the impression that the resurrection is a great climax, a great victory:

Where, O death, is your sting?"[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

How is Paul's entire account of the resurrection of the body, capped off as it is by the above, sensible if the truth is that fully conscious, fully aware, fully experiencing, fully alive disembodied souls that are already in heaven, and are then merely wrapped in a flesh covering?

Where is the drama in that? Does that justify the "death, where is your sting?" remark. It certainly does not. Why? Because the "traditional" view has people enjoying the fulness of conscious life in heaven for thousands of years before they finally get their bodies. On such a view, the victory that Paul describes lies in the distant past (i.e. when they died and "went to heaven"). But Paul thinks the real victory over death is made manifest at bodily resurrection.
 
Drew said:
guibox said:
Paul's emphasis of importance on the resurrection to life would make no sense if I recieved eternal life and conquered death at my physical death. His words are meaningless and a resurrection is a waste of time.
I agree. If one reads 1 Corinthians 15, one gets the impression that the resurrection is a great climax, a great victory:

Where, O death, is your sting?"[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ

How is Paul's entire account of the resurrection of the body, capped off as it is by the above, sensible if the truth is that fully conscious, fully aware, fully experiencing, fully alive disembodied souls that are already in heaven, and are then merely wrapped in a flesh covering?

Where is the drama in that? Does that justify the "death, where is your sting?" remark. It certainly does not. Why? Because the "traditional" view has people enjoying the fulness of conscious life in heaven for thousands of years before they finally get their bodies. On such a view, the victory that Paul describes lies in the distant past (i.e. when they died and "went to heaven"). But Paul thinks the real victory over death is made manifest at bodily resurrection.

This does make sense and smacks of truth to me. I do like the idea of my loved ones watching down to see how their efforts were played out upon the earth but this has some scriptural merits as well. For instance, the idea that there remains a rest unto the people of God. When are they going to rest if it isn’t in death? They are going to return with Christ at his second coming, at least some thousands of them, and then there is the reign and judgments, then the beginning of eternity in heaven where there is eternal day, so how are we going to get any rest with the lights on? JK. :-D But seriously, the sleep of death seems to be the best time for rest to those weary souls who fought the good fight. Rest in peace and dream of good and lovely things, dear ones.
 
unred typo said:
They are going to return with Christ at his second coming, at least some thousands of them, and then there is the reign and judgments
Unfortunately, the Bible doesn't support this either. Some get this from 1 Thessalonians 4:14 "Even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him'. The take this to mean that the souls of the righteous will come back from heaven to inhabit their body.

This takes into account a few things that must be considered.

1) First of all, that 'will God bring with Him' means 'disembodied souls coming back from heaven' is a HUGE assumption that cannot be gleaned from the text, or anywhere else in the Bible.

2) It creates a problem for the bible makes it clear that the 'dead in Christ will rise first' and that 'those that are asleep in their graves will awake'. This cannot be possible if what is truly alive and conscious is coming back from heaven. The dead aren't 'asleep' or even 'dead', but are alive in a soulish form

3) It ignores the language of the entire verse 14. 'IF we believe that Jesus DIED and ROSE, EVEN SO (or in the same manner of), those that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him'. The first part explains the second. Just as Jesus died and rose again, so will the righteous. God resurrected Christ and the power will resurrect us as well. The Message Bible and a few other modern translations correctly translate it this way. So many people take the KJV English and throw in their assumptions to translate this verse incorrectly.

unred typo said:
But seriously, the sleep of death seems to be the best time for rest to those weary souls who fought the good fight. Rest in peace and dream of good and lovely things, dear ones.

This is what Paul was saying in 2 Timothy 4:6-8:
For am now ready and my time of departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Wherefore there laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but unto them also that love His appearing

Paul knew that his reward would be given on the day of the resurrection to everyone, not at his personal, physical death.

"Blessed are they who die in the lord, for they rest from their labors" - Revelation 14:13
"And marvel not at this, that all those who sleep in their graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth, some to everlasting life, and others to everlasting damnation - John 5:28-29
 
evechot said:
What happens at Death?

CCC 1021 - Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ (Cf. 2 Tim 1:9-10). The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soulâ€â€a destiny which can be different for some and for others (Cf. Lk 16:22; 23:43; Mt 16:26; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; Heb 9:27; 12:23).

CCC 1022 - Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven  through a purification or immediately  or immediate and everlasting damnation.

At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love (St. John of the Cross, Dichos 64).

SOURCE:
Catechism Of The Catholic Church:
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1 ... 3art12.htm
 
Catholic Crusader said:
evechot said:
What happens at Death?

CCC 1021 - Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ (Cf. 2 Tim 1:9-10). The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soulâ€â€a destiny which can be different for some and for others (Cf. Lk 16:22; 23:43; Mt 16:26; 2 Cor 5:8; Phil 1:23; Heb 9:27; 12:23).

CCC 1022 - Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven  through a purification or immediately  or immediate and everlasting damnation.

At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love (St. John of the Cross, Dichos 64).

SOURCE:
Catechism Of The Catholic Church:
http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt1 ... 3art12.htm

"either entrance into the blessedness of heaven  through a purification or immediately  or immediate and everlasting damnation."

What is this purification all about?
 
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