[X] What happens when someone dies?

12/10/2024|Gospel Senders|

According to the Bible teachings, the perception of what happens when someone dies is rooted in the understanding of the Bible. The beliefs are as follows:

  1. When someone dies the breath goes back to God. And the Body turns to dust. The idea that the body will turn to dust is found in the Bible, particularly in Genesis 3:19. After Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden, God speaks to Adam and says: “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:19, NIV)

This verse emphasizes the mortality of human beings and highlights that the human body was created from dust and will return to dust after death. Another similar reference appears in Ecclesiastes 12:7, which describes what happens when a person dies: “And the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave

it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7, NIV)

  • Ecclesiastes 9:5: “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing…”
  • John 11:11-14: Jesus describes Lazarus’s death as “sleep” before raising him from the dead.
  1. No Immediate Heaven or Hell:

Unlike some Christian denominations that believe the soul goes directly to heaven or hell after death, The Bible rejects this idea. The dead are not immediately rewarded heaven, or hell, but instead await the resurrection.

  1. Resurrection and Judgment: The Bible mentions there will be two resurrections:
    • The First Resurrection (at Christ’s Second Coming): The righteous dead will be raised to eternal life (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
    • The Second Resurrection (after the Millennium): The wicked will be raised, judged, and face final destruction in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:5-15).
  2. Annihilation of the Wicked: The Bible’s mentions destruction of the wicked, meaning they will be completely destroyed in the lake of fire and cease to exist.

Summary

Death is like an unconscious “sleep” where there is no awareness, thought, or activity. This sleep lasts until Jesus Christ

returns to resurrect the righteous and rewards humanity. We find comfort in the hope of a resurrection and eternal life for the faithful.