What Happens When a Man, Woman or Child Dies
To the atheist - they answer, 'Nothing happens, for there is nothing else out there'
To the agnostic - they answer, 'We don't know what happens, but something happens'
To the religionist - they answer, 'Everybody goes to their own utopia'
To the sinner - they answer, 'I will deal with it when it happens'
To the saint in Christ - they answer, 'To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord'
In a recent Sunday School class, this needful and pressing question was asked, 'what happens when someone dies?' I cannot tell how many times in my ministry I have had to go through this with families, churches, individuals to direct them to the Word of God about death and dying. Sometimes it has been because of recent death of a family, friend or a tragic death. Sometimes it has been that they are simply contemplating their own life and eternity. Other times it is studying Scripture and a verse of truth shatters what they thought was truth and they have to know.
I have found that although there are many in the churches that have read their Bibles, heard the teachings, and had to go through 'the valley of the shadow of death', that they still do not know Biblically what happens when a soul dies. I want to take this time to go through this and share with those that need to know and the hope that it presents for us to prepare for eternity.
"I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not anothers." Job 19: 25 - 27
It is apparent that many of the Old Testament saints had an understanding about what shall be. David, at the loss of his son, due to his sin with Bathsheba writes:
"While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore: should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." II Samuel 12: 22 - 23
Death and dying have always occupied the mind, conversation and activites of our life. Each one has had to face death of family and friends. Each one will have to face their own death, unless the Lord returns first.
DEATH
Death is when the soul leaves the body. It is not when a doctor or person pronounces them dead. There is no purpose for the body without its soul. God made us with a soul, every human being has a soul. That soul is purpose of our being and life. These choices and decisions in this life will determine our eternity with Christ or without Christ.
Just as a car cannot run without an engine, neither can the body live without the soul. (Artificial sustaining of life is not appropriate here to discuss)
The body is made up of 3 parts:
The Flesh (the body) - And God created man and made us in His image.
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Genesis 1:26
"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
We see that we did no evolve, we did not originate from accident or chaos, we came from God. God formed us; made us in His image by structuring, sculpting, forming us. We did not choose to be born or sign-up for it; God gave us life and opportunity. God knows us thoroughly, for God is Omni-present and Omniscient. He knows all our past, present and future. Knowing this truth should teach us that God created us as we are for a reason. Just as was said to Esther, 'for such a time as this.' We were not given life in the 1600's, or ancient times, but for here and now for God's purposes. Many that are not satisfied with how they look, why they were born, or have the life that do will never be happy or content. But those that understand this truth are able to see and say, 'This is the reason I was born and given life.'
The body has an expiration date; it is finite. The moment we are born, we begin to die. WE age, function for a while, but then the body wears down. 'The wages of sin is death' Romans And it is sin in the body that causes this wretchedness of disease, sickness, trials, terrors, and decay. For Adam and Eve had no death, no termination until they sinned and ate of the tree.
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:7
Many take much time and energy to keep the body fit, striving for longer life. 'And we are fearfully and wonderfully made' Psalm 139 But too often men strive for the flesh, and neglect and forget the soul. The body is made of dust and returns back to it. It erodes, decays and has completed its purpose to storehouse our soul. Just as when Ezekiel prophesied to the dead bones in the valley (Ezekiel ) and bones came to bones, then muscle, nerves, veins, arteries and flesh came upon them, yet the Scripture says, they still did not live. Bone, flesh and that which constitutes our bodies is nothing but dust. Now because it houses the soul, the spirit of life from God and for those that are Christians it habitates Christ and the Holy Spirit, the body is not to be defiled but kept holy, pure and undefiled. 'Touch not, taste not and handle not the unclean' things of this world and life. Don't mar or mark up your body. 'Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy One?'
There is much more that I can teach and say about our body, but for now let it content us to say that God gives us a body to house our soul. And as the catechisms teach, our body, our life and soul is to be for His glory.
The Soul - in reference it is the conscious of a person; that makes us up to be who and what we are; It is untangible, not physical, but spirit abiding within us. You cannot put it under the microscope or handle it. But its reality is that which is not seen with the eye, but that which is eternal and shall never be destroyed. Although for a sinner, it would be an answered prayer for their soul to be destroyed that they would not have to face an eternity in hell.
One preacher at a funeral tried to invoke science and gave the illustration: 'a man was near death, his body was weighed. The weight was recorded. After his death, his body was weighed again and found to be two pounds less. Therefore the soul weighs two pounds.' such folly and mockery of men's minds are foolish. Again it is a sign of humanism that we seek to bring the infinite and spiritual into the finite and carnal. This cannot be done with the soul.
Although no physical description can be given, yet we know that it exists. The Bible conveys to us that the soul shall never perish. It is a gift from God. God did not have to give it, He chose to allow us a life. That is the reason life should precious to one and all. And recognizing that every human being has a soul that they should cherish and prepare for eternity.
In our day and time, many are trying to make animals to have human souls, emotions, and feelings. No where in Scripture or the reality of life, is this truly proven or demonstrated. The closest would be Baalam's donkey talking to him when God opened up his mouth to speak after he hit him three times. But that was God moving His creation to work His wonders to get Baalam's attention. Animals are God's creation for His glory and purposes. Animals are not entrusted with having a relationship with God in the soul. Man received the breath of God, not animals. Man is judged and rewarded or condemned, not animals. Man has to answer to God, not animals. Animals to not have the responsibility or place to have a conscience that weighs choices of good and evil. They simply function off of God given instincts, skills and functions.
But for man, the soul should be everything. Too many focus on the physical body; they fear death and dying and give very little time and effort to preserving the soul in Christ. This is a tactic of Satan to deceive us that simply 'out of sight, out of mind' about the soul for many. Do not be deceived the soul is eternal, the body, the flesh is as grass; here today and gone tomorrow.
Spirit of life - life proceeds from God, for God is life, everlasting life. Life cannot be maintained without Him. Regardless of how long we may want to live, or what doctors say, if God says, 'time is up', then who will stop Him from taking the breath of life?
"For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." Leviticus 17:11
Just as Adam was created, he did not become a living soul until God breathed into His nostrils this life of the flesh. Just as the army in Ezekiel was all re-created and made flesh were not living, until Ezekiel called for the 4 winds to blow, and the breath of life came into them and they lived. So too no man is a living soul and body unto himself, except through the gift of God in life. God imparts His living spirit of life into man, creation to exist and be. Even the atheist and agnostic who doubt and refuse to acknowledge Him, are given life and sustained because God will's it. And this spirit of life that comes from God is given and taken.
"And the God in whose hand thy breath is and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified" Daniel 5:23
"IN whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." Job 12:10
You see? Two verses confirming the same thing, that God gives and maintains our life and being in this spirit of life. And this spirit of life is given for our set time here on this earth. And when this life is finished: the body goes back to dust from whence it was created; the soul goes to its eternal resting place of heaven or hell; and the spirit of life goes back to God, from whence it came and where all life is found in Him.
DEATH OF A SAINT
"Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Matt. 25:21, 23
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom" Luke 16:22
The death of a saint takes them to where Christ is. Anywhere Christ is, is called heaven.
Let us examine the steps that happen to a saint that dies in Christ. And we will examine what shall happen when the Lord returns the second time.
You have a man or woman that is living their life. They have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and surrendered themselves to Him. They no longer live for self or this world; they are now living for the Lord. their desire to please the flesh has stopped and now they desire to please the Lord. They live to obey Him and all His ways. They give time to Him each day; they worship in the house of God with His people; they read and study His Word; they pray without ceasing; they talk to others about their eternity and Christ being the way, the truth and the life and they serve Him with each opportunity to give Him glory and honor and enlarge His kingdom. And they know,
"It is appointed unto men once to die, and then the judgment" Hebrews 9:27
Every soul that has every been born will die. There are only two people that ever died, Elijah an Enoch. All others died and was buried, except Christ. And even though Lazarus, wiows son of Nain and others died and was resurrected, they still did in the flesh. And there is coming that time when Christ returns that we know that those that are in Chris will not die as we have seen and known of the body ceasing to be but they shall be translated.
TRANSLATED --
DEATH OF A SINNER
"And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. 25:30
"The rich man also died, and was buried. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments" Luke 16:22 - 23
The death of the sinner takes them away from Christ. Anywhere Christ is not, is called hell.
Just as the soul that dies and separates from this fleshly body and goes to heaven in Christ and by Christ for the saint; so the soul that dies in their sins without Christ, dies and goes to hell.
DEATH OF A CHILD
The death of a child is always traumatic. Some of the greatest sorrow for parents, and families is found in this time of death. Scriptures do not reveal a direct truth of 'they die and go to heaven'. Therefore we must understand Scripture upon Scripture for this truth to be found and discerned. We only have a few experiences in Scripture of this.
As previously mentioned, we shared of David's week old baby dying due to his sin. Not the baby's sin. The prophet had told David that the child shall die, because he gave an occasion against the Lord in adultery and murder. But it is David's statement when the child died, that helps us understand eternity:
"I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me"
All men go the way of death, yet David remarks that he will see his child again in eternity. The reality of this truth is found else where that God does not condemn children and babies to hell. Yea, the very act of condemnation, as we previously discussed, is found that God condemns those who foolishly reject Christ and embrace sin.
"At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. . .when thy feet enter into the city the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. . . and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died" I Kings 14: 1 - 20
Here we see that the wicked father and king of Israel, Jeroboam, was being judged and sentence by the Lord. HE not only had sinned, but made Israel to sin and no doubt, caused his family to sin. Woe to the fathers and mothers that cause their children to learn and know sin. Yet, in God's mercy and grace, the Lord found some good thing in this child. Now again, although it does not tell us what that good thing was, or if this child feared the Lord and served Him. We can only discern from other Scriptures when God is pleased and takes joy when his creation serves Him. It is not clear, but there is great weight that God took this child, allowed for him to die, before God judged Jeroboam's family. The family and Jerobaom was sentenced to death and dying horribly for their sins.
Began: July 22, 2014
Edited: 7/22; 7/23; 7/24; 7/26
Finished:
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