What Happens When We Die? Hebrews 9:27-28 (NLT) And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ.

What Happens When We Die?

Hebrews 9:27-28 (NLT)

And just as it is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died only once as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again but not to deal with our sins again. This time he will bring salvation to all those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Facing Death

• Every day we see death all around us• Pastors face death and dying more often

than they would like– Funerals, ministering to the sick who wonder if

they are about to die, and helping families through their time of crisis

– Surprises? - The lack of preparation most Christians make for dying

• How can we prepare to face death?– We need a biblical view of death– We get God’s perspective on death by studying the

Scriptures

The Basic Questions of Life

• All people ask it at some point in their lives

– “Is there a God?” • Yes!

– “Is the Bible reliable and true?” • Yes!

– “How did we get here?” • God put us here!

– “Why are we here?” • To glorify God!

– “What Happens When We Die?” • It depends

“What Happens When We Die?”

• An important question – Because death is something we all

eventually face– The Statistics - 100 out of 100 people

will eventually die!

• The Bible says it this way: – “And as it is appointed for men to die

once, but after this the judgment”

Death Is No Respecter of Persons

• It strikes – the old and the young– the sick and the healthy– the poor and the rich– the good and the bad

• It is coming, we just do not know the day or time!

Two Things Are Certain

• “There are only two things certain in life: death and taxes”

– Death is more certain than taxes! – A clever man can find ways to evade taxes, but no

one evades death! – When your time is up, it’s up – Death can be postponed, but never eliminated

• We all have an appointment with death– Someday I will die, and those I love will die, and

nothing can change this solemn fact– So what happens when we die? – Let’s begin by talking about what WILL NOT

happen when we die

Misconceptions about Death

• Some people say that death is the end of existence

– They say that when you die, you simply cease to exist

• The Bible says there is an existence after death

– Hebrews 9:27 – Judgment comes after death

– Genesis 25:7-8 – Abraham lived for 175 years, and he died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death

– Luke 16:23-26 – Rich man and Lazarus

– John 14:1-3 – Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us in His Father’s house!

Misconceptions about Death

• Some people say that when a person dies, they are “reincarnated” into something or someone else

– Discovery Channel, 16th Century English Prince

• Built a luxurious and expensive horse stable • He was convinced he would be reincarnated AS A

HORSE!

– Reincarnation is nothing more than a fairy tale

• The Bible says – “And as it is appointed for men to die once,

but after this the judgment - Hebrews 9:27

Misconceptions about Death

• Some people say that there is a “second chance” after death

– They say that if a person says “No” to Jesus in this life, then they’ll be given another chance in the life to come

– Wishful thinking

• The Bible says– Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed for men to

die once, but after this the judgment” – We get one run at life and then we face the

judgment of God after we die• The only opportunity we will ever have to get right

with God is the opportunity God gives us in this life• There is NO second chance after death

The Moment of Death• Death is a part of life

– All of us are slowly dying– The moment we begin to live, we begin to

die– Francis Schaeffer

• “Life is like a clock. But there are no hands showing on the face of the clock. You can hear the sound of ticking but you never know when it is going to strike midnight.”

– 1 Peter 1:24 - “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall”

– Psalm 144:4 - “Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow”

The Moment of Death

• Death is a separation– When you die your body and soul will

separate

– Your body will remain here on earth where you family and friends will bury it and “lay it to rest”

– But what about your soul?

– Where your soul goes depends on whether you are saved or lost

Death of a Saved Person

• The Bible teaches that Christians will be with Jesus the instant they die

– Acts 7:59 - As Stephen was being stoned he looked up and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit”

– 2 Corinthians 5:8 - The Apostle Paul even longed for death because he knew it would usher Him into Jesus’ presence: “We . . . would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord”

– Luke 23:43 - Jesus promised the thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise”

Death of a Saved Person

• Clarence McCartney preached a sermon in which he held an interview with the thief who died alongside Jesus

– The last question - “And what is best of all there, Thief? Sum it all up for me, if you can, in a single word.”

– The thief replied, “The best of all is Jesus. To be in Heaven is to be with Him. That is what He told me in that dark and fearful hour on the cross — ‘Today you shall be with me in paradise.’ I can tell you nothing more wonderful about Heaven than that. You will be with Christ.”

• John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Death of a Saved Person

• The rest of the story! – The souls of departed believers will wait in

Heaven with Jesus until the Second Coming

– Then they will return with Jesus and be reunited with their resurrected bodies - 1 Thessalonians 4:14-16

– 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 adds that our resurrected bodies will be “imperishable”

Imperishable Bodies!

• They will be perfect in every way – They will never wear out– They will never suffer injury– They will never get sick– They will never grow old– They will never die– They will be imperishable!

For the Believer

• Death is not the end but the beginning– John 6:47 - “I tell you the truth. He who believes

has everlasting life” – Faith sees beyond death and grasps God’s promise

of eternal life

• Death is necessary - It is a door to Heaven• Heaven is where there is fullness of joy:

– the joy of perfect holiness– the joy of perfected praise– the joy of reunion with loved ones who have gone

on before us– the joy of new friendships– the joy of guiltlessness

Death of a Lost Person

• At death a lost person’s soul go straight to hell

• Death is a part of life, but it is also an unnatural intrusion into life

• Before the Fall, death did not exist– We were not created to die; we were

created to live forever with God!– Death is an interruption of what we were

originally intended to experience

Death of a Lost Person

• Death is a result of sin– Romans 6:23 - “For the wages of sin

is death”– Romans 5:12 - “Sin entered the

world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”

– We die because we are sinners

Death of a Lost Person

• If a person is lost– That is, he (or she) hasn’t accepted Jesus as

Savior and Lord– He doesn’t have a personal relationship with

God

• Then his soul will go straight to Hell where he will be separated from Jesus forever

– 2 Thessalonians 1:9 – “They will be punished with everlasting destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power”

Three Words Translated “Hell”

• Tartarus - 2 Peter 2:4– Where the most vile and wicked demons are

imprisoned

• Hades - Luke 16:22-24– Where a lost person’s soul is sent when they pass

from this life– Notice that the Rich Man was alert, in agony, and

all alone– Hades is like a temporary holding cell in which

criminals are held until they are sentenced. – The Bible tells us that Hades will be emptied out

just before the Great White Throne Judgment - Revelation 20:13

– The lost of the earth will be judged and sentenced to . . .

Three Words Translated “Hell”

• Tartarus• Hades• Gehenna

– The final place of punishment• For those who never experienced the love and

forgiveness of God made available through the cross

– Mark 9:43-48 • And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It

is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire — where ‘Their worm does not die And the fire is not quenched’

– A terrible, terrible place for sinners

The Best Way to Meet Death

• Give your heart and life to Jesus by accepting His gift of salvation

– John 11:25-26, Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Do you believe this, Martha?”

– Jesus Christ promises victory over death to everyone who believes in Him!

The Best Way to Meet Death

• Give your heart and life to Jesus by accepting His gift of salvation

• Get your affairs in order – 2 Kings 20:1– About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and

the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the LORD says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness”

– Get your affairs in order• Make your will if you haven’t already• Pay off your debts, or at least make arrangements to

do so• Gather all your important papers, label them, and tell

someone where they are• Your goal is that your loved ones will find your affairs

in order should you pass on to the life to come

The Best Way to Meet Death

• Give your heart and life to Jesus by accepting His gift of salvation

• Get your affairs in order – 2 Kings 20:1• Live for Jesus - Philippians 2:21

– You can’t say “To die is gain” until you can say “To live is Christ”

– Jesus gives you and me • Every reason not to fear death• Every reason to embrace and enjoy life

– So live for Jesus every single day of your life

The Best Way to Meet Death

• Give your heart and life to Jesus by accepting His gift of salvation

• Get your affairs in order – 2 Kings 20:1• Live for Jesus - Philippians 2:21• Don’t take one single day for granted –

James 4:14-16– How do you know what will happen tomorrow?

For your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you will be boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.

The Gift of Life

• Life is a precious, precious gift, so don’t waste one single day– If you’re holding any grudges, let them go

– If you’re living in sin, stop doing what’s wrong and start doing what’s right

– If you’re not as close to Jesus as you ought to be, then get as close to Him as you possibly can

• Life is too short to waste– Don’t waste it on foolishness, selfishness, or sinful

living

– Get as close as you can to Jesus and you will enjoy life and fulfill your purpose for being here

The Gift of Life

• Are you ready? – If you are, then to stay as close as

you can to Jesus

– If you’re not, then trust Christ, set your affairs in order, live for Jesus, and don’t take one day for granted