Hello everyone, this is another video request. Some of you have asked me what exactly happens to us when we die, and this is a very important question because we will all die someday. 150,000 people die every day, and one day you and I will be among them.
So when you reach the end of your life in this temporary world, where will you go? Some say you'll go to heaven, some say you'll go to hell, some people say you'll go to Purgatory, others say no, you'll just sleep and remain unconscious. What is the truth?
Well, let's turn to the only source of Truth we have in this world, the ultimate truth, and that is the Bible. Let's take a look at what the scriptures say about what will happen to us when we die. Let's go now very quickly.
If it's your first time here on my channel, welcome! If you haven't subscribed yet, please consider doing so and click the notification bell so you won't miss any of the upcoming videos. Now, you need to know that as Christians, as believers, we don't need to fear death.
We look at our death with joy because we know that when we die in this fallen world, we will be with Christ in heaven, and then there will be no more tears, no more suffering, no more sorrow. Paul says in Philippians 1:21, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain," and in 2 Corinthians 5:8 he says, "Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. " This temporary and fallen world is not our home, our home is with the Lord, and we can look forward to it with joy.
Now, let's take a look at what happens at the moment of death. Some believe that when we die, we enter into a deep unconscious sleep until the second coming of Jesus. This doctrine is called the soul sleep doctrine.
This doctrine is not widespread and was mainly taught by the Anabaptists in the Reformation and the Irvingites in England around the 19th century. So, some Christians believe in Purgatory, a belief of the Roman Catholic Church. In Purgatory, it is the place where your soul first goes to be further purified of sin before it can go to heaven.
Some believers say that when we die, our soul goes immediately to Christ, and our body goes to the ground, to the grave, and stays there until the second coming of Christ. When that happens, then we receive our body again, but now it is a resurrected eternal body, and then God will make the new heaven and the new earth, and then we will live with Him forever and ever. Now, about unbelievers.
Some say that when unbelievers die, they will go to hell for all eternity. Some say no, that won't happen. Some say they will simply cease to exist, others say they will suffer for a time because of their sins and then simply cease to exist.
This is called the doctrine of annihilationism, which means that God will annihilate them and they will simply cease to exist. But what is the truth? The truth is revealed when we look at the scriptures, not just one verse but the whole body of scriptures in a balanced way.
Now, let's look first at Purgatory. What does the Bible say about Purgatory? Nothing.
The Bible says nothing about Purgatory. So, where does the Roman Catholic Church get the doctrine of Purgatory if it's not in the scriptures? Well, number one, they created it as tradition, and number two, they found some evidence for it in the apocryphal books.
For example, 2 Maccabees 12:42-45 says, "Judas Maccabeus, the leader of the Jewish forces, also made a collection man by man to the amount of 2,000 drachmas of silver and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering. In doing this, he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection. For if he were not expecting those who had fallen to rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead.
But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore, he made atonement for the dead that they might be delivered from their sin. " In 2 Maccabees, they say it's okay to pray for the dead and make an offering for their sins so that the dead can be forgiven.
This is in contrast to the Bible because it's not what the scriptures say. And you should know that the apocryphal books are not equal in authority to the Bible, they are not part of the Bible, and should not be taken as authority or truth. The Roman Catholic Church, as I mentioned before, believes in Purgatory because of its tradition and because here and there, they find some verses in the apocryphal books.
But the Bible doesn't say that, therefore it's not the truth, it's in contrast to the scriptures because if you believe in Purgatory, you're saying that what Jesus did on the cross when he died for our sins was not enough. You're saying that Christ alone could not make atonement for us because as we just read in 2 Maccabees, Judas is offering for the dead making atonement, in Greek meaning propitiation for the dead. This contradicts the scriptures because it says that Christ alone made atonement for us, for the whole world.
1 John 2:1 says, "My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours.
" "Only but, also, for the whole world. Purgatory teaches that we have to add something to the redemptive work of Jesus. This is a very dangerous and false teaching that goes against the scriptures.
Jesus alone paid the full price so that we could be saved, as is throughout the Bible. Jesus Himself said, 'It is finished,' in John 19:28. Now, regarding the teaching or the doctrine of soul sleep, which says that when you die, at that moment you enter into a conscious existence until the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Now, as I said, this teaching is not widespread. It was only taught by some people in the Reformation, like the Anabaptists and the Irvingites in the 19th century. And even today, many people believe in it.
But, even back then, John Calvin (if that's how you pronounce his name) was against it. The real question, though, is: is this biblical? Well, the truth is that several passages talk about sleeping when you are dead.
To be precise, if someone dies, it is referred to as sleeping or falling asleep. You can find this in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, 5:10; 1 Corinthians 15:6, 18, 51; Acts 7:60, 13:36; John 11:11; Matthew 9:24, and 27:52. And then, some verses seem to say that dead people do not have a conscious existence, such as Psalm 6:5, 115:1-7; Ecclesiastes 9:10; and Isaiah 38:9.
But, when the Bible talks about death as sleep, it does so as a metaphorical expression, showing that death is only temporary for Christians, just as sleep is temporary. Now, for those of you who believe in soul sleep, just wait a minute and hear me out. Let's look at Psalm 115:1-7, which I just quoted as supposedly proving soul sleep.
Let's take a look at it. It says, 'The dead do not praise the Lord, nor any who go down into silence. ' So, it seems like it's talking about soul sleep here.
But, we can't just read one verse and take it literally. Let's continue reading to the next verse, verse 18. So, it says, 'But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever more.
' It doesn't say that first we will die and be unconscious for a long time, and then we will be with the Lord. No, it doesn't say that. Let's look at another verse supposedly proving soul sleep, John 11:11.
After saying these things, he said to them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him. ' Jesus doesn't say here that Lazarus's soul is sleeping, nor does any other verse in the scriptures say that the soul is unconscious. Jesus just said that Lazarus had fallen asleep, and then when the disciples thought he was speaking literally, he said, 'No, no, he is dead.
' Let's continue. The disciples said to him, 'Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover. ' Now, Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
Then Jesus told them plainly, 'Lazarus has died. ' The other passages that supposedly prove soul sleep are the same. When the Bible talks about death as sleeping, it is just a metaphorical expression because our bodies will stay on Earth while our souls will be with Jesus Christ.
Our physical bodies will return to dust, as Genesis 3:19 says, 'In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return. ' But then, the scriptures tell us that our humble bodies will be like Jesus in the resurrection. Philippians 3:20 says, 'But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
' God will transform our humble bodies into spiritual bodies that will be able to live forever - eternal bodies with Jesus Christ. He will do this at the second coming. Now, what about what happens if you die now?
What happens to your soul if you don't go to Purgatory or sleep? Are there specific verses that tell us what will happen to us? Yes, and there are many.
Let's go to the first one. Jesus says in Luke 23:43, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise. ' Jesus said 'today,' not after having been in Purgatory or after having slept the soul.
No, he says 'today, you will be with me in Paradise,' meaning in heaven. So, when we die as Christians, as believers, our soul or spirit goes immediately to Christ. Paul says in Philippians 1:23, 'I am hard-pressed between the two.
I desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. ' Again, Paul didn't say that he desires to depart and be in Purgatory or sleep until the second coming of Christ. He didn't say that.
He said he desires to depart and be with Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:8 says, 'Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ' So, when you die, your soul or spirit is away from the body.
It's not in the body while you sleep unconsciously in your tomb. It's not in Purgatory, but with the Lord in heaven. Hebrews 12:22 says, 'But you have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect.
' So, it's talking about believers who are already in heaven. And when you read the whole chapter, you see that when we come to" Worship God. It's not just in the presence of God, but in the presence of angels and the spirits of the righteous made perfect.
That's a great cloud of witnesses. And when you go to the beginning of the chapter, you already read in verse one, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. " This also shows us that those in heaven know a bit about what's going on here on Earth, and even the angels rejoice when a soul turns to Christ.
Luke 15:10 says, "Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. " Imagine that, all the angels rejoicing over one sinner. This life is not our home, this world is not our home, it's only temporary and we're just passing through.
Do you remember what Steven said when they killed him? Read with me Acts 7:55, "But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, 'Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.
' But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul.
And as they were stoning Steven, he called out, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. ' And falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, 'Lord, do not hold this sin against them. ' And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
" What a powerful message. Steven even speaks with certainty when he speaks full of the Holy Spirit and says, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. " So his spirit immediately went to Jesus Christ and his body went to the ground.
In the end, when it says he fell asleep, it's very clear that if he fell asleep, how can he be sleeping if his spirit is then with Christ? See, his spirit is with Christ, but his body is sleeping temporarily until the day when Jesus comes again and resurrects our new bodies and makes them like Jesus' eternal and spiritual body, which we will live in the new Heaven and new earth. Now, this also makes sense when we read 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, "Because God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we might live with Him.
" Awake, not sleeping. We can't live with Him if we are sleeping unconsciously. It only makes sense if sleep only means death, as we saw in the scriptures.
Now, you only die once, your physical body here on this Earth, and then you are judged. Hebrews 9:27 says, "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. " For us as believers, when we die, we will be with Christ, but unbelievers who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will go to eternal punishment.
It seems that they will be sent to a temporary waiting place, Hades, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal punishment. Now, Jesus gave us an example of what will happen to us when we die with the story of Lazarus in Luke 16:22-23. "The 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 his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. This story gives us a picture of what happens after death and is consistent with other passages that indicate that unbelievers go to a place of torment before their final judgment. So, the truth is that when we die as believers, our soul goes immediately to Christ, and we will be with Him in heaven.
We as believers don't have to fear death because we know that when we die in this fallen world, we will be with Christ in heaven. And as for unbelievers, they will face eternal punishment for rejecting the sacrifice of Christ. So the final message here is that the Bible gives us the truth about what happens to us when we die.
We don't need to follow human traditions or invented doctrines that contradict the scriptures. The truth is that as believers, our soul goes immediately to Christ, and we will live with Him forever in heaven. And for unbelievers, the Bible clearly warns us about the tragic fate that awaits those who reject salvation in Jesus Christ.
The only way to escape this fate is to accept the gift of salvation offered by God through His Son, Jesus Christ. So if you haven't done that yet, today is the day of salvation. Repent and put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so that you can have the assurance of eternal life with Him in heaven.
Thank you for watching, and I hope this video has been enlightening. If you liked it, please give it a like, share, and subscribe for more content. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below.
May God bless you until next time.
