Because He Lives

Because He Lives

(Job 19:25-27)

We as Christians sometimes may not fully understand what happens to us when we die.  We know that because we are saved by Christ we will go to Heaven and forever be with Jesus and that’s true.  But sometimes we get confused by things like the resurrection, the rapture, and what part of us goes to Heaven when we die.  Today we will get a better understanding on what happens when we die.

I.  What happens to our soul when we die?  (2 Cor 5:8 KJV) - We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

When we read this verse we understand it simply for what it says.  Paul says simply he is confident of this fact that to be absent from the body (death for a Christian) is to be present with the Lord.  It is a without question according to the scripture that at our death, our soul, our spirit leaves this body and goes into eternity with our Lord.  We see Jesus’ words to the thief that was crucified beside Him, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 KJV).  When we die, our soul goes to Heaven immediately.          There is no waiting period, there is no soul sleep (7th Day Adventist believe, some cults), the Christian is immediately in the presence of God in his eternal reward of Heaven.  You see death for the child of God should not be feared, it will come if we are not raptured.  We should a great confidence in knowing that because our Lord has saved us he has also guaranteed that we will live in our eternal home with Him in Heaven.  

Paul said this about facing death, Phil. 1:21-24, “21  For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22  But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. 23  For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. 24  Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you”.  Paul was about to soon face a martyr’s death and he knew it was soon but he expressed it so wonderfully, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  His desire to see his Lord and enjoy the wonders of Heaven was what he would encounter when faced his death but he also knew that he had to stay a little longer to finish God’s work and God’s will to the church at Philippi.  

For the Christian, death is the doorway we step through to our eternal destiny with our Jesus in Heaven.  Our promise of Heaven is secured by death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We understand this and find great joy at knowing that Jesus has not only saved our souls but He has also guaranteed our eternal life and our eternal home.  What great love and great gifts of God’s grace that we have received because we have by faith received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

II. What happens to our body after we die? 1 Thess. 4:13-17, “13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”

   At death, our bodies go into the grave and remain until it is rejoined with the spirit.  As these verses declare, we understand that this will happen at the rapture of the church.  This is the redemption of our bodies and it is the finalized work of salvation and the perfection of our bodies.    When we trusted Christ for our salvation here on this earth, He gave us a new, redeemed spirit, He cleanses our soul from sin and makes it new; we read 2 Cor. 5:17 - ‘17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new’.  But we still live in this feeble body of flesh and as a Christian we should eagerly await the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23 - 22  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.)  The redemption of our body is also called the glorification of our body and again repeating myself it is the finished and complete work of salvation that was begun when we became recipients of God’s salvation.        When we receive our glorification then we will forever be free from sin, sickness, and death. This new redeemed body will not be like our old, sin cursed body.  To understand this better we need to read 1 Cor. 15:35-38,42-49  “35  But someone will say, "How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?" 36  Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37  And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain; perhaps wheat or some other grain.

38  But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.

42  …The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45  And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46  However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.

   Paul is comparing us to seed.  He is saying that our bodies are only a mere glimpse of what we shall be.  We know what the seed of a watermelon looks like and what a watermelon looks like, and yet it no ways resembles each other but we know that the fruit came from the seed.  The fruit is absolutely identified with the seed.  We will know each other in Heaven but it will not be the old me, it will be the new and glorified me.  When we receive our glorified body it will not resemble our old one, there will be no sin, no defect, no sickness, no pain, or discomfort at all in it. We will have a body like our Jesus (1 John 3:2 - 2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is).   

   We know from the verses we read in Thessalonians that we will be raptured, the dead in Christ will rise first and then we which are alive and remain but here in 1 Cor. 15 we read these verses, 51-57 - 51  Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56  The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57  But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

   There is great victory of salvation though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by His finished work of salvation by His suffering and death on the cross.  And by His resurrection from the grave three days later it guarantees that our Lord is the Lord over sin, death, and the grave.  1 John 5:4 - …this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.  Our faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the world, our sins, our death and the grave.  It is because of Jesus that I can find hope in life eternal with Him.  John 11:25-26 - …I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Twenty-eight years ago, I put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Because I believed He was the resurrection and the life and I believed He was the only way to the Father and eternal life.  By faith in the person and work of Jesus’ Christ.   

III. Review - Today as we have looked at death in view of God’s Word, we now know that death is only the doorway into the next life, eternally at home with our Lord God to praise and serve Him forever.  That one day we will face death and immediately our soul will be in the presence of God and our body will be in the grave until the time appointed (the Rapture) where we will receive the glorification of our body (the redemption of our body) where the redeemed, sinless body will reunite with our redeemed soul to live in a redeemed Heaven and Earth (Rev. 21:1-4 - 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.

   You see it be a glorious place in our new home where we can totally and completely enjoy it in our new glorified body.  Death is sometimes fearful to us because it is unknown to us because we have not experienced it yet.  But when we do, we know that Jesus will be with us every step of the way (Heb. 13:5 - for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee).  He is with us every step of the way in our walk of salvation (Phil. 1:6 - 6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ) and He will keep us secure in His salvation until the day of completion in our Heavenly Home.

   Today, if you don’t have this assurance of your salvation you can make it sure today.  If you think ‘I don’t know where I will go when I die?’, today is the day of salvation.  Christ is very present here today and He welcomes all to the cross for forgiveness.