What Happens When I Die?

Job 14:14 – “If a man dies will he live again?”

As I told you last Sunday—a few weeks back three members of our church did “on the street” interviews down at the Red Mill Center. They asked people who were coming and going from CVS and MACDONALDS and RADIO SHACK some of the same questions we have been dealing with during this Holy Week. I loved the footage of those interviews—especially some of the things that were said that didn’t actually relate to the questions that were asked. For example, I was particularly moved by an old man who told of his inability to forgive his father—and that Christians are not like him because they’re always forgiving one another.

Well—this morning I want to show you the responses six downtown Derwood shoppers gave to the question: “Is Death the End?” So watch—and listen.

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INTERVIEW VIDEO—“Is Death the End?”

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Did you notice what these six people said when asked this question?

• The teen in front of Radio Shack said, “We don’t know.”
• One of the guys standing in the parking lot outside Micky “D’s” said, “There is life—well, not life but something.”
• The man with my hairstyle waiting for his turn in the drive-thru, said, “I hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not the headlights on an oncoming train.”
• And—the man in the snazzy red beret simply said, “When you’re dead—you’re dead.”

Now—there were obviously believers in the group because one said that according to the Bible, death is not the end—and the woman with her dog in her lap said confidently that when we die we’ll see the perfect GLORY of God. Well, who is right when it comes to answering this question? What DOES happen when we die? Is there HOPE for a light at the end of the tunnel of death? Or—is this life all there is and when you’re dead—you’re dead?

Before I answer I must point out that the AWARENESS of death is one thing that is unique about human beings.

Unlike animals, we know our death is coming. We are conscious of our mortality. As Ernest Becker puts it,“The idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else.”

And—Arnold Toynbee, the philosopher and historian, once insightfully wrote: “Man alone has the foreknowledge of his coming death and, possessing this foreknowledge, has a chance, if he chooses to take it, of pondering over the strangeness of his destiny.” Well, the older we become the more the we PONDER the fact that we will one day die. I mean, the more wrinkles we get, the more the awareness of our death grows. One elderly gentleman said, “At my age it’s a war of attrition. Everyone I know is dying.” And—I hate to sound morbid—but that old man is right. The uncomfortable truth is that, “It is appointed unto ALL men once to die.” (Hebrews 11:27)

Another thing I want you to note is that the whole question of death is being pondered and discussed more ardently today than at any other time in recent history…and not just in downtown Derwood! In fact, a relatively new discipline called “THANATOLOGY” has entered our language and classrooms. By the way, “Thanatos” is a Greek word meaning “DEATH”and thanatology is the study of, or science of death. Edwin Shneidman is a Thanatologist and he says that the first time he taught a course on death at Harvard, two hundred undergraduates showed up in a classroom that could seat only twenty. Since then, colleges everywhere have been offering courses, seminars, and dialogues on death and dying. Topics like grief, immortality, suicide, euthanasia, and out-of-body experiences are extremely popular on both university and even high school campuses.

Well—perhaps we should think of our time together this morning as a mini-refresher-course in THANATOLOGY from a Christian perspective—a course we should each strive to get an “A+” in. I say that because understanding death and learning how to prepare for its coming is VERY important. As 1st Corinthians 15:19 says, “If only in this life we have hope, then we are of all people to be pitied.”

Another thing—it is vital for us to note that we cannot even begin to understand death and its mysteries without the guiding knowledge of the Word of God.

As two of the people who responded to the interview inferred—outside of the Bible, death will forever remain an unknown phantom, stalking helpless human victims. But thankfully we don’t have to deal with death in this hopeless way. In His written Word God has told us how to deal with death—how to prepare for it—plus He has given us a wealth of information about exactly what happens when we die. So–within its pages we can find the answers to the questions we have about our mortality.

In fact, there is a very detailed record of an Individual’s actual encounter with death—including what happened to Him afterwards.

By studying the experiences of this Individual, we can discover both what happens to us—as Christians—when we death comes. And—please understand—the Individual I’m referring to is not Lazarus or Jairus’ daughter or others in the Bible who were miraculously raised from the dead—only to die again years later. No—the Individual I am referring to is Jesus, the Christ—Who died a cruel death on the cross and then rose—NEVER TO DIE AGAIN. So the TRUE story of His death and resurrection, as recorded in the Bible…well, it ALONE gives us the answers we need. In 1 Corinthians 15 verse 20, Paul writes,“Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the FIRST FRUITS of those who have fallen asleep.” Now that phrase, “First fruit” says that what happened to Jesus is the first example of that which is to come. In other words, if you want to know what happens to a Christian when he or she dies all you have to do is look at the experience of Jesus. Listen to The Message’s paraphrase of Romans 6:5-9: “What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering DEATH, we also get included in His life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the death it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus DIED He took our sin down with Him, but ALIVE He brings God down to us.” Well, the truth then, is that for all believers, Jesus’ resurrection is both proof and preview of our own!

Before we look more closely at that PREVIEW—I must point out that Jesus’ resurrection VALIDATES our faith as Christians. In other words, it shows that we have put our faith in the right Person.

It proves that Jesus is Who He claimed to be:“…THE way, THE truth, THE life—the ONLY way to come to the Father.” (John 14:6) I emphasize this fact because in our culture many people make the mistake of thinking that religion is like a huge buffet table, and you can pick and choose the faith system you personally find appetizing. They think all faiths are equally valid—so it doesn’t matter which one you “put on your plate.” More and more people tend to believe that religion is a “personal thing” that each individual can develop or discard according to his own whim. Well, as far as religious FREEDOM goes, that’s true. Here in the good ole’ U. S. of A. everyone does have the constitutional right to choose a religion or NO religion. Everyone has that FREEDOM. But as far as TRUTH goes, it’s a whole different ball game. You see, TRUTH is not determined by personal preference. Truth is truth no matter what we believe. I mean if you were to jump of the roof of our new ROC—the TRUTH is you’re going to fall and get hurt—possibly killed—even if you use your FREEDOM and choose to believe otherwise. Truth is a very INTOLERANT thing!

Well, the CHRISTIAN faith is not based upon religious whim or personal preference. It is based on a historical fact: the TRUTH that Jesus Christ died—AND ROSE FROM THE GRAVE. And since He did—since Jesus conquered death, well, that means He must be Who He said He is—the only Son of God—the long-awaited Messiah—the One who had been spoken of by the prophets for hundreds of years. I like the way a child once put it in her version of a popular poem:

“Roses are red — Violets are bluish
If it weren’t for Easter — We’d all be Jewish.”

Well—that is true! The fact that Jesus ROSE validates our faith as Christians. It proves that Jesus is the only Son of the only TRUE God. It proves that He can do what He said He can do: forgive our sins and give us eternal life. The resurrection gives us assurance that our faith is not just our selection from a sentimental wish list. The TRUTH of the resurrection gives substance to our faith.

Another thing—the fact that God put a detailed description of Jesus’ resurrection in His book—well, it shows that He WANTS us to know the answers to this question.

Our Heavenly Father hasn’t kept us in the dark in knowing what happens to us as believers when we die. Referring to the Easter story as recorded in Scripture, Max Lucado writes:

If you’ll celebrate a marriage anniversary alone this year, God speaks to you. If your child made it to Heaven before making it to kindergarten, He speaks to you. If you lost a loved one to violence—if you learned more than you want to know about disease—if your dreams were buried as they lowered the casket, God speaks to You. In His Book, He speaks to all of us who have stood or will stand in the soft dirt near an open grave. And to us He gives this confident word [in 1st Thessalonians 4:13-14] ‘I want you to KNOW what happens to a Christian when he or she dies..so that when it happens you will not be full of sorrow as are those who have no hope.’

So—let’s look to God’s book—specifically the record of what happened to Jesus on the first Easter morning and see what God wants us to KNOW about death.

(1) The first thing that our Lord’s experience with death shows us is that ehen we die—we get a new BODY.

And—I for one get more thankful for that every day. I look forward to getting a new body because in spite of the fact that this body of mine is still incredibly good looking—well, I have to tell you—it’s not working as well as it once did. I’ve had to put it in the “shop” for repairs three times now: for appendicitis and to remove cancer and to clip away scar tissue from the appendectomy that was choking my intestines. These days I have to take medicine to control allergies, blood pressure, and cholesterol. And—my energy level isn’t what it used to be—my muscles strain easier and ache more. So far, I’m still able to run five days a week but after a run if I sit still too long my joints get stiff. Plus, as you can see the “carpet” on my head is “worn and thread-bare.” I mean—I am definitely getting close to the time when I’ll need to trade this earth-suit in for a new model!

Well—Jesus’ resurrection shows that because I have put my faith in Him, this is exactly what I will get when I die. By reading the accounts of what happened to Jesus I can know that the moment my earth suit ceases to function my spirit—my personality—will leave. It will separate from my old body. In fact, the Bible tells us that this is the DEFINITION of death. In James 2:26 we read, “…the body without the spirit is dead.” And Jesus experienced this separation. Do you remember the last words our Lord uttered before He died? He said, “Father into you hands I commend My Spirit.” (Luke 23:46) So Jesus’ died—when His spirit left His body.

Do you remember the story of the little girl who rose early one morning and went into her parent’s bedroom? Her mom was already up making breakfast but her dad was still in bed. The father heard her come into the room but played “possum” and kept his eyes shut—and as children will, his daughter tried to wake him up by poking and punching him, trying to get her daddy to open his eyes but he kept them shut and feigned snoring. Finally she crawled up and sat right on his chest and reaching down, she pried open an eyelid. Then she leaned over and said, “Are you in there daddy?” This little girl points out an important truth as we deal with the subject of death. Humans are made up of a body that contains a spirit—and at death they separate. In the same way the hand animates a glove, the spirit energizes a body. And when the spirit departs, the body—like a lifeless glove—is put aside as we go to be with God in Heaven.

And please understand—this happens in an INSTANT. There is no halfway place…no intermediate state…no soul sleep. None of these concepts are taught in Scripture. No—the Bible tells us over and over again—that the moment we die we cast aside our earth suits we enter the glory of Heaven. Here are a few proof texts.

• First—as we just read—Jesus said, “Into Thy hands I commend My Spirit”—present tense—RIGHT NOW.
• 2 Corinthians 5:8 teaches, “To be absent from the body is to be at home with the Lord.”
• Do you remember Jesus’ promise to the repentant thief on the cross next to Him? He said, “This day—TODAY—you’re going to be WITH Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
• And, the book of Acts tells us that the heavens opened and received the martyr Stephen the moment he cried out, “Lord Jesus receive my spirit!” (Acts 7:59) And “RECEIVE” is again in the PRESENT tense.” 

So, the Bible does clearly teach that when we die we don’t cease existing—even for a moment. Our Spirit separates from our body at death—and we go immediately to be with God. I’m reminded of the epitaph on the tombstone of a man named Peas. Here’s what it says:

“Here lies the body of Old Man Peas
Beneath the daisies and the trees.
But Peas ain’t here, only the pod
Peas shelled out and went home to God.”

Well—the thrilling truth is that when we shell out of THIS pod—we are given a NEW pod—a new body—and Jesus’ resurrected body does give us a preview. As Paul says in Philippians 3:21, “He will change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.” So—our new bodies will be like Jesus’ new body an amazing body that people saw Him use during the 40 days before His ascension.

Let’s review their eye-witness accounts to help us understand what our NEW BODIES will be like. Jesus’ new body was at the same time SIMILAR and yet DIFFERENT than it was prior to His death.

• He LOOKED the same. Remember? He showed the disciples the nail scars in his hands and feet. Jesus’ new body was recognizable. Jesus was identified some 11 times after His death.
• And Jesus’ new body was touchable. It was solid—real—flesh and bones. Remember Mary held on to Him in the garden so tightly that Jesus had to comfort her and in essence say, “You can let go of Me Mary—I have not YET ascended to My Father!”
• The resurrected Jesus ate food. Do you remember the fish He requested and the breakfast He made for His disciples by the Sea of Galilee the day He forgave Peter?
• So His new body was similar to the old one. But at the same time His body was DIFFERENT.
• He could walk through walls. Remember when the disciples were huddled behind closed doors and Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst?
• He could also travel great distances instantly.
• Before His death on the cross He got tired and weary but not after.
• And, He apparently could fly—remember—He ASCENDED to Heaven.

Now—wouldn’t you like to have a body like that? Think of it—even if your loved ones live on the other side of the New Jerusalem you’ll never feel the pain of separation from them! You can “beam” to their mansion any time you want. Plus—you’ll never need doctors or medicines—because your new body will never get weary. You will be eternally YOUNG.

My dad died nearly seven years ago—and for several months after he passed I dreamed about him. Sometimes I could even smell his Old Spice aftershave lotion. But when I dreamed of dad he wasn’t old and weak. He wasn’t suffering from congestive heart failure. No—he was YOUNG and strong and energetic. Now—many people would say my dreams were just a side-effect of my grief—but I don’t think that. No—I think God allowed my dad to come to me in that way to HELP me with my grief to reassure me that my dad was more than OKAY—but in fact was better than he had ever been. I think God wanted me to know that dad has a NEW BODY—like Jesus’ body—one that is eternally young, eternally strong—and can still enjoy good food…and my dad loved to eat!

Well, does that NEW body sound good to you? I’m glad it does! Listen to how Paul describes it in 1st Corinthians 15:42-44,  

In the same way, our earthly bodies which die and decay are different from the bodies we shall have when we come back to life again, for they will never die. The bodies we have now embarrass us, for they become sick and die; but they will be full of glory when we come back to life again. Yes, they are weak, dying bodies now, but when we live again they will be full of strength.

Joni Eareckson Tada became a quadriplegic as a teenager in a diving accident. Since then she has been in a wheel chair—dependent on others for her care 24 hours a day. She writes,

Somewhere in my broken, paralyzed body, is the seed of what I shall become. The paralysis makes what I am to become all the more grand when you contrast atrophied, useless legs against splendorous resurrected legs. I’m convinced that if there are mirrors in heaven (and why not?), the image I’ll see will be unmistakably ‘Joni,’ although a much better, brighter Joni. So much so, that it’s not worth comparing. I will bear the likeness of Jesus, the man from Heaven.

So—the record of Jesus’s resurrection shows us that when we die we will be given NEW bodies. But that’s not all.

 (2) You will also get a new YOU.

You’ll still be you—but FAR BETTER! As Lucado puts it in his book, When Jesus Comes, you will be at your best forever. Now—I know that you have your good moments…occasional glimpses of your heavenly self, like when you change your baby’s diaper without having to be asked, or when you forgive your boss’s temper, or tolerate your spouses’s moodiness—in these times you display traces of saintliness. It’s the OTHER moments that sour life. And you ALL know what I’m talking about—those times when you use your tongue to cut people to pieces behind their backs—those days when you lose your temper and say things you wish you hadn’t—or when you selfishly take time for yourself when you should have spent it with the kids.

If you’re like me—and I think you are—then I know that after you’ve behaved like this—when you come to your senses and realize how poorly you’ve behaved, you feel guilty; you feel remorse; you wish you hadn’t said this or done that. Well, when you die all that bad will be no more as God instantly completes the good work He began in you that moment you put your faith in His Son. When you die, you will be perfected—glorified—and will indeed be at your best from then on—throughout all eternity.

And if that weren’t reason enough for joy, listen! In Heaven everyone else will be at their best as well!

In Heaven there will be no such thing as bad moods or complaints or gripes. There will be no more rivalries or jealousy. There’ll be no such thing as false modesty. There will be no HARD feelings or HURT feelings…no misunderstandings…no critical spirits…no prejudice…no cliques!

And I promise, you will love the result. No one will doubt your word, question your motives, or speak evil behind your back. Lucado writes,

Jesus will suction the last drop of ornerieness from the most remote corners of our souls.

And—with all these NEW YOU’S walking around—can you imagine the dramatic reunions we’ll witness?

• A soldier embracing the sharpshooter who killed him.
• A daughter seeing her abusive but repentant father and holding him.
• A son encountering the mother who aborted him.
• Siblings who haven’t spoken for years enjoying each other’s company.

As we stand in God’s Holy presence with healed and whole spirits—well—I think there will be a lot of amazing reunions. I think this is one of the things Revelation 21:4 is getting at when it says,“God will wipe away every tear…there shall be no more death nor sorrow nor crying for the former things will have passed away.”

 So—according to the Easter account—when you die as a Christian, you can know that you will get a new body; you’ll become a new you.

 (3) …and last but not least you will get a new HOME.

Remember? Jesus promised that He left to prepare a place for us—a new eternal Home—and He’s been working on it for the last two millennia. So as Anne Lamott puts it, “For the Christian, death is simply a change of address.” I mean, when someone dies we say we “lost” them—but we don’t—not really. We know where they are. They’ve just moved to a new location.

I’m reminded of the story of a florist who mixed up two orders one busy day. One arrangement went to a new business that was opening and the other to a family who had experienced a death. The man with the new business came in to the Florist office ticked off saying, “The flowers that got delivered to my opening day said, ‘Rest in Peace!’” The Florist said, “You think you’re mad; you should have seen the people who just left. A bouquet was delivered to their family’s funeral that said, ‘Good luck in your new location.’”

Well, for the Christian—luck is not an issue—we KNOW what our new location will be like. In Revelation 21:2 John tells of his vision in which God gave him a preview. He says,  “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven…prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” We all know how much trouble brides go to look their best so we know that Heaven will be a beautiful place.

Scripture also tells us its jaw-dropping dimensions. It will be an exact square of 1,400 miles—which is large enough to contain all the land mass from the Appalachians to the California coast—from Canada to Mexico. It will be forty times the size of England, ten times the size of France, and larger than India. And that’s just the GROUND floor. Remember the city will be a square—it will stand as tall as it does wide. To give you an idea—if God were to stack floors of His heavenly metropolis as a human architect would in a building, the New Jerusalem would have over 600,000 stories — ample space for twenty billion of people to each have his or her own private seventy-five acre cube or room or mansion. And this would still leave plenty of room for streets, parks, and public buildings. Do you know what I’m looking forward to most? I can’t wait to be with my dad—and my grandparents and my father-in-law, not to mention all the dear FRIENDS I have lost over the years—many of whom I have buried. I can’t wait for that REUNION in my NEW HOME! It will be SO GOOD to see all those people again!

The same week my dad died—I lost a dear friend—and many of you were privileged to call him friend as well. I’m referring to Richard McClain. Richard had been sick for a long time—in and out of hospitals—and I remember there was a time when for several weeks my visits just involved me standing by his bed praying for him as he lay there unconscious. One day though God surprised me. I walked into Richard’s ICU room and those same friendly, loving eyes looked right back at me! The night prior Richard had rallied. He was still weak—and still very sick—but he was awake and smiling and we had a great conversation. It was like seeing a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. Our reunion was brief—because a few days later Richard slipped back into unconsciousness and left to be with the Lord soon after. But—in my mind our reunion was a preview of what it will be like when I get to my new home. On that day I’m going to see Richard again! I know I’ll have to give Gladys and their children a turn first…but on that day I look forward to being able to see my friend again.

And—I’m going to enjoy reunions like that for a long time. In fact, I won’t even go the mansion Jesus has prepared for me until I see my dad, and my father-in-law and my grandparents and uncles and aunts…and dear friends like Bill Wehunt, and Irene Smith, and Connie Norris and Barbara Shaeffer and Jean Waters and Mario and Lilia Litonya and Luke Spencer and Aliesha Boyum and Audrey Kiser and John Webb and Lloyd Linn and Jerry Walker and Walt Owen and Ann Kent and Bessie Clemments and Ann Burke and Dick Helt and Don Peyton and John and Carolyn Mooney and so many others. It will be WONDERFUL to GET BACK all these friends and family members I have LOST to death.

You see, one of the bad things about death—is the fact that we feel ROBBED. We feel this way because death TAKES—it takes moments and memories not yet shared: birthdays, vacations, kid’s weddings, grand-kid’s graduations, not to mention walks and talks. When death comes “normal” is no more and never will be again. This is a picture of C. S. Lewis and his wife. After she died of cancer, he wrote, “Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.” Death is like that for those of us left behind. It’s a cloud that darkens everything as we realize that our lives will never be the same again.Well, in our new Home we’ll get back all that has been taken from us as we are reunited with our loved ones and friends—never again to be parted from them.

Now…so far we have answered the question, “What happens when I die?” from the CHRISTIAN perspective. And this sermon would not be complete without my mentioning the destiny of those who have not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. Interestingly, there are some similarities. When non-Christians die they also experience a separation of the spirit from the body. They too will continue to exist for, their souls are eternal as well. But Scripture warns that people who have rejected Christ will not spend eternity in Heaven. No—their new home will be a horrible place called Hell. The Bible describes Hell as everything that Heaven is not. It is a place of constant torment—a place of pain and fear—a place of loneliness. And I believe all this stems from the fact that Hell is a place without GOD’s loving presence. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says,“They will be punished in everlasting Hell, forever separated from the Lord, never to see the glory of His power.” In Matthew 8:12 Jesus described it as a “place of outer darkness and of weeping and torment.” I imagine being there would be like the feeling we have of being lost magnified thousands and thousands of times. It will be a darkness unlike anything ever experienced—a nightmare beyond imagining. But you could summarize all this by saying that: Hell is a place prepared for those who have rejected Christ. Heaven is a place prepared for those who have claimed Him.

Now—statisticians tell us that 60 million people die every year. That’s 150,000 people entering eternity every day….100 every minute. Think of it, since this service began 6,000 people have discovered what happens when we die. I wonder how many of them were ready for death?

You know—it’s interesting—but it seems like whenever we answer ONE question—it usually prompts more questions and that has happened this morning because knowing what happens when we die prompts me to ask two other questions and the first is this: Are you ready for death?  Dr. L. Nelson Bell once said, “Only those who are prepared to die are really prepared to live.” Well are you ready? The glorious news of Easter is this. If you are not ready—if you are NOT prepared for death, you can be! And more than anything God want’s you to be ready. He loves you so much that He doesn’t want you to experience the Hell of eternal separation from Him. In fact, what happened on Good Friday proves that God would literally rather die than live throughout eternity apart from you. All you have to do is put your trust in Jesus…the Savior God provided. Admit your sin to Him, ask for His forgiveness and give Him your life. If you have questions about this decision come and talk with me or Bobby as we sing.

The second question this knowledge of death prompts me to ask is for Christians and it is this: Are you doing all you can to help others get ready for death? Are you looking for every opportunity to share the secret of eternal life with everyone you can? Perhaps today you need to recommit yourself to this task.

If you don’t have a church home—a church that you are actively involved in, then I encourage you to seek God’s direction. It could be that He is leading you to be a part of the work He is doing through us here at Redland. If so, then come forward as we sing and ask to join our church family. But, whatever decision you have to make, we invite you to make it public as we sing.