Tag Archives: heaven

8 Things that Happen When you Die (Part 2 of 2)

My mom became less daring the more she aged. But in her younger years she rode a motorcycle, hiked mountains and moved across the country to a town filled with only strangers. Maybe she became more cautious because of her children and grandchildren. This picture shows my mom’s thirst for adventure. We all have this desire deep inside us. And in heaven we will explore with exhilarating enthusiasm for all of eternity.

Before we look at #6, #7 and #8, allow me to recap from part 1…

  1. Our body dies and DECAYS.
  2. ANGELS carry you to heaven.
  3. Glorious SIGHTS of heaven.
  4. Glorious SOUNDS of heaven.
  5. PRESENT with Jesus.

#6 – We will be given the KEYS to our new HOME.

Jesus was a carpenter in His earthly job, and in heaven He is also a builder. The night before Jesus died, He promised His disciples a future home in heaven:

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:2-3).

We will have our own place in heaven just as we have our own place here on this earth. I am not sure if we will all have the same size house or if some will be much larger than others or if some people will live alone while others will live together. Those details are not known. But we do know that Jesus is preparing a place for us to dwell.

The first day we are in heaven, I believe we will shown our new home. God has been waiting for this moment your entire life and is excited to give you a brand new house. Most likely, you’ve never been gifted a house, but for each of us, we will feel the tremendous love of our Father when He presents this incredible gift to us.

We will finally be home.

Have you ever been gone on a long road trip and finally settle back into your home? What is that feeling like? It is a great feeling. You can relax. You enjoyed the trip, but there is no place like home. It is hard for us to completely comprehend this feeling right now, but someday you will realize that you are home when you step through your eternal house. The sense of safety, security, fulfillment and belonging will someday overwhelm your heart. You were made for this place.

God is preparing a “place” for you, and the feeling of being home will be more than simply a physical building. The reunion of loved ones in heaven will be tremendously satisfying.

Tears of joy will fill your eyes as you run up to your grandmother who has been in heaven for thirty years.

Laughter will burst forth from your mouth as you embrace your brother who lost his life to cancer ten years before you.

Babies who entered heaven because of a miscarriage will run to their mothers in their heavenly bodies.

You will meet your ancestors who traveled across the Atlantic to give your family a new life in the Americas.

Some say the “key” to happiness is finding lifelong friends. When we get to heaven and Jesus gives us the key to our new home, this “key” will give us access to family members and friends we loved so dearly on this earth. Each of these individuals will now be available for us to interact with forever and ever. How I long for that access to my grandparents, my daughter Clare, and my mom.

They say “home is where the heart is” and so that moment we meet all of those precious people in heaven, we will feel complete and whole for the first time. The aching I have in my heart to hear my mom’s voice once more is deeper than I could have ever imagined. I miss her voice so much that about once a week I will open the voicemail on my phone where a past message is saved from my mom and I will listen to it just to hear her sweet voice. Sometimes I will replay her voicemail over and over. I don’t want to forget her voice.

Heaven will be home not because of the amazing houses. Heaven will be home because of Jesus. And our family. And our friends. And the new people we will meet!

#7 – We will be PERFECT.

As a child, I had a fear of heaven. I wanted to go there instead of hell, but I was worried that after thousands of years I would get bored. I even had dreams of trying to end my existence in heaven because of the excruciating boredom. But something I didn’t consider when I was younger was this: only perfect people are in heaven.

What does it mean when the Bible refers “to the spirits of the righteous made perfect” (Hebrews 12:23)?

Perfect means to be complete, without sin, mature, fulfilled. Paul describes this perfection in 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. He compares and contrasts our temporary body with our resurrected body.

Earthly body is born to die, but our heaven body will live forever.

Earthly body is born in dishonor (sin), but our heaven body will be glorious (without sin).

Earthly body is born in weakness, but our heavenly body will be powerful.

Earthly body is born natural, but our heavenly body is spiritual.

Our brains will think at full capacity. Our bodies will never get tired. We will never want to engage in sin again. We will only speak life-giving words. Our hearts will never again feel pain, remorse or agony. Try to picture some of the most amazing moments in your life when you felt very much alive. That is a glimpse of what heaven will be like. Only heaven will be better.   

When we enter heaven, God “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:21).

The ultimate act of love from our Creator is that He wants us to be just like Him. So, as you age and your body and mind begin to break down, just remember that God will change you into the most beautiful person you have ever known. You will be totally satisfied forever because of His completed work in you.

#8 – We will be REWARDED for our WORKS as a Christian.

Many times throughout the New Testament, we are taught that God will reward us in various ways. I have heard many Christians tell me that they don’t care about this part of heaven. “I just want to get there,” they say. But if it wasn’t important, the Bible wouldn’t focus upon it constantly. Jesus explains to us that there will be rewards:

I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done (Revelation 22:12).

In the last few verses of the Bible, we are given the promise of being rewarded. Let me make it clear that it is not to determine whether or not we will be allowed into the heaven. Our salvation will be secured because of our faith in Christ. But we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be repaid for how much or how little we did for Jesus on earth (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Here is a short list of several rewards:

crown of life

treasure

crown of righteousness

crown of glory

(c.f. James 1:12; Luke 12:33-34; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4)

I am not sure what the rewards will look like, but just as we are rewarded here on this earth for good works, there will be a heavenly satisfaction that will far outlast any earthly pleasure we enjoyed. 

As we stand before Jesus, He will display for us how we impacted the earth for eternity. We will see the young, single woman with two kids we came alongside and mentored. We will cry tears of joy as we are approached by a man who was saved because of a testimony we gave at a church event. We will shout “hallelujah” when we notice an agnostic friend who became a believer because we were able to prove the reliability of Jesus’ resurrection. We will be overwhelmed with gratitude that we sent money to buy Bibles because an entire tribe from Africa became believers because they received God’s Word in their own language.

We will be pleasantly surprised that our relational proximity to our Savior in heaven was based upon how seriously we took Jesus’ commands on earth. But Christians who lived selfishly to build their own earthly success for their own personal gain will realize IT WAS NOT WORTH IT.

If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames (1 Cor 3:14-15).

Many Christians believe that these rewards will not be significant because “we will cast our crowns before the throne of God” (Revelation 4:10) when we are in heaven.

But this does not mean that we are throwing the rewards away. We are returning the thanks, the worthiness, the value of what a great God we served on earth. Otherwise, why hand out rewards if the treasures will be tossed aside.

The THINGS God has PREPARED. In closing, it is important to remind ourselves that we have a limited view of the realities of heaven. We know some things, and that helps us take comfort whenever a beloved believer dies, but we also need to take into account this truth:

What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor 2:9).

Here is what I know for sure: God is preparing an indescribable place for those who love Him. I love Him. Do you love Him? I pray that your answer is a resounding, “Yes!”

8 Things that Happen When you Die (Part 1)

When is the last time you’ve thought about what happens after you die? Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Spiritually. If we are only physical creatures without any immaterial aspect to our existence, then there is only one thing that happens when we die. But if we are complex beings, made of both temporary and eternal elements, then we should spend a moment considering the potential of an afterlife.  

#1 – Our body dies and DECAYS.

Death is often defined as that moment our heart and brain stop. When my mom’s heart stopped, the doctor checked her pulse and declared her deceased.

As the heart ceases to pump blood, the brain shuts down, the body grows pale and begins a cooling process.

Over the next several hours, rigor mortis spreads throughout the entire body. The body has no more purpose in this life. No more talking, walking, running, kicking or eating. The body is finished. Solomon speaks of what happens at death: “the dust returns to the ground it came from” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Depending on how and where the body is buried (preservation, weather, etc.), the body could decompose into a skeleton within weeks or decades. My mom was placed into a coffin. Amazingly, the process of decomposition is quite long for someone laid to rest in a coffin. It could take fifty years for the body’s tissues to liquify and disappear, leaving behind mummified skin and tendons. Eventually the skin and tendons will also disintegrate, and after eighty years in the coffin, the body will be in skeleton form. After a hundred years, the last of the deceased bones will have collapsed into dust. Only the most durable part of the body, teeth, will remain.

That is what happens to our physical body when we die. But is this the end? Is there something inside the human body that lives on after the grave?

Just as Solomon explained that the body will eventually return to dust, he gives us hope that “the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

We have much evidence from the Bible that our spirit will exist far beyond death. Just as we spend time thinking about what happens to our physical body when it dies, it is vital that we consider what happens to our spirit when our bodies are finished. What can the Christian hope for when he or she breathes their last breath on this earth?

#2 – ANGELS carry you to heaven.

Jesus told us a story about a man named Lazarus who died and was carried to heaven by angels (Luke 16:22). We are not told how long our journey is to heaven.

The moment we die, we might instantly be in the presence of Jesus in heaven. On the other hand, our spirit might fly with the angels for a multitude of miles to heaven.

Maybe we will fly past planets and stars, through galaxies and the entire universe before we arrive at heaven. This might take several minutes, instead of being immediate. Could it take a few hours? We have no idea, and in many ways it does not matter.

Heaven is not here on this earth as it was during the early days when Adam and Eve were sinless. Heaven is “out there” somewhere and we are told that the only way to this paradise is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).

#3 – You see the glorious SIGHTS of heaven.

When Stephen was near death, God gave him a glimpse of what heaven looks like (Acts 7:59). As your spirit enters heaven, you will initially see Jesus and the glory that has been awaiting you. Here are just a few awe-inspiring things you will notice (from Revelation 21-22). 

The holy city, with an appearance of jasper, clear as crystal.

Massive, high walls with angels at all twelve gates.

The city streets will be pure gold, like glass.

Enormous pearls will be at every gate.

The river of life.

The tree of life.

You will see God’s face.

Try to imagine how spectacular this moment will be for every Christian. Your faith will become sight and you will see this glorious place that God made for your enjoyment for all eternity.

#4 – You hear the glorious SOUNDS of heaven.

The glory of heaven is not just about all the incredible sights, it also includes the new reality of absolute truth that will surround you in completeness.

Paul was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things that no one is permitted to tell (2 Cor 12:4).

This verse implies that there is knowledge in heaven that is too vast for our earthly brains to grasp. I am not sure how our new, heavenly minds will have this “inexpressible information” downloaded, but it will allow us to understand the mysteries of God to a fuller extent.

Right now, we only know part of the mysteries in this life.

The Bible addresses this reality:

We know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears…now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Cor 13:9-12).

We desire the complete story in the tragedies and complexities of life. Why did someone die in a car accident? Why do healthy people die of cancer in their forties and smokers live past their eighties? Why was I infertile, but all my friends were able to have children? Why does more bad stuff happen to me, but other people seem to have an easy, blessed life? Why did two of my children become Christians but the other one rejected the faith?

These are a few questions out of the countless that cannot be answered this side of heaven. I am not sure if God is going to answer every single question we have ever had in our experience on earth, but we are given the promise that our minds will become complete when we are in heaven.

#5 – You will be PRESENT with Jesus.

A man approached me after I conducted his wife’s memorial service. He is a Christian and has a deep, genuine faith as far as I can observe. He told me that his wife is now in a state of sleep and is awaiting the resurrection. He showed me a couple passages that seem to imply that Christians experience some sort of “soul sleep” when they die (Daniel 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Since they are sleeping, the time will seem to have passed quickly, and when they are awakened, it will only seem like a few seconds. But it might have been hundreds or even thousands of years.

This is a popular view among some Christians. But when you consider the context of all Scripture, “soul sleep” does not paint an accurate picture of what happens when we die. The apostle Paul was confident that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven:

We are confident and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord (2 Cor 5:8).

The logic is clear: if I am in my body, I am still alive on earth and away from the presence of God. If I die and my body turns to dust, I am with Jesus Christ.

Let’s look at what Jesus said to the thief on the cross:

“Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

The key word here is TODAY. In the present moment, not at a later time.

Did this thief deserve heaven? Absolutely not. But that is why we are saved by grace. The thief simply called out to Jesus for salvation and received it. The thief didn’t soul sleep. He didn’t have to deal with his past sins in purgatory. He was made righteous the moment he called upon Jesus and at his death immediately went to be with Jesus.

Now that we have made clear that we will be in the presence of Jesus after our death, it might be appropriate to think about what that will be like.

Every year, more than 50 million people die throughout the world.

That means that on an average day, more than 150,000 breathe their last breath.

Over 6,000 per hour.

More than a hundred a minute.

Every second, at least one person dies.

What does this have to do with our interactions with Jesus?

Have you ever considered how many of those people who die are Christians? Estimates say that there are about one billion Christians on planet earth out of about seven billion people.

That is a ratio of 1 of 7.

This number is probably high, because we are told that the way is narrow and only a few find it (Matthew 7:14). Let’s say the ratio is more like one out of twenty. If this is the case, then every single minute, there are at least five Christians entering heaven ready to see Jesus and walk around with Him and spend significant time with their Creator and Savior. Then, sixty seconds later, another five Christians are ready for their first interaction with Jesus. And then another five, and another five.

After only one hour, more than three hundred Christians have entered into heaven and all of them want Jesus’ attention.

Have you ever thought about the logistics of Jesus interacting with so many people at once as their personal savior in heaven? How will Jesus handle this? The Bible explains that He will interact with us personally. We are told that He will wipe away our tears, so He gets close to us in proximity.

And I am just discussing the new Christians here. What about all the others who have been there for a few days, years or centuries? Will they get any alone time with Jesus, or will everything be done in community? I do not have the answers to these questions, but I do know that God is able to do things that are very different from our limited mindset: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9). It will not be impossible for Jesus to meet with thousands of people at a time, and yet each of those people feel as if Jesus is only meeting with them. We cannot understand this mystery, but we know that God is good, and so this will also be good.

I am not sure exactly what it will look like to have our first interaction with Jesus, but I know that Jesus gave love, joy, peace, wisdom, attentiveness, compassion and hospitality to so many when He walked this planet.

It is impossible to describe how life-giving our friendship will be with God. It will be the best part of heaven. Just imagine every good quality in a human, and then exponentially increase those virtues, and you are starting to get closer to how incredible God will treat you in heaven.

Part 2 will continue next week with the final 3 things that will happen to us when we die…