What happens when you die?

When I first became a Christian I didn't know a thing about theology (the study of God and the doctrines and beliefs of Christianity) or eschatology (the study of last things such as death, judgment, and the destination of the soul).

I wasn't raised in church and although I did attend a few times, whatever part of the Bible I heard washed off me like water off a duck's back.

I questioned what would happen to me when I died and worried about what kind of answer I could give to my children if they asked about death. That began my study on this subject:
What happens when we die?


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Here's a nutshell version of what happens when one dies:

If you are a Christian (one who believes and has confessed Jesus Christ as God), your spirit is immediately ushered into the presence of Jesus by His holy angels. Your spirit (that part of you which thinks and reasons and remembers) will remain in Heaven until the Rapture. At the rapture (when Christ comes for His Church) Jesus will bring your spirit with Him and He will resurrect and glorify your body (making it eternal in nature). You will then stand in front of the Judgment Seat Of Christ where He will judge your works and reward you for what you did in His name. After the Judgment seat of Christ you will reign with Christ for a thousand years of peace and righteousness and after the thousand years you will live eternally with Jesus on the new earth.

If you are not a Christian (one who has not believed and has not confessed Jesus Christ as God) then your spirit will go to Hades at your death. This is a place of torments where your spirit is held until the resurrection of the unrighteous which takes place at the end of the thousand year reign of Christ. At that resurrection you are taken before the Great White Throne Judgment seat of God where you are judged for your works (not believing in Jesus) and then you will be condemned to the "second death," which is the "lake of fire" or Hell.

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For those who ask, "What will Heaven be like?" Below is a link to a site you will certainly want to visit:
http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/heaven.html


You can read a complete study on this subject by joining Devotions by Dot
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/devotionsbydot/

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We must always be diligent to present ourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of Truth - 2 Timothy 2:15. This is my goal as a student of Christ Jesus and I'm sure you endeavor to do the same.

I pray for God to grow us up in His Word to become the person He wants us to be for eternity.

If you're carrying a heavy burden today; full of sorrow, grief and tears, please know this email has been sent with a prayer for God's comfort to you. Remember, Jesus is the One we can trust for all our heartaches. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and He will give us comfort. Just go to Him in prayer and cry on the shoulder of Jesus. He loves us so!


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