What Happens When You Die?

The thought of what happens after we die has been one of the most prominent questions of the human condition throughout history. Knowing what the Bible says about what happens when we die can help to alleviate our fears when it comes to our future.

We don’t have to suffer through a fear of the unknown, because God makes it clear what to expect when our time comes.

This truth leaves us with an important decision to make: will we dedicate our lives to the Lord, or ignore His direction in this life that leads to salvation?

Separation of Soul and Body

We know through the Scriptures that there are two foundational aspects of our being: body and soul. The core of each person is their soul. This is what defines who we are: beautiful individuals created in the image of God. Then, we are given a body as a vessel for that soul to experience the world around us through the five senses. This is God’s beautiful and perfect design.

When we die, our soul is separated and we leave our body behind to enter a new existence! But we come to live in that new reality, there is judgment. That judgment will determine the place where our souls spend eternity.

Judgment

We know that judgment is part of what happens after death for each and every person. Hebrews 9:27 reads,

"Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment." — Hebrews 9:27

Now, while judgment sounds scary, if we believe in Christ we don’t have to fear. Faith in Christ leads to our salvation, plain and simple. So, if we are believers, our judgment will not lead to our condemnation. Rather, we are told that God will reward us for the good we’ve done in this life!

There are two judgment seats spoken of in the Bible that help us to better understand God’s judgment.

The Bema Seat (For Believers)

There are two judgment seats spoken about in the Bible. The first is known as The Bema Seat. The word “Bema” is derived from the ancient Greek word for judgment: bēma. The Bema Seat is the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:10 reads,

"For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body." — 2 Corinthians 5:10

Also, Romans 14:10 reads,

"Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”— Romans 14:10

Every believer will come before the Bema Seat to be judged for their actions upon the earth. We are not given clear guidance on whether one faces The Bema Seat immediately after death, immediately after resurrection, or after the tribulation, but the truth remains that we will all stand to be judged before Christ.

The Great White Throne of Judgment (For Unbelievers)

The second judgment seat is The Great White Throne of Judgment. While The Bema Seat was the one used for the judgment of believers, The Great White Throne of Judgment is reserved for those who did not choose to follow Jesus in life. Romans 2:5-9, 16 speaks of this judgment seat, saying,

“But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. The day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.” — Romans 2:5-9,16

Our earthly status does not save us from the judgment of God. We receive salvation ONLY through believing in Christ. Revelation 6:15-17 says,

“Then everyone—the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person—all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?” — Revelation 6:15-17

Eternal Life in Heaven

After judgment comes our eternal destination. This will differ whether we are believers or not. If we are believers in Christ, we will enter eternity with Him. If we have not given our lives to Jesus, we will enter hell for eternity. That choice is up to us and the decision we make in this life whether to follow Jesus or not.

If we enter eternity with God, we will spend forever in heaven with Him. People have understood heaven differently, as a Kingdom in the clouds or as a Kingdom on a renewed and perfected earth as seen in John’s vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. At the end of the day, here are the important things we know. Believers will spend eternity with God, living in a place of perfect peace, harmony, and love. We will have renewed beings in which to experience this eternal life, a perfected form of what we experience now. And we know that as believers, there is nothing that can take this promise of eternal life away from us.

Conclusion

Death is a challenging topic but something we all must confront in this life. That’s why we must have a solid and comforting worldview concerning what happens when we die. When we have this mindset, we can have full confidence in our eternal destiny and the motivation to follow Jesus in this life so we can spend eternity with Him.

Related: How Do I Get Into Heaven?