Have You Wondered–what happens when people die?
Do they go somewhere?
If so, where are they?
What are they?
Three weeks ago my brother, 82, died. A few days later his son ended his own life.
Reeling from the shock, my heart-emotions grieving, my mind churning with those questions, I search for answers that make sense, that face reality and line-up with what I can see happens.
Years ago I watched my own father die. And I was beside my mother when she took her last breath. I was cradling my own wife's head with my hands when she died from cancer.
First time, I was afraid, not knowing what to expect–good or bad? thunder?
- First time, I was afraid, not knowing what to expect–good or bad? thunder?
- lightning?
- horrible scream?
- songs of angels?
- a mysterious light, entering the room to escort my loved one to heaven or hell?
- Or was he or she going to re-incarnate into another person, animal, or insect?
Movies, music, YouTube, media productions have promoted these sensational theories and fantasies a lot.
But, what is really true?
What I saw was my loved one went to sleep and then his or her body quit
working. Silence. Peace. Nothing else happened.
Iʼve found one supernatural Source that gives reliable facts on all issues about human life and death. That is the divine Person we call God (meaning "Powerful One"). His thoughts are recorded in the Bible–the Holy Scriptures of Christianity. He gave them to us to comfort us. (See Romans 15:4). No wonder all over the world people find this out and try to get a copy.
Here, God gives unbiased truth that meets human need. And it is backed up by hard evidences from science today. Archeology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics, physics, and other fields of anatomy, education, medicine, philosophy, psychology, sociology support
Scripture. No other book has been proven so historically accurate, true to life, reliable.
What then is death according to God's Scriptures?
From beginning to end He defines death as the opposite to life, the end of life. And, what is life?
–action, activity, awareness, consciousness, thought-flow, choices, creativity, working.
And death is the absence of all of these. God says so and human observations confirm it. Check it out for yourself in the Bible at Psalm 115:17; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 9, 10; and John 11:11–15.
Jesus called the death of His friend, Lazarus, a "sleep" –a temporary state Jesus could interrupt. In normal sleep humans are helpless, unconscious, cannot think or choose, have no control over
what happens to them or around them. But, Lazarus' 4-day “sleep” in death was irreversible–brain and body cells rotting (John 11:39). It would take his Creator, Jesus, to awaken him by restoring his body and brain before consciousness and actions would be possible. Read the rest of the account.
It is comforting to know that we have a Saviour from death a LifeGiver Who can give us life again if in this life we believe and trust Him to do so. It is comforting to know my deceased loved ones are not living in a spirit world, suffering torture in some hell somewhere, watching earthly tragedies anymore, or seeking communication with me. They are not reincarnated creatures in India. They sleep in peace now and Jesus has charge of their futures.
Fast-forward now to our future – when Jesus will keep His promise to resurrect the dead. Read about it in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 and believe His Word, and be comforted. I am.