One day, each of us will close our eyes for the final time in this world. Where will you be when you open your eyes in the next world?
When death occurs, the body and soul separate. The physical frame returns to dust, but the soul — the conscious, eternal self — endures.
“The dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” – Ecclesiastes 12:7
Upon death, our “spirit” returns to God. There are two points to consider. First, what exactly is our spirit? The Bible uses “spirit” and “soul” interchangeably. In researching the difference between the two, some theologians attribute opposite definitions to each. However, they use the same adjectives to describe both in terms of our intellect, emotions, fears, passions, creativity, and the unique ability to comprehend and understand. I prefer to describe our spirit as our “entire essence.” The second point is more sobering: although our spirit returns to God, the Bible does not say we go to heaven.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. – 2 Corinthians 5:10
The Bible teaches that the human spirit, upon departing the body, goes immediately into the presence of God the Son for either His welcome or His judgement. I think it is safe to say that, whether we are believers or nonbelievers, we will all find ourselves opening our eyes in the presence of Jesus Christ.
The Fork in the Road
Protestants have a saying: “Born once, die twice; born twice, die once.” The nonbeliever who rejects Jesus Christ is born once and dies twice—physical death and spiritual death, separated from God forever. The believer, born again by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, dies only physically, while their spirit enjoys eternal life in God’s presence.
Born twice, die once
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
– John 3:16
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
– 1 Peter 1:3
You pass from death and judgment to forgiveness and eternal life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life” – John 5:24
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
– Revelation 21:4
This is great news for the believer! By receiving Jesus’ work on the cross and accepting His payment for our sins, we are granted a gift to avoid judgment and enter eternal life in heaven enjoying God’s presence.
Born once, die twice
“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell” – Matthew 10:28
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, – Hebrews 9:27
… but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. – Romans 2:8
Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. – Revelation 20:14-15
This places the non-believer between a rock and a hard place. The cost of rejecting a personal relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is an eternal nightmare. Eternity is forever. Living a life focused solely on this physical world is very shortsighted. It’s like driving at night without headlights.
If you are a nonbeliever, have you thought about how loving it is that God does not force Himself upon you? In fact, He gives you the freedom to choose. He does not demand your love or your loyalty. His amazing goodness is available to us until our last moments. We are reminded of this in Luke chapter 23 with the penitent thief on the cross next to Jesus.
“Then one of the criminals who was hanged blasphemed Him, saying, If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise’” – Luke 23: 39-43
The unrepentant criminal faced judgment after death. But the penitent criminal, in his final moments, acknowledged that his deeds deserved condemnation. With a sincere heart, he asked Jesus, “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” In that instant, he was forgiven and promised paradise with Christ. Remarkably, this man likely never entered a place of worship and had lived a life of crime and self-indulgence. Yet, by expressing faith in Jesus in his last hours, he received eternal life in heaven.
If you are a nonbeliever, you have a loving Father waiting for you to turn to Him and be filled with His light. No matter your past deeds, He will forgive your sins and give you a new life. Choose to accept Jesus’ work on the cross, embrace Him as your Lord and Savior, and look forward to opening your eyes in the light of God’s eternal kingdom. Instead of facing judgment and condemnation, God the Son will smile upon you and guide you into the eternal presence of God the Father.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6
Your comments are welcome – please review House Rules.
To protect your anonymity use a pseudo name.
Your email will not be seen, but a fake email is ok too.
Leave a Reply