When We Die

Skeptics, even the most severe of them, refuse to believe in any sort of resurrection or life after death.

But the real question is: how do we live until death?

Everyone has to face this issue.

Even though death’s coming, people respond to that knowledge differently.

Does that mean I just live my life as long as possible in hopelessness?

Does that mean I should end it now?

Does that mean I should live however I want, pursuing whatever pleasures I desire?

How should we live until death?

And what is life after death?

These are important questions.

The world has its answers that people often just accept without question.

But these answers are mostly not based on the Bible.

The so-called “wise” men of the world, who claim wisdom but make themselves fools, say, “No one knows.” And that’s a very common answer.

But in Romans 1:19-21, God, through Paul, says that He has made Himself known since the creation of the world.

Romans 1:19 states:

because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 

Romans 1:20 continues:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen,

How are they seen?

By the creation itself—by God’s handiwork in the entire universe.

Creation by God is debated about a lot today but this is relatively new in history’s timeline.

For most of history people saw it, knew it, and recognised that it was created. The fact that many don’t today is not a testament to better science or greater discoveries but rather to willing rejection of God.

Romans 1:20 goes on:

being understood by the things that are made,

Previous generations understood this.

They knew that creation itself testified to God’s power.

Romans 1:20 continues with,

even His eternal power and Godhead,

What did they know?

They didn’t know the gospel of Jesus Christ or the revelation of the mystery.

They didn’t know Christ needed to die.

What they did know was that God has eternal power and that He’s a Godhead—a personal God.

He’s powerful and personal.

Any human can know just by looking at creation.

To create such a world, God must be powerful enough to put, and keep, everything in place and to fill the world with personal beings, He Himself must be personal.

Romans 1:20 completes with:

so that they are without excuse, 

All mankind has no excuse for denying God.

Now, you might have an excuse for not knowing other things for example if all the bibles in the world were burned.

But that’s never been the case since the Bible existed.

There is no excuse for not recognising that a personal, powerful God exists.

Romans 1:21-22 states:

because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

Professing to be wise, they became fools, 

Someone speaks the, quote, “wise” statement that no one can know if there’s a God or life after death.

That is spoken out of willful ignorance.

And so, they become fools.

Now, the natural man, the man who looks only at the material and refuses to believe in the spiritual, will confidently state, that there’s nothing after death.

We’ve got no evidence of invisible things.

So, what about, logic, laws, love, hate, excitement, fear, emotion thought, inventiveness etc., etc.

Can you put those in a test tube? You can’t!

The natural man says there’s nothing after death, but God shows otherwise.

1 Corinthians 2:14 says:

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

Natural man cannot know them.

As long as a person’s locked into the mindset that only the material world exists, they will never recognise the spiritual things of God—because they refuse to believe they exist.

The natural mind says that there’s nothing after death.

We all die, our bodies go to dust, and that’s it.

Of course they’re partly right.

Our bodies do go to dust—and that’s the end for our bodies.

But what about you?  Are you just your body?  Of course not!

The Bible emphatically teaches otherwise.

The natural man says: “Why think about death so much? Why think about it happening someday or tomorrow when we can just live for today?”

“Just focus on life today. Live the best you can. Death will come, and we can’t change that—so just enjoy the next few decades.”

For children especially, this topic is avoided, just live for today.

Now, the believer says:  There is life after death.

We believe in God. We believe in the gospel. We believe in salvation. And we believe in life after death.

Yet even the believer struggles to fully grasp the reality of life after death.

We know something about life on this side of death. We need to eat, we need to sleep, we need to interact with others. We understand this about life, even though many still struggle to live it well.  Yet it seems, as believers, we know little or nothing about life after death.

It’s as if we’re waiting until death to figure it out.

Many Christians think, “We’ll just wait and learn about it when it happens.”

This’s because people see their life as beginning when they’re born and continuing until they reach the point of death which is the end of their life.

Even if they believe in life after death, most struggle to understand it.

The mindset for most people, Christians and non-Christians alike is let’s just live life to the fullest!

Earn as much as we can, do as much as we can, enjoy as much as we can, and live as much as we can!  Whether or not we believe in life after death, we’ll find out then.

For now, let’s all earn as much, do as much, and have as much fun as we can.

Society teaches that the person who doesn’t earn as much, do as much, live as much, or seek as much pleasure as possible, according to society’s unwritten script, is wasting their life.

This happens because, even among Christians, people don’t understand the life they claim exists after death.

In Romans 6 Paul, after teaching what salvation is, explains eternal life. We must know the gospel of salvation:  That Christ died for our sins.

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, that’s life forever, not life that ends in death.

If we trust in Christ’s death for our sins and His resurrection from the dead, the gospel promises forgiveness of sins and eternal life, freely, by His grace.

The believer trusts that gospel and believes in eternal life.  Yet, we struggle to understand it.

In Romans 6:13, Paul begins teaching something about life now, as a believer.

He says:

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin,

but present yourselves to God

Every believer in Christ agrees. Yes, we need to yield to God! Present ourselves to God, but look at what the verse says next:

as being alive from the dead,

That is how we yield or present ourselves to God.

That is how you and I, as believers on this side of death, ought to live.

We need to live as one who is alive from the dead.

Paul’s teaching something that many Christians miss.

If Christians believe in life after death but don’t understand what that life is, how can they live alive from the dead now as Paul instructs?

He tells believers to live as though we’re risen from the dead.

But if we don’t know what that looks like, how can we do it?

See the problem?

Most Christians think we’ll learn how to live that way after we die.

But Paul says to do it now.

How can I do that? I’m going to die!

Actually, as a believing Christian we’re already dead in Christ.

Let’s deal first with life after death.

Let’s start with the most obvious question: Where do we go when we die?

Sometimes, this simple question misses the true point of salvation.

When salvation is reduced to simply a change of location, it doesn’t communicate the true message of salvation.

So, where do we go when we die?

Many say they don’t know while others say that the Bible tells us we go to heaven or hell.

The message then becomes: We need to be in heaven because hell is bad.

WE need to decide now, before death, to be saved—so we go to heaven instead of hell.

But this reduces salvation to simply changing our destination.

But is salvation really just about location?

Is salvation simply walking through life saying that I’m going to heaven but not yet because I’m still here.

That view reduces salvation to just waiting to die so that we can move to heaven.

It skips right over Paul’s instruction to live as though we’re alive from the dead.

But first, where do we really go when we die—at least physically?

The Bible teaches this in Genesis 3:19. After sin entered the world through one man, God told that man:

“In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” 

Our body returns to the dust from which we came. Natural man gets this bit right and it’s observably true scientifically.

But there’s something most don’t see.

Sure, our bodies return to the dust. They don‘t float up to heaven like Jesus did after His resurrection.

Before our body fully decomposes, it falls down dead.  Then, there’s a funeral or some sort of ceremony of remembrance.

This event is for the people who remain not for the deceased.

The person who has passed away doesn’t experience it.

There’s no life in that ceremony for the one who died.

To them if death is truly the end, they no longer exist anywhere.

That’s the natural man’s view of death and it’s a hopeless view.

But what about the spirit?

Even Solomon, writing with human wisdom in Ecclesiastes, knew that man has a spirit.

As Romans 1 teaches, men are without excuse.  We ought to know that there is a personal, powerful God whose not made of matter, but spiritual and there’s a spiritual, invisible, non-material component to us.

We should recognize this from our ability to speak, our conscience, and the life within us, life that disappears when our body dies.

Where is the invisible part of us? Where is our soul? Where is our spirit?

Ecclesiastes 12:7 says:

Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. 

Solomon’s talking about what happens after death.

Read verse 6, which describes how “the silver cord is loosed,” referring to passing away—whether buried, cremated, or however it happens.

And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

So, our body is put into a box or in the ground, where it decomposes, and our spirit returns to God. That’s where we go.

And we can’t control that.

We don’t get to drive our spirit around like we do our body.

In the same way, our spirit, the real us, doesn’t know how to navigate where it needs to go after death.

It simply returns to God who gave it.

Does the Bible talk about where people go when they die?

Most would say that of course it does!

Well, you may be surprised, because most of the Bible does not talk about going to heaven.

Most of the Bible talks about resurrection on the earth.

Paul talks about going to heaven.

So, this entire argument of heaven versus hell might actually be too simplistic.

What happens when we die?

Luke 16 gives us an example given by the Lord Himself.

I call it an example because it is not **just** an imaginary story.

Even if the events Jesus describes didn’t actually happen and were simply an illustration, which is hard to believe, the truths He’s teaching are real.

Jesus never invented imaginary concepts to explain reality.

He always taught what was real.

Luke 16:19-21, Jesus speaking:

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 

But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 

Then the story continues in Luke 16:22,

So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.

Notice this is not exactly heaven.

But he was carried somewhere. His location changed but the beggar’s body remained on the street while the spirit, the soul, went to Abraham’s bosom.

The rich man also died and was buried.

So, again—the body dropped to the ground.

But where did the spirit go?

Luke 16:23 tells us,

And being in torments in Hades,

So, when we die, our location changes, the location of the real “us”.

Our body goes back to the earth, where it belongs.

But our spirit our soul goes to one of two places.

Here, Lazarus went to Abraham’s bosom—the place where those who trusted in Abraham’s covenant went.

The rich man went to hell or Hades.

Luke 16:23 continues:

he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 

We can study hell and Hades and what the Bible says about it but here, it’s described as a place of torment.

Meanwhile, Lazarus was not in torment.

So, Abraham’s bosom was a place of comfort, not a place of suffering.

And of course, heaven is also spoken of in the Bible.

Do people go to different places when they die? Yes.

That raises an important question. On what basis do people go to one place or the other?

Look at 2 Corinthians 5:8,

We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 

As believers, we trust in the gospel that saves us and we understand that when we’re absent from our body, like Lazarus was, we go to a place of blessing.   We go to be with the Lord.

This disproves the idea of soul sleep where some say that when we die we’re just unconscious for a while—until the end, when we wake up again.

But the Bible does not teach this.

Luke 16 refutes it.

2 Corinthians 5 refutes it.

Philippians 1 refutes it.

1 Thessalonians 4 refutes it.

Paul clearly says that when we die—that is, when we’re absent from our body, we’re immediately present with the Lord.

Of course that means we’re not just our body.

Our body is part of us.  It’s used by us.  But when it dies, we go somewhere else.

That also confirms that there is a soul and a spirit and those go to be with the Lord, because we’re in the Lord, according to the gospel.

Going to heaven or going to hell is not the full picture of what happens after death.

Some think they want to go to heaven because that’s where God is and they don’t want to go to hell because that’s where the devil is.

But that’s a cartoon version of the truth.

Psalm 139:7-8 states that God is also in hell! What? No! Yes! Let’s read, King David writing,

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 

If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 

See, it’s really not about God’s location.  He’s everywhere, always. He’s omnipotent. There’s nowhere in existence that He’s not.

It’s not even about our location.

Wherever God places me God places me.

That should affect how we live here and now.

Instead of just saying, “I’m going to heaven! I’m going to heaven!” I’m here now.

How do I live now, or do I simply wait until heaven?

When we get to heaven it won’t just be continuing the life we’re living now, minus the frustrations.

Many imagine heaven as life as it is now, without difficulties.  Smooth sailing.

But heaven’s not eternal retirement!

Some think that down here, I have to work and work—but when I get to heaven, no more work for me!

It’ll just be lattes on the heavenly clouds! But that’s not what heaven is.

If we tell someone that they’ll work in heaven they’ll start reconsidering where they want to go!

But Psalm 139 reminds us that going somewhere different when we die is a fact, but it’s not the entire picture of salvation.  It’s not just about location.

There is a place in hell where your soul can be destroyed, something way beyond physical suffering.

That’s a torment you and I cannot even imagine while in our mortal body.

And God wants to save all men from that end, which is the whole point of scripture.

He desires to save all men from the destruction of their soul by offering a share in His life and His glory, which is eternal glory.

Matthew 10:28 talks about the second death and Revelation 20:6 gives more details about that second death.

Of course, the second death doesn’t happen immediately after a person dies, but it does happen after people die.

The more we understand this, the better prepared we are to communicate why salvation is so essential.

Salvation is not about a better life now it’s about a better life to come.

We don’t need to only know that life exists after death, but what that life or death is like so that we can explain it to others and ignorance about life after death can obstruct that.

When Christians don’t understand what life after death is, they can’t fully communicate it to others.

This’s why many fall back to simply saying that God’ll make your life better now, because they don’t know much else.

Revelation 20 describes future events, after Christ’s return, when He establishes His kingdom on earth.  It’s all future.

It’ll happen after we die, or if we’re changed in the twinkling of an eye as 1 Corinthians 15:52 describes.

Revelation 20:6 states:

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection

Many people don’t even believe in resurrection—and here, resurrection is being counted!

There is a first resurrection.  Revelation 20:6 continues,

Over such the second death has no power,

So, the second death will affect those who’re not part of this first resurrection.

but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Now, Revelation 20:14 comes after the second resurrection—where people are raised to stand before God’s judgment throne. It says:

Then Death and Hades (or Hell) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

Wait, so you mean hell doesn’t last forever?

People often assume that hell is eternal.

But while torment is for another discussion, hell itself doesn’t last forever.

The verse states that it’s cast into the lake of fire which is the second death.

So, the real problem is this:

At the judgment seat, those who are already dead, separated from their body, decomposed in the dirt long ago, will stand before God as themselves, judged for their works. These will all fail judgement and will be thrown into hell.

Then, hell itself will be thrown into the second death.

For every person, there’s judgment, whether it be this second death, or another judgment.

Hebrews 9:27 states:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 

 

This is important information.  Many people still debate whether life exists after death.

But not only is there life after death, every person will face judgment before the righteous Creator of their soul.

So, it’s wise to learn how we should stand before Him correctly.

Romans 14:12 says,

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. 

Some people assume that because they’re saved they won’t face judgment.

However, Romans 14:10 states:

But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

These are believers like you and me, and we’ll all stand before Christ in judgment.

Judgment doesn’t always mean punishment.  It’s also a determination or a decision made.

For example when we graduate from school, or finish an apprenticeship, a determination or a judgment is made about whether we pass or fail.

So, judgment can result in a good outcome.

If we’re saved by God’s grace we’ll still stand before our Lord at this judgment.

But what will He judge them for?

The second death does not concern those who’re saved, so what judgment does concern believers?

2 Corinthians 5:10 points out:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 

So, at the judgment seat, a person receives based on what we’ve done whether good or bad.

Paul continues:  2 Corinthians 5:11,

Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;

We persuade men, because judgment will happen to all men.

Do we know what the “terror of the Lord” looks like?

It’s that second death and knowing that is why we persuade men.

But we’re also held accountable to God.

The judgment seat of Christ. What is that?

1 Corinthians 3:12-14,

Now if anyone builds on this foundation, what foundation? The grace of God and Jesus Christ.

Now if anyone builds on this foundation, with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.

Notice how it’s not the person being tried—it is his work.

The work being judged is the work already done in life and if it survives the trial it receives a reward.

That work is what’ll be tested at this judgment.

Again, we’re thinking about what happens after death, but it’s affecting how we live now.

If a person doesn’t care about what happens to them after death, then it won’t much affect the choices they make now.

But if we recognise that we’ll stand before the Lord and could receive a reward for the kind of work we do here, it can affect our life.

When Paul says Romans 6:13 to present ourselves to God as being alive from the dead, he’s saying: “Imagine we’re alive from the dead.” How can we possibly imagine that?

We live as if we’re raised from the dead and as someone who’ll stand at judgment to receive a reward.

Live now as someone experiencing eternal life now.

That is what Paul teaches in Colossians 2:18

Let no man beguile you (or cheat you) out of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels. 

There’re many religious works that people claim appease God, but don’t.

That’s why studying scripture is essential.

Many religious works assume that If I do this, God will be pleased with me.

But Paul says:  No—many religious practices and supposed good works won’t pass judgment. They’re not worthy of reward.

We need to know what those things are.

Paul writes in Colossians 3:23-24,

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 

The Lord’s  going to give the reward of the inheritance.

So, what we do here should be done as to the one we know we’ll serve there.

Life and death and our knowledge of it matters for the choices we make now.

Paul prays for the Ephesians in Ephesians 1:18 that:

the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling,

What is the hope of His calling?  Eternal life.

Paul continues

what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 

What are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints?

The riches?

Earlier, we saw reward, now we see riches.

Rewards are for specific kinds of work while riches are the blessings God bestows upon all who’re saved.

Paul wants us to know what the riches of the glory of His inheritance are.

Look at the great and beautiful passage of Ephesians 2:4-9

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 

What’s the location here? In heaven!

This’s where we find the teaching of going to heaven.

and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

It’s very important to realise that we would not be in heaven without Him.

Verse 7 states: that in the ages to come

That’s future, future from or after our death.

that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

This is an amazing verse!

What’ll happen after we die? This!

God will show us the exceeding riches of His grace and His kindness toward us.

It’s the ultimate welcome-home party, abounding in kindness, love, and richness toward us.

That’s what’ll happen after a Christian’s death.

Verse 8 continues:

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;

It’s not something we earn here in this life.

In Ephesians 3:16 Paul prays again.

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

These are riches we’ll receive here and now, riches that God’s provided for us.

So, again we see how knowing what happens after death can affect our life now.

Philippians 4:19 states:

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 

This doesn’t mean every material need will be met as many preach today.

Remember that our body, once we hit death, goes into the ground.

But in glory, the riches do affect what we need spiritually.

Things that change our soul, that help us grow in Christ.

After death, glory is no longer a hope it’s a reality.

Colossians 1:27 states:

…God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

What is glory?

God’s Divine Presence and Majesty. It describe the radiance, splendour, and magnificence of God.

There’s a glory among men like where an athlete wins a championship and in their victory they get their trophy and receive praise, in the praise.

But that glory is temporary, whereas God’s glory is forever.

It’ll be seen and celebrated forever because who He is and what He does is worthy of eternal praise.

That’s our hope, the blessed hope.

But after death, it’s no longer a hope.  It’s reality.

Colossians 3:4 states:

When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 

Christ doesn’t appear during this present time.

Christ will appear either after either our death or for those who are changed in the twinkling of an eye in the great catching away of the Body of Christ. And that’s when we’ll appear in glory.

So, for a believer, what happens after death? Glory!

Romans 8:18 states:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

That’s an amazing verse to reflect on about what shall be after we die.

Sufferings in this world are in our face, in our body, in our daily struggles, in constant conversations.

Suffering, frustration and pain especially as we get older.

And yet, Paul says that those sufferings are not even worth comparing not our coming glory. Do we have a bunch of sufferings? God’s glory is millions of times bigger than every sufferings we could list.

That should change how we think about suffering differently. At least, it’s temporary.

This should change our minds about life here and now.

When people don’t believe in life after death or don’t know what happens after they die, this life seems like forever.

But if we know something about the size of eternity, the glory, the judgment and the reward of forever in Christ, that should put this life into perspective.

Romans 8:30 tells us,

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 

If we believe Christ is alive today, sitting in glory, then we’re in Him and we’ll be in glory too.

That is the hope we have.

Romans 8:31 has this,

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 

Christians declare that now, in this life.

But how can we be so joyful, so confident about glory before we actually receive it?

That’s the power of hope and of faith and, there’re things happening in that eternal life that we can live now.

That is why Paul says in Romans 16:

Yield yourselves or present yourselves as being alive from the dead.

God’s glory and God’s life are not confined to life after death.

Many think that when I die then it all begins. But No.

It’s already begun.  We just don’t fully see it yet, even though it’s already operating in us.

We need to change the way we think to live that life now.

So, glory happens. It’s no longer a hope. Rewards and riches happen, and judgment happens.

And then there’s something else. God renews the heaven and the earth.

We tend to forget how incredible that’ll be.

We tend to think that sin and corruption are everywhere, and I just want to leave and it’s an understandable sentiment.

But when God restores everything to its intended glory and beyond we might be in heaven, longing for earth, because God’s renewal will be so amazing.

Listen to Revelation 11:15 and the words spoken by people in heaven.

Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 

See that?  Loud voices in heaven, saying:

The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord.

Is that true today?  No!

Has it ever been true? No!

But at this time it will be true, and it’ll happen without an election!

What a day that’ll be, and it’ll never end.  And it happens on the earth.

Revelation 19:5 and this is before Revelation 11. Many event in Revelation don’t follow in chapter and verse sequence.

Then a voice came from the throne, saying, “Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!” 

This is when Christ actually, physically  returns to the earth through the clouds in glory and He comes to fight and to judge the world in righteousness.

But look at what they say in Revelation 19:6:

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 

We can sing that in a stadium, all we want but nothing presently here on earth will be like that moment.

Revelation 21:1-2 happens after death:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 

And I, John, saw the holy city—New Jerusalem—coming down from God, out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

That’s the bride of Jesus a city.

Revelation 21:3

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 

God will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, this is Israel.

God will finally fulfill Israel’s covenant.

That is why we see the bride, it’s a wedding.

God covenanted with Israel to be this nation of blessing on the earth and eventually, the whole earth will be full of His glory, not just Israel all nations.

Revelation 21:4 states:

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

This’s where people get the painless existence from and yes, that day will come after death.

So, what should we expect here, now? Pain. Death. Tears. Sorrow.

But there will be a day when we’ll never grow old and with no more pain, no more tears, no more sorrow.

A lot of things happen after we die.

How will we live after we die?

This really is the heart of the issue.

If Paul tells us to yield or present ourselves now as those who are alive from the dead (Romans 6:13), we need to know what it means to be alive from the dead.

Over there people will be living without pain but how do I live like that now?

Well, maybe I can live as if there’s something greater than my pain.

Over there there’s no death but how do I live like that now?

Maybe I can live as if there is life after death, eternal life, right now and forever.

That changes how we view things.

People live in hope of retirement.

But who decided that all of us working toward retirement was a good thing?

People live hoping for retirement, a life of ease.

And why not live an easier life rather than a harder life?

People struggle to appreciate what life really is?

They often live for entertainment, fun, amusement, distraction.

Everyone knows they’ll die, so—they try to get the most out of this life that they can.

Often this is to try and dull a sense of hopelessness with constant distraction and a bit of distraction is great.

But a life of distraction to cover up thinking about the truth of life and death is living in false reality, a fantasy.

Many are consumed, addicted to news cycles and politics, always looking to the next headline, trapped in an endless cycle a never ending drama.

People think that the way they live now, how they’ve set life up, is the best way to live and they often think of heaven like that.

It will be what I want—forever because I just don’t get to do everything now.

In heaven, I want to travel and see all the places I missed and do everything I couldn’t do, and God will let me—because He loves me, and He’ll give me what I want!

But what if we’re looking ahead and what if the way we live now determines what’s ahead?

When if for those in heaven today, and for you and I soon enough, the day-to-day news in heaven is not about frustration, drama, or controversy, what our favourite news channel or social media channel said!

What if instead every day was seeing God work in that saint, in this saint, even that saint still on earth, witnessing every day the news of someone getting saved.

In Luke 15:7 and Luke 15:10 Jesus talks about in heaven; they rejoice over the salvation of a soul.

What is happening now is that we’re already living in God’s eternal life and glory and we’re grateful every day for the blessings God is giving us.

We’re living in gratitude and living life of purpose, a life of completion, where we feel whole, instead of constantly searching for something to fill the emptiness.

What an amazing way to live? And we can live like that now.  We just need to know the truth that we’re complete in Christ and we know God’s will in all things, and we can give thanks, and we can learn to live that way now.

We can focus on the things that are glorious, the spiritual things we can’t see with our eyes, but we know them in our mind and in our heart.

We’re living eternally in Christ Jesus—today.

How will we live when we die?

Well, instead of seeking constant distraction, we could live a full life.

However, we  can never reach a full life without God and without His truth.  We’ll never live it while our material “thing” collection and our striving for fun and the pursuit of happiness is the most important part of our life. We live a  full life by understanding and growing in the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

That’s what’ll fill our life for eternity, so why not let it fill our life now?

This is the solution to your soul’s struggles and it’s what strengthens our inner man. It produces love.

We can live in joy, peace, longsuffering by walking after the Spirit, producing the fruit of the Spirit.

Paul teaches us to do this.

By the way—all of this was not known before God revealed it to Paul.

Before, it was simply: “Do this, and live.” But now everything’s changed.

How we think about who we are, how life comes from God, what life in Christ looks like.

Now, we actually can walk in a world full of suffering and evil and still be as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 

That’s living eternal life now, while we’re still alive in our mortal flesh.

We don’t have to wait.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17 Paul says:

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 

It’s often really hard to see suffering that way. It feels like the most important thing facing me right now.

But Paul’s putting things into perspective when he carries on in the next verse, 2 Corinthians 4:17,

while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

Can we know those eternal unseen things? Yes!

Paul’s epistles are full of teachings about spiritual, eternal realities, even though we don’t see them with our natural senses yet, we’ve been given all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus in heavenly places. Ephesians 2:7.

Those spiritual blessings can change the way we think now, if we let them.

Or we can choose to live the way everyone else lives in our natural flesh as if death is the end.

But we have eternal life which began the moment we got saved.

We might say that we’re waiting for that and it’s going to be a great day!

But let the Word change us.  Let God transform us now. Because He already has.

What keeps us from believing that’s true?

Our mortal flesh which is very much still here.

The good news is that Jesus Christ and the gospel that saves is not just about a change of location.  It’s about God’s life and living His life now, on earth, before heaven.

We’re alive to His truth, to who He is, and to what His glory looks like and alive to read and understand spiritual things.

To know the manifold wisdom of God and  the depth and the lengths of His love To live in His love in the life of God.

We’re risen with Christ and Christ is seated in heaven, so where’s our seat?

In heaven, right now.

Paul says in Colossians 3:1

If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  

We ask, “How? I can’t get up there, how do I seek them?”

Because we’re not talking about our physical location.

We’re not talking about the things that’re yet to happen like judgment, rewards, and riches.

We’re talking about the things that’re already given to us, things we can know now.

Where are we seated right now, even though we’re an ambassador on earth? We’re seated with Christ in heavenly places.

We’re simply an ambassador still here.

Colossians 3:2,

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

So, seek them, desire them.

“But how do I develop a desire for things I can’t even see?”

We change our mind with the Word and read about what they are as Romans 12:2 tells us,

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

You might even start to realise how useless the things we love and pursue really are.

Colossians 3:2-3 again,

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 

We should learn that, understand that, repeat that, remind ourself of it and live according to it.

So, what happens when we die?  Our body will be left behind.  Sin will be left behind, so we mortify our members now and live like that now Colossians 3:5.

Paul continues in Colossians 3:8

Put off all these things—anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 

Why?

Because we’ll put them off over there, so put them off here.

Colossians 3:9

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 

Why?  Because there’s no lying over there, so don’t do it here.

When we begin to think of ourselves as living this eternal life here and now, it changes everything.

We start asking how we should live.

Well, how we’ll live in glory.

But what happens when I fail?

God’s grace and mercy is always there but as a Christian we should at least how to live as one risen from the dead.

Colossians 3:10 says

and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 

We’ve got to know certain things to live as the new man.

Galatians 2:20 says:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 

If we’re living with this in our mind, in our affections, and letting it affect how we live here, we’ll be living the life of God.

That’s where we begin.

We say that we can’t let the things of God affect our practical responsibilities, but do we really think we’ll be irresponsible in glory?

Some people think that when they get to heaven there’ll finally be no more responsibilities!

Wrong!

We will have responsibility in heaven and if we dislike responsibility what in the world do we think we’re doing serving God? That’s a responsibility.

Salvation’s not our removal from responsibility; it’s our entrance into service to God!

Some people think that having no responsibility would be joy!

But what would that really be?

Not accomplishing anything? Not doing anything?  Not helping in any way.

All that having no responsibility does is make us act as one who’s dead.

Some might say: “No, that’s wrong, I get treated well. I get served.” Yes but only if you worked hard enough to pay for it!

Also, if a person thinks they themselves are the object of worship and service, that changes what they think good is.

Serving others is a blessing.

Paul says in Act 20:35, quoting Jesus,

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’   

If we live as if receiving is the greater blessing, we’ll miss out on what is truly greater.

You and I can only be served to the level of your imagination. But what about God’s imagination?

Ephesian 3:20 tells us,

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (imagine), according to the power that works in us, 

We’ve been promised that.

If a person can’t see that serving God is a good thing, then they’re misunderstanding salvation.

Walking in truth and in God’s life isn’t a burden. It’s not misery.

Some say that all this is hard!

Yes, if they’re walking in the power of their flesh, they can’t do it.

But, with the life of God and the strength of Christ Jesus we can.