WHAT REALLY HAPPENS

WHEN WE DIE?
written by
Allen G. Parr Jr.

OVERVIEW: What really happens when we die? There are several different
views on this. In these notes I seek to present some of the more common
views on the afterlife followed by what I believe the Bible teaches on what
happens when we die.

POPULAR VIEWS ON THE AFTERLIFE

1. REINCARNATION - This is the idea that your karma determines
the state in which you live in your next life. If you do good things in
this life you can elevate to a higher class or state in your next life
and vice versa. BUDDHISM, HINDUISM
2. ANNIHILATION - There are two views on this. The first view is
that Christians go to heaven but non-Christians go to hell, but only
for a limited time to pay for their sins then they are ANNIHILATED
or CEASE TO EXIST. In other words, "the crime determines the
time of punishment." Others believe there is no literal hell, but when
you die apart from Christ you just simply cease to exist. SEVENTH
DAY ADVENTISTS AND OTHER DENOMINATIONS
3. PURGATORY - Those ultimately destined for heaven must first
go to a place called purgatory where they are "purged" for their sins
before gaining entrance into heaven. CATHOLICISM
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH?

1 ETERNAL LIFE APART FROM GOD

Hell is eternal not temporal. The same Greek word used for eternal
life is used for eternal death (Mt. 25:46).
Hell is a place of eternal torment, pain, memory and separation
from loved ones and from God (Lk. 16:19-31).
There are different Greek words used for hell. Two of which are
HADES and GEHENNA. Hades is the general place of the wicked
dead. Gehenna refers to the Lake of fire.
ILLUSTRATION: Think of Hades as the COUNTY JAIL where the
guilty go to await their sentence. Think of Gehenna as PRISON
where they go after they are sentenced as guilty (Rev. 20:14).
There are different degrees of punishment in hell. God is just and
will punish unbelievers based on what they've done and their
exposure to the truth (Lk. 12:47-48; Mt. 10:15).

2 ETERNAL LIFE WITH GOD

When Christians die we go directly into the presence of God (2
Cor. 5:8).
Heaven is a place of comfort, peace and celebration (Lk. 16:25)
Heaven is not the final destination for believers because God is
going to destroy this current heaven and earth and create a new
one for eternity (2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 21:1).

KEY TAKEAWAY: Share your faith and

praise God for your salvation!