When asked if he was afraid of dying, Woody Allen once famously responded, “I’m not afraid of dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
If Woody Allen doesn't want to experience death, he needs to believe in Jesus. Jesus says, Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die (John 11:25-26).
Amazingly, Jesus seems to be saying that for the one who has spiritual life through faith in him--that is, for the Christian--"death" is really just another word for "eternal life." There is a sense in which, for the Christian, there is no death experience.
While the subject of death and dying is not usually at the top of our list of desirable topics of discussion, as Christians, the promise of heaven should be a huge mitigating factor in both the fear of death and in the unknowns of dying. There is a promise from God for another life that offers something much, much better than what we experience in this life--something the apostle Paul calls "an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Cor 4:17).
In the previous post we tried to answer the question; Where is the present heaven?
Today, we want to examine this question - What does a Christian experience when he/she dies?
The "Intermediate State"
The Bible tells us that on the "last day" God will do away with the present heaven and the present earth, and provide "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev 21:1). At that time, it seems that heaven and earth will merge together and we Christians will enjoy a literal heaven on earth.
But we're not there yet, which means that unless Jesus comes back within our lifetime, every one of us upon our passing, will first experience something other than what God is preparing for us on the last day. So it seems there are two “heavenly" experiences that need to be considered when we discuss the place we call heaven.
As mentioned in the last post, many theologians, recognizing these two heavenly experiences for Christians, refer to the current place we often call heaven, as the "intermediate state" -- a kind of temporary stopover where we wait for our glorified bodies and the provision of our eternal home on the new earth.
Three Important Passages
To help us understand this "intermediate state", there are three stories in the New Testament that give us a glimpse of what happens when we die. Here is a synopsis of each account, but I encourage you to read them in their entirety.
Jesus famously tells the thief on the cross (the one who repented of his sinful life and confessed Jesus as Lord), "... today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).
The apostle Paul uses the same word, "paradise", to describe the place God revealed to him in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, which he also calls "the third heaven."
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus tells the story of an unnamed rich man and a poor man, named Lazarus. Both men die. Lazarus goes to a place of comfort called "Abraham's bosom." The wealthy man goes to a place of torment, called Hades (Luke 16:19-31).
From these accounts it seems logical that "paradise", "Abraham's bosom", and the "third heaven" are synonymous--that is, all names for the same after-death experience for the heaven-bound.
Paradise
The word "paradise" is only mentioned three times in Scripture, and while there are no specific descriptions of the environmental nature of this place, the Greek word <paradeisos> evokes an image of a walled, pastoral garden; a refuge; a peaceful place of natural beauty. The fact that the poor, humble man in Luke 16 is being comforted implies that, in this place, the life of struggle and pain and suffering is over.
Going Home
Beyond the three passages referenced above, additional information about the nature of the place we go upon passing can be inferred from examining the apostle Paul's ebullient outlook of hope after God allows him to experience the place he calls "paradise".
Whatever Paul experienced in the "third heaven/paradise" was so wonderful that he tells the saints in Corinth that he "would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8 NIV).
"... away from the body and at home with the Lord." According to Paul, departing from our temporal bodies (dying) means going to a place he calls "home". The various lexicons reveal that the expression "at home" connotes being "among one's own people in one's own land." For the Christian, then, dying and going to heaven is a description of a homecoming.
The implication is that our our life on this earth is just a long journey in a foreign land. Upon passing, we come "home" to a place where we belong, with people we know and familiar surroundings, perhaps a beautiful garden. It is a place of safety, comfort, and well-being... and it’s where Jesus is!
C. S. Lewis realized that his earth was never meant to be our true home. "If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.”
Note that implied within the concept of going home is the notion that, in heaven, we will be ourselves, but without any unfulfilled yearnings, and minus the imperfections and the sin nature that made life so challenging on this earth. I will still be me and you will still be you, Lazarus was still Lazarus.
So the answer to our question, "What happens when a Christian dies?"
He/she goes home... finally... to be with Jesus.
Final Thought
Many scholars believe that Psalm 16, written by David, was really written as if Jesus himself were speaking regarding his own death, giving us a preview of what to expect.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:9-11 NIV)
Heaven, then, is our home; a familiar place of belonging, with fullness of joy and unending pleasures. As Christians, such a comforting image should vanquish any fear of dying and should motivate us to "hold fast the faith" and to persevere through the "light and momentary afflictions" of this life (2 Cor 4:17).
Next Post: The "new heaven and new earth"
Here's a link: https://www.bibleinsights.net/post/post-58-heaven-part-iii
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