What happens when you die ?
Note: Feel free to just simply read this article (which is an Interactive Bible Study from our Bible Studies website). But, if you have a printer, you might want to print this study out and read and do the study offline at your leisure either individually or with a SS class, in a Bible Study small group, etc.
In August 1997, the world was shocked by the unexpected and sudden death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris. And even before she was buried, Mother Theresa died! And, a few days before both of those deaths, there was a tragic airline crash on Guam resulting in the deaths of at least 228. And on Sunday, May 30, 2009, 228 people died when their plane enroute from Rio to Paris crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
And we could go on and on. People die daily, either by accident or from cancer, heart attack, strokes, or any of numerous other illnesses. Some even die from ‘old age.’ But people die. And one day so will you !
But, what happens when a person dies? Yes, there is a funeral or a memorial service and the person is usually praised, eulogized, and fondly remembered. But what really happens? Is death the end of everything for that person? Does he or she, you or I, simply go to the grave and that is the end? Is there anything after death?
There are four possibilities of ‘what happens’ when you die. They are very different! So it is important that we know which is the right one.
The four possibilities are:
1. Nothing happens. You just die and that is the end. (Annihilation)
2. Not much. You die but someday you ‘come back’ to ‘try for a ‘better end.’ (Reincarnation)
3. You die (unsaved) and discover that there is a God and after judgement by God, you go to hell for an eternity of indescribable anguish and suffering.
4. You die (as a Christian) and go to heaven where you live forever with God in indescribable joy and happiness.
Do people just die and that is the end? Or do they die and then come back later as another person to live another life or as an insect or another animal to try again? Is there really a heaven and a hell? And, if there is, how does a person get to heaven? Does everyone go there automatically when they die? Do all ‘good’ people go there? Is Princess Diana there? Is Mother Theresa? Where are the 228 who died in that plane crash in Guam? Are they going to come back as bugs or animals or as different persons? Were they just annihilated and their existence is over forever? Are they in heaven? Or are they, or some of them, GASP, in hell now? What wlll happen to you? Where will you go when you die?
These are important questions and, fortunately for us, the answers are available.
To find the answers to these questions, let’s look at the following statements. And as you read
To the side of each statement, in one or two words, summarize whether it is talking about ie. heaven, hell, judgement, rewards, being reincarnated, or being annihilated.
CIRCLE every occurrence of the word death, die, dying, dead, and any other words used in the place of these words.
Put a BOX around every occurrence of the word hell, hades, torment, fire, fiery lake, destruction, and any other word used in the place of these words.
Put an EXCLAMATION POINT on every occurrence of the word heaven or any words used in place of heaven (city of God, heavenly city, throne, paradise, Kingdom of God, Father’s house, city with foundations, eternal life, etc).
If you have colored pencils or pens, it would be helpful to also use Black for the Circled words (death, die, etc), Red for the Box words (hell, hades, etc), and Green for the exclamation points (heaven, etc). But, if you don’t have these colors, use what you have or what you prefer.
(For those of you who are reading this on the Internet, you may print these pages out so you can mark these words for yourself. Just click on PRINT or whatever command your browser uses to print.)
Ok, here are the statements. Read and mark them while you observe what they have to say about “What Happens when a person dies.”
...man is destined (appointed) to die once, and after that to face judgment... (Hebrews 9:27)
Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, He devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from Him. (2 Samuel 14:14)
For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others. (Psalms 49:10)
When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. (Proverbs 14:32)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. (Rev 21:8)
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him Who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)
In reply Jesus declared, ‘I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’ (John 3:3)
Everyone who believes in Him (Jesus) may have eternal life. (John 3:15)
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. (John 3:36)
The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:8)
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:12)
What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)
...The Lord is coming ...to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. (Jude 14-15)
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body. (Php 3:20-21)
He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thes 1:8)
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Cor 5:10)
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. (Rev. 20:12)
...To the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect. (Heb 12:23)
For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)
This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. (Ro 2:16)
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt. 6:20)
In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, he said, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. (Acts 7:55-56)
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in haven, not built by human hands. (2 Cor. 5:1)
For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (Heb 11:10)
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (Rev 22.14)
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. (Heb 12:22)
Blessed are those who wash their robes that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. (Rev 22:14)
Jesus answered him, I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5:12)
...will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt.8:12)
Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. (Matt 25:46)
But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, Raca, is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, You fool! Will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matt. 5:22)
They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:42)
Then He will say to those on His left, Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matt 25:41)
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. (Mark 9:43)
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. (Mark 9:45)
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:47-48)
The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire. (Luke 16:22-24)
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. (Matt 10:28)
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? (Matt 23:33)
He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 24:51)
But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Ro. 2:8)
They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power. (2 Th. 1:9)
...how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?... (Heb 2:3)
How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb 10:29)
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; ... (2 Peter 2:4)
They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 13)
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. (John 3:36)
Hmmm. Quite a collection of statements. And these are only a few of the many more that could have been included here. But, surely they are enough to help you answer the question, “What happens when a Person Dies.”
So, based on what you have just read and marked, answer the following questions:
? Of the 4 ‘possibilities,’ do these statements indicate that death simply results in a person being annihilated and just ceasing to exist? Circle your answer:............YES................NO
? Of the 4 ‘possibilities,’ do these statements indicate that at death a person will one day be reborn on earth as an insect or bird, or animal or even as another person with an opportunity to try again? .......... Circle your answer: ...............YES..................NO
? Of the 4 ‘possibilities,’ do these statements indicate that at death a person will discover that there really IS a God and that this God will hold him accountable for the actions of their life and judge that person for what they have done or not done? Circle your answer.......YES.......... NO
? Of the 4 ‘possibilities,’ do these statements indicate that at death a person will either go to Heaven or to Hell based on the decision of God about them? Circle your answer....YES........NO
? Based on what you have read in these statements, where do you think you will GO when you die?.................Circle your answer:................To Heaven ...................To Hell
? Why do you think you will go there?___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
? Do you know what is required to be able to enter heaven and to avoid hell?.....YES .........NO
? What must a person do to be saved? (To go to Heaven and to escape hell). Before you answer, read the following statements. And, as you read, when you see anything that a person (you) is to DO to be saved, underline that word or phrase. (For example, in the statement below, you would underline two phrases (which are here put in bold).
That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus Is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Ro. 10:9)
Because, in that statement, the things you are to do to be saved are “confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord” and “believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead”. So you would underline those two phrases.
Ok, that is your assignment. Now here are the statements for you to read and mark:
The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in time of trouble. (Ps. 37:39)
Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. (Isa 12:2)
In that day they will say, Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation. (Isa 25:9)
That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus Is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Ro. 10:9)
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Acts 2:21)
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Ro. 10:13)
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ro. 6:23)
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Cor. 9:15)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Eph. 2:8)
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:18)
I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him (the Father) who sent me (Jesus) has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. (John 5:24)
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Ro 8:1)
Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him and to our God, for He will freely pardon. (Isa 55:7)
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
This is my (Jesus) blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matt 26:28)
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Heb 9:22)
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. (John 3:36)
But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Ro. 2:8)
Well, I see you have finished. So now, based on what you have read, it is time for you to answer THE question, so I will state it again:
? What must a person do to be saved? (ie. To go to Heaven when they die and to escape hell.)
Write your answer here: _______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Did you say something like “I must believe and confess that Jesus is the Son of God and that Jesus died for me and that His blood cleanses me from my sins IF I will accept His free gift of His blood sacrifice.”
If you did, you are absolutely correct! That is HOW a person is saved.
A person is NOT saved by doing good deeds or by helping others or by being a nice person or by being fair and honest and etc. No, those are all wonderful things. And there will be rewards for them. BUT, those things or similar activities will NEVER atone for the sins that we have done.
The ONLY way a person can be saved is to confess his / her sins and to trust in Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
If you confess with your mouth, Jesus Is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Ro. 10:9)
That is it! That is all you DO. Everything else is done by God! Jesus paid the death penalty for us. Jesus now offers the FREE GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven. All you have to do is accept that offer and toacknowledge that He IS LORD and that He is YOUR LORD and let Him be the Lord and Master of your life.
Then, when you die, you will go to heaven! But, if you have NOT personally and indivudually accepted the free gift of salvation which is offered by Jesus to you, then, when you die, you will appear before the judgement seat of God and you will be condemned to eternity in Hell, no matter how good and wonderful and kind and rich and ... you were on earth. If you did not acknowledge Jesus to be your God and Lord and Savior, you are condemned to eternity in hell.
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. (John 3:36)
But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Ro. 2:8)
And Yes, there IS a Hell.
So, the choice is yours! And it MUST be made BEFORE death! After death there are NO second chances. You MUST decide this before you die!
And since no one really knows WHEN they are going to die, you really can not afford to procrastinate about this. Princess Diana certainly had no thought of dying as she ate her final meal and then entered the car that would take her to her death. And Mother Theresa probably had no clue when she got up to go about her activities on her final day, that she would soon be stricken by a heart attack and die. And the 228 or so who died when their airplane crashed just minutes before arriving at their destination never imagined when they boarded that plane that they were going to their deaths and eternity in either heaven or hell.
You may have years to live. Or you may have months, weeks, hours, or minutes. Are you ready to meet God? Have you asked Jesus to save you and to cleanse you from your sins with His blood? If you have not, you are NOT ready.
If you want to be ready, you can get ready right now, by accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation and letting Him become your Savior and Lord. You can do that now, this very minute, by praying this prayer (or one of your own words which expresses these thoughts):
Father God and Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins. I ask your forgiveness for them. Please save me. I want to spend eternity with you, in Heaven. I know that I can not get there on my own. I know that there are no good deeds or works that are good enough to earn my way to heaven. But, I know that Jesus has provided the way, the ONLY way. So I accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus, your Son, has provided by His sacrificial death. I know and believe that Jesus died in my place as a substitute for the death penalty in hell which I deserve. Thank you for saving me. And from this point on, I will let Jesus be my Lord and Master. I want to obey You and live for You during the rest of my life here on earth and forever. Thank you for saving me!
If you prayed that prayer, sign your name ____________________________
And the date ___________________________
IF you prayed that prayer and really meant it, you are now READY to die and you can be assured that when you die you WILL experience possibility # 4 which is “You die and go to heaven where you live forever with God in indescribable joy and happiness”
Now you can truly say:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Eph. 2:8)
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Cor. 9:15)
If you would like to share this Bible Study with others, you may do so. This material is Copyrighted but you may print and share it with others as long as it is NOT changed in any way and NO FEE for profit is charged.
"Yes Lord" Ministries makes this and the other materials on this website available to you as a Ministry. It is our prayer that this and the other materials will be used for the Glory of God and not for the profit of man.
The Scriptures are from the New International Version of the Bible.
"Yes Lord" Ministries
PO Box 22397
Chattannoga, TN. 37422
biblestudiesnet (at) yahoo (dot) com
x