What happens at death?

The body is composed of physical flesh, spirit and soul.

1Th 5:23  Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mat 10:28  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

At death the physical body, after a normal burial, will decompose and return to dust.

Gen 3:19  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.”

And in time, only the bones will be left.

Eze 37:3  And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord GOD, You know.”

Eze 37:4  Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!

Exo 13:19  And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”

The spirit will return to God.

Ecc 12:7  Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it.

Luk 23:46  And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last.

The soul is a spiritual thing as it cannot be destroyed by humans.

Mat 10:28  And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

There is a lot of thought from people as to what happens when a person dies. There are a lot of ideas and theories from different walks of life, however the Bible gives the answer.

Death is described as a sleep.

Joh 11:11  These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.”

Joh 11:12  Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.”

Joh 11:13  However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

Joh 11:14  Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead.

When we go to sleep at night, if we were to do this in a completely darkened room, when we wake up, we would have no idea what time it is, or how long we have been asleep, until we look at a clock or see outside if it is day or night, we have no concept of how long we have been asleep.

This passing of time in sleep is likened to death in the scriptures. The person who sleeps has no idea of how long they have been asleep. When a person dies, they have no concept of what is happening in the world. They are dead and time passes without their knowledge.

When God resurrects someone who has been dead 1000 years, and someone who has been dead 1 year, neither person would know the difference. Neither person would have any concept of how long they have been dead.

The scriptures tell us that the dead know nothing.

Ecc 9:5  For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.

Ecc 9:6  Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun.

There is no mystery about what happens to us at death, our bodies decompose if we are buried, our spirit returns to God. We sleep from the time of death until God resurrects us. This could be many years or a few years, but the person will not be aware of the time they have been dead.

Death is also called an enemy in the scriptures. It is an enemy, because loved ones are separated by it, it is a painful thing for those left behind. Years of loneliness can follow. Sadness and sorrow are associated with it. It indeed is an enemy and has a sting also.

1Co 15:26  The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.

1Co 15:55  “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?”

1Co 15:56  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

1Co 15:57  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1Co 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Death will not always be something that will eventually happen to us, once we are resurrected death will have no hold over us.

1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.”

What a wonderful time this will be when death is swallowed up in victory. Our God is indeed a great merciful loving Father. One day we will be united with Him and His Son Jesus at a time when death will no longer cast a shadow over our lives.