It’s a powerful, age-old question – what happens after we die? Well, Jesus had a lot to tell us about that.
On this edition of Live the Promise, Bible scholar Ron Rhodes returns to the program to talk about his book, What Happens After Life? We look at what the Bible says about heaven, hell, unshakeable hope, and the life to come.
Why is this an important thing to discuss? In Ron’s words,
“We live in an age of experientialism. People are basing their theology on emotions. some people didn’t even use the Bible at all. Scripture has an awful lot to tell us about what lies beyond death’s door.”
So what happens when a Christian dies?
Ron says, at the moment of death, our spirit slips out of our body and goes directly into the presence of Christ, where we await the final resurrection and the glorious new bodies that God has prepared for us.
What happens when an unbeliever dies?
Ron calls this a “critically important question.” According to Scripture, an unbeliever also slips our of their body but goes to a “place of confinement, while they await the future Great White Throne Judgment.” Ron calls this a sobering thought. “To me, this is a motivation to tell the truth about Jesus Christ. If hell does not exist, then Jesus wasted His time in coming.”
“Jesus Christ, the Lord of love, is the one who told us more about hell than anyone else. Those who know they should have turned to Christ… will be punished worse than someone who acted wickedly in a lesser knowledge state.”
Listen as Ron addresses these and further questions:
• What is the Great White Throne judgment?
• Do infants and small children who die go to heaven?
• What should we do with accounts of visits to heaven that circulate in our culture?
• How can we handle fear about the dying process itself?
Key Scriptures: Colossians 3:1-2; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Proverbs 6:16-19; Luke 12:47-48; 2 Corinthians 12:1-5
Theme Song: New Jerusalem by Matt Gilman
Image: Flickr
