Decide what you would like for after your death is important, but what’s the best way?
Scripture teaches that death is the result of spirit and body being separated, such as when Solomon describes it as cutting a silver cord. Resurrection will bring back both parts to one body to either live eternally with God or go off into hell.
What happens at death?
No one knows for certain what happens after death, but one source for clarity is the Bible. Some may believe that after passing, their soul goes either to heaven or hell; others consider reincarnation an option. No matter which philosophy you subscribe to, understanding what the Bible says about death and dying can help guide your decision making processes and help ensure an orderly funeral service.
As someone nears death, their body begins to slow down and their heartbeat and blood circulation become irregular, meaning their organs don’t receive as much oxygen, leading them to stop working properly and stop functioning correctly. They may lose consciousness altogether or begin fading in color or may develop mottled skin patches; hallucinations could occur as well.
Just moments before they die, their heartbeat and breathing may abruptly cease. At this point, many realize they’re dying even though their bodies may continue functioning for several minutes longer.
Your final breath often takes an extended and often agonizing process, due to their muscles and joints being rigid or inflexible, making breathing difficult, leading to dangerous amounts of air being stored up in their lungs.
After leaving their bodies, souls appear before Lord Yama for an exit interview before being reborn into another physical body depending on their thoughts before death: those that harbored negative or blasphemous ones will experience lower rebirths while those who did good deeds will have higher rebirths.
Followers of Jesus Christ won’t experience another death, as He took it for us on the cross. However, those who do not accept Christ as Lord will experience their bodies crumbling into dust before being reincarnated into new ones.
What happens after death?
The Bible presents a magnificent plan of hope for those who believe in Jesus Christ, with eternal life with God promised after death and soul/spirits going to Jesus after death. Additionally, believers will be given glorified bodies when Jesus returns.
What Happens at the Moment of Death
When someone dies, their heart stops beating and brain function ceases, while other essential organs become inoperable as well. Muscles may begin to stiffen or contract causing their joints and limbs to appear deformed – this condition is called rigor mortis.
Rigomortis typically takes 12-24 hours to reach full stiffness, although this timeframe can differ depending on a variety of factors such as age, condition, sex and temperature. Infants and young children tend to show less signs of stiffening likely due to having less muscle mass.
At death, Christians believe their spirit/soul will join Jesus, with any unforgiven sins being forgiven through Him and entering heaven. However, according to Catholic doctrine those dying with unrepented mortal sin will go directly to hell while those dying with minor transgressions go directly into purgatory before entering heaven.
Many people assume that, upon death, non-believers’ soul/spirits will either go into an eternal hell or bliss. Some may argue this view stems from Hindu beliefs; however, other religions including Christianity also teach about an afterlife.
There are numerous misconceptions surrounding death. Some think the deceased are resurrected after death and sent either to heaven or hell; others hold that they remain suspended until resurrection of the flesh; still others believe their soul remains immortal and will go somewhere based on how they lived their life.
What happens if you don’t believe?
Faith determines where one will end up when they die, with Christians holding that those who follow Christ and who have been baptised with water in the name of the Holy Spirit will be saved and declared righteous before being raised on judgment day to stand before Him and receive their rewards.
Some people lose faith because they cannot see how Christianity applies in their daily lives, or find it hard to believe in a heavenly father who doesn’t answer prayers or seems hypocritical; these emotional challenges may be particularly hard for those who grew up without a father; such individuals may fear admitting they are atheists for fear of ridicule and being labeled foolish.
