Romans 14:8 “If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to God.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died."
John 11:25-26. "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.
When we die, we are with Him. And we keep being with Him after our bodily resurrection and the world is made new. However, when someone dies apart from Jesus, they enter eternity carrying the weight of their offenses against an infinite and holy God and are judged accordingly by Him.
The reunion of believing loved ones
When Paul writes to believers who grieve the loss of a loved one, he offers them this comfort: “We who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17, emphasis mine).
Psalm 34:18 “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 73:26 “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.” Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
In fact, the Bible indicates we will know each other more fully than we do now. The Apostle Paul declared, "Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).
Your heart no longer beats, your breath stops and your brain stops functioning. Studies suggest that brain activity may continue several minutes after a person has been declared dead. Still, brain activity isn't the same as consciousness or awareness. It doesn't mean that a person is aware that they've died.
Heaven and Hell
Some believe in the possibility of a heaven on Earth in a world to come. In Hinduism, heaven is considered as Svarga loka. There are seven positive regions the soul can go to after death and seven negative regions.
On the Day of Resurrection the soul will be returned to a new body and people will stand before God for judgement. Those who have believed in God and have pleased him through good works will be rewarded with Heaven, or paradise, where they shall live for eternity. Those who have disobeyed God will be punished in Hell.
'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
What does the Bible say about cremation? According to most Biblical study websites, there is no explicit scriptural command for or against cremation. There are no passages that forbid cremation, according to most Biblical scholars. However, some passages describe standard death practices during these times.
While fear is a common human experience, the Scripture's promise that God walks with the faithful at all times has heartened us to overcome our fears through the ages: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” ( ...
Decomposition begins several minutes after death with a process called autolysis, or self-digestion. Soon after the heart stops beating, cells become deprived of oxygen, and their acidity increases as the toxic by-products of chemical reactions begin to accumulate inside them.
God knows you will experience grief in this life, but you're not meant to go through it alone. He wants you to seek comfort. “Blessed are they that mourn,” taught Jesus, “for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Relying on God and others can relieve your sorrow and give you support.
Heaven will be an infinite world of new discoveries, and Jesus Christ will unfold them to you. Thomas Boston says: The divine perfections will be an unbounded field, in which the glorified shall walk eternally, seeing more and more of God; since they can never come to the end of the infinite.
Heaven is a place of peace, love, community, and worship, where God is surrounded by a heavenly court and other heavenly beings. Biblical authors imagined the earth as a flat place with Sheol below (the realm of the dead) and a dome over the earth that separates it from the heavens or sky above.
The soul or atman, credited with the ability to enliven the body, was located by ancient anatomists and philosophers in the lungs or heart, in the pineal gland (Descartes), and generally in the brain.
This stage is also one of reflection. The dying person often thinks back over their life and revisits old memories.4 They might also be going over the things they regret.
Physical signs
Facial muscles may relax and the jaw can drop. Skin can become very pale. Breathing can alternate between loud rasping breaths and quiet breathing. Towards the end, dying people will often only breathe periodically, with an intake of breath followed by no breath for several seconds.
She said that though these things may appear unusual, they are absolutely typical at that stage. “There is something most people say before they die, and it's usually 'I love you' or they call out to their mum or dad – who have usually already died,” Julie said.
While Jesus says that the institution of human marriage will end, He never even hints that deep relationships between married people would end. Our family will always be our family, but we will also be part of one big happy family.
Christians who knew and loved each other on earth will know and love each other in heaven. The life we enjoy in heaven is not going to be less than the life we enjoy now. In every respect it will be more. The whole point of this passage is to bring comfort to believers who grieve the loss of a loved one.
Our old, physical body will be left behind; our new, spiritual body will be “raised up.” The Scripture reveals that our resurrection body will be a spiritual body perfectly suited to be with the Lord forever in Heaven. The apostle Paul agreed with Jesus' words and timing according to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 (ESV).