When The Sun Goes Down…
“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.”
Revelation 21:4
As a Family Care Pastor, I spend a large portion of my time visiting seniors in nursing homes. When you reach a certain age and find yourself in a nursing home for the long term, you pretty much know it is your last stop on your journey through this world. You have reached the sunset years of your life. The most popular topic of discussion among my friends is death and dying. Their families do not like to discuss such topics because it is depressing to think about. However, the loved one who is in the sunset years of their life pretty much want to know what is going to happen when the sun goes down. For those who are sure of their salvation and know they are going to heaven it is an interesting and encouraging topic. This treatise on death and dying will hopefully help you know what to expect before, during, and after your journey to heaven.
Some believe that once we die, we simply cease existing. They assert that human consciousness arises gradually as the brain develops and will either slowly deteriorate or simply cease. The Bible, however, says differently. Scripture teaches that while our present physical bodies will decompose in the grave, our souls will live forever, either in God’s presence or eternally separated from Him.
In Matthew 25, after sharing two parables designed to reveal the realities regarding God’s kingdom, Jesus discussed a time when He will separate the “sheep from the goats.” Those declared righteous through His blood will receive eternal life, whereas those who rejected Him will “go away to eternal punishment” (Matt. 25:45).
In other words, eternity awaits all, though our ultimate destination may look vastly different.
We Don’t Have to Fear Death
God never wants us, His beloved creations, to live in fear, uncertainty, or confusion. In Christ, He offers us a certain, glorious and joy-filled destination; a future free of pain, sorrow and sickness. This invitation is open to all who trust not in themselves or their good works but instead in Jesus and the price He paid.
When we believe Christ is who He says He is—the sinless Son of God—and did what He said He did—died for our sins and rose from the dead—Scripture says we receive entrance into heaven. We’re granted unhindered, relational intimacy with our Savior. He who holds the universe in His hand holds our lives, now and forever more, as well. This means, when our bodies fail and illness invades, we can rest knowing we’re secure in God’s unshakable, unbreakable love.
Not Everyone Goes to the Same Place
According to Scripture, each of us will go to one of two places once we die. Those who’ve trusted in Christ for salvation will immediately be ushered into His presence, where they will remain for all of eternity. Those who have rejected Him and His offer of grace, however, will spend eternity in hell.
Hell isn’t a place we like to talk or read about, but Jesus, the One offering eternal life, addressed this topic on more than one occasion. He told us it’s a place of darkness and of fire, populated by the wicked and rebellious. With each parable and statement, it’s as if He’s offering us a warning: “There’s death” and in this context, that means separation from God, “and life. Choose life.”
What if our inner angst regarding hell points to the heart of God? Scripture is clear: God is a loving Father who doesn’t want anyone to perish. “As I live,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked” (Ezekiel 33:11). To the contrary; God is loving toward all of His creation and heaven rejoices when a single sinner recognizes her need for Jesus and turns to Him.
Because Jesus Overcame Death, So Will We
God originally created the world free of sin and death. When mankind rebelled against Him (Gen. 3), we broke our relationship with God the Father and the curse of death and sin began to rule. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He broke the power of both, and “since we have been united with Him in His death” through faith, “we will also be raised to life as He was” (Romans 6:5).
Jesus demonstrated this unchanging truth when He stepped out of the tomb, alive. This means, though our physical bodies will cease to function, our souls will immediately enter into God’s presence. Later, when Christ returns, our souls will be reunited with our physical, then “glorified” bodies, which will be raised from the dead.
Spiritual Death Is Separation from God
It’s easy to read modern definitions for words and situations into biblical text. This often occurs when someone thinks of death. To our way of thinking, death means the end of something and the complete cessation of life. In Scripture, however, death primarily means separation—separation of man’s spirit from his body and of man from God.
For example, Scripture reveals our physical bodies will eventually cease to function and will begin to decay. Our souls, however, are eternal. Therefore, once brain death occurs, our bodies and souls separate.
Similarly, spiritual death, caused by sin, separates man from His Creator. When we receive eternal life, our relationship with God is restored. Those who don’t trust in God for salvation, however, remain in death—eternally separated from Him and therefore all the love and goodness and righteousness that stems from Him. This is hell.
We Don’t Have to Die Alone
Once we trust in Christ for salvation, our relationship with Him is restored, never to be broken again. He makes His home within us, surrounds us, walks beside us, and we become one with Him. Therefore, from that moment on, we are never and will never be alone. In Christ, God’s presence surrounds us completely.
This was the message Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples on the night before He died. “My Father will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” which is the Holy Spirit. “You know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. … On that day, you will realize that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you” (John 14:17-20).
Though others, perhaps even those closest to us, may abandon or reject us, Christ never will. When our time on earth ends, He’ll usher us into paradise where we’ll experience His love and presence at a depth unimaginable to our finite minds.
Death Was Never God’s Intent
Scripture tells us God designed humans to live eternally in deep relationship with Him. He created the rest of the universe by a mere command, speaking stars, planets, and oceans into being. But when it came to man, God’s involvement was much more direct and intimate.
“Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). Psalm 139 tells us “He knit together our inmost being, that He knows us fully”, and “searches” our depths. All of these passages speak of a loving Father and Creator deeply involved with His creation.
Though mankind’s sin brought death—separation from God—into the world, this was never God’s intent. He created us for life. Life with Him.
Sin Won’t Always Reign
When we view our world, with all the anger, hatred, political upheaval, and wars, it can feel as if evil is winning and always will. But Scripture promises this isn’t true. One day Jesus will return, sin will be banished from His presence for good, and He will make all things right.
Revelation 21:4 promises, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, no mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” May this truth give us hope and peace as we endure all the chaos in our broken world.
We Mourn with Hope
When we lose a loved one, it may feel as if a part of ourselves has been taken with them. We grieve the moments we’ll no longer be able to share and the dreams or desires that may never be realized. Though this pain is real and deep, if our loved ones belong to Jesus, our sorrow is always tinged with the certainty that one day, we will see them again.
Scripture promises this and Jesus’ death and resurrection proved it. “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14). This means, for those in the family of faith, our goodbyes are never truly goodbyes but rather just a way of saying we look forward to seeing one another again.
Heaven Will Be Better Than Anything We Can Imagine
I’ve experienced some amazing things. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, and Yosemite as well as China, Japan, Canada, and Mexico. I’ve soared in a balloon high above the earth and descended in a submarine deep under water. I’ve enjoyed DisneyLand with my laughing, skipping daughter when she still dressed in princess gowns and tutus. I’ve eaten enough ice cream of all varieties to fill numerous freezers, but all of these experiences pale compared to what awaits Christ-followers in heaven.
In fact, heaven will be better than all the earthly pleasures combined across the span of time. Regarding this, the Bible says, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Physical death is inevitable this side of heaven, but this was never God’s intent for His beloved creation. Nor is this where He wishes for us to remain. In Christ, He offers us life—to experience, through relationship with Him, all the good and lovely and amazing blessings He has planned for us. He wants to surround us in His love, from now into eternity, and in so doing, casts out all fear.
Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we, His beloved, can confidently say, “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
How The Lord Prepares You For The Best Sunset Of Your Life
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Hebrews 1:14
Angels are spirits
This verse teaches us three things about angels. The first thing is that angels are spirits. They do not have a body. They may appear to people in human form, as they did after Jesus’ resurrection (see Matthew 28:3; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). Yet normally their presence is hidden from human eyes, as may be seen from the story where Elisha prays that his servant’s eyes will be opened for the presence of angels around the city (2 Kings 6:15-17).
Angels are ministering spirits
The nature of angels is to serve. There is a hierarchy among the angels, and some have elevated titles: thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities (see Colossians 1:16). Yet their nature is to serve. They serve God. But they also serve the believers.
God protects us with His angels
Angels are not serving everybody, but they always especially serve God’s children. The Bible is not very clear about what exactly their service consists of, for we should focus on God, and not be overly interested in angels. Yet we can find at least two ways how angels serve God’s children.
In Hebrews 1:14 the service of the angels seems to be linked to how believers inherit salvation. So the angels play a role in organising circumstances in such a way that God’s elect will hear and respond to the Gospel.
In 2 Kings 6:15-17 angels surround a city to protect God’s prophet. So angels play a role in protecting believers from bodily harm. The same is found in Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”
What we can be sure of
Only in heaven will we know the exact way that the angels have served us. But we know it happens continuously. In Matthew 18:10 Jesus says: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” Angels stand always ready to receive God’s instructions to help the believers.
It is a tremendous privilege to know that God is sending mighty angels to serve us. It shows how much He loves and treasures us.
It’s angels that lead us home to heaven and not Jesus
The Bible indicates that when we die we will not be alone, but angels will accompany us on our journey to heaven (if that is our destiny). In one of His parables, Jesus told about a poor man who had suffered much during his time on earth. When he died, Jesus said, “the angels carried him to Abraham’s side (i.e., to heaven)” (Luke 16:22).
But the Bible also reminds us that we are never alone if we’ve given our lives to Jesus Christ, because God has come to live within us by His Holy Spirit and has adopted us into His family. One of Jesus’ most comforting promises was spoken to His disciples just before He was taken back into heaven: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He is with us every minute of the day — right up to the moment of our death.
How do we know this is true? We know it because Jesus Christ experienced for us the greatest loneliness imaginable — the loneliness of the cross. We deserve nothing less than hell because of our sins — but Jesus took upon Himself the judgment and hell that we deserve. Now He offers us the gift of eternal life — and all we have to do is receive it.
Life isn’t always easy, especially as we grow older. But ahead of us is heaven, where we’ll be safely in God’s presence forever. Let that great truth encourage and strengthen you every day.
Angels minister to us long before the sun goes down
Ministering angels do more than act as a guide to get you to heaven. They may be with you long before your time comes to make the journey. They will comfort you, encourage you, and do many things to make your exit from this world as peaceful and painless as possible. Get ready for the most wonderful sunset of your life!
If you see the light
Many times I have heard people in the final days of their earthly lives speak about seeing a warm, comforting, peaceful light. They usually think they are seeing the light from heaven but most likely they are seeing the light from the ministering angels that have been sent to take care of them. Remember, angels are spirits of light.
Heaven – Our First & Last Stop
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Corintians 2:9
“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.”
Revelation 21:4
Heaven is not just our far-off future home, but a place we can joyfully look forward to today. The Bible provides more than 600 references to heaven, and we can gain incredible joy and fresh vision for our lives on earth as we read and understand these passages. We will now look at a handful of these Scriptures and answer 11 questions about heaven.
Frequently Asked Questions About Heaven
1. Does Jesus Have a Physical Body in Heaven?
Just like we currently bear the image of Adam, we will one day bear the image of Jesus, and have a body like Him. Jesus tells us in Luke 24:39 that His body is real: “… handle me and see for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Jesus’ body was real. And we will have a real body in heaven.
2. What Will Our Resurrected Bodies be Like?
The first thing Paul teaches us about our resurrected bodies in 1 Corinthians 15 is that it is not like our current body. Our current body is subject to aging, disease, and death. But our resurrection bodies are incorruptible. You will never get old nor grow tired. You will never suffer disease or age or death.
3. What Will We Do in Heaven?
The concept of serving God in heaven recurs throughout the book of Revelation. For example, Revelation 7:15 says: “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them” (emphasis mine). I’m thankful, because I would struggle with a heaven where there is nothing to do. When we get to heaven, we will continue to serve God with the gifts He has given us.
4. Will We Know Each Other in Heaven?
Jesus in His resurrection body was real and his disciples recognized him. That’s the way it will be for you! It is unthinkable that in heaven we will know less than we do here. 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, “For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but the but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” We will have a greater sense of recognition in heaven than we’ve ever had on earth.
5. Will We Eat in Heaven?
This is one of the questions I hear most often. I can tell you, there are two occasions in the Bible where Jesus ate after His resurrection. One in Luke 24:42-43 and another in John 21:12-13. Based on our observations of Jesus’ new body, we can be confident we will eat in heaven—and without the negative effects of weight gain and acid reflux. We will be able to eat purely for our enjoyment and no longer for our sustenance!
6. Will Heaven be Boring?
Our God is not boring—how then can heaven be boring? Psalms 16:11 says “You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (emphasis mine). In His presence is the completeness and absolute explosion of joy! Heaven is God’s place and God is not boring, so I am confident we will not be bored.
7. Does Purgatory Exist?
The concept of purgatory says you can go to a holding place after death where you have the possibility of changing your eternal destiny. That is not true—purgatory does not exist. It is never mentioned in The Bible. Whatever decisions we make about eternity will be made here and now on earth. You don’t get another chance. Today is the day of salvation.
8. Will I Go to Heaven?
Only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will go to heaven. Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life if you “confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead” (Romans 10:9). Jesus said to his disciples, “do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).
9. Is Hell Real?
Yes, hell is a very real place. When a person dies today, and they don’t know Jesus, their soul and spirit goes to hades. One day, according to Revelation 20:13-14, death and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire, the final and ultimate hell. Hell is real, and it is eternal separation from God and all His goodness.
10. Where is Paradise?
When a believer died in the Old Testament, their soul and spirit went to Paradise. And on the day of Jesus’ ascension, Paradise changed. Ephesians 4:8-10 says Jesus “led captivity captive” and took them with Him to heaven. He went into Paradise and took all the Old Testament saints and took them to heaven with Him.
11. Why Should We Learn about Heaven?
God has prepared a place for you to live for eternity. When we lose sight of that, we try to create heaven on earth. We can go to the extreme, spending all our money to buy the biggest house and get all the new toys. And there is nothing wrong with those things, but they will never compare to what awaits us in heaven. If we aren’t careful, we can end up replacing our hunger for heaven with cheap things that will leave us empty.
Heaven Will Be Better Than Anything We Can Imagine
I’ve experienced some amazing things. I’ve visited the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, and Yosemite as well as China, Japan, Canada, and Mexico. I’ve soared in a balloon high above the earth and descended in a submarine deep under water. I’ve enjoyed DisneyLand with my laughing, skipping daughter, when she still dressed in princess gowns and tutus. I’ve eaten enough ice cream of all varieties to fill numerous freezers and at least twice as much bacon but all of these experiences pale compared to what awaits Christ-followers in heaven.
In fact, heaven will be better than all the earthly pleasures combined across the span of time. Regarding this, the Bible says, “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived—the things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Physical death is inevitable this side of heaven, but this was never God’s intent for His beloved creation. Nor is this where He wishes for us to remain. In Christ, He offers us life—to experience, through relationship with Him, all the good and lovely and amazing blessings He has planned for us. He wants to surround us in His love, from now into eternity, and in so doing, casts out all fear.
Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we, His beloved, can confidently say, “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).
Heaven – What You Can Expect
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Corintians 2:9
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
Heaven is not just our far-off future home, but a place we can joyfully look forward to today. The Bible provides more than 600 references to heaven, and we can gain incredible joy and fresh vision for our lives on earth as we read and understand these passages. In this lesson we will look at a handful of these Scriptures.
Billy Graham once said “The most thrilling thing about heaven is that Jesus Christ will be there. I will see Him face to face. Jesus Christ will meet us at the end of life’s journey.”
“Heaven doesn’t make this life less important; it makes it more important.”
“The Bible says that as long as we are here on Earth, we are strangers in a foreign land. There are enemies to be conquered before we return home. This world is not our home; our citizenship is in heaven.”
Where Is Heaven?
The first heaven is the atmospheric heaven – the sky with its clouds and birds and life-giving oxygen that extends nearly 300 miles into space.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isaiah 55:10
The second heaven is the vast universe in which we live, filled with billions of stars, planets, dust clouds, meteors, and galaxies. The story of the creation of the second heaven is told in the Bible.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:14-18
The third heaven is the one Paul referred to in his vision.
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
2 Corinthians 12:2-5
The third heaven is the one Jesus referred to when He taught us to pray.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 69-13
The third heaven – the heaven of heavens – is the locale of the throne and the dwelling place of God. It is paradise. It is our eternal home. This is where we will live with God, the angels, and the redeemed of all ages.
How Do We Get There?
The Bible is abundantly clear on this point. When the saved die, they go directly into the presence of the Lord. The Apostle Paul said “To be absent from the body is to be present with the lord.”
At this point we remember the words of Jesus to the thief on the cross, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, emphasis added). This appears to be a straightforward promise that at the moment of death the repentant thief would pass from his life of crime and his agonizing death into the realm called “paradise.”
This would seem to contradict the teaching called “soul-sleep,” which implies that at death a believer “sleeps” in a kind of suspended animation until the day of the resurrection. How could the thief be that very day in paradise if his soul went to sleep when he died? At the moment of death the believer passes immediately into the personal presence of Jesus Christ. This is our hope and comfort as we stand at the graveside of a loved one.
How Long Does It Take To Get There?
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” means it is instant. As you take your last breath here you will take your first breath there.
Where Do We Go When We Get To Heaven?
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” means you will appear before God on The Throne because The Lord sits at His right hand.
Who Will We See First In Heaven?
“To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” means you will appear before God on The Throne because The Lord sits at His right hand. Therefore, You will see Jesus The Son and God The Father.
What Happens When We First Get To Heaven?
First, I believe that Jesus’ eyes will widen when He glances your way when you first pop up and He’ll get a big smile on His face. Then He will step off that throne with His arms outstretched, and walk over and put His arms around your neck and hug you and say “Welcome home my child, I love you, I have missed you, I am glad you are here”.
Second, if you have pleased Jesus with your Christian life here on earth, you will receive the prize Paul talked about having his eye on in The Bible when you hear those words coming straight from Jesus’ lips to your ears saying “Well done good and faithful servant!”
Just When You Thought It Couldn’t Get Any Better
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1Corintians 2:9
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
The word rapture does not occur in the Bible. The term comes from a Latin word meaning “a carrying off, a transport, or a snatching away.” The concept of the “carrying off” or the rapture of the church is clearly taught in Scripture.
The rapture of the church is the event in which God “snatches away” all believers from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period. The rapture is described primarily in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50–54. God will resurrect all believers who have died, give them glorified bodies, and take them from the earth, along with all living believers, who will also be given glorified bodies at that time. “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
The rapture will involve an instantaneous transformation of our bodies to fit us for eternity. “We know that when He [Christ] appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). The rapture is to be distinguished from the second coming. At the rapture, the Lord comes “in the clouds” to meet us “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). At the second coming, the Lord descends all the way to the earth to stand on the Mount of Olives, resulting in a great earthquake followed by a defeat of God’s enemies (Zechariah 14:3–4).
The doctrine of the rapture was not taught in the Old Testament, which is why Paul calls it a “mystery” now revealed: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51–52).
The rapture of the church is a glorious event we should all be longing for. We will finally be free from sin. We will be in God’s presence forever. There is far too much debate over the meaning and scope of the rapture. This is not God’s intent. Rather, the rapture should be a comforting doctrine full of hope; God wants us to “encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).