Christianity in a Nutshell

Is there Life After Death?

What happens at death?
According to the Bible death is definitely not endless sleep, or oblivion.

Jesus was crucified between two criminals. One of them was angry and taunted Him, demanding that if He really were the son of God He should rescue all three of them. The criminal on His other side, in contrast, conceded that although he himself deserved execution, Jesus was innocent. He asked Jesus to remember him when He returned as King. Jesus reassured him with the words, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise.” The criminal was guilty by his own admission, but he was sincerely sorry. He may never have been baptized and he might not have been “religious”, but at the last minute he showed that he really believed in Jesus. That was all it took for Jesus to say that Paradise awaited him. Faith was the key!!

People who are not “religious” have, by their own admission, only the grave to look forward to as they get older. Christian believers, on the other hand, look forward to Paradise. Paradise or Heaven is the reward for simply believing in Jesus. Unspecified rewards related to any good deeds we may have done are also promised by the Lord. The Bible doesn’t say how God will reward us, but Jesus is kind, generous and fair.

We leave our worn out bodies behind and go on to Paradise.
Our new bodies will be perfect.

On another occasion Jesus told His followers a short story about a rich man and a beggar. The rich man in this story was a nasty individual, while the beggar, as well as being poor also suffered from extensive sores. After death their tables were turned. When the poor man died he was taken by angels to Heaven. When the rich man died he found himself in Hell. The fact that he had been rich didn’t condemn him - many rich people are very charitable - it was the way he treated other people, especially those less fortunate than himself.

On each occasion death was followed by Heaven or Paradise (they both mean the same), or Hell. However, Jesus also told His followers that Heaven and Hell wouldn't be the same for everyone. After all, God is just.

We are told that in Heaven many who had been last during their life would now be first and many who had been first would now be last. He said that people who did their best, who were kind and forgiving, charitable to those in need and were peacemakers were in fact accumulating “treasures in Heaven”.

Jesus said that Heaven had many aspects, with something for everybody. In Hell, on the other hand, a lifetime of bad deeds would have to be accounted for. Jesus is just, so he would take into account mitigating circumstances. Everyone would be punished in proportion to how bad they’d been. The little old lady who never had the opportunity to commit any of the big sins would obviously be treated very differently from a fanatical, heartless terrorist. There will be no injustice with Jesus as judge.

The final decision as to who would find themselves in Heaven and who would be in Hell would be up to Jesus.