Hello Tdianne. Just to give you two further portions of Scripture to add to brother S. Spencer's reply, please look at Luke 23:42,43 and Luke 16:19-31. The first speaks about the criminal hanging next to Jesus on the Cross, who turned to Jesus for salvation. And Jesus' Word of assurance to him was that upon his death he would join Jesus in Heaven. The criminal's body would lie in a grave or be burned, but his spirit would return to God & an eternity in Heaven because of his faith.
And in Luke 16, Jesus gives a real account of what takes place in the after life, prior to His death on the Cross to pay for our sins. Both the rich man & the beggar Lazarus had died and both ended up in Hell, one in a place of eternal suffering & the other in a place of comfort & rest. Both were very much conscious of their surroundings, their pain & the reason for being where they were sent; with the plea by the rich man to have his five brothers alerted to this awful destiny, that they might repent before it was too late.
So both these accounts, even by the witness of Jesus Himself, shows us that our bodies might lie in the grave, or even not exist over the passage of time, but the real you (your spirit) which was once clothed in an ageing deteriorating body, moves instantly to a destiny appointed by God. If one is 'absent in the body' (i.e. our spirit has left they body), then that spirit, if saved through Jesus' shed Blood, goes immediately into the Lord's Presence. And that is why the Apostle Paul was assured in his spirit that the transition from death to his presence with the Lord was instantaneous ( 2 Corinthians 5:6-8). And he also told the Philippian believers ( Philippians 1:21-24) that he longed to be with Christ, but his work on Earth had not finished & also his care of the Church. But he was ready to go at any time the Lord called him, so even persecution & resulting death would mean an early entrance into Heaven. A great joy for him - and should be for us who believe.
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The body goes into the grave waiting to be ressurected.
If you are a Christian it goes the way Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 "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.
You will need to read the whole Bible for yourself so that your knowledge and understanding is based upon what you have learned for yourself . That's the only way to ' know ' the answer to this and all other questions pertaining to God and to Jesus and our relationship with Them .
There are very many scriptures throughout the old and new testaments that will answer this question for you . I personally feel that 1st Thessalonians , chapter 4 , verses 16 and 17 are extremely clear on this subject .
As far as my studies and understanding go , we Christians will sleep in the ground after death and only be resurrected to be with Christ , when he returns to earth . This of course will seem like no time at all to us as we will be unaware of anything in between the moment of our physical death , unto the moment when we are resurrected , it will seem to us to be a matter of seconds , though in fact it could be very many years in between the two events .
There are different understandings of this and the difference is based on whether one believes souls are immortal. My understanding is the immortal soul belief came from Greek philosophy, Platonism. This was blended into the Church along with the definition of death meaning separation, the separation of the soul from the body.
My understanding from scripture every part of us is mortal and when we die, we sleep in the dust/grave Job 14:12-14, Job 17:13-16.
When is a corn plant absent from its seed, it is when it springs forth from its grave of the earth. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 We are sown, we sleep in the grave, Daniel 12:2Acts 13:36 and until resurrection which there are two, Revelation 20:4-10 and Revelation 20:11-15.
We are sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 We as mortal beings do not put on immortality until we are resurrected being freed from this body of corruption into a glorified body, then we will be present with the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 2:19.
May others give their understanding for you to study for yours.
And in Luke 16, Jesus gives a real account of what takes place in the after life, prior to His death on the Cross to pay for our sins. Both the rich man & the beggar Lazarus had died and both ended up in Hell, one in a place of eternal suffering & the other in a place of comfort & rest. Both were very much conscious of their surroundings, their pain & the reason for being where they were sent; with the plea by the rich man to have his five brothers alerted to this awful destiny, that they might repent before it was too late.
So both these accounts, even by the witness of Jesus Himself, shows us that our bodies might lie in the grave, or even not exist over the passage of time, but the real you (your spirit) which was once clothed in an ageing deteriorating body, moves instantly to a destiny appointed by God. If one is 'absent in the body' (i.e. our spirit has left they body), then that spirit, if saved through Jesus' shed Blood, goes immediately into the Lord's Presence. And that is why the Apostle Paul was assured in his spirit that the transition from death to his presence with the Lord was instantaneous ( 2 Corinthians 5:6-8). And he also told the Philippian believers ( Philippians 1:21-24) that he longed to be with Christ, but his work on Earth had not finished & also his care of the Church. But he was ready to go at any time the Lord called him, so even persecution & resulting death would mean an early entrance into Heaven. A great joy for him - and should be for us who believe.
The spirit never dies.
Ecclesiastes 12:7reads
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
The body goes into the grave waiting to be ressurected.
If you are a Christian it goes the way Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 "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.
Notice there is no mention of grave here!
God bless.
There are very many scriptures throughout the old and new testaments that will answer this question for you . I personally feel that 1st Thessalonians , chapter 4 , verses 16 and 17 are extremely clear on this subject .
As far as my studies and understanding go , we Christians will sleep in the ground after death and only be resurrected to be with Christ , when he returns to earth . This of course will seem like no time at all to us as we will be unaware of anything in between the moment of our physical death , unto the moment when we are resurrected , it will seem to us to be a matter of seconds , though in fact it could be very many years in between the two events .
There are different understandings of this and the difference is based on whether one believes souls are immortal. My understanding is the immortal soul belief came from Greek philosophy, Platonism. This was blended into the Church along with the definition of death meaning separation, the separation of the soul from the body.
My understanding from scripture every part of us is mortal and when we die, we sleep in the dust/grave Job 14:12-14, Job 17:13-16.
When is a corn plant absent from its seed, it is when it springs forth from its grave of the earth. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 We are sown, we sleep in the grave, Daniel 12:2 Acts 13:36 and until resurrection which there are two, Revelation 20:4-10 and Revelation 20:11-15.
We are sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 We as mortal beings do not put on immortality until we are resurrected being freed from this body of corruption into a glorified body, then we will be present with the Lord, 1 Thessalonians 2:19.
May others give their understanding for you to study for yours.
God bless,
RLW
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