After accepting Jesus as your personal Saviour, and confessing and believing that he died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead, you will be saved. If you die before Jesus returns aka The Rapture, this is the process that follows:
1.Your spirit and mind (knowledge of self) leaves the physical body and returns to God in Paradise/Heaven.
2.Your physical body returns to the dust it was created from.
3.According to my studies, you will not be sleep, but the extent of your alertness isn't expanded upon. What's comforting is that we'll be in the presence of our Heavenly Father. A place of no pain or stress.
4.When Jesus returns to earth aka The Rapture, the dead Christians (The Saved) will have their spirits and minds (knowledge of self) reunited with their physical body dust/remains and raised up in the air and changed into their new bodies!!! Our bodies will be as awesome as The Angels!!! (Luke 20:36.)
5. Shortly after, The Christians aka The saved who are alive when Jesus returns aka The Rapture, will be raised up into the air and changed also.
6.Then begins The Tribulation Period. (Read The Book of Revelation. )
7. Finally, we'll be judged on our life's work. The good and The bad. And we'll receive different rewards based on our work for God.
8.There will be a new Paradise/Heaven and a new Earth. We will then triumphantly reign eternally with our God!!!
+Non believer proof+
Dr. Richard P. Bucher states:
"When interpreting the Bible, we must always interpret obscure and unclear passages by clearer ones that treat the same subject. And we must always interpret the Old Testament by the New Testament, since the New is the fulfillment and culmination of the Old.
According to Scripture, the spirit/soul leaves the body at death. The Gospels tell us that at the moment of his death, Jesus prayed, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” and then “he yielded up his spirit” (Luke 23:46; Mt 27:50). This text makes clear that Jesus’ soul did not remain in his dead body, but went into his Father’s hands. The first Christian martyr (after Jesus) was Stephen. Acts 7:59-60 describes his death: “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Ecclesiastes 12:7 describes death in these terms: “and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Notice, that according to this definition, the body has one destination and the spirit/soul has another.
Another important example is the appearance of Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration. The Word of God specifically states that Moses died and was buried by God in a valley in Moab opposite Beth Peor (Deut 34:5-6). Yet, when Jesus was transfigured almost 1500 years later, Moses appeared “in glory” and was talking to Jesus. This is described in Luke 9:29-31: “And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” Elijah’s appearance “doesn’t count” because Scripture records that he did not die but was taken directly to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11). Moses did die, however, and his body was buried. Yet he stands there in some form(in Spirit/Soul), talking to Jesus, long before the resurrection on the Last Day.
The Apostle Paul speaks of this joyous event in his second letter to the Corinthians. “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 We live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Co 5:6-8; NIV). Paul pointedly states that he and his companions would rather be “away from the body and at home with the Lord.” This “away from the body” can’t mean Paul’s being in heaven after Judgment Day. For after Judgment Day all Christians will not be away from their bodies, but will have resurrected bodies. What can being “away from the body and at home with the Lord” mean but that when a Christian dies their spirit/soul leaves their body and goes to a new home with the Lord himself? Thus, this passage is a conclusive argument against spirit/soul sleep.
What do the spirits/souls of believers experience in Paradise? God has revealed very little about this, except that it will be a place of enjoyment and comfort and rest in the presence of God, where there is no death or sin or care. It is a place that is “far better” than our life here, where we will be “at home with the Lord.” Whether the spirits/souls of those in heaven are able to see what happens on the earth, or in what way time passes, has not been revealed in God’s Word. Therefore definite statements should be avoided."
+Bible proof+
Luke 23:46-And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.(KJV)
Acts 7:59-And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.(KJV)
Acts 7:60-And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.(KJV)
Ecclesiastes12:7-Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.(KJV)
2 Corinthians 5:8-We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.(KJV)
2 Corinthians 5:10-For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.(KJV)
1 Corinthians 3:14-If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.(KJV)
Revelation 22:12-And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.(KJV)
1 Thessonlians 1:16-17-For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.(KJV)
1 Corinthians 15:51-52-Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.(KJV)
Luke 20:36-Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.(KJV)
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
God bless you!
Mrjclarksir84@gmail.com
(Revised and improved by me J.Clark 07-28-20.)
