Background
The general message from a recent sermon at a church I attend, can be summarized as follows: we need to make the decision now to follow God, as we can die anytime and immediately after we die, we are placed in heaven or hell. This is what I believed when I first became a follower of Jesus Christ in 2017, but as I have studied the Word, my views have changed. Here then is my views as I have reasoned it.
What happens 5mts after I die?
We are asleep in Christ, as I am a believer and The Most High willing, I will be faithful till I die. If I am, I will sleep in Christ to be resurrected in the last day. If I am not faithful when I die, I will be asleep and will be resurrected for judgement in the last day.
All through Kings and Chronicles, it says such and such king died and slept with his fathers or was gathered to his fathers. Bathsheba in [1Kings 1:21] states David will be asleep with his fathers, speaking of his death.
[1 Cor 15:18], it speaks of asleep in Christ, speaking of our first death.
[1 Thess 4:14] also talks of asleep in Christ, being brought with Jesus.
In the story of Lazarus, Martha says he will raise on the last day, in John 11:24 to Jesus' confirming he will be resurrected in John 11:23. Just few verses before, Jesus says Lazarus is asleep, [John 11:11], equating to his death in [John 11:14].
In my study of scriptures it seems like, most of us sleep when we die - our body might disintegrates, our being dies, and our spirit/breath goes back to God [Eccl 12:7]. I say, most, as we have Elijah, Enoch and Moses (who thru his appearance in transfiguration), as well as several of the tombs which was open when Jesus died, and we see saints ministering to John in his vision on the isles of Patmos in Revelations.
In the last day or the judgement day or the day of the Lord [John12:48, Isaiah 2:1-4], we will be resurrected to eternal life with our immortal bodies or condemned for eternal destruction. [2 Cor 5:1, Daniel 12:2]
[Isaiah 26:19] says, Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
How do you explain rich man and Lazarus?
Since my belief from the Word of God is that we are asleep when we die till judgement day, how do I reconcile my Messiah's teaching of the parable of the rich man and Lazarus from [Luke 16]?.
My understanding of Luke 16 and Lazarus/rich man parable is that in the full context, Jesus is educating the pharisees using their belief of Abraham's bosom as the place they will be after death carried by angels (from their then belief in 1st century). I understand Abraham's bosom to be a Hebrew idiom then used by pharasees. It was specific to the second temple period, where they have euphemized gathered to the fathers from OT, into this idiom. Its like the idiom, kicking the bucket for dying used in english. Jesus rebukes them using this parable, since they didnt believe and heed to Moses and prophets, which was given to them, neither will they if one resurrected. This last part, I take it to be Jesus' way of stating they will reject His resurrection as well, since they didnt heed Moses and the prophets. There is some nuances I dont understand on where heaven and hell are etc. and the gulf that is setup in this parable, but there are no other witnesses in the scriptures that sets up heaven to be Abraham's bosom and Abraham speaking for God. Therefore, I take this to be a parable, which our Messiah masterfully used pharasiees own belief to rebuke them, with some nuances, but not to make the case I will be Abraham's bosom when I die.
Therefore, I am unable to use the parable to establish the understanding we will be in heaven or hell 5mts right after we die. But, we can use the phrase he has gone to be with the Lord, as that could imply we are asleep in Christ, which is scriptural.
Do I believe in reincarnation?
I never really fully believed the concept of reincarnation as it was explained to me as a brahmin when growing up in India, nor did I come across any strong evidences of this pattern in the Hindu scriptures I read of in India. I also was ambivalent on the concept of karma and other related concepts that spawns from the reincarnation idea.
Whence I became a believer in the One True God, the Most High of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and a follower of His Only Son Yeshua, I believe that I will be resurrected on the last day, the judgement day, the day of the Lord, to be rewarded or punished based my life - how I guarded the commandments of Yah and proclaimed the testimony of Yeshua or faith of Yeshua [Rev 14:12, 12:17]. This is not the same as reincarnation doctrine of the Hinduism
Do you care if you are buried or cremated?
If Yah takes me in flames, then I will be turned to ashes anyways. But I have chosen not to be cremated if I die a normal death. I have asked my family to wrap me up in linen and throw me into a pit for my slumber. What my family does following that is their concern, as I await the meeting of my King.
I plan to have a burial site on my land dedicated for my family.
What do you believe about the doctrine of soul?
I am unsure about what a soul is, but I am sure I am not fully in agreement with the concept of eternal soul or soul having eternal properties. I am also not sure about how to view of souls of humans and of animals.
In [Genesis 2:7], the word living soul in Hebrew uses Strongs H2416 (chaya) H5315 (nephesh). 2416 just means alive and nothing that indicates eternal. 5315/nephesh is vitality, life force, body and mind, desire, creature and other meanings, which that same word is translated into the above English words in KJV.
In fact, this is the same two words used for the English words living (H2416) creature (H5315) in [Genesis 2:19], whence Adam names all the living creatures. This is where I am unclear on how to view the doctrine only men have living souls. This also means I am unclear if animals go to heaven or hell and the related questions. I know they dont seem to have free will like we have and they are under our dominion. But outside of this, I have searched the Word of God, but cant find any answers.
Personally, I find soul to be a very difficult concept, even after much study across scriptures, various extra-biblical books, commentaries, historical writings. The challenge I find is that the Hebrew word nephesh (H5315) has very different connotations (using how its used in OT) to how Greek word psyche (G5590) is used in NT. I have found various metaphysical explanations, but nothing I can base on scriptures. I simply take soul to be my being, integral to my physical body along with the Spirit of God. It includes emotions, mind, conscious, my will and such things, which are abstract concepts to me, hence have a hard time basing it on God's Word. In the meantime, God willing, I will study more and He will show through His Spirit the truth that I can apply.
Hence I am not sure if we get a temporary nephesh when we are judged or rewarded and based on the judgement we get to inherit our immortal body or be cast into judgement. I also am not sure as to what cast into hell will look like, other than its eternal separation from the Most High.
What happens when we die?
Since we talk about body, soul and spirit in most of the religious discussions, I would like to use scriptures and history to conclude the following: - Body stops functioning and when buried deteriorates over time and goes back to dust, whence we came - Soul or our being dies as well, there is no more being - [Psa 30:9] What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? - [Isa 38:18] For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. - The spirit of man goes back to God, when we die [Ecc12:7]
Therefore, our being ceases to be when we die we go to sleep, until we await our resurrection for reward or judgement.
Does that change the urgency of salvation message?
Since I dont think we immediately go to hell and burn the minute we die, does that invalidate the call to repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ as ones Savior? Does the fire and brimstone message loose its place?
No. [Matt 28:19] is clear that we are to preach the message of salvation and to make disciples. We are also to care for the creations of God, and to ensure all our loved ones, neighbors and friends have the opportunity to choose life via the salvation message, so they dont end up eternally separated from our Creator. To me, the main points around urgency of preaching the salvation message (not just in preach in word but to live out in deeds so our life reflects who our Master is and what He has done for us) 1. We were made/created in the image of the Most High. We need to live upto what our Creator created us. It starts with accepting who we are and whose we are. We are not independent. Rebellion in this area will cause tremendous life challenges as we are going against the nature Yah has created us in 2. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves and with that application using the parable of the Samaritan [Luke 10:33], we dont have narrow definition of just the folks living next to our house. This broader definition warrants us to pray and guide our fellow men we come in contact with to be saved under the name of the Son of the Most High, Yeshua.
What then do you look forward to?
The main thing I am looking forward to right now is the return of my King, Yeshua haMaschiach (Jesus Christ in KJV). Since no man knoweth the hour or day when He will return [Matt24:36], I eagerly await His return, ensuring I have spotless wedding garments [Mat22:12], enough oil for my lamp[Matt25:1], food and water for the poor and needy [Matt25:35], enlarge the talents He has given me [Matt25:20], listen and follow my Shepherd [Matt25:33] and to guard the commandments of Yah and the testimony of Yeshua [Rev12:17] In whatever time The Most High has appointed for me on this realm to sojourn as a pilgrim, I will rejoice in awaiting my King or if I am put to sleep, then I will await the resurrection, assuming I persevere and remain faithful to the end.