When I die then what?

A friend once complained about what his church taught. They said, "You die, and your soul goes to heaven. I didn’t care about my soul, I wanted to know,, what about me?" He was getting an old answer. The new answer that makes sense is that you and everything about you, who you are, what you stand for, what you love, the real you goes to heaven. That is, of course, if you lead a good life.

Some say that you will wait until some last trumpet sounds, and there will be a great judgment and the good will reign with Christ. But that means that everything about you is put on hold until that time. That belief means that the real you waits in the grave along with the Ancient Egyptians and even primitive man. But if your choices in life here determine whether you go to heaven or hell, doesn’t it make sense that the consequences of your choices would take place right away? If we’re here to learn to love God and each other, doesn’t it make sense that God would make it possible for us to enjoy that life right away? The new answer is that judgment comes right after you die, and after a short preparation the real you goes to heaven or hell right away.

Some say, "Oh, I’ll find out when I get there." But if there is a heaven and a hell, and God wants us to go to heaven, wouldn’t He tell us what it is like and how to get there? Even if you’re planning a trip, you think through how to get there and what you’ll need when you arrive. If heaven consists of real people, it makes sense that there are homes, conversation, eating, worshiping and all kinds of wonderful human enjoyments. Most of us are happiest when we are being useful and working on things that we really love to do. People love each other there, and they show their love by working and sharing their talents. So in heaven everybody serves others freely because they love being useful and it makes them happy.

What about reincarnation? If your free choices form your character here, do you need a second chance? Does a continuing cycle of existence in different life forms really answer the question, "What about me?" And if the goal is the absence of desire and merging with the infinite, what happens to the individual man? Who am I in Nirvana?

Every indication of Scripture is that we will still have arms, legs, eyes, nose, a brain to think with - in short we will have complete bodies. That’s the way all the angels appeared in visions, and it is clear that angels are people who have lived here on earth. But unlike here, because all in heaven are loving, their bodies and actions perfectly image their love. No more, "If only I had said it or done it differently." No more being tongue-tied when we want to express our feelings. No more hypocrisy. Heavenly bodies wonderfully reflect just exactly what we think and feel.

We think then of the victims of September 11^th as entering into a wonderful life, surrounded by beautiful gardens and homes. How readily those who died serving others will fit into a heaven where everyone loves serving! If they wish, they may live in cities even more beautiful than New York. Or if they prefer they may live in the country with rolling hills and distant views. They are with friends, and they are happy fulfilling their fondest dreams and hopes, fulfilling the very purpose for which they were created, lovingly serving others.

Death is a sad time for those who are left behind, but it is also but a short time compared to eternity. We will join them in a short time. On our part, grief at separation from those we love is normal and healthy, but they have entered into the joy of their Lord.

We all need answers. A loving god will surely provide them if we really look. And aren’t we supposed to really look?