One Minute After You Die
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DIE?
In his book “One Minute After You Die,” Erwin Lutzer does a good job of summing up what the Bible tells us about our life, our death, and the life after. He says:
One minute after you die, you will be more alive that you’ve ever been. You will either get your first glimpse of Heaven and Jesus or your first glimpse of Hell and Satan. And once you find yourself in either location, that location will be permanent—it will be the location where you will spend eternity.
What this means is that how you live your life, up until the moment of death, is a decision that you make day after day until you die, that will be irreversible and irrevocable. Heaven will be indescribably beautiful, and Hell will be an eternity of torture, pain, loneliness, and darkness.
Here is what the Bible tells us about our death:
1/ Both Heaven and Hell are real locations
· Matthew 7:13-14
· Matthew 25:46
2/ How you live your life is important to God. He wants you to pass the evaluation because He does not want anyone to perish. It is our choice in how we live as to where we will spend eternity.
· John 14:1-3
· Acts 1:9-11
· 2 Corinthians 5:8
3/ Of everyone who makes it to Heaven, Jesus will be your advocate in front of the Father (1 John 2:1-2).
· Some Christians will experience greater rewards in Heaven.
o 1 Corinthians 3:14
· And some Christians will experience a measurable loss of rewards in Heaven.
o 1 Corinthians 3:15
· Both groups will be in Heaven for all of eternity, which will be joyful and full of rewards for everyone.
o 1 Corinthians 4:5
· Even so, those that don’t experience the same rewards as others may feel regretful for opportunities not taken in their lives.
4/ Everyone will be evaluated by God (2 Corinthians 5:10). Believe that God is superior to man; His ways are not our ways. His authoritative word was written to instruct and direct us in our lives so that we can overcome obstacles and live joyful lives. When we don’t understand God and His expectations of us, we make up our own rules or allow society to tell us what to do, convincing us that we don’t need God or we can be Sunday-only worshippers without a thought about God during the rest of the week.
Here are some examples of faulty thinking/reasoning about God:
· “I don’t like organized religion” says that you make your own rules and you probably break them too when they don’t work out for you. You live by your own standards, not God’s standards.
· “Religion is a crutch,” says that you don’t think you’ll ever make mistakes and instead your goal for yourself and your children is to become self-reliant and self-confident. In reality, you need every piece of spiritual equipment in that hospital full of crutches.
· ‘I don’t agree with everything that is in the Bible, and it is full of errors” says that you are concentrating on ways to avoid God rather than listen to Him. It’s more a question of WHO you decide to listen to in the end: yourself or God. Know that the Bible is inerrant and trustworthy. It provides God’s standard of living for the world, but most importantly for YOU. Our Father has provided biblical teachings for our benefit in meeting His expectations.
5/ The top 4 regrets, according to a study of Christians who expressed regret on their deathbeds:
· Wasted Time - “I wish I had walked with God earlier in my life.” What we do on earth matters to God. Everyone can be forgiven of their sin, so if possible, ask God for forgiveness today. And know that our mistakes will not be held against us once we are forgiven (Jeremiah 31:34). Make this an urgent priority in your life.
· Not realizing God waits while we lead our own lives – “I wish I had spent more time in prayer and reading the Bible.” On average, most people sit and watch TV 20 hours per week. Why sit watching TV when we could be focusing on eternity and how wonderful it will be when we get to spend it with God? Robert Foster, in his book “7 Minutes with God,” details a prayer plan that starts small and develops over time to be conformed to your need once you discover it. He suggests starting with 7 minutes that includes reading segments of scripture to learn how to apply God’s word in your life, and prayer that includes asking God for what you need or want, confessing your sins, giving Him thanks for all He has done so far in your life, and praise/adoration for His worthiness to hear from you.
· Not feeling worthy of God’s attention – “I wish I had done more to serve God in my life.” The Bible tells us we are all adequate and need a place of service to “do good” for God and others (Hebrews 13:16). Why not spend 3 hours out of the 20 spent watching TV, serving at your church or in some form of ministry? Everyone can do something rather than nothing. Find something that you are passionate about and that utilizes your gifts, skills, and abilities.
· Not encouraging children – “I regret not doing more to encourage my children’s spiritual growth.” Will you be able to say with confidence that you did everything you could to encourage your kids? (Matthew 18:1-7)
o There are a lot of children who like (and even love) going to church and learning! Most churches have children’s ministries with fun activities that teach them socialization skills as well as loving God.
o If you travel for business, be sure to include your kids in church activities each Sunday when you are probably home (instead of choosing other Sunday activities—do those activities on Saturday whenever possible).