When Does The Departed Christian Go To Be With The Lord?

When Does The Departed Christian Go To Be With The Lord?

Hello Brother John:
At death does a Christian immediately goes to be with Christ or must he wait until the resurrection?
-Reggie

Dear Bro. Reggie:
Paul wrote that Christ brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (II Tim. 1:10). This much we know:

The body without the spirit is dead (Jas. 2:26).
When death occurs the body of the righteous person is placed in the tomb and the spirit of the person goes to a place of joy and happiness, known to the Jews as Abraham's bosom (i.e., in his presence) (Luke 16:22).
The body of the wicked man is likewise buried but his spirit is delivered to a place of torment (Luke 16:28).
The body returns to the dust (Eccle. 12:7), but the spirit lives on in its appointed place.
Both the righteous and the wicked are conscious in their place of waiting (Luke 16:23-25).
The place where the spirits of the departed go is called "hades" which means the unseen place where the dead await the resurrection.
In the place of the dead, a great gulf separates the righteous from the wicked and no changes in ones state will be possible after death (Luke 16:26).
When Jesus returns, the dead in Christ (Christians) will be raised and the righteous ones yet living will be instantly changed (i.e., provided with a resurrection body) (I Thess. 4:16-17). All the rest of the dead, (those unsaved) will also be raised at that time (John 5:28-29).
At that time our spirit will be reunited with our resurrection body.
The resurrection body will be incorruptible, i.e., it will never deteriorate and die (I Cor. 15:42). It will be a glorious spiritual body (I Cor. 15: 43-44). Thus it will be suited for eternal life.
At that point in time we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ and received the deeds done in this body (II Cor. 5:10).
Then the righteous will go away into eternal life and the wicked into eternal punishment (Matt. 25:46).
Many Christian poets and hymn writers do not make a distinction in the spirit of the saved person being taken to the place of rest (Abraham's bosom) and our final destination of a place in the Father's house (John 14:3). It is when Jesus comes that he will take us to where he lives.

Back -- or go -- Home