When Does The Deceased Person Know His Destiny?

When Does The Deceased Person Know His Destiny?

Dear Mr. Waddey:
When a person dies does he at that time know if he will go to heaven or hell?
-Kyrene

Dear Kyrene:
A human life consists of three elements: a body, a spirit and soul (I Thess. 5:23). When the body and spirit are united, the result is life. The body apart from the spirit is dead (Jas. 2:26). When the spirit departs it goes to be with the Lord (Phil. 1:23). But the place where the spirit goes to wait for the resurrection is called Paradise (Luke 23:43). It is also called Abraham's Bosom, the place where Lazarus went (Luke 16:22). When the spirit leaves the physical body, death occurs, physical life ends. The word soul describes what we have and are so long as body and spirit are united. Remember the record of Adam's creation. First God made a perfect body. But it was not yet alive. So God breathed into his nostrils the breath or spirit of life and he became a living soul (Gen. 2:7).

In the place called Abraham's Bosom or Paradise, we will wait for the resurrection of our bodies. When Christ raises us, our spirits will be reunited with our newly raised bodies that are suited to live with God in eternity. The moment we die we will know our eternal fate. For we will awaken in Abraham's Bosom if we are saved. If we are lost we will awaken to torment (Luke 16:222-24). Really we need not wait that long to know our fate. If we believe in Christ and serve him according to his will, we can know that we have eternal life (I John 5:13). Every person who is not submissive to Christ and his revealed will should know that he is unprepared to meet God.

Sincerely,

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