When Do The Deceased Know Their Destiny?

When Do The Deceased Know Their Destiny?

Dear Bro. John:
When a person dies will he or she know right then their destiny? Are we judged at death?
-Malcom

Dear Malcom:
The answer to your question is given in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. When the wicked Rich Man died, he woke up in torment. When righteous Lazarus died he woke up in the peaceful home of Abraham and the saved (Luke 16:22-23).

While earth stands and our bodies are in the grave, the spirits of the deceased go to a place which is called Hades, the place of departed spirits (Matt. 16:18 ASV). There they await the resurrection which will include the good and the evil (John 5:28-29).

There will be a day when all the dead, the great and small, will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and receive the things done in this life (II Cor. 5:10). We should not think of the judgment as an opportunity to argue our case. The omniscient God knows every word, thought and deed of our lives, and every motive behind them. We should think of that day as a day of sentencing to our everlasting destiny (Matt. 25:46). In our law courts, a man is first found guilty. Then, days or weeks later, the judge will impose his sentence.

Our salvation is given to us in this life (I John 5:13). When we complete our earthly journey, we are either saved or not.

Sincerely,

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