The document discusses what happens after death based on passages from the Bible. It summarizes that: 1) The dead continue to exist, and are not in a state of "soul sleep" as some believe, as evidenced by passages like Luke 16 that describe the afterlife. 2) Everyone will spend eternity after death in either heaven or hell, and this eternal destination is unchanging once death occurs. 3) While the Bible does not give all details, it indicates that after death, one's condition and destination are fixed and unchangeable for everlasting punishment or reward. The document encourages preparing for eternity through faith in God during life when there is still opportunity.

2. Between Death & the Resurrection!
1Th 4:13-18 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren,
concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as
others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died
and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who
sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the
Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of
the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall
always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another
with these words.

3. “The only thing in life that is certain is
that life will not last forever!”
One of two things will happen, either we will all one
day die, or Jesus will return to destroy the world!
○ Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed for men to die
once, but after this the judgment,
○ 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as
a thief in the night, in which the heavens will
pass away with a great noise, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and
the works that are in it will be burned up.

4. Knowing that this life will not last
forever, what happens when we die?
○ Tonight we want to look to see just what the
Bible has to say about this subject?
○ Even though we are not told everything we
might want to know, we are told what we need
to know! (2 Pet. 1:2-3; Jude 1:3)
○ So what does the Bible tell us happens when
we die?

5. I. The Dead Are Existing!
○ One of the biggest growing beliefs in the religious
world about the dead is what is called “Soul Sleeping!”
▸When one dies they simply go into a unconscious
state. They are now soul sleeping.
▸This has even worked its way into the church, with
many will known preachers now teaching against
“eternal punishment!”
– Edward W. Fudge “The Fire That Consumes”
– Homer Hailey “God’s Judgment & Punishment”
– F. LaGard Smith “After Life”
– Jimmy Allen “Fire In My Bones”

6. Passages often used to justify this belief!
○ Ps. 115:17 The dead do not praise the LORD, Nor
any who go down into silence.
○ Isa. 38:18-19 For Sheol cannot thank You, Death
cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit
cannot hope for Your truth. The living, the living man,
he shall praise You, As I do this day; The father shall
make known Your truth to the children.
○ Eccl. 9:5 For the living know that they will die; But
the dead know nothing, And they have no more
reward, For the memory of them is forgotten.

7. In the New Testament the dead
are often said to be asleep!
Jn. 11:11; Act. 7:60 & 1 Thess. 4:13
○ Many say things like, “you will get all the sleep you
need when you are dead!”
○ Yet, soul sleeping is not in harmony with the
complete revealed will of God!
▸The passages in the OT are speaking from a earthly
prospective, the dead can do nothing else in “this life!”
▸The NT ones are speaking of the dead resting from
the labors of “this world!”

8. The Bible is clear that the dead are still
existing!
Let’s read together (Lk. 16:19-31)
○ Some other verses to consider on this!
▸We will “all stand before the judgment seat of Christ!”
(Rom. 14:10-12)
▸Mt 25:32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him,
and He will separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
▸Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing
before God, and books were opened... And the dead were
judged according to their works, by the things which were
written in the books.

9. II. The Dead Are Everlasting!
○ Everyone we know will continue to exist after
this life in one of two places, Heaven or Hell! And
this will be “everlasting” forever!!!
○ This is sometime hard for us to comprehend
because we live in the boundaries of time and to
think of a place that is “timeless” is difficult for us,
everything we do or have done we keep record of
by time!
○ You see, this is why the choices we make now
are so important!

10. One passage that points this out
clearly is (Mt. 25:31-46)
○ There are only two groups and everyone will be in
one of them! “All nations, sheep from goats!”
○ The result of these two groups is for the same
“duration of time”
▸Eternal/everlasting punishment(Mt. 25:41 & 46)
▸Eternal/everlasting life (Mt. 25:46)
○ The duration of time in both of these comes from the
Greek word I-ony-os = eternal; for ever; never ending
(Strong’s)

11. What separates man from all other life
is that we were made in “the
image/likeness of God” and that we
have a “everlasting soul!”
Gen. 1:26,27; 2:7; Eccl. 12:7 cf. 12:13-14
○ When the Bible speaks of the saved, it often
speaks of their “souls!”
▸Act 2:41 Then those who gladly received his
word were baptized; and that day about three
thousand souls were added to them.

12. III. The Dead Are Unchangeable!
Unchangeable = not liable to variation or able to be
altered; in a fixed state (Webster)
○ As we have already seen in (Lk. 16:19-31)
when we take our last breath there is no going
back! The rich man wanted Lazarus to go back
and warn his brothers!
○ In life we often make mistakes, but we are
also given chances to make them right again,
but when we die our eternal condition is
“unchangeable!”

13. 2 Cor. 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with
Him also plead with you not to receive the grace
of God in vain. For He says: "In an acceptable time
I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I
have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted
time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
○ As long as we still have breath within us,
there is “hope” to get right with God, but one
day we will stop breathing and we will remain
in the condition that we find ourselves in that
day!

14. Conclusion:
○ We have not answered all the questions that
one might have about what happens when we
die, but I do believe that we can know some
things on this subject that help us to live better
now knowing what is coming!
○ We can know that ... the dead are
▸Existing
▸Everlasting
▸Unchangeable
○ The good news is that as long as you have