It is sometimes presented as a great mystery, the ultimate fate of humanity. But the Bible is quite clear about what happens to those who love God and accept His gift of life.
Let's take a look!
What does the Bible says about the life of a righteous person in the present?
- "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).
- "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).
- "Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means" (2 Thessalonians 3:16).
- "Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them" (Acts 16:24, 25).
Jesus says the follower of God can experience a life of abundance in the here and now, absent of fear and filled with peace and joy. Even in life's most stressful moments, the follower of God will know peace.
What does the Bible say about the life of a righteous person in the future?
- "So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous" (Psalm 58:11).
- "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (1 Corinthians 15:52–54).
- "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:4).
The Bible also says the reward of the righteous will be new bodies, strong and perfect, and new lives. They will live lives without sorrow, without crying, without pain, and without death. God will restore the garden paradise He first created and they will live there happily with no stress or disease forever!
When do the righteous finally receive this reward?
- "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:52–54).
- "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
Jesus is coming back to Planet Earth, and when He does, there will be a great noise, like a trumpet. At that time, the righteous dead will be resurrected and given their perfect bodies. Those who are alive at that time will be transformed instantly. Then Jesus will take the righteous with Him to heaven.