What Happens After Death Part 2

A very ancient copy of a page of St John's Gospel - or part of it -showed punctuation marks. This is called The Rylands fragment and is dated at only about twenty years after the apostle's death. Also I have photocopies of secular Greek letters which were written in Christ's time. They show Greek punctuation marks so you see, one must be aware that there are those who can mislead you. The Lord said that there would not be a jot or a tittle of the law that will not be fulfilled. The jot and tittle were the smallest marks of the Hebrew; the same principle applies to the Greek New Testament.

So, the dying repentant thief did have a soul which would survive the death of his body, and which would see the Spirit of Jesus that same day. 'Truly, truly, I say it to you (comma), this day you will be with me in paradise.'

What wonderful grace, that the first to be saved, the first to see his Saviour, was a murderer who repented and believed at his death. By this, God showed the extent of his full and glorious salvation.

With Christ?

The need to be clear about Bible teaching on life after death is apparent from many letters we receive.

One writer said he did not know that the Bible says that when a Christian dies he goes to be with Christ. I directed his attention to what Paul said in Philippians 1:23: 'I have a desire to depart this life and to be with Christ which is far better.'

Now notice that in this statement, the moment of death is given as the time when the believer (in this case St Paul) goes to be with Christ. Somebody once said to me, 'That might apply to St Paul, but I could never be as holy as him.' But the Bible says that it does not depend on how holy we are, but whether we have asked God to forgive us for Jesus' sake.

'While we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. We are willing rather to be absent from the body, and be present with the Lord.'

So what does that pronoun 'we' represent? It represents the souls of the believers. We are willing to be absent from the body, but what is it that would be absent from the body? It is the soul. The souls of believers are described as 'we' - the real self.

The believer is willing because salvation was received by him as a free gift. Free, because the price was paid by Christ's suffering. The believer is willing for his soul to be with Jesus because he knows that in the presence of God there are joys for ever more. The Bible says John got a vision of them in heaven rejoicing, he says, 'I looked, and behold a great crowd which no one could number stood before the throne and before the Lamb of God. They were dressed in white . . . They praised with a loud voice "salvation to our God ... Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honour and glory and blessing . . . For you have redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every family, language, tribe and nation." '

First published in Miracles & Angels, Dr E K Victor Pearce.