The righteous person will enter love, peace, and joy, when he dies to a degree that cannot be experienced in the present world. The wicked will enter hatred, unrest, and agony, when he dies to a degree that cannot be experienced in the present world.

God cannot be mocked. Those who love Him will be blessed beyond measure. Those who hate Him will be punished beyond measure.

What will be the condition of the careless Christian (of whom there are a great many today) after he dies and before the Lord comes and demands an accounting of the talents that have been entrusted to him?

The current teaching that every believer will ascend into the new Jerusalem when he dies is neither scriptural nor logical. Will God take the deceased into glory and then, in the Day of the Lord, deal with him concerning his diligence or lack of it? Is this sensible? It appears our current doctrine covering this aspect of redemption is woefully inadequate, leaving the dying believer unprepared for what he or she will experience after death.

There is little scriptural support (where are the passages?) for the commonly held belief that all believers in Christ, regardless of their behavior in the world, are brought into the Presence of God when they die, there to live forever in mansions of delight. As we have stated, the apostolic concept of being "saved" is not that of where we go when we die. Rather, the concept is that of being saved from Divine wrath when Christ comes in His Kingdom.

Although the Scripture does not have much to say about what happens to the believer when he dies, it seems reasonable that each believer in Christ is evaluated as to the formation of Christ in him and then placed in a suitable area of the spirit realm, there to await his placement in the Kingdom of God at the appearing of Christ.

It is neither scriptural nor reasonable that people will be changed in moral standards, attitudes, mannerisms, dedication to the Lord, or in any other area of personality by reason of their physical death. Rather, in many instances they may join with their family members to await the Day of Judgment.

If they are happy, generous people in this world, they will continue to be the same in the next. If they are mean, rebellious, stubborn, moody now, there is no reason to believe they will be different after they die.

What would cause them to change? The sins we practice are spiritual in nature. Gossiping, hatred, strife, the seeking of preeminence, pride, anger, are all spiritual in nature. They are of the personality of Satan. Why would the bitter, spiteful person be any different because he or she died? In fact, the bitterness and spitefulness probably will increase because the individual no longer will be able to vent his spite on his acquaintances still living in the world. This is true whether or not the person has been a believer.

It seems reasonable also that these areas of waiting are places of instruction and, hopefully, of opportunities for spiritual growth. Many ardent young disciples have died before they have had much of an opportunity to learn to love and trust Christ, to learn the lessons those who have wandered for many years in the wilderness of this world have been taught.

Surely there are opportunities for spiritual growth and service after we die and before the Lord returns. We cannot be certain such is the case. We cannot say thus saith the Lord because there are so few passages that describe life after death.

To be continued.