What Happens When We Die?

Humans of all times and cultures have been fascinated with the notion of an afterlife. There is something in the human psyche that causes us to ponder the possibility of life after death and aspire to live beyond this life. People are generally uncomfortable with the notion that death ends all conscious existence for them. Why do we think this way? Why are TV shows and movies about ghosts and the paranormal so popular? Why the great interest in stories about afterlife and out-of-body experiences? Solomon answered these questions when he said that God “has put eternity in man’s heart” (Eccl. 3:11). This implies some mechanism in man that causes him to look beyond mere physical existence to a more enduring one. The Bible believer looks to the Scriptures for his answers about the afterlife. Referring to His followers, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). A “more abundant life” is a life beyond physical life. Faithful servants of God have the “hope of eternal life” (Titus 1:2; Romans 8:24; John 3:16). This is the hope of an eternal life beyond this temporal, physical life (2 Corinthians 4:18).

The main purpose of this article is to show what the Bible teaches about the afterlife. However, history shows that interest in the hereafter is not limited to Bible believers. Non-Bible-believers from all times and cultures have also been fascinated with the afterlife, and this fascination has led to the development of many different views and theories about what happens to people when they die. Most of the extra-biblical views have developed over many centuries from various humanistic and paganistic perspectives. This includes views held by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Norse, Near East Indians, Native American Indians, Japanese and others.

Apart from special divine revelation, humans are left to speculative and imaginative theories about the afterlife. Greek Mythology, Buddhism, Hinduism and Shintoism are some examples of this. As scientists are quick to affirm, there is no empirical and falsifiable evidence as proof of the afterlife, so people tend to speculate. Many “near-death” experiences have been related over the years, but these are only unprovable accounts. One of the best known of these stories has now been recanted. In the book, “The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven,” young Alex Malarkey told of dying, going to heaven, seeing angels and hearing the voice of God. He later recanted the story, and the book was pulled from further distribution. At the time of this writing, the movie, “90 Minutes In Heaven,” is being released in theaters. It is based upon the 1989 Don Piper story — a Baptist minister who was involved in a vehicle crash and allegedly killed. Piper claims to have gone immediately into Heaven. He claims to have seen an amazingly beautiful place and family members who had died. Many similar stories have been related over the years.

It should be noted that considerable differences exist regarding the afterlife, even among professed Bible-believers. One example of this is the common notion that departed spirits go either directly to Heaven or directly to hell after death. Luke 16 describes an intermediate abode for departed spirits, but this passage is sometimes dismissed as being either a mere parable, or as being a peculiarly Jewish place connected exclusively with the Mosaic system of religion. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 and Philippians 1:23 are cited as proof that saints go directly to Heaven upon death. However, Paul told the Thessalonians that dead saints would not “meet the Lord” until the return of Christ at the resurrection. Dead saints would indeed “precede” living saints in leaving the earth, but only to the extent that dead saints would be raised first in the resurrection. Living saints would then be caught up together with them to “meet the Lord in the air.” It is only after this point that all of them would “always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). If saints go directly to Heaven upon death, then, per this passage, they would have to leave Heaven some time prior to Christ’s return, reenter their physical bodies, undergo the change of 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, meet the Lord in the air, then reenter heaven with the other saints. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 tells us that “the Lord will descend from Heaven.” It does not say that the spirits of dead saints will do so. As we will see later, the spirits of departed saints are in hades, and in the particular compartment known as paradise.

Some Extra-Biblical Views Of The Afterlife

Before we consider what the Bible teaches regarding the afterlife, let us consider some of the more common non-biblical views. One good reason for considering some of the more popular extra-biblical views is to show, by contrast, the logical nature of the biblical view.

• Ancient Egyptians held a strong belief in the afterlife. To pass into the afterlife one had to have a sin-free heart and be able to recite the spells, passwords and formulae of the Book of the Dead. They also believed that the physical body had to be preserved through mummification, that the coffin (sarcophagus) had to contain certain markings about the afterlife journey, and that certain objects, such as food, jewelry and a copy of the Book of the Dead be placed inside the coffin.
• Ancient Greeks and Romans believed in the existence of four afterlife realms. Elysium, or Elysian Fields was the peaceful place of reward for the pure in heart. Tartarus was the destination of blasphemers and other wicked people. It compares to the “hell” of the Bible. It was described as a place of burning lava and other forms of punishment. Asphodel Fields was for those indecisive people whose evil deeds equalled their good deeds. It wasn’t the sunny fields of Elysium, nor was it the burning lava of Tartarus. It was a place of mere existence. The Fields of Punishment was also a place of punishment for those who had sinned, but whose sins did not warrant the severe punishments of Tartarus. Interestingly, “Hades” was the name of the Greek god that oversaw the realm of the dead, and it is also the term that the New Testament uses to describe the actual realm of the dead (Matthew 16:18; Luke 16:23; Acts 2:27; 1 Corinthians 15:55; Revelation 1:18). The word “tartarus” that the Greeks used to describe the place of ultimate afterlife punishment is also used by the apostle Peter in 2 Peter 2:4 to describe the holding place of sinful angels. {Note: The use of the terms “hades” and “tartarus” by Jesus and New Testament authors does not mean that they borrowed these concepts from earlier Greek Mythology. It only means that these Greek terms were commonly in use at the time of New Testament revelation and that the Holy Spirit appropriated these words for Divine use and application. While the words were divinely selected (Matt. 4:4; 1 Cor. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16), God used the personal vocabularies and experiences of the inspired authors in the revelatory process.}
• The ancient Norse also had strong views of the afterlife. Like the Greeks, they believed in several afterlife places. One half of all fallen warriors joined the god Odin in Valhalla, or the Hall of the Slain, which was located in Asgard. The other half of fallen warriors joined the goddess Freyja in the great meadow of Folkvangr. Those who excelled in neither good nor bad went to Hel, the Covered Hall. Like the Asphodel Fields of the Greeks, Hel was merely a place of afterlife existence with no particular punishment or reward. Wicked people went to Nifhel, which compared to the Tartarus of the Greeks.
• Native American Indians held various believes about the afterlife. The Algonquin tribes of eastern United States and Canada believed in an afterworld in which the dead spirits of men hunted animal spirits in the afterlife. The Cherokee believed in 3 different worlds: the Upper World, Middle World and Under World. The Middle World was the physical earth where humans dwell. The Upper World housed the departed spirits of men and animals. These spirits could magically transform themselves and move back into the Middle World when they needed to help humans. The Under World was inhabited by bad spirits (ghosts, monsters and bad witches) that could reenter the Middle World through springs or lakes and cause harm and trouble to humans.
• Buddhists, Hindus, Wiccans, Some Native Americans and others teach the concept of reincarnation. They believe that after death, the human spirit continues to reemerge over time in other physical forms. They believe that the reincarnated spirit continues to spiritually develop through such transitions until it is eventually liberated from the cycle of rebirth and achieves Nirvana. To the Buddhist this is freedom from suffering. To the Hindu it is oneness with Brahman.
• Muslims believe that deceased souls remain in the grave until the resurrection day. At that time, souls go to either Jannah (Paradise) or Jahannam (the Greek Gehenna) depending upon their ratio of good to bad deeds. Judgment happens by souls passing over a narrow bridge to Paradise. Those who are overly weighted by their sins fall off the bridge into Hell and remain there until and unless Allah later intervenes. Some Islamic scholars say that Hell can be a place of conversion for non-Muslims, thus allowing them to convert and be delivered from Hell and into Paradise. Warriors who die in battle are promised Paradise regardless of their good-to-bad deed ratio (Quran 2:154; 3:169). Those who oppose Islam are guaranteed Hell regardless of their deeds. According to the Quran, Paradise, also called the “Garden” is a place of physical and spiritual pleasure. It is a place of “no fatigue” (Quran 15:28), with lofty mansions, delicious food, “clear-flowing water” (Quran 15:45), and young maidens (for the men). Hell is described as a fiery crater with seven gates that lead to seven degrees of punishment to accommodate varying degrees of sinfulness (Quran 15:44).
• Atheists, materialists and other soul-deniers teach that death marks the end of all life functions, so that absolutely nothing happens after death. They believe that consciousness is inextricably tied to the life functions of the physical body (heart beat, brain waves, breath…etc), and that all aspects of life end at death.

It is important to note that many of the above afterlife views were developed upon the particular cultural and geographical circumstances of the people. Arabian Muslims were accustomed to arid climate conditions, so their view of the afterlife involved lush green gardens and fresh flowing water. The American Indians relied heavily upon game hunting for their survival, hence their afterlife view of spirit-hunting in the afterlife.

Some False Views Of The Afterlife Addressed In Scripture

As we will later see, the Bible sets forth the truth about the afterlife, but it also tells us about erroneous views that were held by various individuals and groups:

• Job held a firm belief in the afterlife, but his understanding was imperfect. God had not yet revealed all of the details concerning the nature of man and of the grave. Job described the afterworld (even for the sinless man) as a “land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness” (Job 10:21-22). He spoke of “worms” covering and eating his body after death (Job 19:26; 21:26) and concluded that this part of the afterlife would be a painful experience (Job 15:22). Job did say, “And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God” (19:26). However, this verse does not teach what some ascribe to it. When considered in the context of other Job passages, it shows that Job believed that the human spirit remained joined to the fleshly body in the afterlife, and that he would see God “in his flesh.” The Bible actually teaches that no man will see God “in the flesh,” for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50). Physical bodies must be changed into spiritual bodies in order to enter Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:44, 53). James 2:26 teaches that the spirit separates from the body at death. It does not remain attached to the physical body.
• Like certain materialists of our day, the Jewish Sadducees of the Bible denied the resurrection, the existence of angels and the existence of any spiritual component in humans (Acts 23:8; Matthew 22:23). Jesus answered their error in Matthew 22:29-32 and Paul openly affirmed the resurrection of the dead in Acts 23:6.
• Hymenaeus and Philetus were rebuked for teaching that the resurrection had “already happened” (2 Timothy 2:18). Their error so dashed the hopes of some saints that it caused the overthrow of their faith.
• Some Corinthians taught that “there was no resurrection of the dead” (1 Corinthians 15:12). Paul proceeded to correct their misconception throughout the remainder of the chapter.
• Some at Thessalonica taught that the return of Christ was immediate (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Their misconception apparently led some of them to quit their jobs in anticipation of the Lord’s coming (2 Thessalonians 3:11). This misconception also led to other general conduct problems (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12). Paul instructed them that prior to the Lord’s return, a particular apostasy would occur and the “son of perdition” would be revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:3-ff).

As we have seen from both secular and biblical history, people have held many imaginative, speculative, contradictory and erroneous views of the afterlife. Most of these people believed in some concept of “deity,” but they either lacked or ignored specific information from God relating to the nature and destiny of the soul. While God’s revelation of Himself in nature can cause humans to conclude that God exists and that they should “seek” Him (Acts 17:24-29; Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1-2), natural revelation is not sufficient to teach us the nature and will of God. According to Acts 17:16, the Athenians believed in many gods, as is reflected in the great number of idols that were erected in the city. They were polytheists, like the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Arabians and others that I cited above. They had a faulty view of the nature of God. Knowing the true nature, will and plans of God requires special revelation, and this is contained and communicated in the holy Scriptures (1 Corinthians 2:9-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). We must look there for accurate information about the afterlife.

The Nature Of The Afterlife Is Related To the Nature Of Man

The Bible teaches that humans are dual-beings, possessing both spiritual and fleshly components. This distinguishes humans from all other creatures. Paul wrote, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The Bible sometimes uses the words “soul” and “spirit” interchangeably, but when the terms are used together, as here in this verse, the “soul” refers to the life principle or breath, and “spirit” refers to the spirit-consciousness that will exist throughout eternity. It describes the unseen part of man (2 Cor. 4:18).

In the formation of human life, God “forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1). This spirit remains within man until the death of the physical body. James wrote, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:26). “Death” means separation. Spiritual death is separation from God. Paul described the Ephesians as having been “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). Physical death, as addressed in James 2:26, is separation of the spirit from the body. The Bible says that “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Materialists and secularists typically reduce human life to a mere biological equation involving physical forces and interactions. The Bible teaches that it is the human spirit that directs the body, and that it interfaces with the body through the brain. The brain is a physical organ that, along with the rest of the physical body, will return to the dust at death (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:7). However, the knowledge, thoughts, memories and experiences of the mind or spirit will continue to exist throughout future eternity. After his death, the rich man of Luke 16:28 was mindful of his 5 brothers upon the earth and he was aware of their spiritual condition. Conscious awareness continues beyond the grave.

Paul said, “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son…” (Romans 1:9). Paul later said, “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing witness in the Holy Ghost” (Romans 9:1). Paul had earlier said that he served the law of God with his “mind” (as opposed to the “law of sin” that he had once served with his flesh — Romans 7:25). In verses 15-21 of the same chapter, Paul spoke of what he “would” or “willed” to do. These terms “spirit,” “mind,” “will” and “conscience” are used interchangeably in these passages. They describe the mechanism in humans that enables them to reason and make moral choices. It isn’t merely the chemical processes in the brain — it involves self-awareness, awareness of others, accountability, personal experience, the faculty of consciousness and of thought.

According to Romans 8:16, one’s personal spirit or conscience can be led by (instructed by) the Holy Spirit. It can also be led by evil influences, which is why Paul wrote,“What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have know what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Romans 7:7). As Paul learned God’s law, his conscience became educated and he was able to make proper moral choices. It should be noted that uneducated and ill-educated consciences are no guarantee against sinful conduct. Paul had “a good conscience” even when he was persecuting saints (Acts 23:1 and Acts 26:9-11). He was, at that time, “ignorant” of God’s will, and he needed to be properly informed (1 Timothy 1:13).

The essence of each human being is his spirit. The body is only a “tent” that houses the spirit (2 Corinthians 5:1). After death, spirits that directed their bodies in service to God will be rewarded eternally. Spirits that directed their bodies in service to Satan will be punished eternally (Matthew 25:46). Thus, all spirits will experience some type of afterlife existence.

Using several metaphors, Solomon described the aging process in the human body (Ecclesiastes 12:1-6). The body weakens and begins to stoop, the teeth wear out, eyesight dims, hearing is impaired, the hair turns gray, the organs fail and then we die. After describing these processes, Solomon then wrote:

“And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

“The dust” refers to the physical body, which will one day return to “the dust” of the earth. Humans are carbon-based life forms and the earth is full of carbon. Upon death, the body’s cells and other elements quickly break down and easily merge with the dust of the ground. “The spirit” is the unseen “inner self” that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 4:16. As stated above, it will continue to exist for eternity. Solomon said that “the spirit returns to God who gave it.” This means that it returns to God’s control. After death, humans have no control over the destiny of their spirits. This is evident from the story of the rich man and Lazarus. At the point of Lazarus’s death, his spirit “was carried by angels to Abraham’s side” (aka. paradise, Luke 16:22). The rich man of the story also died, “and in hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments” (Luke 16:23). Earlier, in the parable of the foolish farmer who trusted in riches over God, God told the farmer, “You fool! This night your soul is required of you…” (Luke 12:20). The phrase is actually plural, meaning “they require your soul.” That is, “they” (the angels), as described in Luke 16:22. Thus, the spirits of both the righteous dead and the wicked dead are under God’s control and their afterlife fate is assigned by Him based upon how they lived their earthly lives.

Some people assume from the Ecclesiastes passage that human souls immediately enter heaven upon death. However, as seen from Luke 16, human souls did not go immediately to heaven at death. Rather, they went to the compartmentalized place of hades (the “sheol” of the Old Testament). They went to either paradise or to torments. Jesus said, “No one has ascended into heaven but He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man” (John 3:13). Furthermore, if Ecclesiastes 12:7 means that all souls go to heaven at death, then all souls would go to heaven upon death whether good or evil, for all humans are subject to the physical death and decay depicted in that passage. Hebrews 9:27 says that all men are appointed to die. This can’t be the meaning, for Solomon soon went on to say that God’s judgment distinguished the “good” from the “evil” based upon whether or not they “fear God and keep His commandments” (Eccl. 12:13-14). The “evil” are those who refuse to do so, such as the foolish farmer and the rich man of Luke 12 and 16.

Sheol / Hades

Using the Old Testament Hebrew word sheol and the New Testament Greek word hades, the Bible describes the temporary abode of departed spirits. That these terms are interchangeable is obvious from a comparison of Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:27, which states the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 16:10 in Christ. In the Psalm, David prophesied that God would not leave his soul in “sheol.” Acts 2:27 then says, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.” “Sheol” and “Hades” are the same place or condition. Some people use the word “grave” to describe this place, but this word can be misleading due to its usual connection with the ground (like a cemetery plot). Departed spirits do not reside in coffins or caskets — they live in the non-material realm. Hades is the unseen realm of the dead. It is the abode of spirits awaiting the resurrection and final sentencing by God.

According to Acts 2:27, Jesus’ spirit went into “Hades” when He died, but it was not left there. It was only there for the 3 days that His physical body remained in Joseph’s tomb. His spirit was then reunited with His physical body and He was resurrected. {Note: The King James version has the word “hell” as a translation of “hades” in Acts 2:27. This is an unfortunate translation, for “hell” (Gehenna) refers not to a general and temporal holding place for all departed spirits, but to the permanent and eternal abode of wicked spirits after the judgment of all souls — Hell is “the second death” and “lake of fire” of Revelation 20:14-15.}

By now, some readers may be recalling the words of Jesus to the thief on the cross and wondering how Jesus could have gone into both “Hades” and “Paradise” at the same time. Jesus did promise the penitent thief that he would go with Him that day into “Paradise” (Luke 23:43). The answer is simple: Paradise is a compartment of Hades. Thus Jesus’ spirit went into Hades when it went into Paradise. This well accords with the events described in the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. The spirits of both men went into Hades, but the spirit of Lazarus went to “Abraham’s side” (or bosom) where he was “comforted” (Lk. 16:22). This exactly corresponds to the “Paradise” of Luke 23:43. The spirit of the rich man went into Hades, but was described as being in a place of “torments” and “anguish” (Luke 16:23). How could such diverse conditions exist in one place? According to verse 26 of this chapter, there is “a great chasm fixed” between the torment side and the paradise side, which maintains separation between the two compartments. Upon death, human spirits go into this Hadean realm, either on the torments side or the Paradise side, depending of course upon how they conducted themselves in their fleshly bodies. These spirits will remain in hades until the resurrection and the final sentencing by God.

Christ Will Return

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The sounding of the “trumpet” is mentioned in connection with both the return of Christ and the resurrection (see also 1 Corinthians 15:52). This links these two events. Christ is right now at the right hand of the Father in Heaven (Acts 7:55, 56; 1 Peter 3:22), but one unexpected day He will return to the earth. He will “come as a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10). No one knows the day or hour of His coming (Matthew 24:36). When He comes He will “inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.” These unbelieving and rebellious people will be assigned to “everlasting punishment” (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9). Conversely, He will also at that time “be glorified in His saints and be marveled at by those who believe” (2 Thessalonians 1:10). As learned from other passages, these verses in Thessalonians are intended as a brief synopsis of future events. The return of Christ will be in conjunction with a bodily resurrection and it will be followed by the final sentencing of all people by God.

The Resurrection

As noted earlier, the spirit leaves the body at death and goes into hades; either paradise or torments (James 2:26; Eccl. 12:7; Luke 16). However, these departed spirits will not remain in hades forever. Paul told the Corinthians, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51). “Sleep” is a euphemism for “death.” Paul’s point is that not all people will be dead when the Lord returns (see also 1 Thessalonians 4:17). The term “we” does not refer to mere inanimate corpses. It refers to people. Thus we conclude that at some time in this process, human spirits are reunited with their physical bodies. These spirits will rejoin their earthly bodies and their bodies will, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye… be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52).

Natural, perishable, “flesh and blood” bodies “cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:44, 50). Perishable beings “of dust” (v. 47) must be transformed into imperishable beings in order for them to inhabit eternity. Mortal bodies must be changed into immortal bodies. Natural bodies must be changed into spiritual bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-53, 44-46). The scriptures do not provide the exact details of the actual look and composition of the resurrection body, but we do know that we will have “glorified” bodies such as Christ presently has (Philippians 3:21; 1 John 3:2). Both the righteous and the wicked dead will be changed and resurrected (Acts 24:15; John 5:29).

The resurrection passage of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 deserves some special attention. Like 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, it describes Christ’s return, but unlike the latter passage, it addresses the fate of only the righteous at Christ’s return — both the living and the dead. The Thessalonians were concerned about the fate of dead saints. Paul explains that not only do dead saints have the hope of the resurrection, but that they will actually precede living saints in meeting the Lord “in the air” in the resurrection. {NOTE: 1 Thessalonians 4:17 confirms my earlier point, that departed spirits go into Hades, not directly into either heaven or hell. This is seen in the fact that dead saints will “meet the Lord in the air,” and will subsequently “always be with the Lord.” Had these dead saints gone immediately into heaven upon their deaths, they would have already “met” the Lord, for He has been in heaven since His ascension, Acts 1:11.}

Final Judgment (Sentencing)

Matthew 25:31-46 depicts the judgment scene, and it is not what many people assume it to be. The description begins with the righteous “sheep” already being separated from the wicked “goats” (v. 31). By the time of the “judgment,” the fates of all humans have already been determined. As we saw from Luke 16:19-ff, and as seen in the Lord’s explanations in Matthew 25, one’s eternal destiny is determined by how he lived his life upon the earth. The Lord’s pronouncements, whether “come, you blessed of my Father” (v.34), or, “depart from me, you cursed” (v. 41), are made to each person based upon how he conducted himself in the flesh. Matthew 25 ends with the observation that the wicked go into “everlasting punishment” and the righteous go into “everlasting life.” Revelation 20:11-15 gives a similar description, though it focuses upon the fate of the wicked. They will be “cast into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” By this point one’s eternal fate is sealed. The Bible says nothing about purgatory or annihilation. These are mere fictions.

Conclusion

The Bible indeed teaches that one’s fate is sealed at death. As many of the above passages plainly show, at death, events are set in motion that are beyond our ability to control. This is why it is so important that we make the right choices now. After describing the return of Christ and the destruction of the material universe, Peter said, “Since all of these things are thus dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?” (2 Peter 3:11). This is a sobering question. As we saw earlier, Jesus will come and “take vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus” (2 Thess. 1:8). We should apply our spirits to knowing God and to directing our bodies in His service (Romans 6:16-18). And we should do so before it is too late.

—Tim Haile