Before We Go Up to Heaven, Will We Be in the Ground for a Long Time?

Dear Aaron,

That is a great question. What happens to us when we die? Will our body be in the ground for a long time? Well, that depends on which body we are talking about. Our natural body (the body we see in the mirror) will, if we are buried, remain in the ground until Jesus returns. However, the natural body is not all there is to a person. Every person also has a soul. When our body dies, our soul is still alive. When righteous people die, their souls leave their bodies and go to Paradise. When Jesus was talking with the thief on the cross, he said, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). We read another example of this in Luke 16:22. As soon as Lazarus died, angels carried him to be comforted by Abraham. So when we die, yes, our natural bodies will be in the ground until Jesus comes back. No one knows when Jesus will come back, not even the angels in heaven (Matthew 24:36). However, our souls will be carried away to Paradise.

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org