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Where do we go when we die?

Barbara Berry-Bailey
Barbara Berry-Bailey

A long time ago Jesus left this world to go be with God again. But before he left, he told his friends that he was going to make a place for them to be when they left this world too. Because Jesus loved them, Jesus wanted them to be with him always. Their souls could be with Jesus even after their bodies died.  

Your soul is a part of you that is inside, but you can’t see it, not even with an X-ray. It is not like your body that will die one day. Your soul goes on to live. If you have a favorite color, you can think about that favorite color living inside your body, covering your soul.

We are Jesus’ friends too. And we know that when our bodies die, we go to the place Jesus made. We do not know where that place is, but we know how to get there. Jesus said, “I am the way.”  That means the way to get to the place where Jesus lives is to believe in Jesus. 

Mary Suomala Folkerds - 11/19/2008

I agree with Barbara Berry-Bailey that we will be with Jesus when we die, but I do not agree with her that our souls are separated from our bodies.  When we die, our bodies and souls die.  But God raises us up and gives us new bodies and souls.  It is easy to get caught up in the idea that our souls are just trapped in our bodies waiting to be freed at death, but God is the God of our whole selves - body and soul.  And both body and soul will be in God's care when we die.   

Andi Fisher - 1/17/2009

A careful study of this issue should reveal that our bodies do decay and remain in the ground, but our spirit does go to the place the Lord has prepared for us immediately! And praise God for that!  We are not left to languish in some place of waiting- we go to be with our Lord in Heaven! Someday at the appointed time, our bodies will be made new and joined to our spirit selves. Scripture does support this. Read 1 Thessalonions, Hebrews 4, Revelation 20, are good starting points. We are raised up-eventually, and until then our bodies and souls are in the waiting room(so to speak) our spirits however are at home with our Lord.


mike - 1/26/2009

you are a soul,and when you die the soul is no longer.spirit(ruach) returns to god,the body returns to the dust from which it came.you do not go to heaven when you die. The bible says that the dead do not praise the lord.

mike - 1/26/2009

The bible says that the last enemy to be destroyed is death,so with that if someone dies and immediately goes to heaven then would you consider death to be an enemy?

Rasheed Shabazz - 1/8/2010

I can tell you exactly from the bible where we go when we die. It is in the bible. We do not go to the Lord in heaven.

SHIRLEY RUIZ - 7/6/2010

GOD IS GOOD. LET THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAD YOU TO ALL UNDERSTANDING. ASK FOR WISDOM FROM GOD AND HE SHALL GIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORD. BE BLESS TO ALL GODS CHILDREN GOD IS GOOD.

Rev. Tim Johnston - 7/15/2010

Many times in the book of concord Martin Luther speaks of the resurrection of the body.  For example, In Luther's Large Catechism when he is speaking about the creed, in note 161 in the Kolb/Wengert version of the Book of Concord Luther is quoted as saying: "'Flesh' here means total humanity, body and soul, according to the usage of Scripture which calls [humans] 'flesh'... and in the Creed where we say: "I believe in the resurrection of the flesh,'"

We can also turn to the Nicene and Athanasian creeds. 

In my estimation, Barbara Berry-Bailey has mis-represented the classical Lutheran position on this issue.



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