Through The Veil
By Matt Leasher
One of the most
significant
questions that the
Bible answers and
reveals to mankind
is what happens
after we die, or as
I prefer to say,
pass on.
Many view
death as the
complete end of
their life and in an
earthly physical
sense it is, but it
isn’t the end of our
conscience mind and
spirit.
King Solomon
writing about what
happens when we pass
on from this earthly
existence said this:
“Then the dust will
return to the earth
as it was, and the
spirit will return
to God who gave it”.
(Ecclesiastes 12:7)
I especially like
the warning that he
gives in the verse
just prior:
“Remember your
Creator before the
silver cord is
loosed”
(Ecclesiastes 12:6)
Many believe that
this
“silver cord”
that Solomon
mentions is the
spiritual cable that
keeps our souls
strapped within our
physical frame of
flesh and at death
that “cord” snaps
releasing our
spirits from our
bodies to be
escorted by angels
unto our eternal
home.
I find it
particularly
interesting that
even at our physical
birth into this
world our umbilical
cord must be snapped
to release us into
this life.
We have no control
of our coming into
this world.
God has
pre-ordained when
and where we would
all be born, (see
Acts 17:26).
But the Lord
has left our
spiritual birth
to our own free
will, (see John
3:1-21).
Since He gave
us the free will to
be born of the
Spirit, we therefore
have our own ability
to determine where
we will go when we
leave this earth.
If we believe
and follow the truth
of salvation through
Jesus Christ and
accept Him as our
Lord and Savior then
we need not fear
death.
We have the
blessed assurance
that when we draw
our last breath we
will go into His
presence. The
apostle Paul
confirms this in his
second letter to the
Corinthians when he
said:
“So we are always
confident, knowing
that while we are at
home in the body we
are absent from the
Lord.
For we walk
by faith, not by
sight.
We are
confident, yes, well
pleased rather to
be absent from the
body and to be
present with the
Lord.”
(2
Corinthians 5:6-8)
And again when he
wrote to the
Philippians while in
prison and facing
possible execution:
“For to me, to live
is Christ, and to
die is gain. But if
I live on in the
flesh, this will
mean fruit from my
labor; yet what
shall I choose I
cannot tell. For I
am hard-pressed
between the two,
having a desire to
depart and be
with Christ, which
is far better.
Nevertheless
to remain in the
flesh is more
needful for you.”
(Philippians
1:21-24)
So we can be rest
assured that as born
again believers in
Christ, He will
receive us on the
other side of the
veil of death and
all we have to do is
believe and trust in
Him. It is never too
late to obtain the
faith needed for
eternal salvation.
Just look at
the thief on the
cross.
He had no
time to do any good
works to earn his
worthiness of being
accepted into
heaven.
He was in the
last moments of his
life on the cross
next to Jesus and
just because he had
enough last minute
faith to say,
“Lord remember me
when You come into
your Kingdom”,
Jesus said to him
“Assuredly, I say to
you, today you will
be with Me in
Paradise.” (Luke
23:42-43)
If the thief
on the cross was
saved by faith and
not by works then so
are you!
While I’m on the
subject of Calvary
it should also be
noted that just
before Jesus took
His last breath and
died He said,
“Father, into Your
hands I commit My
spirit” (Luke
23:46),
providing us with a
first hand example
of the Ecclesiastes
12:7 verse I
mentioned earlier
that says the spirit
returns to God who
gave it.
A careful
observation of the
gospels will show
that whenever Jesus
came upon a deceased
person He never
referred to them as
being dead but
rather as only
sleeping.
Meaning that
from our earthly
perspective the body
is asleep.
This should
not be confused with
the doctrine of soul
sleep that is
popular with the
Seventh Day
Adventist
denomination in
which it says that
the person is in a
dormant state of
sleep until the day
of resurrection when
Christ will awaken
it.
It is true
that there is a
resurrection day
coming but Christ
will bring our
spirits back with
Him and unite them
with our new
glorified
incorruptible bodies
that will be
prepared for eternal
living, (see 1
Thessalonians
4:14-18).
However,
until that time our
spirits are
completely
conscience and
coherent in the
afterlife.
For proof of
this all one has to
do is go to Luke
16:19-31 and take a
look at the story
that Jesus told of
Lazarus and the rich
man, (and this being
a story of an
account not a
parable)!
In the story
the rich man is in
hell and in torment
and begging for a
drop of water while
Lazarus is in
comfort in Paradise.
Note that
both deceased men
are displaying
attributes of
complete
consciousness and
are fully aware of
their surroundings.
They are not
sleeping!
The same is
true for the
deceased souls of
the
martyrs
that are crying out
in Revelation 6:10
and the multitude of
the slain
tribulation saints
that are standing
before the throne in
Revelation 7:9-11.
They are not
sleeping either!
The Bible gives us
plenty of proof and
assurance that there
is indeed an
afterlife and for
those that are in
Christ we have
plenty to look
forward to.
The Bible
encourages us to
always be setting
our mind on heaven
and heavenly things
and not to set our
mind on earthly
things for our
citizenship is in
heaven, (Philippians
3:20).
If we are
storing up our
treasures in heaven
and not here on
earth then we will
not be so consumed
and tied down by the
world.
Most of the
non-believing
secular world
believes that the
short time that they
are here on this
earth is all that
there is.
That is why
the world we live in
is such a rat race.
Everyone is
out trying to get
all that they can as
fast as they can get
it while they are
still here.
They follow
the motto, “you only
live once” as they
switch into 5th
gear but the truth
of the matter is
that the real life
is yet to come and
it will be provided
by Jesus Christ to
His faithful saints.
You will have
much more peace and
less anxiety if you
focus daily on the
heavenly future that
God has promised to
us rather than
trying to get all
that you can out of
this world.
For many people the
subject of death and
the afterlife
remains an unknown
mystery. This is
because so many
people do not
consult the Word of
God on this matter
but rather turn to
either worldly
resources or their
own understanding.
This is not
only very deceptive
but is extremely
dangerous and risky.
First of all
the world is full of
so many lies on this
subject because it
is an easy subject
to cash in on.
Everybody
wants to know where
they will go when
they die and because
of this there is a
market out there for
every type of
conceivable fantasy
that will provide
anyone with whatever
appeals to their
imagination.
From
reincarnation to
ghostly dimensions
to purgatory or to a
land of rainbows and
unicorns there are
plenty of satanic
lies out there for
the person that is
ignorant of the
truth that God has
given us in His
Word.
Then there is
the person that has
his own idea of
where he is going
when he takes his
last breath
regardless of what
the Bible or anyone
else says.
This is a
most deadly
scenario!
“There is a way that
seems right to a
man, but its end is
the way of death”
(Proverbs 14:12)
Many times the Word
of God warns us not
to rely on our own
understanding but to
turn to His counsel.
Something as
mysterious as life
after death is
certainly something
that we should leave
to Him to explain
and not to ourselves
or anyone else.
After all, He
is the One that
gives life and the
One that takes it,
(Job 1:21).
For many the thought
of death is
frightening but when
we understand the
purpose of why we
die, (or pass on),
then we can come to
find that death is
actually a blessing!
I know that
may sound like an
odd statement so to
clarify it let’s
take a look at how
death came into the
world.
Adam and Eve
were created by God
as perfect beings in
His image and had
glorified eternal
bodies.
Then they
were tempted by
Satan to eat from
the tree of
knowledge of good
and evil and when
they did they sinned
against God and
inherited death.
God told them
that if they ate
from that tree they
would surely die,
(Genesis 2:17).
So they lost
their righteous
clothing and became
naked.
In essence
they did the reverse
of what will happen
at the Rapture.
They went
from an
incorruptible body
to a corruptible
body. What a
terrible feeling it
must have been! They
tried to cover
themselves with fig
leaves but instead
God clothed them
with tunics of
animal skin.
Death had now
entered the world!
The shed
blood of the animals
that provided the
clothing that
covered their
nakedness, (sin),
was the earliest
picture of the shed
blood of Christ,
(our sacrificial
Lamb), that covers
our sins.
After this
Adam and Eve were
ejected from the
Garden of Eden,
where they
previously dwelt in
direct fellowship
with God, and were
now
spiritually
dead.
Although they
were now spiritually
dead they were still
physically alive,
however, the aging
process had now
begun.
God had
ordained that they
reproduce so that
the human race
wouldn’t end with
them.
Since Adam
and Eve are the
parents of all
people then they
simply reproduced
what they were –
spiritually dead
beings!
That is why
we
ALL need to be
born again, (John
3:3).
Since Adam and Eve
went from a perfect
incorruptible state
to a sin filled
corruptible body
then they were
separated from God.
Had they
remained in this
state without ever
dying then they
would be eternally
separated from God,
but through death,
they and everyone
that is covered with
the blood of the
Lamb, (Jesus), will
enter heaven through
death.
We can’t
enter heaven unless
we first physically
die, (1 Corinthians
15:50). That is why
death is a blessing!
When we know the
truth of what the
Bible says about
death and the
afterlife for the
believer then there
is even a certain
type of beauty
involved in dying.
I know,
another odd
statement. Let’s let
the Bible explain
it.
Chapter 15 in
the first book to
the Corinthians by
the apostle Paul is
all about the
resurrection of the
dead, of both Christ
and of the future
resurrection for
believers.
In verses
35-38 Paul gives us
the analogy of the
seed that must be
sown into the earth
before it can sprout
out of the earth
into a new better
form of life. This
is how it is for
those that die in
Christ.
We are now in
the state of the
seed and when we die
we go into the
ground and when we
are resurrected we
will have a new
incorruptible
glorified body and
life!
Jesus also
preached this same
analogy.
“Most assuredly I
say to you, unless a
grain of wheat falls
into the ground and
dies, it remains
alone; but if it
dies, it produces
much grain.” (John
12:24)
This is certainly
not to say that any
believer that is
cremated, or dies at
sea, or is burned
up, etc. and doesn’t
get buried in the
ground isn’t going
to be resurrected.
God will
resurrect all
believers no matter
what happened to
their bodies after
their spirit left
it. God has no
restrictions.
Even the
unbelievers will be
resurrected at the
end of the
thousand-year
millennium reign of
Christ to face the
White Throne
Judgment, (see
Revelation
20:11-15). Everyone
that ever lived will
be resurrected at
some time or another
and bow a knee
before Jesus the
King, (Philippians
2:10).
For the righteous,
(those covered by
the blood of
Christ), their
resurrection will be
one of beauty.
The Lord has
promised in Isaiah
61:3 that He will
trade our ashes in
for beauty but first
our earthly bodies
must perish and be
shed before we can
be given our
garments of glory.
The only people that
will enter heaven
without tasting
death are those that
are alive at the
time of the Rapture,
(see 1 Corinthians
15:51-55 for this
wonderful good
news). While I
strongly believe
that we are the
generation that will
experience this
translation, until
then we must always
be prepared to pass
through the veil of
death, as we never
know when our soul
will be required
from us.
Many people
spend their lives
earnestly working
towards their future
whether it is
preparing for
college, planning a
career, seeking
marriage or saving
for their retirement
while never even
giving so much as a
thought to their
eternal destiny.
Planning out
your life here on
earth is all good
and well but
shouldn’t our
eternal state be
more important then
the little time we
are here on this
earth, for our lives
are but a vapor.
“Come now, you who
say, “Today or
tomorrow we will go
to such and such a
city, spend a year
there, buy and sell,
and make a profit”;
whereas you do not
know what will
happen tomorrow. For
what is your life?
It is even a vapor
that appears for a
little time and then
vanishes away.”
(James 4:13-14)
As in the parable of
the rich fool, we
should not put all
of our trust into
the things that we
have stored up here
on earth.
But God said to him,
‘Fool! This night
your soul will be
required of you;
then whose will
those things be
which you have
provided?’ “So
is
he who lays up
treasure for
himself, and is not
rich toward God.”
(Luke 12:20)
Whether it is the
unknown timing of
the Rapture or the
unknown timing of
our dying day, the
Lord could come for
us at any time. It
is important to be
prepared! Putting
off accepting Jesus
Christ as your
Savior is no joking
matter.
Not only will
your eternal destiny
be sealed in glory
but your present
life will be at
peace as well. Being
descendents of Adam
we are all born
spiritually dead.
This is the first
death.
We must all
be born again of the
spirit so that we
will avoid the
second death!
In case
you’re wondering
what the second
death is, it isn’t
the expiration of
your earthly
physical body.
It is the
condemnation into
the Lake of Fire for
those not found in
the Book of Life at
the White Throne
Judgment, (see
Revelation 20:14-15
and Revelation
21:8).
This may
sound harsh but it
doesn’t have to be.
God has given us His
Word of how to
overcome it and it
is simply done by
faith.
“Be faithful until
death, and I will
give you the crown
of life. He who has
an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit says
to the churches.
He who
overcomes shall not
be hurt by the
second death.”
(Revelation
2:10b-11)
So as we have seen
in this study, death
of our earthly
physical body is not
really death at all
but a transition
stage.
Our earthly
life is our
placement test for
where we will go
after our spirit
departs into
eternity.
The moment
that Christ died on
the cross the veil
in the temple that
separated the Holy
of Holies where God
dwelt was torn in
two from top to
bottom signifying
that man’s
separation from God
because of sin was
now paid for.
We now can
all enter into His
presence with Jesus
Christ as our High
Priest. If you will
pass through the
torn veil that
Christ provided and
come to Him in faith
then you will be on
your way to glory
when that day comes
that you pass
through the veil of
death.