When I Die

I was recently asked by a teenager, "What should I say to God when I die?"  Good question.  Not knowing the person's relationship with Christ I gave her a somewhat elaborate answer that I will actually copy and paste into a separate post.  However, as I mulled over my own opinion and looked up some scripture verses, I became more and more convinced that we all need to be very aware of what we might say to God when we finally meet Him face to face.  Because whether or not, your soul is saved, every single person on this earth will be meeting his or her Maker.  Death and a face to face encounter with the Creator are both inevitable - it doesn't matter what you believe.

Have you ever read this passage?

Matthew 25 14-30

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

    ¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag,^[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.    ¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
   ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   ²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
   ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
   ²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
   ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
   ²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’


I must have been about 12 years old, when I first heard this parable, and I was horrified!  I could relate to the man with one bag of gold.  I wouldn't know what to do with the money, and probably the best thing I could have done was put it in a safe place and save it for my master when he returned.  Then to find out that God throws this man into hell seems extremely unjust!  And for many years I was confused.  Was this man so horrible that he deserved hell?  After all he was doing what he thought best.  Or is there some unwritten code that God expects me to follow that I don't know about?  How could a man who doesn't know any better be thrown into Hell for all eternity?

Then, it dawned on me.  This man had very little idea who his master was.  Instead of seeking to do what his master thought was best, he decided to do what he thought was best.  There is the clincher.  How often do we fall into that trap?  If you know me, I frequently believe I know what I'm talking about.  I can be extremely confident in certain areas and often will refuse to have an opinion or join in a conversation regarding something I know little about.  

Similarly, I wrestle with God over scriptures that I don't understand.  Knowing that I will always lose, ironically, I never give in right away.  I'll ask questions, argue, study, debate, and have conversations with God that probably seem extremely disrespectful.  I get frustrated when I'm asked to do something and I'm not told why.  Ultimately, I'll obey, crucifying my own will, I attempt with everything that is in me to be joyful about it.  But God knows me, He knows my weaknesses, and has given me my strengths.  Though I am far from perfect, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt who my Savior is.  And I have learned through life and Scripture that there is nothing I can do to save myself. 


There are so many different ideas in this world about how to get to Heaven and what we may say to God when we meet him face to face.  Unfortunately, most people I know believe that we're all going to Heaven, or that there are multiple ways to get there.  Some have the audacity to believe that there are different paths for different people and that what is true for one isn't true for another - as if we are the ultimate authority!  


For one moment, let's assume that is true - that we get to decide all things about our world including everything concerning the afterlife.  So, did we get to decide when we were born?  To whom we were born?  How about how much money we make?  Or what kind of diseases we would or would not contract?  Height?  Time?  Gravity?  Planets?  I could go on and on.  Of course not.  That is absurd!  Neither did we create what is around us, nor did we create ourselves, nor do we make the rules, or even have the authority to change the rules!  And I dare anyone who disagrees with me to prove it!  It is impossible.  Just as we cannot change the natural laws, so we cannot change the spiritual laws.  Certainly scientists wrestle with scientific truths as they learn more about the world, and so do we wrestle with spiritual truths as we learn more about our Creator.  However, in the wrestling we never win, we only learn.


But God has appointed a time for the wrestling match to be over.  He has given us only this lifetime to accept the truths that He has established and to foster a personal relationship with Christ.  Before we die, our mind must decide.  Do we continue to balk our Creator, to deny the Messiah, and do things our own way, naively believing that whatever we deem to be will be?  Or do we respond to that seed God has planted in all of our hearts - that he is who he says he is? (Romans 1:19-20 below)  And if you still aren't certain about who God is and what He has done, try reading Job 38-42a (also below).  It is humbling to say the least.


We do not get to pick the rules we like best and ignore the rest.  I don't get to decide that per-marital sex is okay when the Word of God dictates that even lust in your heart is sin.  I don't get to determine that stealing food out of need is acceptable if I'm hungry enough.  I may not profess that leading a gay lifestyle is acceptable to God, when the Word of God forbids it.  I also don't get to decide that everyone goes to Heaven, when the Word of God is clear that most do not!  Christians tend to pick and choose the scriptures and rules they like best and ignore the rest.  But God has clearly said that His Ways and only His Ways are righteous.  We do not get to decide which religion will bring us to the destination we desire.  Truth be told, no religion brings you to Heaven - only a relationship with Christ.   I don't have to like everything the Bible teaches.  I also may not always understand God's ways.  I will and do wrestle with many things.  But this should not be surprising.  God said, "My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)  However, ultimately I must my submit my will and my logic to His.

After we die, every last one of us will stand before His throne.  What will you say?  Where will you be?  Will you humble yourself now and seek Christ.  Or will you be humbled after this life is over and regret forever the decisions you have made on earth.  Now is the time to think it through.  Because there will be a point in time when it is too late.

Romans 1:19-20

¹⁹ since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Job 38

The LORD Speaks

 ¹ Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:  ² “Who is this that obscures my plans
   with words without knowledge?
³ Brace yourself like a man;
   I will question you,
   and you shall answer me.
 ⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
   Tell me, if you understand.
⁵ Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
   Who stretched a measuring line across it?
⁶ On what were its footings set,
   or who laid its cornerstone—
⁷ while the morning stars sang together
   and all the angels shouted for joy?
 ⁸ “Who shut up the sea behind doors
   when it burst forth from the womb,
⁹ when I made the clouds its garment
   and wrapped it in thick darkness,
¹⁰ when I fixed limits for it
   and set its doors and bars in place,
¹¹ when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
   here is where your proud waves halt’?
 ¹² “Have you ever given orders to the morning,
   or shown the dawn its place,
¹³ that it might take the earth by the edges
   and shake the wicked out of it?
¹⁴ The earth takes shape like clay under a seal;
   its features stand out like those of a garment.
¹⁵ The wicked are denied their light,
   and their upraised arm is broken.
 ¹⁶ “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
   or walked in the recesses of the deep?
¹⁷ Have the gates of death been shown to you?
   Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
¹⁸ Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
   Tell me, if you know all this.
 ¹⁹ “What is the way to the abode of light?
   And where does darkness reside?
²⁰ Can you take them to their places?
   Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
²¹ Surely you know, for you were already born!
   You have lived so many years!
 ²² “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow
   or seen the storehouses of the hail,
²³ which I reserve for times of trouble,
   for days of war and battle?
²⁴ What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
   or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
²⁵ Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
   and a path for the thunderstorm,
²⁶ to water a land where no one lives,
   an uninhabited desert,
²⁷ to satisfy a desolate wasteland
   and make it sprout with grass?
²⁸ Does the rain have a father?
   Who fathers the drops of dew?
²⁹ From whose womb comes the ice?
   Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
³⁰ when the waters become hard as stone,
   when the surface of the deep is frozen?
 ³¹ “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
   Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
³² Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons
   or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
³³ Do you know the laws of the heavens?
   Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
 ³⁴ “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
   and cover yourself with a flood of water?
³⁵ Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
   Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
³⁶ Who gives the ibis wisdom
   or gives the rooster understanding?
³⁷ Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
   Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
³⁸ when the dust becomes hard
   and the clods of earth stick together?
 ³⁹ “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
   and satisfy the hunger of the lions
⁴⁰ when they crouch in their dens
   or lie in wait in a thicket?
⁴¹ Who provides food for the raven
   when its young cry out to God
   and wander about for lack of food?

Job 39

 ¹ “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
   Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
² Do you count the months till they bear?
   Do you know the time they give birth?
³ They crouch down and bring forth their young;
   their labor pains are ended.
⁴ Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds;
   they leave and do not return.
 ⁵ “Who let the wild donkey go free?
   Who untied its ropes?
⁶ I gave it the wasteland as its home,
   the salt flats as its habitat.
⁷ It laughs at the commotion in the town;
   it does not hear a driver’s shout.
⁸ It ranges the hills for its pasture
   and searches for any green thing.
 ⁹ “Will the wild ox consent to serve you?
   Will it stay by your manger at night?
¹⁰ Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness?
   Will it till the valleys behind you?
¹¹ Will you rely on it for its great strength?
   Will you leave your heavy work to it?
¹² Can you trust it to haul in your grain
   and bring it to your threshing floor?
 ¹³ “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully,
   though they cannot compare
   with the wings and feathers of the stork.
¹⁴ She lays her eggs on the ground
   and lets them warm in the sand,
¹⁵ unmindful that a foot may crush them,
   that some wild animal may trample them.
¹⁶ She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers;
   she cares not that her labor was in vain,
¹⁷ for God did not endow her with wisdom
   or give her a share of good sense.
¹⁸ Yet when she spreads her feathers to run,
   she laughs at horse and rider.
 ¹⁹ “Do you give the horse its strength
   or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
²⁰ Do you make it leap like a locust,
   striking terror with its proud snorting?
²¹ It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength,
   and charges into the fray.
²² It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing;
   it does not shy away from the sword.
²³ The quiver rattles against its side,
   along with the flashing spear and lance.
²⁴ In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground;
   it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
²⁵ At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, ‘Aha!’
   It catches the scent of battle from afar,
   the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
 ²⁶ “Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom
   and spread its wings toward the south?
²⁷ Does the eagle soar at your command
   and build its nest on high?
²⁸ It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night;
   a rocky crag is its stronghold.
²⁹ From there it looks for food;
   its eyes detect it from afar.
³⁰ Its young ones feast on blood,
   and where the slain are, there it is.”

Job 40

 ¹ The LORD said to Job:
 ² “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
   Let him who accuses God answer him!”
 ³ Then Job answered the LORD:
 ⁴ “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
   I put my hand over my mouth.
⁵ I spoke once, but I have no answer—
   twice, but I will say no more.”
 ⁶ Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
 ⁷ “Brace yourself like a man;
   I will question you,
   and you shall answer me.
 ⁸ “Would you discredit my justice?
   Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
⁹ Do you have an arm like God’s,
   and can your voice thunder like his?
¹⁰ Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
   and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
¹¹ Unleash the fury of your wrath,
   look at all who are proud and bring them low,
¹² look at all who are proud and humble them,
   crush the wicked where they stand.
¹³ Bury them all in the dust together;
   shroud their faces in the grave.
¹⁴ Then I myself will admit to you
   that your own right hand can save you.
 ¹⁵ “Look at Behemoth,
   which I made along with you
   and which feeds on grass like an ox.
¹⁶ What strength it has in its loins,
   what power in the muscles of its belly!
¹⁷ Its tail sways like a cedar;
   the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
¹⁸ Its bones are tubes of bronze,
   its limbs like rods of iron.
¹⁹ It ranks first among the works of God,
   yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
²⁰ The hills bring it their produce,
   and all the wild animals play nearby.
²¹ Under the lotus plants it lies,
   hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
²² The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
   the poplars by the stream surround it.
²³ A raging river does not alarm it;
   it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
²⁴ Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
   or trap it and pierce its nose?

Job 41

 ¹ “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
   or tie down its tongue with a rope?
² Can you put a cord through its nose
   or pierce its jaw with a hook?
³ Will it keep begging you for mercy?
   Will it speak to you with gentle words?
⁴ Will it make an agreement with you
   for you to take it as your slave for life?
⁵ Can you make a pet of it like a bird
   or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
⁶ Will traders barter for it?
   Will they divide it up among the merchants?
⁷ Can you fill its hide with harpoons
   or its head with fishing spears?
⁸ If you lay a hand on it,
   you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
⁹ Any hope of subduing it is false;
   the mere sight of it is overpowering.
¹⁰ No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
   Who then is able to stand against me?
¹¹ Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
   Everything under heaven belongs to me.
 ¹² “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,
   its strength and its graceful form.
¹³ Who can strip off its outer coat?
   Who can penetrate its double coat of armor^[i]?
¹⁴ Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
   ringed about with fearsome teeth?
¹⁵ Its back has^[j] rows of shields
   tightly sealed together;
¹⁶ each is so close to the next
   that no air can pass between.
¹⁷ They are joined fast to one another;
   they cling together and cannot be parted.
¹⁸ Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
   its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
¹⁹ Flames stream from its mouth;
   sparks of fire shoot out.
²⁰ Smoke pours from its nostrils
   as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
²¹ Its breath sets coals ablaze,
   and flames dart from its mouth.
²² Strength resides in its neck;
   dismay goes before it.
²³ The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
   they are firm and immovable.
²⁴ Its chest is hard as rock,
   hard as a lower millstone.
²⁵ When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
   they retreat before its thrashing.
²⁶ The sword that reaches it has no effect,
   nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
²⁷ Iron it treats like straw
   and bronze like rotten wood.
²⁸ Arrows do not make it flee;
   slingstones are like chaff to it.
²⁹ A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
   it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
³⁰ Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
   leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
³¹ It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
   and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
³² It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
   one would think the deep had white hair.
³³ Nothing on earth is its equal—
   a creature without fear.
³⁴ It looks down on all that are haughty;
   it is king over all that are proud.”

Job 42

Job

 ¹ Then Job replied to the LORD:  ² “I know that you can do all things;
   no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
   Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
   things too wonderful for me to know.
 ⁴ “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
   I will question you,
   and you shall answer me.’
⁵ My ears had heard of you
   but now my eyes have seen you.
⁶ Therefore I despise myself
   and repent in dust and ashes.”

What will I say?

This is the question and response I gave to a young adult who asked the question of me.

When I die, what do I say to God?

I’ve thought about this multiple times over the course of many years.  When I was young, I thought about all the questions I would ask Him – such as, Why did you give me so many zits in high school? or Why do you let little children suffer?  Admittedly, I had and still do have many many questions about the world, creation, and evil itself.  Then again, I’d also be extremely happy to be in Heaven.  I used to think I’d be overjoyed and run up and give Him a hug!  But as I got older and was confronted with the death of family members and friends, I had to wrestle with the concept of death.  It isn’t a fun subject, but we’re all headed in that direction.  Inevitably, we all die.  Then what?

The secular world would like you to believe that either we all go to Heaven or we simply cease to exist.  The first seems extremely wonderful the next equally as sad.  But neither opinion is true.  And if we think about it, maybe it wouldn’t be so wonderful if the really evil people of the world - the murderers, rapists, and abusers were with us again, just as they were on earth!  And what a cruel joke it would be if we were created with no purpose only to die and never exist again!  Without quoting scriptures, it is easy to see that both viewpoints simply don’t add up.  So, what truly happens? 

Fortunately, the Bible gives us many examples to show us:

First – that we were created for a purpose.

Second – that we live on in another location after our time on earth is done.

And third – that our decisions here on earth determine that location and also what we may say to God when we meet Him face to face.

What is our purpose?  We were created to please God.  (Colossians 1:16 and Revelation 4:11) He desires to fellowship with us (1 Corinthians 1:9) and He has given us rules to live by that guide us in pleasing Him and fellowshipping with Him.

Where do we go when we die?  The Bible provides for two locations after death – Heaven or Hell.  (Luke 10:15)

If we love Jesus and have a sincere relationship with Him, then he has paid the debt for our sin and we will live with Him in Heaven. (John 14:6)  Our response to Him will probably be based on complete awe, gratitude, humility, and love.

If however, we reject Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we will not be with Him, but rather separated from God and condemned to live in Hell.  (John 12:48)  And so our response to Him will be very different.  We cannot pretend to have loved Him.  We will undoubtedly be very sorry for the choices we have made, and honestly, I’m not exactly sure what someone in that position would dare utter to the God of the universe.

There is only one passage in the Bible that directly addresses what all people’s response to God will be:

Romans 14:11-12

“11 It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

Regardless of our relationship with the Lord on earth, every single person after death will bow and acknowledge God for whom He is.  If we choose to accept Christ as Lord and Savior, He will pay the debt for our sin, and that broken relationship between God and ourselves will be healed.  We will be greeted with grace.  But if we live for ourselves and don’t realize our need for a Savior until after we have passed from this earth, we will be met with harsh judgment and condemned to Hell.  Either way, we will all recognize and acknowledge God for whom He is – the creator of this world whose love is just as great as His wrath.  We will also have a much better understanding of who we are – mere humans incapable of saving ourselves.  I do not know what each of us will say to God, but I do know that we will be struck with humility and our relationship with God will make all the difference in how we are permitted to approach his throne.