An old saying among us is that there are two facts of life: death and taxes. However, I do not believe everyone will die, but there are many who will die twice. In fact, there are written words that speak to these truths. These are found in the Bible.
Beliefs about death
Many people believe that when they die their body is buried or their ashes are scattered hither and yon, and that's the end of it. They are certainly entitled to their opinions, but they would be wrong. Dead wrong.
Some religions teach that a person becomes a god or an angel after death, which is rather comical if not utterly sad. These types of beliefs are ploys of Satan that feed egos, as if people were deserving of being an angel or a God themselves.
Still others believe they are reincarnated and come back either as a human again or some type of animal, dependent on how they lived their life. This is as wrong as it gets, for we read: " Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27, NIV).
What does the Bible say?
I believe God's word is 100% truthful and that it provides us with everything we need to know about how to live in our earthly bodies while we eagerly await the Lord's return. There are no contradictions in the Bible, only misunderstandings.
Unfortunately, many Christians are confused about the topic, because they have either not studied the Scriptures, and/or their pastors have failed to preach all of God's word.
To be sure, some people believe that when we die our bodies "sleep" until the Judgment of Christ. Others believe that upon death all people are instantly judged and receive their just reward: heaven or hell for eternity. Neither of these are correct.
The believer's destination
The Apostle Paul wrote: "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:6-8, NIV).
So what is at home with the Lord? Our glorified bodies? No, our spirit, our soul. The body sleeps in the grave. At the resurrection, not to be confused with Christ's Second Coming, our physical bodies are resurrected, glorified, and immediately reunited with our soul/spirit.
"I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality" (1 Corinthians 15: 50-53, NIV).
Cool beans! The Last Trumpet is the Second Coming of Jesus. Believers will spend their eternity in heaven.
The unbeliever's destination
On the other hand, and most unfortunately, an unbeliever will experience something similar and yet completely different, even though they do not have to.
Those individuals who have refused to believe and live for Jesus Christ as their Savior, death means an everlasting punishment, in two stages. Like the believer, the soul/spirit goes to a temporary waiting place, in this case Hell (not Purgatory, for there is no such thing in God's word). The body also sleeps in the grave. Like believers, they too await their eternal destination.
At the Last Trumpet, all people are judged. the believer for his works, the unbeliever for his works. The unbeliever is judged and cast into the lake of fire, the second and eternal death.
We read:
"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:11-15, NIV).
Final thoughts
I encourage you to choose life. Place your trust in Jesus, that is, recognize you are a sinner and can bring nothing to Him that He doesn't already have. Repent, that is, turn from your sinful behaviors and world ways of living and live for Jesus. Believe that Jesus is who He says He is and will do everything He has promised. Again, I say, chose life.
Surely, I believe there is death. We have to be ready for the coming of Christ, whether we believe or not. We will all die one day. You wrote an inspiring article.