The End

What is life that we care so much about? What happens when we die? Who is worried and why? These questions crossed my mind many times when I was a teenager, and I was terrified by the blank end I was envisioning. Although I believed I accepted Jesus as my savior back when I was in 7th grade, I had not done much Bible study to know what happens when you die. I thought, back then, that I had to be a good person, do this, do that, so God would accept me based on the percentage of good that should be greater than the percentage of evil I did. Perhaps most people still think the same, even some Christians. As I reflected on that, I'm sitting in an airport chair while writing this article, going to see my mother for maybe the last time. She is in the terminal stages of cancer. Still, God was so good to me that about twenty days ago, she accepted my invitation to be baptized and publicly accepted Jesus Christ as her savior.

I lost my sister in September last year, and my friend last month, so things are not easy now. Even though I know my mother accepted Jesus and she's going to heaven, as well as my friend and my sister, a better place than here, of course, I'm still in pieces. The departure of our beloved ones is hard. That made me think again about what the Bible teaches about what happens when we die. According to my understanding, after we die, we go directly to heaven and wait there for judgment, as Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise"- Luke 23:43.

Once we die, some will face two Judgments: The White Throne and The Bema Seat Judgment.

"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

So, in the first judgement, everyone will be judged and those which name is not in the book of Life will be sent to the lake of fire, where Jesus said "But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” - Matthew 8:12. How to get your name in the book of life? Simply by accepting Jesus Christ as your only and sufficient Savior and Lord of your life. With that, Jesus cleans your sins, and you can be declared as justified by the Father. When the justice comes, Jesus will cover you because your sins were transferred to Him, so you won't pay for the evil you did. This is wonderful and truly the "good news" (a.k.a. Gospel) that we Christians try to tell everyone. My mother finally accepted, and that is a moment of joy for me. Then, we Christians will face a second trial.

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." - 2 Corinthians 5:10

Now there is the reward for the things we did, or the fruits we produced. Only those in Jesus who accepted Jesus will face this trial. Once we accept Jesus, he sends the Holy Spirit to work with us in the sanctification process, the only one we cooperate with God, where we begin to love, serve, and produce the fruits of the Spirit. Which fruits? Paul describes them as "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Peter also lists similar things: “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 2 Peter 5b-8

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." - Galatians 5:22-26

This is the reward, let's say, for a life in Christ. Some people confuse these "works" with salvation, as the price for heaven, but this is wrong. The price for heaven was paid in full by Jesus Christ on the cross. We gain access for free, as a grace from God, so that no one can boast about it. Later, the fruits are the things God will ask us about what we did with the things or talents He gave us.

"their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames." - 1 Corinthians 3:13-15

If you confess Jesus, you will be saved, but what did you do to others? Did you love them? Did you serve them? Did you sacrifice for them? How much? Here is where Paul said that some will enter heaven, but that others will enter as by escaping through the flames. In other words, they didn't do much with their lives, and will be saved because they accepted Jesus, but with no rewards in heaven. We are not here to receive things from God, but to be like a wire conducting to others what God sends to us. In this process, you are also blessed, as the bible tells us with the Levite called Obed-Edom, the Gittite, when the Ark of the Covenant stayed in his house: "The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household."- 2 Samuel 6:11. This guy didn't do anything, just stayed there in the presence of God. As we are in the presence of the Holy Spirit today, we must produce fruit. If we don't, we are not in the presence.

Let's live our lives with purpose, then, so in the Bema Seat Judment we can climb the ranking based on the fruits we gave while we were attached in the true vine that is Jesus. Only a life with purpose in God is worth living, and the rest is just vanity under the Sun.

I'm flying to see my mother and give her some comfort in her last days, although I know I'm with the Holy Spirit of God, sustaining me throughout this entire sad season. God is good, and I trust that what He's doing is the best. He's taking care of me, as He has my entire life. He is also going to heal my wounds and clean every tear from my eyes when I depart this life one day. I hope I have fruit when I reach the end of my life someday, because I want to serve the LORD, and do good things to others in God, even when I have to sacrifice my family and myself. That's the Gospel, and I hope one day everyone can understand this before it's too late.

3/3/2026:

UPDATE: my mom just passed a few hours ago. God is merciful and good.