Five Minutes After You Die: The Bema Seat

by David Chadwick

Death is a stark reality for every human being. You’ve heard me joke that the statistics are in: one out of one dies. But what happens five minutes after you do? What are you faced with after you take your last breath?

The Bible says that while believers never face the Father’s judgment seat, we will face his Bema seat. What is the Bema seat? It’s the judgment seat of “works.” Some people have a hard time embracing the tension between grace and works. If we are saved by grace, then why are we to be judged for our works (2 Corinthians 5:9-11)? Because faith in Jesus without works is dead (James 2:17). So while our salvation comes solely because of Jesus, we are expected to bear good fruit as his followers (Matthew 7:16-20).

Think about the Olympics for a moment. There are three stands where the three top finishers receive their gold, silver, or bronze medals. In the Olympic days of the past, these three stands were called the Bema seat, or judgment, for the winners. They received their medal for all their hard work and success.

Similarly, believers in Jesus will one day in heaven receive rewards for our good works here on earth. Biblically, these good works are also referred to as crowns of glory or crowns of righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; Romans 14:10-12).

What will we do with those crowns when we get to heaven? We will throw them at the feet of Jesus because we will fully realize that our ability to do good works for him is only because of his grace. The grace he gave to us here on earth enabled good works given back to him. He alone deserves all the glory both here and in heaven (Revelation 4:10-11).

Though we are not saved by our good works, we are saved FOR good works here on earth. Works prove what real faith really is. Jesus said that even something as simple as giving someone a cup of cold water will receive a reward in heaven (Matthew 10:42).

Therefore, we should pile up good works upon good works here so that we will have crowns in heaven to offer Jesus there.

We can’t take anything with us, but we can send it ahead for eternal crowns. And not for an ounce of our own glory, but because we want to gather as much as we can to hold in our hands and throw right back at the feet of Jesus in worship to him.

What a glorious day that will be!

Five Minutes After You Die: Perfect Resurrection Bodies

by David Chadwick

Our culture talks a lot about near-death experiences. Many people, even those who don’t believe in Jesus, think a lot about death.

I believe the topic of death gives many a wonderful open door to have conversations with people who do not believe in Jesus. Coming face to face with your own life’s eventual departure and ending brings a level of humility and sobriety that few other topics bring.

So what kinds of realities exist five minutes after you die? Let’s keep exploring this topic together.

What is today’s topic in this heavenly adventure? Believers of Jesus will be given resurrection bodies!

According to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, it is my conclusion that the Rapture will occur. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.” We will be on earth, and suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be transformed into our eternal resurrection bodies just as Jesus was. This will happen in an instant. In the twinkling of an eye.

More specifically, Jesus returns with the sound of a trumpet. All the saints who have died will return with him. We, who are still on earth, will be taken up to meet him in the air.

Jesus will find each of our eternal DNA, wherever we were buried (on land or in the sea), and reassemble it to form new, perfect resurrection bodies for everyone who has been taken up to meet him and for all the saints who’ve died before us in the clouds.

A perfect resurrection body is available to each one of us who love Jesus. What happened to Jesus will be what happens to us. Surely that is what Jesus meant in John 11:25 when he said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.” We who believe in Jesus will never die. We will be raised as he was raised.

Wow! Can you even imagine? What a glorious reality we are all running toward.

Five Minutes After You Die: An Intermediate State

by David Chadwick

The Christian faith is full of both certainty and mystery. Because of Jesus, we can be certain of our eternal salvation if we put our faith in him. Because of grace, we can be certain that his Holy Spirit resides in us and empowers us in this life of faith.

However, there are also mysteries that we must embrace. While the reality of heaven is a certainty, apparently there is somewhat of a mystery.

So, we die. We are now in Jesus’s presence. Then what? Evidently, there is an intermediate state. A place before Jesus’s Second Coming where we are with him. John 14:2 says he has prepared a mansion for us. Other translations call it a “dwelling place.” It is a place that Jesus has prepared for us. In this state, we will evidently have some kind of recognizable body, and we will be with our loved ones and others who have gone to be with the Lord.

Next? We await the Rapture in heaven with Jesus, where we will finally receive our eternal resurrection body. According to 1 Thessalonians 4, Jesus will call forth from everywhere the DNA of our earthly bodies. First for those who have died, then for those left on earth, he reassembles our earthly bodies into eternal ones. Our intermediate bodies are replaced with these resurrection bodies.

What will this be like? Someone once explained it like a promised trip to Hawaii, where we first must stop off at a glorious resort in California, where we will stay for a while en route to Hawaii. It’s not quite as glorious as Hawaii, but it will be beautiful, fun, and meaningful. A resting place while waiting for Jesus to finish the battle.

I really don’t know much more than this. Except to say that both the intermediate state and the eternal resurrection body WILL be glorious, beautiful, and exciting. I choose to lean into the mystery and get excited to fully realize the beauty of heaven one day.

As Christians, we should all be looking forward to this day! Like a perfectly planned trip for each one of us by our Lord. With him meeting our every need, supplying our every meal, overseeing every sightseeing adventure, and us being with those we love most in the world for this extraordinary trip.

Should Jesus tarry in his return before we die, we can all eagerly look forward to this intermediate state with endless excitement and anticipation!