After Death Comes Judgment

A recent CNN article documents the experiences of people who died and returned to life, near death experiences (NDEs). In the article you can read about the work of Dr. Steven Laureys who heads the Coma Science Group at the university hospital in the city of Liege. He and his colleagues published a scientific study on near death experiences in late March, 2013.

Laureys believes, "There is no evidence there can be conscious experience without brain activity. . . The public is historically afraid to be buried alive," Laureys said. "People are afraid to sign up as organ donors." They are scared they may have to watch them being extracted from their bodies.
There are more than enough spiritual models for NDEs, he said—and superstitious ones. "There are a lot of crazy explanations out there."
It's high time for more hard science, Laureys said. A high percentage of his coma patients report having had NDEs, and he believes many of us go through these "afterlife" experiences when we die.
Laureys doesn't want to speculate on the existence of heaven or hell, but he does say that only a small minority of near-death experiences are horrifying. Most of them are pleasant and uplifting. From his accounts, it sounds like more people go to "heaven" than to "hell."

I have written previously about the plausibility and fact of near-death experiences. It is not true that "There is no evidence there can be conscious experience without grain activity." In my post I quoted Dr. Sam Parnia's book Erasing Death: The Science That Is Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life and Death, Dr. Sam Parnia of the Nour Foundation tells about his study of such near death experiences (NDE). He concludes,

Today, the tantalizing question for science is, If the human consciousness or soul does indeed continue to exist well past the traditional marker that defines death, does it really ever die as an entity? Our new studies will continue to explore this and other significant ethical questions. For now, though, we can be certain that we humans no longer need to fear death.

So human science continues to pursue the question of what happens after death. As we read the letter to the Hebrews we have God's answer, an answer that we do well to heed.

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV

What is this judgment that comes after death? Jesus spoke often about it in his teachings. For instance,

Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. - Mat 10:15 ESV 

But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. - Mat 11:22 ESV 

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, ... The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. - Mat 12:36, 41 ESV 

Beyond that we typically think about such scenes as are painted in the book of Revelation

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. - Rev 20:11-15 ESV

Does the Hebrews passage teach us that earthly time ceases upon death and that we are rushed immediately to the Day of Judgment, as some believe? One site lists 87 Bible verses about Judgment Day and then invites you to decide if this or that verse is or is not helpful. I found that to simply add to the confusion. It seems wiser to apply the interpretive principle of Law and Gospel to this question and to all Bible verses about Judgment.

The Law passages teach

1. Everyone of us will be judged by God for the life we have lived
2. In terms of human history no one knows When that day or hour is, not even the angels of heaven. 
3. The day will come unexpectedly, like a thief at night. 
4. Those who have rejected the life and death of Jesus as the all-atoning sacrifice for their sins will stand naked and accused before the eternal Judge. There will be no escape. 
5. They will be condemned to eternal suffering, sorrow and darkness—hell or hades the Bible calls it. This is variously described as fire, internal anguish, loneliness, fear and darkness. None of us wants to face such a fate, but it will be given to us if that's what we choose.  

The Gospel passages teach

1. Jesus came to rescue all men of all ages from this judgment since God does not desire the eternal death of anyone. 
2. He offered His sinless life in complete obedience to His Father as the all-availing sacrifice for all men's sins. 
3. Those who accept Him and His sacrifice are secure and safe from condemnation. Judgment for them has already happened. When Christ died, they died. When He rose from the dead they rose with Him. 
4. On Judgment Day they He will appear to receive them into the glory of a new heaven and a new earth. On that day they will receive new and eternal bodies. 
5. Believers have every reason to look forward to that day with joy and to pray every day, "Come Lord Jesus!" 

We could speculate as some do about when that Day will come. Across the centuries many have. It seems wiser to set all such speculations aside and to devote yourself to doing what the Lord Jesus has called you to do today. Learn to pray as the LORD teaches through the prophet David: 

• My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! - Psa 31:15 ESV

•  I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. - Psa 34:1 ESV