Just what happens imediately after death??

Answer 1

The Mystery of Death
Death is a fearful, often traumatic event. Sometimes it is preceded by suffering, the result of the infirmities of age, disease or injury. Often death is shocking and unexpected. Family and friends suffer the pain of loss. The Scriptures refer to death as "the last enemy" to be conquered (1 Corinthians 15:26) and note mankind's innate fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). Death remains one of life's greatest mysteries.
Religions offer a variety of answers, some credible and some beyond belief. Their explanations often contradict one another, adding to the confusion and uncertainty about what happens after death. Some teach that people are born with immortal souls; some say people are immortal souls. Many believe that after death the soul is conscious and proceeds to a literal place or condition of bliss or torment. Others teach that upon death the soul is absorbed into a "greater consciousness." Some expect to be reincarnated, coming back to earth as another person or as an animal.
Can we pinpoint just what death is? Are we immortal souls? Are we conscious after we die? Are we destined to go somewhere to experience some form of reward or punishment? What is really going to happen when we die?
To understand, let's continue with the biblical account of the first human beings.
God personally instructed Adam and Eve, but they chose to disobey Him. They let Satan influence them into choosing their own will rather than obeying God's instructions. God informed Adam and Eve that, because they had disobeyed Him, their lives would grow difficult and, as He had warned, they would die. "In the sweat of your face," God said to Adam, "you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19).
Our lives are physical; we age and eventually die. Like Adam and Eve, we eventually return to dust. Solomon made an elegantly simple but profound observation when he wrote that there is "a time to be born, and a time to die" (Ecclesiastes 3:2). Look around the world at the example of nature. All living processes eventually break down and cease, then the physical remains begin to decay.
Solomon, after observing the cycles of life, noted that we human beings yearn for an eternal existence (verse 11). Knowing that death is inevitable, we search for a deeper meaning of life.
What is a soul?
Much misunderstanding about death is directly related to confusion concerning the "soul." What is a soul? Does it exist? If it exists, is it separate from the physical body? Does it live on after death?
The Hebrew word most often translated into English as "soul" or "creature" in the Bible is nephesh. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible succinctly defines this word as "a breathing creature." When used in the Bible, nephesh usually means a living, breathing creature. Occasionally it conveys a related meaning such as breath, life or person.
Surprising to many, nephesh refers to humans and animals. For example, notice the account of the creation of sea life: "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:21, King James Version). The Hebrew word translated "creature" in this verse is nephesh. In the biblical account, these "souls," creatures of the sea, were made before the first humans were formed and given life.
Nephesh and man
Let's see how this word is used to refer to mankind in the Scriptures. The first place we find nephesh referring to mankind is in the second chapter of Genesis: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7).
The word translated "soul" in this verse is again the Hebrew word nephesh. Other translations of the Bible state that man became a living "being" or "person." This verse does not say that Adam had an immortal soul; rather it says that God breathed into Adam the "breath of life," and Adam became a living soul. At the end of his days, when the breath of life left Adam, he died and returned to dust. In death his life and consciousness simultaneously ceased.
The soul (nephesh) is not immortal, because it dies. This is clear in the Bible. For example, the prophet Ezekiel quoted God: "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4, see also verse 20). Again, the Hebrew word translated "soul" in this verse is nephesh. Ezekiel states that the soul can die. It is mortal-it is in no way immortal-because it is subject to death.
What happens to the dead?
Superstitions and assumptions, all kinds of beliefs, abound about the state of the dead. Many enjoy being frightened by books and movies about ghosts and other weird twists on the afterlife. Movies and television programs portray apparitions and angels sent back to earth to accomplish some final good deeds or rescue people from difficult situations. Cartoons entertain our children with ideas about animals going to heaven and the antics of friendly ghosts.
Of course, many religious groups teach that at death one goes immediately to his reward or punishment. But the reality of what happens after death is quite different. There are no disembodied spirits of dead people wandering about and haunting houses, frightening or taking revenge on people-or even helping them.
The Bible simply does not speak of the dead going to and living forever in a place or condition of "heaven" or "hell." Solomon observed that mankind and animals are destined for, in death, a common fate. "For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other . . . All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust" (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).
Daniel refers to the state of the dead in his inspiring prophecy. "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). In explaining the condition of the dead, Daniel compares death to sleep. The Bible analogously refers to death as sleep. How could people who have died be asleep in their graves and profoundly unconscious-as revealed in the Bible-yet be residing in heaven and looking down at us on earth (or, presumably, in hell looking up)?
Solomon noted that the dead have no awareness, nor are they in some other state of consciousness: "For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing . . ." (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The person who has died is unconscious and unaware of the passing of time
Life is transitory
The patriarch Job contemplated the transitory nature of physical life. Man "comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue" (Job 14:2). Referring to the physical limitations common to all men and women, he remarks, "Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You; You have appointed his limits, so that he cannot pass" (verse 5).
Job notes the stark reality of death: "So man lies down and does not rise. Till the heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep" (verse 12). Job understood that death was the absolute absence of life.
Notice that in Genesis 2:17 God told Adam and Eve that disobeying Him by taking from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would lead to death. Then, in Genesis 3:4, we read that the serpent (Satan) told Eve that, after eating from that tree, she would "not surely die." Simply put, God said that man is mortal and will die. Satan contradicted God and said that man will not die.
Isn't it amazing that, as evidenced by the pervasive belief in the immortality of the soul, more people accept Satan's teaching than God's? Again, maybe that's not so startling after all. The Bible does say that Satan "deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9), and he has certainly deceived many about what happens after death.
The Hebrew scriptures, commonly called the Old Testament, teach that, upon death, the soul ceases to exist. It does not live on in some other condition. It does not transmigrate into another form. It is not reincarnated into another creature. It simply dies.
What does the New Testament say?
The apostle James understood the temporary nature of life. He compared life with a mist: ". . . You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). Another epistle also discusses this subject, stating that "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
The New Testament uses a word similar in meaning to nephesh to characterize the life or vitality of our physical existence, the Greek word psuche. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, this word means "breath." This word is similar in meaning to the Hebrew word nephesh. In 1 Corinthians 15:45, where Genesis 2:7 is paraphrased as "The first man Adam became a living being," the Greek word substituted for "soul" or "being" (nephesh) is psuche.
Both of these words, often translated "soul," convey the concept that man is a living, breathing creature subject to death. Notice Christ's use of the word psuche: "For whoever desires to save his life [psuche] will lose it, but whoever loses his life [psuche] for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul [psuche]? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul [psuche]? (Matthew 16:25-26).
Notice that Jesus, as recorded by Matthew, uses psuche four times in this passage. It is translated into English as both "life" and "soul." Christ was simply saying that following Him and His message is more important than life itself. What good is it if you gain the whole world and then lose your existence? Jesus knew the soul was temporary and mortal. It could be lost or sacrificed for something of less value.
What did Peter teach?
What did Jesus' early disciples teach about death? The book of Acts records Peter's powerful sermon in which he talked about King David and his lack of consciousness while awaiting his resurrection.
"Men and brethren," exhorted Peter, "let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens . . ." (Acts 2:29-34).
If anyone other than God the Father and Jesus Christ is in heaven, surely it is King David. But Peter said David is dead and buried and David's soul is in hades, the Greek word for the grave.
David's hope, and ours, is to live again through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ and the resurrection available through Him.
Paul's teachings about death
Paul comments on the state of the dead. In his letter to the Corinthians the apostle compared the condition of the dead with sleep: "For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (1 Corinthians 11:30). Notice how Paul, like the ancient prophet Daniel, likens death to sleep. Paul comments that many in the Corinthian church were weak and sickly. Many had died. Paul uses the word sleep to describe death as a state of unconsciousness.
But that is not the end of the matter. Paul writes in the same letter, "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51).
But when are we changed? Our change takes place at the time of judgment, rather than at the moment of death (Hebrews 9:27).
In addition to comparing death to the unconscious state of sleep, Paul specifically points out that we are now mortal-destructible-and that to receive everlasting life we must somehow become immortal-indestructible.
"For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory'" (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).
Paul expresses a similar message to the church at Thessalonica. "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).
Paul here again describes the dead as being in an unconscious state comparable to sleep.
Is the spirit in man the immortal soul?
Earlier we noted a special spiritual aspect of the human mind that gives us our intellectual abilities, separating us from animals in function and purpose (see 1 Corinthians 2:11).
What we've seen so far is that the Bible shows a dead person is in no way immortal; his life has perished.
So what happens to the spiritual essence that separates man from animal? Does it continue as an immortal soul independent of the physical body? Certainly not!
The Bible shows that the spirit in man, which originally came from the Creator God, returns to Him. "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
This spirit that returns to God is neither the source of human life, nor is it human consciousness. Life and consciousness both perish when one dies. God does not tell us why this spirit returns to Him, just that it does. This may be the way God preserves the characteristics of each person until the resurrection.
Summary
In this chapter we looked at the mystery of death. The good news is that it doesn't have to be a mystery. The scriptures we have reviewed make clear that a human being is a mortal soul and does not possess an immortal soul. Upon death, life ceases. It does not continue in some other form; a dead person is not reincarnated or transmigrated into another being.
Since the time of Adam and Eve, all people have died a physical death-even Jesus Christ. But death is not the end. As Paul wrote, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22). Even though our life is temporary, God has not left us without hope and a greater purpose for living.

Answer 2

Everything Shuts Down..You Out Like a Candle In The Wind.

Answer 3

The same thing that happens 100 years after death: Nothing.

Answer 4

If you have put your faith and trust in the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins then imedately after death. 2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. If you have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ you will left up your eyes in hell. Luke 16: 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments.

Answer 5

When a person dies, time stops for them. If a person dies loyal to God or never having the opportunity to learn about Him, they will be resurrected after Armageddon by God. While the person is dead, there is no wisdom or knowledge. Ecclesiastes 9:5,10

Answer 6

Ecc 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Answer 7

I'm pretty sure I will agree with Earnst77.

Some additional material to study:

http://www.ucg.org/booklets/AD/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante%27s_Inferno#Inferno

Answer 8

If you believe in the soul, then immediately. it goes away. and the body I herd somewhere actually weighs less. I guess the soul kept you from loosing that last 5 lbs.

Answer 9

Jesus answered your question in Luke chapter 16:

The Rich Man and Lazarus
19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[a] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

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I cannot improve on Jesus answer.

Pastor Art

Answer 10

why do u need to know?
most likely nothing.
so might as well live live to the fullest. do the best you can without hurting others. leave a good legacy for future generations. so before you die you'll know that you will be remembered well.

thats if u want to be remembered that way.

Answer 11

Your body starts to cool and all your metabolic and neurologic energy is lost as heat energy until your body and environment are in thermal equilibrium.