What do other people believe happens to a person when they die, and why?

Also, what does the Bible actually says happens to a person when they die?

Let us look at the first and then the latter using the texts they use, etc.

I like to think of all of us as being like the leaves on a great tree...the life center of it being God. Though every leaf dies, the record of each leaf's DNA, and position on the branches, is stored in the tree's genetic "memory bank". No matter how someone dies, nor what becomes of the body, the "soul" or DNA, whatever it is that identifies me as a unique person, is safe in God's memory. If He can build and maintain galaxies, remembering each one of His children is well within His amazing capacities.

Yes, God has our DNA perfectly stored for the resurrection day, although our DNA will be altered somewhat with new glorified sinless bodies. All the taints of sin will be removed from our DNA.

What, though, is the state of a person between death and the resurrection?

I ask the above question as there are those, unfortunately a majority of Christian denominations that believes that the person either soars off to heavenly bliss, or to hellish torment.

How do they come to such a belief?

How do they so misinterpret the Bible like that?

To better understand why, what Bible texts do they misinterpret, and why?

Seeing that nobody has brought forth any Bible texts, I will bring one up that I may have once used myself. I say may have as I am beginning to forget in my old age.

quote:

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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.

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Can the above text truly be used to say that being absent from the body is being present with the Lord in heaven immediately after a person dies?

Here is another commonly used one:

quote:

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Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

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I must say that this one once seemed to be very clear to me, however, when we sutdy it further comparing it with the whole Bible and even with this event of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we have a problem with the time the thief died to when Christ died, and to when Christ actually ascended into heaven.

Did both the thief and Christ die that day?

Did Christ ascend into heaven on that same day?

Peace be with all,
Luke 23:42 And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Keeping in mind that the original greek did not have punctuation, I believe the correct way to read this is: "Verily I say unto you this day, thou shalt be with me in paradise."

As to the form of resurrection, lets look at scripture.
1 Corinthians 15
35 ¶ But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?
36 Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die:
37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds.
40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
51 ¶ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Amen, Amen, and AMEN!

Right on, Isaac!

This is in line with the rest of the Bible.

That is why it is important to examine the whole Bible, and not just one verse. It isn't wise to try and make a doctrine our of only one verse in the Bible.

Back again,
Yes, it isn't right to make a doctrine out of one verse of the Bible. I believe the Bible as a whole is the base of all universal truth. Sir Isaac Newton conceived most of the laws of physics by reading the Bible. I think that there is no truth without the Bible and without the Bible there is no truth. Even in everyday life it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Peace be with all,

IB