This topic has been debated for centuries, and many have never been able to understand or figure out what happens to you after death.
First, we all have to be on the same page about energy. Einstein declared: ‘Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another.’ This statement has been adopted as (The first law of thermodynamics, also known as the Law of conservation of energy). This law establishes that energy is neither created, because it already exists, nor is it destroyed; It can only change form. When the human body self-destructs, the feeling of “I” is just a 20-watt cloud of energy in your head. But always remember that energy can only change form, it cannot be destroyed.
Even if you are not a Christian, the above statements are a constant that exists across time and space, and cannot really be changed or disputed.
Each individual is made up of (3) forms of energy. Each person exists in energy forms of (3) different types; the Body, the Soul and the Spirit.
The (Body) is Conscious of the World, and is composed of the senses: Taste, Touch, Smell, Sight and Hearing. You can also give in to Indulgence or Sensuality. The (body) can be sick or afflicted, and can serve himself or please God in his actions.
The (Soul) is Self-conscious, and is composed of: Intellect, Emotion and Will. Intellect is the Mind, Thoughts and Reason. It can give way to Belief or Disbelief and/or Confusion, etc. The emotion is: Feelings, Temperament and Concerns, and can give rise to: Lust, Bitterness, Anger, etc. Will: our Choices and Actions, and can lead to Disobedience.
He (Spirit) is Conscious of God, and is composed of: Faith, Hope and Love. Faith is Security and Stability fed by the Word of God. Hope is Confidence and Expectation, sustained by looking at Jesus. Love is Motivation and Communication fueled by the flow of the Holy Spirit.
When a human body ceases to be alive, the person’s Spirit is committed to Heaven, or Hell and the Soul unconsciously rests/sleeps until the second resurrection of Christ. This is sometimes referred to as soul sleep. A period between death and the final resurrection in which the soul is in an unconscious state.
Hopefully, now that I have a better understanding, I’ll move on to the biblical examples cited of what happens to us when Christians and non-Christians die.
Here are some quotes of what happens to our Soul and Spirit after death found in the Bible:
Daniel 12:2 NIV says; “Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will be awakened: some to eternal life, others to shame and eternal confusion.”
Psalm 13:3 says; “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: enlighten my eyes, that I may not sleep the sleep of death.”
Palms 33:20 NAB says; “Our soul waits on the LORD, who is our help and shield.”
Matthew 10:28 KJV Jesus says; “And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 3:16 KJV says; “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went right up out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and coming upon him.”
Luke 23:46 KJV Jesus says; “And having exclaimed Jesus with a loud voice, he said: Father, into your hands I commend my spirit; and saying this, he gave up the spirit.”
Stephen, the first Christian martyr in Acts 7:59,60 NAB says; As they stoned Stephen, he cried out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep.’
There are also thousands of documented cases of people who have had a close experience. Some say they saw Jesus; some say they met relatives and loved ones in heaven after they passed away. Some say they were in total darkness and felt something ripping, tearing, and biting at them.
John 5:28 tells us, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.”
1 Corinthians 15:52-53 KJV says; “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the final trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed.”
I really hope that the above statements make it very clear to you what happens to our soul and spirit in the afterlife.