One doesn’t live long in this world before realizing the reality of death and the fact that we all must face it someday. But the Christian has some additional news about this event—and it’s good news (2 Corinthians 5:1-9, especially verse 8)! When we are absent from this body (at death), we are present with the Lord. As believers, our spirits go immediately to be with Jesus.

The physical or natural body will remain in the grave until the return of Jesus at the Rapture when it will be resurrected like Jesus’ glorified body and reunited with its spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The Bible does not in any way support the idea of reincarnation. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, “It is appointed unto men once to die.” If people returned to earth reincarnated, they would have to die again and again.

When you realize that death to believers means being with Jesus until they are reunited with their resurrected bodies, you understand why death truly has no sting and Jesus did indeed destroy the power it had to hurt us. (Read 1 Corinthians 15 for more insight into death and the resurrection of the dead.)