Will I be aware of my body decomposing?
Question:
I have a random question about death that I was hoping you could answer. When I die will I be aware of my body decomposing? I'm afraid of that and afraid of bugs and worms eating my body. Will I truly not be in the grave? And is cremation wrong?
Answer:
Your body is not you. Your body is a vessel that contains you. You are a spirit temporarily residing in a physical body. When you die, your spirit returns to God. "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Thus, in the account of the rich man and Lazarus, "Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22). This does not mean Lazarus physically went to Paradise. He left his body behind because it was no longer needed.
Paul points out, "Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable" (I Corinthians 15:50). Our physical bodies aren't going with us to heaven. Who wants a body that decays in eternity? "For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (II Corinthians 5:1).
Regarding cremation, see What is God’s view pertaining to cremation?
