Your body turns back into dust

For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. -- Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 (ESV)

Despite that the human body is considered to be "dust", a psalmist testify:

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints. -- Psalm 116:15 (NKJV)

Your spirit returns to God

Some religions would go to the extreme to protect and preserve dead bodies (like building pyramids). However, Solomon wrote:

The dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God Who gave it. -- Ecclesiastes 12:7 (ESV)

This is what happened to Jesus when he died on the cross:

Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!”

And having said this he breathed his last.

-- Luke 23:46 (ESV)

Paul also compares our "outer self" (human body) with temporary earthly tents housing our "inner self" (spirit), with an eternal heavenly building (exalted body) which God would provide.

Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened — not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

He Who has prepared us for this very thing is God, Who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always of good courage.

We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him.

-- 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:9 (ESV)

This means the purpose of life is to "make it our aim to please Him". This is the answer to the question of which Atheists finds very difficult to answer.

Peter also confirms this reasoning:

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

-- 2 Peter 1:10-15 (NKJV)

You will be dead

Some that the human soul is immortal and some denominations belief that you would go immediately to "paradise" in a conscious state based on Jesus' words to the criminal who was dying with at the crucifixion:

And he (the criminal) said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
And he (Jesus) said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

-- Luke 23:42-43 (ESV)

The problem is that the original Greek manuscript did not contain commas (,) like the English translation. This translation means that Jesus would see him the same day in Paradise, which contradict Peter (1 Peter 3:18-20) and possibly Paul too (Ephesians 4:9-10). Other translations read:

And he said to him, "Truly I say to you today, you will be with me in the Paradise." -- Luke 23:43 (REV)

This means, that Jesus is telling him today about some event that will happen some time in the future.

Contrary to many denominations that belief in a second chance in purgatory:

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” -- Genesis 2:17 (ESV)

God did not say, you will partially die or only your "body will die, but your soul continue to live in heaven" or something of the sort. If your "soul" is "you", then God meant you with your body and soul "shall surely die". The first lie that the devil presented:

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.”. -- Genesis 3:4 (ESV)

Sadly, many people still believe that we are immortal and cannot die.

Then Job answered and said...

"For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be."

-- Job 6:1,7:21 (ESV)

Job considered himself a good man (Job 29:1-6; 31:1,5,16-17), but he did not believe that he would go to heaven:

Then Job answered and said...

“Why did you bring me out from the womb?

Would that I had died before any eye had seen me and were as though I had not been, carried from the womb to the grave.

Are not my days few?

Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer before I go (and I shall not return) to the land of darkness and deep shadow, the land of gloom like thick darkness, like deep shadow without any order, where light is as thick darkness.”

-- Job 9:1,10:20-22 (ESV)

Death is the absence of live. There will be no interaction with anything when you are dead.

For in death there is no remembrance of Thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? -- Psalm 6:5 (KJV)

and

What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?

-- Psalm 30:9 (ESV)

Maschil of Heman the Ezrahite, a believer who call upon the LORD, also believed that he would not be able to interact with God when he is dead:

LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.

Wilt Thou shew wonders to the dead?
Shall the dead arise and praise Thee? Selah.

Shall Thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or Thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall Thy wonders be known in the dark? and Thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

-- Psalm 88:9-12 (KJV)

Another unknown Psalmist also wrote:

The dead do not praise the LORD, nor do any who go down into silence (death). -- Psalm 115:17 (ESV)

Solomon wrote:

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

-- Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 (ESV)

and

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. -- Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV)

Isaiah wrote:

For the grave cannot praise Thee, death can not celebrate Thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day. -- Isaiah 38:18-19 (KJV)

Death is like sleeping

People who are dead is unconscious. When God "awake" you, you would have no consciousness of the time or events that passed while you were dead. Therefore, death is often metaphorically referred to as "sleep".

But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he?

As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again;

till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep.

Oh that you would hide me in Sheol, that you would conceal me until your wrath be past, that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!

If a man dies, shall he live again?

All the days of my service I would wait, till my renewal should come. You would call, and I would answer you; you would long for the work of your hands.

-- Job 14:10-15 (ESV)

This implies Job beliefs that at death we would "sleep" and that our spirits would be "concealed" in "Sheol" (not hell nor purgatory) until "a set time" when they would be "renewed" and would be able to "answer" again.

David also believed that being dead is like being asleep or unconscious:

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death -- Psalm 13:3 (ESV)

Daniel wrote:

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake... -- Daniel 12:2 (ESV)

Even Jesus said that death is like "sleeping":

While he was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples.

...

And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.”

And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.

-- Matthew 9:18-19,23-26 (ESV)

Jesus did not say that people would come from heaven or purgatory to God's judgment, but instead:

Marvel not at this:

for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth:

1. they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and
2. they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

-- John 5:28-29 (KJV)

Paul even refers to dead people as those "who are asleep":

Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. -- 1 Corinthians 15:6 (ESV)

and

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede *those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. -- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

It can be very comforting to believers to realize that in death, just like in deep sleep, there is no awareness of the passage of time. When a believer dies, “falls asleep,” the next thing they will see is Jesus and other believers. Tradition teaches that when a person dies, “they go to be with Jesus.” While it is not true from a time perspective that the believer is with Jesus the moment they die, from the perspective of the person who died, the instant they close their eyes in death is the instant they see Jesus. The dead person is not aware of the time that passes between their death and their resurrection. There is no netherworld, no purgatory, nothing like that, so to the person who died, there is just death then immediate resurrection.

Thus, the experience of people who die is different from the experience of the people who are alive. The experience of the family, friends, and other people who are alive on earth is that the person who died and is buried in the ground is dead, asleep, and is no longer afflicted by the troubles of life, while the living struggle on in day-to-day life. In contrast, the experience of the people who die is that they close their eyes in death and are instantly awake in the resurrection. The dead person has no awareness of time or the struggles of the living. Believers close their eyes in death and instantly see Jesus. They may have been dead thousands of years, but to them, the instant they die is the instant they see Jesus.

Imagine the joy of the resurrection! For example, an elderly, sick person who has been troubled throughout life closes their eyes in the sleep of death and then to them they are instantly awake with Jesus in a wonderful new body like Jesus’ body (Phil. 3:21). The person’s old body was corrupt but they are raised in “incorruption,” they died in “dishonor” but they are raised in “glory,” they died in “weakness” but will be raised in “power” (1 Cor. 15:42-44). Promises like these are why believers need not fear death.

-- The Dead are Dead - Spirit & Truth

You will be resurrected with a new spiritual body

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. -- Daniel 12:2-3 (ESV)

Which possibly implies the righteous will receive an extraordinary shining body (but of course this could also be interpreted symbolically). Jesus also taught the resurrection:

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her.”

But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

-- Matthew 22:23-30 (ESV)

A common misunderstanding is that some belief that we will immediately turn into angels and live in heaven when we die. Instead, Jesus said that:

• There first need a resurrection to take place before we could live.
• We will not turn into angels, we will be like the angels.
• Nothing in this scripture guarantee that death will take us instantly to heaven like the angels. Instead, Jesus only compared resurrected people with the angels who is currently in heaven. We were made to live in the New Earth.

Paul also believed in the resurrection:

But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.

But God gives it a body as He has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

-- 1 Corinthians 15:35-44 (ESV)

You will be judged

Contrary to the view that God will save everyone regardless, we read in the Bible:

The end of the matter (all has been heard):

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

-- Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)

and

We will all stand before the judgment seat of God;

for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

-- Romans 14:10-12 (ESV)

Ultimately the LORD (YHVH) God is the final "Judge of all the earth" ((Genesis 18:25; Psalm 7:8-11; 9:7-8,19; 50:4-6; 67:4; 75:2; 96:10-13; 98:9; Isaiah 3:13-14;33:22; 51:5; Jeremiah 11:20; Ezekiel 7:3,8,27). However,

Jesus cried out and said,

“Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.

The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.

For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father Who sent me has Himself given me a commandment — what to say and what to speak. And I know that His commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

-- John 12:44-50 (ESV)

Therefore, Christ will "acknowledge" or "deny" people before his God the Father. Those who are denied, will be judged by the Father Who has the final say because "His commandment is eternal life".

“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.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

• So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
• but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

-- Matthew 10:28-33 (ESV)

And a few chapters later in even more detail when Jesus said:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’

Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

-- Matthew 25:31-46 (ESV)

Therefore, it makes sense that Paul wrote:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. -- 2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV)

The author of the book of Hebrews also confirms:

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. -- Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)

John saw this vision:

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. -- Revelation 20:12-15 (NKJV)

The fate of God's children

These people will live with Jesus in His Father's house:

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” -- John 14:2-4 (ESV)

This was also prophesied by Malachi:

Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed His name.

"They shall be Mine", says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up My treasured possession, and

• I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
• Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.

-- Malachi 3:16-18 (ESV)

Jesus also quotes in Mark 9:48:

“For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me", declares the LORD.
“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

-- Isaiah 66:22-24 (ESV)

Paul wrote:

The first man was from the earth, a man of dust;
the second man is from heaven.

As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust,
and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

-- 1 Corinthians 15:47-53 (ESV)

John saw these visions:

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

-- Revelation 21:1-7 (NKJV)

and

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. -- Revelation 22:1-5 (NKJV)

The fate of the wicked

Some denominations believe that you will have a second chance to repent in "purgatory". However, Isaiah wrote:

For the grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. -- Isaiah 38:18 (KJV)

Everyone agrees that the wicked's bodies will be destroyed, but many theologians belief that we have immortal souls and/or spirits. However, the there are many scriptures show that the wicked will be completely destroyed including their souls (Matthew 10:28).

This is why we need to be saved.