This topic has been debated over the centuries, and many have never been able to understand or figure out what happens to you after death.
First, we all have to get on the same page about energy. Einstein stated – ‘Energy cannot be created or 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 Law of Conservation of Energy). This law states that energy can neither be created, because it already exists, nor destroyed; It can only change forms. When the human body self-destructs, the “me” feeling is just a 20-watt cloud of energy in your head. But always remember energy can only change form, it cannot be destroyed.
Even if you are not a Christian, the statements above are a constant that exists throughout time and space, and truly cannot be changed or argued.
Each individual is made up of (3) forms of energy. Each person exists in the energy forms of (3) different types; the Body, the Soul and the Spirit.
The (Body) is World Conscious, and made up of the senses: Taste, Touch, Smell, seeing and hearing. It may also yield to Indulgence or Sensuality. The (Body) can become Diseased or Afflicted, and can be Self-serving or God pleasing in its actions.
The (Soul) is Self-Conscious, and made up of: Intellect, Emotion and Will. Intellect is the Mind, Thoughts and Reason. It may yield to Belief or Unbelief and/or Confusion etc. Emotion is: Feelings, Temperament and Concerns, and may yield to: Lust, Bitterness, Anger etc. Will: our Choices and Actions, and may lead to Disobedience.
The (Spirit) is God-Conscious, and is made up of: Faith, Hope and Love. Faith is Assurance and Stability fed by The Word of God. Hope is Confidence and Expectancy, sustained by looking unto Jesus. Love is Motivation and Communication nurtured by the flow of the Holy Spirit.
When a human body ceases to be alive, the Spirit of the person is committed to Heaven, or Hell and the Soul unconsciously rests/sleeps until the second resurrection of Christ. This is sometimes referred to Soul Sleep. A period between death and the final resurrection in which the soul is in an unconscious state.
Hopefully now with having a better understanding, I will move on to Bible examples quoted as to What Happens to Us When Christians and Non-Christians Die.
Here are some quotes of what happens to our Soul and our Spirit after death that are in the Bible:
Daniel 12:2 NIV says; “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt”.
Psalm 13:3 says; “Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death”.
Palm 33:20 NAB says; “Our Soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and shield”.
Matthew 10:28 KJV Jesus says; “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”.
Matthew 3:16 KJV says; “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him”.
Luke 23:46 KJV Jesus says; “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost”.
Stephen, the first Christian martyr in Acts 7:59,60 NAB says; As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ‘Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them”; and when he said this, he fell asleep’.
There also are thousands of documented cases from people who has had a near experience. Some say they saw Jesus; some say they met family members and loved ones in Heaven after they have already passed. Some say that they were in the pitch black and felt something ripping, tearing and biting them.
John 5:28 tells us: “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
1 Corinthians 15:52-53 KJV says; “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”.
I truly hope that the above statements make it crystal clear to you about what happens to our Soul and Spirit in the afterlife.