What happens when a non believer dies ?

[Serving Zion]

So i accompanied my fiancee to church tonight and well now i have to re evaluate my feelings on the subject. I wont lie i was very standoffish at the start arms crossed, i didn't want a bar of it, however when the guy started talking the arms unfolded he had me laughing he had me crying it was like he knew what i am feeling.
I actually left there tonight happy, and happy that i attended to a point that i think i want to go back.

Michael, it really is love that you have - to be supporting your other half in her spiritual needs even though it has brought up all sorts of pain that you had rather left behind.

It is also encouraging that you have come so far in just a few days, that you have even walked through the door and given God a chance to speak to you! I am glad that you enjoyed the church fellowship, and along with what 2PhiloVoid has said, that there isn't any one Christian or denomination that has everything that you need - rather, that our growth in faith is the work of God Himself (consider John 15:1-2, 1 Corinthians 3:4-6).

A lot of your struggle through this, is coming from a misunderstanding of who God is (1 John 4:7-8). It is a sad fact of life these days, that there are some people who believe they are Christian and whose belief system is based on what they read in the bible, but that they haven't got that genuine spirit of God that produces the Christian qualities: kindness, gentleness, patience, love etc (see Galatians 5:22-23). This comes about when people believe false teachings that makes them wrongly think that they have some right to condemn others wrongly. (For example, you have probably already noticed that some Christians believe a person will go to hell by default unless they believe a,b,c and do x,y,z.. but the truth is that true justice is very complex and only God should be trusted to make that sort of judgement).

So when a person's beliefs cause them to take the authority that belongs to God and to apply it in a way that isn't consistent with His judgement - that can be really harmful and that is how people get the wrong idea of who God is.

So with those words and the way you are feeling today, knowing that a word at the right time has life-changing power, I feel that Micah 6:8 would be helpful for you to ponder:

"He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?".

 

[AservantofGodandthelordJC]

What happens to someone that dies that was not as far as i know a believer ?

Same place as a believer goes dependent on the free will of the individual. Specifically, the astral plane.. a dreamworld like buffer where people will eventually learn to return to reality. If they believe they will go to a place with fluffy clouds, they will. If they believe they will go to the moon, they will. Thus is the nature of the astral plane, a place for those who continue to value their own free will over the truth.

 

[Daisybell]

What happens to someone that dies that was not as far as i know a believer ?

I am sorry about your loss. I know you posted this a few months ago so I hope you found some answers to help your grief. Your Bible teaches about death and "resurrection" - the Truth you probably never heard and need to hear to really understand about death of unbelievers. A loving God does not allow them to burn in hell as many mainstream Christians teach.
The Apostle Paul wanted his readers to know the truth about the resurrection. "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep" (1 Thessalonians 4:13–15).

What Happens When You Die?
What does the Bible say about death? What are the 1st and 2nd resurrections mentioned in the Bible? What does it say about living after death? What happens to faithful, repentant Christians? What happens to those who lived bad lives during this life? Will they ever have a chance? The Bible actually has many clear passages that answer these questions.

What Happens After Death?
After you die, do you expect to “roll around heaven all day”? Or might you spend eternity burning in hellfire? Your Bible reveals awesome truth about the eternal purpose for which God created you and your loved ones.

What Happens When You Die?
One of the greatest mysteries in life is the question of death and the afterlife. What happens when you die? Will you go to heaven? Will you go to hell? Will you be reincarnated? Or is there no afterlife at all?

How Many Resurrections?
In the book of Revelation, we find that when Christ returns, Satan will be incarcerated and bound in the abyss for 1,000 years. When Christ returns, the faithful saints will be immortalized. "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4–6).

The first resurrection, as it is called, is for the saints—faithful Christians. But if there is a "first" resurrection, there is also a "second" resurrection. The Apostle Paul spoke about the order of resurrections, explaining that Jesus Christ is the "firstfruits"—the first to be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:20)—followed by those who are Christ’s (v. 23). After these come the "rest of the dead" mentioned in Revelation 20:5.
The "rest of the dead" are those who will come under judgment. They will be resurrected to physical life. But notice the good news concerning this judgment. After the Kingdom of God rules on this earth for a thousand years, there will be a great resurrection of billions of people to judgment. It is referred to as the White Throne Judgment. "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God [this is the second resurrection], 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" (Revelation 20:11–12).
The Greek word for "books" is biblion. The books, or the Bible, are opened to the understanding of the masses of people for the first time. The resurrection to physical life from the valley of dry bones, described by the prophet Ezekiel, also takes place at this time. The Book of Life is finally opened to all of them. This will be their first opportunity to really learn the truth. This is not a second chance as some would like to call it. All human beings will be held accountable for their actions and thoughts. But this will be their first time for many to see their sins, to have the opportunity to repent of their sins, and to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.

Yes, there is hope for non-Christians. Most of them will wait in the grave until the White Throne Judgment and then have their first opportunity to learn the truth and God’s way of life.

Then, ultimately, will come the final punishment for those who have sealed their conscience and their character to reject the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ. These incorrigibly wicked will be burned in the lake of fire and totally destroyed. Their souls and bodies will be destroyed in Gehenna fire, as Jesus said.
The comforting news is that no human being who has ever lived and died is now suffering. Death is the absence of life. "For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing…" (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The dead experience no conscious passing of time, they know nothing. So, in the next split-second of their consciousness, they will awaken in the resurrection.
Jesus Christ said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25). Yes, there is life after death—our hope is the resurrection! To those who really respond to His calling, who really repent and are baptized and who are faithful to their Savior, Jesus Christ, God promises a glorious future in Tomorrow’s World!

 

[aiki]

So I have found why this is hurting me so much i guess after 10 years i haven't really stopped grieving, so my question to the community is... as far as i know my mother was not a religious person she did spend a lot of time in chapel before she passed away but i don't know if she died with Jesus in her heart or not.
What happens to someone that dies that was not as far as i know a believer ?

That's a tragic story. I'm sorry for your loss and the grief it has caused. My grandmother slowly suffocated to death over the course of two weeks. It was a horror to watch her awful struggle to breathe and the gradual loss of the strength to do so. I had some questions for God very similar to your own after her departure from this world. Here are a few of the answers I received:

1. God is the Giver of Life and so He has a unique right also to be the Taker of it. God murders no one. He does no wrong in taking the life He gives and sustains.

2. God is under no obligation to give a person a long life. We'd like to live to eighty-some years old but God is not obligated to give us a life that long. The real show, the life for which we were made comes after the one we live here on earth. We weren't made for time but for eternity. And so God is not particularly concerned about how long we live on this globe.

3. The disease, pain and death common to human existence isn't God's doing but ours. We sin, and whenever we do, we introduce more death and corruption into the World.

What happens to a non-believer who dies in a non-believing condition? Well, God gives that person in death what they wanted in life: separation from Him. God will not force a person to be in His company for all of eternity when that person has lived all their life on this earth with their back to Him. Such a person would not enjoy God's company, nor He, theirs.

The problem, too, is that God is a holy God. In Him is "no darkness at all" the Bible says. We aren't like God in this respect. We are pretty wicked creatures, actually. We can look rather good in comparison to each other but compared to God, we are rotten and foul to the core. And it is to His own moral perfection that God makes a comparison of our lives. Not surprisingly, we don't fare well at all by the comparison. We are shown to be desperately wicked and rebellious toward our Maker and worthy of His wrath and judgment. Our sin is not a laughing matter to God; He hates all sin and punishes it accordingly. Consequently, those who stand before Him after they have died, unrepentant in their sin, are cast into the eternal torment and darkness of hell.

This is never God's desire, however. "God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance," the Bible says. God made a way through Jesus Christ for any who would be reconciled to Him to be so. No one has to go to hell. How terrible a thing it is, then, that there are those who refuse the grace and love of God and serve themselves rather than their Maker. I would urge you not to be one of them!

Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Romans 10:9-13
9...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

 

[salt-n-light]

So totally new here and don't really know the ins and out of it all... but I'm going to give it a crack.

So long story short I have been with my fiancee for 4 and a half years i love her more than life itself we were like 2 peas in a pod, however 12 months ago she starting reading the bible to learn more about Jesus and god and skip forward to this present day she has found him.
This is causing friction between us and in my head i know it shouldn't be, but i cant help that when on Sundays when she goes to church i get so angry and its a unexplained anger, her finding god shouldn't anger me the way it does, I don't know why i have such a hate for it.

So a couple of nights ago I started writing a letter to my fiancee because physically i was struggling to express my emotions so i thought maybe writing might be better, and after writing that letter I have found my problem so here is what i wrote straight from my letter.
(warning it is a bit crass and unedited)

Speaking of diseases, the women I loved the most in the whole world, my mother, was diagnosed with lung cancer.

From the start the diagnostics wasn’t good she was given 6 months to live and yet she managed to go nearly 2 years past initial life expectancy some would say that’s a blessing but if you had seen what I seen my mother go through with all the treatments, you would be saying otherwise.

So, for 2 and a half years every silent moment I had whether it be just driving, laying in bed or just even having a shower, I would be praying, praying and hoping there was a big fella up there, many of times struggling to contain tears rolling down my cheeks, but we both know what happened in the end.

Now I ask why if there is an almighty god would he allow a woman so loved, that had nothing but love for her family and friends be taken away from us, what sort of god allows such a lovely women’s children to have to continue the majority of there lives without there mother? Kylie and I were in or 20’s but Jodie had only just turned 18 she was still a child herself, I ask again what god would allow this to happen?

It was at that point I said to myself if there is a god he is [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse]ing [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse], I then become less tolerant of religion and the people that believe in it.

So I have found why this is hurting me so much i guess after 10 years i haven't really stopped grieving, so my question to the community is... as far as i know my mother was not a religious person she did spend a lot of time in chapel before she passed away but i don't know if she died with Jesus in her heart or not.
What happens to someone that dies that was not as far as i know a believer ?

Like everyone else, they face judgment. I can't say if a person is sentenced to anywhere, only the Judge, God can.

 

[Bob Crowley]

This is causing friction between us and in my head i know it shouldn't be, but i cant help that when on Sundays when she goes to church i get so angry and its a unexplained anger, her finding god shouldn't anger me the way it does, I don't know why i have such a hate for it.

As a non-Christian, you're probably going to find my explanation unrealistic. But there is a spiritual world, and the devil does exist. He hates Christ, and by extension, Christians and the Church.

Whether you like it or not, he's got a very subtle hold on you, and that's why he can upset you about your fiancee's new faith. That's why it's an UNEXPLAINED anger. You can't explain it, but it's there, and it bubbles up anyway, even though you yourself don't know why you have such a hate for her faith.

You probably don't have such a hatred in yourself, and you'd have to admit there's no logical reason why you should.

But the devil certainly does have such a hatred, and he can push the buttons when he wants to, as you've got no protection against his manipulation.

Welcome to the reality of the spiritual world. It's there all right.