St. James Lutheran, Cleveland, OH

Dear Pastor,
What happens when we die? Are we judged immediately and our soul sent to Heaven or Hell or what?
A. Lutherans believe that Scripture teaches that at the moment of death the souls of believers enter the joy of heaven (Luke 23:43; Acts 7:59; Rev. 19:13; Phil. 1:23-24), while the souls of unbelievers at death are consigned to "the prison" of everlasting judgment in hell (1 Peter 3:19-20; Acts 1:25). The departed souls remain in heaven or hell until the Day of Judgment, when they shall be reunited with their own bodies (Matt. 10:28; John 5:28-29; John 11:24; Job 19:26).
Therefore, "The Last Judgment is the grand finale of this present world, in which the sentence pronounced in death over the individual will be publicly confirmed and extended to the body, which till then has returned to the dust, from whence it came. He who continues in the faith unto the end has nothing to fear for his soul after death, nor for his body and soul on the Day of Judgment (Rev. 2:10; 14:13)" (Edward Koehler, "A Summary of Christian Doctrine," St. Louis: Concordia, 1939).
Dear Pastor,
Where do different nationalities come from? Why are there people of different color, body type, etc.? The Bible clearly teaches, that all people on earth are descendants of Adam and Eve, the first and original "parents" of the human race (Acts 17:24-26; Gen. 1:26-28; Gen. 3:20; Acts 10:34-35). The Bible does not provide detailed answers to all of the questions relating to the origin of the "differences" that exist between various individuals, races and ethnic groups, and (therefore) the LCMS has not tried to answer these questions. Instead, the LCMS focuses on Scripture's teaching regarding the common human need for salvation through Jesus Christ, the universality of the Gospel call, and God's command to love each other despite whatever differences may exist.