Life After Death
Jesus said unto her, “I AM the resurrection and the life; he that believes in me, though he is dead, yet shall he live.”
These words from the book of John summarize perhaps the greatest of all hopes; when this difficult earthly life is over those of us who placed our faith in Jesus will begin our new life with Him.
Some years ago I had a friend who had grown up in a poor household situation and had decided that he was going to be Atheist. I suppose he figured that no loving God would allow people like himself to endure what he had to live through. He, I, and another mutual friend were sitting on the back porch talking one day and the self-proclaimed Atheist friend said, “When I die, they’ll put me in a box in the ground and that’s it. It’s over. The end.” At the moment I couldn’t find a proper response, though looking back on it a proper response should have been simple. I have never forgotten that conversation and likely never will.
On the other hand, I have been to more funerals in my lifetime than I can remember. Being a part of a very large family means that deaths are inevitable. I have also had friends and co-workers and acquaintances who have passed away as many of us have. One thing that I have noticed over the years is that regardless of who it is laying in the casket, how they lived their life, what they did or did not do, how they treated others, how they spent their time, what their view of God was, if you attend any funeral service what you will see is a group of people standing around the deceased comforting each other with words such as, “He’s in a better place now” or “We’ll see her again.”
What does the Bible teach us about all of this? How do we properly view the realization of death? I believe that the words of Jesus in the book of Luke teach us a lot about life after death. To begin, every human being on the planet lives forever; the question is where that eternity will play out. The reality of heaven and hell is not a fairy tale, it is a truth that we see discussed throughout New Testament scripture. Luke wrote in chapter 23 that Jesus promised “paradise” to the criminal being crucified next to Him following a simple profession of faith and admittance of sin on the part of this thief. It is interesting that Jesus made it a point to state that this paradise would become reality for the thief “today”. No mention of purgatory and no mention of a trial. Jesus simply said to him, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” On the other hand we have seen that those who are not children of God are sent to hell. A particular account is seen in Luke chapter 16 where we read about a beggar named Lazarus and a rich man who interestingly is never named. Jesus tells us that the beggar laid at the gate to the property of the rich man, just hoping to get scraps to eat that were being thrown out. The rich man, however, gave him nothing. When they had both died Lazarus was brought up to heaven but the rich man was sent to the fire of hell. Jesus goes on to say that the rich man could see Lazarus in heaven, and asked if Lazarus could simply put a drop of water on his tongue to ease the suffering. My how the tables had turned!
This is the theme throughout the New Testament scripture; there is heaven and there is hell. There are no other options. Aside from referring to heaven as “paradise” Jesus also taught “In my Father’s house there are many mansions” and that He is “going to prepare a place” for us. Let us also remember the words Paul wrote regarding the amazing place that heaven is: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” Hell, however, is devastating. In addition to being eternally separated from the loving God (as happened to the rich man Jesus spoke about) it is also a place of torment. Jesus referred to hell as “outer darkness” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” in multiple passages throughout the book of Matthew. In chapter 25 he refers to hell as “the everlasting fire”. Clearly we can see the torment the rich man was enduring when he simply wanted a drop of water placed upon his tongue.
We all know that the time is coming when we will draw our last breath on this earth. We see it happen to our friends, family, and loved ones. The reality that physical death is coming forces us to confront the question: “Where will my eternity be?” Thankfully this is where the comforting words of Jesus give us great hope and promise. When He says, “He that believes in Me, though he is dead, yet shall he live” He is referring specifically to life WITH Him, in heaven! Paul wrote in Romans chapter 10, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” What a great hope! The path to salvation is simple; faith in Jesus Christ leads directly to forgiveness of sins and eternal life. By contrast, rejection of Jesus leads to punishment for sins and eternal death. Jesus said in John chapter 3, “He who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
The reality is very simple; if we put our faith solely upon Jesus Christ and believe in our heart that He was put to death and raised from the dead for the remission of our sins, then our family members will truly be able to stand around our casket when that day comes and proclaim that we are in a better place where there is no more suffering! It is also true that if they likewise place their faith upon Jesus they may see us again one day! After all, the rich man recognized Lazarus after Lazarus had been taken to heaven, and in Matthew chapter 17 we see that James, John, and Peter clearly recognized Moses and Elijah both of whom had been taken to heaven long before! In order for these recognitions to have happened, those in heaven certainly must have retained their earthly image in the glory of the kingdom of God.
We have a tremendous hope and promise for life after death, but only if we hold firmly to our Lord Jesus Christ. We have nothing to fear, for Jesus paid it all.