“If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14 NIV84).
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world… Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels… And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46 NKJV).
What happens when we die? This is the oldest of human questions. Both our greatest philosophers and scientists have applied themselves to this mystery, yet the question remains.
Is there life after death?
We rarely wrestle with this question on the sunny days of our lives. It is the gloomy day of suffering and trial that moves us to wonder. It is the dark day of grieving a lost loved one that causes us to hope of a day of reunion. It is the day a doctor says "malignant" that we cry out to God for answers.
Job asked this question. When he had lost all his children and all of his wealth, when his body was covered with sores and he sat grieving in ashes, he longed for an answer. He hoped for a life beyond this one.
Jesus is God's answer to our question about life after death. Jesus is the one who conquered death. His resurrection is the historical proof of life after death.
It is Jesus who holds the keys of life and death. He has the authority to answer this ultimate question. And it is Jesus who teaches us that what we do with His answer will determine our future destiny.
Jesus taught that there are two places prepared by God for all of humanity. He taught that He would be the Judge who would determine in which we would reside. His judgment is righteous and sure.
For those who believe and receive Jesus in this life as their Savior and Lord, He will welcome into His Kingdom. This is a prepared place, a heavenly place where believers will dwell with the Lord forever. For those who choose to reject Him and go their own way, He will reject them and send them into a place of everlasting punishment.
The Bible teaches that man was created to exist eternally. The decision we make in this life about Jesus will determine where we spend eternity. There are only two possible destinies: Heaven or Hell. Heaven and Hell are real places of eternal existence.
How one answers the question, "Is there life after death?" really matters.
The whole concept of salvation answers the question in "real time". Dying alongside of Him and living in Christ is an example which we can grab hold of while we're still serving out our time here on earth. "I am dead, yet I live". It's an example of what's promised to all who are in Christ Jesus.
Posted by: Mike Wheeler | November 19, 2011 at 10:08 AM