Life Beyond Death
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Diversity seems to be a huge topic in our society today. We talk about different shapes, different ages, different backgrounds, different genders, and different colors.
The truth is everybody is different from everybody else in some way. But we all have at least one thing in common that we can agree on.
There’s something every single one of us will experience at some point. That common experience is death.
That’s the topic for our rooted series today. It’s probably not in your top 10 most favorite topics. But we all face death so we should tink about it, at least for a half-hour.
The Bible thinks so because it has a lot to say about death. And what we believe about death is foundational to our faith. We really need to know and understand what happens in death.
Last week we talked about Sanctification. Sanctification is the process God (the Holy Spirit) is doing in us right now. The process in which our character is being transformed more and more like the character of Christ.
Upon death one part of God’s sanctification promise is completed. At the very moment of a Christian’s death, our souls become perfect and our soul is immediately in the presence of God.
We have so many questions about death. Some questions have no revealed answers. But the Bible does tell us all we need to know about death. I want to answer four major questions about death today.
Four major questions we have about death:
Why do Christians die?
What Happens when Christians die?
What happens when non-Christians die?
What happens when Jesus returns?
Why Do Christians Die?
Why Do Christians Die?
We’re promised eternal life, right? Doesn’t that mean we’re going to live forever?
God swept Elijah up into heaven without dying. Why can’t we have the same experience?
We must first understand death isn’t a punishment. Look at what Paul says in Rom 8:1
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,
If you’re a Christian you will never be condemned by God. The payment for your sins has already been paid. You’re eternally free from being punished for your sins.
Jesus paid that price for all of us who truly believe. He paid the price for all of our sins, every last one of them, past, present and future.
We live in what scholars call the already, not yet, era of God’s salvation plan. Yes our sins are paid, we are free from the punishment, but we still live in a broken world influenced by sin.
Christians still sin, still get sick, still suffer, disasters still happen, etc… And death is still part of living in this broken world. Even for Christians.
Besides, can you imagine what non-Christians might say or do if Christians just disappeared from the presence of the world when they die?
The nurse comes in to check on a Christian in the ER after he dies and he is physically gone. He just disappeared. Can you imagine the frantic search that would ensue?
The doctor looks at the nurse and says, “he was completely immobilized, how in the world did you lose that patient?”
It would bring even more chaos to an already chaotic world. Death is still part of this cursed world for everyone.
One day death will be removed. Look at 1 Cor 15:25-26
25 For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death.
Jesus has overcome death when He died on the cross, rose again, and ascended to heaven. He sits at the right hand of God on the throne where He awaits the moment God sends Him to get His bride (the church).
Until then, the not yet, death will continue to claim our broken bodies. So what happens when Christians die?
What Happens When Christians Die?
What Happens When Christians Die?
We shouldn’t fear death. The author of Hebrews tells us:
14 Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil—15 and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.
Jesus, God the Son, became flesh and blood so that in His death and resurrection He would defeat the devil, Satan. Christ freed those who believe in Him from the fear of death.
Death no longer has a hold on those of us who belong to Christ. For Christians, Christ has made death just a door, a transition to the promised perfect and holy life!
When Christians die, their souls are immediately in the presence of God. We find that in 2 Cor 5:8
8 In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
and Phil 1:23-24
23 I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
Our bodies remain to be buried or cremated, but our souls are immediately with Jesus Christ.
And it’s much better to be there than it is to be here. That is guaranteed!!
Knowing that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t mourn the death of a Christian relative or friend. Look at Acts 8:2
2 Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.
35 Jesus wept.
The people who knew Stephen also knew he was with Jesus. In fact he saw Jesus right before he died.
Jesus knew He was going to raise Lazarus, but his death still moved Jesus to tears. It’s okay to cry and dearly miss our Christian loved ones.
I wonder how much the tears Jesus had for Lazarus were because poor Lazarus was going to taste death twice. And his loved ones were going to mourn his death twice.
When we lose a Christian relative or friend we mourn the loss of their presence here and now, but we still have hope.
13 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
We know they’re in the “better” place. We know that we will see them again. We know we will have all of eternity to be in perfect relationships with them!!
But what happens to non-Christians when they die?
What Happens When Non-Christians Die?
What Happens When Non-Christians Die?
In a similar fashion to Christian souls being immediately in the presence of God, non-Christian souls are immediately in eternal torment.
Look at Luke 16:23-24
23 And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’ he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!’
When people who have rejected Jesus die, their souls go to eternal punishment. Their bodies remain in the grave or their ashes in the urn, but their souls go to hell.
They do not pass go, they don’t collect $200, they go immediately to hell. There are no second chances to trust Jesus.
25 “ ‘Son,’ Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
Anyone who rejects Jesus Christ is immediately in hell and eternally separated from God and those who trusted Christ. At the moment of death our judgement is eternally sealed.
Hebrews makes that point clear, upon death God’s judgment towards us is eternally sealed.
27 And just as it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment—
For those who reject Jesus there is no hope. So much so that Paul pleaded with his fellow Jews who were rejecting and dying without Christ.
1 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience testifies to me through the Holy Spirit—2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the benefit of my brothers and sisters, my own flesh and blood.
I want to take a moment to point out just how much our transformation should be seen by those around us.
Paul exhibits the very nature and character of Christ as he pleas with the Hebrews. His heart anguishes over his fellow Jews who reject Christ.
So much so that he would even give up his own salvation, just so that his fellow Jews could have salvation. His heart anguishes because he knows their souls are sealed with eternal punishment in hell.
And He’s willing to take that punishment for their salvation. Jesus willingly, in submission to God, died on the cross in our place and took our punishment for us.
You must accept Jesus in this life before death. There is no other option. There are no second chances.
However, we cannot always have complete certainty that someone rejected Jesus to the very end. There are many stories of people who were about to die that seemed to suddenly find peace in their last moments.
I believe God is reaching out to the very last instant of our death. He’s always available for anyone to trust in Jesus. Knowing you’re about to die, especially for a non-Christian, can bring about a genuine faith and repentance.
This is the main primary reason why I don’t believe baptism is required for salvation. I have seen and heard too many stories of what appears to be genuine faith and repentance in the waning moments of life.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
“Whoever believes in Him,” not whoever believes in Him and gets baptized. I don’t think St. Peter is sitting at the pearly gates going yep you believed and repented in your last breath, but I can’t let you in because you didn’t get baptized.
God simply says, whoever believes. And we don’t know for certain sometimes whether someone believed or rejected Christ. If you’re here today and sitting on that fence I would recommend seeking Christ and believing.
Trusting Christ is a much better alternative than facing eternal torment.
We have discussed why Christians die, what happens when Christians die, and what happens when non-Christians die while we are in the already, not yet phase of God’s salvation plan.
But what happens when Jesus returns?
What Happens When Jesus Returns?
What Happens When Jesus Returns?
The first thing that happens is that our bodies are resurrected and rejoined with our souls. Look at:
28 Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good things, to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked things, to the resurrection of condemnation.
Every person ever created will be called out of the grave in bodily resurrection. We all will be judged before the throne of God.
Jesus gives us more about the judgement in Matthew.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
I can’t even imagine this miraculous sight. All the nations, every person who ever lived, bodily resurrected and gathered together before the throne.
Last week I talked about Jesus saying my sheep know my name and they follow me. The sheep Jesus speaks of here are Christians. The goats Jesus speaks of are non-Christians.
I have never been to Israel and I dream of going someday. But I have a pastor friend who has gone several times. He was explaining how he got to see this happen in real life.
He was sitting in an open air cafe having coffee and on the hillside just outside the cafe there were hundreds of sheep all herded up and grazing.
One of the shepherds was sitting in the cafe, he got up, walked up the hill and hollered out. He never looked back and just kept walking.
As he walked away about 30 or 40 sheep worked their way out of the herd and began following the shepherd. I thought that was an amazing story from someone I trust is telling me the truth.
Can you imagine trying that with goats?
It would never happen. Goats are unruly, climbing all over everything, and eating anything that they can get their teeth on.
They don’t listen they do what they want.
It really makes the rest of the passage make a lot of sense. I’m not going to read it all but we’ll cover the pertinent parts.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
When Christians die our souls are immediately in the presence of God. Paul says in:
23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
Our souls are actually groaning in God’s presence awaiting the redemption of our bodies. The reunification of a perfect body and soul.
21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
When Jesus returns our bodies and souls are reunified in perfection, never aging, never getting sick, and never hurting to be in the kingdom of God eternally in His presence.
41 “Then he will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
Non-Christians are bodily resurrected to an eternal never aging body to eternal punishment and separation from God. Along with false prophets, false teachers, and those who claim to be, but are not Christians.
41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
I don’t know exactly how the resurrected bodies will be eternally present in the eternal fire nor do I know exactly what their eternal punishment will be.
One of probably many ways that punishment will be carried out is just the fact that in His return all will see and know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to spend eternity suffering while also knowing you’re eternally separated from God.
I know the desire I have to be in His presence just from the unseen faith I have right now. I can’t imagine how much greater that desire will be when He is revealed to all on the throne.
They will be stuck with the knowledge of how simple it was to just believe and trust in this life. Trust in Christ and you will receive a resurrected, renewed body.
A body that never wears out, never grows old, in fact never even shows signs of aging, never gets sick, and never has any aches and pains.
Just believe in Jesus Christ and your soul will be immediately in His presence when you die. And when Jesus returns you will spend eternity in the presence of God with a prefect, glorified body.
You can become a follower of Christ, right now, and know you’ll be with him forever!
