FiveSecondsAfterDeath

Five Seconds After Death

Text: Job 14:7-14

Thesis: To show that the human soul will live on after death, and what it will experience after death.

Introduction:

  1. The name Harry Houdini is well known to most.  He was a famous entertainer, made popu-

        lar for his daring escapes.  In 1926 he suffered a ruptured appendix, and developed peri-

        tonitis.  As he lay near death, he promised his wife, Bess, that if possible he would escape

        death as well.  Though Bess and others attended seances in the years to come, there is no

        evidence that Harry Houdini has escaped what no one other than Enoch and Elijah have.

  2. Most of us have come to accept death as inevitable.  We may not choose to think about it,

        but we will confess that we, too, are mortal.  It is a fact that frightens most.

  3. Yet we can't help but believe that death is not the end.  Humans seem so much more than

        biological.  Most are convinced that something will endure beyond death.  But what?

  4. Our title, "five seconds", is chosen simply to illustrate the fact that something begins the

        moment physical death occurs.  Does the Bible give us any information?  Do we know any-

        thing about what will happen after death?

Discussion:

I.       Will There Be An "After Death"?

A.    We seem to be so physical!  We experience the physical pains and pleasures that go with being humans.  It's hard to avoid the conclusion that when we die we will simply cease to exist.  If an old grave is exhumed, all the remains will be found to have returned to the elements.  Why should we believe that anything about us survives death?

B.     God's word assures us that the soul lives on after death:

1.      Job 14:14 - In the preceding verses, Job observed that a tree, when cut down, may yet send up shoots and live again.  If a man dies, will he live again?  It was a question which had no clear answers for many centuries.

2.      2 Tim. 1:10 - With the coming of Jesus, however, life and immortality were brought to light through the gospel.  It is something we know more clearly because of Jesus.

3.      Heb. 9:27 - As a result of this fuller revelation, we now know that just as death is certain, so also is the fact of a judgment - an event that will occur after death.  "After this" is an emphatic declaration in this verse.

C.     Mat. 22:29 - In answering the Saduccees, a sect who rejected the idea of an afterlife, Jesus charged that they were mistaken because they did not know the scriptures nor the power of God.  His point: The Bible clearly teaches that there will be an afterlife.

II.    What Will Happen Five Seconds After Death?

A.    Lk. 16:19-31 - Our only glimpse at what happens immediately after death is given by Jesus in this parable.  It does not answer every question we have, but it teaches us some powerful lessons.  We would do well to heed.

B.     After death we will understand the true measure of life:

1.      Look at how the tables are turned on the rich man!  Though he lived a life of luxury and ease on earth, he is now the one begging!  Lazarus, on the other hand, is now resting in comfort.  Life on earth was but a few decades, but life in eternity will go on endlessly.  How the rich man now wished he could go back and change his life!

2.      Lk. 12:16-20 - Earlier Jesus had spoken the parable of the rich fool.  He measured life in the number of silos he could fill.  God's measurements found him to be a fool.

3.      Lk. 12:15 - To preface the parable, Jesus warned that life should not be measured in the abundance of "things" we possess.

4.      Mat. 16:26 - What profit is it if we gain the whole world but lose our own souls?

5.      Two people attended the funeral of a very wealthy man.  "I wonder how much he left behind?" one of them asked.  "All of it," responded the other.  Death will reveal to us very quickly if the way we measured our lives on earth was accurate or not.

C.     After death we will see our everlasting fate:

1.      Notice that the rich man was in torments in Hades.  He exclaimed to Abraham that he was tormented in the flame.  Abraham responded by saying that there could be no relief, and no one could cross over from one side to the other.  The rich man's fate was sealed!

2.      Rev. 20:12,13 - We should note that this state in which the rich man found himself was temporary.  At the end of time, death and Hades will deliver up the dead so they can be judged by their works.

3.      Mat. 25:46 - But Jesus destroys hope for relief by showing that those who rejected God's will on earth will be sentenced to an eternity of punishment.  The rich man would live on in his torment.

4.      Acts 2:31 - We should also note that Hades is a place Christ also visited.  But was His experience like the rich man's?  Or was it not more akin to Lazarus' comfort?

5.      Lk. 23:43 - The penitent thief would die on the cross.  But after his death, his existence, as a forgiven sinner, would be in paradise, the place where Lazarus was taken.  That fate would carry over into heaven after the judgment.

6.      Five seconds after death will be long enough to know what the rest of our existence will be like.  It will bring either great anguish or great bliss.

D.    After death we will be concerned for loved ones left behind:

1.      On earth, the rich man didn't seem to have much concern for anyone other than himself.  Now, in Hades, he was anxious to help his five brothers avoid his fate.  This anxiety must have contributed mightily to his misery.

2.      2 Sam. 12:23 - Death is a time that causes us to reflect on the eternal welfare of those we love.  Like David, we hope to spend an eternity of happiness with loved ones.

3.      2 Cor. 6:1,2 - But instead of being like the rich man, who neglected spiritual matters with people he loved, we must learn that today is the day of salvation - not five seconds after death.  If we love them, we should discuss these things now.

E.     In sum, death changed the rich man's outlook.  But it was too late.  Nothing now could be done to change his fate.

Conclusion:

  1. Think about it: Why did Jesus give us this glimpse into what happens immediately after

        death?  Is it not to help us learn from others' mistakes?  Will we learn?

1  2. Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890): "Fear not that your life shall come to an end, but         rather fear that it shall never have a beginning."

  3. Though we know that death will come for each of us, we don't know when death will come.

        We are wise to be prepared in advance.  That's a statement that would receive an "Amen"

        from a certain rich man!