- It is in the face of death that the riddle of a human existence grows most acute. Not only is man tormented by pain and the advancing deterioration of his body, but even more so by a dread of perpetual extinction. (James Denison quoting Second Vatican Council in 1965)
- The world needs the Christ and the courage of Christians who believe they will never die. (John Piper)
- Those who understand God’s sovereignty have joy even in the midst of suffering, a joy reflected on their very faces, for they see that their suffering is not without purpose. (R. C. Sproul)
- The hardest person to convince of anything is one who is deceived. To think you are nor deceived could be what makes deception possible. (J. Meyer)
- Comfort is the god of our generation, so suffering is seen as a problem to be solved, and not a providence from God. (Matt Chandler)
- An institution (including the church as an organization) cannot be Christian. Only people can be.
- If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. (C. S. Lewis observed)
TEXT: Mark 12:18 Then the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question. 19 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, the man must marry the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 Now there were seven brothers. The first one married and died without leaving any children. 21 The second one married the widow, but he also died, leaving no child. It was the same with the third. 22 In fact, none of the seven left any children. Last of all, the woman died too. 23 At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” 24 Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. 26 Now about the dead rising—have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the account of the burning bush, how God said to him, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!”
I realized that a number of devotional messages are bouncing back because the email holder is no longer with us. Some of the names are those of people whom I knew and had close relationships with, fellowshipped and shared in a number of activities as part of our daily life, and who are now referred to as ‘late’. Such contacts seem to be increasing in my mobile telephone and WhatsApp. To be late means you have served your time on earth and are no more. Where do those who die go? I vividly recall a young grandson of a dear friend who had rested from this life, (I mean died), wondering genuinely and innocently about what he saw as confusing. “If grandpa has gone to be with Christ and it is a better place, why then are people crying”? That brings to memory the encouragement of the people “going to heaven,” or “being with the Lord”, or “being in a better place” and no longer in pain.
The permanence and irreversibility of death can be an enigma and puzzle that silences people while their minds are left to figure out ways of coping. What happens to the soul after the physical body ceases to function and begins decomposing and rotting has been a major belief issue since creation. Examining the deeply held beliefs about death that have impact psychologically, physically and spiritually requires genuine, authentic reflection since each human being must inevitably face it in his person. It is important to remind ourselves of what we now believe as a way of protecting our innermost being from holding on and acting on superficial beliefs that are misleading.
Human beings instinctively do not want life to end. The amount of time and money allocated to good health reveals that fear of death haunts all humankind. That may be what the Teacher observed that human beings were made for endless life. ‘He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end’. (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Ernest Becker, 1973, in his book ‘The Denial of Death’ observes that the fear of death is the mainspring of human activity. Since it is instinctive and logical to want to keep on living, the fear permeates every aspect of life. Can a Christian have a definable way of telling what happens after death? The medical definition of clinical death is the irreversible end of all biological functions that keep the body alive. This means that when a person has died, they can no longer breathe on their own or have a heartbeat. Death is not just about the heart stopping; it’s about the body ceasing to function in any capacity. Where do those who die go, to be with Christ or wait for glorification? Whether they recognise others may be derived from the rich man who saw Lazarus at the bosom of Abraham (Luke 16). As to whether they can see what is happening on those on earth may not be clear from the scriptures.
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH
Exploring the beliefs and concepts surrounding the afterlife, including the nature of the soul, judgment, heaven, hell, cannot be covered in this short devotional message. And by a layperson who just reads the bible while observing this very important issue. To remain in error like the Sadducees and fail to understand the power of God is tragic.
Death is an appointment – The Bible defines physical death as the separation of the spirit from the body and that all human beings die. “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment“. (Hebrews 9:27). Since death awaits us all, what happens after death is one of the most important questions we can ask because it influences how we behave while we have the breath of life. The first person to die according to the bible is Abel, following the secret murder whose denial by Cain had divine intervention. ‘The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10)
There is life after death – There is resurrection for all the people. “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. . .” Daniel 12:1-3. Jesus Christ’s teaching was clear that determination of eternal destination was determined while on earth. “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity 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 fire.” (Luke 16:22-24)
There is more than one death – In a biological sense, a person can only experience one “death” as it refers to the cessation of life functions; however, depending on the context, some interpretations may use the term “second death” to represent a further spiritual or symbolic concept, usually associated with a final judgment or eternal consequence after physical death.
- The first death is likened to sleep – Death is analogous to sleep because it is stated in the scriptures as temporary. When someone falls asleep, they will eventually wake up. When someone dies, they experience “the sleep of death” (Psalm 13:3) for a period of time, but will awaken in the future. The Bible calls this the resurrection of the dead. Death is like sleep in that no conscious thought occurs when one has died. People who are dead are completely unconscious—unaware of the passage of time and without any feelings or awareness of themselves or their surroundings.
- Jesus Christ – There is communication with Jesus Christ between the first death and the second death – Second death seems to refer to eternal separation from God, which happens after physical death. It’s mentioned in Revelation 2:11, 20:6, 20:14, and 21:8. Which says “As for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” After death there is communication with Jesus, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not do many mighty works in your name? Didn’t we cast out demons in your name?’ I will say to them, ‘Depart from me you workers of inequity. I never knew you’” (Matthew 7:22-23). The parable of the 10 virgins, five of whom went to look for extra oil and were locked out. ‘The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ (Matthew 25:10b-12).
- Peter – Following the controversy following the Pentecost experience, Peter reinforced Jesus Christ’s teaching. “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. … For David did not ascend into the heavens” (Acts 2:29, 34).
- Paul – The apostle Paul makes this clear in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [are dead]. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.”
This is the skeleton, skimming the surface of a big topic and a major issue. The concern of what happens once the body and the spirit separate is a major issue that cannot be ignored. While this is a major issue for all human beings, it is critical for those who have put faith in Christ. The sacrifice of goats and search for parental blessing and the direction dead bodies face is a very deep cry that demands a response from the believers. One thing is clear from the bible is that the state one is in at the point of death has eternal implications. We know ‘Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment’ (Hebrews 9:27). The desired destination of those who love and obey Christ is to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ returns, as the apostle Paul stated it, “the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). For one to “rise,” one would have to come up from somewhere. If one had died and gone to heaven already, then the individual wouldn’t be rising from the grave when Christ returns. He or she would be descending from heaven. Paul is clear that the dead wake up from their sleep and rise. That brings the next concern which is whether the dead stay in the grave where their remains are buried or the grave has another meaning. Remember cremation and other kinds of disposal of the remains of the dead.
It is also valid biblical teaching that those Christians, believers who die in Christ, enter into an immediate, conscious, spiritual relationship with the Lord. They have further affirmed that in this state the saints await the resurrection and renewal of their bodies on the Last Day. These beliefs are based on clear biblical testimony. The apostle Paul, for instance, says that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, Philippians 1:23, and John 5:25-29 are some of the passages that support that view.
The Christians whose faith is built on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ must make sense of it, review what the scriptures say about it, what Jesus Christ said and what the apostles had to say. Failure to engage with the reality of death can leave people being swayed to and fro by the prevailing either cultural or other people’s beliefs. Above all else guard your mind because it is the wellspring of life. It is worth noting that there is no negotiation of destiny after the first death (biological). What we do in regard to relationship with Jesus Christ before we die determines the eternal destination. Jesus Christ told the disciples that he went to prepare a place and that he will come back for them (John 14). What we consider to be an eternal destination once we die, is what determines our pursuits in life. What preoccupies us most is likely to be a pointer to where we go after we die, and thus the need to protect and nurture our innermost being. If you consider death to be a doorway to a new life, does your everyday living reflect where that new life is?
Satan is fine with us making the world a better place, and even doing so in the name of Christ, so long as we stop short of recognizing Jesus as Lord. (Ryan Denison)
This message is an invitation to conversations on a very important eschatological issue. Share your thoughts and biblically rooted perspectives on this issue.