| The Other Side | The Afterlife |
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Part 1 of 3 | September 28, 2008
 In the lifespan of the average person, the human heart will beat approximately 3 billion times. 3 billion. It’s a huge number, but it’s not infinite. Sooner or later, out of the billions of heartbeats most of us will experience, one of them will be our last. You will take approximately 850 million breaths in your life. Some of you are holding your breath right now trying to conserve. Doesn’t work that way. Most of us will take millions and millions of breaths…but one of them is destined to be our last. In that moment, immediately after our last heartbeat and our final breath, we’ll find ourselves on the other side. Your life has an expiration date, known only to God. When you’re a pastor, you have to deal with death. There is simply no way to escape or avoid it. Performing funerals, ministering to grieving families…it’s part of the ministry gig. But I’ve got to say that I never thought I would ever perform two funeral services in one day. But that’s exactly how I spent my day on August 13 of this year. I’ve replayed the events of that day in my mind a lot ever since. Preaching two funerals that are only separated by one hour is a pretty glaring reminder that life here in this world is a temporary thing. When the day of your final heartbeat arrives, in an instant, you’ll find yourself in a completely new realm. A realm that is cloaked in mystery. A realm that seems to give us more questions than answers. What is it like? What happens in the moments after my death? Can these things even be known to us here on earth? In this series, we’re chasing after answers to questions like these. We believe the Bible is God’s Word. It is his truth and it is without error. So the Bible is going to be our guide as we set out in search of answers about the other side. Let’s pray, and we’ll get after it. The last time I checked, the human death rate is still hovering right around 100%. Unless Christ returns first, every one of us is going to die. Edward Young said, “Our birth is nothing but our death begun.” Now you probably won’t find that quote on a birth announcement card at Hallmark, but it’s the truth. From the moment you drew your first breath, you began speeding toward your last. So, as uncomfortable as it is, the absolute inevitability of death forces us to explore the issue. What do we need to know about death? We have to start with this. We have a dual nature. You are made up of body and spirit. Right now, as you sit here listening to me, you are a physical AND a spiritual being. In Matthew 10, Jesus himself said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, NIV) This verse is about as clear as it gets when it comes to our dual nature. We are both body and soul. And when you explore Jesus’ word a little further, another truth comes into focus. Your body is temporary. Your soul is eternal. You are currently both body and spirit. Your earthly body will die, but your spirit or soul will move on into eternity. Look again at what Jesus said. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28, NIV) We have the ability to kill the body. The killing of bodies happens thousands of times a day in our world. And when the body dies, it decays. Cellular disintegration and chemical decomposition begin to return your body back to its natural elements. In Genesis, the first book in the Bible, it says, “…the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7, NIV) The Bible says we were created from the dust of the ground. Did you know that several years ago, the NASA Ames Research Center analyzed the elements found in the human body? They discovered that the earth’s soil contains every one of the elements found in the human body. The Genesis creation account isn’t just a cute, poetic metaphor. It is scientifically accurate. God created mankind from the dust of the earth, and when our bodies die, they will return to dust. Maybe you’ve been to a funeral where you heard the phrase, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” That’s where this comes from. Man was created from the dust, and our bodies will return to dust. But when you look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 10 again, you see that he said very specifically that we can’t kill the soul. Regardless of how or when we die, our soul lives on in eternity. There are a lot of groups that try to deny this Biblical truth. Some examples are Jehovah’s Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists. They don’t believe in our dual nature. They believe that we are made up of our bodies, and that’s it. So, they believe that when you die, you cease to exist. The only way you can have any hope of eternity is because God will eventually recreate you. But as far as an immortal spirit or soul, you don’t have one. Jesus clearly says differently. Your soul may be currently invisible, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist. If you could see yourself for just a moment through God’s eyes, you would see that your spirit is just as real as your body. But in death, our two natures will disconnect. When we die, the Bible says, “…the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12:7, NIV) At the moment of our death, our two natures separate. Our bodies decompose and decay, returning to the ground. But our spirits return to God. Which begs the question…then what? We know what happens to the body. Anybody who has ever watched CSI: has a pretty good idea of what happens after the body has been dead for a while. It’s gross. But what about the soul? What happens when our spirits move on to the other side? The beliefs in our culture about the afterlife are very diverse. Some believe in reincarnation. This is the belief that after death, the human soul is reborn in the form of another person, or possibly an animal or even a vegetable. Often, those who subscribe to this belief say that how you live in this life will determine what you will come back as in the next life. Others believe that when we die, our spirit is absorbed into the atmosphere. Your soul is absorbed in the wind, the trees, or something else in nature. A lot of people believe in ghosts. They believe in spiritualistic contact with the dead. They often believe that the spirits of people who die are free to roam about here on the earth. We live in a very spiritually energized culture. Most people believe in some sort of afterlife. According to the Barna Group, 81% of Americans believe in an afterlife of some sort. Another 9% said that the afterlife might exist, but they’re not sure. That means that 90% of Americans believe in, or at least entertain the possibility of life after death. Actually, that’s nothing new. Throughout history, people have yearned and hungered for life after death. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV) God has placed a desire for eternity in all of us. But this verse also says that many people cannot fathom what God has done. In other words, they have a desire, a longing for eternity, but their beliefs are based on something other than the Word of God. Reincarnation, ghosts, and a lot of other beliefs you’ll run into get some traction in our culture, but there is no Biblical basis for them. So what does the Bible say about the afterlife? If our soul separates from our body at the moment of death, what happens then? We’re going to explore a scene that happened while Jesus was hanging on the cross. Jesus was crucified between two criminals. In Luke 23, the Bible says, “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43, NIV) This short little statement from Jesus tells us so much about the other side. It also dispels so many false beliefs that Christians have about death. For example, a lot of Christians believe in a thing called “soul sleep.” Basically, this belief says that when you die, your soul enters into a state of unconsciousness. Your soul sleeps. And your soul will not awaken until the second coming of Christ. When Jesus comes back, your soul will wake up. But in the interim, you know nothing. You experience nothing. Your soul is unconscious, absolutely oblivious to everything. That’s not what Jesus said. He said, “TODAY you will be with me in paradise.” Today. If you are a Christ-follower, the day you die is the day that you will be in the presence of Jesus Christ. There is no unconscious, soul sleep period. This verse also contradicts the belief in purgatory. Some of you are Catholic or former Catholics, so you know this doctrine well. A lot of the rest of you have Catholic family and friends, so you may be familiar with this belief. The doctrine of purgatory teaches that, after we die, most of us will enter a temporary place called purgatory. Jack Cottrell explains it this way: “The idea is simply this, that many if not most saved people when they die still have some remains of sin that have to be worked off or purged out of their system.” So they go to purgatory where they will be punished for a time that is proportionate to the amount of sin they had left. There are multiple problems with this doctrine. First of all, it’s not in the Bible. The Bible never, not one time, pictures saved people being punished in eternity, even for a short time. The picture is always that the people of God enter immediately into the presence of Christ. There is no punishment for Christians in eternity. None at all. But the most dangerous part of the purgatory doctrine is that it minimizes the death of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus’ death on the cross was enough to forgive ALL our sin. It doesn’t matter how big or black your sins are…the cross is enough to forgive them entirely. Purgatory teaches exactly the opposite. It teaches that the death of Jesus wasn’t enough to forgive all our sins, so there is something we have to do to cancel out the remainder of our sinfulness. Either the cross of Christ can forgive all your sin, or it can forgive none of your sin. There is no middle ground. If there is any sin that the cross of Christ can’t forgive, then Jesus died for nothing. His death wasn’t the perfect sacrifice after all. The Bible clearly teaches that God forgives you because of his grace. You can do nothing to deserve it. You can do nothing to earn it. It is a completely free gift. The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, NIV) See the dichotomy here? The “wages of sin is death.” Wages are something you earn. When you work, you earn your wages. You deserve it. The wages of sin is death. When we sin, we deserve death. “…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Eternal life is a gift. Not earned. Not deserved. But freely given. If you are trying to earn God’s grace, if you are trying to deserve his love and forgiveness, you can stop now. You’ll never do it. Forgiveness is found because Jesus went to the cross to take the punishment for your sins so you wouldn’t have to. You didn’t earn it or deserve it. He freely gave his life for yours. It really is that simple. So do you see why this doctrine of purgatory just doesn’t measure up? At its core, belief in purgatory means disbelief in the sufficiency of Jesus. Jesus told the thief on the cross, “TODAY you will be with me in paradise.” Today. Not when you wake up from soul sleep. Today. Not one day when you get all your sins worked out. Not once enough people pray for you after you’re dead. Not one day when you can finally measure up. Jesus promise to the thief on the cross is extended to everyone who follows him. At the moment of your death, you will find yourself in the presence of Jesus Christ. But here’s the deal…even though we are with Christ when we die, we’re not in heaven. Not yet. When we die, we don’t immediately reach our final destination because our final destination doesn’t exist yet. Let me show you. In Revelation 21, the Apostle John writes, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:1-5, NIV) This is such a cool passage because it is God himself describing what the eternal destination of his people will be like. He will wipe away every one of our tears. There will be no more death. No more mourning or crying or pain. God himself said that he is making everything new. But you have to understand the timeline here. Go back and look at the very first verse in Revelation 21. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away…” (Revelation 21:1, NIV) The new heaven and the new earth won’t be created until the first heaven and the first earth are destroyed. In other words, the eternal destination of God’s people won’t be created until God’s final judgment and the destruction of this present universe. Last time I checked, the universe hasn’t been destroyed yet. That means that when we die, we don’t immediately end up in our final eternal home. It hasn’t been created yet. So where do we go immediately after we die? Jesus told the thief on the cross that today he would be with Jesus in paradise. In Luke 16, we get a glimpse of a wicked rich man who died. The Bible says, “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment…” (Luke 16:23, NASB) According to the Bible, there are two intermediate states after death. Paradise and Hades. Those who have faith in Christ will go to paradise. Those who reject Christ will go to Hades. This is not heaven and hell. These are precursors to heaven and hell. Souls will not be sent eternally to heaven or hell until the second coming of Christ and God’s final judgment. In the meantime, we will reside in these intermediate states once we reach the other side. But understand this…the Bible says that the wicked rich man was in torment in Hades. He was already being punished, but that punishment does not compare to his eternal fate in hell. Those who are in Paradise are in the presence of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. They are comforted. It is a place of complete bliss…but it still doesn’t compare to the joys that await us in heaven. The point is that, although you won’t immediately go to your final destination when you die, you will be completely conscious of what is happening. You’ll know if you’re being punished in Hades or being comforted by Jesus in Paradise. And really, this is all the matters. That as God’s people, when we die, we get to be in the very presence of Jesus. Jesus said, “I tell you for certain that if you obey my words, you will never die.” (John 8:51, CEV) That really doesn’t make sense until you understand that Jesus is talking about our spirits. Jesus is saying that when your body dies, it’s not the end of your life. You will never stop living. Your body will stop working, but your spirit will never stop living. If you are in Christ, death is simply the gateway for you to begin living forever in the presence of Jesus. Emphasis on the word forever. Earlier Brian illustrated how our life here compared to eternity is like comparing one grain of sand to an entire beach. Our guys are going to pass tubs of sand down each row. Here’s what we’d like you to do. Take one grain of sand for yourself. Just one. Once you have your grain of sand, study it. That tiny grain of sand represents your life in this world. In comparison to eternity, it’s tiny. Just a little speck. Most of you will lose your grain of sand before you get home today. That’s the point. Not only is your life here very small, but you will lose it. Your life has an expiration date. And once you move to the other side, the only question that matters is what have you done with Jesus? Did you make him the Savior and Lord of your life or not? You will have all eternity to ponder your choice. But right now…everything can still change. If you haven’t given your life and your eternity to Jesus yet, you can. The trajectory of your life and the destination of your eternity can be changed. If you believe in Jesus, you accept his death for your sins, you repent of your sins and are buried in baptism, the Bible says that your eternity is set. Jesus died to remove the mystery of death. You don’t have to wonder where you’ll end up on the other side. If you give your life to Christ, you can know that at the moment you die, you’ll be in his presence forever. As the great preacher, Dwight L. Moody, was nearing the end of his life, he said, “One day soon, you will hear that I am dead. Do not believe it, because I will then be alive as never before.” That’s someone who knew the promise of eternity that comes through Jesus. You can claim that same promise today. Mike Edmisten |
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