LESSON 14 - After Death, What Then?

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There’s an old saying that only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. People fear death! One third of Americans are so afraid of death that they are emotionally unable to prepare for their own demise (i.e., preparing a will, purchasing a life insurance policy, preparing a living will, etc). They fear the unknown, the deterioration of their body, the pain of death, and being separated from their loved ones. Many just can’t face it. 

Yet increasingly other people seem fascinated by the topic. The entertainment industry tries to capitalize on this fascination by producing movies and music which explores death and what comes afterward. 

As long as man has believed in the one true God, there has been hope for life after death. The book of Job is probably the oldest book in the Bible and Job’s concept of a bodily resurrection from the dead is apparent in chapter 14:14-15 –

If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. You will call and I will answer you; you will long for the creature your hands have made.

Then in chapter 19:25-27, Job declares –

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my hearts yearns within me! 

A Divine Perspective on Death

God entered history to give the ultimate answers to the problems of life. Banished from the Garden of Eden and therefore from access to the Tree of Life, man was faced with death as the penal consequence of sin (Gen. 2:17; Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12; 6:23). The most casual reader of the four Gospels cannot but be impressed with the fact that Jesus looked upon disease and death as an intrusion into God’s original plan for the human race. Original words from which sick, sickness, and disease come appear in the New Testament some fifty-seven times, principally in the Gospels. As the Life, Jesus healed all manner of sicknesses and diseases; and as the Resurrection, He restored life to the dead. 

Character is engendered through our capacity to bear physical and mental suffering without losing fortitude and faith. Suffering never seems fair and robs us of our self-reliance and casts us in agony at the feet of God. There is no place where earth’s sorrows are more felt than up in heaven. 

In spite of these truths, for the believer, death is not the enemy we generally assume it to be. Like a child prior to birth cannot conceive of life with air and light. Oh, that we could view death from the other side. Sure death brings sorrow to those who are left behind. However, in death we gain the ultimate victory. Listen to Paul’s words in II Cor. 4:16-18 and Rom. 8:18: 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light affliction and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 

We find often written on the pages of the New Testament the conviction that suffering and death will not have the last word. 

The Significance of Christ’s Resurrection

Christ overcame the terrible tyrant of death. He took on flesh and blood, that, “by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14). The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our Christian faith. The hope of every Christian centers on His promise, “Because I live, you also will live” (Jn. 14:19). The concept of “resurrection” is mentioned 104 times in the New Testament. The first “good news” sermon about Jesus Christ was built around the resurrection (Acts 2:32). Every sermon recorded in the book of Acts centers around the historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection. As a matter of fact, the New Testament proclaims salvation predicated on belief in the resurrection (Rom. 10:9). 

Every shred of evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is also evidence for my eventual resurrection. For believers, heaven hinges on the reality of the resurrection! That’s how central it is to the Christian faith. 

After Death, What Then?

Death is portrayed in scripture as the separation of the soul (the spiritual part of man) from the body (the physical part), the latter ceasing to function and turning into dust (Gen. 3:19; Job 7:21; 34:15; Psa.146:4; Eccl. 3:20).

One of my favorite quotations from Jesus comes when he was talking with Martha about the death of Lazarus, who was her brother and Jesus’ good friend. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25-26). 

In effect, Jesus was making the astonishing claim: “There is life after death.” It is not a fantasy, it’s not make-believe, and it’s not wishful thinking.

The Corinthian church had been influenced by the powerful Greek philosophy which denied the concept of a physical resurrection. The Greeks held a concept of philosophical dualism which is usually attributed to Plato. They believed the physical body was evil and the soul was good. According to Paul’s response recorded in I Corinthians 15:12, some among the Corinthians were saying there was no resurrection from the dead. And then he says, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (15:14). 

The concept of “sleep” is used to describe death in both the Old and New Testaments. Job, when destroyed by Satan, wished to sleep and be at rest (Job 3:13). The patriarchs were laid to rest with their fathers (Gen. 47:30), as was David (II Sam. 7:12). The scriptures teach there will come a day when all who have died will be resurrected from the sleep of death. Even Daniel and Job had this recognition (Dan. 12:2; Job 14:12, 14). Indeed, man shall live again. 

This concept of “sleep” is used 15 times in the New Testament. Those who are asleep do not cease to exist; they are at rest. Just as we awake from sleep, likewise the body will be awakened by the resurrection (I Corinthians 15:55-57). The idea of the body being resurrected was a troublesome thought to some of the early Christians. They wondered, “What kind of a body will it be?” and Paul responded with an analogy from nature (15:35-42). 

This awakening will be with great glory. In the resurrection, the body will awaken with rejuvenation and strength. In fact, it will be changed into a glorified, immortal body (see Rom. 8:23; Phil. 3:20-21). At the resurrection, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (I Cor.15:51-55). Jesus awoke Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus and He shall likewise awake us (Jn.11:11; Mk. 5:39-42; Jn.5:28-29) and “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2). The resurrected Christ forms the prototype and pattern for the resurrection of believers. 

The above assurances are expressed in the Word, so that Christians may not “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope” (I Thes.4:13). 

Reflect:

Why is our belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ such a fundamental tenet of our faith? 

What is the significance of Jesus Christ being the first-fruits of them that sleep (I Cor.15:20-23; Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5)? 

Why do you fear death? 

What insights in this study are most striking to you? 

- Jeff Spry